Page 120 of Never the Same

As for Lyra? Gideon and Sebastian were handling her. I couldn’t face that betrayal yet. Not until I knew Gwen and Easton were fine.

“Is Kylo almost here with his family?” I asked when Jason checked a notification on his phone. He had his hand propped up on the window by my bed as he read a message.

“They just pulled up. Kylo needs to get his brother and parents help first, then he’ll stop in to see you.” He pushed off the window and turned toward me, a solemn look on his face.

“I’m so glad he got to his family in time. I can’t handle any more bad news.” I also refused to believe Easton and Gwen would die.

Carter had been the one to call Gwen’s father, Wyatt, as well as Easton’s brother-in-law, Constantine. Both men were already heading to their respective airports to fly here.

A soft knock pulled my attention to the doorway. Tristan stood there, cleaned up, but shadows still darkened his face. “Am I interrupting?”

I gripped Jason’s wrist, silently requesting he stay as my steady rock in the storm while I motioned to my brother to join us.

Julian slipped in behind Tristan, and then my father walked in as well.

The air thickened, tension crowding the small room.

My stomach knotted as my dad closed the door with deliberate finality, leaning his back against it. Tristan and Julian moved closer, one on either side of the bed.

“What is it?” I slid my hand from Jason’s wrist, lacing our fingers together.

I thought Tristan was pulling the syringe with my cure from his pocket; instead, he produced a ring. He stepped forward and set it in my palm. “This is what they had you take from our vault in Florence. I recovered it from Cassian after you left for the hospital. The Ring of Solomon. Most believe it’s a myth.”

The gold was dulled with age, the signet etched with strange markings. Power hummed beneath its weight, like it was alive. “Wait, are you saying this actually belonged to the real Solomon?”

Dad stepped forward, his tone low and measured as he shared, “Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know, but my great-great-great-grandmother got hold of it, and it’s been with my bloodline ever since. Whoever has it is considered the legitimate leader of our family.” The words sank in like stones in water. “I chose you to be the one to inherit it and all that comes with it.”

“That’s why I had the second code to the vault in Florence.” My fingers locked around Jason’s hand like a lifeline. “Cassian needed us gone so only Lyra would be left to take over.” I shoved the ring back into Tristan’s hand. “What if I don’t want this?”

Tristan passed the ring over to Dad, and he slid it on his finger.

“You will when you remember who you are,” my father said without meeting my eyes.

“Speaking of your memories,” Tristan started, “I have the antidote. Just gave Mum hers as well before heading in here.”

“Did they ask Mum who your dad is? Do you know the truth?” I couldn’t help but wonder.

Tristan glanced back at my dad, then over at Julian. “They did, which is why I couldn’t leave anyone alive out there.”

So you know who your dad is. Something told me he wasn’t going to do a name reveal anytime soon. Maybe never.

Tristan removed a small vial from his pocket and opened the cabinets, searching for a syringe.

“Did Kylo and Rowan overhear who your father is? Their parents?” Jason asked.

“No. They weren’t in the room with us when they drugged Mum.” Tristan filled the syringe with a clear substance.

I lifted my hand, a request to keep it away from me, when a memory surfaced like a knife cutting through fog. “You said something in the woods about forgetting the in-between . . . ?”

Tristan gave me a hesitant nod. “The by-product of the treatment is that you won’t recall anything from when you were drugged the first time up until now. You’ll lose the week. The last thing you’ll remember is being at the rave.”

My heart landed in my throat, and a wave of blistering chills cut across my skin.

Jason’s hand went slack in mine. He pulled away and turned toward the window, bracing his palm against the glass yet again, shoulders caving like the weight of the news had broken him.

Every moment we’d shared—our tangled, impossible week together—was about to be erased.

No, no, this isn’t fair. Panic spiked as my gaze ricocheted between my family. “Find another way. Don’t let me forget.”