Only this time, the stakes are much higher, the crime far more serious than a stolen kiss. This time, the leader took it upon himself to steal the queen.
The summons commences much like it did last time with one notable exception—Liam isn’t sitting at the helm; his father takes his place as the Brotherhood unanimously votes to have Liam thrown out of the auction.
“The Brotherhood has spoken,” the legacy member says as he brings down the gavel, signaling the end of the summons. The man’s copper hair is graying at the temples, and even if Liam wasn’t such a spitting image of his father—down to the stern jawline and the umber hue of his eyes—I’d still recall him talking to my uncle over six years ago.
Liam meets my gaze, devastation gripping his expression. His defeat is abundant, the sorrow of losing me coming off of him in waves as his shoulders slump in resignation. But not shame, because he’s not ashamed of kidnapping me—the chancellor has no regret or guilt over protecting me from the man now at my side.
Pax’s presence shrouds me like a moonless night, his aura as oppressing as his reign. Abruptly, he stands. “And what about corporal punishment?”
“Losing his bid in the auction is punishment enough.”
“As the victim of his crime, I say it’s not enough. He’s stolen time from me, leaving me but days with the queen. Since I can’t get that time back, I’ll take restitution from his flesh.”
“Ten lashes,” Mr. Castle concedes with much reluctance.
Pax laughs. “That’s pathetic. The queen will take more than that.”
Liam leaps from his chair. “Like hell she will!”
“Sit down!” The older man’s voice booms through the chamber.
Liam is unfazed. “I won’t sit down, and I won’t let this pathetic psychopath hurt Novalee for something I did.” Sending Pax every ounce of hatred in his soul through the slit of his eyes, the chancellor fists his hands. “You can punish me as much as you want, but you will not punish her.”
“You don’t have that authority.” Pax smiles with glee. “Not in my house, and not down here in the dungeon.”
The elder Castle clears his throat. “I have the authority to override you, Mr. Monroe. Liam will take the lashes with honor.” Liam’s father pauses, shooting Pax a pointed look. “But the queen will not be punished for my son’s crime.”
“You can’t dictate how I run the House of Libra.”
Mr. Castle glares at Pax. “When it pertains to this summons, I have final authority on the matter. If you go against my order and punish the queen for something of which she had no control, you’ll be the next member of the Brotherhood to lose auction privileges. Is that clear?”
“Crystal.” The monster’s voice is too smug, and I don’t doubt for a second that he’ll slither his way around until he finds a loophole big enough to crawl through. “Considering how I found them naked in bed together, I want her checked for an intact hymen.”
“I didn’t take her virginity.” Liam’s attention falls on me. “You can ask her if you don’t believe me, but I wanted to make her my wife first.”
“He’s telling the truth.” I clear my throat. “He could have forced me, but he didn’t.”
“Your word isn’t enough for me.” Pax waves a hand around the room. “I’m sure the Brotherhood would like reassurance as well.”
Sebastian jumps up, the swift movement toppling his chair over. “I won’t enable this bullshit anymore.” His scruffy jawline is carved from granite, and though he won’t bring his gaze to mine, I know the exact hue of those eyes when he takes that tone—like the turbulent sea at dusk. He dips his chin, and the softening of his voice gives me a glimmer of hope. “We’ve put her through enough already.”
“I agree with Sebastian,” my brother says, standing to join his friend in a show of support. “There’s no need to put the queen through another examination. She’s given us no reason to believe she’d lie about this.”
“This coming from the man who swore up and down my informant had the wrong island.” Pax scoffs at Landon. “If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect you had something to do with this kidnapping plot.”
Landon’s attention veers to me for a second, so fleeting I nearly miss it. “Don’t be ridiculous. I was away from the island when Castle took her. I simply prefer to believe we have a modicum of decency left in the Brotherhood. There’s no need to debase the queen further.”
“Differences of opinion, my brother.” Rising, Pax yanks me to my feet. “I’ve already lost enough time. Anyone not wanting to witness this is free to leave.” Without warning, he picks me up and sets me on the table. “Dr. Morgan, your expert assistance is required, unless you’d rather I do it myself.”