The industrial tunnels beneath the railyard were a tomb of rusted iron and stagnant water, but to Julian and Elena, they were the only sanctuary left in a city that had turned its back on them. They moved through the darkness, their boots silent on the damp concrete, until Julian shoved open a heavy, forgotten service grate and pulled them into a small, windowless maintenance sub-room.
He didn't wait. He checked the perimeter, his movements sharp and precise, before bracing the door with a heavy steel bar. The air here was stale, tasting of grease and long-forgotten machinery, but it was quiet. It was far away from the Vanguard's closing net and the biting, cold betrayal of Dominic.
Julian turned to her, his breathing heavy, his sapphire eyes searching her face with a raw intensity th
