Page 159 of Barbi and the Villain

“I will help you get your revenge, Nykander,” I murmur softly. “We will do this together.”

“Together. I like the sound of that.”

“I think this is one of the perks of having powers,” I joke. “You no longer have to treat me with kid gloves. I can finally handle myself.”

“Not yet.” He clicks his tongue against his teeth. “You, sweetheart, are a disaster waiting to be unleashed upon the world. You need to learn to control your powers.”

“I’m sure that won’t take long with you as a teacher.” I flutter my lashes at him.

“Is that so?” He raises a brow, pulling me closer.

“That is not the only thing you will have to teach me,” I whisper as I raise myself on the tips of my toes. “There are a lot of things I need to learn. Things that do not require…clothes.”

“Sweetheart,” he groans. “You just ensured I will not get a wink of sleep until we get to those lessons.”

I chuckle as I step away from him, winking playfully.

“Patience, my good-looking friend, patience. First, we need to get back to Tartareia.”

His features darken and he takes a deep breath.

“We should leave soon. The villagers already took a dislike to us, so there is no point in lingering around.”

“You’re right,” I agree. “But before we go… How is Tartareia? You haven’t spoken much about it. I’d like to know what to expect of the so-called original hell.”

His features tense, but I glimpse a sliver of longing in his gaze.

“Both beautiful and terrifying. It mirrors its people. We might be descendant from the Seven, but not everyone is…evil. Like with any society, there is good and bad. It just so happens that Tartareians have a greater propensity for the latter. It is primarily due to our abilities to control corrupted souls and turn them into demons. The thirst for power of a few has damned us all.” He sighs.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the place you grew up in.”

His lips twitch, but sadness descends down his features.

“We should head back and pack. Once we get back to Tartareia, we will need to lie low for some time until I see what has changed since my last time there. And while we do that, we will start your combat lessons. We are heading into dangerous territory and I want you to be prepared for anything,” he explains.

“Let’s do this then. I’m ready when you are.”

He pulls me into his embrace, using his shadowy tentacles to pull the dogs alongside us, and we’re back at the cabin.

I take out the few gowns I have and spread them on the bed, using the sheet underneath as a makeshift bag. Nykander hands me his own clothes and the dogs’ blankets.

“Stay here. I need to take care of something before we leave,” he mentions. I don’t get to ask him what before he’s gone, leaving me alone with the dogs.

I tend to the dogs, cleaning their little paws from the trek in the woods and making sure their coats are not matted. Since we’ve been here, I’ve done my best to care for them to the standards they are used to, but given the rudimentary resources, I’ve had to improvise.

“You three are the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” I coo at them.

PomPom does a pirouette with BonBon chasing after her tail, while Ander whines that he’s not part of the spectacle.

I laugh at their antics and give each a small treat—the last ones we had.

Nykander is back half an hour later.

“I wanted to make sure the road is clear for us to leave since the villagers are still upset with me.”

“And?”

“I made peace with Jeya and Elijah. They will not stop us from leaving.”

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