flash to leave chills in its wake.
“Thanks.”
He went to the door and opened it. “We’ll keep to the back stairs. How does that sound?”
“I know you brought me here for a reason. Hopefully, we’re not going to the dungeon. I like small, but not that small.” And without bars. Hard pass on bars.
He snorted. “Ronan turned the dungeon into a man cave. He’s most at home surrounded by iron maidens and leg irons.”
I shook my head. “Don’t make fun of him.”
Pausing with one foot out the door, he glanced over his shoulder at me. “Still standing up for him?”
Huh. Yeah. I guessed I was. This just went to show how much of a benevolent banshee I was. “Benevolent banshee,” I whispered, because I liked the alliteration.
Flynn led me to a set of narrow steps and began to descend them. “That hasn’t changed.”
Flynn
Where are you? Ronan’s voice suddenly sounded in my head, making me flinch. This whole telepathy thing was still new, and I wasn’t used to hearing my brothers speak when they weren’t standing in front of me. You know we’re supposed to be training.
I glanced over at Imogen. My plan had been to find vacant servant’s quarters for her. But that could take a while, and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone.
Not that I thought she would escape; I could easily place a spell on her room to keep her in and others out. But she’d been so weak when we found her. Though she looked better now, I didn’t want to leave her alone. Not yet.
Without meaning to, I allowed my gaze to slide down her exposed collarbone to where the fabric of her dress stretched over her breasts. I swallowed and immediately looked away, like I was a boy still in britches.
I almost laughed at the thought. Half-naked women constantly threw themselves at me. Hell, plenty of fully naked ones had as well. I’d assumed I was centuries past being affected by the sight of perky breasts.
But these weren’t just any breasts. They were Gen’s, and that made all the difference. I wasn’t sure I wanted to examine too closely why that was. My life was already complicated enough.
Flynn?
I mentally rolled my eyes at my brother, making certain to send that image telepathically. It was wasted if he didn’t see it.
Yeah, yeah. I’m on my way.
Imogen would just have to go with me, and Ronan could deal with it.
I caught her arm at the bottom of the stairs. “We need to change your appearance. How do you feel about posing as my newest flame? No one will suspect a thing.”
She gave me an unimpressed look. “Because people are so used to seeing a different woman on your arm every week?”
I shrugged, unwilling to apologize for my reputation as a player. My position made long-term relationships impractical. And I refused to fall into marriage with anyone who wasn’t perfect for me.
“Okay.” Her eyes took on a devilish glint. “I’ll be Brina.”
Brina. Why did that names sound fam—
Oh, hell, no. “Funny, but you don’t get to pretend to be that evil doctor from Nightmare Penitentiary.” I shuddered at a memory of the doctor creepily checking on Imogen in the infirmary while she slept. There was something seriously wrong with that woman.
My girl’s mouth fell open. “How did you know?”
Wait—did I just refer to her as “my girl”? That was weird.
I slipped my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching out to touch a strand of her hair that had fallen over her forehead. Damn, I loved her wild hair. I had a feeling the uncontrollable locks were a product of her being a banshee, but I didn’t even care. They were uniquely Imogen, and I desperately want to run my fingers through them.
Remembering that she’d asked a question, I answered, “We used an undetectable portal to spy on you in the prison.”
She shook her head, her expression somewhere between enraged and annoyed. “And did you happen upon any incriminating evidence?”
“What do you think?”
“I’m starting to think you three don’t know the meaning of boundaries.”
I couldn’t help but grin at her exasperated tone. “Oh, we know the meaning. We’re just not interested in following the rules.”
Yes, I was aware that I sounded like a spoiled, entitled prince. That’s who I was—why try to hide it?
Her expression turned thoughtful. “Did you spy on me in my cell too?”
“Yes.”
She snapped her fingers. “That’s why I kept sensing remnants of home. It was driving me crazy.”
And your smile is driving me