Page 232 of Barbi and the Villain

Nykander narrows his eyes.

“And the terms? What are the terms for this exchange to happen?”

Damien tilts his head to the side, silent for a moment.

“Speak or I will take away all those precious souls you store within your essence,” Nykander thunders.

Damien grits his teeth, not responding well to the threat.

“You can channel her essence into the body of your female only once she’s strong enough to withstand it. She will need to open her fourth gate.”

“And?”

Another silence. Nykander grips tightly onto the master-slave bond he has with Damien to pry the words out of his mouth.

“You cannot claim her until she has opened the fourth gate. After she does, you must fulfill the mating bond. She cannot enter the lake while the bond is only half-fulfilled.” The words flow out of Damien’s mouth but he suddenly halts, his body trembling as he forces himself to clamp his mouth shut.

“Do not think to trick me, demon. What else? Tell. Me,” Nykander warns.

“The female will need to wear something Mo prized—something that can call to her essence.”

“Is that all?”

“Indeed, master.” Damien nods.

Nykander considers his answer.

“Vow it on your existence.”

Damien’s nostrils flare.

“I vow it on my existence, master,” the demon complies.

“I see. Thank you,” Nykander mutters, deep in thought. “You may continue with what we have planned.”

“As you say, master.” Damien smirks, stepping back and retreating into the shadows.

Nykander waits for him to leave before he withdraws the red ruby ring from his pocket—the same one I thought he’d traded in the village. He touches the ring reverently before bringing it to his lips.

“Soon, Mo. You will be mine again.”

His words echo in my ear as I am jolted back into the present.

Eyes wide, heart pounding in my chest, I push myself off him, stumbling on the far end of the bed. His absence inside me is marked, but the betrayal that stings at my soul eclipses every positive feeling I might have ever had for him.

“Barbs?” He frowns. “What is wrong?”

“Stay away from me,” I say, my voice trembling with pain.

“Barbs–”

“Don’t touch me!” I slap his hands aside as he tries to reach for me.

In my struggle to get away from him, I fall off the bed. And as he comes closer, I continue to retreat, my expression one of horror as I look into the face of the man I love–the man I gave myself to–and find a stranger.

“This was all a lie,” I whisper. “Everything was a lie.” I shake my head in one last attempt at denial. But how can I deny what’s in front of me. All at once, his features morph. He no longer sports the sweet, loving look he used to. Now his mouth is set in a grim line, his beautiful eyes hollow and empty. Indifference replaces what I had previously interpreted as love.

“You saw something,” he comments in a bored voice. “What did you see, Barbi?”

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