Dead quiet fills the space afterward. Sebastian settles back in his seat, his face marked with stunned contemplation.

“What makes you think I’ll win the auction? As much as my father wants it, we all know it won’t be easy. My pockets aren’t as deep as some in this tower.”

“I’m working on it. All I know is I need it to be you. She’s my family, and you’re the only one I trust to do right by her.”

“You know how I feel about this ridiculous tradition.” Getting to his feet, Sebastian drags a hand through his hair, his mouth a mean line of irritation. “If the Brotherhood ever finds out about this…”

“They won’t.”

Sebastian turns on his friend with a scowl. “You sure about that?”

“Yes.”

“What if she opens her mouth?” Sebastian jabs a thumb in my direction.

“Too much is at stake, on both sides. She knows this.”

Sebastian meets my eyes, and the force of his gaze zooms to my core. But his tone is hostile incarnate. “You really want to marry me, princess?”

“Do I have a choice?” I shoot back. “I have to marry someone in this tower.”

“What about the chancellor?” He crosses his arms, a perfect example of a half-naked, paint-spattered man failing to hide his jealousy. “You seem to have a thing for him.”

“No,” Landon interjects.

“It’s what he wants.” Sebastian nods at me. “Hell, it’s what she wants.”

Landon shakes his head. “It’s not going to happen.”

“Does the chancellor know that?”

My brother rises and matches Sebastian’s height, and the two men stand face-to-face, just inches apart. “In time, he will.”

“If I’m going to marry her, don’t you think I should have the full story? Because you’re not being straight with me.”

With a sigh, Landon backs down. “You’re right. But the timing is all wrong. Trust me on this.”

They both look at me, and my attention ping-pongs back and forth. The probing question I’m dying to ask lingers on my tongue, begging to spring off my lips in search of answers. But I know better.

If Landon won’t tell Sebastian whatever secret he still keeps, he’s not about to enlighten me.

5

“I still want to serve as your lady,” Elise says the next day as she works on my hair, plaiting a basket weave down my back. “For as long as I’m able until the baby is born.”

“You’ll be a wife soon,” I point out, meeting her blue gaze in the vanity mirror. “To a member of the Brotherhood, no less, and from the sounds of it, you’ll be busy as his wife.”