Liam is a contradiction of harsh and tender.

“Gentlemen,” he says, facing the men at the table, “please stand and announce yourselves in the order of your houses.”

The man sitting on the other side of Faye rises. His dark hair is cropped close to his head, the line of his nose aristocratic.

“Heath, House of Taurus.”

There’s a stoicism about him that makes me uncomfortable, and I’m already dreading the following month with him.

The next man in the circle stands, and I narrow my eyes as I try to recall how I know him. Technically, I met all twelve of these men six years ago, but this man—with his emerald eyes and easy-going smile—seems especially familiar.

“Landon, House of Gemini.”

Then his smile widens, and I remember. He was the eldest of the twelve, and he laughed at me, taken aback by my young age. He still seems to laugh at me, eyes twinkling in some private joke of which I’m not partial.

A man with a blond ponytail takes the floor next. “Vance, House of Cancer.” His smile isn’t as inviting as Landon’s, but I sense a gentleness in him that puts me at ease. Vance reclaims his seat, and my attention lands on the man next to him.

His blond hair sticks out in careless abandon, and his rumpled clothes make me think he fell out of bed and threw on the first pair of jeans he found. There’s an air of haughty boredom about him as he rises to his feet.

I’m taken aback by the hostility in his blue eyes. They bore into me, and I remember the way he taunted me the first time I met him.

“Sebastian, House of Leo.”

The lion. I should have known. I expect him to settle into his seat again now that he’s introduced himself, but he doesn’t.

“How do we know she hasn’t spread her legs already?” the lion asks, directing the question at the chancellor, though his obvious distaste of my existence shreds to the soul. My jaw hangs open, and I’m about to object when Liam squeezes my knee in a silent command to stay quiet.

“Watch your mouth, Sebastian. The queen has done nothing to earn your scorn. She deserves your respect.”

“Respect is earned. Isn’t that what our fathers always told us?”

“I’m done with this conversation.”

“But you never answered my question, Chancellor. Just because her uncle promised us a virgin doesn’t mean she hasn’t fucked half the male population of her nation.”

Liam slams a fist onto the table. “Enough!”

Vance clears his throat. “Tomorrow, I’ll examine her to confirm virginity.”

“And what about her willingness to cooperate?” Sebastian says. “I have no interest in babysitting a brat.”

The rage wafting off Liam is tangible. “Her obedience has been tested.”