“Don’t you think I f*****g know that?” he seethes at me. “But I won’t give you false hope and I won’t pretend as though Astra Tyrannis is an enemy that can be fought easily. I’ve made that mistake once before. I lost a wife and a son because of my arrogance. Because of my pride. You want me to swear to you that I’ll get Theo back? Well, I won’t do it. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try like f*****g hell to do everything in my power to make it happen.”
His fists are clenched, his body taut with stress. With grief that’s burrowed its way deep into his bones.
“Theo’s your son, you know,” I whisper. “I don’t need a paternity test to be certain of that.”
New anger flashes across Phoenix’s eyes. He looks positively murderous as he crosses the space between us to stand in front of me l
