Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 69 **

Maya

I wake up in the middle of the night, expecting to be served an early breakfast, and instead, Arvin's men unlock my prison cell. Six vampires dressed as knights step inside, grunting as they struggle to walk.

"How is he still so fucking massive? Didn't they shrink him?!" A guard complains in a strained voice as he enters my prison cell. "We should have dropped this fat bloke in the jungle and left it to the werewolves to pick him up! Man, my back is killing me!"

Another vampire is panting like a dog. "Just shut up and lower the fucking bastard already!"

I pretend to be sleeping but crack one eye open when the entire floor quakes beneath me. A half-naked man lies on his stomach in front of me, sleeping even though I'm pretty sure he was dropped.

I squint my eyes. There are glowing bracelets around the man's arms and legs, which stupidly enough matches his russet skin and the tribal tattoos circling his beefy biceps.

Realizing I'm ogling the stranger, I focus on one of the guards who injects the massive man's neck with a serum.

"In case he knows how to throw spells by talking," One of the guards explains to the other ones, shrugging. "You can never be too careful."

"Agreed," Another one replies. "The bastard killed half of the Springclan by himself—he is a fucking monster."

Monster?

My initial reaction is to pull up my legs to my chest to create as much distance as possible from my new roommate. I'm not safe! Fear is gnawing at my senses, and when the vampire guards leave me alone with the sleeping tree of a man, I wish they had never left.

What the hell do I do now?!

Jesus Christ, should I find a weapon and knock him out good? I'm not a killer, but I don't want to die!

I bite my nails and search the room for a weapon, anything to defend myself with, but unfortunately, there is nothing.

Fuck!

What if this new guy gets hungry and steals all of my food? I would have a hard time ascertaining dominance over this thick bastard—my new roommate must be over seven feet tall, which isn't normal, and he is all sinewy muscles and brawn!

Double fuck!

My day has suddenly turned into a disaster. I'm hungry, and breakfast might be served within two hours. Shit! What if this bastard decides to eat all of my rotten apples? I'm all skin and bones, and this man resembles Hercules's cousin!

I shudder at the idea of fighting the man and grab my trustworthy stick from behind me. The only way to know if this guy will be trouble in the future is to test his reflexes. I poke him in the head multiple times, smiling in satisfaction when he seems more lifeless than my mother's roadkill.

"Perfect..." I breathe out a sigh of relief. "The guy is as good as dead."

My heart calms down, and I relax against the wall once more but find it rather hard to sleep when the room isn't entirely dark. The scary roommate got these weird tattoos on his back, lighting up the entire freaking prison cell.

Grumbling to myself, I stand up, walk over to the man, and take off my filthy dress. I can put it back on tomorrow after I've gotten some sleep, but for now, I have to cover this man's glowing back.

I bend forward, only to freeze when two iridescent wings stretch out from the man's back. At first, I think I'm hallucinating and reach out to touch one to test that theory—it turns out the wings are real.

Oh-my-god, my roommate is a freaking fairy!

My eyes widen, and a scream gets stuck in my throat when the wings move again. Though, once I realize they aren't dangerous, I drop the dress and grab a better hold of one.

"Wow!"

Blue, shimmering glitter tints the color of my skin, and I release the wing, perplexed by the glow on my fingertips.

"Is this what one would call fairy dust?" I whisper in amazement, totally wrapped up in admiration. "It's so pretty!"

Despite it being dangerous, I forget to be afraid of the world and let my curiosity take control of me. Giggling inaudibly to myself, I get down on my knees and trace the fairy's back with my finger. I run it over the man's muscles up to his snow-white hair so similar to my own.

I wrinkle my eyebrows, lost in the moment. I've never met another person with white hair before.

The other kids in my pack thought I had special powers because of my hair until they realized I was a nobody and started to talk shit behind my back. Lily beat them up and made the bullying stop; still, that didn't save me from feeling like an outsider.

But this guy, he is like me!

My interest grows, and after taking a deep breath, I bend down to study the fairy's face. The man's white hair is falling into his eyes, but I hold it up, gasping at the sight.

The fairy is smiling like a fool in his sleep, probably dreaming about delicious food, and my heart gives a slight thud. This man could be the cover model for a magazine. He is so gorgeous my teeth hurt, which makes him dangerous.

I release his hair and walk over to the wall again. Anxiety is churning in the pit of my stomach, and I hug my knees. Men are dangerous beings, and if there is something I've learned these past two months, it's that a beautiful face doesn't equal a good heart.

Arvin is my mate, but while his face looks like an angel might have carved it, he hasn't done anything else other than torture me. And if the person the moon goddess picked for me is so cruel, the man sleeping before me can't possibly be good.

Tears fill my eyes, and I suck in a heavy breath. Being alone is painful, but it's safer that way. People are monsters, and if you don't let them in, they can't hurt you.

Images of my family members flash through my head, but I force them out by thinking of the anguish I've endured because of them not coming to save my ass. And eventually, my mind turns empty, and my heart stops bleeding, making it easier to fall asleep.