The love for my enemy

Chapter Two: A Stake Through the Plan

The morning after the Salvatore party, Klaus Mikaelson stormed through the woods. His thoughts, usually calm and calculated, were an uncharacteristic jumble. Arianna Montgomery had gotten under his skin. Her wit, her defiance, her maddening smirk—he hated it. And yet, here he was, replaying every word she’d said to him.

“Impossible,” Klaus muttered. “She’s just another insignificant human.”

“Talking to yourself again, Niklaus?”

Klaus turned to see Elijah leaning against a tree, looking thoroughly amused.

“Must you always appear out of nowhere?” Klaus snapped.

“It’s a talent of mine,” Elijah replied smoothly. “But the question remains—why are you so distracted? You’ve been pacing for the last ten minutes like a lovesick schoolboy.”

“I am not lovesick,” Klaus said, his tone sharp. “And this conversation is over.”

Elijah smirked knowingly. “If this has anything to do with Arianna Montgomery, I suggest you stop sulking. She’s currently at the old mill with your favorite group of impulsive vampire hunters.”

“What?” Klaus frowned. “And what, pray tell, are they doing there?”

“Something reckless, no doubt,” Elijah replied. “But Arianna seemed particularly confident about her ability to ‘handle vampires.’”

Klaus let out an exasperated sigh before disappearing in a blur. Elijah shook his head, muttering, “Some things never change.”

At the old mill, Arianna was anything but prepared.

“Okay,” she said, holding up a flashlight like it was a deadly weapon. “This is manageable. Vampires hate light, right? Or is that just a myth?”

“You’re thinking of gremlins,” Damon said, snatching the flashlight from her hands. “And, no, that’s not going to help. How are you even here? You’re supposed to be at home, far away from this mess.”

Arianna folded her arms. “I’m here because someone needs to keep you from getting everyone killed.”

Damon stared at her. “And you think you’re that someone? You’ve got nothing but sarcasm and zero survival instincts.”

“I’ll have you know,” Arianna said, grabbing a rusty wrench from a nearby table, “I have plenty of survival instincts.” She brandished the wrench like a sword. “Behold—my weapon of choice!”

Elena groaned. “Arianna, please. This isn’t a joke.”

“Oh, I know,” Arianna replied. “This is life or death, and I’d like to point out that I am, so far, still alive.”

“Barely,” Damon muttered, rolling his eyes.

Before Arianna could retort, a low growl echoed through the mill. From the shadows emerged three rogue vampires, their predatory eyes fixed on the group.

“Great,” Damon said. “They brought friends.”

Elena grabbed a stake, Damon cracked his knuckles, and Arianna... waved her wrench threateningly.

One of the vampires lunged, heading straight for Arianna.

She screamed and swung the wrench, missing entirely. Just as the vampire closed in, there was a blur of motion and a sickening crunch. The vampire was flung across the room, slamming into the wall.

Arianna opened her eyes to see Klaus standing in front of her, his expression a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

“Am I interrupting something?” he asked, casually adjusting his jacket.

“What are you doing here?” Arianna demanded.

“Saving your life, evidently,” Klaus replied, snapping the neck of another vampire as though it were a minor inconvenience.

Damon groaned. “Great. Klaus to the rescue. Just what we needed.”

“Don’t sound so grateful, Damon,” Klaus said, smirking. He turned to the remaining vampire. “Run along before I decide to make an example of you.”

The vampire hesitated before bolting out the door.

“You didn’t have to let that one go,” Damon said, irritated.

“Consider it mercy,” Klaus replied. “Not that you’d know anything about that.”

Arianna, still clutching her wrench, finally found her voice. “For the record, I had that under control.”

Klaus raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yes. Swinging a wrench like a deranged carpenter was a flawless strategy.”

“It’s called improvising,” she shot back.

Klaus chuckled, shaking his head. “If you insist on playing hero, at least have the decency to be prepared.”

“And what would you suggest?” Arianna asked. “Taking notes from you on how to be an overconfident, brooding menace?”

“Precisely,” Klaus said, his smirk widening.

Damon groaned again. “You two are insufferable. Can we go now?”

As they left the mill, Arianna fell into step beside Klaus. Despite their constant bickering, she couldn’t deny the small thrill she felt at having him on her side.

Klaus, for his part, found himself oddly entertained. Arianna Montgomery was reckless, stubborn, and utterly maddening.

And yet, as much as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t wait to see what kind of trouble she’d drag him into next.