Page 195 of Barbi and the Villain

“Come in.” Nyk’s voice startles me from my reverie.

I force a smile as I steer the dogs toward the open door.

As we get inside, Nykander uses his powers to light up the torches on the wall. The inside of the lighthouse lights up, and to say I am not impressed with the result would be an understatement.

“Nyk… How are we going to stay here? It looks like no one has inhabited it in centuries. And considering how long your kind lives, I’d wager thousands of years.”

Thick layers of dust cover the entirety of the first room. There is a staircase that leads to the superior floors, but the wood is old and decrepit. One step, and it creaks loudly, echoing in the entire lighthouse.

“We will make do,” he responds.

I scrunch my nose. The dust is already making me feel itchy and unclean. The dogs, too, sneeze, becoming restless in their leashes.

“It’s not good for the dogs either. This is too dirty,” I complain.

He gives me a pointed look.

“Wait outside for a while,” he says, all but shooing me outside the lighthouse and closing the door in my face.

The dogs are trembling with fear as they stare at the lake just a few steps over. I crouch down in front of them to assure them they are safe and that nothing will happen to them—though I seriously doubt it with the state of our supposed new house.

True to his word, Nykander opens the door a few moments later, inviting us back inside.

I blink in shock.

“You… How?”

“Supernatural speed.” He winks.

I get closer and note a dark smudge on his cheek. Smiling, I get up on my tiptoes and wipe it off him.

“Mmm, you are the definition of husband material.”

“I aim to please,” he mentions, bending in a mock bow.

The dust has been completely cleared, and instead of that old and dusty smell, the tower now smells of flowers and chocolate. That is quite an improvement.

We go up the stairs to the first floor where we find a rudimentary kitchen. It has everything we might need—a table, chairs, a stove, and cupboards as well as a small sink.

I nod my approval. The dogs, too, bark theirs.

Nykander smiles.

“There are two more rooms upstairs. One for the dogs, and one for us,” he mentions.

Curious, I follow him to the second floor.

The room is indeed small, but it’s safe enough for the little ones to not get into trouble. It even has a door that locks so they can’t access the stairs and have an accident—they are quite steep for them.

“Oh, I love this. We can get them a few pillows and toys and put them there.” I point to a corner. Walking around, I find a sizable closet. “And here we can train Ander to potty. PomPom and BonBon can also go potty here if it’s urgent and we’re not available to take them down.”

I note that Nykander isn’t saying anything, so I close the door to the closet and turn around.

My mouth drops open in shock.

Like I suggested, there are now pillows and toys in the corner. I bend to remove the harnesses from the dogs and they dash toward their new space.

“You’re really trying to impress all of us now, aren’t you?” I ask him.

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