Dear Enemy, You're My Mate

Chapter 81 **

Maya

As I'm struggling to get into a pair of tight jeans, my mind is officially blown away by the surrounding scenery. I've never seen a place so magical, loud, and inspiring before. My lips part in wonder, and I hurry to put on clothes to explore it.

"Wow!"

I'm walking on mud, staring up at a large tree with cottages and lanterns sparking up the night. Magical flowers in pink, yellow, and orange are trailing up the trunk's path, and fairies, both tiny ones and some larger-than-life, are laughing.

It seems most fairies only use leaves and flowers for their clothes, and with heating cheeks, I turn away when I notice some are sitting at what appears to be a café, entirely naked. Fairies aren't shy, and most of them are incredibly beautiful.

My eyes travel to the left and right, and my smile only grows when I see more trees and houses and various mystic plants. The entire city is so beautifully green, and most flowers have a rich glow on them.

I search around some more, and my eyes open in astonishment, seeing a house more prominent than the rest. Gnarled roots are taking over the path leading up to its porch, and the orange light coming from within the windows is so cozy.

So gorgeous.

"Do you like what you see?" Blake asks. She is standing many feet away from me, human-sized to make me feel less alone among the many giants walking past us.

"Your city is amazing!"

Blake smiles in her feral way, then nods at a crackling fire. I follow her gaze and stop breathing upon seeing Finn sit in front of it. He stares into the flames with slumped shoulders, and Blake places a hand on my shoulder, encouraging me to approach him.

"Go to him and talk things out. We will begin training you tomorrow. I will find you in the morning. The elders need to hear you are here. Therefore, I will leave you with Finn."

The only reply I manage is a tight smile. I'm not sure what Finn's deal is with me. He doesn't want to be romantically involved with me, yet he treats me like we are together. He seemed furious over me deciding to join Blake's cause without his consent.

Grumbling to myself, I walk forward, despite the angry vibes I'm getting from the enormous fairy himself. He isn't in human form and doesn't even acknowledge me when I stand next to him.

"Good evening!"

Finn doesn't peer down. He throws a stick into the fire and ignores me. His behavior is irritating, and I grumpily sit down next to him and mimic his lotus position. It earns me a half-smile from Finn, but he remains quiet even as I glare up at him.

"Are you just going to ignore me?" I ask.

Finn still isn't looking down. "Well, apparently, my opinion doesn't matter, so why should I bother speaking with you?"

I laugh. "Oh-my-god, you're so crabby with me!"

Finn is adorable. A tint of red paints his cheeks—I've never seen him blush before and consider this an achievement. He seems so much younger right now.

"I'm not crabby."

I giggle. "You're cute when you're lying."

Finn's lips twitch in annoyance, and I scream in mock terror when he picks me up. His nimble fingers curl around me, and then I'm brought up to his face and hard-to-read eyes.

His lips are pressed together, but his left dimple is flirting with me, and his eyes gleam with mischief. "You're calling me cute—that's one hell of an insult, little wolf."

The sheer size of his face is intimidating. Had any other fairy dangled me in front of their playful lips, then I would have freaked out. But this is Finn, the fairy I like, and as soon as I see the affection hiding in his eyes, the fear is replaced with bubbles. I want to kiss him, crawl to his chest, and die listening to his heart.

Somehow, I'm not melting into a puddle. "How about peace?" I'm grinning, hoping to convince Finn. And god, I should be bothered that I'm hanging like a bat with all my blood heading to my head, but Finn is heart-stoppingly beautiful tonight. I'm happy. "Please?"

"Fat chance!"

Finn opens his mouth wide, and the other fairies around the fire stare at us in stunned silence. I bet they can't tell if Finn is serious or not, and my panicked laughing when he licks underneath my foot, my ticklish area, probably makes it sound as if he is killing me.

"No-no-no!" I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts. "Stop doing that! Please! I surrender! Show some mercy!"

By now, the other fairies are sweating, and one guy, big and burly with wings not big enough to carry him, leans forward.

"Uh, Finn?" The other fairy's lips are quivering, and his face is rapidly turning paler. He fears Finn but cares about me. The guy must be sweet. "Perhaps you should take it easy with the lady—she is fragile and much smaller than you."

"Easy? Psht—never!" Finn snorts and turns to me with a wicked grin. His sharp canine teeth are showing. "This one deserves to be eaten!"

I shriek and cry actual tears when Finn attacks my stomach with big, wet kisses. He doesn't seem to care about me being dirty, and I howl like a wolf, laughing as I've never done before.

"You're a freak!"

Finn wags his eyebrows."Oh, yes, I am!"

My legs are between Finn's lips when Blake clears her throat. The giant woman doesn't look happy with her arms planted under her chest. She gives Finn a questioning glare, and Finn freezes in mid-lick. A second later, he spits out my feet from his mouth.

"Do we have a problem here?" Blake asks.

"No," Finn replies. "Why?"

Blake is massaging her eyelids with her fingertip. "I don't know—could you two please get a room?"

I exchange a glance with Finn, who looks close to cracking up when he realizes we have gained a lot of attention.

Other fairies are staring at us, and I notice most girls appear jealous and lift their pert little noses when I face them. They probably wonder why Finn is with me and not with another fairy.

Finn locks his fingers around me in a secure grip and stands up. Once he is standing, he cups me to his chest and offers me an assuring smile before turning to face Blake again.

"I guess we will take my sister's old house."

Blake nods as we walk past her. But we only make it down into an alley before she calls over her shoulder. "Hey, Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"I like Maya, so if you hurt her, then you've got to deal with me."

Finn doesn't reply and only glances down at me. I'm not sure what goes through his head, but his lips quirk up into a smile, and then he presses me closer to his chest.

My insides melt like butter over hot popcorn. Finn is running his thumb down my hairline as we are making it down the alley.

"So, this is where I grew up. We aren't living in a modern world like you are, but we have restaurants and shops containing what we need. And the best part? We have magic."

Smiling, I catch the sight of a baker fairy and children laughing as they run away with glowing, stolen pies. The baker fairy yells after them with his fist in the air, and I giggle, turning my attention to the old signs hanging outside the houses we pass.

Some are warnings, and I laugh out loud at a sign that says, "I eat children for breakfast, so don't you dare come knocking on my door! I don't want your cookies!"

"Some grumpy fairy that must be!" I say, pressing my teeth to my lips as I'm struggling not to laugh.

Finn merely smiles, but his eyes never leave me. Even when I'm looking away, I can feel him observing me. It's as if he is curious about whether I like his city.

I squeal. "Oh-my-goodness! Look at that!"

Fireflies are soaring around us, and among them are tiny fairies, racing against each other in the midnight air. It seems it's part of fairy culture to size-change whenever you want. I find it even more interesting that while some houses are large, some could fit in the middle of my palm.

I keep bouncing around in Finn's palm and point at everything until Finn opens a door by flicking his wrist. My eyes find him, and he gives me a pained smile as we enter the building.

"I haven't been here since I betrayed my sister. And now, after she is gone, coming here is harder than ever. I'm a terrible person, little wolf."

Not knowing what to say, I stare up at him, but I'm only met with the underside of his chin. Suddenly, Finn feels so far away. The entire atmosphere is cold and brooding. I don't know if I'm supposed to do anything and place my seemingly tiny hand on his chest.

"Tell me everything," I whisper pleadingly, hoping Finn will let me inside of his heart. "I want to know what happened to you."