Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 76: Alexandra Dwayne

Kael Draeven

I stepped out of his office, my back throbbing with every movement. The pain burned deep, but I forced myself to keep walking, shoulders squared, pace steady.

I wouldn’t let them see.

The hallway stretched ahead, as I walked through it, each step sent a sharp ache through my body, but I ignored it, pushing forward. I knew the way by heart, the room I always stayed in whenever I had to spend the night here.

Not that I wanted to. Prior to the fact that the walls of this place suffocated me. Everything about it felt cold, calculated, like it had been designed to strip people of their will.

I reached the door and pushed it open, stepping inside without hesitation.

The moment it shut behind me, I let out a slow breath, my body finally betraying me as I leaned against the wall.

Damn it.

I glanced down. The bandages Kain had carefully wrapped were already stained with fresh blood. He was going to be pissed if I went back like this, so I had to stay here like Caspian had said.

I exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling for a moment before pushing myself off the wall.

Kain was always scolding me about not taking care of myself. It was almost funny, how serious he got, the way his brows knitted together, his lips pressing into a firm line. Like he actually thought I could change.

But how the hell was I supposed to do that?

Caring for myself? I wouldn’t even know where to start. But pleasing others? Now that was second nature. Something I’d been doing for as long as I could remember.

Still, I couldn’t shake the look in his eyes when I showed up yesterday, the way he stared at me like he knew. Like no matter how well I hid it, he could still see right through me.

I wasn’t about to walk back in front of him like this again.

With a quiet sigh, I pushed off the wall, heading toward the small cabinet in the corner. There had to be something here to ease the sting before that man came back. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

I grabbed a bottle of spirit and some cotton wool from the table before heading to the bathroom. The moment I stepped inside, I yanked off my clothes, but the shredded bandages clung to my skin like a second layer. Peeling them off was torture. The dried blood had fused with the fabric, and every pull felt like ripping my own flesh. I clenched my teeth, forcing myself not to make a sound.

When I finally got them off, I dipped the cotton into the spirit, just like Kain had done the other day. My back was turned to the mirror as I pressed the soaked wool against one of the deeper wounds.

Shit.

It burned like hell. I sucked in a sharp breath, glancing over my shoulder to get a look at the damage.

No wonder Kain had looked so pissed.

Was it because he was with me last time that I hadn’t noticed how bad it hurt? Or had he just been that careful?

After what felt like an eternity of wiping away the blood, the wounds were finally clean. The sting lingered, but at least I wasn’t dripping anymore. I tossed the stained cotton aside and made my way back to the room where I searched for bandages but there was none.

I sighed, forcing myself back on my feet and heading to the aid room. It didn’t take long to find what I needed. Once I was back, I did my best to wrap the bandages around myself, though it was far from neat. Kain would’ve done a better job. How was he so good with it anyway?

I chuckled, imagining him frowning, scowling and complaining about every little thing. So cute.

Once I was done, I sank onto the bed, letting out a slow breath. The pain throbbed beneath the layers of gauze, but it was manageable. I rummaged through the bunch of coats in the wardrobe before setting for a dark shirt.

Then, just as I was settling in to take a breather, the door swung open without warning or a knock.

I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. The sound of those measured, deliberate footsteps was enough. I guess his android copy was finally gone.

He stepped inside, barely sparing me a glance as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small photograph. Without a word, he tossed it onto the bed.

I let it fall, watching it land near my knee before sighing and picking it up to see it was a woman.

Beautiful,

Sharp green eyes, fiery red hair, and a face that was all angles and cold elegance. Even in a still image, she looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine, beautiful but untouchable.

I frowned, glancing up at him, then back at the picture.

"A model?"

His expression didn’t change. "That’s right. Alexandra Dwayne. One of the city’s popular models." he affirmed.

The name wasn’t unfamiliar, of course it wouldn’t be, I wasn’t the type that chased after magazines for no reason whatsoever, but this woman looked familiar enough that I only had to think for a moment before I placed where I’d seen her before.

Of course she was definitely one of his many flings. And I’d only caught a glimpse of her one night I was here, but a woman like that wasn’t easy to forget.

Still, I didn’t get why he was handing me this now. So I asked, "What’s about her?"

He took a step closer, and only stopped just a few steps from the bed, "There’s going to be an event tonight. A masquerade party at Grand Dee Hotel and Alexandra is going to be there."

I met his gaze, waiting for him to complete what he was saying.

"She must not live through the night. And you must make sure of it. In addition, two others will be accompanying you." he eventually said, and before I could say anything else, he was already walking out of the door.

I glanced back at the pics in my hand, wondering why this woman this time around?