Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL)-Chapter 96: Pure instinct

Kain Locke

When I heard her voice, my heart stopped.

That voice, soft, lilting, so familiar it carved a wound into my chest. My body moved before my brain caught up, turning toward her like a reflex.

And the moment I saw her, really saw her, my soul ripped open.

She was holding Brian.

My son.

In her arms.

And she didn’t even look guilty. Not a flicker of shame. Just that calm, practiced smile I’d seen a hundred times before.

My breath caught in my throat and shattered.

My knees buckled, legs numb. I would’ve collapsed if the guards weren’t holding me. My fingers twitched, itching to claw her face, to peel off the mask she wore so easily. My throat burned from the scream lodged deep inside.

"How...?" My voice cracked like thin glass. "How could you?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

She tilted her head, smiling unchanged. Eyes empty. Cold.

"How could I not?" she replied, like I was the fool for asking. "You were so easy. So desperate to believe. All I had to do was play along."

"You used me," I whispered, nausea curling in my gut. "That day... the explosion... it wasn’t about documents. You led me here. For him. For Brian."

Her smile grew. "Everything went exactly the way it was supposed to. And you—" she gave a little shrug, "you played your part beautifully. I didn’t even have to try. You believed we had the same enemy. You walked right into my trap and handed me everything I needed. I should be thanking you."

My lungs forgot how to work.

"You..." My scream broke loose. I lunged, but the guards yanked me back, arms like iron around mine.

"You bitch! You smiled at me! You let me sleep thinking my son was safe! You told me, you told me you had an explosive chip inside you!"

She scoffed, brushing a hand through Brian’s hair like she hadn’t just gutted me. "You wanted to believe it. Don’t act like I forced you."

Brian whimpered in her arms, quiet, confused. His small fingers clung to her dress like it was the only thing keeping him grounded.

And that—

That broke me.

The fury inside snapped its chains. I thrashed against the guards, wild and reckless, not caring if they dislocated my arms or broke every rib.

"Give him back!" I screamed. "You don’t get to touch him! You don’t get to!"

She smirked. "Touchy. You always did bury your temper so deep. I’m surprised you held it together this long."

"I’ll kill you," I growled, voice shaking. "I swear, I’ll tear you apart."

But then Caspian stepped forward, voice slicing through the chaos like a cold blade.

"You’re going to keep your outrage at bay," he said, eyes drifting to Brian. "Or you’ll regret it more than you already do."

I froze.

Brian was trembling. Tears stained his cheeks. He looked so small. So scared.

Because of me.

I crumpled.

My legs gave out and this time, the guards didn’t need to hold me. I was done. My strength drained out of me like blood from a wound.

I couldn’t look at Kael.

I couldn’t look at anyone.

My world was spinning. My faith in everything, crushed underfoot. And I was the idiot who wandered in thinking I’d find shelter. "I trusted you."

"Your mistake" She finally stepped forward to where I was.

"You always blame others, but maybe it’s time you look in the mirror. Because you’re the reason Brian is here. You brought him to us."

I flinched when she stepped closer, every instinct in me screaming to shield Brian somehow, to pull him back into my arms, to tear her apart with my bare hands. But I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Her words echoed through me like iron nails driven into the coffin of whatever hope I had left.

You brought him to us.

No. No, I didn’t.

I didn’t.

"I didn’t know..." My voice broke, splintering like glass under pressure. "I didn’t know..."

"Then maybe you shouldn’t have played spy," she sneered.

I wanted to fight. I wanted to rip her throat out and feel her blood on my hands. But my body refused to move. All I could do was watch as my son trembled in her arms.

"Please," I whispered finally. My hand lifted uselessly, then fell. "Please don’t hurt him..."

Caspian laughed. It was a sound that didn’t belong in this world, cruel and entertained, like he was watching theater.

"You hear that?" he said, glancing at Kael. "Unfilial son says ’please.’"

However,

Kael, who seemed to be a frozen statue, moved.

I heard the rustle of his coat before I saw him drop. His knees hit the ground with a thud that cracked through the madness like a whip. I turned to him, blinking through the blur, unsure if I was hallucinating.

He... was kneeling.

"Father," he said in a strained voice, "Please let them go."

My heart jerked in my chest.

Kael didn’t raise his eyes, didn’t look at Brian, not even me, but the way his hands curled into fists, the way his voice trembled as he continue,

"This has gone far enough, you can do with me however you want for defying and disobeying you, but the boy is but an innocent child."

"And since when do you decide what’s gone ’far enough’?" he answered, tilting his head.

"I’m not deciding," Kael said, and for a heartbeat, I saw the pain he tried to bury flash in his eyes. "I’m begging. Please just... let. Them. Go."

"Just a simple story, you refused to narrate. Now you’re on both knees like a spineless fool, I thought you’d do more than this." He exhaled slowly, like the effort of patience drained him. "This is becoming frustrating." he added, pinching the bridge of his nose, and without sparing even a glance at Kael, his own son, still kneeling, he turned to Bella. "You, take the boy back inside."

"No!" The word ripped out of me before I could think. I lunged, pure instinct taking over again, however the guards yanked me back like they’ve been doing, their grip brutal, arms locking around mine so hard I felt something pop. But I didn’t care.

"You touch him... I swear to God, if you take him—!"

"Enough." Caspian didn’t shout. He didn’t need to ask, his eyes flicking between Kael and I like we were furniture in the wrong place.

"And for the two of them..." he said, "Take my son to the study, and lock the other in one of those cells underground."

I was yanked up by the men, who were now leading me away,

However, something unimaginable happened at that moment.

A small metal canister rolled to a stop near my feet.

Click.

Hissssss...

I froze. For one breath. Two.

And then..

"Shit!" I cussed, but it was already too late as a sharp hiss filled the air, and within seconds, a smoky, choking substance began to pour out, diffusing fast and thick, burning my throat, and stinging my eyes.

Tear gas.

Chaos exploded immediately.

Guards shouted. Someone coughed violently. And before I knew it, the grip on my arms loosened, just for a second, but it was enough as I tore free, blindly lunging forward.

"Brian!" I screamed, stumbling through the smoke, eyes watering, lungs on fire. My hands stretched out, grasping at shadows, at hope.

"Get down!" someone yelled, it was Kael’s voice, I think, but my ears were ringing too hard to be sure.

A gunshot cracked through the fog.

Screams.

I dropped low, crawling, groping across the floor, heart pounding in my skull. The world was spinning, distorted, a burning storm of bodies and confusion.

And in the middle of it...

A figure burst from the smoke very fast.

Who?

They moved like they knew this place. One fluid motion, and the guard nearest Brian hit the ground hard. Brian cried out, but then his small arms were swept into safety.

A rescuer?

Were there even any? I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t believe it

But I moved anyway, dragging my body after them, after my son, after the last shred of salvation in this hell, but it seemed that it was planned to be short lived as someone grabbed me and pulled me up.