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

she asked weakly, following him out of the medbay and into a narrow hallway.

“To my home. You need food and sleep.”

Lily’s immediate reaction was happiness, her heart fluttering to think he wanted her to stay in his home with him, but she forced herself to ignore it. If they were going to have any shot at all, she needed to start thinking with her head instead of her heart. “No.” She forced the words out. “I need you to take me to the government housing you mentioned so I can be on my own for a while. I want you to explain yourself to me on the way, and then I want to spend some time alone to think.”

He licked a fang and narrowed his eyes on her. “No,” he said simply. He peered down the hallway, then abruptly changed direction.

When she finally hurried after him, she found herself stopped in front of a double-wide metal door. “No? You don’t have the right to tell me no, Verakko. I’m going to live wherever I want to live.”

Verakko shot her a nervous glance and removed a small black device from his pocket. “There are things I need to explain to you first. I’m taking us on a roundabout route so we can talk without anyone listening.”

Lily balled her fists. “Can’t take a chance that your betrothed will hear about us?”

“She’s no longer my betrothed.” Verakko grimaced and pulled the two edges of the small square he held apart until a holographic screen flickered to life in the center. Then he placed the screen on the door and typed on it using symbols she’d never seen before.

Her brows shot up in question. “Does she know that? Or are you still technically engaged?” He remained silent, giving Lily her answer. “That’s what I thought. I don’t even know where to start. There are other things you kept from me, aren’t there?” Lily ground her teeth and poked Verakko in the shoulder when he didn’t answer.

She glared at his back. How could I have just ignored all my instincts that told me he was keeping something from me? Lily thought back to her first few days with him in the woods and recalled thinking he’d been explaining around something. How could she have ignored that?

A low pinging sounded, and she tensed. The noise was awfully similar to an alarm, yet Verakko seemed unperturbed. “Are we supposed to be here?”

“No,” he said simply. “The alarm’s new. Just give me a second.”

Lily glanced up and down the pale blue hallway and took an instinctive step closer to Verakko. She realized then that although she was beyond angry with him, she still trusted him to keep her safe. Lily couldn’t recall ever trusting anyone else as much as she did Verakko. Maybe that was why his betrayal hurt so deeply.

The pinging stopped, and the doors whizzed apart just as Verakko removed the screen and slid the device closed. “Let’s go,” he said, motioning into a small room as wide and deep as the doors themselves.

“Go where?” Lily peered into the dark room, unable to see any outlet.

“It’s a service lift. We’re going to travel through the storage floors.”

Lily tentatively stepped inside, only to have Verakko move in beside her, too close for comfort.

“Ready?” he asked.

Before she could question him, the floor beneath their feet moved, propelling them upward. Lily squeaked and gripped Verakko’s hand without thinking. The rattling sound of a purr and a squeeze of his fingers brought her back to the present.

She peered up to find his gaze fixed on her. The hope and warmth in his eyes as he beamed down at her and gently ran his thumb over her hand tore at her chest. She quickly tugged her hand out of his and looked away. “You could’ve warned me,” Lily grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest to prevent herself from reaching out to him again.

The platform stopped, and a new set of doors hissed open to reveal the oddest-looking warehouse she’d ever seen. For one thing, the items stored in the expansive area were on the ceiling instead of the floor. Beds, shelving units, and all manners of furniture were positioned on floating stands hovering near the ceiling.

Lily watched as a short table flew across the room and then disappeared through a dark opening in the ceiling. “How…?” She was lost for words. All she’d seen of this planet was the inside of a cell in a bunker and the forest. It was only now hitting her that she was on an advanced planet full of wonders she couldn’t even begin to imagine. A sudden wave of excitement rolled through her. What did the city really look like? Where was all the furniture going? Were there floors like this in between every floor of the building? When would she be able to explore out in the open?

“Lily,” Verakko said gently, rousing her from her transfixed stare. His fingers fidgeted as he spoke. “I went to see my mother while you were unconscious, and she refused my request to be your guardian.”

Guardian? Lily pinched the bridge of her nose, not following in the slightest. “You said I’m your mate.”

“Yes. You are. But I didn’t tell her that. She still thinks I’ll be marrying Ziritha in a few weeks.”

A frustrated sob built in her throat, and she wanted to stamp her foot in irritation. “Have you changed your mind about me being your mate?”

“No! Never. I just… If my mother learned the truth, she’d force us to be together.” Verakko pressed a hand to the small of her back, urging her forward.

“What?” Lily halted in her tracks and stared at him in horror. “And what if I say no?”

“Then,” he said slowly, the corners of his eyes crinkled as if he were stifling a wince, “I’ll