Chapter 11: Zede

The warm, ambient light of the restaurant cast golden hues across his sharp features. I watched his thin lips as he chewed, his face unreadable. He could not be trusted.

“Please, baby, stop eye-raping me,” he said with a sly smile. It amazed me how quickly I’d gotten used to his presence and his constant, teasing remarks.

“I’m not eye-raping you, baby,” I shot back, narrowing my eyes. “I’m mind-killing you.”

He chuckled. “Ooh, my baby is a bitchy bitch.”

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked, the sudden change in setting still catching me off guard. He had taken me to a chic restaurant just outside the city—a place far removed from my usual surroundings.

“I want you to eat, Cassandra. You look pale, tired, and stressed. Whatever Vander’s done to you, ditch him. He doesn’t deserve you.”

There was a glint in his eyes—a sharp blade of anger that he tried to hide behind his casual demeanor.

“Why is Vander mad at you?” I couldn’t help but ask.