But getting sucker punched because he’d been distracted by the idiot groping her and then staring deep into her eyes with that intense expression only to pronounce her his friend …
Niamh was bamboozled by the sexy, mercurial bastard.
She didn’t want to think about what the sight of him laughing in the cab did to her belly flutters.
So they were friends. It was decided.
Friends.
Did friends cause constant butterflies or hot flushes when you thought about them taking a shower a few meters from you?
Niamh didn’t think so.
And now, rather than being stuck in a hotel room with him with a big city outside to escape to if she needed a break, they were on their way to the mountains. Where she’d be trapped with him completely, in a cabin of all places.
Niamh had been blissfully free of any Astra-manipulated visions the last few days in Tokyo. But she’d also been free of any visions, period. She could tell Kiyo was growing antsy at the lack of direction, and it was only exacerbated by the moon, which was moving toward its full phase. The morning after their day at the market and Kiyo’s impressive fight with Daiki (that did nothing to quell Niamh’s belly flutters), Kiyo had announced at breakfast that they were going to the mountains in two days’ time. They needed to be there so he could turn in privacy for the full moon.
“I was intending to leave you here at the hotel, but now I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Because of Daiki?”
“Because of the pack and because of Astra,” Kiyo had answered. “She was following you in Paris, which probably means she’s in Tokyo or at least knows we’re here.”
While Niamh slept, Kiyo had been on the phone booking a place for them to stay in the mountains. That’s how she found herself three days after their arrival in Tokyo, in the passenger seat of a rented car as Kiyo drove them out of the city. Apparently they’d be staying in an out-of-the-way lodge in the mountains not far from Mount Mito. Niamh obviously didn’t know where that was, but Kiyo said it was about a two-hour drive west out of the city.
“Maybe I’ll get a vision while we’re there,” she said in a hopeful tone, knowing he wanted to expedite the mission. He’d spent the last few days playing tourist guide, showing Niamh around the city, taking her to the stunning temple at Senso-ji, and back to the pack’s Shinjuku ward but this time to Golden Gai to visit the narrow streets with their post-war bars that were stacked on top of each other via steep staircases. And also to see the Gyo-en National Garden. It was where Sakura’s fight would be held.
After strolling through the absolutely stunning Japanese garden, Niamh wondered how on earth Sakura got away with closing it down for a fight. And why would anyone in their right mind want to? What if the gardens were destroyed? There were not only traditional Japanese gardens but landscaped English and French gardens too. Niamh’s favorite spot was the Taiwan Pavilion, perched along a pond. Kiyo told her it was a pity it was just a couple of weeks too early for cherry blossom season. Niamh already thought the place was breathtaking. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like with the cherry blossoms in full bloom.
The garden did, however, seem vaguely familiar, and she mentioned to Kiyo about the garden she’d seen in her visions. He said there were many Japanese gardens, and if there was nothing specific that stood out for her, they couldn’t be sure this was the one from her vision.
“Hopefully not,” he replied unexpectedly to her comment about having a vision. “We’ll be in the mountains for three days. Full moon phase.”
Of course.
Right.
Niamh frowned. “We didn’t check out of the hotel. Are you telling me you’re paying for that room for three days when we’re not even there?”
“It’s no big deal.”
It was a big deal. Kiyo wasn’t the type to splash the cash like that. “We should have checked out.”
“As long as we’re checked in, anyone who wants to know we’re in Tokyo will think we’re still in the city.”
True.
“At least let me pay for my half.”
Kiyo snorted. “And have you rob a bank to do it?”
Her cheeks colored. Even though she knew it wasn’t a dig, it only reminded her that she hadn’t done anything honorable to earn money. When Thea was on the run and on her own, she’d worked every menial job under the sun to pay her own way. She stayed in shitty apartments all over Europe. Niamh had never sacrificed like that.
“Hey …” Kiyo’s voice softened. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know. Still, I should probably think about getting a proper job at some point. Putting some money away. Money I’ve earned.”