Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 87: Even better

Kain Locke

The flying car dropped lower, sliding into the house as the transparent shield sealed behind us with a soft hum.

The second we touched down, I jumped out.

"Help!" I barked at the wine haired guy,

Before kael passed out, he had whispered that he wanted to be brought here. And I understand why he chooses this place over a hospital.

We hauled Kael out first. His body was limp, blood soaking through what was left of his shirt. He wasn’t waking up.

Not even a groan.

Bella was next. She looked worse, half her skin was now raw and torn, barely breathing. The nurse lady hovered close, pale and shaking.

There were two women the wine haired guy had stopped to pick up earlier. One looked sharp and fast, probably the doctor. The other stuck close to her, quiet and nervous.

There was no time for names or questions.

But just as we moved towards the house, Tiger shot out, barking like crazy, but the moment he saw Kael, his tail dropped. He whimpered, no longer barking, instead he was following us like he understood something was wrong.

My chest twisted painfully.

"Come on—!" I gritted my teeth, tightening my grip.

We carried Kael inside, Tiger trotting anxiously at our heels.

The wine haired guy kicked open the first door we found. And we laid Kael down as gently as we could, but even that made him cough weakly, blood staining his lips.

The doctor didn’t hesitate. She shoved past me, snapped gloves on, and barked, "Out. Both of you."

"But—" I tried to argue..

"OUT!"

The other guy yanked me back before I could argue.

Across the hall, the nurse and another helper were getting Bella onto a bed too, moving fast but careful.

I stood there like an idiot, fists clenched at my sides, useless. Kael’s blood was drying on my hands, sticky and dark.

The guy leaned against the wall, running a hand through his messy wine-colored hair. "’m Jay, by the way." He introduced himself in a low voice. "We’ve met before, I believe."

I barely heard him. Barely nodded.

Tiger bumped against my leg, whining.

Inside, I could hear something metallic crashing to the ground.

I couldn’t sit still.

"Is he gonna be okay?" I couldn’t help turning to Jay.

He didn’t answer right away.

"I don’t know," he said quietly.

I swallowed hard.

Kael wasn’t allowed to die. Even if he wants to. Even if he doesn’t care...

He just has to get better right? Is he? His injuries looked pretty serious..

I sank down against the wall, burying my face in Tiger’s rough fur. He whimpered low in his throat and leaned closer.

"Hang in there, Kael," I whispered. I didn’t know why my chest hurt so much, or why my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. "Please."

I begged.

Even if he couldn’t hear me.

Especially because he couldn’t.

**** 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Six days later.

"Mama... that’s not how you arrange the bricks! I can do it way better!" Brian whined — for the... what, twentieth time today? Hundredth?

I barely heard him.

The past few days had been a blur.

Kael woke up last night.

Only for a moment. Long enough for the doctor to say he was stable.

But he slipped right back into sleep.

They said it was fine. That it was normal. And fortunately for him, he doesn’t sustain any fatal injury.

Still.

I couldn’t stop worrying.

Even with Brian here — loud, clingy Brian who somehow grew on me way too fast — I couldn’t stop glancing toward the hallway, half-expecting Kael to call out.

I swallowed hard and looked down at the little guy pouting in front of me.

"Come here," I said quietly.

Brian threw his toy brick onto the floor and stomped over, cheeks puffed out in frustration.

I ruffled his hair, feeling a sting of guilt.

I hadn’t been around. I promised him I’d visit twice a week.

Broken promises. Again.

"How about we play something else?" I offered.

His eyes lit up immediately. "I’ll get the toys! Wait here, okay?!"

Before I could say anything, he sprinted off, nearly tripping over the scattered blocks. I leaned back on my hands with a tired sigh.

But then —

I froze.

I turned toward the door.

Jay stood there, leaning against the frame.

"Jay," I said, straightening. "I’m not hungry." I guessed he was here to drag me to lunch again.

He shook his head.

"It’s not about lunch."

He smiled. A small, real one.

"He woke up."

The world tilted.

I shot to my feet so fast the chair scraped across the floor.

I ran, no, sprinted, down the hall, heart hammering in my chest. I didn’t bother knocking. I threw the door open and rushed inside.

There he was.

Kael lay on the bed, bandages wrapped around his head, chest, waist, practically mummified.

He looked ridiculous.

If it wasn’t for the tight knot in my throat, I might have laughed.

His eyes were half-open, dazed but alive.

Alive.

"Kael," I choked out, stepping closer, afraid to blink, afraid he’d disappear if I did.

Kael’s eyes cracked fully open as I asked, "Are... you okay?"

His gaze found mine, sharper than I expected.

Then, after a second, he rasped, "Where’s my son?"

I blinked, caught off guard, before pointing toward the door. "He, uh... went to get some toys. I can call him if you want—"

I bit down on the words too late, feeling my stomach twist.

Just like that, I’d said it. Acknowledged Brian as his. Out loud. I mean... Brian was biologically also his... But... I bit whatever I have as a worry down when he doesn’t look bothered by that fact.

"No need," he said, almost too casually, waving a hand. "Wouldn’t want the kid seeing this."

He chuckled under his breath, dry and rough, gesturing to his battered body.

I tried to laugh, but it stuck somewhere in my throat.

A few beats of silence.

The air between us felt heavier somehow.

"Hey," he muttered after a while, shifting slightly. "Can you help me check this?"

He nodded toward the bandages on his side.

I moved closer automatically, reaching out carefully to check the bandage,

But he caught my wrist.

His grip wasn’t tight, just enough to stop me.

And then he tugged me down, catching me off balance, dragging me onto the bed right beside him.

I sucked in a sharp breath, propped awkwardly against him, my chest brushing his bandaged ribs.

Before I could say anything, his mouth brushed the side of my neck — soft, lingering — and my whole body tensed.

As a rush of heat curled up my spine when his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him, and he pressed his forehead into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply.

"You smell good," he murmured, voice rasping against my skin. "Really good."

I stiffened, heart hammering.

D-does he realize he’s literally burying his face against my glands...?

But I doubt he doesn’t know what he was doing, given that he was breathing me in, slow and greedy, lips barely grazing the skin right where my scent glands pulsed sending a hot shiver down my spine, my fingers twitching helplessly against the mattress.

I should pull away.

I should say something.

Anything.

But I didn’t.

Because,

It felt even better.

The warmth of his breath against my throat, the roughness of his hand curving possessively at my waist, it set my skin on fire, burning slow and deep.

"Kael," I managed to choke out, but it sounded weak even to my own ears.

He just chuckled low, the sound vibrating against my neck, sending another traitorous wave of heat crashing through me.

I closed my eyes, my legs tightening, and butterflies erupting at the pit of my stomach as I wish he’ll licked the spot and..

Ahem—

He suddenly cleared his throat, snapping me out of my own self-indulgent spiral, and ruining the moment, resulting into my face drawling up a frown.

"I’m... parched," he said, voice rough but with a little amused tilt to it, like he knew exactly what he’d just done to me. "Can you get me a cup of water?"

"Of course," I blurted, almost too fast.

I scrambled up, nodding awkwardly, heart still trying to hammer its way out of my chest.

Anything to move.

Anything to breathe.

I rushed toward the door, eager to hide my flushed face, but just as my hand touched the handle,

"Kain." He called behind me,

I froze, then slowly, I turned, feeling the weight of his gaze pressing into my back.

"What do you think about..." he paused, a lazy smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "sharing the bed tonight?"

My mind blanked.

It short-circuited so fast I think I forgot how to stand for a second.

I stared at him, my hand still on the door, heartbeat loud in my ears, while he just lay there, half-bandaged, looking at me with this slow, intentional look — like he already knew my answer but wanted to hear me say it anyway.

I swallowed hard, heat blooming up my neck again, crawling into my cheeks.

Share the bed? With him?

After everything that just happened?

After the way he was still looking at me like I was something to eat?

I must’ve been quiet too long, because he chuckled lowly, like he was enjoying every second of this slow torture.

"If you’re scared," he teased, "I’ll even stay on my side."

Liar.

The glint in his eyes said otherwise.

I sucked in a breath, tried to calm the wildfire under my skin, and somehow managed a nod.

"Okay," I said, my voice embarrassingly small.

His smile deepened, warm and lazy and dangerous.

"Good," he said, leaning back into the pillow like he’d just won something.