A katana.
He almost smiled.
Instead he pulled out the old-fashioned cell phone. He answered it, hitting the speaker button. “Yeah?”
“Good, you got everything, then? I did good, didn’t I? I even remembered your hair ties so you’re not walking around with your hair hanging in that gorgeous face. I know how much you don’t like feeling too sexy,” Bran said.
A burst of laughter brought Kiyo’s gaze to Niamh who was grinning widely, her shoulders shaking with amusement. The compelling vision of her laughing amused him, stifling his irritation with Bran. He bared his teeth in a half grin, half snarl, and she blinked rapidly, as if surprised. Her gaze lowered to his mouth and stayed there long enough for him to feel as if she’d caressed his lips with her fingers.
“Hello, anyone there?” Bran’s voice yanked Kiyo back to himself.
“Yeah, we’re here. We got everything. What’s next?”
“There will be a private plane waiting for you at Kalmar Airport tomorrow morning at six a.m. sharp. The pilot is called Stephen and he will meet you at the entrance. It’s a small airport so he won’t miss you.”
“How far away is the airport from here?”
“Ten minutes. You left an SUV outside the hotel, right?”
Kiyo frowned. How did he know these things? “Yeah …”
“I’ve gotten rid of it. You’ll find a Honda Civic parked just down the street. Keys are in the duffle bag.” Bran rattled off the car’s registration number.
“Wow,” Niamh said. “You’re brilliant, Bran. You think of everything.”
“Why, thank you,” he answered with more than a hint of flirtation. “I just want to make sure you’re safe and comfortable. Are the clothes good? I stuck to jeans but I know you like your dresses, so …”
Kiyo raised an eyebrow. How did he know Niamh liked dresses?
“Oh, it’s fine. Jeans are easier to run in,” she observed ruefully.
“You two have never met, right?” Kiyo asked.
“No,” Bran answered. “But keeping an eye on Niamh for Fionn makes me feel like we have. Maybe one day I’ll get to meet your stunning loveliness in person, Niamh.” There was a definite purr of invitation in his voice.
And a red flush crested Niamh’s cheeks, meaning she’d caught it too.
He stemmed a growl. “You sound like a stalker, Bran.”
“I like to think of myself as more of an extremely hot guardian angel of the night.”
Seeing Niamh suppress a charmed smile, Kiyo felt his impatience grow. “What happens after Kalmar Airport?”
“Right, that. So, Stephen can take you to Düsseldorf where we’ll have Fionn’s private jet waiting for you. The jet will take you to Tokyo.”
“Fine. We’ll call if we need anything else.” Kiyo hung up.
Niamh gaped at him. “You hung up before we could thank him.”
“He’s paid very well by Fionn to do his job. That’s thanks enough.”
She shook her head. “Oh, you are such—” She faltered, letting out a small, anguished moan.
Her hand flew to her temple, the color draining from her face.
Kiyo was immediately at her side, gripping her biceps. “What’s wrong?”
“Vision,” she whimpered. “Another one—” Her head flew back too sharply on her neck, her eyes rolling as her lids fluttered at a rapid pace.
Feeling her body convulse, Kiyo pulled her into him and lowered them both to the carpet so he could hold her while she shuddered.
He watched her features strain with the pain of the visions. An ache flared across his chest, and his arms banded more tightly around her. The strength of her physical reaction to the visions was such that Kiyo wondered how Ronan ever comforted her through them. Surely a human couldn’t contain her while she was like this?
He cupped her nape to stop her head from jerking so much and caressed her neck with his thumb, hoping the comforting gesture might reach through the visions.
Part of him hoped the vision would transfer to him, too, so he’d finally know what was going on inside her head. But nothing happened.
Other than the strange realization that it disturbed him to see her like this.
His grip on her tightened and he bent his head to her ear. “It’s okay,” he murmured, “I’m here, I’ve got you.”
Finally, her convulsions eased and relief moved through him as he felt her hands rest on his chest as she came back to herself.
Her eyelashes fluttered and as her eyes opened, the gold bled back to aquamarine. Only golden flecks remained.
She felt warm and solid and real in his arms, and her sweet, spicy scent made him want to bury his face in her throat and breathe her in deep.
Hot awareness sprung between them.
This was becoming a problem.
In fact, at some point, Kiyo needed to leave her safe in her hotel room and go get laid to deal with the damn problem.
“Well?” he demanded gruffly.
At his sharp tone, Niamh’s hands dropped from his chest and she pushed away, forcing his hand from her neck.