Chapter 10

10

" T he dogs, huh?" He raises a brow at me.

"Yes."

"Was it also the dogs that prompted you to follow me?" he questions.

"Uhm, yes? They only met you briefly, but they're big fans. Very, very big fans."

"I see." He nods. He still has the meat in his hands, and while he's distracted by my poor excuse for stalking him, I grab the rest of the meat and stuff it in my mouth. At least this way, even if he kicks me to the curb, my stomach will at least be full.

He blinks in surprise.

I chew fast, my arms already searching for PomPom and BonBon to dash out if need be—not that it would help. He has a dark cloud! I'm sure he'll catch up to me. But maybe he'll give me bonus points for the lousy attempt.

"There is more meat. You do not have to hide in the bushes."

I swallow the last of the food before I give him my best puppy-eyed look.

"You will give me more?"

I add some eyelash flutter, too, just in case.

He shakes his head at me and turns his back.

"Come," he calls out as he heads back to the fire.

Not one to lose this important chance, I get PomPom and BonBon and follow after him. I let the two play around within eyesight as I take a seat next to him by the fire.

Without waiting for his approval, I dive in, pulling some more meat from the bird carcass.

"I thought your big, bad boyfriend would have come for you by now," he adds in a lazy voice, leaning back to study me.

It's at that moment that I slow down my eating, remembering my manners. I cannot have him shun me because I behave like a pig, now, can I?

"He's…busy." I make up the excuse. "He's somewhere around doing some evil things. You know how it is with those villains," I add nervously, waving my hand around. "They're always looking for the next morally questionable thing to do."

My nervous ramble has made an appearance. Not good.

"So you decided to follow me instead?" he asks, amused.

PomPom has found her way to his side, sniffing his hands before plopping herself on his lap. He doesn't seem to mind it. In fact, he's petting her absentmindedly as he continues to stare at me with those wicked eyes of his.

"Ah, well…" I murmur.

Damn it! Why does he have to be nice to PomPom? Now that makes him a thousand times more attractive.

My eyes dip to his hands. Big, manly hands.

I gulp down.

"I didn't properly thank you for saving me. You did. Save me, that is. And I thank you."

Idiot!

"You have now thanked me. Consider us even."

He places PomPom to his side as he prepares to get up—and presumably leave. Again.

I panic.

"Wait! Wait! That's not the only reason."

He stops. He tilts his head to the side, waiting for my explanation.

"I don't know anyone here. Well, aside from stupid Jocelyn and psycho Damien, but we've all seen how that turned out. I thought they could help me get back home, but instead, they decided to sacrifice me for whatever pagan ritual they had going."

"Home?" he inquires.

I nod fervently as I slide closer to him.

"You might not believe me, but I'm not from this world. I don't even know how I got here. One moment I was in my room, the next I was in a field in Akkaya, and then I came across a plagued village and I almost died, and then those pesky soldiers captured me and I almost died again." I let out a big sigh. "I've had no rest from almost dying in two days!"

"Another world, you say?" He narrows his eyes at me. "Hmm…" He taps his finger against his chin pensively. "That makes sense."

"What makes sense?" I suddenly ask.

"Your strange manner." He chuckles. "You are a strange one, indeed," he muses, almost to himself.

"So you believe me?"

"Akkaya is a pseudo-intermediary realm. It is home to a myriad of portals that lead to other worlds," he mentions.

"Oh. Why wouldn't they just help me get back home if it's so easy? Why try to kill me and steal my dog? Just who does that?" I ask angrily, shaking my head as my ire is awakened once more.

"Did you not steal that dog, too?" He inclines his head toward BonBon, who's currently chasing after my PomPom.

"I saved him. There's a difference," I huff. "He's happier with me and PomPom. Plus, they're in love ," I declare proudly.

"If you say so." He laughs.

I blink.

"Are you mocking me?"

Again ?

"Far be it from me to mock you. I am merely pointing out the facts."

I narrow my eyes at him.

"You are not, by any chance, taking stupid Jocelyn's side, are you?"

"Of course not. I happen to dislike that female as much as you do. Perhaps more." He shrugs. "You may have saved the dog from her clutches, but the truth remains that you did the very same thing you accuse her of doing, which is hypocritical."

I frown at him.

"Are you always so…pedantic?"

"It allows for a more comprehensive perspective." He nods politely.

I mutter a few unladylike obscenities under my breath that prompt him to release a chuckle.

"Anyhow." I clear my throat. "The truth remains that they tried to kill me. And when I tried to escape and tell everyone what sadistic psychotic bastards they were, they tried to spin it on me and accuse me of God knows what. I mean, have you looked at me? I couldn't hurt a fly!" I exclaim, rather annoyed.

"You did steal that dog," he points out, rather cheekily. "And my ring."

I give him a harsh stare.

He laughs.

"I only tried to steal your ring. I gave it back."

"And my finger."

"I gave back your finger too!"

Noticing my raised voice, PomPom dashes to my side and resumes her stance, growling at him. BonBon follows her cue and does the same.

Aw, my little army!

He stares at us for moments on end before he bursts out laughing.

"You are a breath of fresh air, female."

"I have a name, you know." I cross my arms over my chest. "It's Barbi."

"Well, Barbi. I am pleased I allowed you to follow me. I have not laughed this much in…eons."

"You… allowed me?" I repeat, scandalized.

"You were not exactly quiet." He smiles.

"What? I was very quiet."

"Has anyone else told you that you think out loud? Because you do. It was quite entertaining to listen to it."

I gawk at him and it slowly dawns on me. He stopped at the river because I worried about my stinky hide. He got food because I was starving. He let me steal the food.

My anger melts away as my heart grows larger in my chest. My cheeks warm up, and it's not due to the proximity to the fire. No, it's all because of him.

I suddenly look away.

"Oh," I murmur. "Thank you."

He nods at me, and instead of saying anything, he just places another piece of meat in my hand.

My heart. It's so big it's about to burst.

I turn my eyes to him as I munch on the piece of meat, attempting to show him my gratitude.

"What is your name? You never told me."

"You never asked." An amused smile plays at his lips.

When he smiles like that, he's even more breathtaking, and not as intimidating as before. God, I could watch him for days on end.

I slide closer.

"So? What is your name?" I ask, taking another bite of meat.

He turns, his face mere inches away from mine.

His gaze meets mine, and I forget to breathe. As in, I actually forget to breathe—so much so I have to take a big gulp of air to not suffocate. Which ultimately causes me to choke on my food. If I was embarrassed then, I'm about to bury my head in the sand when uncontrollable hiccups overtake me.

My eyes widen, and I slap my hand over my mouth.

It's in vain, though, as the sounds are rather loud and distracting.

"I'm not a pig, I swear." Hiccup. "I was just hungry and…" Hiccup. "I think I ate too fast." Hiccup. "But I promise you I have better manners than this." Hiccup. "If you took me out to eat, I wouldn't embarrass you and?—"

"Nykander," he interrupts me. "My name is Nykander."

And to make me swoon even more, he materializes a jug of water in front of him and hands it to me.

"This should help."

Oh, Nykander. If you only knew… You just got yourself a lifelong stalker.

"Thank you," I murmur before I take big gulps until the hiccups calm down. Maybe I should slow down with the eating. The last thing I need is to get sick on this poor man and totally turn him off me.

"What world are you from?" he inquires after I've calmed down.

"Hmm. We call it Earth, though I'm not sure you would recognize the name."

"Earth?" he muses. "Oh, I see. Anthropa. I should have known. You are human, after all."

"Anthropa?"

"That is what your world is called by outsiders. I have been there a few times. Beautiful sights. Awful people." He shakes his head.

"You've been to my world?" I blink.

He nods.

"It's been a long time, though. I will assume things have changed," he adds diplomatically.

"Not that much." I shrug. "The people are still awful."

His brows go up before a smile touches his lips that my own lips mirror.

"Was there anything in particular that Damien asked you about your world?"

"He wanted me to describe it to him. Although he seemed awfully fascinated by the population, which I don't fault him. We have almost eight billion people, and the numbers keep climbing."

He freezes, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"I see," he murmurs softly, looking pensively in the distance.

"They were also surprised by our healthcare," I add.

"Huh?"

"I mean, we do have state-of-the-art technology and we can cure almost every disease," I continue rambling. "Considering that half the population of Akkaya has died from this plague, I can see why they'd be interested in it. Maybe they were curious if the healthcare in my world could help cure the plague."

"This is the second time you mention a plague. What are you talking about?"

I stop, turning to look at him in shock.

"You don't know?"

He shakes his head.

"But… Didn't you just admit you have super senses? And you can teleport around? Surely you know about the state of things."

He frowns.

"I am asking because I do not know what you're talking about. During my time in that cell, I only used enough energy to keep myself alive. I did not hear anything about the outside world."

"A plague swept through Akkaya a few years back. From what I heard, it was caused by the Dark One. Damian injured him and now he's using the energy of the souls to heal."

A harsh expression crosses his face.

He curses under his breath as he takes himself away from me. Dark mist surrounds him. It bleeds from his skin, creating a protective cocoon around him. The mist almost has a life of its own as it moves wildly around, almost like the untamed flames of the fire, seeking to burn everything in their path.

"Nykander? Are you all right?" I ask tentatively.

The darkness suddenly dissipates.

He blinks once. Twice.

"You mean your Dark One?" He raises a brow, the dark atmosphere from before all but gone.

"Ah…yes…" My eyes widen. "The evil dude everyone's afraid of. But you see, he's evil but not that evil. He's a nice guy once you get to know him. He wouldn't cause a mass plague. Only if people threatened me, of course…"

"Because you are the light to his darkness," he says, a smile playing at his lips.

"Exactly. I am his heart," I proclaim proudly. "If anyone hurts me, then of course he will cause a plague. But other than that, he's chill. If anything, I bet it's that psycho Damien who had something to do with it."

He sports an amused smile as he stares at me, resting his chin on his palm.

"You speak very highly of the Dark One," he notes.

"Yes, he…" I close my mouth as it dawns on me I just made myself very unavailable in front of my love interest. Damn it! This little lie might have worked when I thought he was a mummy who might harm me, but now that I realize he's my soulmate, I need to come up with a new lie.

"Unfortunately, he broke up with me." I clear my throat, feigning a sigh.

"Did he now?"

I nod.

"He broke up with me after we escaped the cell. Telepathically. Because he's a strong villain who has lots of powers, you know."

"I can imagine." He nods sympathetically. "But didn't you say you were his heart?"

"That's exactly why !" I burst out, my imagination dripping with new ideas. "He knows he's a big, bad villain who is hunted left and right by everyone. He doesn't want to put me in danger, so he decided to let me go." I feign a sigh. "He told me to find my happiness somewhere else, even if it won't be with him. Because he's nice like that—but only with me. Now he's off on his next villainous adventure."

"Hm." He clicks his tongue against his teeth. "He is not much of a villain if he would let go of his heart, no? If it were me, and I were such a villain, I would not let anything stand between me and my female," he notes, a wicked gleam entering his eyes.

Did it suddenly get hot in here? He said ‘my female' in that deep voice of his.

S.W.O.O.N.

"He's a different type of villain," I scramble for an explanation, praying he doesn't notice the blush climbing my cheeks. He's making me scatterbrained—not that I already wasn't a little before. But now I can barely function, let alone come up with a thousand more lies! "He's the misunderstood type that may seem evil to everyone else but actually has a heart of gold. Because he does," I stammer. "He is bad but not that bad. Why, he sometimes volunteers at a pet shelter. It's because of me and PomPom, you see. We converted him and now he's on a path of self-improvement…"

"You are doing that thing again," he says in a low voice as he gets closer to me.

I blink rapidly.

"W-what thing?" I whisper, suddenly aware that the distance between us is shrinking by the second. My heart cannot take this much tension. The drum of every heartbeat is a loud echo in my ears. Sweat gathers over my forehead, dripping down my temples.

He's so close.

Oh my God! He's so close.

"Talking too much." The corner of his mouth pulls up.

My eyes move up slowly, from that irresistible curve of his lips to those mesmerizing eyes that have me in a chokehold.

I gulp down. Hard.

"Are you nervous, Barbi?" he drawls, his deep voice washing over me and causing my skin to erupt in goose bumps.

"Nervous? Me? Why would I be nervous? I'm calm— very calm," I mumble.

"Hm," he muses, biting on his lower lip.

Oh Lord! Please take me right now!

His teeth are straight, white, and absolutely perfect.

And I'm a sucker for good teeth.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Perfectly straight—sure. I'm sure."

I squeeze my eyes shut in embarrassment as I mentally chastise myself. Blunder after blunder. I am not fit to be out in society. No wonder everyone laughs at me. I'm a walking disaster.

His laughter reaches my ears and as I slowly open my eyes, I see that he has resumed his place—away from me.

I release a disappointed sigh.

"You need to learn how to lie better, Barbi."

I blink at the sudden shift in his tone.

He gets up and straightens his clothes.

"You can have the rest of the food. If you go straight up the mountain, you will find a portal that should take you back to Anthropa."

He's dismissing me.

Just like that.

"B-but?—"

"It will not be hard to recognize it. It should be a blue…" he continues to explain how to get to the portal, and whereas twenty-four hours ago that's all I would have needed, that is no longer the case. How can I go back when I'm finally about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime? I no longer have to read about quests and magic and true love. I'll get to live it.

Besides, it's not as if anything out of the ordinary awaits me at home.

"I don't want to go home," I state firmly as I get up to be on eye level with him. Okay, that might be a reach considering I'm half his size. But I place my hands on my hips and look him straight in the eye as I say. "I am coming with you."

The amusement drains from his face.

Silence envelops us for moments on end. There's only the crackling of the fire and the dogs' barking.

"And where do you think I am going?" he asks in a low, measured tone.

"I don't know. But wherever you're going is far safer for me than setting out on my own. You're strong. You can protect me," I admit shamelessly. "There's the plague to worry about, but also psycho Damien and his entourage. Since we both escaped, I have no doubt the entire continent is already looking for us. So I am not going to take any chances."

"I have my own mission that requires my immediate attention," he adds tensely. "I cannot be responsible for a human."

My heart plummets. Again.

I stare at him, my shoulders squaring. Disappointment ricochets through me, though I am not sure what I was expecting. My illusions slowly shatter and I'm mad at myself for having those illusions in the first place.

"More important than me?" I whisper, not intending for him to hear me.

Foolish, foolish girl.

Books and real life do not mix.

His countenance suddenly changes. No longer the playful, somewhat roguish man from before, the one in front of me exudes dark energy. His dark mist doesn't have to materialize for me to feel the shift in the air. It's in the way his face becomes expressionless again, his lips set in a grim line just as his eyes regard me with chilling coldness.

"You are young and foolish, Barbi. You have no idea what the world can do to a girl like you," he rumbles, taking a step forward. I wobble backward, but I keep my ground—the last thing I want is for him to see me as weak. "You might have stumbled here by chance, but you should thank all your gods, holy and unholy, that you have a chance to go back to your quiet little home and live a quiet little life."

"You… You're just trying to scare me," I mumble.

A cynical smile tips at his lips. It doesn't reach his eyes.

"Is it working?"

I slowly shake my head, though a tremor claims my body. My heart races in my chest, but I tell myself it's just his proximity, not his intense demeanor that does scare me.

"It should, Barbi. It should." He smirks. "It seems I made a mistake indulging you." His form a thin, foreboding line.

"No, I?—"

"You will go to that portal, and you will go back to Anthropa. Is that clear?" His voice has a mesmerizing quality to it, but one that's tinged with threat and the promise of punishment.

I shake my head again.

"If you leave me, I will just follow you again," I say in defiance.

He takes a step forward.

My back hits the hard trunk of a tree, leaving me no route of escape. I slowly look up to find him watching me with a mocking smile on his lips.

"That is where you are wrong. I allowed you to follow me. It will not happen again," he notes wryly.

"So that's it? You'll just leave me by myself? What if something happens to me on the way to the portal? What if I never make it to the portal because psycho Damien decides to show up and kill me? You'll have my death on your conscience…"

He raises an amused brow as he places his palm against the trunk, right by my face. He leans in, his breath a razor's edge away.

"Do you think I have a conscience?"

"W-what?" I blink rapidly.

"Let me put it this way, Barbi. You were my brief distraction after eons of nothing to entertain myself with. Nothing more, nothing less. Although I realize now that was a mistake."

"You… You're wrong." I gulp down. "You're nice. You were nice to me . You killed that terrible Ivan. You saved my PomPom, and you gave me food and water and?—"

"Nice…" he repeats, suddenly bursting into laughter. "Nice. You say I am nice …"

"To me . You were nice to me. So you can continue being nice by letting me tag along and then I can entertain you some more. Maybe even give you more blood," I stammer as I pull on the collar of my gown to reveal my neck. "You like my blood, no? I can give you more."

"Hm, and what else will you give me?"

"What?" I blink.

"You will give me your blood and what else?"

"I—" I lick my lips. "What else do you want? I can sing, but not terribly well. You may not like it much, but it might prove entertaining. I can also do a dance routine with my PomPom, but I suppose I should instruct BonBon too so he doesn't feel left out, and that might take some time, but I promise you that's very entertaining. We've won awards for it and?—"

"Let me get this straight," he interrupts me. "You will sing and dance for me?"

"And give you blood," I whisper.

"And give me blood," he repeats, his tone marred by irony. "What else?"

"Uhm, what else do you want?"

His lips curve up in a dangerous smile.

"Do you have to ask?"

I gulp down uncomfortably. This is going all wrong and for so many reasons. Good Lord, was I actually wrong about him? Is he just another Ivan?

"What you are insinuating is inappropriate," I choke out, averting my gaze.

My chest feels suddenly too tight, my breathing constricted.

"Is it? Why?" he inquires lazily, leaning in until his warm breath fans my cheek.

I squeeze my eyes shut.

"My ex-boyfriend, the Dark One, would mind it very much. He doesn't like to share, you see. We might be broken up, but he doesn't want these lips to go anywhere near another man. If you try anything, he might show up and turn you into mummy dust—even though you're technically not a mummy. But he's that strong," I speak breathlessly, word vomiting in my panic.

He doesn't reply for a few seconds. Seconds that feel like an eternity.

Then he laughs.

He rests his forehead on my left shoulder and laughs. The vibrations spread through my body, creating a paradoxical mix of yearning and fear.

When he's finally done laughing at my expense—since let's be honest, he's not laughing with me—he pulls back.

He takes a step away from me, and his expression strikes a new fear in my breast.

It's empty.

Dark .

The shadows from the fire play ominously on one side of his face, leaving the other shrouded in mystery. One corner of his mouth is raised sardonically—a wolfish smile that threatens to swallow me whole.

"I am sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but I am not a misunderstood villain, nor do I have a heart ," he drawls mockingly. "I may not have caused the plague you speak of, but I have done everything else they accuse me of."

My eyes widen as I stare at him in shock.

"Y-you… B-but… You can't be… He's dead…" I stutter. Embarrassment, shame, and mortification prevent me from uttering even one proper word.

"Oh, but I am very much alive." He smirks.

I may have mentally swooned plenty of times before in his presence, but at his proclamation that he is, in fact, my fake boyfriend , the Dark One, my spirit decides to leave my body.

For the first time—or maybe the second, since it did happen before when I stole his finger—I swoon. And I fall limp to the ground.

I waver in and out of consciousness to the point I no longer know what is real and what is not.

On the ground, my head rests against Nykander's thigh as he gazes down at me pensively.

My lashes flutter against a flicker of awareness.

"You silly girl," he mutters to himself.

His hand cups my cheek, his thumb caressing my skin in circular motions.

A shiver goes down my back and I try to move.

"Do not," he commands, and for some reason my body obeys him.

My eyes are wide open now, feeling returning to my limbs. Pain echoes from the back of my head, and something wet sticks to my hair.

"You are ruining all my plans, aren't you, Barbi?" He muses to himself.

I stare at him unblinking.

His fangs elongate, and bringing his wrist to his mouth, he bites hard into his flesh. I don't have time to wonder what he means to do for he presses his bloody wrist against my lips. His blood floods my mouth, the taste metallic but oddly sweet.

My body hums in response, and a pleasant calm settles over me.

"Sleep now," he whispers. "Sleep until I am the only thing you can think about…"

His last words are fuzzy. I don't know whether he truly spoke them or they are merely a figment of my imagination.

Heat erupts across my chest, concentrated in the area just above my heart.

I thrash against him, a fire building inside of me—one that makes me want to pull the skin off my bones. The pain builds to an unbearable crescendo until I can no longer bear it.

"Damnation!" His thundering voice echoes in the stillness of the forest. Dark, shadowy tendrils surround us, moving wildly around in a primitive dance. They flame in and out of focus, curling around my body and seeping into my flesh.

But I am too weak to react.

I sleep.