Casius POV
The fall tore the breath from Casius’s lungs.
Stone spat them out like seeds into darkness that stank of old wine and older sins. He hit hard enough to see sparks, his shoulder screaming as he rolled. Copper filled his mouth. Dust coated his tongue. He came up on one knee with a snarl, hands already searching the dark.
“Alina—?”
“I’m here.” Her voice shook—but it was alive.
She pushed up beside him, hair tangled, eyes bright with the wild, dangerous light that always hovered just beneath her calm. Relief slammed through him hard enough to make his chest ache.
Behind them, the guards groaned. One staggered upright, blade half-drawn. The other clutched a bleeding arm, teeth bared in pain—but both were conscious.
Survivable.
Casius forced his breath steady.
The chamber str
