Page 162 of Barbi and the Villain

Every time she comes, I hit her with a blast. She tries to land blows on me, too, but they lose all strength the moment they encounter my purple shield. Seeing as how none of her attacks work, she comes closer, seeking to hurt me by entering my shield and attacking me from within.

A slow smile pulls at my lips as I allow her to believe she has the upper hand. But the moment she enters my shield, she’s trapped.

Panic flares in her features as she realizes she cannot move. She’s held immobile by the particles of energy that float around me.

Damien notices too, and he’s momentarily distracted, time in which Nykander lands a blow against his stomach, ripping it open. He cuts him from one side to the other, the sound of his sword against Damien’s spine reaching my ears.

“You didn’t know who you were up to, did you?” I murmur as I bring my hand around Jocelyn’s neck. “Nykander’s brother commands you, so I assume he can hear my words, can’t he?”

She doesn’t answer—she cannot. But I can see the truth reflected in her features.

Leaning in, I whisper, “Hello, Baine. Watch closely how your brother destroys your thrall. I don’t know you, but I can already imagine you seething. All those souls—all that power—lost. How does it feel knowing that no matter how dirty you play, your brother still wins?”

Jocelyn’s eyes move wildly in their orbits—the only movement she’s capable of. I increase the pressure on her neck, surprised at the ease with which I can make it bend. Alas, it seems my new energy source is not the only power I gained.

My features darken as I stare into her terrified eyes.

“Goodbye, Jocelyn,” I murmur. But there is also the unspoken.

Goodbye, Barbi, you aimless fool.

One movement of my wrist and her neck snaps. It slumps to the side, bending at an odd angle. But since I do not know whether she can regenerate or not, I apply some more force and her head becomes detached from her body. It rolls onto the floor, and everything stops as people stare at me in disbelief.

Yet I was so focused on Jocelyn that I didn’t notice that the High Priestess had been stabbed in the heart. Arisa is also dead on the ground next to her, and a bleeding Leoni breathes hard as he glares down at her. His body trembles and as he turns to me, he wobbles for a few more steps until he falls to the ground.

In the distance, the other villagers are fighting with Damien’s magic wielder, and little by little, they appear to gain more ground.

There’s only Nykander and Damien remaining, their battle tense as Damien calls forth more souls to feed his power.

I don’t know if this is another byproduct of my new powers, but my vision has changed. I see the translucent shape of the souls as they travel toward him, becoming a whirlpool of nothingness as they’re absorbed into his body.

His flames increase in size with each soul he consumes.

Nykander is holding his own, but I can sense that he is becoming tired. And there is only one way to even out the field.

He needs to feed, too.

“Nykander,” I call out. He whips his head to me and I pick up a blade from the ground and slash my left palm. Blood coats the metal. His brows knit in confusion until he sees me throw the knife at him.

He uses one of his tendrils to catch it and he brings it to his mouth, licking every drop of blood from it.

Immediately, his vigor returns.

Yet that one moment of inattention makes it that the events from my dream come to pass.

Damien also coats his blade with blood—the blood of Nykander’s sire—and he’s ready to strike while Nykander is distracted.

But just as the tip of the blade gets closer to him, I yell loudly.

“No!”

My voice travels to them, morphing into a blow of pure energy that throws Damien off Nykander long enough for my mate to turn that bloody blade to dust.

“I got this,” he murmurs in a low voice, his lips curved in a confident smile.

I nod, stepping back and letting him finish the fight.

His strength renewed, he morphs his shadows into two swords, one in each hand, and he strikes at Damien before he has the opportunity to get his bearings together. Nykander slashes his body repeatedly, but unfortunately, each time it regenerates.

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