Saving Verakko: The Clecanian Series Book 3 by Victoria Aveline (books to read for teens TXT) 📕

take the lead, had traveled in the way she wanted, but if there was a threat to her safety, he’d need to insist, and he didn’t look forward to that inevitable argument.

How long was she expecting to stay out here anyway? Her friend was gone. Verakko sensed she may believe the same but wasn’t ready to admit it. He worried about what would happen when she finally did. She was so strong, so competent. But she was also caring. To a level he didn’t understand. The way her eyes had shone with tears yesterday morning. The pain on her face had just about floored him.

He hoped that when she finally gave up searching, she’d let him be there for her. Hold her while she cried and whisper reassurances into her mop of tangled, gorgeous brown hair.

Verakko’s mind latched onto his thoughts, and his head jerked back. What was happening to him? He hated it when people cried. A few weeks ago, he’d tried to calm Alice, who’d been on the cusp of tears. But the only reason he’d done it was because he’d been literally trapped underwater in a meeting room with nowhere to escape to. He glanced at his hands for the hundredth time this morning and let out an irritated hiss to find them unmarked.

From the stories he’d heard, most of the mates from his family line had recognized each other fairly quickly upon meeting. Even his great aunts, who’d been legendary for not getting their marks until a year after they’d met, had recognized each other as potential mates from the first moment they’d locked eyes.

But if Lily was to be believed, his eyes hadn’t changed.

Was it because she was human? Maybe if he got her out of the forest and they were both safe and comfortable, their souls would relax and recognize each other. It was a long shot, yet the odd jumble of feelings he was experiencing for her after such a short time begged to be explored.

He might not know exactly where he was, but he knew of this river and knew it would eventually lead to two cities. They’d need to travel to one of them. At this point, they were both closer in distance than Tremanta by a long shot. The prospect of visiting either city sat heavy in his gut. Staying out here and letting Lily suffer was not an option, though. He’d need to decide which city to move toward soon.

She began to stir, and like an overeager male fresh from husbandry school, he nervously smoothed his hair. Realizing what he’d done, he promptly mussed it again. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. At least he’d be able to burn off some of this inner turmoil during their hike. At present, his mood was beyond foul.

Why in the name of the Goddess had he been dropped into the presence of this tormenter? If he’d only recognized her, this whole situation would be different. He’d be overjoyed, attempting to woo her at every turn. Instead, he had to now watch her stretch her arms above her head in the dappled morning sunlight and pretend the slice of skin exposed below her top didn’t make his mouth water.

She rubbed her eyes and then squinted over at him. The gold flecks in her irises were bright, and the dark smudges underneath were gone. “Wow. Thank you for keeping watch. I haven’t slept for a full night in…well, I can’t remember how long.” She studied him. “You should’ve woken me up so we could take turns, though. You look like crap.”

“Why would I care about how I look to you?” he snapped, caring very much about how he looked to her.

She raised her hands in surrender. “I get it. You’re not a morning person. Noted.” She rolled her eyes and rummaged in her bag, mumbling, “So, even aliens need coffee.”

“Are you ready to go?”

She shot him an exasperated look. “I just woke up. Would you cool it? I want to brush my teeth and take a trip to the woods, then we can go.” She pulled a small, frayed twig and wooden bowl from her bag, then swept her gaze around the camp. “Can you hand me that rock?” she asked, pointing to a small stone near his knee.

Lily pushed the ashes of the long-dead fire around with a stick and tentatively grabbed a piece of charcoal. Verakko watched in fascination.

She crushed the charcoal into a fine powder, mixed a few drops of water in until a paste formed, and used the substance along with her twig to clean her teeth. Damn. Why did she have to be so impressive?

“Wha…?” she said around a mouth full of black charcoal. She’d caught him staring.

“I can go get whatever it is you need in the woods while you finish.” He didn’t have the experience she did to survive in the wild, but he could take direction. Make himself useful by fetching her things and carrying their load. He’d wanted to carry the bag for her all day yesterday, but a weak part of him had desired to hear her request his help. It had struck him as both vexing and endearing when he’d realized she never would. Especially since the woven green bag was wider than she was and looked moderately heavy.

She raised a brow and flushed her mouth out with water. “That’s okay. I can do it.”

Heat rose on his neck. “I insist.”

She stood and dusted off her clothing. “It’s fine. I’ll only be a minute.”

Frustration, mingled with his long, sleepless night, forced him to his feet. “Lily, I need to help in some way. You stay here, and I’ll go get whatever it is you need.” He advanced. She backed away, eyes wide. She’d slept soundly three feet away from him all night, and he’d just destroyed all that