Page 181 of The Wishing Game

"Are you all right?" Cer whispers.

She gives a brisk nod, but her eyes are still on Ze, beams of hatred directed at him.

"You do not put your hands on my sister," Cer decrees in a harsh voice. "You do not touch her. You do notbreathenear her," he states, addressing Ze.

Ze merely smirks, dusting his clothes and coming forward, his walk as nonchalant as his expression.

"I hit a nerve, did I not, Cerenios?" Ze chuckles. "So this is what it takes for you to turn on me," he muses silently, the ghost of a smile touching his lips.

"Just stop it, Ze. You're only making things worse," I call out. The last thing I expected is to seethemat each other's throats. And with the way things are going, I'm pretty sure they'll end up hurting each other.

"Of course. All I ever do is make things worse, is that not right?" He finally turns to me, his purple eyes swirling in a myriad of shades, dark and light blending together in a hypnotizing manner.

"Why do you do it if you know it? Why do you have to be so mean to Thea? And now Cer, too? Isn't he your friend?"

He doesn't answer, the corner of his mouth curling up in disgust.

"Oh right, I forgot. You don't have friends, do you?" I let out a dry laugh.

His features tighten and he steps closer, his hard steps thundering against the wooden floor.

"That is correct. I do not have any friends. I do not want to have any friends," he declares, his words clipped.

I shake my head at him in disappointment.

"Then why are you still here?"

"Why, indeed." He stares at me. He takes another step until the tips of his feet meet mine, and I instinctively back away, the memory of his previous outburst still fresh in my memory—as is the way he manhandled me.

"You fear me, human?" he asks in a low voice.

I swallow.

"Have you given me reason not to?" I whisper.

His intent gaze pins me to the spot, the hairs on my body all standing up to attention. The proximity reminds me of our size differences—the fact that he's a giant next to me. That intimidates me even more as I find myself taking another step back.

"So this is how it is now, human. You turn on me, too?"

"Turn on you?" I repeat numbly, shocked at his accusation. "It wasyouwho hurt me, Ze. But what's new? All you know is how to hurt people, how to insult them and make them feel insignificant. Because no one can possibly be as great as you."

His jaw hardens, his fists clenching by his side.

"Luce, it's not worth it," Thea quips from the back, but I'm done with his behavior.

"You're a hateful,hatefulman, Ze," I tell him.

He straightens his back as he pushes his chin up.

"You hate me that much, human?" he asks in a low, raspy voice, his body shaking with unreleased tension.

"I just don't want you anywhere near me," I tell him honestly.

He stares at me for a moment before he nods, moving past me toward the door.

"You never even apologized for last night," I add quietly. I don't know if that would help, but it would be a starting point.

He half turns, his profile shrouded in darkness.

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