KNOX’S POV

“I will tear your tongue out of your skull.”

“You could try.” Rafael’s smile returns, thin and sharp. “But that won’t change the facts. And it won’t change what I’m about to tell you.”

“Which is?”

He pauses and allows the moment stretch. The bastard always did have a flair for drama.

“I believe Ember is my fated mate.”

The words don’t make sense at first. They hang in the air between us, and I’m waiting for the punchline, waiting for Rafael to laugh and admit he’s fucking with me, but his expression doesn’t change.

He’s serious.

He actually fucking believes it.

“You’ve lost your mind,” I say....