Page 72 of The Prince and His Stolen Groom
Even though they were his own letters, Brendon put them back in the pile, letting Rick keep them.
If Rick wasn’t in his bedroom, the next likely place was the tower.
Brendon’s first stop was back to his guestroom to have his attendants help him remove the armor. Once they left, he changed into fresh clothes, wanting to look his best once he found Rick.
The door slammed open as Kit let herself into the room without knocking.
At least he was only half-naked. “Kit, get out!”
She glanced at his bare chest and snorted, “Nothing I haven’t seen before, and nothing I’m interested in. Although nipples are the same no matter—”
“Why are you here?” he demanded as he pulled his shirt over his head.
“Well, I went to Rick’s room first, but neither of you were there, so I thought I’d come here next. I was abitworried you’d bepreoccupied.”
He suspected she was doing the damned immature hand gestures again and refused to look at her to confirm.
“But I listened at the door and didn’t hear any screams of passion, so I came in.”
“Well, you’ve found me, and now I’m leaving to find Rick.” Brendon tried to step around her, but she shifted her stance to block the door.
“I know, which is why I’m here. I assume you’re riding off to the tower and I can’t let you do it alone.” Somber stubbornness replaced her previous levity.
He arched a brow and asked, “And if you’renot needed?”
“Better to have me and not need me than run straight into someone’s sword without me.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and locked eyes with him. “Something is going on in this kingdom. With the defense spell, there shouldn’t be any imps, shadow-dragons, or spontaneous evil foliage growth. Whether he’s the cause or not, Rick is always at the center of it. If I let you go alone, some fuckery is going to go down. Youknowhow much I like fuckery!”
Brendon rolled his eyes.Of courseshe’d have to ruin a moment of heartfelt concern. “Fine, come along if you must, but if I give you the signal, you need to find some way to occupy yourself. Rick’s tower has plenty of books.”
“Agreed. I knowexactlywhat the signal should be.”
Brendon ignored her.
They only made it a few steps down the hallway before a voice called out, “There you are!” They both paused and turned in time to see Franny skid to a stop, her expression of delight and relief souring as her eyes landed on Brendon. “Oh, you’re together. Shouldn’t you be with Rick?”
“He wasn’t in his room, so we’re going to find him. Since Kit ismybodyguard, she’s coming along,” Brendon replied as if he hadn’t just argued with Kit about the issue.
Franny’s mouth screwed up further until it looked like she’d tried to swallow a lemon whole. “Very well, I shall join you.”
The last thing Brendon wanted was his somehow-still-fiancée to join him on his mission to comfort-slash-seduce her brother. “No, it’s best if you stay here. It could be dangerous.”
“At some point tonight, my mother isalsogoing to look for Rick. If she finds out that he’s goneandyou’re goneandKit’s gone, she’s going to come findme. I refuse to be left behind to deal with her. I’m coming along.”
Kit stepped forward and took both of Franny’s hands in hers. She was almost a foot taller than the princess and they gazed at each other like a painting of long-lost-lovers reunited. “Franny, I haven’t had a chance to tell you about last night, but I really think it’s best you stay here. Those woods are dangerous, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Kit raised her hand to Franny’s face, gently caressing her cheek with a thumb.
Brendon made a show of gagging and pretend-retching.
“Kitten, I love you dearly. If it’s that dangerous … I absolutely must come with you. I won’t take no for an answer.”
Kit glanced at Brendon, her expression pained. He thought she was silently asking for assistance to convince Francesca, but when she said, “Alright, dearest, since he is your brother …” he realized, the expression was meant to convey her regret for going against his own wishes.
“Excellent!” Franny exclaimed, clapping her hands to celebrate her triumph. “I’ll go change and we’ll set off immediately.”
“We don’t have time for you to—”
She ran off before Brendon finished.
Refusing to wait around for her, Brendon started in the direction of the main entrance, Kit keeping pace beside him. “Kitten?” he asked, side-eyeing her.
