Bound by Forever (True Immortality 3)

But he knew if Niamh asked it of him, he would give it to her.

He wouldn’t let her drown in the misery of eternity if he could save her from it. “Okay.” He tried not to glower out at the forest but probably failed. “If that’s what you want. I promise to do that for you when the time comes.”

“No, you silly male.” Niamh cuddled into him.

Despite his grim mood, he instinctively welcomed her burrowing into him.

“I don’t mean I would leave you here. I meant I could become mortal, and then when my time came to die, you could smash the pendant and meet me in the afterlife. If there is one.”

Kiyo frowned. His mate had not thought this through. “And unleash whatever spells or curses are held within it on Japan? Who knows what chaos that could cause.”

“Oh.” Niamh’s face fell. “I never thought of that.”

“Never mind that I would have to watch you grow old while you watched me stay the same age.”

“I just wanted there to be an option for you.” Niamh shrugged, everything she felt for him brimming over in her beautiful eyes.

Kiyo had never known what it was like to be someone’s entire universe. He almost thought it would chafe. Too much responsibility. But when you felt the same way as that person, it was a peace he never expected to find or thought he deserved.

“I know eternity is not something you ever wanted,” Niamh continued. “And I just want to give you everything that makes you happy.”

Slipping his hand beneath her shirt, Kiyo glided his palm up Niamh’s belly until it rested over her heart, beneath the warm weight of her breast. She sucked in a breath and he sensed her immediate desire for his touch, but this moment wasn’t about that. Feeling her heartbeat against his palm, he realized it beat in time with his own.

“There’s a saying people use here, especially to describe the short cherry blossom season. Mono no aware. It’s an appreciation for things that quickly pass or are soon lost. I hated that damn saying because nothing has passed quickly for me in almost a hundred and fifty years. Until now.”

He bent his head to her mouth, their eyes locked as he confessed with rough emotion, “I used to resent forever. And now, because of you, Niamh Farren, forever will never be enough.”

He felt her tremble slightly as she clung to him, eyes wide with the wonder that he could love her so much. “We’re bound by forever,” she whispered, her bliss and awe wrapping him in love, loyalty, and desire. Her emotions tasted like caramel and spice on his tongue; they felt like power and heat and electricity.

They were Niamh.

They were everything that made up who she was.

Not just fae-borne.

Not just one of the most powerful beings on earth.

Those were how others would see her.

To Kiyo, she was simply Niamh: the other half of his soul.

His to love and his to protect.

And his to follow where she led.

That might chafe other alphas. In fact, he would have scoffed at the very idea only months ago.

Now he felt only pride that Fate had chosen him to be what she needed.

“Bound by forever, Komorebi,” he purred, nudging her into the bedroom. He might follow her in life, but he was still a male, still an alpha, and he needed somewhere to channel his bossiness. Kiyo grinned wickedly. “Conjure some restraints, Niamh-chan. I’m feeling literal this afternoon.”