Page 275 of The Wishing Game

I remember doing my best to hold on, yelling at him that I wouldn't allow him to touch me.

But despite all my protestations, the pain soon proved too much even for my strong will. At some point, I must have passed out, for when I awoke, it was to find my entire upper body marked with strange writings, like a tattoo imprinted on my skin to remind me of the day my fate had changed, forever. After my rebellion, El Señor didn't want to be bothered with me, so I was sentenced to labor away in his temples, doing work that no woman, let alone a child of thirteen, should have done. Yet that was preferable to being his toy.

El Señor might not have raped me that night, but the marks on my skin were proof that he had donesomething—that he had stolen a part of me I could never get back.

Now, knowing that these strange tattoos are not his doing, I don't know how to feel about them anymore. For almost half my life, I've forced myself to hate them because they reminded me of him.

Big, manly hands cover my eyes. I inhale sharply at the sudden warmth that surrounds me. The scent of leather and spice fills my nostrils, pulling me back from that painful past and anchoring me into the present.

"I do not like that look on your face, human," Ze whispers in my ear.

I exhale, letting calm settle over me as his presence lulls me back into a safe space.

"What look was it?" I ask after a beat of silence.

"You were...sad. I do not like it when you are sad," he grumbles.

Taking hold of his hands, I lift them off my eyes as I turn to face him.

"And what do you know about sadness, Ze?" I lift a brow. "I thought emotions were not your strong suit."

His brows scrunched together, he tilts his head to the side as he considers my words.

"When you are sad, there is a hole inside your chest that nothing can fill," he muses aloud. "It hungers forsomethingthat is out of reach, creating a vacuum of emptiness that blackens every waking moment. But it is when you are slumbering that it is far worse, for it creates the mirage of getting thatsomething, only to awaken and realize it was all a dream."

I stare at him, my lips parting in surprise.

"That is..." I clear my throat. "That is a very apt representation of sadness. Where did you read it? It's almost as if you've felt it yourself."

"It is all your fault, human," he huffs, pushing his chin up. "Because of your scathing words, I have lost far too many nights of precious rest. Instead of exterminating demons, I was researching those romance books of yours and scouring your world for the most expensive and worthy cow."

My eyes widen as my lashes flutter in confusion.

"You have caused me great distress and you need to take responsibility," he continues.

"W-what?" I stammer.

"I do not like it when you are sad. I forbid you to be sad from now on," he keeps going, ignoring my scandalized expression.

"It doesn't work like that, Ze. You can't just command feelings..." I attempt to explain.

"It shall be my new boon." He nods to himself, pleased.

"But you haven't amassed another one hundred points," I add drily.

"It does not matter. I will have my boon early." He crosses his arms, staring me down intently. "You may continue to add up the points, but this shall be my boon."

I gawk at him for a few seconds before amusement breaks across my face.

"You're impossible." I chuckle, shaking my head.

Slowly, his lips curl up in a smile just as he brings his fingers to my mouth, keeping my lips in place to mirror his.

"And you are not sad anymore," he hums to himself. "Mission accomplished."

I raise a brow at him.

"You shall wear this gown," Ze says as he steps forward and grabs a purple dress from my closet. "It suits you the most."

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