“I take it you like working in the crystal fields then.”
“God no.” She laughed rather derisively. “I don’t stand for it. We used to use fire for light. And it worked just fine. Plus, we have enough Elizians who can produce and give electricity around the clock. I still don’t understand why we have to harvest the beauty of the crystal fields.”
I tilted my head and huffed, accepting the truth in what she said. “Why don’t they?”
Her fingers tensed into claws like she was squeezing imaginary heads. “Because no one listens to me!” Then, she relaxed and took off her black choker necklace, setting it beside the sink. “Sorry. You don’t want to get me started. I’ll go on for days…”
I grinned, feeling some deep-rooted connection with her cause. I loved the Ölden Lands. And anything I could do to make it better, I would in a heartbeat. “I admire your passion and your mission.”
She shrugged. “Well, you’d be one of the few.” We exchanged a look of mutual appreciation before she sighed. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Um, I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
She perked up, squaring her shoulders to me. “What is it?”
I leaned my hip against her counter and rested a hand on it, feeling like suddenly I didn’t know what to do with my body because I knew I’d have to talk to her about Fletcher. Not only that, but I was doing this behind his back. He was very clear about not involving anyone else for now. And here I was in the house of his ex-lover.
I took a deep breath, committing to my decision, then let the words roll off my tongue. “So, Fletcher and I are planning on taking down the Cidris… secretly. We’d like to recruit you.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
I stepped into Fletcher’s embrace when I crossed the barrier to him. He whisked us away to Aldris’s house and laid me on the bed. In seconds, he was atop me and lowering his head to entangle his lips with mine. “I’ve missed you,” he growled.
“I missed you too,” I said against his mouth before he shushed me and deepened the kiss. I couldn’t help but smile and let out a giggle. He smiled too and pulled away to look at me. His wavy bangs hungtoward me, darkening the lust in his eyes. “I like your laugh.”
I cocked a brow and teased, “I like your everything.”
He kissed my cheek before pulling me up to a sitting position and asking, “How’d it go?”
Dread fell upon me. I took a deep inhale and let my head fall back.
“That bad?”
A lock of golden hair fell to the middle of my face when I straightened. I blew it away with pursed lips as my shoulders slackened. “No. It was actually great.”
When the lock of hair fell back to the center of my face, Fletcher guided me to the ground where I sat between his spread legs for him to braid my hair.
“It’s just…” I continued, loving the feeling of him gently parting my hair in thirds, French braiding each.
“Tell me,” he coaxed.
“You’re not going to like it.”
He remained quiet, and since I wasn’t looking at him, I couldn’t read his expression. When the silence began thickening, I whispered, “I recruited Rosanne.”
In a low baritone, he said, “Why?”
I went to turn to him, but he tugged my hair the opposite direction, keeping my head straight.
“Stay still.”
I resumed staring at the black-railed banister that overlooked the rest of the house as Fletcher began working on the middle section. “She will not be a distraction. I promise. I’ve set it aside.”
He gulped hard.
“You said you trust her,” I reminded.
