Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 79 **

Maya

The water reflects my flushed face as I'm standing in the river. Finn is sleeping next to the fire. He seemed exhausted after the sex and fell asleep like a little, content baby.

I smile at the image of his face passing by my mind and continue working my fingers through my hair. It's dirty and hanging down in thick threads filled with tufts.

I can't believe Finn said nothing about the smell and grimace as I gather nectar from a leaf. I'm lucky that I found fruits and flowers to use in making shampoo.

Based on the dirty water around me, Finn will love the new, refreshed Maya, and if I'm lucky, he will fuck me again before morning. I smile at that thought and dip my head underneath the surface.

When I come up for air, I hear giggles around me. A warning bell chimes in my head, and I crane my neck to stare up at multiple faces. Fairies, young and old, are hanging like bats and studying me.

I open my mouth to scream at Finn, but the fairy from earlier, Blake, moves her finger to her lips. She is large, yet a tad bit smaller than the fairy males—size seems to be gender-based.

"Shh," Her fiery hair is hanging down, silky and smooth like the rest of her inhuman features. She looks too perfect, except for her crooked teeth that stand out like a sore thumb. "I don't want you to wake up your friend. No, you're the one I wish to speak with, the midnight werewolf with fur darker than black."

I narrow my eyes. "What do you want?"

A smile plays over her lips, its cunning and cold. "From my understanding, you and I share a common enemy, the alpha known as Arvin."

My nose wrinkles. "I took for granted you wouldn't return after Finn told you he wouldn't fight your battles."

"Oh, but I don't want Finn—I want you to join us. Finn is weak-minded and doesn't want violence in his life, but maybe you're different? I think you could kill for justice. Meanwhile, your man gets eaten by guilt as soon as he squishes an ant."

I get up from the water, about to leave, until Blake whispers another sentence in her amused, silky voice.

"Arvin got your sister. She came looking for you, so he brought her here, into this realm, where he is building an empire. I judge he wishes to turn her into one of his orbs—she is a shadowbringer, isn't she? Just like your father, Dior."

Okay, now she got my attention.

I face her with anger rippling over my skin. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't wake up Finn and ask for his help. I don't trust you."

Blake smiles. "So it's true—one sister is the alpha of her pack, ruling alone and getting things done, while the other one is a useless coward," her lips part as she nods at Finn. "Sure, get your lover's help, confirm what everyone already knows—that you're not a real werewolf."

My lips are ticking with rage, forming an angry lopsided smile. "How do I know you aren't lying?"

Blake turns around, and another fairy hands her a tiny necklace before she throws it at my feet. The middle is embedded with a black pearl, symbolizing the shadowbringer blood running in my sister's veins. My father gifted it to her on her eighteenth birthday.

My father never gave me any necklace, and yes, I'm still maintaining a grudge. All I've ever wanted was for my parents to love me. Saving Lily might be a chance to gain their respect, and later, we can work through our problems.

"Some of my men were captured by Arvin. He has tried to turn them into these crystal orbs, but most fairies don't possess magic powers, and instead, they die."

"That's horrible!" I exclaim.

A flash of surprise crosses Blake's features when she hears my concern, but it's gone as quickly as it came. She sized me up, giving me her best shot of a friendly smile.

"You're not so bad after all. I can see why Finn likes you, even though I don't understand why he prefers to be with a human rather than with another fairy. I wouldn't mind dating the man."

My heart pangs with insecurity—come to think of it, Finn is hot, and it would be weird if fairies didn't flock around him, yet the idea of others wanting him bothers me.

It's probably because Finn and I are in the grey zone. We aren't together, and I don't expect I can change his mind about a relationship due to the whole daughter-of-his-friends situation, yet there is so much chemistry that he can't keep his paws off me.

I force a smile, knowing playing nice is my best option here. "When are we going? I'm ready whenever you are."

Blake's lips curl higher up her perfect face, highlighting her razor-sharp cheekbones. "Put these on." She throws me some human clothes and then exchanges a look with her fellow fairies. They whisper at each other before seeming to come up with a plan. "We are leaving as soon as you're ready—do you need a ride?"

"No, big girls can handle themselves. Besides, my wolf is probably quicker than you guys are—do you want to place a bet?"

Blake shows her teeth in a feral smile that makes her resemble a villain. "How amusing—the wolf assumes she can outrun us. Well, we can't have that, can we? Challenge accepted!"

"Prepare to lose," I kick the clothes into the bushes. "And I won't be needing these!"

In the blink of a second, I shape-shift and dash forward, followed by the fairies wanting to beat my speed. But I'm not a pushover, and the speed of light is playing on my team.