"I have barely started." He smirks. "Although, Erithea, I wonder what your family would say if they knew your little secret. Do you think they would disown you at last?"

The temperature in the room suddenly drops. Thea's eyes darken, her nostrils flaring with aggression. She reaches for the cup I left on the table, and with a single touch, the material changes shape, becoming slim and elongated, the edge sharp like a spear. She doesn't waste a moment as she throws it at Ze.

He doesn't even blink as he tilts his head to the side, letting the spear embed itself in the couch.

"Don't you dare say anything, Ze, or I'll⁠—"

In a flash, Ze is gone from the couch, appearing in front of Thea. His hand is wrapped around her throat as he pushes her against the wall, his eyes swirling an explosive purple.

"You forget yourself, Erithea. I can end you with one snap of my wrist." His voice is cold, unyielding. All of a sudden, I see the same Ze from the night before—the cruel, violent one—and fear courses through me.

Thea struggles to breathe, but she doesn't back down, her eyes shining with anger.

"Stop!" I call out, rushing forward.

But before I can reach them, Cer is by Thea's side, putting himself between her and Ze. He presses his hand on Ze's chest, propelling him back until he hits the wall, leaving a big dent in it.

Thea's hand goes to her neck, massaging it as she inhales deeply.

"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 not breathe near 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 see them at 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.