43. Forever
FOREVER
My wrists strained against the silk tie binding me to the headboard as Demetrius’s tongue worked magic between my thighs.
Each slow lick sent electricity through my body, making me arch and whimper.
I was desperate for him, desperate to feel something other than the hollow ache that had settled in my chest after learning the truth about my past. Sex was easier than facing reality, and right now, all I wanted was to lose myself in sensation.
“This my pussy.” His words vibrated against my sensitive flesh, followed by a deep kiss that made my hips buck. “Tell me it’s mine.”
He slurped obscenely, the wet sounds of his mouth filling our bedroom. My toes curled as he dragged his tongue from my entrance to my clit and circled it.
“It’s yours,” I gasped, squirming beneath him. “I’m yours. Please, I’m begging you to fuck me.”
My body was on fire, my mind blissfully blank except for the need building between my legs. I knew it wasn’t healthy, using him to escape this way, but he’d started it and right now… Right now, I needed him inside me.
He moaned against my pussy, the vibration sending another wave of pleasure through my body. His fingers dug into my thighs, holding me open for his assault. I arched off the bed as he sucked my clit into his mouth, tongue flicking rapidly against the sensitive bud.
“Fuck,” I cried out, another orgasm crashed through me. “Baby, please… I can’t take any more.”
He looked up at me, his face glistening with my essence, eyes dark with hunger. The sight of him between my legs, his perfect mouth wet from pleasuring me, almost made me cum again.
“You can take more,” he said, his voice low and rough as he descended, making me writhe and pull against my restraints.
By the time he finally relented, I was a trembling, sweaty mess. My throat was raw from begging, my body limp from multiple orgasms.
Demetrius pressed a kiss to my collarbone as he untied my wrists.
“I want you to think about how bad you want to be fucked for the rest of the night,” he told me, smiling as he massaged the grooves in my wrists. “Keep that pussy warm for me, and we’ll continue this later.”
“You can’t be serious,” I whispered, watching in disbelief as he climbed off the bed.
He winked at me before disappearing into the bathroom. The sound of the shower starting soon followed.
I kicked at the comforter in frustration, punching the mattress beside me. My body was still humming with need, my pussy throbbing and wet. How could he leave me like this? I considered finishing myself off, but knew it wouldn’t be the same. Nothing compared to that man when he was deep inside me.
I lay there, listening to the shower run until the water finally shut off, and he emerged completely naked, water droplets still clinging to his skin as he walked to the closet without a glance in my direction.
I admired the perfect curve of his ass, the strong muscles of his back, silently cursing him for denying me.
When he returned thirty minutes later, my irritation turned to intrigue. He was dressed in all black. No jewelry, not even his wedding band or the Cuban link he wore daily. The sun had just set, and there was only one reason a man like Demetrius would dress like that at this hour.
I sat up, sheet falling away from my naked body.
“Where you going, Echo?”
His eyes scanned over me briefly before returning to my face. There was something cold in his gaze now, a shift from the playful dominance of earlier.
“Violet’s husband and friend are on the compound,” he said, moving to stand over me as I lay naked on our bed. “I’m taking him out with me for a little. You should go talk to them.”
I looked up, already picking up on what he might be up to. He was going hunting, and I knew exactly who his prey was.
“You really want me to be friends with them, huh?” I asked softly, reaching for his hand.
I’d picked up on his game long ago. He wanted me to have allies beyond him, his siblings, and Carmen, people who could be trusted.
He squeezed my fingers, his expression softening slightly.
“You know who Lucia is?” I asked after letting him kiss my forehead and then my lips. “And I already know she’s Gaia’s cousin, but what else?”
Gaia had been interesting but left as quickly as she’d arrived, dodging my questions about her cousin during our one encounter.
A small smile curved his lips.
“You’ve heard of the Red Society, right?”
I frowned. The Red Society was whispered about in certain circles, assassins who operated outside normal channels.
“Whispers, yeah. I know it exists. Why? She one of them?”
He pulled a black skully over his head, rolling the edges as he looked back at me.
“Yeah, baby, she’s one of them. They call her Scarlet.”
I knew of the moniker. Even in Everwood, that name carried weight. I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face at the thought of meeting her.
But my smile faded when I noticed how Demetrius’s expression had changed, his eyes intense and serious.
“I can’t live without you,” he said, voice dropping to nearly a whisper. “That means you can’t die without me, my forever. You understand, right?”
My heart ached suddenly, thinking back on him finding me with a gun in my hand last night and then putting it to my head. Asking him to pull the trigger because I couldn’t do it myself.
He was afraid to leave me alone, afraid I might try again while he was gone.
“I understand,” I told him as he leaned over me, pressing his hands into the mattress on either side of my body. His face hovered close to mine, his eyes searching for truth in my words. “I’m going to start therapy and get better.”
He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering there. “You don’t have to rush for me. I’ll be here through every phase, alright?”
Before I could respond, he was gone, the bedroom door closing softly behind him.
I fell back onto the bed, letting the tears I’d been holding back finally fall. This man had seen me at my absolute worst, had learned about my darkest moments, and still looked at me with nothing but love. He was willing to kill for me, to reshape Everwood for me.
And all he asked in return was that I stay alive to love him back. I wiped my tears and reached for my phone. It was time to make some new friends.
I stepped outside an hour later, breathing in the cool night air as I made my way through the compound. The path curved between houses, street lights on as some of the kids played outside.
My life had taken such a strange turn, yet somehow it felt right. Like I was finally where I belonged.
“Forever!”
I turned at the sound of my name, surprised to see Arland standing in the doorway of his home. The screen door creaked as he pushed it open wider, his tall frame filling the entrance. I’d been expecting him to give me a hard time, but instead, his expression seemed almost… friendly?
“Tristian told me you made sure he got home safe after he showed up unannounced at EG,” he said, stepping onto his porch. “Just wanted you to know, I appreciate that.”
I stood there for a hot second, trying to process his words.
“He’s an interesting kid,” I replied, offering a small smile. “Really smart, too. You and your wife did a good job with him.”
Arland’s eyes studied me carefully. I could see the moment something in him softened, his shoulders relaxing slightly. All because I’d treated his teenage son with respect.
“Come by and tell my wife that when you get a chance,” he said, backing away with a shake of his head. “Teenagers are tough.”
The invitation wasn’t lost on me. This was Arland’s way of signaling his approval and welcoming me into the fold. I was gaining a family of my own, little by little.
I continued down the path, the distance to Violet’s place giving me time to consider how much had changed.
The compound was bigger than I’d initially realized, with the houses spaced far enough apart to provide privacy.
By the time I reached the second curve, I was borderline winded.
Clearly, I needed to start running again if I was going to be living here full-time.
As I approached the house at the end of the path, I spotted a woman perched on the porch railing. She had one leg dangling, the other propped up as she leaned against a support beam.
“Hey, cutie,” she called out, her voice carrying a slight timber that added richness to her words.
She tucked one side of her straightened hair behind her ear and hopped down from her perch. As she stepped into the light, I realized she was shorter than me by at least three inches. Maybe five-foot-seven, if that.
“You must be Forever…” she said, eyes scanning me from head to toe.
I took my time looking back, noting the subtle confidence in her stance. Her eyes told the real story; this was a woman who was always ready for whatever shit might come her way.
“And you must be Lucia…”
Her dark skin seemed to glow under the street lights, and her features were surprisingly soft for someone with her reputation.
We stared at each other for a long moment, both of us tilting our heads in different directions, sizing each other up. Then, as if on cue, we smiled simultaneously.
“Violet was right,” she said, crossing her arms. “You’ll fit in with us.”
For whatever reason, I instantly believed we could be friends. There was something about her that felt familiar, though we’d never met before. Maybe it was that we both understood what it meant to operate in worlds where women like us weren’t supposed to exist, let alone thrive.
The screen door opened behind her, and Violet stepped out onto the porch. She looked as unbothered as always, her face revealing nothing as she leaned against the door frame.
“You two done with the mutual admiration society?” she asked, though there was no bite to her words.
Lucia chuckled. “Just making friends. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
I opened my mouth to respond when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, swiping it open after spotting Kai’s name on the screen.
Got a friend you should meet. Tonight only.
I looked up at the two women watching me, an idea forming.
Time and place. I’m bringing company.
“Anybody want to go for a ride?” I asked, tucking my phone away. “I feel like being outside tonight.”
Lucia’s eyes lit up with interest.
“Sounds like trouble,” Violet said flatly, but I caught the slight quirk of her lips.
“Probably,” I agreed. “I gave my brother a task and he just pulled through.”
My phone buzzed again with Kai’s response, and I smiled at the location. He was deep in Fairchild territory, and I wasn’t missing out on that.
The ride to a bar called The Vault took almost thirty minutes. I drove a little recklessly, taking corners too fast and accelerating through yellow lights while Violet sat shotgun and Lucia leaned between the seats, both completely unfazed.
“Do you happen to know where my husband took yours?” I asked Violet, reminding myself to give him a piece of jewelry he isn’t allowed to take off like he’d done to me.
Lucia laughed and leaned back as Violet said.
“Nah, no clue,” she told me with a little smile on her face. “Finn doesn’t want to be here at all, so he’s just along for the ride for my sake.”
I still hadn’t met her husband, but I could only imagine he had a big personality to complement Violet’s nonchalance.
My gaze met Lucia’s in the rearview mirror. She’d been watching me since she sat back.
“You got something on your mind?” I asked, slowing the car as we approached a building with no visible signage, just a line of people waiting behind a velvet rope. “Let’s talk about now before we enter unknown terrain as strangers.”
Lucia smiled, and for some reason, I couldn’t help but smile back. There was just something about her I really liked; the energy coming off her appealed to me.
“Just thinking about an offer presented to me recently. I plan to turn it down, but not before finding a replacement, you know, as a gesture of goodwill.”
I hummed and parked at the end of the block.
“Let’s delve deeper into that later,” I said, not sure why she was considering me for anything at all.
After shooting off a text to Kai, we waited until he emerged from the building to get out and meet him at the entrance.
He nodded at Violet and held Lucia’s gaze for a moment after I gave him a quick introduction before looking at me.
“Why is there always someone new beside her?” he asked as security pulled the door open for us. “Never mind. I didn’t say much through text, but you had to see this in person to believe it.”
The second door, resembling a bank safe, swung open to reveal a space that was on theme.
Instead of the typical flashy nightclub interior, The Vault lived up to its name with stone walls and dim lighting.
It was clear that the design was meant to evoke feelings of being underground despite being street-level.
Kai took a table in the corner elevated slightly above the main floor.
The music was loud but not demeaning, and the crowd parted for us like we were royalty, whispers following in our wake.
My name rippled through the room, accompanied by glances that ranged from curious to hostile.
The Cannon name carried weight here, but it wasn’t always the good kind, and I was alright with that.
My brother turned to me, leaning close to whisper in my ear.
“I’ll explain how I got here later, but look up and tell me that nigga doesn’t look just like your husband.”
I counted to three and lifted my gaze to find a pair of brown eyes staring directly at me. He was a couple of shades lighter, but the resemblance was uncanny. In fact, I saw parts of Oliver and Solei in him, too.
He lifted his head in greeting and walked away from view as Kai said, “Calls himself Amal Samuels, but word on the street is he’s the son Solomon doesn’t claim.”
Amal Samuels.
There was no fucking way.
And then he appeared from around a corner and started toward me.
“Never thought the first time I met my sister-in-law would be here, of all places,” he said, his gaze only briefly leaving mine to address my crew as he stopped in front of us. “Glad to have you. Drinks are on me tonight, unless you’re here for something else.”
The expression in his eyes said he knew exactly why we were here.