The impact felt like hitting concrete.
The freezing water knocked the air from my lungs, turning the world into a churning vortex of black foam and debris. The current grabbed me instantly, dragging me down toward the silt-choked bottom of the bay.
I thrashed, my heavy white suit weighing me down like an anchor. My fingers clawed at the water, desperate for purchase, but the abyss swallowed me whole.
This is it, a voice whispered in my head. Not a balcony, but a bridge. Same ending.
Then, a hand gripped my arm.
It wasn't the gentle touch of a lover. It was the bruising, desperate grip of a man refusing to let go.
Cyprian hauled me upward. We broke the surface together, gasping for air, spitting out the brackish taste of the Aethelgard harbor.
"Breathe," he commanded, though his own
