Adalynn POV
Jasper hasn’t released my hand since he grabbed it in the bunker. He hasn’t spoken to me since we left the bunker. When we got to the elevator, I turned to him and whispered, “Jasper, I don’t want to take the elevator. I can’t be in another closed-in place right now.”
He turned toward me, his eyes soft yet unreadable, and without uttering a single word, he gently guided me toward the stairs. I looked at him, confused, but he put his arm out, indicating for me to go first. We moved down a long, dimly lit hallway. Each step echoed quietly, the silence between us growing more profound with every step. At the end of the hall, he opened a small, inconspicuous door that revealed a narrow staircase spiraling downward.
Jasper paused for a moment, and then, with a tenderness that cau
