Sacred Flame: His Enemy, His Mate (BL) Chapter 101: Stayed

Kain Locke

"Liar," I whispered. But my voice wavered. "You’re lying. You’re just saying this to ss with ."

"I wish I was," he said, his voice raw. "But you know I’m not."

I stumbled back, my back almost hitting the opposite wall, unable to think, unable to breathe.

How could he be alive?

After everything?

My fingers trembled as I covered my face, trying to hold everything in, mories, tears, rage.

The hallway felt too small. It was so suffocating that I found breathing too hard.

He was alive?

And Kael knew all this ti? Even despite the ti we spent together, despite having all the ti to, but he didn’t, he refused to, even while his father asked him to talk?

Why didn’t he tell ? Why now?

He took a step forward and I took one back, my back finally pressing against the wall, as I held out my hand, "Don’t," I warned seriously because I don’t trust myself from harming him even more than I’ve already done. "Don’t you dare co any closer."

He stopped.

"I’m sorry," he said, and for the first ti, I believed it wasn’t a line. "I should’ve tell you... but i.. "

I lowered my hands slowly. My face was soaked with sweat, and maybe tears I didn’t want to acknowledge.

I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand, pretending it was just sweat. Pretending I wasn’t shaking.

"Then start talking," I said hoarsely. and I swear to all gods that exist this ti around that I will leave, and will never demand an explanation from him anymore, even if he’s willing. "I want to know every single thing. Now." I added firmly.

Kael looked at , really looked at —for once, not with that carefully crafted mask of indifference or power, but with sothing that almost resembled helplessness.

"I don’t know where to start," he murmured, "There’s... too much."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Then how about from the very beginning?" I said, throwing my arms out. "You must rember them, right? You know, before you ruined everything. Before the lies." I’ve always been in the dark, always been the one to be led on! Maybe even that night in Calstone was...

His mouth tightened, and I could see his jaw clench. "Kain..."

"Don’t," I snapped, stepping a little forward. "You don’t get to say my na like that anymore."

"I didn’t kill him," he said again, more forcefully now. "Although I went there with the intent. I had orders to eliminate him, It was supposed to be clean. Quick. In and out. But the second I saw him, your dad, I knew I couldn’t do it."

I clenched my fists. My nails bit into my palms.

"Then what?" I bit out. "You had tea with him? Shook his hand and told him, ’Hey, let’s traumatize your son a little more?’"

"No," he said sharply. "I really planned to kill him. I... was doing it for your sake .. he, my father was going to harm you if I didn’t...i’m sorry... I really am."

"Then why didn’t you do it?" I asked quietly. "Since you guys wanted him gone so badly, why are you now here, spitting bullshit to my face that he’s still alive!?"

"He’s got sothing with him. Sothing that might shake the Internet if it got out, and he’ll only give it if I hand you over to him. But I couldn’t... I couldn’t do it knowing you’d co running straight into Caspian’s claws."

I stared at him, breathless. "So, technically you spared him because he’s got sothing against your father?"

"Not exactly, but it was among the reasons, just not the core of it. But I realized I couldn’t do it when he looked in the eyes even with the gun against his head, and Instead of pleading for his Life, he told he didn’t want you caught in the war, he begged . For you. Although I should’ve told you. I admit being in the wrong for not telling you .. i... I just...thought... I thought keeping it from you was protecting you."

I blinked. Sothing stung behind my eyes as I blinked back the growing tears...

"You’re sorry? Of course you are." I shake my head, the tears I was fighting back now streaming freely down my cheeks, "I mourned him for years," I whispered. I thought he was dead, and not just once or twice has he appeared in my dreams faceless because I couldn’t even rember what he looks like anymore.

While in fact, he was out there sowhere... "I hate him for abandoning ... And that didn’t stop from hating you just as much five months ago when I learned you killed him. Not just that, I also hated myself for loving you and I lived every damn day carrying that weight, while you just... what? Sat with it like it was nothing?"

"I didn’t sit with it," he yelled, suddenly storming toward , but stopping a breath away, his hands trembling at his sides. "I’ve lived with it every day. I saw your face when that monster was tornting you with his death. I saw the light die in your eyes while I just stood there useless, unable to do a damn thing. Do you have any idea how much that fucked with ? Do you know how I feel when I can’t do anything but watch?"

"How would I when you fucking stayed!" I snapped.

He didn’t deny it. He just looked down. "Yeah. I did."

Silence stretched between us. Stifling. As I took steady breath to calm my raging mind down, I just want to be out of here, but I couldn’t help but want to know since all I’ve ever believed was now turning out a lie,

"Then what about my mom?"

"She didn’t survive the first hit."

I swallowed hard. Although I’ve accepted the fact that they died, however, with Kael uprooting everything now... I couldn’t keep up any longer, so I asked instead, "Where is he? My dad."

Kael t my eyes. "I don’t know exactly. But I know he’s been moving through the outer cities. I left him with enough to disappear, and told him I’ll bring you to him when the ti is right."

I let out a sharp, breathless laugh. "When was the right ti?"

"That one was on . I also knew it was improper of . However, the last ti we talked, he sounded really desperate.. he really wants to see you."

"Then why isn’t he seeing ?"

". No matter how you view it, he’s still just one man who managed to survive long years of coma, rember his son, but sadly forgot what he looks like. And even if he did rember what you look like, he’s still powerless to do a thing against my father."

Now it was making sense, "so you used that to your advantage? By using to gain that powerful item that so much holds power against your father, held by him? And co to think of it, was the item the chip you gave on the chopper?"

He didn’t speak, which showed just how much I hit the nail right on the head. "Tell , he was at the party wasn’t he?" I trailed off seeing how pale he’s grown. It was just ridiculous how I was at the sa event as my father; the man whom I’ve always believed is no longer alive, yet Kael knew, t him, take that chip from him and pretended like he always does, it’s no wonder he asked to stay in one place so as not to get lost, whereas he was diminishing the chances of running into my father!

Kael opened his mouth, lips parting like he was finally, finally, about to tell .

But then—

Bang!

The door slamd open so hard it almost bounced off the wall.

I flinched.

Kael instinctively reached for , stopping himself just short, jaw tightening. I stepped back anyway but when I saw the two people who entered, I couldn’t help but called,

"Alec?"