The Betrayer (Regenerate #3.5)

I) The Recovery

From the window to my quarantine room, I can see Thalia walk out the door. Dr. Intrigue follows after her. Lorna could stop him, I think. I doubt Intrigue knows how Lorna is at hand-to-hand combat. She'd have the advantage.

She doesn't risk it, though. Instead she watches him leave and comes back in to sit with me.

I push myself up a little so that I'm sort of sitting up.

"Stop that," Lorna says. "You almost died and you should be ready."

I grin. "I'm feeling fine. Better than fine. I never thought you could actually kiss somebody better, but I'm becoming less of a skeptic."

Lorna rolls her eyes. "I think that more to do with the antidote, though I think that kiss could probably explain your elevated heart rate. And the puppy dog look in your eyes."

"Is puppy dog look the scientific term?" I ask. "And is it something I should worry about?"

"I think you should be more worried about almost dying," Lorna says. "Lie down and rest. Please? Thalia did give you direct orders to get better."

I lie back down. "Well when you put it that way."

"You're hopeless," she says. "Go to sleep."

"Wake me up if there's any word from Thalia?" I ask.

"Only if she says anything interesting," Lorna says.

She's about to leave when I ask, "Why didn't you stop Dr. Intrigue? You could have taken him down."

"I'm not sure I could," Lorna says. "Besides, we had a deal with him. And I'm too worried about you to be dealing with him. So don't even try to make me feel bad about freeing him so he'd help save your life."

"I'm not," I say.

"Good."

"I would have done the same," I tell her. And it's true, I would have. I would free Dr. Intrigue to save anyone on the team. Even Derek, who still manages to annoy me, despite breaking up with Thalia.

"Besides," I say. "If Thalia is successful in bringing Dr. Grey in, Intrigue might not be too problematic. He mostly seems motivated by his vendetta."

Lorna glances back at the door, something unreadable in her eyes. "I think he might be more complicated than we give him credit for."

"That sounds like a dangerous thought."

She turns back to me. "It does sound that way. So I forbid you from thinking about Intrigue until you're fully recovered."

I close my eyes. "I think I can find more pleasant thoughts to occupy my mind anyway." Like replaying that kiss a million times over.

"You do that," Lorna says with a knowing smile. "Sleep well."

Even though I'm worried about Thalia, I fall asleep quickly. I suppose almost dying will do that to you.