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Luther?

The creepy guy from the bar steps closer, followed by Gus.

I sit up and pull my sweater over my head as Riven instinctively covers my body with his own.

“Hey, Riven. Mommy’s missing you.” Luther’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard. “She said it’s time to stop playing with your shiny new toy and come home.”

“I knew it!” I gasp. “Wait, what? Riven?”

“Great, so the queen has dispatched dumb and dumber. I knew she would send someone. I’m almost offended it’s you two.”

“Put some clothes on, lover boy.” Gus waves at me awkwardly after tossing Riven his pants, and he quickly jumps up to get dressed like he’s suddenly on fire and can’t get away from me quick enough.

“You’re coming with us.” Luther sneers. “Both of you.”

“I’m not going anywhere until someone tells me what the hell is going on,” I cry, grabbing my boots and cape, trying to think clearly but unable to stop the ringing in my ears and the pounding in my chest.

“Riven?” I say his name as a question.

He won’t look at me. His eyes are trained on the men across the cave with deadly weapons drawn.

“Let’s go, Addie.” The way Luther says my name makes my skin crawl, and I can’t help but think of what might have happened if it had been him that took me that night and not Riven.

Obviously, they were working together—are working together.

My gaze crashes around the room like lightning in a bottle while my head and heart collide.

“How do you think we knew where to find you? Riven led us right to you.” Gus reads my mind.

There is no other explanation.

“Riven!” I yell, choking back tears. “Tell me!”

“Yeah, Riven, tell her. Tell her how the plan all along was to get her to fall in love so you could break her heart for your real lover, the queen.”

“No, Adelaide. Please just listen—”

“Is it true?” My lip quivers.

“Which part?” He looks at the ground, and his wrong answer is an arrow to my heart.

It hurts to breathe.

“Mission accomplished. Play the villain, all so you can play the hero.”

“That was the plan.” Luther laughs. “She catches on quick, this one, but not quick enough, apparently.”

“No—yes. No, Princess, please. It’s not like that. I never meant to hurt you. I wasn’t going to.”

“Well, you succeeded anyway.”

I fall to my knees.

“Get your fucking hands off her!” Riven yells as Gus and Luther drag me toward a large circle of white light on a wall covered in moonstones, and as the circle grows, so does the whistling sound.

It’s a portal. How can that be?

The cry that rips from me is a wailing sound that takes me back to the tower.