Page 161 of Barbi and the Villain

Damien raises a daring brow as he emulates his movements, creating a blade from his flames.

They meet in the middle, their swords clashing just as their energies bump one against the other—one bright red, one black as midnight. The High Priestess engages with Arisa and Leoni, who are overpowering her.

This… This is just like what happened in my dream. With the exception of the presence of the High Priestess, everything is the same.

My fear mounts. But before I can digest what’s happening, my eyes connect with Jocelyn. She smirks as she looks at me. With a move of her wrist, she sends a strong gust toward me.

But because of my dream, I am able to anticipate her attack and I move to the side, narrowly evading the blow.

Her eyes widen in surprise, but with a smooth jump, she lands in front of me.

Nykander glances back.

“Barbs,” he calls out. But Damien won’t give him a moment of rest, brandishing his blade at him. With his eyes on me, Nykander barely dodges the attack and parries it with his own.

“I am fine!” I shout. “Pay attention to your fight,” I tell him.

He doesn’t seem convinced, but Damien’s fighting style is too aggressive. He doesn’t give Nykander even one inch, hitting him with blow after blow, even though none of them land on his body. He must be looking to tire him out.

Damien feeds on souls, and since the plague happened, he must be consuming tens if not hundreds of souls daily. He must be thinking he will have the advantage when it comes to stamina since his power is rechargeable.

I purse my lips.

Somehow, I need to get to Nykander and give him some of my blood. He will need it.

I’m interrupted from my musings when Jocelyn sends another strong wind gust toward me. This time, it rattles the shield Nykander had created for me.

“Nykander, take the shield back!” I yell. He’s probably consuming energy trying to maintain it, and if things go according to my dream, it will end up breaking anyway.

“No.”

“Please trust me,” I whisper, knowing he can hear me. “I know what I’m doing.”

His eyes meet mine briefly and he appears at war with himself.

I give him a confident nod and he reluctantly calls his shadows back. The shield dissipates and I slowly let my anger lead me. I might not be able to control these newfound powers. But it seems my emotions can. So I will just lean into them and let them consume me.

Jocelyn smiles smugly when she sees me defenseless, and she readies herself for attack.

“You stole my dog,” she grits out. “I’ll enjoy stepping over your dead body when I get him back.”

She sends another blow my way, but her words only fuel my emotions.

“You stole my dog first, you two-faced bitch,” I yell.

At once, the energy around me simmers, enveloping me in a thick purple shield.

Her eyes flare in concern, but she doesn’t stop, sending a succession of blows toward me. As they reach me, they dissipate against my shield, and I finally return the smile.

“I don’t know what I ever saw in you,” I mutter to myself. “But I will take this opportunity to erase you from my mind once and for all.”

She frowns. Of course she doesn’t know what I’m talking about—and good thing she doesn’t. If she did, she’d laugh in my face at my idiocy. Yet that Barbi seems like a lifetime away.

Since I’ve come to Akkaya, I’ve learned more about myself than in twenty-one years of life. And it’s all because I finally started living for myself instead of trying to emulate someone else. I found my voice while I muted all the other ones telling me I was inconsequential. And I owe that not only to the adversities that have come my way, but also to Nykander, my new partner in crime. He’s accepted me with my flaws and told me I was enough.

And that gives me the strength to finally cut this thread loose.

The mere thought that she might get to my dogs provides me with enough anger to channel my energy into a blast that sends her flying through the air. She stabilizes herself with her powers, though, and comes charging toward me again.

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