It was the words that threw her over. Harper arched like a bow as white-hot pleasure tore through her body, fragmenting every cell and muscle and bone. Her pussy clamped down on Knox, who stiffened above her with a growl of her name. She felt his cock pulse inside her, felt every hot splash of his come. And then the energy left her body in a rush, and she slumped onto the mattress.

“Am I forgiven yet?” he asked, kissing her back.

She snorted. “That wasn’t you making it up to me. That was you using orgasms to soften me up so I’d more easily forgive you. Sometimes I wonder how you live with yourself.”

He smiled against her skin. “But you love me anyway.”

She exhaled heavily. “Yeah, I do.”

The guard pressed the button, and a large buzzer sounded just as the iron, mechanical door slid open. The scents of sweat, mildew, and bleach hit Knox hard. At first glance, the cell looked empty. The thin mattress didn’t appear to have been slept on, and the chair was neatly tucked under the steel table. There wasn’t a single sound except for the guards’ footsteps echoing down the corridor. But Knox didn’t fail to notice the toes of lace-less shoes near the dented metal locker. Levi also noticed them and rolled his eyes.

Knox strolled further into the room. Crow was crouched against the cement wall, hands shackled, eyes fearful. He might not have been afraid when talking to the sentinels the previous night, but he was sure afraid now. And the scent of his fear made his demon bare its teeth in a feral smile. The entity’s rage had calmed after time with its mate, but the emotion still bubbled beneath the surface.

Knox didn’t say anything. He let the silence stretch until Crow began to fidget nervously. If Knox was a better person, he might have felt a twinge of sadness at the situation. Crow had always seemed good and righteous. He’d never given Knox any trouble. He’d been loyal to Delia and his lair. The man he’d once been would be horrified by the things he’d done. But Knox didn’t feel bad for him. After what the bastard had done to Harper, Knox would gladly peel off his skin like an onion and then cover him with pepper and wrap him in barbed wire.

“I knew you’d come,” Crow boasted.

“It doesn’t take a vision to know that.”

Crow swallowed. “Have you come to kill me?”

“What do you think?”

“You could try to kill me. It wouldn’t work.”

“Why is that?”

“My fate is to kill you in order to save our world.” His shoes squeaked on the cement floor as he struggled to his feet. “As long as you’re alive, I’m protected so I can fulfill my duty.”

“I see.” Knox scraped his jaw with his hand. “Sounds like an honorable mission.”

Crow lifted his chin, proud. “It is.”

“Tell me, was hurting Harper part of this mission? Was shooting Tanner part of it? How about hurting Delia, butchering Carla, or shooting a cab driver? None of those things seem ‘honorable’ to me.”

A tiny hint of regret flickered in Crow’s eyes. “Collateral damage.”

“Harper is not collateral damage.” His voice was like a whip. “She’s my mate and your Prime. Tanner is a sentinel; one who has protected you and the rest of our lair many times. I don’t think a single person would agree that repaying that devotion to your safety with a bullet is ‘honorable.’”

“You don’t understand because you didn’t see what I saw.”

“I don’t think you saw it either. It’s all in your head.”

“I saw that future,” he stated, adamant. “I’m not alone in that.”

Knox slowly arched a brow, unconvinced. “And who else shares this belief?”

“That is not something I intend to reveal.”

“Why not? Why be loyal to whoever who sent you on a dangerous mission without any help or protection?”

Crow’s confidence faltered for a few moments, but then he jutted out his chin once again. “They trust in my ability to see this through.”

“Of course,” said Knox dryly, exchanging a look with Levi.

“You can’t hide the truth from me,” Crow claimed. “I know what you are now.”

Knox couldn’t help smiling. He’d heard that statement over the years more times than he could count; none had ever guessed correctly. “And what is that?” No answer, which was no surprise. “You know nothing, Crow. You saw nothing. You hurt people who didn’t deserve it while on a non-existent quest. If you were sound of mind, I would kill you right now.”

Crow backed into the wall, swallowing hard.

“Would you like to know what I’m going to do instead? I’m going to get you well. I’m going to bring you back from the edge. And then you’ll have to live with what you’ve done – that’s if you can live with knowing you hurt so many people, including your own partner. Personally, I don’t think I would ever forgive myself if I hurt mine.” Knox spun on his heel and left with Levi close behind him.

The guard punched the button to lock the door. It slid shut with a clang. “You really think we can bring him back?”

“I fully intend to try,” replied Knox. “If I was to punish him now, it would mean nothing to him – it would just feed his fantasy of me as the big, bad wolf.”

The guard nodded in understanding. “He’d become a martyr in his own mind.”