Page 182 of Barbi and the Villain

Oh, no. Don’t tell me they are preparing for battle. That’s the last thing we need, especially with our dogs here. We might be all right, but they would bear the brunt of the violence.

“Not demons,” I blurt out, pressing my palm against Nykander’s chest and taking a step forward.

“Barbi? What are you doing?” He grabs my hand, but I shake my head at him.

“We’re not demons. I promise,” I continue. “In fact, we are running away from demons.”

The newcomer tilts his head to the side, his expression pensive.

“You are?”

“Yes, yes. You see, we come from a world called Akkaya and there we were chased by this big bad demon called Damien. He was awful. He caused this plague that killed millions of people and he was feeding on their souls to become stronger and?—”

The man puts his hand up, silencing me.

“I have heard about that incident. The demon you speak of has been destroyed.”

“Oh.” I pretend to be surprised. “That is good to hear…” I stammer.

“We do not wish to engage in any conflict,” Nykander intervenes. “We are merely trying to find a portal to lead us home.”

“Home… And where is that?” the stranger asks.

“Anthropa,” Nykander lies.

The man lifts his brows in surprise.

“Then allow me to escort you to the portal.” He inclines his head. “It is not safe to be around here.”

“I am certain we can find our own way,” Nykander states.

Tension crackles in the air as they engage in a staring contest.

“I will escort you,” the man repeats. “I also have a few questions about the world you speak of—Akkaya.”

“What do you wish to know? I will answer your questions and then we will be on our way,” Nykander continues.

The stranger regards us curiously.

I elbow Nykander in the ribs and give him a look. The more he speaks, the more this man is going to suspect we’re hiding something.

“Have you seen or heard about a blue dragon in Akkaya?”

“Dragon?” My eyes widen. “They’re real?” I whisper to Nykander.

“No, we have not,” he replies tersely. “If that is all, we will be on our way.”

Nykander lifts the dog house in his arms, nodding for me to take our baggage—though I can barely carry it. Still, we have to maintain a facade of normality. Without another word, we move past the stranger to leave.

But we only make it a few feet before the baggage falls from my hands, the makeshift bag opening and spilling all our clothes.

I immediately drop to my knees to gather them, and the stranger surprisingly joins me, handing me some of the clothes. Our hands accidentally touch, and a spark of electricity runs through my body, but it’s a different kind than when Nykander touches me. I pull my hand away, massaging the spot as if I’d been burned by a hot object.

A growl erupts in the air.

“I would appreciate it if you stepped away from my female,” Nykander intervenes. He places the dog house on the ground and inserts himself between the stranger and me.

Tension rolls off him in dangerous waves. Just hours before he was teaching me about hiding my energy signature and now he’s about to give himself away because of some silly jealousy—though I can’t deny that makes my insides mushy.

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