Vs. Riley

“Riley,” Edward said in a soft, pleading voice.
	The blond boy froze, his red eyes widening.
	“She’s lying to you, Riley,” Edward told him. “Listen to me. She’s lying to you just like she lied to the others who are dying now in the clearing. You know that she’s lied to them, that she had you lie to them, that neither of you were ever going to help them. Is it so hard to believe that she’s lied to you, too?”
	Confusion swept across Riley’s face.
	Edward shifted a few inches to the side, and Riley automatically compensated with an adjustment of his
own. “She doesn’t love you, Riley.” Edward’s soft voice was compelling, almost hypnotic. “She never has. She loved someone named James, and you’re no more than a tool to her.”
	When he said James’s name, Victoria’s lips pulled back in a teeth-baring grimace. Her eyes stayed locked on me. Riley cast a frantic glance in her direction.
	“Riley?” Edward said.
	Riley automatically refocused on Edward.
	“She knows that I will kill you, Riley. Shewants you to die so that she doesn’t have to keep up the pretense anymore. Yes — you’ve seen that, haven’t you? You’ve read the reluctance in her eyes, suspected a false note in her promises. You were right. She’s never wanted you. Every kiss, every touch was a lie.”