Bound by Forever - (True Immortality #3) Page 0,63

have only one person to a suite, for safety reasons.”

To Niamh’s delight, she felt the frustration emanating from Kiyo. She wanted him to stay with her too. Maybe not for the same reasons, but still … his reluctance to leave her felt nice.

“My fiancée had a nightmare. Can’t you let me stay with her for a bit?” He glanced at the seat-belt sign that wasn’t lit up. “If the seat-belt signs come on, I’ll go back to my suite, I promise.” He smiled at the attendant. It was the first real, big smile she’d ever seen from him. His right cheek creased into an almost dimple, his grin surprisingly boyish. Niamh’s belly fluttered and her pulse increased. Kiyo must have heard it because he flicked her a concerned look.

Ignoring his gaze and hoping he didn’t notice her flushed cheeks, Niamh looked at the flight attendant who clearly wanted to succumb to Kiyo’s gorgeous smile.

No wonder he didn’t smile often. It was lethal.

“I’m really sorry, but—” The attendant cut off as her and Niamh’s gazes connected.

“Please,” Niamh pleaded. Her gift was almost like hypnosis. She didn’t know how else to explain her ability to manipulate people into doing her bidding.

“All right. For a little while longer.” The flight attendant drifted away, dazed.

Kiyo turned back to Niamh, his elbow to the pillow, his head braced in his palm. He studied her face as if searching for something. Niamh tried to control her heartbeat as she bemoaned his beauty. Not that his gorgeous face mattered. Somehow Niamh knew that even if he didn’t look like an Armani model, she’d be attracted to him. It was the contradiction of his brooding standoffishness and the kindnesses he’d shown her, his jumping in front of that bloody dagger to save her, his air of mystery and detachment. All of that was enough to entice her … but he came wrapped up in a package that involved an unfair quantity of masculine beauty.

He’d turned her into one of those annoying heroines who wanted to save the broken hero.

Damn him.

“What are you thinking so hard?” he asked, his voice rough and rasping across her skin.

Niamh tried to contain a shiver. Maybe she should have let the flight attendant force the wolf back to his suite after all.

“Niamh?” He frowned.

“Astra,” she blurted out. Concentrating on the bigger picture was a good distraction from this potent infatuation.

“Astra?”

Niamh nodded. Deciding the next part was way too important to be overheard, she rested her head on the pillow and spoke into Kiyo’s mind. Can I talk to you like this?

Kiyo showed no sign of discomfort at her use of telepathy. He gave her a subtle lift of his chin in agreement.

Seven of us were born on the same day of the same year to different human mothers. Although we’re fae, we do actually have our human parents’ DNA too. It’s complicated. Most of us were born not knowing what we are. But I was born with knowledge. Of who we are, of how Faerie’s interference in the human world led to the birth of supernaturals, of Aine, the Faerie Queen, and her spell. Over the years, a vampire named Eirik sought the fae-borne to kill them so they couldn’t open the gate. Eirik and his brother Jerrik were the oldest vampires in the world. So old, they remembered Faerie. They’d visited it often. Jerrik’s true mate was a princess of one of the royal fae houses.

Aine had begun to learn that fae and supernaturals were coming together in the true-mate bond. It alarmed her but not so much as when a werewolf bit his fae mate and she turned into a werewolf, losing her fae-ness and her immortality. Those who weren’t connected in a true-mate bond found that a werewolf bite was as lethal to a fae as iron. Until that point, there was nothing on Faerie that could kill them.

Kiyo flinched like she’d hit him. He hissed, “My bite can kill you? Why the hell did Fionn not warn me? I could have hurt you without even meaning to. The full moon is in four days.”

Niamh wasn’t concerned about Kiyo hurting her. The wolf had more self-control than any werewolf she’d ever come across. Fionn probably didn’t want you to know how dangerous you are to us.

“I’m going to kill him and now I know how.”

Sensing he was only semiserious, Niamh gave him a mock reproving look. Shall I continue, or do you just want to brood about what a sly