Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 102: Miss you

Kael Draeven

Okay... I’ve gotta admit this is a little awkward.

Kain walked back into the cramped little sitting room, now wearing an orange sweatshirt that looked too big for him, literally swallowing his frame, hanging loose over his wrists, but not enough to hide the curve of his neck, the delicate line of his collarbone, without not even a faint mark ghosting down his skin from injuries.. he also looked a little thin.

Has he been feeding properly?

He didn’t look at me at first.

Not really.

Just a cold and detached glance, the kind of look that made it clear he hadn’t forgiven me, not even close. Maybe never would. And still, I couldn’t stop the way my chest pulled tight. Or the bitter taste in my mouth that wasn’t coffee, wasn’t blood. Just guilt.

He sat down across the room, not next to me. Not even close.

His arms crossed as if he needed to keep himself together or he’d fall apart.

Damn it, I hated this. I hated seeing him like this. And I hated that I was the reason for it more.

And yet,

I wanted to cross that distance.

I wanted to kneel in front of him, kiss the edge of his wrist where the veins were blue and trembling. I wanted to say, "You don’t have to look at me, but please don’t hate me anymore."

But I didn’t. Because I had no right.

So I sat there like a coward, back stiff, hands clenched on my knees, watching him from the corner of my eye like I was still trying to memorize him. Because hell, after all these months, I still didn’t know if he was really here or if I’d blink and he’d disappear again.

"So you took Brian to the school for his registration and ran into him?" Audrey asked, his voice calm but direct as he looked at Kain. He was avoiding me, and I knew why.

I had almost forgotten he was part of this whole mess too and was in the same sitting room as my whole attention was on that one beautiful Omega. In addition it was not just Audrey, either, the purple-haired Beta who used to hang around Kain like a damn shadow back when we were still in the base was also there, I don’t plan to be friendly with him, I didn’t like him then. Still don’t like him now. And I’m sure that was clear enough.

I mean earlier in the restroom hallway, after he barged in on us, after he showed up, the matter escalated quickly and Kain somehow swallowed his questions and anger down, his fists tight at his sides, that familiar tension in his jaw that always meant he was calculating outcomes. He couldn’t risk a full-on blow-up. And I guess it was due to Brian right there. Not with school authorities probably just down the hall. So when Kain turned and walked out, I didn’t argue.

I followed

Didn’t mean I liked it more when we got here and he insisted on me sitting and answering his questions in front of them.

When in fact he knew I used to hate this Betas guts, and I can say I hate him even more for the way he talked like he understood Kain better than anyone else. But that wasn’t what twisted the knife. No, what really messed me up was the way Kain acted around him.

Comfortable.

Familiar.

Like they’d built a whole life I wasn’t part of.

And the worst part? They were sharing the same apartment!

I remember the night before they threw that tear gas, right before everything exploded. I had already started forming a plan. Half a dozen, really. Ways to get Kain and Brian out safely, but none of them stuck. Every route ended the same way, in disaster. In blood. And Brian getting caught in the crossfire was the one thing I couldn’t let happen.

It was helpless. So helpless I’d never felt so damn powerless in my life.

But when I finally caught a glimpse of them through the haze and smoke, I recognized him. I recognized them and the look in his eyes.

He wasn’t running away. He was pulling Kain out.

And I gambled on it because I was sure he’s going to protect him.

I didn’t fight. Didn’t scream. Didn’t try to take Kain back.

I watched like an idiot as they dragged him away because in that split second, I knew, if I got in the way, Kain would never get out. Not with my father’s men still swarming the place. Not with Kain’s strength running on fumes.

So I let them go.

And when the gas cleared off, half of Father’s enforcers were unconscious and bleeding out on the floor. The monster himself was nowhere in sight. He’d vanished. Slipped away like a coward. And me?

I didn’t waste time.

Jay was already parked outside, waiting like we planned, I didn’t even look back. Just jumped in and slammed the door shut.

The first thing I asked wasn’t "Did they get away?" or "Are we being followed?"

It was, "Is Brian safe?"

Because as much as I wanted Kain back, I knew this wasn’t going to be that simple.

"Mn" kain hummed in response before turning back to me and he said. "Why did you come here?"

"Because I want you." I answered sincerely with a straight face.

Audrey nudged Kain and whispered something to his ear, while Alec’s jaw clenched so hard I could hear the grind of his teeth. Good. Maybe that was exactly what I wanted, to see that crack in his calm, that twitch in his perfectly composed expression.

Kain didn’t look at me right away. His lips parted like he had something to say but couldn’t quite get it out. Instead, his ears flushed pink, trailing all the way down his neck and into the collar of that oversized orange sweatshirt as he gave Audrey a light tug, turning to me, he scoffed under his breath. "What nonsense." he said, averting his gaze quickly.

But I saw the flicker in his eyes. The way he refused to meet mine for too long. Like he was trying to keep his heart behind steel bars and I’d found a way to rattle them. He could pretend all he wanted, but I knew him.

He was mad now, sure. Still very much defensive. But that wouldn’t last forever. It couldn’t. Sooner or later, he’d remember how we used to be.

"Is it?" I murmured, voice dropping an octave. "Because I remember how you used to fall apart when I so much as whispered your name against your neck..."

His breath hitched, barely, but I caught it.

I went on, letting the words slide off my tongue like sin.

"I know you’re mad at me, but I would crawl, kneel and beg if you want me to,I will do whatever you want me to do so you can forgive me. I miss you so much you see? So much I feel like I’m dying inside, so much I wanna make you mine, and the rest of the world could burn."

His face flushed, deep and red and utterly betrayed by how hard he was trying not to react.

However, Alec shot up from the table with a sharp scoff. "You think you can just waltz in here, say a few dirty lines because you’re the high and mighty son of Dreaven?"

"And in what way is this any of your concern or your call to make?" I snapped back.

His eyes flashed, and before either of us could say more, he slammed his hand hard on the table,

My fist was already clenching by my side, preparing for any attack from him, but,

"Stop it!" Kain barked, standing up with a force that stunned the room. "Both of you. This is already tiring as it is, so can you stop bickering at each other’s throats like a kid!?"

"Oh oh... fierce!" Audrey squealed, swinging his hair back, exposing one red mark at the nape of his neck that was originally covered by his pink hair.

Kain shot him a glare and he raised his hand in surrender, laughing as he did so.

Kain pursed his lips and then he was right by my side, his hand taking mine as he pulled me up, "Come with me." He said and started dragging me away.