Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 83: Without a care

Kain Locke

Then he narrowed his eyes. "Why are you asking, Kain? Did anyone tell you otherwise?"

I looked down.

My mind was racing now, faster than my heart could keep up. The pieces weren’t just falling apart anymore. They were starting to rearrange themselves.

When Sam had casually said no one was imprisoned five years ago, it didn’t hit me right away. Not until I reached out to grab a tray in the cafeteria... and something just clicked in my head.

That day Kael gave me the chip—to keep it safe.

And I lost it.

I remember telling him no one came into my room.

But that wasn’t true... was it?

My fingers hovered over the tray, suddenly frozen. How could I forget? Bella was in my room. She was the first person who came to see me that day.

And even weirder... she showed up the moment I got back.

How did she even know I had returned? I didn’t tell anyone. I wasn’t even supposed to be back yet, weren’t for that chopper.

And then there was what she told me five years ago—how she was locked in Cell X, alone and forgotten. Her voice still echoed in my head. I remember feeling so damn helpless back then.

But now Sam says there was no one imprisoned. No one.

What the hell is going on?

I hated how things were starting to connect in my mind. The timeline. Her appearance. That chip.

But... I didn’t want to believe it.

I couldn’t believe it.

Bella?

No. She couldn’t be, there had to be some explanation. Some missing pieces.

To convince myself I was just overthinking it, I knew I needed to ask someone else. Someone who knew Bella... and not just on the surface.

And there was only one person that came to mind.

Audrey.

I sighed quietly, running a hand through my hair. Of course. A guy like Audrey would know. And the way he talked about her before, I mean calling her "the quiet one"—it wasn’t just a nickname. He knew her.

My gut tightened.

I didn’t know what answer I was hoping for when I had came here, but now I’m hearing it,

But now that I’ve heard it...

Now that Sam had said it out loud...

I couldn’t not connect the dots.

She showed up the very first day I returned to this place. Practically waiting. Like she knew.

And then she dragged me to that damn party.

Why? Just to have fun? No. It didn’t feel like that. She was insistent, like something was going to happen and she needed me to be there for it.

And then, like a magician’s act, she vanished.

Only to resurface again... in the factory.

The factory.

That moment still gives me chills.

She was always there, somehow—just when something big was about to go wrong. But never when I needed answers.

She appeared, she disappeared. She always had the perfect excuse.

And yet... i never find her when it mattered.

Why did I never question it before?

Why did I let myself be so easily pulled along?

How could I have been so gullible?

I clenched my jaw, heart pounding in a slow, uneasy rhythm. It felt like something sharp was curling in my stomach.

I was pissed.

No, it was more than that. I felt like something inside me had been pulled apart and stitched back the wrong way remembering how she laughed with me. Teased me. Pulled me along and acted like she cared. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

But now... now it all looked like a sick performance.

How long had she been pretending?

And why?

I had called her a friend. Thought of her like a sister. Someone I could trust, even when I couldn’t trust myself. And now—

My fingers curled into fists at my sides. I didn’t care how far she was. I didn’t care if I had no clue where to start looking.

All I know is I just needed to see her. Needed to hear her say it, explain herself. Maybe lie to me one more time if she had to. I just needed something.

I turned sharply toward the door, already halfway through twisting the knob when I heard Audrey’s voice behind me,

"So you came knocking on my door, disturbed my precious beauty sleep, grilled me with questions... and now you’re leaving? Without even a half-decent thank you?"

I stopped. Turned just enough to shoot him a tired glare. "Thanks," I muttered like it was straight out of a script.

My hand was on the door again when he spoke up once more.

"You’re planning to look for her in the cafeteria, Do I guess right?"

That made me pause.

I turned slowly, suspicion tugging at the back of my neck.

Hr gave a small shrug, spreading his arms with an almost theatrical grin. "You’re welcome."

"...What do you mean she’s not there?"

He tilted his head like I was slow. "Have you seen her dine there? Even once?"

My lips parted. Then closed again.

He was right. No matter how hard I’d looked, she always seemed to vanish. Always. The only time I’d actually seen her outside was when there was a general announcement. When she want to find me.

And that hotel before that damn party she dragged me to. After that, she disappeared and somehow popped up again in the factory.

"Where is she?" I asked. "Where can I find her?"

Audrey raised a brow. "Do I look like the type who gives out valuable info for free?"

I frowned. "I—"

He cut me off with a raised hand.

"Tell me," he said, eyes narrowing slightly, "why should I tell you anything?"

The heat rose to my face, the frustration bubbling under my skin. I didn’t have time for this. "Please..." I said through gritted teeth, voice rough with all the emotion I was trying to swallow.

That damn smug look returned to his face.

"You begging like that makes me feel like a villain," he sighed dramatically, then stood up.

And right in the next second, he tugged at his shorts waistband and pulled it down.

"What...?" My eyes went wide the next second. "The hell are you doing?!"

He stepped out of them like he’d done it a thousand times. Completely bare. Not even a twitch of shame,

"Do I look good?" he asked with a wink, stepping closer.

I backed away instinctively, two steps at most before I hit the door.

He leaned in, and for a second I thought he was going to do something insane. Instead, he lowered his voice and smirked. "Do you want a kiss?" He licked. His lips before straightening up, "Sorry. But I don’t do Omegas."

Then he turned, completely nonchalant, and walked over to the wardrobe like nothing had happened. Grabbed a shirt. Put it on and started buttoning it slowly before sitting back down.

"As I was saying," he continued like the last thirty seconds didn’t happen, "I don’t usually give things for free. But... since I’m acquainted with your Alpha, I might make an exception."

My jaw clenched. Of course he meant Kael. I didn’t even care anymore.

"She doesn’t live in the base." he finally said something relevant to my current situation.

My heart skipped.

"Then... where?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. I didn’t even bother reacting to the "Alpha" remark. I mean, if she wasn’t in the base, how was she able to hear the general announcement the other day?

Audrey wagged a finger. "Relax. Will you? Don’t get too greedy. I’m the one sharing here, so don’t rush me."

I exhaled through my nose, sharp and tight. This guy... was he seriously playing me just for fun?

"If you want to see her, you have to go out of the base," he said, finally leaning forward. "Not too far. Just make sure you take a right. Walk about three, maybe four minutes. There’s a house there. Small. Made of logs. You can’t miss it."

A house.

Outside the base? Why don’t I see it?

I gave him a nod, quiet. "Thanks," I said again. For real this time.

"Better," he said with a wink.

I turned back to the door, this time without hesitation and stepped out.

****

Just like Audrey had said, the house really wasn’t hard to find.

It stood quietly in the middle of the woods just outside the base, a small cabin built with weathered logs, tucked into a clearing like it had been there forever, forgotten by time. How the hell had I not known this place existed?

I climbed the short steps to the door, heartbeat heavy in my chest before I knocked on the wooden surface.

A few seconds passed.

Then the door creaked open.

Bella’s face appeared, but the second she saw me, her eyes widened. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something—but nothing came out.

"Hi," I said flatly, "We’re going to talk. Right now."

I didn’t wait for permission. I stepped past her into the house, the faint scent of herbs and old books hanging in the air.

She turned to me slowly, her expression crumpling just a bit.

I didn’t care.

"Since how long have you been working and feeding him information about me?"

Bella flinched like I’d slapped her.

"I’m only asking a few questions," I said, voice trembling with the anger I could barely hold back. "And I want the truth." I emphasized, so she knew I was already aware..

She hesitated. Then... she nodded and closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, glassy with guilt. "I swear I never meant for it to turn out like this."

"Then tell me the truth," I snapped. "I want to hear everything."

Bella sank onto the edge of a worn-out couch, hands clutched in her lap. "Back then... when I said I was locked in Cell X... It wasn’t a lie, I was truly locked in there, but one day, someone came to me. Said he could offer me my freedom, under one condition."

Her voice shook. "I swear, It wasn’t why I came to you. I really didn’t plan it that way... I thought he had given up on me, or maybe forgot I existed, after all, five years had passed. But I was wrong because recently... he came to me again. Told me he needed something. From you."

"And you did it," I muttered bitterly.

"I didn’t want to! He said if I didn’t help, he would hurt you." Her voice cracked. "He said he would kill me."

I stepped forward, glaring down at her. "You drew me to that damn party—and left me there! And the note? The one you slipped into my jacket? You forgot it in my room and panicked, didn’t you? Even though I picked it up, it mysteriously disappeared. How fast did you come back to erase the evidence?"

Bella didn’t answer, she just stood there like she would fall the very next second as her. shoulders trembled.

"He asked me to," she said quietly, like that made any of it okay.

"There were innocent people at that party!" I exploded. "Innocent people who got caught in whatever twisted plan you and he cooked up."

"I didn’t have a choice!" she sobbed. "Do you know what it’s like to have a time-bomb in your own body? I’m dying, Kain. Every single day I feel pieces of me wearing down."

I froze. "What...?"

"Why do you think I let myself get poisoned on purpose during the snake beast attack at the factory?" she whispered. "I thought maybe you’d leave me behind. Maybe I could disappear for good. But you didn’t. Why won’t you ever let go?"

My heart skipped. She got an implanted explosive device in her?

"Why didn’t you ever mention it?" I snapped with frustration.

"How could I bring myself to when he could be watching? I’m not safe, Kain,... I’ve never been."

No, this doesn’t make sense.... Was she also manipulated? Was it really because of me she got a killing device in her body? How... But it..

Was she a pawn? I’ve got so many questions.. all confusing at once,and all of it started from.. "That night, Before we went to the warehouse five years ago... My suppressant was swapped. Someone switched it with a heat inducer." I stopped talking to see her reaction.

Bella looked up, already palling.

My voice dropped to a whisper. "Was that... you too?"

She opened her mouth. Eyes filled with something unreadable. She looked like she was about to speak,

But a loud ding cut her off.

A speaker, hidden somewhere in the ceiling, crackled to life.

"All members, prepare for immediate assembly," a male voice said, "Attention everyone, report to the assembly because the boss is here. "

My breath caught and Bella’s face drained of all color.

And for a second...

The entire world just stopped.

Caspian Draeven is here.