Page 27 of Above Cursed Winds

She walked the two steps to her bathroom, pushing open the handle-less door with her shoulder. Only when she was on the other side, did she realize her mistake.

Standing before her in all six and a half feet of his glory, stood a nearly naked Elemental.

Her jaw dropped to the floor. Her eyes roamed over the sculpted panes of his chest. Each dip and valley looked like those usually portrayed on Greek gods, the male a perfect representation of her ideal: gorgeous, muscular, and without an ounce of fat.

Corded muscles were sculpted across each of his arms, and droplets of water dripped down his pecs, running in rivulets across the expanse of his droll-worthy six pack. His broad chest narrowed to a lithe waist and disappeared beneath the towel he clutched in one hand.

A screech sounded, unbidden, from her throat before she jerked her head away. His smile was that of masculine satisfaction without a hint of shame or shyness. Cupping her hands over her eyes, Zia’s fervently whispered apology made him chuckle.

“Good morning to you, too,” came the deep purr of his voice. “Perhaps I should’ve been singing while I showered to ward off invasions of privacy?”

“I—I didn’t know you were in here.” Zia didn’t look up, but she could hear him adjusting the towel that’d sat deliciously low on his hips. “I didn’t mean to walk in on you.”

“Myko said he was going to warn you.”

The little terrorist. “He did not, but I haven’t seen him yet this morning.”

“He’s playing Mario Kart downstairs.”

Sighing in equal parts embarrassment and frustration, Zia slowly lifted her head to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry, Jeremiah. I didn’t mean to walk in on you.”

When her gaze treacherously dipped to study his chest once more, a flare of heat licked through her veins. Fortunately, Jeremiah’s chuckle at her expense extinguished the fledgling flame.

“I’ll leave you to it, Z.”

Teeth scoring into her lip, Zia deliberately made herself look away as he moved to walk past her, his hand still clutched around the towel. Just as he moved into her personal space, she offered, “There’s an empty office just to the left of my bedroom. You can get changed in there.”

A knowing smirk kicked up one side of his lips, “Appreciate it. Does that door have a lock?”

Her eyes shut in embarrassment, and she melted into a Zia-sized puddle as he continued on his way out of her bathroom and out of her room. The click of the door behind him had her exhaling the tension from her shoulders.

That could not have been any worse, and there was no way she could have behaved any more awkwardly. Instantly, her mind offered: well, he could’ve been naked … and now her mind was filled with thoughts of that.

Zia turned the shower on, then paused. Going back into her bedroom, she grabbed a chair and pushed it up against the inside of the bathroom door, hoping no one would make the same mistake as her. Yes, you do, whispered the same treacherous thought from before. She silenced it with no hesitation.

After the world’s quickest lather, rinse, and repeat, she threw on clothes and went downstairs. She found both Jeremiah and Myko together on the couch, several races into a Mario Kart tournament. Both were clearly engrossed in their rivalry, though she had a suspicion that the Elemental was purposefully losing.

He’d ‘accidentally’ run off the track three times in the scant minute she’d been watching, his delighted smile telling her exactly what his intention was. Myko, of course, was oblivious, his chuckle gleeful at his winning streak. Glancing over at the dinner table, she spotted the telltale box of Fruit Loops still sitting partially opened.

“Oh my fates.” Zia scrubbed a hand through her hair in agitation. “I didn’t think he’d actually feed you Fruit Loops.”

Startled, Jeremiah’s head snapped around to get an eyeful of her face, but he recovered quickly from his shock.

“I even got the spoon that turned colors.”

“It’s official: he loves you,” she muttered, moving forward to watch their tournament. “Listen, Boo, I’ve gotta go down to the dome. A couple of the new moms are due for their checks, and I can’t get away. You okay here with Jeremiah?”

The question was just as much for Jeremiah as it was for Myko. “Can we play Mario Kart all day?”

“No, baby,” came her maternal reprimand. “You were going to go practice today, right? Get outside before the storm hits?”

“Oh yeah!”

Jeremiah grinned. “All right, little man. Once you’re done stomping me in Mario Kart, you go out and practice. I’ve got some work to do with your mom and then I’ll come find you.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zia nodded at the Elemental before teleporting into the dome to deal with the health assessments. Nero was already there and waved at her in greeting. His happiness at seeing her swelled through their clan bond.

Both Zia and Nero had been born into the same Raeth clan twelve hundred years ago, during the previous Heat. They’d been inseparable, growing up together and being the best of friends since the time they could crawl. When Nero struck out on his own, becoming sovereign of the Osé, she’d followed him, eventually becoming his second, his confidant, and trusted friend.

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