Saving Verakko: The Clecanian Series Book 3 Victoria Aveline (best book club books .TXT) 📖

The vein in his neck pulsed again, and she felt a modicum of satisfaction.

She strolled past him, ignoring the enticing whiff of cedar as she did, and forced her mind to focus on the task at hand. After a few minutes of silence, she spotted a clearing set among a grouping of large boulders and, without saying a word, began setting up camp.

Verakko dropped the logs nearby. Lily could feel his eyes on her but didn’t want to lose her newfound calm by acknowledging him. What he’d said was true in some ways. She’d never been closer to hysteria since being in these woods. Not even when she’d woken up in a cell.

The hardships of the last month finally seemed to be catching up with her, and this man did nothing but heighten all the emotion she’d been suppressing. In a situation like this, that was dangerous. Lily distracted herself by wondering what Alex would think of Verakko. She grinned and imagined all the random movie comparisons she’d make to the handsome teal guy.

Her grin fell; Verakko would probably like Alex more than her. He could take care of her, and she’d allow it. That had always been a problem in Lily’s relationships. Too independent to make men feel comfortable. Why did they always want her to need them? Wasn’t it better if she didn’t?

Lily sighed and retrieved her bow drill kit and a tinder nest from her pack.

“What can I do?” he asked from behind her.

She peered over her shoulder and nearly chuckled. The look of pure male frustration was almost enough to make up for his earlier comments. If he truly was a misogynist, this whole ordeal would be just as frustrating for him. Lily knew exactly how it felt to let your pride get the better of you—her insect bites from last night proved as much. It must be killing him that he has to rely on a woman.

Or maybe she had it all wrong. She’d let him rile her up to such a degree that she hadn’t actually bothered to learn anything about him. Lily let out a defeated sigh. “You can explain what I’m missing about husbandry school while I start a fire.”

“If you tell me how, I can start it instead.”

He looked so…earnest. “Just watch while I do it, alright? I’ll let you give it a go tomorrow.”

He plopped down, seeming frustrated but resigned.

“So, what do you learn in school?” The wooden bow ate into her newly healed callouses as she began to use the drill.

“Cooking, childcare, sexual health and proficiency, pampering, self and family defense, finance management…those kinds of things. Things a wife might look for in a husband. I learned more about how to fight while serving in our infantry for a few years after finishing school, but they taught the basics in school. My curriculum wasn’t nearly as rigorous as the husbandry school of my current city, Tremanta, but I learned enough.”

Lily’s hand rested atop the bearing block, her task forgotten at the words cooking and childcare.

Verakko smirked. “I told you, you were far off.”

“Why is the schooling in Tremanta more difficult?”

He blinked at her, perplexed. “You never ask the questions I think you will.” He shook his head. “Well, in Tremanta, the males are expected to use their grades from school to attract a wife, whereas in Mithrandir, the matriarch of the family organizes our marriages. Our grades are still taken into account, but if a female head is able to negotiate well, males with subpar grades can still find a wife.”

“Are women’s grades taken into account too?”

Verakko tipped his head from side to side. “Yes, but they bear less weight on marriage negotiations and more on their chosen professions.”

Lily returned to her task, making sure not to meet his eyes. “And are you married?” Why do I care?

In the periphery of her vision, she saw Verakko shift in his seat. “Not yet. My mother will choose for me when the time comes.”

“Subpar grades?”

“The majority of my grades were excellent,” he hissed.

She took in his bunched shoulders and the thin set of his mouth. “I didn’t mean to offend. I only meant…” He doesn’t deserve a compliment. “It doesn’t make sense that you wouldn’t be married otherwise.”

“Because I’m attractive?”

She kept her gaze averted but could hear the smile in his voice. “For an alien,” she evaded. “But your crappy attitude drops you a few notches on the hotness scale.”

He sighed. “Yes, my grades reflect the same. All high or acceptable marks, except for communication.”

“I’m glad it isn’t just me.” Lily chuckled. “I hope you and your mom are close.” A small curl of smoke rose from the base of the thin wooden spindle she was spinning with the bow. Almost there.

“Close in what way?”

Lily chanced a glance to Verakko. Over the last few hours, she’d noticed his coloring darken to an inky blue again. Maybe the change happened every night? He appeared confused. “You know, close. Your relationship. I hope you guys talk a lot and she knows what kind of women you like.” When his brows remained furrowed, she huffed, “So she’ll pick someone good for you.”

He blinked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting into a comic display of confusion. “Whoever my mother chooses will be a match based more on what she thinks is important in a pairing and who she believes will produce ideal offspring. A male’s feelings on the matter are taken into consideration but not by much. My mother is…powerful. She’ll want to make sure my wife is a strong female so our children will be strong.”

A muted guilt suffused her. She’d misjudged Verakko. He may be rude, pushy, and stubborn, but he was no misogynist. “So, what? You’re supposed to spend your whole