The Crystal Millennium was unusually quiet that morning. I hadn't slept the night before.

Zoya had ordered me onto the deck, my hands still tied and my eyes glaring into his back. The sun rose but so did the dark clouds, casting a deluge of grey and white around us. I felt so cold in my clothes. I knew Zoya had done it on purpose. This was his gift for me.

I was still in pain. It had gotten worse during the light. Even right now, as I listen for Ivan, each breath I took hurt. I had to hold it in. It was now apparent that I had more than just bruising. I had broken my rib.

I half hoped and dreaded that Ivan would come here. I didn't know how long I was going to last like this.

"Zoya!" I heard a family voice call out. "Let's make a trade!"

I felt cold all over and it wasn't because of the breeze. Zoya had his back to me. He raised his arm and waved. "Ivan, my boy! I didn't think you'd come to your own death! You've made my life a little easier! How kind of you!" He glanced over his shoulder at me, smiling. "Now, will you come here or shall I kill you later!"

I glared at him which only made his grin wider.

Zoya turned around. Whatever he saw made his shoulders turn rigid and his hands form fists.

I heard him scream something before the silence was punctured by a hail of bullets. I could hear men shouting and the waves of the ocean crashing onshore.

I launched myself out of the chair and army crawled towards the opposite side of the deck. Gorik had grabbed Zoya and pulled him away from harm, leaving me cornered against the fallen table. The men who were supposed to be guarding me were now dead, fallen on the deck like you soldiers with their guns still in their hands. I knew Gorik would be coming for me next, I had to move fast or I'd be dead.

Zoya's men were preoccupied with whoever was shooting at them and that was all the distraction I needed. I climbed over the railing, holding onto the metal as I peered over the side of the deck, wondering how deep the water was here.

"Ivan!" I screamed, looking around frantically for him. His hair stood starkly against the grey landscape. I had to squint to see him. He was on the pier, standing out in the open. He'd shed his coat, a gun in his right hand. "Ivan!"

"Meera!" He saw me and I could see his blue eyes light up from here.

I knew that I had to get off this boat and fast. The problem is that all my exits were blocked. Zoya's men were keeping me in. At the moment I had escaped them but they were searching the ship for me and they'd find me soon. I glanced down at the water.  Instinctively, my hands curled tightly around the railing. I could probably survive that fall. The only problem would be swimming. My hands were still bound together.

"Meera, don't!" Ivan knew what I was planning.

I made up my mind. If Ivan boarded the crystal millennium, he'd be outnumbered and outgunned. I didn't know how many men he brought with him, if any at all. Zoya intended to use me as bait. Well.....I wasn't going to let him. I might have brought Ivan to him but that didn't mean that I was just going to sit by while he killed him.

I took several deep breaths in, preparing myself for the inevitable fall. The water was dark, its inky depths calling to me. I could probably die before I made it to the shore but my options were limited. Staying on this ship meant death—at least I could choose how I go and if Ivan would live.

I counted to three before letting go and plunging into the cold waters below me feet first.

I hit the water hard. It felt like I was being knocked into a cement wall. My entire right side was in agony once more, the pain causing me to lose my sense of direction. Everything around me was blurry without my glasses. I couldn't make sense of what was up or down. I just kicked my legs as hard as I could, hoping that I made it to the surface.

My head broke the surface, my eye stinging from the salt. "Ivan—!" The waves quickly pushed me down under again.

I was drowning. It was so disorienting. I didn't know up from down. Was this where I was going to die? Is this really how this was going to end for me? Didn't I at least deserve a painless peaceful death? I knew I would have to face death one day, and I prepared myself to not be scarce but I was so terrified right now. I was floating and sinking at the same time. I thought of mom and uncle Roma and Amara and Uncle Vin and Ivan. Their faces flashed in my mind as the oxygen in my lungs dried up. I wanted to tell them that I was so sorry for being reckless...for not saying a proper goodbye.

A pair of arms wrapped around me, hauling me to the surface. I let myself be pulled along like a ragdoll, my lungs relived by the air I was gasping for. Whoever had me cut through the water dragged me along with him. I clutched onto him, my head still spinning. My brush with death had sobered me up.

The wood of the pier was rough against my cold skin. It just made the abrasions on my arms hurt more. I groaned out in pain, turning onto my back to stare up at The sky that was darkened with storm clouds, soon it would rain.

Ivan's face came into view, outlined by the silver linings of the storm clouds above. I reached up to touch his face, my thumb brushing along his wet cheek. There were drops of water on his face, dripping down onto my clothes. I reached up, tracing my finger unseen his eye. I wasn't sure if Ivan was crying or not.

He was real and I was alive.

"Stay with me," Ivan gasped. He looked so scared, so desperate. I just couldn't believe that he was here. "Please. Stay with me, sweetheart."

Ivan laid over me, his knees bracketing my hips. He held my face in his hands tenderly, looking me over for any damage. His eyes were frantic, chest heaving and hands trembling. I don't think I've ever seen him so unravelled.

Oh, Ivan. You fool. Why did you come for me?

"Ivan," I said, swallowing down my feelings. "Ivan, it's okay. I'm okay."

"You're safe," he breathed a sigh of relief, pressing his forehead against mine. "You're okay. It's going to be okay, sweetheart."

"I know," I whispered. I clutched onto him. "Why did you come? Ivan, they want to kill you."

"What? And leave you here? Are you crazy, Meera?" He stood up, stumbling a bit before offering me his hand. "For once, let me help you."

My side screams at me as I take his hand. His arm is around my waist as he supports me. We limp our way down the pier. It's getting harder to breathe. The adrenaline has worn off and I can feel the full-frontal assault of agony. Ivan stops and tries to pick me up but stops. He stands up straight, his gun ready in his hand and he stares behind him.

Ivan gently pushes me behind him as he watches a figure emerge through the mist.

"Well, as much as I love this touching reunion, I'm afraid it'll have to end." Zoya aimed his gun at me and pulled the trigger.

Ivan pulled me to his chest and spun us around. We dove behind a crate, seeking refuge there. It was flimsy and bullets tore apart the wood, casting splinters everywhere. I flinched with each shot, trying to hold onto my slipping sanity.

Ivan had his arm wrapped around my waist. My side still hurts but I grit my teeth and ignored it.

He pulled his gun out and handed it over to me. The bullets got closer, nearly taking my ear off. Ivan pulled me close to him, pressing me flush against his side. I wonder if he could how bad I was trembling. I hadn't been in a fight like this since I was sixteen. Each time the gun went off, I felt like I was slipping back into a time when it was killed or be killed.

"Ivan, I don't know if I can," I said, staring down at the gun.

He frowned, glancing behind the crate. "You have to. I know that you can use it. Don't say you can't." He took my hand and placed the gun in it, wrapping my fingers around the hilt. "Please. If anything happens to me, you need to protect yourself."

It was heavy but not unfamiliar in my hand.

"Ivan, don't." I knew what he was going to do and I couldn't stop him. Ivan had risked his life to come and get me—and I didn't think he was going to stop until I was safe or Zoya was dead.

He smiled tiredly, lifting a hand to my face. His touch was warm against my skin, making me shiver. Our faces were so close that you could see our breaths mingling together. "Don't come out. Unless it's me who calls you, don't leave this place. Got it?"

My fingers tightened around the material of his jacket. "Okay."

He kissed my forehead and left, quickly firing a well-aimed shot toward Zoya's men before slipping into a maze of shipping crates.

I waited for several minutes as the gunshots faded away. I think I was there longer than that because my knees made a cracking noise as I stood up uncertainly. Zoya's men had left, chasing after Ivan and Zoya had been stupid enough to follow them. I took a deep breath in and crawled out from my hiding spot.

It wasn't hard to find Ivan. Just had to follow the sounds of gunshots and dead bodies. They were all of Zoya's men, now bleeding out on the damp ground as it started to drizzle. Ivan had taken them down quickly, their blood was still fresh. Somehow I circled back to the pier, my shoes slapping against the wet concrete as I came to a screeching stop.

Ivan was down on the ground, bleeding from his head and glaring up at Zoya. He was in a fight for his life and he was doing that to protect me. I just wanted to get in there and help him. I saw Zoya grab his gun and aimed it at Ivan's head.

I didn't even think.

I raised Ivan's gun, the one inlaid with gold, taking careful aim. Zoya didn't even know that I had a gun in my hand.

Ivan saw me, his eyes going wide. I lifted the barrel of the gun and switched off the safety. It was instinct that I've denied for so long, it was as familiar as breathing air. I squeezed the trigger, holding onto the dear life as the bullet ripped out from the barrel in a flash of smoke. It was only a moment but it felt like time had been stretched out. A mix of Horror and relief filled me as the bullet hit its target. Zoya arched his back, his head facing upwards to the sky with a gaping mouth. As if he couldn't believe it, as if he hadn't anticipated this to happen.

That great Zoya, a ruthless man and a horrible tyrant, was shot in the back by a doctor from L.A.

Ivan didn't hesitate. He grabbed the knife from his hand and plunged it into his chest. Zoya made a gurgling sound, his eyes going unfocused as he looked at me and then at Ivan.

"That's for my father," he hissed before viciously wrenching the knife out and stabbing him again, the blade of the knife sinking deeper. "And this is for messing with those that I love."

Zoya sank to his knees wordlessly, with no grand speeches or clever metaphors. He only looked between Ivan and me before slumping to the side and falling into the waters.

It's a fitting end for a man like him.

We both stared at each other. I dropped the gun, not registering what I had just done Ivan ran over to me, wrapping his arms around me. I grabbed onto him, burying my face into his neck and breathing him in. He was still wet and smelled like seawater but his arms felt like home. Ivan wrapped his arms tighter around me, crushing me close to his chest.

I felt warm.

"Oh, god. Ivan," I breathed out, pulling away to look at him. "Ivan. Are you okay?"

There was a cut right above his eyebrow that was bleeding profusely and his left cheek was brushed badly, maybe even broken. My fingers hovered over the skin, scared to touch it and cause him pain.

He brushed my hair back bad kissed my forehead. Ivan's hands felt heavy on my shoulders. "You absolute brilliant, reckless woman. I'm fine.  I should be asking you that!"

"I killed Zoya," I whispered. I didn't feel anything, that was starting to scare me. "Ivan, I killed him."

Maybe I've seen too much death in this lifetime to feel anything. Death was death but why did I feel indifferent? Was it because Zoya knew my secret? I was ashamed to find that the feeling in my chest was that of relief rather than horror. Did that make me a terrible person? Zoya was a monster. He deserved what was coming to him—-and I wasn't saying that just because he harmed Ivan. I've seen countless men like him, power-hungry and ambitious. They always fell in the end.

Ivan's hands were holding my face gently, his thumb stroking my cheek. My face still felt raw. "It's not your fault. You did what you had to do."

"I killed someone, Ivan," I said weakly.

"You saved me."

"Oh god," the horror washed over me. I looked over my shoulder, staring at the spot where Zoya had stood. There was only a bloodstain on the wooden boards of the pier. "What have I done?"

"Meera," Ivan clutched my arms, begging me to me look at him. "No, please! Look at me, sweetheart!"

I raised my hand, covering my mouth as tears pooled in my eyes. My chest was in agony with each sob that rocked me. I crumpled into myself, Ivan was the only thing that was holding me upright. Everything came crashing down on top of me like a pile of bricks. There was just pain and an endless chasm in my mind that had split open.

I don't remember the last time I've cried like this. It was like every little thing that I had pushed down had sprung up to the surface, it manifested in angry bitter tears that cascaded down my face.

It didn't stop, I couldn't just push my feelings down like every other time. Even when I left LA, I didn't feel like this. I felt miserable and angry but this was something else entirely. Guilt? Anger? Relief? Maybe a mix of all three? I didn't know. It was all coming out in waves that pushed me under.

This was worse than the ocean.

I could hear Ivan over the sound of my own heart echoing in my ears. There were muffled voices and strange sounds...almost as if the tether holding my mind had snapped setting me afloat.

Ivan threw his long coat over me, shielding my face from view. He wrapped one arm around my waist, another under my knees and lifted me effortlessly. I automatically encircled my arms around his neck, burying my face in his back.

His men were standing at the end of the pier, uncertain of what to do as the both of us approached. Me a wailing, soaking wet mess and him, bloodied and frightened. Nik didn't say anything, he just stepped out of the way, giving me a concerned look.

I heard Ivan bark orders at him. I heard them answer back. Soon the both of us were piled into the back seat of his car, me still in his lap and his holding me close.

In a small window of lucidity, Ivan tilted my face to look at him. "Meera, I'm sorry. Please, say something. Anything. Curse at me, scream at me. Just please..."

I had stopped crying at one point. I felt tired.

And then I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep with the sound of Ivan's pleas in my ear.