Page 68 of The Echo of Forever
“I know what you’re doing,” she said softly. “Mostly because I know myself. I thought everything at once would be too much, but now I feel like not knowing it all isn’t the right move either. I need time to think.”
I leaned my chair back and stared up at the ceiling.
“No matter how long you take, I’m not going anywhere.”
Giving up on her would be like ripping my own heart out of my chest. I refused to do it.
“I hate how sad you sound, Demetrius. I’m not trying to hurt you.”
I closed my eyes.
“You don’t have to explain, baby. I know.”
Whether she knew it or not, our connection was soul deep. Even now, memories missing and all, Forever could feel what I was feeling.
“Maybe look at the invitation, and preferably before Saturday. You’re my plus one.”
I sat up.
“No need to look when I know what it is. Who gave it to you?”
“The high priest paid me a visit,” she said without pause. “Apparently, me and the man I call Echo are under his protection now.”
Interesting.
“Oh yeah? Did Lucien give a reason for that?”
She chuckled.
“You sound jealous.“
I held back a scoff.
“That’s because I am,” I said, knocking the invitation in the trash. “Another man thinking me and mine need his protection feels like a challenge.”
I needed to pay my old friend a visit and set some shit straight for the future.
“The Fairchilds have taken an interest in you, but you’re worried about another man taking what doesn’t belong to him?”
She was asking all the right questions, just enough for me to plant another seed.
“Ask me my mother’s name.”
“Aurelia Samuels,” Forever said, revealing she’d been digging deep into my background.
I reached down and pulled the invitation for the trash, knowing in my heart I would attend as her plus one. Not just to be close to my woman, but to get a peek into the family I planned to go up against. Maybe even get the chance to put eyes on my ma.
“Soleme Fairchild,” I said softly, tugging at the ribbon. “That’s her true name.”
The silence to follow was palpable, but necessary. I let her think about why a man, whose family was notorious for its ties to the collective leader, would reveal where his loyalties truly lie.
Something I hadn’t known until this very moment.
The Fairchilds had clearly been watching me from the very beginning, and my wife leaving her calling card on bodies across Everwood was their way in.
She unknowingly called for them, and they came bearing a significant gift.
I pulled the thick acrylic from the envelope as Forever said, “Oh, I see now. They’re using me to get to you.”
