“Do you believe the island is cursed?”

He looks up with mild surprise. “Yes.”

“And this tradition…is it something you accept?”

“It’s part of our culture, Novalee. Queens have held this duty for centuries.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

He blinks, and his mouth thins into a frustrated slant. “I accept it because I have to.” He makes his way around the table, and instead of retreating, I stand my ground as his fingers brush my cheek. “Do you think I want you with anyone else?” His tormented gaze shutters for a few moments.

As if he can’t stand to look at me knowing I’ve been intimate with him.

Some of my anger seeps from my bones. “I don’t know what to think. I care about you both, but he—” My voice cracks, and I try again. “He’s the one who had the balls to tell me the truth.”

“I’m sorry I let you down, my sweet girl.”

He truly is, the pain of his betrayal making him bow his head in shame, and I’m reminded once again of how opposite Liam and Sebastian are, despite both of them harboring fire.

Liam and his controlled temper.

Sebastian and his unrestrained passion.

And I’m caught in the middle, a combustible cloud of air between them.

He drops his hand from my cheek, the set of his shoulders dejected. “If I win the auction, I’ll have no choice but to share you, but you can always count on my loyalty. Always, Novalee.”

“What does loyalty mean to you? Does it mean telling me the truth even when you’d rather protect me from it?”

“It means that for as long as you love me back, I’ll never touch another. No one else will have my heart, Novalee.” A warning sparks in his eyes. “I’m not sure Sebastian can tell you the same.”

“Why do you say that?” I retreat a few steps, as if the backward shuffle of my feet have the power to pull back the question.

He’s talking about the models. That has to be it. But just because beautiful women surround Sebastian daily, it doesn’t mean he’s involved with them.

Last month when he painted my portrait for Mr. Bordeaux, he told me he never wanted the models like he wanted me.

“He’ll hurt you, my sweet girl.” Liam frowns. “You think you know him, but you don’t.”

“What don’t I know about him, Chancellor?” I cross my arms and wait for an answer, but Liam remains stubbornly silent.

Because the secrets surrounding me inside these curved walls aren’t finished with me yet.

11

The doors to the ballroom stand open across from the dining room. Guests decked out in formal wear come and go as soft music drifts into the hallway.