Page 109 of The Echo of Forever

Everything she said to me before we split, played over in my head. I never forget a word out of her mouth for this very reason.

There’s always something to latch on to, like her mentioning hearing from everyone and not her mom while with me.

More than once, which meant it bothered her.

Now it was bothering me, too.

“Her location is in—”

“Not far from here,” I cut in, flicking my gaze in Carmen’s direction as we stepped out of Cannon towers. “Just follow my lead and take your own cars.”

She scoffed, and I chuckled while already moving toward my truck. I wasn’t the jealous type until my wife forgot me.

The need to make everybody understand that I knew her better than they did was too strong to ignore.

My problem with Carmen boiled down to her being there for Forever when I couldn’t, but now wasn’t the time for my bullshit.

You worry me, dragonfly.

I found it hard to focus whenever Forever mentioned being alone with her mother in the past.

That feeling hadn’t changed at all, though I was pleased she subconsciously remembered to give me her location when entering an unpredictable situation that wasn’t society-related.

She’d even left the door cracked, almost as if my arrival was to be expected. This wasn’t the first time I decided to pop up wherever she was, even without a verbal request.

With so much at stake, leaving Forever out of my sight for too long wasn’t an option anymore. I never knew what to expect but I wasn’t scared of shit standing in the way of reaching her.

“What did she mean?” she mumbled as I carried her into the living room.

She was already fighting to get out of my arms, like she hadn’t just fainted into these muthafuckers.

I’d only caught the tail end of her mother’s words, but even I was wondering what the fuck Quinn meant.

There were too many secrets at play, and I wasn’t fucking with that, especially if it meant hurting my baby.

I set Forever down on the couch, and she immediately tried to stand, but I pushed her back down and kneeled.

“How… did…” She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. “…you get into the building?” she asked, fingers gripping my shoulder. “I smell Carmen’s perfume. Is she here?”

There wasn’t a secure building I couldn’t find my way inside of, especially in the neutral zone. However, Carmen had been the one to let us into the lobby with a universal key she made sure to mention was given to her.

Oliver had already stepped out to call Alyssa’s husband for an emergency home visit after watching Forever pass out in my arms.

It was rare for us to use him, but after the baby news earlier, I couldn’t allow his wife to be in the same room as mine right now.

“She’s facilitating Quinn’s care,” I whispered, taking her face into my hands. “Do you feel okay? I can tell she gave you something.”

Her eyes danced, moving across my face as if they were taking me in for the first time. She was here but not really, definitely high on something.

“I love how pretty you are,” Forever slurred, smiling slowly. “Would you still love me if I were a black cat?”

I pulled her forehead to my lips and pressed a kiss that gradually turned into a smile.

“She gave the good shit, huh, baby?”

This was the second time Quinn drugged Forever in an attempt to protect her during an episode; the first happened twenty years ago yesterday.

Forever was only eleven at the time when her ma dosed her with Ativan, while Eliel was away.