Page 112 of The Wishing Game

"My, my, you're in a terrific mood today, Luce." Thea chuckles.

I nod vigorously.

"I'm very optimistic about this," I say, happily hopping around until I reach their side. Ze's mood, on the other hand, is right about the opposite as he glares at me.

I ignore him as I squeeze between Thea and Cer.

He scowls at Cer, which prompts him to offer his spot to Ze.

"It seems someone didn't sleep very well last night," I quip playfully as I look up at Ze's sour expression.

He narrows his eyes at me.

"I did not," he replies in a strained voice.

"Well, I did, so keep your surliness to yourself, okay?" I smile, skipping about, unable to contain my energy. I'm not about to let him or anyone ruin my good mood.

"Why are you smiling like a fool, human?" Ze barks out.

"Maybe I am a fool." I shrug. "But I'm a happy fool," I say as I stick out my tongue at him.

"Stop smiling," he grits out.

"Nope." I shake my head.

"I forbid you to smile without my approval, human." He stops in his tracks, his eyes shooting daggers at me.

"Good thing I don'tneedyour approval." I wink. Not even his arrogance can make me lose my temper today.

"Human," he growls low in his throat. Coming toward me, he stops just as his chest meets mine. With how tall he is, I need to crane my head back to the maximum to be able to look into his eyes.

"Yes, Sir Sparkles?" I ask innocently.

His cheek twitches dangerously.

I raise a brow at him, daring him to tell me more of what I can and can't do—just to prove him the opposite.

"Stop. Smiling," he repeats.

"Make. Me." I stretch my lips into a wider smile.

Out of nowhere, his hands shoot out, his fingers on the corners of my mouth as he pulls my lips down. His brows are knit together in concentration as he tries to stop me from smiling.

Damn, someonereallydidn't sleep well last night if he's so bothered by a simple smile.

He somehow manages to pull my lips into a flat line. His own lips twitch in response. He proudly nods to himself as he continues to stare at me with those intense eyes of his. There's something odd about the way he regards me, and in a weird twist of fate, I don't know whether to feel flustered or incensed at his behavior.

"I think we shouldn't start the day with a conflict," Thea intervenes, sneaking between us. His hands drop from my face, but his expression doesn't change. If anything, I catch a note of wistfulness, but I could be wrong. I don't think Ze has more than two basic emotions—annoyance and arrogance.

"We need to show a strong front. People are watching," she says as she inclines her head toward the audience gathered around us.

Ze mumbles something under his breath as he pushes his chin up in indignation, but not before he gives me one last scathing look.

Just what the hell is his deal today?

I roll my eyes, taking Thea's arm and continuing toward the courtyard. On our way, we have the opportunity to see more teams. Most of them are in pairs of four or a maximum of five, with very few in duos or trios. Some are humanoid-looking like the foxes from yesterday while some are less...normal-looking—at leastmykind of normal. There's a wide variety of horns, tails, and other...appendages.

"In Christian lore, demons are the ones with horns generally," I mention quietly to Thea.

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