Page 32 of Above Cursed Winds

Nodding, Jeremiah grabbed a plate and loaded it up with bacon, pancakes, and breakfast potatoes. He got ahold of two forks a moment later, waving a hand in the air as the plate slid across the marble to stop perfectly in front of her.

She tucked into the ‘wild’ flapjacks first, barely concealing her groan at their taste. With the addition of powdered sugar, berries and syrup, they really hit the spot. She’d put off asking him more about his ability until breakfast had been dealt with accordingly.

It’d been too long since anyone had cooked for her, and she was going to cherish every delectable bite. A question popped into her mind, and once she finished that mouthful, she asked, “Who do you cook for back home?”

Jeremiah frowned. “Huh?”

“Do you have anyone you cook for? You don’t get this good by making stuff just for yourself.”

“Rukia and Gideon usually. Rukia’s the worst cook on the planet. She can’t even do pop tarts without burning them.” His smile fell suddenly, turning forlorn in the blink of an eye. “Fortunately, I hear her new mate is quite the chef, and she no longer has to worry about boiling water or setting fire to spaghetti.”

“And Gideon?”

Anger tinged the air around her, the churning of the element that brushed over her skin a testament to Jeremiah’s volatility. Within seconds, that emotion banked across her senses, his potent memories worming into her mind.

Jeremiah didn’t reply, and within moments, the brunt of the emotion subsided.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it,” Zia muttered quietly. “I can understand the anger that comes with disappointment.”

“Who has disappointed you?”

She put down her fork. “Myko’s dad.”

For a moment, it was as though Jeremiah didn’t know how to react. He placed his knife and fork down carefully and turned investigative eyes on her. “Where is Myko’s dad? I know that Raeths only have children when they are part of a mated couple, and you said he doesn’t live here, but Myko talks about his dad like he’s still alive.”

“He’s … Sehrin isn’t a part of our lives.” Curling her arms around her waist, Zia took a deep breath. “He never has been. He’s a clanless Raeth, and I met him and got pregnant against all odds.”

Surprised etched the handsome panes of Jeremiah’s face. “You’re not mated?”

“No. In fact, I’d never met him until that night. Myko is one of only three children born in the last ten centuries outside matehood. Trust me, no one was as surprised as I was.”

“What did Sehrin say?”

A lance of pain struck through her heart. “When I told him I was pregnant, he told me it was impossible, but changed his tune when he sensed the little life within me. And then he asked what I wanted from him, like I was some kind of gold digger or social climber.”

The curse that sounded from Jeremiah’s lips sounded suspiciously like a synonym for donkey. “But Myko suggested you were in a relationship with his father?”

“What?!” Zia shook her head. “No! What did he say to you?”

“Oh—ah, no … I mean, nothing. No reason.”

“There’s got to be some reason why you thought that,” Zia insisted. “Tell me.”

“Nah—it’s nothing.”

“Jeremiah.”

“Well,” he drawled, suddenly coy, “Myko said you sleep together.”

She choked on air, coughing as though she’d swallowed a bug. “Myko means in the same bed. Sleeping in the same bed … not … he wouldn’t know if—oh my fates.”

Facepalming, Zia hid her embarrassment behind a well-placed hand. She silently wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole next to the Elemental who’d made her breakfast. She remained silent until she felt his shoulder nudge hers.

“Don’t worry about it, Z. Just file this one under ‘crazy embarrassing stuff my kid has said’. Your tweet will go viral.”

Chuckling at her own expense, she finally met his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. This close, she could see the warm summer-blue of his eyes. What held her was the intensity with which he looked at her, the heat behind his gaze. His attention slowly dipped to her mouth, and his tongue subtly wet his bottom lip.

A plume of desire sparked to life within her, the treacherous emotion welling behind bated breath. Each inhale was punctuated by the delicious scent of sunshine, Jeremiah’s masculine aroma curling around her as though it were an embrace.

---