“Don’t worry, darling,” I say as I wrap my arms around his waist, gripping his ass cheeks and giving them a squeeze. “I’m a one-ass kind of guy, and yours is my favorite.”
“I do not get paid enough to listen to this,” Cato mutters, hurrying to climb behind Sovran.
“We’re getting paid?” Sakane asks as he follows.
“Enjoy the view!” I call, then bite back a yelp as Bash lifts me off the ground. My legs wrap around his waist and I clutch his neck.
“What is this?” I demand playfully. “Gonna carry me up the ladder? Is this becoming a new tradition?”
“Ass,” he mutters as he digs his fingers into my side.
I barely hold back my shriek as he hits me right in the spot that’s so ticklish. I thrash in his arms, and he chuckles as he places my feet on the ground. We both glance at the ladder, where Sovran and Cato have disappeared from view and Sakane and Ego follow behind them.
“I guess we better catch up,” I say with a sigh, but when we walk toward the ladder, Bash rushes to go ahead of me.
“Uh, rude,” I complain.
He laughs as he climbs the first rung. “Just giving you something to look at.”
“I appreciate that,” I tease as I smack his ass, and he grins down at me as I follow him. Our levity fades as we climb, replaced by caution as we head into the unknown. Bash hoists himself through the opening and reaches down to help me.
I glance around the space, attempting to find my bearings. “Where are we?”
Sovran gestures toward a long block wall with several bay doors. “Many decades ago, this was a service garage for military fleet vehicles. They wouldn’t have to drive through the city for repairs and refueling, but about twenty years back, it was used as an entry point for an attack. Dozens were killed, mostly civilians who didn’t even have ties to the military. A waste of life.”
For the first time since the battle, a hint of rage replaces his stoic indifference, and his eyes illuminate in a flash of gold.
“What happened after?” Ego asks.
Sovran blinks away his anger before gesturing at the solid wall behind us. “They sealed the passageways with cement blocks and abandoned it. When I discovered it years ago, no one had stepped foot here for a very long time. I closed the tunnels and created a secure place to hide.”
“Have you needed to hide, then?” Bash asks.
Sovran’s eyes meet his with a flicker of sadness behind them. “Haven’t we all?”
Curiosity begs me to ask the questions that rest on the tip of my tongue. Who is this guy, and what made him go to such lengths to stay out of sight?
But time is not on our side, and we need to escape the city while we have the night.
“How long until sunrise?” I ask.
“An hour,” Sovran responds, then busies himself with covering the manhole.
I go over to the boarded-up windows and investigate, peeking through a tiny crack. “Where does this take us?”
“Close to where your culvert would’ve dropped you. Half a mile or so along the eastern wall.” He turns to look at us, assessing Bash for a long moment before fixing his gaze on me.
“I will accompany you to a camp twenty miles from here,” he says. “They are friendly.”
“Why are you helping us?” I demand.
His gaze drops to the ground in the first display of true vulnerability he’s shown. Unsure of the answer, or just doesn’t want to share.
Finally, he sighs and gestures between me and Bash. “I’ve helped many mates hide from those who hunt them.”
“Why?” I ask a second time, with more demand behind the question.
His eyes bore into mine. “Because this world needs to heal. Those in charge don’t deserve the power they have been granted, and these mates should be able to love one another out loud. Dark dungeons and hidden corners are no place for a connection so pure. It was never meant to be this way!”
