Revived (The Lucidites Book 3) by Sarah Noffke Page A

archenemies and still have my unwavering trust but Joseph? Hating him would be like hating myself.
    Before I have a chance to answer someone knocks. I angle my head at the door, giving Joseph a look.
    “I’ll get it,” he says with an exaggerated sigh. A minute later he deposits a note in my hand. I look at it blankly, certain that whatever is inside I don’t want to read.
    “All right, Stark, let’s see it. Can’t be all that bad,” Joseph commiserates.
    “Your scale and mine of what’s bad are drastically different,” I say, unfolding the note. Trey’s handwriting is flowery. More so than most men’s.
     
    Dear Roya,
     
    I’m sorry I disappoint you so often. I know you must feel deserted by me. You have every right to be angry at my choices. It took me too long to tell you this: sending you and Joseph away tore my soul in two. I’m not good at showing it, but I do care about you two. All of this is to protect you both. Please don’t be foolish. Please don’t seek out Chase. He wants to use you as a weapon against the Institute.
     
    Sincerely,
    Trey
     
    “Weapon?” Joseph says, reading over my shoulder. “How?”
    I fold up the message, feeling strangely sentimental, and shrug. “It doesn’t make much sense, but welcome to the world of the Lucidites. Nothing makes sense in this place.”
    “What do you think he means by that whole soul bit?” Joseph asks, watching his feet as he kicks them back and forth over the side of the bed.
    “Hard to tell,” I say. “The thing about Trey is that he has the capacity to care, but he also has an agenda.”
    “I guess I should reserve judgment,” Joseph says after a moment of deliberation.
    “That’s mature of you.”
     
    ♦
     
    A half an hour later another note comes. Another meeting request. I love Patrick, but he’s only brought bad news all day. Maybe the guy should take the rest of the month off.
    Ren’s office is surprisingly well lit compared to what I envisioned. In my imagination he worked in a dungeon, tortured enemies pinned to the walls in rusty chains, an interrogation light swinging in the corner, every now and then illuminating teeth and bits of hair sprayed out on the dirt floor.
    I am surprised when I walk into a tidy office with multiple floor lamps. A large British flag ripples across the entire back wall. A row of shelves, full of jacket-worn books, flanks the side wall. There’s no blood or pliers or anything else that can link Ren to the torture of innocent people. My eyes continue to search.
    Ren spins around in his swivel chair and faces me with a keen grin. “Well, thank you for gracing me with your presence. I expected that you wouldn’t be here until after all the Pokémon cartoons were over. Pull up a chair, won’t you, luv.” He motions to a folding chair lying against the wall.
    “Wow,” I say, unfolding the cold metal chair. “Looks like you went all out.”
    “Can’t have guests getting too comfortable. Then they’d want to stay and that would just about kill me,” he says.
    “Would it? Well, I’ve got nowhere to be any time soon, so let’s put that to the test.”
    He raises an eyebrow, looking almost entertained by my quip. “Oh, clever girl, you wouldn’t be so quick to make jokes if you knew why you were here.”
    “I’m one hundred percent certain it has absolutely everything to do with making my life hell, so without further ado, please get on with it.”
    “You’re taking all the fun out of this,” he says, crossing his arms and feigning disappointment. “Can’t you grimace a bit? Be a tad more repulsed by me? That would make this move along a little better.”
    “Keep doing what you’re doing and I’m certain I’ll vomit.”
    “That would be lovely,” Ren says with a toothy grin. Maybe it’s the lighting in his office, but for the first time I notice gray hair flecking between strands of red. “We’re here so I can help you combat your horny attraction to Chase. Specifically,