Page 200 of Barbi and the Villain

Nykander is gone. Again.

He said he went to gather intel from the capital, but when I offered to go with him, he told me to focus on my training.

And I am… But it all seems to be in vain.

Tired, hungry, and annoyed at myself, I decide to take a break and play with the dogs. It’s been a while since we’ve spent time together, and I miss them terribly.

Going inside the lighthouse, I place the harnesses on their backs and take them out for a run. The moment they see me, they jump up and down in excitement and rush to lick every inch of me.

“I missed you too, babies,” I murmur lovingly. “I promise I will make up for all the lost time.”

We walk alongside the shore of the lake. The sky is a reddish gray color, but it’s not yet entirely dark. The two moons provide plenty of light so we can take a longer walk before returning to the lighthouse.

The dogs are excited, and that means my happiness level has immediately gone up.

Yet I can’t deny that I feel weary and tired. While I understand Nykander’s concerns, I can’t help but feel he has been pushing me too much. I know he needs me to open my fourth gate soon, but his training has been far too grueling considering I’ve never before done any of this. It just makes me wonder what the hurry is.

Before, he was ready to take on Baine by himself—he certainly did not need my assistance. Aside from helping him get to Tartareia, my role was supposed to be minimal. Now, though, he needs me to perfect my abilities in such a short period of time when he’s had thousands of years to do so.

He’s just worried about you, my inner voice chides.

A spark of warmth erupts in my chest. He is, isn’t he? Despite having insane standards when it comes to my training, he’s been supportive throughout the entire process. It’s just that I wish he were a little more…affectionate?

Ugh! Why am I out here overthinking things when I’m supposed to be enjoying some time with the dogs?

Getting to my knees, I remove the leash from their harnesses and let them play around. And when they jump on me, nibbling on my hands, I can’t do anything to stop them.

“You cuties. I’ve missed you so much. Come give me some love!” I coo.

And oh but they do. They cuddle with me and lick my face and bite my clothes—all part of their love language. PomPom and BonBon are the first ones to retreat, going to play by themselves a distance over and leaving me alone with little Ander.

“You’ve grown so much, baby,” I murmur as I thread my fingers through his thick baby coat. It’s so soft and black, I want to bury my face in it and kiss him all over his little body.

He grabs the hem of my shirt with his little teeth and pulls on it, mistaking it for his toy.

I giggle at his lousy attempts, but I don’t stop him.

“You’re a playful little man, aren’t you? Oh, you cutie pie!”

He releases a soft whine, jumping up and down before finding another part of me to bite on.

I shake my head in amusement.

Nykander needs to buy them more toys.

But as I play with Ander, a foreign sound echoes in my ears. I place him down and urge him to go to his parents while I get up and go to investigate the source of the sound.

The sound of thudding steps becomes louder and louder in my ears. I frown.

Who can it be? Nykander mentioned no one comes by this place any longer.

As the sound intensifies, so does my fear.

“Babies, come here!” I call out, grabbing the three of them and running back to the lighthouse with them.

I push the door open and dash to their room, placing them inside. After I make sure they have food and water, I lock the door and go up to the third floor to survey the area.

My eyes widen in shock as I spot a group of men coming in the direction of the lighthouse.

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