Page 84 of Above Cursed Winds

Nero, directing clean-up efforts, sidled over to Jeremiah and extended his hand. “It seems I owe you another thank you, Jeremiah.”

“For what?”

“For defending the Dome and helping Nolan.” A rueful shake of his head. “It appears that Sehrin took the easy way out.”

Jeremiah toed a piece of roof off the walkway. “Seems that way.”

A trickle of electricity tingled up his spine; the Raeth sovereign beside him glanced across the field. Following his gaze, Jeremiah straightened when he caught sight of the black-haired beauty closing the distance between them.

“Is Zia alright?”

“She’s suffering from an energy drought after the fight, but she’ll be right as rain in no time.” Nero’s sienna-brown eyes caught his. “Powerful, that one. Managed to grasp thirty some-odd men in a single showing, stopping them dead in their tracks.”

Jeremiah was filled with pride. His chest puffed up at the thought of Zia’s powerful ability stopping the enemy from entering clan lands. No matter where their relationship ended up, he would always be impressed by the woman.

Speaking more to himself than Nero, Jeremiah said, “She’s spectacular.”

Both men remained silent until Zia had glided to a stop before them. Though she nodded to her sovereign first, her attention slid to Jeremiah immediately after.

“Are you okay?”

He gave her the slightest of nods before breaking eye contact. Regardless of how she treated him now, he knew what she thought of him, and her bitter words had scored a hole in his heart. Better detach now than let the hurt fester. That’d never worked out well for him.

Jeremiah needed a distraction. “Have you checked to see if the technopath got into any tech while they were on clan lands?”

Nero’s eyebrows rose. “We haven’t. Tower’s out, so all our tech is down.”

“What needs fixing?”

Ten minutes later, Jeremiah was trudging his way toward the lighthouse, dodging piles of palm tree branches and clusters of insulation. He found his way between the wet patches of cement, brightened by the wayward sun that finally peeked out from behind the clouds.

It reminded Jeremiah of his dormancy. The wind, though it continued to curl around him lovingly, wasn’t his in this moment. Similar to an overworked muscle, his Elemental abilities were strained, and his gift would rest until it’d sufficiently refueled.

Jeremiah tipped his head back to ponder the height extending above his head. Sunlight reflected off the bright white paint, the yellow stripes clinging around the cylindrical shape. Glass had shattered above and fallen into the well-kept grounds that surrounded the lighthouse, shards spearing into the earth.

He slowly made his way up the circular stairs to the top of the lighthouse. Wind whistled through the broken edges; an entire pane had been shattered by the hurricane.

Far below, the tide had gone out, leaving the volcanic rock exposed and dangerous, seven stories below him. Jeremiah cracked a smile. Wouldn’t want to fall to his death so soon after he’d almost … fallen to his death.

Crouching, he flipped open the laptop, and a couple of clicks later, the clan’s system began rebooting. With a sigh, Jeremiah rested on his laurels, glancing out across the ocean toward the unknown.

In the week he’d been here, he had fallen hard and fast for a woman who’d torn his heart out. Zia had initially given him hope, and when he was with her, he felt alive. The woman had succeeded in finally breaking the stalemate he’d been stuck in since Gideon’s near assassination.

And then she’d broken him.

Lost to his thoughts, he hadn’t noticed the crunch of glass on concrete, nor the creaking stairs that announced the imminent arrival of a visitor.

“Enjoying the view, Elemental?”

Startling from where he’d been watching the restart process, Jeremiah glared at Sehrin, instantly alert. The man looked no worse for wear despite the attack on clan lands.

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Then, blandly, he added, “What do you want, Sehrin?”

A slow, malevolent smile spread across Sehrin’s mouth. “Oh, just wanted to come and ensure your wellbeing. After all, it isn’t every day a man finds his fated mate.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he responded after a brief pause. “I don’t have one.”

Sehrin’s mocking laugh made a shiver crawl over Jeremiah’s skin. “No? Perhaps Zia merely hasn’t told you yet. Or, more likely, she never intends to.”

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