Page 46 of Barbi and the Villain

Unfortunately, our journey in the clouds is soon over as we touch the ground. We’re somewhere in a forest, with tall trees and rich bushes surrounding us. It’s sometime in the afternoon based on the position of the sun.

He puts us down before he takes a step back. He stares at me for a moment, his icy gray eyes affixed to mine. My, but in direct sunlight, he’s even more good-looking. His bone structure is simply divine, combined with his height, broad shoulders, tapered waist, and long legs. I almost want to fan myself. He’s still wearing the tattered clothes from before, so there’s not much to be left to the imagination. I might not have been able to see him before, but even then I could feel the hardness of his chest and the dormant muscles that are now rippling with strength—due to my blood, of course.

I bite on my lip. He has my blood! How cool is that? Not that it’s cool that he feeds on blood, although I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for vampires—not the Edward type, the Lestat one. But he has my blood running through his veins and giving him power. There’s something rather wicked and erotic about that and I can’t help but release a sigh as I continue to admire him.

No wonder Damien locked him up for years in that cell. He must have been jealous of his god-level good looks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man as beautiful as him, and I’ve watched a lot of TV shows. Why, even K-pop stars don’t come anywhere close.

I swallow hard, unable to take my eyes off him. Of course I wouldn’t ever notice the guys back home when someone like this was awaiting me somewhere in the universe. Who cares that it’s in a fictional world, or that I might have initially mistaken him for a mummy?

It was all fate.

My lashes flutter as a blush climbs up my cheeks. Putting my dogs down, I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear and give him a coy smile.

This is it. This is the moment that happens in every book where the male lead takes one look at the heroine and says mine. He will claim me for his own and we will live happily ever after with PomPom and BonBon, going on double dates and hopping around worlds. I don’t have a preference for where we live, as long as it’s not here. Not that I don’t like it, but I’d rather not live in a plague-ridden land. I’m sure he will agree.

I wait breathlessly as he opens his mouth to speak.

“You are safe now,” he starts.

“Yes.” I give him a smile as I move closer to him. “I am safe thanks to you.”

He nods.

“Farewell then.” With that, he turns to leave.

W-what?

9

Istare at his retreating figure in shock.

Did he…

Did he just…

PomPom and BonBon bark happily as they circle around me, oblivious to the way my heart just plummeted to the ground.

He didn’t even tell me his name.

I blink repeatedly, somehow thinking this is all just a bad dream.

I finally find a man who I consider worth pursuing and he does what? He leaves without sparing me a glance!

Worse still is the fact that I’m back to ground zero—sans the execution debacle. How the hell am I going to get back to my world now? How am I even going to survive long enough to figure that out considering there is a deadly plague raging in Akkaya?

The answer is clear.

I cannot do it on my own, therefore I need to stick by my good-looking friend and hope he will find it in the kindness of his heart to help me. Of course, there’s the fact that he didn’t seem to consider me his friend, given how easily he abandoned me. But the only way for me and my babies to make it out of here alive is to stick by his side—whether he wants it or not. In fact, I must find a way to show him I’m indispensable, maybe even offer him some more blood.

I nod to myself, satisfied with my train of thought.

The blood taking wasn’t nearly as scary as I would have thought, maybe even a little pleasant. It will not be a hardship to keep him well-fed as long as he keeps us plague-free, no? I think that’s a rather good deal. But I must convince him of that too.

I purse my lips.

He’s getting farther and farther away from me. In no time I’ll lose track of him, so I must act fast.

Getting to my knees in front of PomPom and BonBon, I address them firmly.

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