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

Putting on wet clothes wasn’t the most comfortable, but the warm air of most nights and the thin fabric ensured they dried quickly. Now, thanks to her distracted state of mind, all brought on by that confusing male, she’d forgotten to take her new travel companion into account.

Was it really wise to walk back into camp with a wet, white T-shirt? If his heated looks at her touch were any indication, no. She tore off her clothing and scrubbed away the blood and grime.

Her thorough laundering a few days ago made it so the clothes rinsed clean, or what could be considered clean these days, without too much effort. Peering around, she found a few dry boulders near a shallow area of river and moved toward them, squatting awkwardly to keep her shoulders below the surface of the water.

After her clothes were laid out and drying, she ducked back into the river and began to relax. It would take him ages to start a fire, anyway, her clothes should be partially dry by then. The water here was warm and soft and slightly aerated from the rapids upstream. As the sun dipped below the tree line, she enjoyed the last of the sunset. One of the moons was already visible in the cornflower-blue sky.

She thought about Verakko and grinned while paddling closer to shore to retrieve some sand. Learning how to use a bow drill was hard work. It took years of practice to master. Verakko would likely be fireless and livid upon her return, just as she’d been the first time she’d tried to use one on her own.

Lily ran the sand over her body as an exfoliant, trying to get as clean as possible without soap. She hadn’t yet gotten lucky enough to catch an animal, but if she ever did, one of the first things she’d do would be to render the fat and make soap. She frowned, knowing that dream was just that—a dream. Even if she managed to get her hands on some fat, it’d take ages to convert into soap. Time she didn’t have.

Noise behind her had her ducking into the water and spinning in place.

How? Is that…? There on the bank, looking pleased as punch, stood Verakko. And to make everything even more bothersome, he was holding a torch.

He’d made fire.

“You said you were only retrieving water,” he called, crossing to her drying clothing and hooking a finger under her black panties. A wide grin spread over his face as he held them high in the air.

“Put them down,” she grated.

He rocked back on his heels, dropping her underwear and lifting her matching black mesh bra. “I’ve never seen undergarments quite like this.”

Her cheeks heated. “Well, now you have. Please leave and let me finish bathing in peace.”

Verakko stuck the torch deep in the sand and stood. “You aren’t the only one who deserves to get clean.”

Pins and needles broke out over her skin as Verakko swung his shirt over his head, then stooped to remove his boots. Lily had to stop herself from squinting. Instead, she turned and walked deeper into the water. It’s okay. It’s a big river. We both need to get clean, after all. I’m being selfish. He still has a wound in his side.

She silently berated herself for not checking on the injury again sooner. If she had to nurse an infection…she’d never find Alex. Not to mention it’d be life threatening to him, and that made her insides twist for more reasons than just common human decency. Even through their bickering, she was beginning to like Verakko more and more.

The sound of a splash made her whirl around. Ripples near the shore showed her where he’d entered, but he was nowhere in sight. Confused, she scanned the area for a moment before cursing and covering her breasts and sex with her hands. Glaring, she searched the surface of the water. Where was that bastard? And how good was his eyesight under water?

“What are you looking for?”

The voice behind her made her shriek and almost skip across the surface. Her heart was still pounding in her ears when she spun to find Verakko standing halfway out of the water and laughing a full-bellied laugh.

The sound was infectious. She bit her lip to stifle the grin threatening to undermine her anger. “That wasn’t funny.”

He let out that odd sound again. Almost like a purr but sharper. “It was funny for me.”

Suddenly, Verakko’s naked torso caught her eye. Rivulets of water trailed over his large pecs and chiseled stomach and collected in the fabric of the bandage circling his hips. His skin was smooth and darker than it’d been when she’d left. “You can change color. Can you do it on purpose?”

“If needed.” He ducked into the water, wetting his hair. Raising his hands to his pointed ears, he began to massage his scalp; the muscles of his large biceps bulging.

Lily bit the inside of her cheek and tried to keep her eyes focused on his face. His small smirk showed her he’d noticed her fascination with his body.

Her cheeks heated again, so she distracted herself by lifting her arms and raking her nails across her own scalp. As his gaze roamed over her shoulders and arms in the same way hers had, she was thankful she’d volunteered to be a guinea pig for a coworker looking to practice her laser hair removal. It was vain, but on her yearly trips into the wild with her family, the lack of body hair had always made her feel a little more human and a little less yeti. An unforeseen bonus of her months of hair removal procedures…she now felt more confident bathing next to the seemingly perfect specimen that was Verakko.

“I can’t change to any color.