Page 24 of Above Cursed Winds

“About what?”

“About how poorly they portrayed the Velociraptors. He thinks it was a great disservice to his favorite dinosaur.”

There was a smile in his voice when he said, “Well, I can’t wait to hear it.”

“You—you’re good with him,” she blabbered, the words spilling out of her mouth like an awkward train wreck, despite her best intentions towards this walk. “Thanks. For today. With, you know, everything. With Myko. He can’t control his power. Not yet. I’m just saying that it was good of you. That’s all.”

“Hopefully, tomorrow will be even better.”

She studied him out of the corner of her eye, weighing his words. They weren’t sharp or sarcastic, another oddity for him, but it seemed like he was making light of her attempt at being grateful. He noticed her confusion.

“Look, Z, nobody needs to be thanked for being a decent person.” Jeremiah rolled his shoulders as they approached his condo. “Plus, he’s a cool kid and I enjoyed today, too. You’ve raised him well.”

Whatever Zia had thought he would say, that wasn’t it. As they reached the door to his condo, she pondered the diametric difference between the man he’d been when they first met and the one standing before her. She couldn’t help but wonder which one was the truth.

“Night, Z.”

As he opened the door, both of them gagged.

The smell of raw sewage wafted out the door with such potency that Zia fought the urge to retch. Her fingers pinched her nose just as Jeremiah slammed the door shut. The Elemental had turned a shade of green but still broke into a smile at the look on Zia’s face.

“I swear I didn’t do that!”

Choking on a laugh at his expense, Zia shook her head. “That’s a burst sewer line. No way you could’ve done that by yourself. Oh, fates. I can’t think straight.”

With a chuckle, Jeremiah’s element shifted in the air around them, and the air purified within moments. She dragged a fresh breath into her lungs and briefly closed her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m afraid there’s nowhere else for you to stay, Jeremiah. We don’t have any more houses or condos you could borrow.”

“It’s fine,” he shrugged, the gesture truly ambivalent. “I’ve slept beneath the stars more times than I could count.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Her gaze swept over him once more. “Come on. You can sleep on my couch.”

Jerking her chin back toward her house, she kept her eyes on him to weigh his response. Something hardened behind his eyes before he dropped his chin, but he took one last rueful look at the condo behind him.

Satisfied, she squared her shoulders. “Nero asked how things were coming along today. I said I wasn’t sure where you were in the process.”

Jeremiah stiffened. “I ran the diagnostic. The heavy lifting starts tomorrow.”

Saying nothing further, they continued to walk back toward her home. Her psychic senses brushed against his mind almost without her intent, shying away initially before sensing no danger.

While the rage was still barely concealed, his mind felt lighter, less intense. The pressure from his turmoil had receded, becoming currents below still waters. It was almost as if today had been just as good for Jeremiah as it had been for her son.

Walking back into her home, they saw Myko jump up from where he’d started playing Mario Kart. “You’re staying?”

There was such hope in the boy’s eyes, any trace of Zia’s reluctance instantly melted. “The condo Jeremiah was in had a problem. He’s going to sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Guess you can’t get rid of me, little man.”

Beaming, her son bounded up to the pair of them and wrapped his arms around Zia’s waist, whispering, “Thank you, mommy.”

“Off to bed now, Boo.”

Forty minutes later, she tucked him into his multi-colored dinosaur bedding and kissed him goodnight, once, twice, three times, as was their tradition. Zia descended the stairs to find Jeremiah flipping through his phone.

Clutching the pillow and blankets tighter, she launched into the disclaimers. “My house isn’t finished, as you can tell. We’ve only just moved in, and we only have one working bathroom.”

Summer-blue eyes met her own. “Myko was telling me that. Why did you move?”

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