Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 45: Dangerous habit

Kain Locke

"Is your room around here?" Alec asked as we walked down the hallway,

"It’s just around that corner." I pointed behind me and he nodded.

After the meal, he suggested we go on a walk, and since I promised to go out with him today, I can only agree to it, and here we are, walking in the hallway.

Alec walked beside me, his hands buried in his pockets, his steps slow, unrushed. The hallway was mostly empty, probably because most were still in the dining hall, so only their distant voices that could barely reach us made me aware of the fact that there are others here, aside from us.

"You know," Alec said, breaking the silence that was beginning to grow between us again, "when I first saw you on your homecoming, I thought you wouldn’t last. Like the rest." he added the last part and chuckled a little afterwards making me wonder why?

I frowned, glancing at him. "The rest?" Of course I could guess, after all he’d stated that he’s tired of seeing the likes of me dropping down dead.

He nodded. "Yeah. Fresh blood shows up all the time, but most don’t make it. This place chews them up and spits them out just as quickly. And I’ve always been there to watch the recruit’s body get stacked up on each other and disposed of." He let out a short breath, tilting his head as if remembering something. "But that day, I didn’t want to stand there and watch it happen, so I walked away."

"And now you’re saying this to my face? Thanks." I said with a little smile. It’s really such a bad thing here,

"What? Would you rather I lie to you?" he asked, shaking his head. "But you didn’t die. And somehow, you ended up as my roommate."

"Now you’re free of me," I shrugged, "I got a new roommate though. You met him at the table already," I muttered, kicking at a loose tile on the floor.

"Guess so." His voice was softer this time, almost thoughtful. He didn’t say anything for a while, just walked in silence beside me. Then, out of nowhere, "What do you really think about this place?"

"It’s sick." I didn’t have to think twice before I answered. Now wasn’t he being so talkative today? What has gotten into him?

Alec hummed, nodding slowly. "Yeah... probably." But there was no agreement in his tone. No anger either. Just something distant. Detached somehow.

He exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "But this place is everything to me anyway."

I turned to him, something about the way he said it made me pause.

"Home?" He let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "Does it even count as one? I mean If I drop dead tomorrow, no one’s coming to fetch my body. No one would care. But this?" He motioned vaguely to the walls, the lights overhead, the whole place around us. "This is all I have."

Something in my chest tightened because for me, this place had always been temporary. A hellhole I needed to claw my way out of. But for Alec... this was it.

I’d always thought we weren’t so different. We were both stuck here, both just trying to survive. But standing next to him now, I realized there was a difference. A very big one at that.

I had something outside these walls. A past. A future I was fighting for.

But Alec?

Now he’s saying it, I figured this place might just be more than that to him, for the fact that he called it home. Home is such a big word, so big I don’t even have one, I never did. And maybe I never will.

"Doesn’t that seem weird to you?"

I looked up at his purple eyes, "No." I answered sincerely. "Why did you think that?"

"I just thought you’re quieter than before," he noted, glancing at me.

I shrugged. "Just thinking."

"Dangerous habit." He smirked. "Should I be worried?"

I huffed a quiet laugh. "Maybe."

"I never knew you could be interesting... and you should laugh more often. It suits you best." He remarked.

And I found my cheeks heating up, however, before I could respond, the corner where we were walking came to a fork, and just ahead a staircase came into view. My steps slowed slightly as recognition settled in. "Isn’t that...?"

Alec cut in smoothly. "Yeah. The stairs to the second floor."

I remember Bella and I passed here for the first time through the staircase when power was out, and the elevator stopped working, so we had to pass the second floor to reach here. And I don’t have to say who owns the entire floor, of course who could be so narcissistic to the point of keeping people out of their floor.

I merely rolled my eyes,

"We should probably go the other way." I suggested and he nodded.

"Yeah, now I’m curious, do you...." The rest of the words remain incomplete when we were approached by someone,

I expected him to walk past, but instead, he stopped right in front of us. He didn’t say a word, didn’t even acknowledge me, just stood there, facing Alec.

It wasn’t the act of standing there that unsettled me. It was the fact that he was, in fact, a Beta.

Alec’s expression shifted, something unreadable flashing in his eyes before he turned to me.

"Sorry, Kain. I’ll have to see you later..." he flashed a faint smile and walked away with him, and just like that, he was gone.

I should be walking away too but curiosity is a damn thing, and I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what the hell is going on? Didn’t Alec hate Beta? Yet a Beta just came and he actually followed?

I was still lost in thought when I heard soft movements up ahead. My body tensed instinctively, and without thinking, I pressed myself behind a pillar, barely peeking out.

A figure in a dark hoodie stood near the stairs. The hood was up with a facecap underneath it, and a face mask covered the rest of their features.

Their movements were careful, deliberate, as their eyes darted around.

Then, without hesitation, they started climbing the same staircase no one was supposed to be on!

I frowned. The concealer Sam gave me must be the only reason they didn’t notice me, the stuff masked everything, including my own scent. Otherwise, I had no doubt they would’ve sensed my presence.

So I doubt he’ll find out if I followed him, moreover I want to know what this person is up to, therefore,

Quietly, I slipped out from behind the pillar and followed. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

They moved without a sound. And I made sure of my distance, heart thudding in my chest as we ascended. Step by step, until we reached...

Kael’s floor.

I barely had a second to process that before the person pulled something from their pocket. A key card.

What the hell?

My grip tightened on the railing. Whoever this was, they weren’t just sneaking around. They had access.

A hundred questions fired through my mind, but before I could do anything, before I could even blink, an arm hooked around me from behind followed by a hand clamping over my nose and mouth,