The emergency escape trunk of the Iron Citadel slammed shut, seals locking with a pressurized hiss as the pumps rapidly drained the freezing seawater.The moment the water dropped below her chest, Ava collapsed against the steel wall, coughing up brine, her lungs burning with the sudden rush of recycled oxygen. Her white wedding dress was ruined, soaked in grease, salt, and blood, but as she looked up, the sapphire glow in her eyes was brighter than the emergency sirens.Caleb ripped his heavy rebreather mask off, his face a mask of raw, bruised emotion. He dropped to his knees, his large hands framing her face with a grip that trembled. He didn't say a word. He just pressed his forehead against hers, his chest heaving as he pulled her into a desperate, crushing embrace."You're insane," he rasped, his voice breaking through the static of the sirens. "You jumped into a Category 4 hurricane, Ava.""You came down into an active volcanic trench to catch me," she whispered back, her arms
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