Bound by Forever (True Immortality 3)

“This way.” Niamh gestured to an apartment building two streets over from Echo’s. Kiyo followed at her back, watching it for her, as she used her magic to break into the building. Following the stairwell up to the very top, she unlocked the door to the roof and they strode out into a rooftop garden. “Ooh, I like this. What a grand idea.”

“Niamh,” Kiyo bit out impatiently. “Focus.”

“I am. I’m just saying, those tomatoes look amazing. Ooh, and look at all these potted herbs.”

“Keep walking.”

“I’m walking,” she threw over her shoulder. “Bossy bastard.” Then she turned back around.

“I heard that.”

“You were meant to.”

“Did it ever occur to you that as I am an actual illegitimate child, I might take offense to the word?”

Niamh rolled her eyes, even though he couldn’t see her. She suddenly ran, leaping across the small gap between buildings. She landed silently on the next building and heard Kiyo land behind her, almost as quietly. “No,” she answered as they continued across its lackluster, bare rooftop. “The only thing you take offense to is me wearing clothes.”

At his lack of response, she glanced over her shoulder.

“I can’t argue with that.” His nostrils flared and he grabbed for her, pulling her down beside him in a crouch.

What is it?

Kiyo murmured close to her ear. “I smell wolves.”

“Guards?”

He nodded.

Niamh searched the roofline ahead of them and across the street. “I don’t see anyone.”

“Look down. White van with a satellite dish.”

Glimpsing it down on the way, Niamh sighed. Echo’s apartment was at the other end of the street, so the van wasn’t in sight of her place. Were they guarding Echo or surveilling her?

Clutching the satchel filled with the info she needed to deliver to the vampire, Niamh turned to her mate. “I want you to stay here. I’m going to travel into Echo’s apartment.”

Kiyo shook his head and hissed, “No. You have no idea from this vantage point what room she’s in or how many supes are in that apartment with her. Never mind the fact that they’re clearly listening in.”

“Well, I could mess with their equipment but that might bring them to her apartment to check on things,” she mused. “I guess I’ll just have to be really quiet.”

“Niamh.”

“Kiyo.” She held his eyes, her expression deadly serious. “This is too important. This affects Elijah.”

“Or we could just warn Elijah about her and be done with it.”

Niamh grimaced. “You know that’s not the point. They need to meet, and she has to learn to trust him. Without this”—she patted the satchel—“she’s just another one of William’s puppets.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kiyo gave her a sharp nod. “You better be back here in five minutes. Five minutes. I’m counting. Or I’m coming for you.”

After pressing a swift kiss of reassurance to his lips, Niamh concentrated on the thought of Echo’s apartment and everything went black for a moment before the world blurred back into focus.

The blackness barely lifted, however, as she found herself standing in the middle of a large sitting room with tall windows fitted with state-of-the-art blackout blinds. Niamh’s eyes adjusted to the dark and she spun around, looking for a doorway. It was behind her. The best thing to do, since it would force Echo to look, was to empty the contents of the satchel across the vamp’s bed. Niamh took a step toward the door but was halted by the shadowy appearance of a female.

Eyes flashed silver in the dark.

Artificial light filled the room as the ceiling spotlights flooded on.

A beautiful blond with pale skin stood in the doorway wearing nothing but oyster-pink silk shorts with scalloped lace edging and a matching cropped camisole. Her arms were relaxed at her sides but in her right hand, she clutched a handgun and in her left, a dagger.

Niamh knew vamps had good hearing, but how the hell had she been alerted to her presence so quickly?

As if reading her mind, Echo Payne replied in an accent borne from living in Canada most of her life, “Silent motion-detector alarm.”

With a discreet flick of her wrist, Niamh created a soundproof bubble around the room so the feckers listening out in their van wouldn’t hear their conversation. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“I hate to tell you this, witch, but I’m a vampire. I’m not the one who should be worried right now. What did you just do? I felt magic.”

Niamh raised her arms in a surrender gesture. “I just made it impossible for the members of The Garm sitting in their surveillance van down the street to hear what we’re saying.”

Echo smirked, her green eyes like icy chips. “You think I don’t know my apartment is bugged?”

“I don’t think they know you know.”

“Who are you?” The vampire raised her gun to point it at Niamh.

“I’m a friend.”

“I don’t need a friend.”