Freeing Luka: The Clecanian Series Book 2 Victoria Aveline (story read aloud TXT) š
- Author: Victoria Aveline
Book online Ā«Freeing Luka: The Clecanian Series Book 2 Victoria Aveline (story read aloud TXT) šĀ». Author Victoria Aveline
She felt herself shrinking under his hard gaze and looked away. Turning to her left, she attempted to engage Verakko in conversation once again. Anything to distract herself from Lukaās accusatory stare. āWhat were you saying about the lake platforms?ā
In any other circumstance, the muscular man speaking to her now shouldāve captivated her. The skin near his forehead was a soothing shade of teal, but as it continued down toward his chin and neck, it faded into a vibrant green. His hair was cut short on either side and left long on top, allowing his pointed, pierced ears to be prominently displayed. Streaks of sea-green, aqua, and gray ran through his thick charcoal hair and matched the color of his heavy brows.
Verakko was gorgeous but deadly looking the way a snake might be. When theyād first started speaking, his dry sarcasm and pessimistic disposition had added to his serpentine aura.
She noted the quiet intelligence that radiated off him as he described the platforms in a deep, silky voice, the tone almost melodic. Alice wouldnāt have been surprised to learn Verakkoās ancestors used their unique timbre to lure prey. Yes, this man in front of her, who looked at her with glowing green eyes, shouldāve been more than enough to keep her attention, but she couldnāt keep her gaze and thoughts from straying to the sour-looking man across the table.
āAndā¦ Youāre not listening to me, are you?ā
Oh, crap. He mustāve realized she wasnāt paying one lick of attention to his descriptions of the technology employed by The Pearl Temple.
āIām so sorry. That was rude,ā she said, forcing her gaze to remain locked on Verakko.
He looked between her and Luka and gave her a wry smile, exposing overly sharp canines. āSo thatās your mate, huh? Iāve met Luka a few times, but heās never appeared quite soā¦angry.ā
Great, so itās just me, then. āYeah, I think heās angry Iām his mate.ā
Verakko snorted. āThen heās an idiot.ā
Alice shot him a sad smile. What would happen now? Were there any cases of mates becoming unmated? From everything sheād learned, it seemed like mating was for life, but that didnāt mean he had to like her.
āHeās right to hate me. I forced the marks to appear. I didnāt want to do what Helas said, but I didnāt have a choice, and now Iām Lukaās mate forever, and he hates me andā¦ā Aliceās voice grew tight as she rambled on.
āHey, uh, no need to be upset,ā he said without conviction. Verakkoās gaze shifted around the room; he was clearly uncomfortable with her show of emotion. He leaned in, continuing in a lower tone. āLook, I donāt know what happened to you in that place, and I donāt know what Helas told you, but you canāt force mating marks to appear. They appear or they donāt, no matter the circumstances. They may show themselves at different times for different people, but there isnāt anything anybody can do to draw them out.ā
Alice glanced at Luka again, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. Being consoled had always made her cry more, rather than less. Luka still looked furious, but now his hard stare was turned on Verakko. He began to stand but then sat back down quickly, his face paling.
āLook at me, Alice,ā Verakko commanded. His tone was velvety, and she could feel his words ringing through her mind.
She shook her head to clear it and noticed Verakkoās eyes had darted away. Could he actually use his voice to entrance? She peered at him with raised brows.
He cleared his throat and mumbled a quick āsorryā before returning his gaze to hers. He continued without any further explanation. āYouāre his mate. He isnāt yours. If he doesnāt have enough sense to see how lucky he is to have found you, thatās not your problem. He needs you. You donāt need him.ā He shot a glare toward Luka, then leaned in to whisper, āYou tell me if he acts like a pishot, and Iāll make sure to hack into his homeās programming and make his life a living hell.ā
āThanks.ā Alice chuckled, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. āWhatās a pishot?ā
āNo translation for that, huh? Itās what you call someone whoās acting like an idiot or is a very unlikeable person. How to describe the actual meaningā¦ā He narrowed his eyes, squinting toward the ceiling, and ran the tip of his pointed tongue over his sharp canine. āI believe it originated in the mountains where the Pesque live. I think it means āOne who spits into the wind.āā
She laughed again, drawing out a small smile from Verakko.
He has a point. If Luka wanted to be mad at her, then that was his right, but she needed to remember she didnāt really know him. Sure, theyād spent many weeks together, but that hadnāt been the real him.
In that place where she had nothing and no one, sheād at least had him. A strong male whoād tried to protect her as best he could. Alice realized sheād been clinging to that version of him, the protector, while forgetting he was also a real man. Scratch that. Sheād kept forgetting he was an alien. One she didnāt know and might not want to know.
Verakko was also right about Luka needing her. It would hurt to cut ties with him, seeing as sheād grown so attached, but sheād be able to move on if she had to. She was infatuated and attracted, but she wasnāt in love, and
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