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

The ever-evolving scenery made sense to her, though. What didn’t make sense was the temperature. Higher altitudes always equaled colder temperatures, so why was it becoming chillier the farther downriver they traveled? It had to be a cold snap of some kind.

A small gust of wind blew, punctuating her thoughts, and she shivered. How much farther were they from the fork Verakko had mentioned?

“Look down there on the right!” he called, pointing into the distance.

Lily squinted and saw what looked to be another makeshift flag on the opposite side of the river. Had she decided the other side was better for some reason?

 Come on, Alex. Give a girl a break. She suppressed a guilty grin. Although, being carried by a naked Verakko again might not be so bad. She snickered to herself like a schoolgirl, recalling her stealthy glances down to Verakko’s glorious chest as he’d carried her.

She surveyed the scenery in front of her and waved Verakko over. “I vote we cross down there.” She pointed to a stretch of river nearer to where Alex’s leaf flag fluttered. “I’m also going to climb that tree and get a lay of the land. See if I spot any more flags or maybe the fork in the river.” Lily gestured to a towering olive-green tree a few yards away.

Verakko eyed the tree in question, and she could’ve sworn his face became a lighter shade of teal. “That isn’t necessary. I’m sure the fork isn’t too much farther.”

“It’ll only take a few minutes and will give me peace of mind. I mean, what if she changed her mind again, and we’re planning to cross for nothing?” Lily canted her head and studied him. “Are you worried about me climbing the tree? It looks sturdy.”

His gaze shifted away, and he strode forward. “I just don’t think we should be taking any unnecessary risks. You could fall.”

Lily thought for a moment before following him. “Are…are you afraid of heights?”

The instant bunching of his shoulders told her she must be right. To be fair, he had fallen out of the sky only a few days ago. That would leave anyone with a lingering concern about being high up.

“I’m not afraid of heights,” he hissed. “I just prefer to stay on the ground.”

She reached out and gripped his hand; the tight corners of his eyes relaxed, and his vivid green irises locked on the connection. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t do well in small spaces myself.”

In a softer tone, he explained, “The height isn’t the issue. I’m wary of the pain that follows a fall from a great height.”

Something in Lily told her he was speaking from past experience, and not only from the tumble he’d recently taken. His thumb trailed over the back of her hand before he released it and continued forward.

“It sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” she urged, trying to sound casual.

“I do,” he said simply.

Lily rolled her eyes, trailing behind him. Subtlety isn’t working. “Will you tell me about it? I promise I won’t climb the tree if you do.”

He gave her a perplexed look over his shoulder. “Why do you care?”

She shrugged. “Can’t I want to know more about you? We’ve been walking for days, and I don’t know anything about your personal life.”

He ran the tip of his tongue over a fang in thought. “Alright. When I was a boy, I had a nasty fall.”

When he didn’t continue, Lily huffed out an annoyed, “And?”

“Are you sure you want to hear this?” He peered down at her curiously and shifted the woven bag on his shoulder. “It isn’t pleasant.”

“As long as you’re okay talking about it, I want to hear it.”

The corner of his mouth twitched as though he’d almost smiled. “When I was young, I loved to build things. Tinker with electronics. My father didn’t like me using my inventions in the house, so I’d go out to the empty towers in the new city.”

Lily listened intently and watched as Verakko spoke while scanning the shore and sky.

“They’d begun building the towers as a way to bring increased sustainability and housing to the people of my city, but Swadaeth aren’t very welcoming of change.” He snorted as if that was an understatement. “Most of the citizens have now moved into the housing, but early on, a lot of the buildings were deserted. The perfect place for me to be alone. I would tell my father I was going to the desert, but really I’d override the security systems and work in one of the towers.

“One day I was testing out a new flying gadget. It had a hidden compartment on the underside with a programmable fingerprint scan.”

Lily smiled, picturing a small Verakko quiet and stoic among a pile of springs and cogs. “What were you trying to hide?”

A wide grin transformed his features. Lily attempted to regulate the sigh building in her at the sight.

“Sweets from the kitchen.”

Lily laughed out loud. “You built a flying machine from scratch when you were a kid to sneak candy?”

“I was told I couldn’t have them.” He shrugged. “And I love sweets.”

Lily shook her head. The priorities of a kid are the same everywhere.

The shore along the river had narrowed and risen until the space between the forest and water was barely wide enough for one person. Verakko motioned her ahead, and she shuffled forward, grabbing branches and vines along the way to keep herself steady. The small, slick patch of grassy earth rose a few feet above the water. It wasn’t particularly dangerous, but she’d already fallen into a river once this month, and that had been enough.

Warmth spread through her belly at the sight of Verakko’s large hand, outstretched and ready to snatch her back if she