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

“I think I’m close,” Verakko yelled over the sound of the rain.

She waved him on, not sure her voice was strong enough at the moment. Instead, she slipped the knife into her sagging pocket, peered down at her bare toes, and flexed them in and out of the soft, wet sand. A fleck of pink polish on her pinky toe caught her eye.

Less than a month ago, she’d been seated in her coworker Maisy’s chair. When Maisy had asked what color she’d wanted, Lily had said she’d felt girly and adventurous that day.

“Hot pink, please,” she whispered sadly, recalling the conversation. It felt like it’d happened a lifetime ago. She thought back to that week, running through the days in her mind. She remembered she’d begun to get the itch she always got after being in one place for too long.

Lily glanced over her shoulder, chin down and shoulders slumped like a child pouting in the rain, and watched Verakko knock on the stone, pointed ear angled close by. All this work. All this heartache. Maybe it was better to stay away from him. If Verakko somehow was able to convince his mother to let them be together, how long would it be before she felt that itch again?

She inhaled shakily and bent to rinse her muddy shoes in the river. She squinted up to the sky, thankful the lightning seemed to be lessening at least.

A faint shout of triumph echoed from far away. She saw Verakko grinning near an ominous black opening in the rock face. Spiders seemed to crawl up her spine. She hadn’t been lying before when she’d admitted to being nervous in small spaces.

“How far is it?” Lily called while grimacing toward the dark tunnel. He shrugged, looking a little annoyed and more than a little exasperated. Lily shuffled her feet uncomfortably, then tried again. “How—”

Verakko’s gaze shot to the sky, and a deafening, pulsating roar tore from his throat. He sprinted toward her just as a gust of wind hit her back. A scream built in her throat, but two strong arms slammed around her chest and knocked the air from her lungs.

Massive wings flapped on either side of her, lifting her into the air. Verakko roared again while bolting across the sandy shores of the river.

The ground raced by under her, and she screamed. Her mind finally latched on to the reality of the situation. She was being carried into the sky.

Fuck no. She would not be abducted by another asshole alien.

Lily swung out a leg and wrapped it around the man’s thigh, hooking her foot behind his knee to keep herself stable. She lined up her other leg between his legs and swung her heel up as hard as she could.

With a howl of pain, he doubled over, diving toward the ground. She kicked again and again, landing a few more shots with her heel. He gripped her wrist and let go of the rest of her, holding her in the air by one arm and clutching himself between his legs with the other hand.

Her shoulder screamed in protest. The Strigi circled lower into the trees and dropped her a few feet from the ground.

“Get over here, you feguid female,” he cursed through gritted teeth.

Lily scrambled away on her stomach, but a strong hand clutched the hem of Verakko’s shirt and dragged her back. She rolled until she was facing the sky and shot her legs out, kicking any appendage she could reach while fumbling in her pocket for the knife.

A deadly sharp talon-tipped wing rested on her neck. “Stop, or I slash your throat,” the winged male wheezed, still clutching his crotch with one hand.

She froze, cold metal meeting the tips of her fingers.

He leaned forward and bared his teeth. “You’re gonna come with me nice and easy, or I’m going to use this wing to slice off a finger.” He sent her a crooked grin. “I don’t need you whole, after all.”

Lily tried to keep the fear off her face. A familiar bellow sounded, making the birds in the trees take flight. Her heart leapt.

“Stay down while I take care of the Swadaeth scum.” The pressure on her neck increased, the sharp talon cutting into her flesh. She remained still but peered up and saw Verakko burst into the clearing, then freeze.

Verakko’s eyes shot from her to her throat to the winged male. Inky black spread from the corners of his eyes, enveloping the whites and irises. He’d said blackening eyes revealed something about his health, hadn’t he? She frantically scanned his body but couldn’t see any injuries.

The winged man chuckled and spat, straightening. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me you think she’s yours. This’ll be fun.”

Lily studied the man. Sickly green slashes marred his left arm, and he held it awkwardly. Dark circles stood out under his eyes, and there was a yellow cast to his skin. He wasn’t at full strength yet. Still stronger than me, though.

She stretched her fingers in her pocket and gripped the hilt of the knife. The asshole above her smirked at Verakko, ignoring the threat under his wing entirely. “No marks yet, I see.”

“You want to release her,” Lily heard Verakko sway.

The sharp point of the talon at her neck dug in, and she let out a cry. “Try it again and she’s dead.” The Strigi barked out a laugh. “That won’t work on me anyway. All my thoughts revolve around causing pain. The type of pain I’ve been in for the past three days.”

“Lily, you’ll be okay,” Verakko called.

“You killed two of my kin!” the winged alien snarled. “I should rip her to shreds in front of you just to see your face.” His mouth contorted into a disgusted sneer. “But I