Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 59: Liking him already

Kain Locke

"Come on, help me with this shirt, or I’ll take it off right here, right now. Not like it’s anything you haven’t seen before," Kael said, smirking as he tugged at the fabric.

Geez! Can he act like a rational person at least for once?

I scowled, already turning for the door. "Suit yourself." I said as I walked out, but his laughter followed me out, he obviously found the whole situation entertaining. What was I expecting? He’s insufferable after all.

I stepped into the sitting room, rolling my shoulders.

Ryan said he’d need days to recover from the poison, so why was he up already, acting like nothing happened? The poison should’ve knocked him out longer right? Why didn’t I even think about that?

In addition, there was Irene. She must have known he’d wake up soon. I mean, why else would she have told me to make sure he drank the herbs?

But if she was aware, she must’ve gone to check on him again while I was fast asleep, but then again, why did he ask who she was when I told him Irene made it for him? Or could it actually be that he does not see her at all?

Just thinking about it was a headache.

By the time I reached the sitting room, Irene was right where I left her, fingers looping yarn over knitting needles. When she heard my footsteps, she didn’t look up as she spoke.

"Did he drink it?"

I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah... he took it."

The needles clicked together steadily. "Good."

Silence stretched between us, the only sound was the rhythmic movement of her knitting.

I leaned against the wall, watching her do the thing, how the wool was woven around each other forming a material. It’s incredible, that it almost seems like magic to me.

I cleared my throat to get her attention, then I asked, "You knew, didn’t you?"

She finally glanced up. "Knew what?"

"That he’d be awake already."

Her lips curved slightly, the kind of smile that held more than it gave. "A man like that doesn’t stay down for long, no matter what you put in his system. His body fights even when he doesn’t. And seeing how he still hung up until that last moment even though he had one fatal wound that resulted in several blood lost, and then he got some poison strong enough to kill an Alpha corroding his body, but he fought against it. So I knew he’s not going to stay long in that bed. He’s a strong man."

I sighed as I walked to the opposite direction and sat myself on a chair. I exhaled, stretching out my legs in front of me,

"Is anything bothering you?" She inquired.

"Why do you assume so?" I said, now lifting my gaze to her.

Her hands didn’t stop moving, but I caught the faint twitch at the corner of her mouth. "You keep sighing and... you’re looking at the door like the person in there might disappear if you blink."

I frowned, crossing my arms. "Maybe."

She hummed, neither agreeing or disagreeing. "He might be stronger than you think."

"Or maybe he’s just too stubborn to die." I answered with a muffled laugh, it sounds funny to me, and maybe funnier with the way he goes on about saying he’ll be glad if I was the last person he sees before he dies. I mean who in their right state of mind would wish to see their enemy before their death?

She finally looked up, her gaze sharp in that way that always made me feel like she saw right through me. "And would that be such a bad thing?"

I hesitated. I wanted to say yes. That it would be easier if he just stayed down, if I didn’t have to keep watching him like a hawk or looking after him, waiting for his next move. But that wasn’t entirely true, was it?

Before I could figure out how to respond, a firm knock sounded at the door.

I stood, relieved for the distraction. "I’ll get it."

I reached the door and pulled it open, however, I immediately recognized the man standing outside.

It was the same guy who had come for Ryan earlier.

He barely spared me a glance before speaking. "Is Irene in there?"

I stepped aside. "Yeah. Someone’s looking for you," I called over my shoulder.

Irene set her knitting down and made her way over, her brows raising slightly when she saw the man. "Noel."

She said his name like it was a statement rather than a greeting. "What brings you here?" she asked, glancing outside to see if he came alone.

"The party’s already started. The pine tree is full of people already, and you’re the only one missing."

Irene sighed, pressing a hand to her temple. "And Karen sent you to fetch me, didn’t she?"

The man nodded.

She muttered something under her breath before glancing back at me. "Looks like I have to make an appearance."

I didn’t even have the slightest idea about all of it, regardless I nodded. "You should." Since it’s a party and that same Karen has also sent him to get Ryan.

She gave me a wry look then turned back to the man. "Tell Karen I’ll be there soon."

He gave a short nod before stepping away.

Irene exhaled, shaking her head as she closed the door. "Well, I suppose that means I have to change."

I know it shouldn’t be any of my business, "What’s the thing about the pine tree and the party?"

"It’s a party... well not exactly, it’s just like an anniversary of celebrating this place, the left of it, the pines that remain standing despite all the flames. It’s a good omen, they think, we think ... It also has room for mourning, candles, circles, stories, just that one time in the year to remember the ones who died while protecting this place. I would do anything but go... however, Karen is a stubborn one, so it’s unavoidable." She swallowed hard towards the ending with a forced smile. "Yeah. That’s all about it."

I watched her for a moment before saying, "You won’t mind me coming with you, right?" This should be a perfect escape from kael, because I seriously don’t think I can spend the next more minutes with him being here while Irene is out.

She paused, considering it. Then, surprisingly, she nodded. "That might not be a bad idea. You’re going to like it, afternoon is for youths to celebrate."

Yeah... I had actually said it before considering what came out of my mouth.

How could I possibly go to a party looking so out of place?

I tugged at my sleeves, feeling the stiff, dried fabric against my skin. This shirt had been through hell, drenched in seawater, left to dry in the cold, and stained with blood that the waves had only half-washed away. The white had long since faded to something closer to gray. I had lost my jacket somewhere along the way, leaving me in just this miserable excuse of a shirt.

Going to a party like this? Yeah, I’d look like a walking disaster.

Irene, who had been watching me in silence, finally spoke. "Come with me."

I blinked but didn’t argue. She didn’t wait either, already turning toward the hall. I followed, my footsteps light against the wooden floor.

She stopped in front of the room that has the basement from the other day. She looked at me. "Wait here."

I leaned against the wall as she disappeared inside. The muffled sounds of her rummaging around drifted through the door, and after a minute, she stepped back out, holding a neat bundle of clothes in her arms.

She held them out to me. "I’ve been meaning to give you these since last night, but I wasn’t in the best condition either."

I hesitated before taking them. The fabric felt clean and warm, definitely better than what I had on.

"These should be about your size," she continued. "And there’s something in there that should fit him too. Take them to him first, then pick whatever you want to wear to the party."

I exhaled, staring at the bundle in my hands. "No... you don’t have to do this. Allowing us to stay here is enough privilege..." She didn’t have to say it to know this belonged to his son and his mate.

Irene raised a brow. "Would you rather walk in there looking like you just crawled out of a sinking ship?"

I scowled. "I kind of did." Well not exactly a ship. But I kinda crawled out of something right?

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose like she was reconsidering every life choice that led her to dealing with me. "Just go, take it already, or you’re not spending the night in my house smelling like bad fish and blood!"

"Thank you then." I said, turning toward the hallway, clothes in hand as I walked to the room Kael’s in first, he wasn’t lying on the bed, he just sat on the bed, staring into blank space. Well only he knew what’s going on in his head, and I don’t have the desire to pry,

Therefore, I dumped the bunch on the chair and selected my size then left the rest.

****

"I know they’ll look good on you!" Irene complimented as soon as I stepped into the living room, she was also dressed in a long black satin dress.

I pulled down the shirt, feeling a little awkward. "Yeah, thanks."

"Shall we go now?" She asked with a smile and I nodded,

"Sure."

We were walking to the door, when we heard a creek, making us pause at the door.

I glanced back just as quickly,

"What are you..." the rest of the words died in my throat when I saw what he was putting on.

"Close your mouth, I shouldn’t be the one telling you a fly might go in there, come on, we’ve got a party to attend, don’t we?" He exchanged glances between me and Irene.

Before I could say anything else, he’d already strode past us and opened the door, "You don’t want to be late, right Mochi?" He winked at me and Irene gasped behind me, then she tugged at my shirt.

"Mochi!? Of course, I knew it!" Her questioning gaze eased up to a mischievous smile as she turned to me, "I’m liking your man already." She whispered and my eyes practically rolled into my skull.