Page 21 of Above Cursed Winds

“I’m Myko.”

The name was somehow the perfect fit. “I’m Jeremiah.”

Myko offered him a tentative grin, but when the Elemental extended his hand, the lad bristled and retreated into what seemed to be a practiced look of hesitation.

“I can leave if you want,” came the shy suggestion. “I just thought no one was here, and it’s a good place to practice.”

“Nah,” Jeremiah grinned. “Show me whatcha got!”

Delight was plain across the boy’s features as he dropped the ball to the ground and did some fancy footwork before punting it into the wall of the condo, nailing the exact spot where dirt still stained the siding.

Three more times, three more hits to the exact same spot.

“Color me impressed.” Grunting a laugh, Jeremiah stepped a bit closer. “How do you do against an opponent?”

A hint of nervousness flitted across Myko’s features, but it was gone nearly as quickly as it arrived. “You playing goalie?”

“Am I playing goalie?” Laughing genuinely, Jeremiah strode up to the spot that’d been puckered with mud from the child’s dead-on kicks. “What kind of a question is that? Let’s see if you can get the same spot with somebody defending this poor house.”

“You’re on!”

A nervous laugh before the kid dropped the ball and kicked it across a swath of grass. “But you can’t just stand there,” Myko called out, his feet punting the ball across the turf. “You gotta move your feet or it’s cheating.”

“Oh, I’ll be moving,” Jeremiah taunted with a smile. “Let’s just see if you can score.”

And score he did.

The recent rains had made for a wet playing field, but it didn’t bother either of them. By the time Myko hit ten points, the grass had turned sodden and the boy’s sneakers were coated in thick muck. Getting close enough to Jeremiah that he heard Myko’s delighted laugh, the youngling aimed one final kick at the makeshift goalie.

While the ball aimed true, the mud beneath his sneakers gave way. A shocked exclamation startled out of the boy. Instinctively, Jeremiah reached for him, grasping his arm to prevent him from falling.

The second his skin made contact with Myko’s, a vision slammed into his mind. Instantly, Jeremiah was back in that canyon, Gideon sprawled on the rock before him, writhing in pain. The scene played out like a movie before his mental eye, a perfect recreation of the devastating moments that’d taken place over a year ago.

With a gasp, Jeremiah jerked away. He landed hard on the ground several feet away from a stricken looking Myko, whose eyes were wide with panic. He’d lost any color in his cheeks, his naturally olive skin tone paling.

It took Jeremiah a moment to find his voice. “What was that?”

“I didn’t mean to,” came the well-worn apology, terror shining on Myko’s face. “I just—it—it happens when people touch my skin.”

Jeremiah’s gut clenched, his demeanor instantly shifting. “Did you see it? Did you see what I saw?”

“No.” A rapid shake of his head. “No, I didn’t see it. I never do.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jeremiah stilled. “Are you okay?”

“Am—am I okay?”

Myko’s incredulous look seemed so foreign on a child his age, as though he knew the question should’ve been posed the other way around.

When Jeremiah nodded, Myko blinked rapidly. “Yeah?”

“Good.” Getting to his feet, Jeremiah braced himself and held out a hand to the boy who was still sitting in mud. “Let’s finish our game.”

The Elemental’s goodwill had the opposite effect of what he intended. Myko’s face instantly crumpled, eyes tearing. Heart jumping into his throat, the man crouched before the boy.

“Hey bud, what’s wrong? I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“I—I just,” he sniffed, “no one ever wants to touch me again after the first time. And you—you offered me your hand like it was no big deal.” Myko scrubbed a hand across his tearing eyes. “Like you were my friend.”

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