Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 88: speak of the devil

Kain Locke

Do you know one of those moments when you say something you don’t really mean, but deep down, a part of you wants it—craves it?

Yeah.

That was exactly what happened when I said yes. But now I wish I could take the words back... But do I really want to?

"You might want to take a look at the cup," Jay’s voice cut in behind me, making me jump a little.

I looked down—and cursed under my breath.

The glass was already full, water spilling over, trailing down the sides in wasteful little streams onto the counter.

"Imagine living in a city where water is a luxury."

I shot him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I’ll clean it up."

Jay waved it off, snorting. "Nah, don’t bother. I’ll do it." He said already trying to grab the mop. "And to be clear—" he pointed at the glass, smirking, "—the water’s for Droco, right?"

Droco.

He’d called Kael that once before.

Now twice.

I wasn’t even sure if it was supposed to be a joke or a nickname or what, but I nodded anyway. "Yeah. It’s for him."

He gave me a crooked smile. "Would you mind taking some pie to him too, while you’re at it?"

I raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

Pie?

Now?

Before I could say anything, he held up his hands defensively. "No, it’s not what you’re thinking. He just won’t take it from me."

"And why do you think he’s gonna take it from me?" I asked dryly, remembering too well how Jay once casually referred to me as Kael’s bitch.

He laughed nervously, looking almost shy as he edged closer like he was about to share some dark secret.

Then he leaned in and said, a little too gleefully, "You know why."

He winked.

Pushed the plate of pie toward me. "Just so you know, I made it to be soft and easily digestible, it’s good. You can also grab a bite if you like."

He concluded and bolted before I could smack him with it.

I sighed, muttering a few choice words under my breath, and picked up the food and water.

First things first, I headed back to Kael’s room.

He was still there, laid back, waiting, his bandaged body looking both fragile and absurdly powerful at the same time.

Even with the bandage on, he could still look insanely good looking without even trying to... This man...

I set the tray down by his bedside.

His eyes flicked over to me, lingering.

Watching.

Always watching.

I cleared my throat, awkward again, and mumbled, "Here. Jay asked to bring this for you."

His mouth twitched, but he didn’t say anything.

God, it was like standing in a slow-burn oven with him.

I backed out of the room quickly, needing a second to breathe—and to look for Brian, who had probably been waiting for me all this time.

Except... When I returned to the room we’d been playing in, it was empty.

No little feet stomping the floor.

No scattered toys.

No Brian.

The place was silent.

My heart skipped.

A little too fast.

"Brian?" I called, moving deeper inside.

No answer.

A creeping sense of unease started scratching at the back of my throat.

I ran out of the room, heart hammering as I moved toward the hallway. My eyes darted around for any sign of Brian.

Just as I was about to step outside, a ball rolled out of one of the rooms ahead of me, the door cracked open.

The door to Bella’s room. I first picked the ball before I peeked inside, and there he was—my little boy, crouched beside Bella’s bed, staring at the floor like he was trying to see under it. His small hands moved with exaggerated focus, like he was on a serious mission.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a soft voice, trying not to disturb the quiet of the room, or wake Bella.

He glanced up, eyes wide, not really surprised to see me, but still a little caught off guard.

"My ball disappeared somewhere around this place, Mama. I was looking for you everywhere... I thought you’d be here but you’re not, and I lost my ball instead." His voice was so innocent, so earnest, I couldn’t help but smile at him.

I stepped closer, gently pulling the ball from behind me.

Brian’s eyes lit up instantly. "You found it!" he squealed in delight, throwing himself at me with a jump that nearly knocked me over. "You’re the best, Mama!" he declared, wrapping his tiny arms around me like I had just won him a grand prize.

But just as we were about to step back out of the room, a soft, confused voice called from behind us.

"Mama?"

I froze.

It was Bella—sitting up in bed, eyes wide and blinking like she was just waking from a deep sleep. She looked at me with a mix of confusion and surprise, clearly not expecting to see me standing there,

Her gaze lingered on me, then Brian, like she was piecing together something in her mind.

I swallowed hard, trying to push back the sudden wave of awkwardness that surged up.

I had to say something. Something that didn’t make this situation even weirder.

But all I could do was stand there, unsure of what to say next.

I was just about to reply when Brian, without hesitation, stepped in front of me, his tiny hand reaching up to grab mine. His little fingers curled around mine tightly as he looked up at Bella with the seriousness only a child could muster.

"That’s right, mama," he declared, his voice full of pride, "because he’s my mama."

My heart skipped a beat at his words, my breath catching for a second.

Bella’s eyes widened even further, confusion mixed with something else I couldn’t quite read. She blinked at Brian for a moment, then glanced up at me, her expression softening but still clouded with questions.

I was about to speak when Brian, without hesitation, stepped forward, his tiny hand gripping mine. "That’s right, Mama," he declared proudly, "because he’s my mama."

My heart skipped. The words, so pure and confident from him, hit harder than expected.

Bella’s gaze shifted between us, her confusion evident. But before I could explain, Brian, ever the innocent, beamed at her, completely unbothered by the weight of the situation.

"See?" he added, looking at me for confirmation, his hand still holding mine.

I squeezed it, not sure what else to do. I glanced back at Bella, her expression softening slightly, though the confusion remained.

"Yeah," I said, swallowing. "He’s right."

There was a long silence before Bella spoke,

"Okay..." she murmured, her eyes flicking between Brian and me. Then, with a quiet sigh, she added, "I just never thought you would...Yeah... It’s just... I’m okay.

I nodded, feeling the same.

Brian tugged my hand, looking up at me. "Come on, Mama, let’s go play!"

"Yeah," I replied, giving Bella a brief look. "I’ll come back to check on you later." We definitely have a lot to catch up on.

She nodded and settled back into her bed as Brian led me out.

***

As we walked, Brian suddenly stopped, looking up at me with a serious expression. "Is that Mama’s friend?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, though the question caught me off guard.

He went quiet for a second before mumbling, "I don’t like her."

I blinked. "Why not? You liked Felix, and he’s one of my friends."

"Felix is my friend. There’s Uncle Mama’s friend too," he said matter-of-factly.

I chuckled softly. "Do you like him, then?"

He grinned. "Very. He promised lots of chocolate. Tell me on my iPad." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

I ruffled his hair, "Alright, let’s go play with the ball then."

But just as we walked into the hall, a familiar voice called out.

"Are you planning on sharing that ball?"

I guess it was no lie; speak of the devil and he’ll appear.