“That leaves you, Lu…” She waggles her eyebrows enticingly.
“Your man is a pilot,” Luisa says with a snort. “Go bother Gray.”
“He’s always in briefings,” Karra complains, which only makes his absence at breakfast more notable. I realize she’s right. He hasn’t been around much lately.
“I’d love to get off this base,” I admit, curling my fingers around my cup. “I’m going stir-crazy.”
“You grew up on a ranch, right?” Luisa says. “You’re probably used to being outdoors all the time.”
“Yeah, we were rarely inside. Only at night when it was time for bed. The rest of the time, we were out with the herd or riding horses, mending fences, mucking stalls.” I heave a sigh. “I miss it.”
Mako gawks at me. “Well, hellfuck, you really were a cowgirl.”
I grin at him. “What did you think people do on a ranch?”
“I don’t know, but for some reason it didn’t occur to me you’d be doing allthat.”
The others and I laugh, but my good humor wavers when I notice Evlynne watching me. Without animosity.
I force my lips not to twist into a frown as I ask, “What is it?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking, if you’re that stir-crazy, there are some gorgeous places on the mountain you could check out. A lot of natural anomalies that cropped up after the Last War.”
“Like the daggerstone caves?”
She nods. “And the lagoon.”
“Oh, the lagoon is magnificent,” Karra chimes in. “You should definitely go see it.”
“There’s a lagoon on the mountain?” I can’t hide my skepticism. I wasn’t the best student in upper school, but I know basic geography, and you don’t typically find lagoons in the woods.
“Yes, and Karra’s right—it’s incredible.” Evlynne pauses, then begrudgingly continues. “I’ll fly you out there if you want.”
My suspicion levels are sky-high now. Why is she suddenly being nice to me?
“We could go today after lunch,” she offers.
“Yeah, maybe.” My tone is noncommittal.
I feel a poke in the back of my mind. Evlynne is trying to establish a link. We’ve never communicated telepathically before, but I know it’s her because her veins are rippling. Reluctantly, I let her in.
“Come find me in the hangar later if you want to go.”
I shouldn’t.
I really shouldn’t.
But I’ve been so bored the past few days, and curiosity is one of my fatal flaws. Despite my better judgment, I reach out to Evlynne after lunch.
“I’ll take you up on that offer.”
“Great. I’m just wrapping up.”
I lock up the weapons cage in the range and go to the main hangar, where Evlynne waits for me by one of the helicopters.
“Ready to go?”
“Yeah. Thanks for taking me,” I say, praying I won’t live to regret this.
