Page 37 of Above Cursed Winds

“You may have made friends with my son, and I’m happy for it, but don’t get off by berating me because you can’t control your anger.”

The words were like a whip against his already battered psyche, slicing open his insecurities. But he’d made his bed, and now he had to lie in it.

“As I said, Danzia, I’m sorry.”

Her mouth opened to respond, then immediately became still. A familiar tingle up his spine alerted him to the telepathy that was hailing from the Raeth in front of him, so he held his tongue.

Spreading out his senses, Jeremiah listened to the clamor outside Zia’s home, the kick of the gusty wind escalating far above it. Immediately, they alerted him of the oncoming storm.

The further he pushed the meld of his consciousness into his element, the more his anxiety kicked. Gale force winds whispered to him in wordless voices, warning that an approaching hurricane would likely be devastating if it hit the islands.

As soon as he slammed back into his physical body, he realized his mistake. He’d never warned Zia that his consciousness could effectively disappear into his element. For Elementals, it was as natural as breathing.

Her shrill shout of alarm had him dragging her against his chest to shield her from whatever attack was now imminent.

“Jeremiah!”

His name on Zia’s lips made him look down at her, vulnerable and frightened in the circle of his embrace.

“What?”

“I—you—you were gone,” she sputtered in equal parts shock and chastisement.

Zia shook her head but didn’t make any move to extract herself from where she was curled into his frame. The slight movement made her sweet tropical scent brush against his senses, and her enticing frame pressed further against him.

The kick of desire that suddenly heated his veins turned to a harsh swallow.

“I let my element carry me into the hurricane,” he said. “It’s approaching quickly, and it’s going to be destructive. If Nero doesn’t already know, he needs to prepare for it.”

“He knows,” she whispered. When she looked up once more, they both became completely aware of the intimacy of their embrace. As she opened her mouth to speak once more, Myko cut her off.

“Mom, what’s for dinner?”

Her son’s shout made them awkwardly jolt apart. Running a hand through her hair, Zia said, “I’ve gotta make dinner.” She gave him a look. “And you’re welcome to stay, no I.O.U.s required.”

Jeremiah’s cheeks heated, but he knew they’d once again leveled the playing field.

“When you say you let your element carry you, what did you mean?”

“I went into the air. My consciousness disappears from my body and exists elsewhere. Have you ever seen an Elemental work?”

“No, I haven’t. It’s fascinating, actually. When you let your element carry you, you psychically read like someone who is comatose.”

“Oh, do I?”

“Or brain dead.”

Jeremiah snorted. “If I didn’t know you better, Z, I’d say that was an attack on my intelligence.”

The glint in her eyes told him more than words ever could.

“Earlier, with the telepathy. Were you being asked for something?” he inquired, following her into the kitchen.

“Oh. No.” Zia shook her head, the long tresses shimmering with each movement. “Nero wanted to warn the clan that storms will be heading our way before the hurricane. There’s a small one coming tonight, then the big one a few days from now. We’re all hoping the destruction doesn’t make landfall.”

Jeremiah frowned. Given the way the winds whispered, the trajectory of the storm would land it centrally over the islands. With any hope, it would change course—the winds were nearly as fickle as he was.

“Jeremiah?”

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