He exhaled slowly. “The vision, the Tokyo one, is that truly helpful or is it another one of these?” He gestured to the ash.
“It’s important. I promise. It’s about the fae-borne.”
“And you won’t tell me more than that?”
More guilt pricked at her but even after the last hour, she still wasn’t ready to trust him. She shook her head.
His expression closed down. “Fine. Let’s get back to our terminal.”
“But the girl. I want to help her. Change her passport. Give her money.”
“And how do you propose doing that without using magic that makes her aware of our world?”
Niamh scowled because he was infuriatingly right.
“You’ve helped her enough. She’s on her own. Now get your ass back to the terminal.”
His demanding tone licked down her spine like fire, causing her to snap to attention. “Or what? You’ll make me?”
“Niamh, I just killed a human in a public restroom and watched you turn him to ash. This, after receiving visions I had no business receiving from a pain-in-the-ass Irish woman I’m bound to protect by a spell that pretty much screws with my freedom until Fionn’s happy you’re safe. My patience is wearing very thin.”
She sniffed haughtily as she moved past him. “It can’t be wearing thin if it doesn’t exist in the first place.”
His growl rumbled at her back and while it should have frightened her, it didn’t.
It had a much more disturbing effect on her body.
One that made her flush hot from head to toe.5“You can relax now, you know,” Niamh said quietly.
The plane had just leveled out and Kiyo wanted to believe he could relax, but his body refused to. Waiting at the airport had been tense. He’d been constantly on alert for any sign of The Garm or another enemy. Moreover, he still couldn’t figure out how the hell Niamh’s vision had transferred to him. He wondered if it could happen again. The stubborn fae wouldn’t tell him about her Tokyo vision, and since she’d admitted it was partly about him, Kiyo felt he had a right to know.
Especially if it was taking him back to a city where he had enemies.
“Can I?” he muttered, glancing around at the busy plane. The passengers were reading, watching the TVs on the back of the seat headrests, or sleeping. When was the last time he slept?
Having his neck broken and being unconscious for a few minutes didn’t count.
“I have a spider sense,” Niamh leaned in to whisper. Her spicy-sweet scent tickled his senses, and his gut tightened.
Kiyo glowered at her, noting the delicate golden freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. “I don’t care about your spider sense?”
She quirked an eyebrow. “You’re in an awful mood.”
“Niamh …” There was a growl of warning in her name.
“Okay, fine.” She considered him, questions in her big, golden-aquamarine eyes. “Do you not like flying?”
“Breaking the contract might be worth it,” he muttered.
She rolled her eyes. “My spider sense is pertinent, so I’m telling you about it whether you want to know or not. I can sense when danger is lurking. I knew I was being followed by The Garm before I saw the cars. And if there was anyone on this plane that meant to cause me harm, I’d feel that too. So … you can relax, bodyguard. Why don’t you try to catch some z’s?”
Tempting, but he still didn’t trust the woman he’d been hired to protect. And since she had the ability to pop herself out of the plane to somewhere else, he was staying awake and alert.
“I’m fine.”
Niamh leaned into him again and his fingers curled into tight fists. “Do you want to talk about why you don’t want to go to Tokyo?”
“Do you want to tell me about the vision?” he countered.
She flicked him a dry look and thankfully relaxed back into her seat.
“You could share it with me, couldn’t you? Like at the airport with the girl.”
Niamh frowned. “I don’t know how I did that.”
“Want to try again?” He reluctantly held his hand out, palm facing up.
Her gaze dropped to his hand. Her long, spiky lashes drew his attention as she considered his offer. Then, to his surprise, she reached out and placed her hand in his, wrapping her cool fingers around his. Kiyo’s skin sparked and tingled where she touched, like he’d caressed a live wire. It had to be because she was fae and made of potent energy.
“Well?” he said gruffly.
Niamh gave him a sad smile. “Oh, I don’t know how to give you the vision. I just wanted to hold your hand. I haven’t held someone’s hand in a long time.”
Her words disarmed him.
If anyone else had dared to hold his hand, he’d have shoved them off with impatience and irritation. When he took a woman to bed, it was all about sex. Any affection shown was for sexual gratification. It never involved cuddling or hand-holding.