20. Echo
THE RITUAL - PART TWO
My mother told this story before; except Solei viewed it, even now, as an unfinished fairy tale, one where the bond of two souls is tested before their union is made official.
In her version, the two characters only made it through the first trial. What happened after had never been told, but something inside of me said it was being written right now.
The feeling was too strong to shake.
“What kind of ceremony did we complete?” I asked as we followed behind the man cloaked in white and gold.
If this was what I thought it was, Forever and I needed to have a talk before moving forward.
There was still time to back out. To save her from whatever the fuck my ma’s family was up to.
“Your marriage has been approved,” he said, leaving his response at that.
I stopped walking and stepped in front of Forever.
“This ain’t what I came here for,” I told her, slipping two fingers under her chin. “We can turn around and find another way.”
She shook her head.
“You said I belong to you, right?”
I nodded, but this was a blind sacrifice. We didn’t know what we were aligning ourselves with. And I had more than just my wife to care for, but a whole compound of people.
Doing this alone was different; dragging my baby down with me was a nonnegotiable.
“And now I know it’s true,” she went on, looking over my shoulder, then back at me. “Do you trust me? Because if you do, then I say let’s gamble on the outcome being in our favor.”
I thought about all I’d been working toward, how it never had to do with my ma to begin with. For me, my life was complete with Forever in it.
That fire inside me, wanting to know if my mother was alive or dead, wasn’t lit anymore. She wasn’t as important as the person standing in front of me.
“We’ve had this conversation before,” Forever said, laughing. “I remember. You didn’t want us searching for your mom, but I convinced you.”
I lifted my gaze to the sky.
“You picked a fine time to start remembering shit…” Our eyes met as I lowered mine. “Listen to me this time, baby. Please.”
If begging was what I had to do, then so be it.
“We must proceed,” our guide announced. “It’s now or never.”
Never sounded better, but I was too much of a simp for her to say no.
“Alright,” I whispered, pressing my lips to her forehead. “But if I say get low, do it and don’t make me ask twice, understood?”
She nodded and kissed my chin.
“I understand.”
We fell back in step behind our guide, moving deeper into the property. The path was lit with torches, more fake fire if I had to guess.
A sonic ionizer, water, and a few halogen light bulbs could give the illusion of fire. They were trying to draw me in with pieces of her.
“The drugs are wearing off,” Forever whispered, leaning closer to me. “My head’s starting to hurt again.”
Her headaches were more important than this.
Our guide stopped at the end of the path and stepped aside.
“The high priest awaits.”
Lucien stood alone in the clearing, dressed in an identical black robe with his mask removed.
“It’s been a while, friend ,” he said, tossing me one of those manic smiles he’d perfected over the years. “You’ve caused quite the stir outside of Everwood. We didn’t agree to more than half of it.”
I felt Forever’s gaze on mine.
“That why you went running to my wife?” I asked, annoyed by his presence. “Didn’t take you for the type.”
He chuckled, but I ain’t find shit funny.
“Uh. What the fuck is this?” Forever asked.
I cut my eyes at her.
“This is the part where I tell you he’s always been on our side,” I confessed. “However, our ally kept this secret to himself.”
Had she not answered my call the other night and told me about his visit, I’d still be none the wiser.
“I did what I had to do. And now that you’ve both been cleared, I can pass along something important.”
Kill him.
Kill him not.
Kill—
“No need to plan my death, Demetrius. What I have for you is well worth the commitment you made tonight.”
He turned to Forever and pushed a thumb drive into her free hand.
“The job your father assigned to you was to take out a spy planted in the collective’s inner circle. Her name…” He glanced at me. “…was Aurelia Samuels.”
Now I knew why my wife didn’t want to discuss the job as we had with others. She’d been up to no good, going beyond what we agreed on.
“Oh,” she muttered from beside me. “I think I’m in trouble.”
Lucien ignored that, and so did I.
How could I hold her accountable for some shit she couldn’t even remember? From here on out, I wasn’t letting her out of my sight, though.
Fuck the bullshit.
“You were passed a message to meet privately, and someone intercepted. The who , is still being investigated, but I can tell you the message sent had come from Solomon Fairchild, his mother’s twin brother.”
I waved my hand, not interested in this part of the story.
“What exactly did we commit to?”
He sighed but knew not to push too hard. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him and everybody within the checkpoints.
“Your bloodline is the true power structure of Everwood, the real governing body. Technically, you’ve only gone through the ceremony that binds you two together by Fairchild law. Rest assured, neither have given up your freedom or pledged loyalty to the family.”
Forever and I exchanged glances.
“Right now there’s a power struggle happening behind the scenes,” he went on, drawing us back. “The bodies that make up the collective are vying for more control and have been since before your father’s murder, Demetrius.”
More pieces of the puzzle connected.
“My dad used me to try and kill his mother,” Forever said, removing her hand from mine. “Does that mean they know she’s a Fairchild?”
He shook his head and addressed me instead of her, something I didn’t care for but decided to address after we got what we came for.
“Solomon is certain there’s a traitor amongst his circle, leaking information to the other side.
Soleme never fulfilled her duty to infiltrate.
Your father unknowingly exposed her later, and the collective killed him with plans to kill her next until she left.
Going back to her family was the only way to keep everyone safe.
Right now, her sacrifice doesn’t hold the same weight as before. ”
I chuckled and pulled Forever into me.
“And he wants my wife, to what? Risk her life eliminating his enemies?”
The way Lucien looked at her like she was an important piece on his chessboard made my trigger finger itch.
“Solomon is requesting she resume the contract her father issued,” he said carefully. “But use it to find and eliminate the traitor within his ranks.”
“That would require more about Soleme and his inner circle.”
He pointed to the hand she held the thumb drive.
“That’s everything you need. All of it accumulated during the time you two were apart.”
Everything about this made me uncomfortable.
“What does she get out of it?” I asked, knowing Forever well enough to prepare for her acceptance.
This time, Lucien looked at her when responding.
“The right to eliminate whomever stands in the way of your investigation. Right now, as it stands, Solomon Fairchild is the head of the collective. His decision-making power extends to you.”
Forever pulled me back, far enough from Lucien to give us privacy.
“What’s on your mind? I can feel how against this you are.”
She was staring up at me like she used to, like my concerns mattered the most to her.
“There’s an invisible threat in the mix, who’s steps ahead of us, baby. I’m not feeling that part of this. Too many variables I can’t control.”
Too many opportunities for me to lose her again.
“I agree,” she said, nodding. “It’s risky, but not if we use our resources.”
Our resources made me smile.
“You saying we a team?”
“I am your wife. And I don’t appreciate being used, almost dying, and losing memories I wish I hadn’t. As my husband, you have to help avenge my grievances, right?”
She was laying it on thick, and I was willingly falling for it. Anything for my forever.
“Yeah, baby. That’s right.”
I was no good when it came to her wants and needs.
“It’s time to take your rightful place, Demetrius,” Lucien bellowed. “You may have rejected, but your mother never rejected her birthright, only postponed it to try for a normal life. Now she’s ready to take what belongs to her and is requesting her oldest son’s assistance.”
I moved Forever from in front of me and walked up on him.
“There’s always more to the story. What is it I can do for the women I haven’t laid eyes on in fourteen years?”
He smiled, and for the first time in the year or so I’ve known him, it reached his eyes.
Deciding to look into my mother’s whereabouts was one thing; being used by her, another.
“To unite Everwood,” he revealed. “They need a figure the rejectors trust and an initiate with a legitimate claim to the collective power. Your union will bring the people together, but only after all threats have been eliminated.”
I was at a loss for words.
“And if we refuse?” Forever asked, even though we’d just agreed to go through with their initial request.
“Then you walk away…” Lucien shrugged. “But the protection I’ve extended ends the moment you deny the request and leave these grounds.”
“We ain’t making no decisions on the spot,” I said, taking Forever’s hand in mine. “My wife and I are going to call it a night and take a day to discuss. Is that permitted? Or would my uncle and mother prefer we take these demands disguised as opportunities at face value?”
He knew I didn’t give a fuck about their protection. And something told me, they knew not to push me too far.
“I need a response in twenty-four hours…” He gestured toward the path behind him. “It will lead you to an exit.”
I guided Forever out quietly, my mind working through all possible scenarios.
First, I’d have to clue Oliver and Solei in on our mother’s secret; continuing to leave them in the dark would be a mistake.
Introducing Forever to the rest of the Cannons and moving us onto the compound for the added protection would follow.
No matter what, I couldn’t rely on anybody to keep her safe but me.
“Are you having second thoughts about your reckless wife?” she asked as we cleared the path that opened into a residential area.
I cut my eyes at her after I led us into the safe zone and shot a text off for pickup. We’d been inside for five hours and hadn’t felt like it.
“I’ve never had a second thought about us ever,” I said, pulling her into my arms. “Do you remember more or just that conversation?”
She wrapped her arms around me, and I pressed her head against my chest.
“Felt more like deja vu than anything,” she murmured. “Nothing else came with it.”
I massaged behind her ears until our ride stopped at the curb to retrieve us.
Tonight had really put shit in perspective for me.
All in all, I was a selfish ass nigga who only cared about the love of his life. Every decision was made with Forever in mind.
Not Oliver.
Solei.
Or even my fucking grandmother swayed me in this way.
I had no qualms about killing the woman who birthed me in defense of my wife if it came down to it.
For the greatest love I’ve ever known, they all could die.
That feeling made me realize I wasn’t right in the head.
“I can practically hear your thoughts,” Forever said as we were alone in the elevator, having ridden the entire way home lost in our own thoughts.
“How do they make you feel?”
She smiled.
“Like the safest woman in Everwood.”
I reached for her hand as the elevator slowed and the doors pulled open.
“That’s how it should be,” I said, tugging her to my unit. “That’s how it is.”
We moved inside, and she immediately started to strip out of the robe. I reset the alarm and watched her take off her boots next. She’d worn a tiny little black dress that stopped just below her ass, with long sleeves.
Thankfully, those pretty ass legs were hidden beneath all that fabric tonight. And now they were on display only for me.
“We should talk about what happened tonight,” she said, propping herself on the arm of the couch. “Right?”
I nodded and shrugged out of my robe.
“We should.”
Neither of us moved toward the discussion. Instead, she came to me and hooked her fingers around the back of my neck.
“But first…” She stood on her toes and brushed her lips against mine. “I want you to scratch this itch I can’t get rid of.”
I lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around my waist.
“Anything for you.”
She hummed and whispered against my ear, “You said I’m your heart in human form. Can you fuck me like that?”
I carried her to the bedroom without another word, my body already responding to the request. The drugs from tonight were completely gone now, but the clarity they’d given me remained.
This woman was mine. Had always been mine. And would always be mine.