Page 29 of Never the Same

Unlike my siblings, she still had an English accent. Same with our father. Though I had no idea about Tristan. Where was he raised, and who took care of him?

“I have clothes in the closet for you to wear—not sure if your brothers brought any of your things with them. This is normally my bedroom when I visit.”

She crossed the room to the other side and began opening the curtains at the front to let in more light. I hung back by the bed, just watching her, waiting for her to face me.

When she was done, she slowly turned, swiping her fingers across her lips before subtly clearing her throat and starting for me.

She had dark hair like mine, but it only met her shoulders. Hazel eyes, sharp cheekbones, and a killer jawline. She was in a black sleeveless jumpsuit, showing off sleek and toned arms. The woman looked like a runway model, not a grandmother to my three kids.

No, I don’t have kids. Rewind. That was a dream. Maybe even a strange amnesia fantasy, or a movie memory. Not reality. I needed to do some research on my situation so I’d know what to expect between now and whenever my memories returned.

“Age really is just a number when it comes to you, huh?” I spoke my thoughts out loud, which had her giving me a no-teeth smile. “Lady . . . ?” I waited for her to fill in the blanks for me.

“Duchess Catalina. Aleric is your father, the Duke of Rothvale.”

My father’s a duke? What in the Bridgerton? And why’d I know that show but not recognize her touch when she held my wrists?

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Her voice was stiff, the emotion seemingly forced. “I didn’t tell you that yesterday, but of course I am.” As quickly as she’d grabbed me, she let go, like that was that, conversation over.

I had no idea what to talk about, so I searched for the first thing to come to mind. My hand skated around to the small of my back, which reminded me: “Do you and my father have a tracker as well?”

“Of course.” She adjusted her necklace, her eyes sweeping to the oval-shaped diamond. Quite the upgrade from the chain I had on. “But I’m sure Julian explained we’re all masking our signals currently as a precautionary measure.”

“And you’re also in the same line of work I’m apparently in, right? A spy. Warrior. Whatever we’re called?”

“Yes, just as my mother was. And her mother. Your father and his. Our families were united to merge two powerful bloodlines. The Wyndham d’Aragons and the Averys.” She rested her hand on her chest atop the pendant. “I’m an Avery. I’m an only child, unlike your father.”

“Do we also own businesses or something?” I thought back to the T-shirt I’d been wearing yesterday with that name on it like a logo.

“We do.” She didn’t elaborate, and so I didn’t bother pressing. I’d find out eventually—or even better, actually remember my past.

“Any more questions?” She smiled, and it was as forced and fake as that hate thing Reed and I allegedly had going on.

Gideon had said not to bring up Tristan yesterday so he could talk to our parents first, but I assumed I was in the clear to do it today. Tristan was also the only other important topic on my mind at the moment. “My half brother, tell me more about him.”

She immediately checked the camera in the room—no blinking light. She began fiddling with her bracelets and revealed, “He’s my firstborn child. A by-product of an operation. I did what I had to for the sake of the country, and your father understood. I did not have an affair.”

By-product? The sake of . . . What? And which country?

“I also don’t believe Tristan had anything to do with what happened to you, and we will get ahold of him soon so he can clear his name.”

“So you’re not in the least worried he’s in danger, or that he was taken along with me?” Before she could answer, I pressed, “And for that matter, why in the world is he on the suspect list to begin with, since he’s my brother?”

No one had explained that to me, and it was clear Delta Shield had to be careful what they said to me because of my brothers.

A knock on the door saved her from having to continue, and she was quick to take that reprieve, lightly calling out, “Come in.”

I fidgeted with the belt of my robe while waiting to see who it was. Gideon and Julian, of course.

Gideon looked like he was about to dominate a board meeting in a three-piece suit. As for Julian, I’d expected him to resemble the kind of hackers I recalled from shows and movies, but he ruined that stereotype in his dark-wash jeans and black tee beneath an open black button-down shirt paired with what looked like designer sneakers.

Julian’s sleeves were rolled to his elbows, so when he brushed a strand of his longish hair away from his forehead, I caught sight of the crest tattoo we all shared. “How’d you sleep? How do you feel?”

I skipped over sharing the details of my one and only dream and surrendered a small, “Okay,” as an answer to both of Julian’s questions.

I mindlessly walked to the back of the room to look out the window, not up for eye contact with either brother at the moment. I set my hand on the windowpane, my stomach flipping in response to who was walking up to the house.

Reed was talking to his teammate, and he must have sensed he had eyes on him, because he jerked his head up toward the second floor and stared right at me.