Page 174 of The Wishing Game

"How much did you see?" I whisper.

He lets out a dry laugh.

"Too much." He shakes his head.

"Why would you intrude on such an intimate moment of my life?" I ask, disappointment filling me to the brim. "Why would you violate my trust like this?"

"You should be happy Ionlysaw that, human. Otherwise..." he trails off, a twisted smile pulling at his lips.

"Otherwise what?"

"I am not a good male, human. And I find that I am not a patient one, either. You do not want to see me at my worst," he adds, the words a subtle threat.

"Ze... What is the meaning of this? Why are you behaving like this? I don't understand," I add weakly. I'm so thoroughly confused by his words and actions, and I can't possibly pinpoint what I did wrong or why he's so angry.

"You do not know?" He lets out a dry laugh. "You aremyperson, human," he grits out, charging at me. Before I know what he means to do, his hand grips my throat, his fingers digging softly into my skin. It's not painful, but it's not comfortable either. He stares down at me in such an odd manner as if he cannot understand himself why he's so mad about this.

"You will not sacrifice yourself for a trifle. You willnotforfeit your soul for that. Do you understand me?" he asks in a punctuated tone.

"It's not a trifle," I murmur, swallowing a sob.

He laughs.

"Then what is it? Of course I can excuse your simple human nature. You merely clung onto the first male to give you attention. You are not the first to fall for such a trick." He nods to himself. "But your human foolishness ends now. I will not allow you to continue down this path. Iforbidit," he states.

I squeeze my eyes to stop the tears from falling.

"Is that what you think of me?" I ask softly, hurt emanating from my voice.

He frowns at me, his hand falling from my throat.

"It is what you have displayed so far, human." He nods to himself, continuing his tirade without realizing how much his words are hurting me. "You are far too senseless and foolhardy. Your judgment leaves much to be desired. From now on, you are not allowed to do anything without my express permission," he decrees. And just like that, he's back to his usual overbearing self. Spine straight, hands behind his back, he preens around, satisfied with his tongue-lashing and the fact that he just made me feel like the scum of the earth. It's very clear what he thinks of me—that I'm stupid and reckless and I lack any judgment. I'm not worthy to be on the same team as him, let alone breathe the same air as him.

"Why are you here with me then? Why are we on the same team at all?" I ask, raising my eyes to look at him. I bring the back of my hand to my cheeks, wiping the moisture away. "If you think so little of me, why are we even doing this?"

"Because I am magnanimous enough to take care of you," he replies with a huff.

"Oh, wow. Lucky me," I say dryly.

"Indeed. You should consider yourself fortunate for having me by your side, human," he continues.

"No, thank you." I push my chin up. "You arenotnice, Ze," I say, doing my best not to burst into tears. "You are a callous and mean man, and I don't want to listen to your vile words anymore."

He turns to me, his intense gaze finding mine as he crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back and daring me to speak further.

"You have no right to question my motives for participating in the game when you've never even told me yours," I continue, pointing a finger at him. "But most of all, howdareyou question my love for my husband when you're not even capable of feeling it?"

Maybe I'm stooping a little too low with this jab, but it'shisfault for bringing me to this point.

His eyes flare with a shadow of hurt at my words, but I don't stop.

"You are right about one thing. Iamfoolish but not for trying to save my husband. I'm foolish because I thought there might be something good in you. Silly me." I screw my face in disgust. "I thought you were misunderstood and that in spite of your unkind words, your intentions weren't bad. But I see I was wrong. You are just another bully and I will not stand for this treatment." I swallow, struggling to keep my bravado up. "I'll be civil to you until we get back to the complex, but after that I'm done."

His lips pull up.

"You will finally give up on the competition?" he asks, his tone oddly cheerful as if he didn't just hear me tell him how much I dislike him.

"No. I'll give up on this team. I'll continue with the competition, but I don't want to be anywhere near you." I shake my head at him.

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