Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 86: Just, leave

Kael Draeven

After we arrived at this mansion, I had removed my jacket and thrown it on the chair before asking Jay to wait outside to keep an eye out, so if Caspian were to show up, Jay would inform me so I could slip out.

The first I checked was his study, where I found nothing, despite turning the whole place upside down. Then, his room, mine and every other possible room where he could hide the document, but I found nothing. At least, nothing that resembles it.

But the moment I heard movement behind the cellar door, I knew something was wrong.

Jay didn’t report anyone entering. He would have said something, he wasn’t the type to slack off, not when he was right outside, watching. Which meant... whoever was here wasn’t picked up by the outside security.

I moved silently, my boot landing softly so as to not make any loud noise as I followed where the noises were coming from.

When I pushed open the cellar door, a shadow moved. Reflex had me raising my gun, but before I could even aim, a hand lashed out, grabbed my wrist, and twisted.

I jerked, ready to counter, when I caught the familiar scent.

Kain.

For a split second, my brain stuttered and the world tilted.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I snarled furiously in a low voice.

He froze too, wide-eyed, just as stunned as I was. I could see it all over his face, he wasn’t expecting me either.

Before either of us could say more, a voice rang out, it belonged to a female, from deeper inside the cellar as she stepped with her back towards us.

"There’s a problem."

I barely glanced at her because my whole world had already shrunk down to the person in front of me.

"What is it?" Kain had demanded, still breathless from our scuffle.

"We just walked into a trap," she hadn’t finished speaking in that grim voice of hers when...

Click.

Whirr—

The overhead lights blinked once.

Twice.

Then died.

A sickening hum filled the air as the emergency red lights flickered on.

The second it happened, realization slammed into me.

Father knew.

He knew. He fucking knew we were going to be here and he fucking turn the whole thing on us!

"Kain, run!" I barked, yanking him forward just as a low rumble started vibrating through the walls.

I didn’t give him a choice as I pulled him up the cellar steps, moving faster than I thought possible, but it wasn’t fast enough.

BOOM.

The explosion tore through the space like a beast unleashed.

The floor lurched beneath us, throwing Kain off balance. He cried out as the ground tilted. Without thinking, I shoved him behind me and threw my entire body over his.

The blast hit us in a heartbeat later.

The force cracked through my ribs, burning through muscle and bone. Debris rained down, splinters, shards of concrete, metal all crumbling down.

I barely registered the pain at first. I just knew one thing:

Kain had to live.

I could feel the jagged edges slicing my skin open. Hot blood gushing down my side. My back. My arms. Every inch of me screamed in agony. But I didn’t move. I kept my body over his, shielding him with everything I had.

Another smaller explosion shook the ground, closer this time.

I gritted my teeth so hard it felt like they’d snap.

Kain whimpered underneath me.

"Stay down, don’t move," I gasped into his hair. "I’ve got you."

I didn’t care about anything else. Not the fire around us. Not even myself.

Only him.

Only Kain.

Another chunk of ceiling broke loose above us. I shifted, taking the hit square in the back. I felt my back bone crack, but I stayed where I was, kept him covered.

More blood gushed from somewhere deep in my gut. My vision blurred at the edges.

But I refused to move. Refused to even breathe wrong.

Kain first.

Always, always him first.

When the rumbling finally started to die down, I forced myself to lift my head, fighting against the crushing weight on my body and the screaming pain.

"Kain—" I croaked,

He wasn’t moving much, but thankfully he was breathing. I could feel it, shallow and panicked against my chest.

Relief so violent tore through me that I almost collapsed right there.

"You’re alive," I whispered hoarsely with my forehead pressing into his hair.

Then, coughing hard, blood spilling from my mouth, I rolled just enough to not get blood on his body.

"Kain," I said again, rougher. "Look at me."

He stirred, blinking up at me through dust and debris. His face was pale. Terrified.

When he saw the blood soaking me, his breath hitched.

"Kael—you’re bleeding—fuck, you’re—"

"Don’t care, are you okay?" I rasped, grabbing his wrist weakly, grounding myself in his warmth.

I could hear shouting upstairs and footsteps.

Definitely, it must be Father’s men. Maybe worse.

It didn’t matter.

"Do you think you can stand?" I wheezed, coughing violently as blood gushed out.

He opened his mouth to argue—but I didn’t give him the chance.

"Listen to me. I’m going to need you to put that energy into getting up and start moving..."

" But... "

"Just do it!"

For once, he did move to my relief, but instead of doing what I instructed, he crawled toward me, half-collapsing onto his hands and knees, his breathing ragged and broken. "What have you... Oh Jesus fuck... You’re bleeding... "

"Fuck it! Just leave!"

"No... I can’t... I can’t fucking leave you—! I can’t—I can’t—!"

Tears were running down his dirt-smeared cheeks, dripping onto me, but he didn’t seem to notice. He just kept trying to shake me awake, to pull me upright, even though I could barely lift my head anymore.

Still, somehow, I found enough air to choke out a rough laugh. A little action that hurt so bad I saw white for a second.

"Fuck, Kain..." I rasped, reaching up weakly to brush the side of his dirty, tear-streaked face. "You cry like a damn heroine. Mochi" tasting blood. I coughed, once, twice. "Stop crying okay? Or I might think... you actually are in love with me."

I tried to smirk at him — my signature bastard grin — but it crumpled halfway. Oh damn... I want this moment to be never ending.

How I wish I could get hurt daily, if it means I get to see him get all this worked up over me.

"Shut up!" he snapped, voice cracking horribly. "You fucking psycho—" His breath hitched, the rest of his words swallowed by a broken sob.

He shoved his shoulder under mine, trying to lift me with all the strength he had, however his whole body trembled from the effort. He was too small for this. Too light. But he didn’t stop. He didn’t even hesitate.

I tried to help. Pushed with my good arm.

Pain tore through me, hot and sharp, but I bit it down.

Together — if you could call it that — we staggered, dragging my half-dead weight toward the cellar steps.

We were barely halfway there when the door finally slammed open at the top with a deafening bang.

" Boss—!" a voice barked out.

I looked up to see him, his wine hair was scattered messily over his head.

Behind him, two more guys poured in, they were from the ship,

Jay skidded to a halt at the bottom, his face going slack when he saw me — really saw me — blood-soaked, barely breathing.

"I heard the explosion... " he trailed off and started rushing over, throwing a panicked look at me "We gotta move—!"

He reached for me, but another crack tore through the building and most of the wall crashed down, causing me to stumble and lose balance.

"Kael—!" Kain cried out, trying to haul me up again, but I was too heavy. "Help me lift him! Now!" he said, throwing his hand around my back, the other around my shoulder.

Jay joined quickly, and they heaved me up, half-dragging,

But then—

A weak cough and my head snapped toward the pile of collapsed rubble nearby.

A hand, bloody, trembling — stuck out from under the wreckage.

"Shit—Bella—!" Kain shouted.

Oh yeah, she’s here.

He gritted his teeth, clutching at me harder but his eyes never leaving her like he was deciding if he should leave me.

But he seemed to calm a little when the ship guy’s helped, pulling Bella’s bloodied body free from the mess.

We started to move out of the cellar, but even as the black dot appeared in the field of my view, all I could see was Kain, clinging to me, furious and terrified, dragging me with everything he had.

And even through the agony, even through the darkness closing in, some part of me was fucking furious too.

Not at him.

At that goddamn person that kept putting us in this position.

Kain should never have had to do this.

Not for me.

Not again. But first, we have to get to safety.

With the last strength I have left, I brought my mouth close to his ear and whispered something before the darkness claimed me.