Bound by Forever - (True Immortality #3) Page 0,29
werewolf studied her with his intense expression and then shocked the hell out of her by tipping his head in a slight nod of acknowledgment.
She hesitated before she resumed walking again. Because what Kiyo didn’t realize was that she’d said it out loud not just to snap him out of his superior attitude but as a reminder to herself.
There were days she crossed the line and let herself be pulled into the shadows.
She had to fight harder to stop that from happening.
They were silent as they strode side by side, but tension hummed between them. Tension that continued to make Niamh’s pulse race.
As they hit the woodlands, the wolf gestured and they stepped inside the forest. The trees, though not snow dusted, were covered in frost, and the bracken snapped and cracked with an extra icy crunch beneath their feet.
Niamh desperately wanted to prod Kiyo about himself. Who he was? Why was he different from other wolves? Because he was. Definitely. However, she didn’t want to get into another argument. The werewolf had the ability to prick her pride and irritate her more than most.
“What do we do next?” she asked instead.
She noted the way his eyes darted all around as they walked. He was constantly on guard, watching his surroundings. “You still think we need to be in Tokyo?”
“Yeah.” Niamh was eager to learn more about her companion.
“I think we should check in with Bran and Fionn. They might be able to help us map a safe route there.”
“I’m surprised you’d rely on someone else for help.” She winced as soon as she said it. She had this annoying habit of needling him. “Sorry.”
He shook his head. “You’re not wrong. But I trust only one person in the world, and it’s Fionn, and he trusts Bran.”
“Why Fionn?”
He cut her a look. “Because someone like Fionn doesn’t entrust the dire secrets of his very existence—and more importantly, those of his true mate’s—to someone unless he trusts him. He trusted me. Regardless of the unbreakable contract. He trusts me with Rose. I’ve always respected him, and by trusting me with Rose’s secrets, I’m honor bound to return his trust.”
Niamh smiled at the uncharacteristically sweet words. Kiyo might not think he was being sweet, but he was. He and Fionn had a bromance. “I thought you scorned the true-mate bond?”
“I do. That doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful. Rose is what matters the most to Fionn. Any fool can see that.”
A twinge of something flared within her.
She realized it was envy.
“You can trust me,” she offered.
He surprised her with a small smile. Okay, it was more of a smirk, but still … it was hot. “Do you trust me?”
“You’re the reason I experienced pure iron for the first time, so I should really say no …”
Kiyo gave a huff of disbelief. “But you’re beginning to anyway?”
Niamh shrugged. She’d probably regret being vulnerable again, but she was who she was. “I want to trust you. There’s something about you … I don’t know.”
A frown puckered between his brows. “You can trust I don’t want to break the contract with Fionn.”
Silence fell anew between them and this time, Niamh let it. She’d never been the type to crush on a bad boy, and she didn’t want to start now. But she couldn’t deny she felt an electric awareness of the wolf or that he didn’t fascinate her. Niamh wished he didn’t. But he was a mass of intriguing contradictions, and she’d always loved a good puzzle.
Feeling her cheeks heat at the thought of Kiyo discovering her crush on him, Niamh clamped her lips closed and decided it best not to speak for a while.
Not long later, they strode out of the woodlands and saw a small cluster of houses in the distance. They were mostly surrounded by frost-speckled fields.
But coming toward them from the direction of the houses, they spotted an SUV.
Kiyo took hold of her arm to halt her, his expression granite hard.
“It’s okay,” she reassured him.
“We’re strangers out in the middle of nowhere, not exactly dressed for winter, and a plane just fell out of the sky,” he reminded her.
“Trust me.”
He still scowled, but he released his grip on her and they waited as the SUV slowed beside them. A man jumped out of the vehicle. He was probably in his late thirties, early forties, and he wore a suede jacket over a thick cable-knit sweater. His brown trousers were tucked into working boots.