Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 82: Turning around

Kael dreaven

How...?

How could I have lost it like that?

I gritted my teeth, knuckles turning white as the scene replayed in my mind like a curse I couldn’t shake.

My voice. The way it shook with anger. And the kind of look on his face when he flinched because he was afraid of me.

I scared him away.

The worst part?

I saw the effort he made to care. The small cracks in his walls. The quiet concern in his voice when he spoke to me... like he was reaching out. And how he’ll throw his shits out when I get hurt.

And now?

I ruined it all.

"Damn it!" I slammed my fist into the table. It rattled under the weight of my frustration, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing was.

Didn’t I promise myself I’d be patient? That I’d take it slow and not push him, not break what little fragile thread of what we had left between us?

Now he probably hates me more than he claimed to.

When I saw him with the Beta last night, I completely lost it. Even the lady who was making food at that hour probably would curse me out when she realized there’s no one left at the cafeteria to feed what she made to.

I just got so annoyed at how naive he acts, how he sits calmly in front of the other man and couldn’t tell they probably have their eyes on him.

I dragged my hand down my face, breathing hard, my thoughts loud and chaotic.

Why does everything keep turning out the exact opposite of what I want?

Just when he was starting to see me.

Just when he looked at me without pulling away like he used to.

Just when maybe—maybe—there was still a chance to make him reciprocate what I had for him.

Why now?

Why this?

The air in my room felt too heavy. So heavy I couldn’t sit still.

And it has been like this since I woke up early this morning.

I grabbed my communicator from the bed, shoved it into my pocket, and reached for my jacket.

I needed to get out of here. Out of the base. Away from these suffocating thoughts.

I couldn’t face him like this.

Not while the memory of him walking away still burned behind my eyes.

Not while I still felt like screaming at myself.

Not while I knew that if I saw him now, I’m not sure I’m not going to make a bigger mess out of the mess it is now.

I stepped into the hallway, shoulders tense, footsteps quick and angry just like when I walked into my room and slammed the door shut last night.

And to say somewhere deep down, I wished he’d stop me yesterday, That he’d show up from behind or knock at that door and say something. Anything.

But it never happened,

And silence was all I had.

I walked out of the base and made my way into the woods until I was out in the open.

The wind hit differently on the island.

Cold, sharp, and clean, unlike the stale, tense air of the base. It didn’t ease the chaos in my chest, but at least it gave me space to breathe.

The ship was already waiting. I got on it quickly, shoulders hunched like I was trying to shake off something still clinging to me.

I clenched my jaw.

Remembering the fact that I had planned something today. Something simple, but meaningful.

I was going to take Kain on a cruise ride. Let him see the sea—let him breathe in the horizon the way I used to when things got too loud in my head. I thought... maybe it would help him too. That just maybe, he’d smile and laugh.

But as it turned out...

I scared him instead.

I ruined it.

Jay stepped out of the ship as well, looking as tall and solid as ever. His dark red hair was tied up loosely, a few strands brushing across his cheek as the wind tousled it. He was lighting a roll of tobacco until he noticed me.

The moment his gaze caught mine, he snuffed the flame out with two fingers and tucked the roll back into his trousers pocket. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I saw your message," He said, his voice steady, but there was a hint of uncertainty. "Where would you like to go this time?"

"Anywhere," I muttered, brushing past him. "As long as it’s far from here."

He fell into step beside me, nodding as if he expected nothing less.

"Is Caspian here?" he asked, almost hesitantly and I scoffed.

"Is that what you thought? You assumed that was the reason I wanted out of here?"

"No, no—" He quickly corrected himself, a small frown pulling at his lips. "I just... thought, with the sudden message I got from you earlier, maybe he came here after all."

"No," I said. "Shouldn’t he be in his fortress?"

He shook his head. "Left. Didn’t say where. Not even his bodyguards know."

That made me pause.

He gave me a sideways look. "Honestly, when I saw your message, I thought maybe he came here."

Jay was among the few people that worked for me in secret, he had no plenty job than to stay behind the screen and watch the little footage he could access in father’s house, so we rarely see each other except for the night at the party where he had made some snarky remarks about kain which really got on my nerves.

I shook my head. "No. He’s not here."

He hummed, more to himself than to me. "Strange..."

I didn’t answer that. I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole. Instead, I asked, "So... who’s watching over the system while you’re out here?"

"My little brother."

I exhaled through my nose, "He’s back?" I asked, staring at him, brows slightly furrowed. "Thought you wanted him away from a life like this..."

Jay didn’t answer right away. His eyes avoided mine for a moment, "He managed to track me down," he finally said, voice low. "Said... some friend of his got kidnapped."

Friend, huh?

I stared at him for a beat.

"Tch..." I chuckled lightly and leaned back against the railing. "Got some smoke there?"

Jay looked at me like I’d grown two heads.

"Thought you quit," he said.

I shrugged. "A stick or two sometimes won’t hurt."

Without another word, he turned around and went inside. A few seconds later, he came back with a crumpled cigarette pack and a scratched-up lighter. He handed them to me quietly.

I lit one, took a slow puff. The smoke hit my lungs rougher than I expected. It had been a while. Too long, maybe.

"Tastes like I remember," I muttered, handing the lighter back.

He lit one for himself too.

He looked away, blowing smoke toward the sea breeze. "Didn’t think you’d actually ask for it."

I let out a dry chuckle. "You still remember I hate the smell of tobacco."

He nods

Fair enough.

The wind brushed past us, quiet for a moment. I watched the gray sky blue with the endless metal skyline,

"Where’s the ship headed?" I asked.

"Some place at the south deck," he replied. "We were tracking activity in that sector. Would you like to stay in a hotel when you get off so I can make an arrangement for that?"

I stared at him for a moment. He didn’t look me in the eye.

"Turn it around."

Jay blinked. "Sir?"

I didn’t repeat myself

If it were before, I would’ve let him know there’s no use calling me sir, but I guessed he got himself used to it again after the boundaries he scale through the last time by thinking kain was a bitch, even saying it to his face. After all, I purposefully invited him to the party. But not to insult that person.

Anyway,

Caspian... Jay said he was out. But things don’t just vanish. Power like that doesn’t just disappear. And then there’s that damn android copy that came by the other day... the way it moved, everything about it was suspicious.

But what really got me was the logo on the document it carried, which obviously belonged to my mother’s company.

There’s no way that logo should show up in my father’s house, unless he’s trying to take steps ahead of me this time. Even if he hadn’t started on it already.

"Didn’t they say father is out?" I said, mostly to myself. This is probably one in a hundred events. Because he rarely leaves that house of his unless it’s for an important reason

"Definitely. Went out this morning."

I dropped the half-smoked cigarette and crushed it beneath my boot. Then I looked him in the eye, smirking just a little.

"Change of plans. I’m infiltrating my father’s fortress today."