Page 137 of The Echo of Forever

He shrugged, and all I could think was,kill him now. Deal with the consequences later.

But then she shifted against me, a small sound escaping her lips as she nestled closer. The weight of how much she trusted me to make sound decisions about her personal life settled over me. She needed her brother alive, and for that alone, I lowered my gun and holstered it.

The truth would come out, one way or another.

CHAPTER 33

FOREVER

I woketo the feeling of Demetrius’s arms wrapped around me, his body damn near molded against mine.

His heartbeat thumped against my back, and the way he held me felt different, like he was afraid I’d slip away if he loosened his grip even a little.

I could tell he was awake from his breathing, felt the tension radiating off him in waves, and wondered what I missed.

Turning slightly, I pressed my lips to his bare chest, and he hummed before pulling back just enough to look down at me. His eyes scanned my face with an intensity that made my stomach flutter.

Why are you so beautiful?

“You okay, baby?” he asked, voice a tad hoarse.

His eyes continued to search mine, but it was the frantic tone that confused me. Why was he acting like my sleeping was cause for alarm?

“What’s wrong?” I asked, frowning as I reached up to touch his face. “Did something happen while I was asleep?”

I glanced around the room, taking in his bedroom at the compound as my frown deepened.

“When did we come back to the compound? I fell asleep in your office.”

Demetrius didn’t answer right away. He stared at me with an odd expression on his face, something between concern and resignation.

“What?” I asked, slipping one arm from around his body to touch my own face. “Is there something on my—”

He silenced me by tugging my head back to his chest, his hand cradling the back of my skull as he held me there. I could feel his heart pounding against the side of my face.

“You don’t remember,” he said softly.

It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Irrefutable fact from the way he was holding on to me. My skin prickled with unease.What was I supposed to remember?

“Alyssa asked to see you today,” he continued, pulling away and untangling our bodies. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “We’ll do that first, and then I’ll take you to breakfast in the city.” He stood, his back to me. “I’m going to shower downstairs.

As he moved toward the door, a strange ache bloomed in my belly. Something wasn’t right. The distance he was putting between us felt deliberate, and I couldn’t bear it. I scrambled out of bed and followed him, grabbing his wrist just as he opened the bedroom door.

“What’s wrong, Echo?” I asked, voice softer than intended. “Why does it feel like you’d rather be anywhere but near me right now?”

He didn’t turn around right away, and I really wanted him to look at me.

“Please,” I whispered, hating how vulnerable I sounded but needing to understand what had changed overnight.

When he finally faced me, the energy between us shifted with the movement. His eyes darkened as they traveled down mybody, lingering on my exposed skin. The concern was still there, but something else burned beneath it.

There was a point to prove.

“You think I don’t want to be near you, my forever?” he asked, his voice dropping to that deep register that never failed to make me weak.

He twisted his wrist free from my fingers only to capture them with his own.

I moaned as he tugged me against him, his free hand sliding down to cup my ass. The heat of his palm seeped through the thin fabric of my sleep shorts, making my skin tingle. He pulled me closer until I could feel his hardness pressing against my stomach.