Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
“No.” He steps back, arms crossed. “I’m afraid not.”
I narrow my eyes, sensing another unwanted surprise about to land on my shoulders. “I don’t understand.”
“There’s something you need do before you can be alone with him. As chancellor, it’s my job to ensure it’s done.”
“I’m not going to like this, am I?” It’s a rhetorical question, but he answers with a shake of his head anyway.
“What do I need to do?”
“I’ll tell you on the way.” He gestures toward the door before ushering me into the corridor.
“Where are we going?”
“To see Dr. Morgan.”
Heavy silence descends as we turn a corner and continue past the portraits of the Brotherhood’s ancestors. As hard as I try, I can’t shake the dread on my heels, because if we’re going to see Vance, then that means something invasive is coming.
I clear my throat. “I think you’d better tell me what’s going on.”
“The House of Virgo has rules and protocols.”
Of course. This tower is an oasis for rules stacked on top of rules.
“Such as?”
“Virginity is important to the Sinclair family.”
“It’s common knowledge I’m a virgin. My uncle signed the contract, remember?”
He shoots me a tilted grin. “I remember everything about your first day here, Novalee.”
“So why the doctor’s visit, then? He already confirmed my virginity.” I cringe at the unwanted reminder of that day.
“It’s about more than virginity. It’s about denying sexual pleasure until after you marry.”
My heart drops. “Vance’s elixir?”
“No,” he says as we turn another corner. “The Sinclairs developed a device with biosensors to track arousal levels. Vance is going to insert it.”
“Insert it where?”
God, I know where, but I don’t want to believe it.
“It’s a painless procedure. The device is smaller than a tampon.”
Nothing about my time here has been painless.
We both fall silent as the door to Vance’s exam room comes into view. I slow my steps, instinct urging me to keep my distance. Liam rests his hand on my back and guides me forward.
What will he do if I put up a fight? Will he punish me? Lift me over his shoulder and carry me into the room, kicking and screaming the way Sebastian did on the side of the busy highway four weeks ago? Since the day I arrived, I’ve remained in my place, obeying and bending and submitting and allowing these men to use me.
I allowed myself to fall in love.
And that got me here…to this moment. To a sickness in my stomach and an ache in my chest that can’t be ignored.
As Liam reaches for the door handle, I dig in my heels. “I’m not doing this.”
Wide brown eyes meet mine. “Novalee…” His tone deepens in warning. “You don’t have a choice.”
“Why don’t I have a choice? It’s my body.”
Sharp angles of pain line his face. “You know the answer to that.”
“I want to hear you say it.” I cross my arms, refusing to back down from the challenge in my argument.
“Your body belongs to the Brotherhood.”
“My body belongs to me.”
“I’m not going to argue with you.”
“Because it’s an argument you can’t win.”
“It has nothing to do with winning. We all have duties to adhere to.”
“Fuck your duties.” I glare at him, more angry at the treacherous sting in my eyes than with him for conforming to his upbringing.
“Your mouth’s obscene, my sweet girl.” He trails a thumb across my trembling lips. “I think you’ve spent too much time with Sebastian.”
“Don’t say his name.” My lashes flutter, releasing a wayward tear.
“What did he do?”
There’s no need to elaborate. We both know who’s behind my rocky state of mind.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” My gaze lowers to my sandaled feet.
Liam sighs, and then the slight creak of a door brings my attention back to him.
“I can’t make you tell me what’s wrong, but I can make you enter this room.”
The only thing he can’t do, apparently, is make me stop caring.
For him.
For Sebastian.
Even Vance.
These men have more power over me than they should, and I allowed it to happen. No one said I had to care for them. No one said I had to share my heart.
Only my body.
Liam pushes the door open all the way, the authority in his expression demanding I enter. A rebellious objection sits on my tongue, threatening to catapult into fruition at any moment. With each day that passes, I come closer to ignoring years of training at my uncle’s hand.
I’m about to tell Liam to take his staunch belief in duty and shove it when Vance’s smile turns the heat down on my anger.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, love.” His gaze travels from my messy hair—since I didn’t have time to freshen up before leaving the House of Leo—to the white strappy shoes on my feet. With much irony, I realize today was a horrible day to choose the creme-colored sundress falling to my knees because it’s too representative of purity.