Bound by Forever (True Immortality #3) - S. Young Page 0,82

bar stool. “What is it?”

She cut him an exasperated look. “I sense danger.”

Kiyo let out a snarl of aggravation before gesturing to her to follow him out of the standing bar. He scanned the crowded lane, readying for fight or flight depending on the source.

And then he saw him, marching through the crowds with his men.

“Fuck.”

“What? What is it?” Niamh pressed up against his back, and the heat of her sent an overwhelming surge of protectiveness through him.

“It’s Daiki.”

“The good-looking fella the train doors closed on and who is now coming toward us glaring at you like he wants to kill you?”

Good-looking? He cut her a dark glance over his shoulder. “Yes.”

“Why? What does he want with you now?”

“My guess? To warn me off.”

“Off what?”

“His mate.” Kiyo caught Niamh’s eyes. “Sakura.”

Understanding dawned. “Oh shit.”

Yeah, that about summed it up.

19

“Whatever happens, don’t use your powers,” Kiyo murmured. If Daiki discovered Niamh, Kiyo would have to kill him. “This is between me and him.”

You expect me to just stand by while you fight?

He started at the unexpected sound of her voice in his head. He wasn’t quite used to it yet. Kiyo glared at her, bristling with male pride. “I can handle myself.”

“Oh, I’ve seen that,” she assured him. “But I’m not sure killing Sakura’s mate is a smart idea.”

“I’m not going to kill him.”

“You could not even if you tried,” Daiki growled, overhearing them. He sneered at Kiyo like he wanted to rip his head from his body.

Kiyo straightened his shoulders and tried to conceal as much of Niamh as possible from Daiki and his little pack. The four wolves standing behind Daiki weren’t all the same players from the ’90s. He only recognized two of them. One was Kobe, Daiki’s beta.

“He has barely aged,” one of them said to Daiki in Japanese, his tone suspicious.

“It means nothing,” Daiki replied. “His bones will have aged, and that is all that matters since I plan to break some.”

“What are they saying?” Niamh whispered, stepping up beside Kiyo, drawing the other wolves’ attention. He could feel her energy humming at a low level around her, which meant she was readying for battle. Kiyo shot her another warning look, but she was too busy shooting her own warning look at the wolves.

Seeing Daiki’s men stare openly at her, their eyes dragging down her body, Kiyo tensed with agitation.

Daiki looked at her but not in the way a male stared at a woman he found attractive. His gaze was more calculating. He turned to Kiyo, something working behind his eyes. “Leave Tokyo. Now.”

“English, Daiki.”

The wolf shrugged and repeated the demand in English.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that. Not just because we don’t want to but because your alpha has demanded my presence for a fight.”

“I am aware of what Sakura has asked of you.”

Kiyo raised an eyebrow. “And you’d try to undermine your alpha?”

Daiki’s men shuffled their feet restlessly behind him, clearly uncomfortable with anyone voicing such a thing out loud.

Daiki’s face hardened but satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. “I hoped you would see it that way. You and I will settle this now.”

Kiyo gestured with his hand. “Lead the way.”

“After you.” Daiki stepped to the side, and Kiyo grabbed Niamh’s hand to keep her with him. Daiki’s eyes lowered to where Kiyo held her and a frown puckered his brow.

The wolves surrounded him and Niamh as they marched from the market. Locals darted out of the way, either recognizing Daiki and his men or intuition telling them this was business they didn’t want to get involved in. Tourists steered clear because of the sheer amount of energy pouring off them all.

It didn’t surprise Kiyo when Daiki led them all the way down to the river and stopped on the loading dock behind a warehouse at the river’s edge. They could still be seen, but no one would dare stop them. Not even the police once they realized who Daiki was.

If it looks like he’s going to fight dirty, I’m stepping in.

Kiyo turned to face Niamh in answer and gripped her elbow as he tried to communicate silently that she was not to make any move toward helping him. At all. Thankfully, Niamh’s mulish expression softened, and she gave him a slight nod of acquiescence.

He raised an eyebrow.

I promise, she said softly in his head.

Gratified, Kiyo gestured for her to stand to the side. When Daiki’s men sidled up next to her, he quelled the overwhelming urge to warn them off her. He didn’t need