"Oof," I said. "A little too hard, big guy."
He grinned. "Sorry."
"Come on, let's dump this place."
As I turned to leave, Bear gently grabbed my wrist.
"Hm? What's up?" I asked.
He met my gaze, looking hopeful yet a bit uncertain. "When we leave here and get back to our normal lives... Things won't change between us, right?"
I smiled sympathetically. My sweet Bear was a sensitive soul. I went to him, pressing against him and putting my palms on his beefy upper chest.
"Nope," I said. "Don't worry about that for a second."
He made aso-sogesture to indicate jokingly he was worrying a little. I laughed and kissed him, hoping it was enough to soothe his concerns. His lips, stiff at first, soon relaxed. It was like he'd woken up not knowing if our tryst last night was a dream or not. I parted his lips with my tongue and slipped inside to reassure him that it was very much real.
After an impromptu make-out session, we pulled away from each other to catch our breath. Bear's cheeks were flushed and he was grinning.
"Better?" I asked.
He nodded demurely.
"All right. Now we can ditch this place."
Bear took my hand. Together, with hearts racing, we ran up the slope and towards the surface.
The light I'd seen earlier was still there, our brightly shining beacon. It was a promise that we'd be free soon.
Bear saw it too. His hand tightened around mine. After hearing his awful childhood story, I knew he was sicker of being underground than I was. Wanting to protect my mate, I pushed strength into my muscles, running faster.
The light spread, illuminating more of the tunnel. It was unimaginably bright against the stark darkness. But soon, as my eyes adjusted, I saw a sliver of blue sky beyond. My heart leapt into my throat.
We were so close!
"Run, Bear!" I yelled, laughing with joy.
Bear let out a happy huff as he surged ahead, pulling me along. The relief on his face was brighter than the light. In a few more strides, we'd be free of the underground.
And then the ceiling collapsed.
I yelped as dirt showered on top of me. I braced myself but it was heavier than I expected. Soon I was half-buried beneath it.
Bear made a choked sound and whipped in my direction. The collapse only grazed him, covering his shoulders and hair with a spray of dirt, but he was otherwise unscathed. He scowled and threw himself into digging me out with his bare hands.
"Hey, be careful!" I said. "There's rocks in there, you're gonna hurt yourself."
Bear shook his head once, firmly, and scooped out the earth. His eyes were glazed yet focused. It was clear nothing was going to tear him from this task. It warmed my heart. He truly cared about me.
Bear growled and switched tactics, kicking out the dirt closest to the ground instead so he could use his hands. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, yeah."
He exhaled in frustration. I had a feeling he was mentally cursing his luck that this would happen so close to freedom.
"It's okay, Bear. It's just dirt. It must happen a lot down here."
But he didn't seem convinced. There was an uncomfortable tightness in his jaw and he didn't reply.
