Bound by Forever (True Immortality 3)

Disappointment niggled at Niamh. She hadn’t realized they wouldn’t be spending any time together, but of course they wouldn’t. This wasn’t a vacation. Yet, she was still reeling from the outpouring of his story during their drive. As much as she (and he) might fight it, she felt closer to him than ever and didn’t want to be far from him.

As if he sensed her feelings of disappointment, Kiyo’s lips twitched. “You can conjure a book or two to entertain you, right?”

Instead of childishly sticking her tongue out at him like she wanted to do, Niamh gave him an imploring look. “Or …”

His expression was wary. “Or?”

“You could let me run with you?”

Kiyo’s chin jerked back in surprise. “Run with me? While I’m a wolf?”

She nodded, feeling like an excited child at the prospect. “When you were describing what it was like, it sounded wonderful. I want to experience it.”

“You’re not a wolf.”

“Intelligent observation, Sherlock.”

At his answering glower, Niamh switched back to imploring. “Please. You know I’m super fast and will more than keep up with you.”

Kiyo seemed lost for words. “I’ve just never … I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t a wolf who wanted to run.”

“It’s safe, isn’t it? It’s not like you lose a sense of who you are when you’re a wolf?”

“No, I’m completely self-aware.”

Niamh snorted incredulously but covered it up with a pretend coughing fit, even though his raised eyebrow said she wasn’t fooling anyone. She threw him a sheepish smile and persisted. “It shouldn’t be a problem, then.” But then something occurred to her. “Oh, goodness, unless it’s, like, an extremely private moment and my asking is unforgivably rude and against all werewolf etiquette?”

He grinned.

God, she loved his smile.

“It’s not private and it’s not rude. You can run with me. But I’m out there as long as the moon is out.”

“I have a lot of stamina.”

Something like sexual avarice flickered across his eyes before he quickly looked away. “I could eat. Could you eat?” He busied himself unpacking the food from the duffle bag.

Niamh nodded forlornly, feeling flustered and frustrated in equal measure.* * *“Ready to go?”

Niamh turned from her spot on the deck. She was sitting on a wooden lounger that had been left out there, gazing at the sun as it set, light filtering through the trees and dancing across the misty pond below.

It felt like they were at the end of the world.

It was wonderful.

Her eyes widened at a half-naked Kiyo standing in the doorway of the deck and the living room. Her gaze, with a will of its own, drifted down his taut pecs and tightly roped abdominals. The scar on his belly, left there quite clearly by silver, pricked her curiosity. She wanted to ask about it but thought perhaps he’d done enough sharing for one day.

“Well? We need to go. Sun is almost set.”

“Sorry.” She blushed at his slightly impatient tone. “Just wasn’t expecting you to come out wearing only joggers and looking like a Japanese Adonis.”

Kiyo shook his head at her nonsense but she caught his slight smile as he walked back into the lodge. She followed him inside as he threw over his shoulder, “The less I wear, the less I have to strip off before the change.”

That made sense. Niamh swallowed hard looking at his strong, sleek back and the perfect muscled arse currently hugged by black jogging pants.

She was feeling very warm all of a sudden.

“I see you’re dressed for running.” He flicked her a wry look as he pushed open the door and gestured for her to go ahead.

Niamh glanced down at the sneakers, yoga pants, and sports bra she’d conjured.

Perhaps she had taken the whole thing too literally.

She noticed his tongue hadn’t rolled out of his mouth at the sight of her bare belly like hers had at his. Vanity pricked, she shrugged as she deliberately brushed her chest against his as she squeezed past. “I wanted to run like I was naked without being completely naked.” She emphasized the word naked both times she said it.

She heard a rumble deep from his chest and smiled to herself as she sashayed across the porch. Niamh could feel his eyes burning into her arse.

Good.

It wasn’t fair for her to be the only one smarting from sexual frustration.

The porch light spilled across the outside stairs and as Niamh approached, something caught her eye that she’d missed in the bright daylight. She lowered herself at the top of the staircase, staring at the creature carved on each newel post. It looked somewhat human but had a shell on its back and dish-shaped indentations atop its head. “What on earth is that?”

The smoke and heat of her werewolf companion enveloped her as he crouched down beside her. “That”—his deep voice caused a hot tingling in impolite places—“is a pair of kappa. They’re believed to live in and around bodies of water, like rivers and ponds.”