Page 150 of Barbi and the Villain

He leans in to breathe into my ear, “Except to you.”

My cheeks redden and my heart skips a beat.

“And you would not want me to share my unique apologies that are only reserved to you with everyone else, would you?”

“When you put it like that…” I trail off, shocked at myself for even entertaining his crazy line of thought.

Yet my moralistic side doesn’t stop me from being flattered that he would defend me that way. He saw I was upset and he took action. He’s just like the swoony romantic hero I’ve always wanted.

I sigh. Raising my gaze, I peer at him from beneath my lashes.

“You drive a hard bargain, Nykander.”

A playful smile tips at his lips.

“Okay, here’s how this is going to go,” I tell him, urging him to look at me. We don’t have much time, so we have to get our story straight. “I will do the talking and say you were defending my honor, all right? You just stand behind me and nod every now and then. Maybe appear brooding. And look at me lovingly. Hmm.” I pause. “Maybe look at the villagers threateningly every now and then so they get the picture—if anything happens to me, you’re ready to attack.”

“That sounds an awful lot like I am your guard dog, Barbi.”

“Be thankful you don’t have to bark,” I joke as I elbow him. “Although a growl every now and then wouldn’t hurt.”

He raises a brow at me.

“Pretend you’re feral about me, okay?” I don’t have time to explain how fated mates work in romance books, or how an alpha protects his mate.

“Good thing I do not have to pretend,” he adds with a twinkle in his eyes.

“I am not joking about this, Nykander. You want that artifact, so you will have to behave. We won’t get anything if we’re thrown out of the Sanctuary.”

“Got it.” He nods. “I will brood, growl, lick your skin, and maybe mark my territory.”

I frown.

“Please tell me you will not mark your territory with pee.” I scrunch my nose in disgust. “We may be mated”—I point toward the two of us—“but I am not into that pee play or whatever. You’re not either, I hope?” I narrow my eyes at him.

His lips tremble, threatening to break into a smile.

“No. I am not.”

“Good. That makes two of us. It is good to be on the same page when it comes to kinks, you know. That will make for a much better relationship. We’ve discussed some, but I think we should sit down one day and do one of those questionnaires. You’re quite bossy, so I bet you’re the dominant type, aren’t you? I’m not sure what I am, but I guess I can find out. I like it sometimes when you boss me around, but not when you’re being a bossy asshole. There’s a difference between the two. But if you call me a good girl and ask me nicely, I can be quite submissive—I think.”

“Barbi. I do not think this is the moment to talk about kinks. We are about to be confronted by a mob, remember?”

“Oh, shoot! Yes, you are right,” I mumble. “Okay, let’s go. I will do the talking and you?—”

“Stand back, brood, and growl.”

“Exactly.” I pat him gently on the shoulder.

We step outside into the chilly night. For all his mischievous mood, Nykander uses his dark shadows to proof our cabin in case the villagers attack us.

Jeya and Elijah stop in front of our cabin. Behind them is a frightened Mr. Foerie, his mouth swollen and bleeding.

“We have been informed of an act of violence against one of our residents,” Elijah starts, motioning toward Mr. Foerie.

I take a step forward.

“There is a very reasonable explanation for it. You see, you should be thankful he is still alive.”

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