Page 87 of Barbi and the Villain

“What?” I blink. “What do I win?”

“I will be more considerate of your…delicate sensibilities. Will that work?”

“I will have to see it first. You can start by telling me things. I hate being kept in the dark, no matter how much you may like it,” I add pointedly.

His smile widens.

“So what’s this blue stuff and why does it neutralize your healing abilities?” I ask as I dab the cloth more carefully around his wound. Removing the particles allows him to heal once more, so we have to make sure the wound is completely clean.

“The deadliest weapon against a Son of Tenebreis is one dipped in the blood of his sire,” he speaks slowly, his eyes affixed to mine. “It is a well-guarded secret that only a Son of Tenebreis would know.”

“But…” I frown. “That would mean…”

“You are correct. They were sent by a Son of Tenebreis—someone who could have access to the blood of my sire.”

“Who?”

His lips pull into a sad smile.

“Baine. My brother. The one who controls Damien and an army of thrall demons. The man I am going to kill once I get back to Tartareia.”

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“Damien also used the blood of my sire to subdue and capture me,” he continues.

“But why would your sire allow that? Wouldn’t he know what the blood was being used for?”

He purses his lips.

“My sire has been dead for thousands of years. Long before I left Tartareia.”

“Then how?”

“My brother must have kept some of his blood before his death. It is the only plausible explanation, but it is also the one that cuts the most because it means he must have been planning to kill me from the beginning.”

“But he’s your brother! How could he kill his own blood?”

“I am sorry to break it to you, Barbi, but my world is nothing like your human one. There are no fraternal bonds, nor are there paternal or maternal. Marriages are alliances and children are a way to gain power. Every single Son of Tenebreis is on his own, selfishly killing, scheming, and betraying. It is why Tartareia was sealed off so easily in the past because we are not capable of working together. Everyone wants power. But no one wants to share that power.”

“That sounds…bleak.”

“It is.” He nods. “For all intents and purposes, the universe is better off with Tartareia sealed off.”

“Yet you’re searching for an artifact to break the seal,” I note, regarding him thoughtfully.

“I never said I was not selfish,” he remarks.

I bite my lip in worry.

“What will happen once the seal breaks?”

He tips his head back, his eyes closing.

“Mayhem. There are not that many Sons of Tenebreis surviving since the war with Aperion decimated our ranks. Within our royal houses, there are perhaps a few hundred purebloods remaining. But they are all hungry for power and vengeance. They will not rest until Aperion, and the whole universe for that matter, is theirs.”

“And you want to unleash that into the universe? Knowing what a danger they are?”

“If not me, then someone else will.”

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