Page 42 of Elas (Mate’s Mark #2)

Elas

Darkness has fallen, the sun long gone, and a heavy silence hangs over the base as we walk through the shadows.

I regret everything.

A single flutter of those blonde lashes, and I fucking cave to his madness. For hours, I tried to convince him to forget this insanity, but to no avail. He’s as stubborn as they come, and then just smiles while he digs in his heels.

I cling to that last-ditch hope that the transport van has already left… that we’ll arrive too late, and time will decide for us.

Save me from being the villain in August’s eyes.

But we round the corner, and my hope for salvation is gone. Streetlights shine off the side panels of the van, serving as a beacon in the darkness. The two-man crew loads a few more boxes into the trunk, and there’s plenty of space remaining inside the vehicle.

They have hours of work left, and I curse the fates for not intervening.

When they return to the clinic, the locks on the vehicle click closed and steal my last-ditch idea that we can swipe them from the van and be done.

We edge closer and wait for an opportunity.

This is the part of the plan that carries the most risk.

Using the keycard will deactivate the lock, but it also beeps its approval.

If the workers hear us enter, our entire plan is bust, and I can’t be sure how far the noise will carry inside those cavernous halls.

Shadows are heavy tonight with the clouds covering the moon, and we crouch around the corner, only twenty feet from the door.

An idea strikes me as distant footsteps carry from inside the echoing building.

“They’re headed back this way. If we time it right, we can catch the door before it shuts. Be ready to hide, just in case.”

He doesn’t dare to respond, only nods and allows me to lead.

Another minute passes before the workers swing the door wide, clumsily pushing through while carrying a large box each.

The mouthy one complains about being tired, talking so much I’m not sure he even takes a breath.

Once they get a few steps away, I bolt forward on silent feet.

Just a hair’s breadth before it slams shut, I catch the door and wince as my fingers muffle the crash.

I stare at the workers, but they don’t notice our presence.

August hurries over when I wave, and we both duck into the building.

The door shuts behind us with a click that echoes through the eerily quiet lobby.

My fingers lace with his, and we run down the hallway to the mostly empty file room.

“Open the room across the hall, and we’ll wait there until they leave again,” I whisper as I head to the back of the room, where several packed boxes sit stacked.

Just as I’m picking one up, the front door opens in the distance and an electronic buzz blares from close by.

Carrying my box, I dart out to where August stands with panicked eyes.

“It doesn’t work,” he hisses, and I curse as the workers get closer.

“Think, August. Where can we go?”

He glances at the far end of the hallway and nods. “Bathroom, just down there.” We rush the thirty feet and push through a door, and it’s barely closed behind us when the two guards enter the hall again.

Adrenaline flashes through my frantic pulse, strobing in the corners of my vision as I refuse to even breathe. They seem none the wiser, grumbling as they return to work. They’re loud enough for me to risk a whisper to August.

“Take this box. The next time they leave, head straight for the side hallway. Do not wait for me, just hide behind the partition we talked about and get out of sight.”

He hesitates, those stubborn lips on the verge of arguing, but eventually, he nods. I give him a soft peck in thanks before focusing my attention outside the door again. The telltale signs of boxes shuffling tell me they’re on the move, and as soon as their footsteps disappear, we go.

August glances over his shoulder as I stop at the file room, but I glare and nod forward.

He purses his lips, but obediently jogs ahead.

I step into the room and grab another box, and in less than fifteen seconds, I follow.

As I round the corner, I catch the edge of August’s foot as he turns into the side hallway, but shadows approach the front door, and I’m exposed.

I put on a burst of speed and barely dodge out of sight as they enter. There’s no time for me to join August behind the partition, so I shove myself against the wall in the darkest shadow I can find, willing them not to look in our direction.

Their silhouettes move past in the darkness as my held breath fights my lungs.

“Hold on, I gotta piss. Where’s the bathroom?

” My muscles tense, ready to attack, but the other one grabs his arm with an impatient grunt.

He gestures ahead, directing him towards the bathroom we were just hiding in, then they disappear.

I finally release my breath and confirm the coast is clear.

“Let’s go,” I whisper, waiting for August to get in front of me as we hurry to the door.

Outside, the streets are deserted, and the walk to the SUV is short.

We place the boxes in the back seat and cover them with a few blankets before locking the doors.

It’s well into the middle of the night, and the breeze that blows over our skin is as cool as it gets in this wasteland of a world. My eyes close as I allow myself to let the reality of our safety sink in.

“We did it,” August whispers, and I pull him in to my arms, burying my nose in his hair. Such open affection is a risk, but the night is pitch black and silent around us, so I revel in the warmth of his body against mine. It hits me in that moment that I’ll never be here again.

“Can we agree no more danger now?” I ask, pressing my lips against his temple as he smiles. “From here on out, I’m going to swaddle you on my back like a baby so you can’t run off and make mischief.”

“Never thought you’d be the responsible one in the relationship,” he teases, and his head bounces against my chest as I laugh.

“And you can’t tell anyone, either, because they’d never believe you.”

“Because you’re a menace!” A wave of delirious euphoria washes over me as I laugh and hug him tightly, his heart beating against mine.

“Yeah, I am. But I’m your menace.”

“You are,” he agrees, glancing up with a brilliant smile, and there’s a sense of contentment behind his sigh. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we? Leaving?”

“Yes,” I say with a nod, staring up at the starlit sky. “As soon as that sun rises in the morning, we’re gone.”

We triple check the vehicle is secure and everything is hidden from sight.

August suggests parking it outside the barracks so it’s closer, but the lot behind the clinic is only used for deliveries and the occasional emergency patient.

Foot traffic is more plentiful in the main passageways, even before dawn.

There are more chances for some nosy passer-by to get curious and peek inside.

August agrees, and we walk towards the barracks.

He’s on edge, though. His breath puffs out in abrupt exhales and his eyes continuously dart over to me, while his strides are faster than normal.

He crosses and uncrosses his arms, then clenches his fists at his sides.

Before I can ask what has him so agitated, I notice the bulge pressing against the front of his sweatpants, and I bite back a grin.

Seems like someone enjoyed the thrill.

Adrenaline still pumps through my veins, leftover from the clinic, and my already heightened senses pick up every single detail.

I hear the way his breath hitches when I brush my fingers against his, and notice the urgency in his movements as we get closer to home.

The streets are empty, and after I survey the area to confirm no one’s around, I rest my hand on his lower back.

My fingers tuck under the waist of his pants, and another sweet, almost silent gasp reaches my ears.

“Something got you all worked up, doc?” I murmur as my finger swipes, dragging along the crease of his ass.

His stride slows, and he stumbles as my hand slips even lower, pressing my fingertip against his hole. “Elas, let’s go,” he begs, and the desperate whine of his voice has me shivering. My cock bucks against the leather of my pants, and every step we take only makes the friction more unbearable.

“Why do you want to get home so bad?” I tease, wanting nothing more than to pin him against the wall. To slip those pants down until that beautiful ass hangs out, and fuck him right here. Stake my claim on him so no one will ever touch him again.

A fraction of my control slips, and I drag him into the shadows and push his chest against the stone wall.

His back arches as I slip a finger inside him, gently thrusting into his ass.

Fabric bunches and moves as my hand works underneath his pants, and a jolt of searing lust powers through me.

Hot, sticky slick leaks from my cock, creating a torturous wet friction as I step closer, crowding him as I thrust my finger deeper.

Fucking hell, I’m going to come before he even touches me at this rate.

“Could take you right here,” I murmur, and my tongue drags over his ear as I remove my finger from his body.

My hips roll forward, another rush of slick soaking the inside of my pants.

“Would you like that? For me to lose control and have you out here? If I couldn’t even wait long enough to get home before I had to be inside you? ”

His pupils are blown as he twists in my arms and stares up at me.

“Elas, I need you to fuck me,” he whimpers, and I groan at the needy way he claws at my neck.

He’s damn near climbing me, clutching my shoulders and lifting on his toes.

His cock is obscene against his pants, pre-cum creating a damp spot on the fabric.