Page 139 of Barbi and the Villain

“I see something coming out,” Nykander exclaims.

“The babies are coming. Oh, Lord!”

I hurry to get the towel and place it under PomPom’s bum. I murmur sweet words to her as she struggles to push.

There is a sudden pop and the baby comes out covered in the placenta. Taking the scissors, I look around for the umbilical cord, only to realize it’s wrapped around the baby’s neck.

“Oh no, Nykander,” I murmur, terrified.

I quickly cut the cord and PomPom nuzzles her face against the placenta-covered little pup, licking away and trying to tear it off him. I help her with that, and she finally starts licking at her baby. It’s a black male by the sight of it. Except…

He’s not breathing.

“Nykander… What are we going to do?” I ask in horror as I turn to look at him.

His jaw twitches as he gazes down at the baby. He doesn’t answer me. Instead, he grabs the little pup from PomPom’s side, getting the remaining placenta off him and doing some type of CPR on his chest with his fingers.

I swallow hard against the wave of nausea and pain that travels down to my soul.

He presses his forefinger against his tiny chest and establishes a rhythm—up and down.

I bite my lip as I slide closer to him. My shoulder meets his as I watch with trepidation as the seconds go by and yet there is no movement from the baby. He’s still not breathing.

“He’s…dead,” I whisper, and something breaks inside of me. Tears stab at my eyes, rivulets coursing down my cheeks as I cannot contain my anguish.

Nykander shakes his head, a look of pure determination on his face.

“He is not dead. I will not allow him to die,” he mutters under his breath, continuing to press on his little body.

But when that doesn’t work, he takes him in his hand and brings him to his mouth. Parting the baby’s little lips, he blows air into him at the same time as he massages his chest.

He does this for a few seconds before I note the first movement. A leg—he just moved his leg.

Nykander pulls back long enough to notice that the pup is now breathing, so with one last massage, he places him next to PomPom and lets her lick him and give him her motherly heat.

I stare in shock at him.

“Nykander, you… You saved him,” I say among sobs.

He barely acknowledges my words as he continues to stare at PomPom with her new pup.

“He will not die,” he repeats, almost robotically.

I reach for his hand, bringing it against my cheek.

“He will not die.” I nod. “Because of you. He will live,” I murmur as I continue to stare at him in wonder.

My heart is so full. I don’t think I have ever experienced this depth of emotion before. And the fact that he cannot take his eyes off the baby, that he keeps reaching for him to make sure he’s all right.

If before I had a crush on him, now it morphed into full-blown love.

“Good girl.” He pats PomPom on her head, petting her gently. “You did great.”

As we wait for the other babies, I cannot help but be in tune with every little movement he makes, every sigh, every breath.

He gave his breath to the baby. He breathed life into that little pup. I still cannot wrap my mind around it, but I only know that the mark on my chest hums with an unprecedented strength. Yet this time, it’s not just surface-level. It reaches deep within to the depths of my soul, caressing my very essence.

I am in awe. Simply, utterly in awe.

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