"Your lip, too," she notes, raising a brow. "Ze was quite busy, wasn't he?"

"Oh, it's nothing like that," I hurry to add, thinking she's going to imagine the worst. "I dabbed some of his, ehm, saliva on my lip." I strain a smile.

She doesn't look particularly convinced as she takes a seat on the bed next to me.

"You should be careful with him," she suddenly says as she takes my hands in hers. Her expression is serious—entirely unlike the Thea I've come to know.

"What do you mean? Isn't he your friend?"

"He is, though I'm sure he wouldn't call me that." She lets out a dry chuckle. "But he's also...unpredictable. Until a while ago, I thought I knew him well, but now I'm wondering just how much I truly knew him."

"I don't understand." I frown.

"I've known Ze since I was young. My brother went to train under him when he was very young, and Ze would come visit our family home every now and then. He's always been...cold. Emotionless. Some say that's why he's the best at what he does—because he relies on cold logic and unbendable rules. But more than anything, that's what makes him ruthless. He doesn't have a moral compass. For him, there's no such thing as right or wrong, there's only his position and the orders he receives."

I blink as I slowly take her words in.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Ze has never broken a rule before. In all of his existence, he's never broken a rule."

"I kind of gathered that," I add dryly, thinking back to his outraged remarks.

"What he did today. He broke a rule. And it's not the first time."

"What rule?" I frown.

"He's not allowed to dispatch someone unless he's directly under attack."

"But he was," I add, confused.

She shakes her head, the corners of her mouth curling up.

"You were under attack."

"We're a team. What happens to me reflects on all of you," I point out.

She just smiles at me indulgently.

"I like you, Luce. I don't want anything to happen to you. Just...keep this in mind, okay?"

"Okay..." I answer, still not seeing the point of this conversation. Ze has been nothing but nice to me—granted, in his own, surly way. He might not be the best with words, but his actions prove that his heart is in the right place.

"Speaking of today. Why were those people so incensed about a tail?"

"Those damned foxes." She rolls her eyes. "They're very particular about their tails. To touch their tail without permission is the most offensive thing you can do. They're usually pests and no one can stand them. They probably picked on you because you're human and they thought they could eliminate a contestant easily."

"Is it going to be like this from now on? Are people going to keep attacking us?"