Page 45 of Barbi and the Villain

PomPom licks my cheek and releases a series of consecutive barks—her way of telling me she missed me.

“Aw, baby girl. Mommy is here,” I tell her, hugging her to my chest and letting her warmth sink into my skin.

Another bark echoes in the room, but this time it’s not from my PomPom. From under the covers, a head of dark brown fur peeks out, jumping out and running toward us.

Is that…

PomPom whines as she turns her head to the other dog, trying to escape my arms to go to him.

“BonBon, no!” A feminine gasp follows. She rushes forward, stopping in her tracks as she sees my friend behind me. Her eyes widen and she falls to the ground.

“Please don’t hurt me. Please…”

She must be BonBon’s caretaker. But if that’s BonBon… I blink as I look at his fluffy fur that is a mix of black and cream, so different than his description in the books. Yet he’s not any less adorable, and my heart melts at his cute expression.

“We need to leave,” my good-looking friend says as he spares my PomPom a glance.

As I turn, PomPom’s whines become louder just as BonBon barks and attacks me.

Oh no! Did my PomPom fall for him? Did she…

“Tell me you didn’t, PomPom,” I murmur worriedly.

Her only reply is a whine and a longing glance toward BonBon.

My gaze moves back and forth between the two and I realize I need to make a last-minute decision.

The other woman is still on the floor, mumbling a series of pleas to spare her life but not daring to look at us. I take advantage of that to swipe BonBon in my arms, cuddling him next to PomPom before I go back to my friend.

God, I’m now turning into stupid Jocelyn, the dog stealer. But I have no doubt BonBon will have a better life with me and PomPom—why, they seem to be in love already! I may not have been ready to share my love with another baby, but at the same time, I can’t say no to my sweet PomPom.

My good-looking friend takes a look at the extra dog in my arms and rolls his eyes. But as I stop in front of him, he lifts me up in his strong, manly arms, with my two dogs in tow, and proceeds toward the exit.

He’s no longer walking. The dark cloud surrounds us, carrying him with it. He hovers over the ground, his posture straight, his face expressionless—and handsome, oh, so handsome.

My, but look what a bit of blood can do to a person. No wonder that vampire face treatment is all the rage in Hollywood. I gaze wistfully at his perfectly sculpted cheeks while he turns some more people into dust. PomPom does the same with BonBon—after all, I taught her well.

He not only saved my life. He saved my PomPom too!

If that’s not the definition of swoon, I don’t know what is.

As we walk out of the castle, I’m surprised to realize that the only ones who’d put up any fight had been low-level mages. There is no trace of Damien, Jocelyn, Arisa, or Leoni. Not even the King’s guard of specialized mages is present. No wonder it was so easy for us to get in and out of the castle.

“Uhm, why is psycho Damien letting us leave just like this? Not that I’m complaining, but he was quite adamant about sacrificing me. It’s odd that he would let me go now. You, too. He’s been keeping you in those godawful chains for who knows how long and now he’s simply letting you escape?”

His lips pull in a thin line. His eyes shrewdly move around the place as he takes inventory of everything. His nostrils flare, the only sign that this bothers him.

“I am not surprised he is not here,” he eventually says. “He finally got what he needed from me.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” I frown.

“You do not need to concern yourself with that,” he replies in a brisk voice, opening one of the windows and flying us out. On his dark cloud, we leave the castle grounds and the fortress of Kiya.

I release a surprised squeak as I realize I am flying—as in, floating in the air over the spectacular buildings of Kiya. Not only do I get to experience my favorite fictional world—okay, granted, it might not be as nice as I thought it would be—but I also get to experience magic.

I. Am. Flying.

I throw my head back and release a bunch of unintelligible noises. PomPom and BonBon do the same. The three of us create a chorus of gibberish as we enjoy this new experience.

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