I blink at the lofty trees, the endless number of fields, and the three-story stone castle towering toward the starry sky. “Where are we?”

Rhyland reaches for the door handle. “I already told you … Home.” He jumps out before I can ask more questions.

Gritting my teeth, I dig my phone from my pocket, calling my mom to tell her I’m okay and to ask her why the hell I’m parked in front of a castle that Rhyland is saying is my home.

“Hey, honey.” She sounds calmer than I thought she would.

“You’re not worried?” I ask, since the last time she saw me, I’d ran off.

“No. I know you’re okay,” she replies. “Rhyland texted me a while ago and told me what happened and that he found you. I’m just glad he got there before Gabe figured out what you are. You need to be more careful, honey.”

“I know. I just panicked.” I eyeball the castle, trying to rein back the panic wanting to consume me. “By chance, did Rhyland mention he was planning on vampire-napping me and taking me to some creepy castle out in the middle of nowhere?”

A beat of silence ticks by before she whispers, “That’s your new home.”

Hearing the words from her makes reality sink in deep.

“Why?” I whisper. “I don’t want to live here.”

“You don’t have a choice, honey,” she says apologetically. “That castle was designed to protect the king and queen. The walls and land are protected with thousands of years of magic that will offer you protection no other place can. And you need to be protected, Raven. Until your powers manifest, you’re in a fragile state. And even after you gain your powers, you’ll still need protection while you rule.”

Her words strike me hard in the chest. I’m never getting out of this. I’m always going to be in danger. I’m always going to have to follow the rules.

“What happens if my Eternal Reading reveals that me being the queen was just a mistake?” I whisper in a desperate plea. “Shouldn’t I wait to find that out before I start moving into a castle?” A freaking castle. I can’t even wrap my head around it.

“I know you want to believe the Eternal Reading is going to erase your fate, but it’s not going to happen.” A pause. “And even if it did, you still need to stay in the castle. You’ll be safe there.”

I want to beg her not to make me stay here. Beg like a little kid. But I know it won’t do any good. My mom will always put my safety first, and if she thinks this castle is safe …

I’m trapped here.

“Will I be able to leave?” I ask, bottling down my fear the best I can.

She doesn’t respond right away. “With your guards, you might be able to. It has to be a planned leave, though, so we can all prepare and make sure the area is safe.”

“Will you come visit me? And Dad, too?” I don’t bother to ask about Nadine. She’s the last person I want to see.

“I’ll be there first thing in the morning,” she promises. “In fact, I’m the empress who’s been chosen to oversee your training and teach you about the history of the queen and what is required of her.”

A small—emphasis on the small—drop of relief rolls over me. “I’m glad it’s you.”

“Me, too,” she says. “Now, go get some sleep. I’ll be there very early tomorrow night.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you, for handling this so well. When I was informed you were the queen, I was so worried you weren’t going to … handle the news very well.”

“Well, I did run away.”

“Yeah, but that’s to be expected, and you’re definitely not the first queen to react that way.”

I lower my feet to the ground and hop out of the car. “That’s good to hear. Makes me feel a little less crazy.”

“You’re not crazy. Your fate … it’s a lot to take in.” She gives a lengthy pause. “Is Rhyland with you right now?”

My gaze roams to the front of the car where Rhyland is standing with his hands stuffed into his back pockets, his eyes trained on the forest. “Yeah.”

“Good. I want you to stay close to him, okay? And if anything strange happens—anything at all—you go to him. You trust only him.”

“What do you think’s going to happen?”

“Just promise me you will, okay?” she pleads.

“Okay.” I study at Rhyland, wondering why my mom trusts him so much. Because he’s king?

As if sensing me staring at him, he glances over his shoulder. When our eyes lock, my pulse accelerates as I remember way too clearly how wonderful and powerful his blood tasted.

Quietly clearing my throat, I turn around and stare at the field behind us. A few of the other SUVs are parked across a flattened area, but not a single road is in sight. How we got here is a mystery. My guess is magic. But whose magic?

I think of all the times I speculated that Rhyland had used witch’s magic on me, and how he told me that some of the members of the rebellion have been reconstructed with certain magical gifts stolen from other creatures. What if he has the power of a witch? What if he’s been reconstructed?

A shudder quivers through me.

“How do you know for sure I can trust Rhyland?” I whisper, hoping he can’t hear me.

“Because he’s the king,” my mom replies simply. My heart sinks at her reasoning until she adds, “And because … Because he cares about you more than you know.”

I want to argue with her, but I don’t see the point. No matter what I say or do, I’ll still be here. I’ll still be the queen. Rhyland will still be king.

That doesn’t mean I completely trust him.

After talking to my mom for a couple more minutes, we say goodbye and hang up. Then I linger at the back of the vehicle for a few more minutes before finally growing the courage to turn around and face my fate.

Rhyland is already waiting for me with his hand stretched out. “Ready?”

I nod, but I don’t take his hand. “I guess as ready as I’ll ever be.”

He stares at me for a beat or two then lowers his hand disappointedly. “Come on then; let’s go inside. It’s getting early, anyway.”

I nod, following him across the grassy field and heading toward the castle with a group of guards behind us, ready to throw down their lives if someone tries to attack me.

With every step I take, I move further away from my past and closer to my future.

Closer to my fate.

A deadly, dangerous fate.