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

Her last dream had involved a spiky-headed purple alien sitting down in her chair and asking for the usual cut and color. She’d stood frozen, gazing at its glimmering black spikes and wondering what to do until finally, it’d sneezed, shooting its head spikes into her face.

She’d bolted awake, naked, alone, and feeling vulnerable in far too many ways.

Verakko had returned soon after with a stick he’d guessed she could use to make a new toothbrush. All she could see when she looked at it was an image of him marrying another woman.

While brushing her teeth, she’d pondered whether the translator could be malfunctioning. As they’d bushwhacked their way through dense forest clinging to the edge of the river for hours, she’d decided alternative must be an odd phrase for someone not from his city.

Then, as the first drops of rain had begun to fall on their heads, she’d nervously wondered if it meant how it sounded. He would never marry her, so she was known as an alternative. An alternative to his wife. A second choice. Maybe even a mistress.

Her stomach remained tight and hollow, a shaky, timid urgency to shut down her emotional attachment before it was too late kept gnawing at her every time she caught Verakko’s gorgeous gaze.

It wasn’t really his fault. She’d made it clear she didn’t want to participate in a typical marriage. But she’d had every intention of asking Verakko whether they could agree to fake it. They could date by getting married but would only pretend to try for a child so he wouldn’t be looked down upon if they didn’t work out. After hearing that nickname, though, she wondered again if marriage was even an option. How hard would she have to work in order to be considered by his mother? Would she always be thought of as an alternative because she wasn’t “marriage material” or maybe because she was human?

Verakko had noticed her shift in mood and, after a few rocky attempts at conversation earlier in the day, had stopped attempting to speak with her. His eyes had been alight that morning when he’d presented her with her new toothbrush, but every time she’d avoided eye contact or had given him a forced smile or one-word answer, the light had dimmed a little more. After the trail had morphed into an overgrown mess and walking side by side became impossible, Verakko had taken the lead.

Lily winced as another tiny green insect nipped at her ankle. The slick, muddy ground was bringing out the creatures in droves. She wrapped her arms around herself for warmth and worried her lip while staring at Verakko’s back. His black shirt was soaking and clung to his broad shoulders as he sawed through vines and hanging saplings with his small knife, occasionally becoming frustrated and ripping apart the dense flora with his bare hands.

Alternative. Her heart clenched.

Not even the discovery of another flimsy flag and carved message from Alex had worked to lift her spirits.

“I hate nature” was all it had said. Lily agreed.

Verakko stopped abruptly and cursed, shaking his hand as though he’d hurt it. Lily tried to catch a glimpse of what had happened, but he continued on almost as quickly as he’d stopped. A few bloody drops on fallen leaves was the only evidence that he’d hurt himself.

A pang of guilt hit her. He was working so hard, trying to clear a path for her to traverse through, and all she could do was stew about something that was really her fault in the first place. He’d told her he couldn’t be with her. Told her how relationships in his city worked. She was the one who’d pushed for more, not him.

It scared her how close she felt to him. She’d only known him for a few days, after all. She could understand it if she’d been a little put out at the idea that they could never date. But this gut-wrenching sadness that made her want to tie him to a tree and never return to civilization? That was a reaction she’d never expected.

“Hold up,” she called over the sound of slowly building rain.

Verakko spun to her, second lid in place to guard his eyes from the rain. His hair fell to one side, and small droplets of water trailed from the pointed tips of his ears to his lobes and then down onto his slick biceps.

She pursed her lips. What right do you have to look so damn good! This isn’t a photoshoot.

“Did you hurt yourself?”

“It’s nothing,” he said automatically, balling his left hand into a fist.

Lily let out a defeated sigh and walked toward him, her soaking flats squeaking and squelching in the mud. She grabbed his hand and sent him a stern look until he uncurled his fingers, then winced. A deep gash ran through the center of his bright-green palm, leaking dark blood. “We should stop and find shelter until the rain lets up.”

“It’ll heal quickly. Don’t worry.” Verakko studied her, his shielded green eyes glowing faintly through his second lid. He looked as frustrated as she felt, except underneath it all she could also see longing and something that looked suspiciously like sadness.

Lily had never let the word impossible stop her. It was just a word. Nothing was impossible. But what if this truly was? What if she was giving her heart to a man who could never be with her?

A loud crash of thunder overhead made her jump and throw her hand over her chest.

Verakko’s lips curled inward as though he were smothering a grin.

The corners of her mouth twitched. “That wasn’t funny.”

He transformed his features into a comical display of serious agreement.

Lily released a quick chuckle then sighed. She stared up into Verakko’s eyes and smothered