“Sorry doesn’t help.” I turn, shredding him with the accusation in my eyes. “Why can’t this…this sick-and-wrong tradition be changed?”

“Some members of the Brotherhood have tried to affect change over the years, but the tradition is centuries old.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “And…some of us believe the island is cursed.”

Laughter erupts from me—the bitter, disbelieving kind. “You can’t be serious.”

“What do you know about the history of Zodiac Island?”

“Only what Liam told me. He said Evangeline Castle and twelve explorers founded the island, got rich, then they kept her in a tower and…” My mouth gapes as realization dawns.

“They shared her, Novalee.”

“Will I be locked away too?”

“No. The Brotherhood has managed to change some things over the years, hence the queen’s monthly duty to the members instead of a free-for-all. The entrapment lies in that duty,” he finishes quietly, ashamedly.

“You don’t agree with any of this, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“What about Sebastian?”

“He has more reason than anyone to despise the curse we all bear.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s his story to tell, Novalee. You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

I mentally scoff, already knowing the likely outcome of that conversation. “Who issued this supposed curse?” I ask, filing away the subject of Sebastian…for now.

“Evangeline Castle. Some believe she was a witch, and this is her revenge for her wrongful imprisonment by the men in whom she placed her trust. She gave them the world, so to speak, and they repaid her by stealing her freedom.”

“But I have nothing to do with that. Why would she make women go through this, generation after generation?”

“Aside from the fact that you are a descendent of Evangeline Castle, the historical records we have from that time indicate she went mad. You’ve heard the saying misery loves company? She seethed with so much hatred she would have cursed the whole world if she were capable.”

“This is…a lot to take in.” My limbs shake with weakness, and I make my way to the nearest chair and collapse into it.

Landon crouches in front of me, an apology clear in the tense lines of his expression. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wasn’t sure if Liam told you, and the truth is I chickened out.”

I stare at the ocean through the glass, wishing it would sweep me away. “How could you bring me here?”

“It wasn’t my decision. My father…our father did what he thought was best for you.”

“Do you really believe that?” I meet his gaze, brows arched in challenge.

“I don’t have an answer, Novalee. Do I want you to endure this burden? Absolutely not.”

“Then why did you threaten me when I wanted to leave?”

“Because it’s safer for you here.”

“Safer? Explain how.”