Bound by Forever (True Immortality #3) - S. Young Page 0,54

she was a ticking time bomb, and Kiyo wasn’t sure how to broach the subject or if he even should.

Leaving his concerns behind for the moment, Kiyo contacted Bran and got him up to speed. Minutes later, Bran had checked the security tapes in the airport and cross-checked all passengers logged on flights in and out of Paris in the next few hours with the names of members of the Blackwood Coven and The Garm. No names came up. They seemed to be safe, so Bran booked them on a flight to Tokyo using the false passport information he’d given them back in Sweden.

Kiyo had wandered off a bit to talk to Bran. When he hung up, he collected his and Niamh’s tickets from a self-service machine and turned to find her. Niamh leaned against the wall near the entrance doors, her eyes closed. She appeared suddenly very young and lost.

He knew what it was like to lose the one person who kept you anchored. Home wasn’t a house or a building somewhere. Home was a person. Kiyo knew that better than anyone. Ronan had been Niamh’s home, and without him … Tamashii ga nuketa. She was a lost soul.

Striding toward her, his eyes fixed on her, his pulse leapt when she opened her eyes to meet his gaze. Ignoring the sensation, he slowed to a stop before her and held up the ticket with a wry smirk. “Bran booked us first-class tickets to Tokyo.” It had been awhile since Kiyo had traveled first class anywhere. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it; he’d just already been through what he considered the extravagant, indulgent phase of his life in the ’80s. He grew bored with it quickly. It wasn’t him.

“That was nice of him.” She took the proffered ticket. “Did he say anything else?”

“Just that we seem to be safe.” He explained Bran’s security checks. “Our flight leaves soon but we have time to eat. Why don’t we head to the first-class lounge and get something there?”

Niamh nodded docilely and fell into step beside him. He kept looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, worry niggling at him.

She frowned at her feet. “Why did it take you so long to come to the apartment?”

He frowned in return. “Considering the situation, I think Conall and I got there pretty fast.”

“But weren’t you following me in Sèvres? When I was following Meghan?”

Kiyo drew to a halt. “No, I wasn’t.”

Niamh stopped with him.

“You were followed?”

She searched his face, his worry reflected in her eyes. “I can’t say for sure. But I’m rarely wrong. I felt like I was being followed. I was so focused on the witch and I didn’t feel any danger, so I just ignored it. Then when you and Conall showed, I just assumed it had been you following me.”

“You didn’t feel any danger?”

“None.”

Shit. Kiyo did not like mysterious subplots. He glanced around them, searching the crowds for anything out of the ordinary. “You sense anything now?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Okay. We keep moving.” His expression hardened. “But you tell me if you feel anything like that again. If you feel anything out of the ordinary, I want to know.” His head dipped toward her. “You have to trust me, Niamh.”

Her eyelashes fluttered at his closeness. “I know. I’m going to try.”

Although more than a little annoyed that she needed to try considering he’d thrown himself in front of a damn dagger for her, Kiyo merely grunted and continued toward the small security lounge for first-class travelers.

They moved through it quickly. Kiyo had already abandoned his katana in Conall’s Defender back in Inverness so he could board the flight to London. Niamh’s backpack held only a small amount of cash and her clothes.

Afterward, as they followed signs for the first-class lounge, Kiyo spotted the bookstore and stopped so fast, Niamh collided into him. He felt the brush of her breasts against his biceps just before she pulled back. “What is it?”

He gestured toward the store. “Give me a minute?”

She nodded and followed him inside.

As he perused the English language fiction bestseller list, he spotted the new Stephen King and grabbed a copy without reading the blurb. He moved toward the checkout counter.

“Wait … you’re buying a book to read on the plane?” Niamh asked incredulously.

Kiyo scowled at her over his shoulder. “And?”

“You read?”

“Yeah. I’ve also been known to use my opposable thumbs.”

She chuckled. His lips twitched at the sound, but he had his back to her so she