Saving Verakko (Clecanian #3) - Victoria Aveline Page 0,1
spoke aloud, more to herself than to the group. “I’m not saying it won’t be hell. We have no tools. No food. No water. We’d have to use primitive techniques, and we wouldn’t even know if the resources we scrounge up are safe until we consume them and see what happens.”
The tall brunette’s eyes were alight with determination. “But…”
As if they shared a mind, both glanced in the direction the alien had disappeared with Alice. Lily muttered what they were each thinking. “But…it might be better than the alternative.”
“We should go now, then. Anyone who wants to join is welcome.”
Lily nodded, and they both began making their way toward the tree line.
“Wait!” An older woman rushed over to one of their captors, who was now bound and unconscious, thanks to the black-eyed alien. A small woman who’d been silent through this whole ordeal looked on with wide, terrified eyes as the older woman rifled through his pockets and then patted down his body. Nothing.
The small woman with deep brown corkscrew curls and wide amber eyes hurried over to a discarded metallic weapon. She rushed to Lily with the weapon outstretched as if she wanted her to take it.
Lily eyed the silver object, a cross between a cattle prod and a taser. She wanted to take it. Boy, did she ever. They could use it to protect themselves against predators, and if the crackling spark she’d seen before still worked, she could probably also use it to light a fire. Still, she hesitated. “I would love to take that, really, but…what if more men show up? You won’t have any way to defend yourselves.”
The amber-eyed woman frowned and tapped her own ear, then whispered, “They hurt my ears. I can’t hear you.”
Lily’s mouth tightened. She was injured? Doubts about whether they should be separating gnawed at her but couldn’t overcome the itch to leave. They were so exposed here, and who knew how angry the knocked-out guards would be when they came to. “Come with us,” Lily said to the woman, making sure to exaggerate her words. She must’ve understood, because her eyes shot to the dark trees and she shook her head so vigorously that Lily assumed she too thought they were crazy for wanting to leave.
The white-haired woman joined them while both Vanessa and her soon-to-be travel companion looked on with sour expressions. The small curly-haired woman, only a little taller than Lily herself, shoved the zapper into Lily’s arms and gave her a small terrified smile Lily assumed was meant to be reassuring.
“She’s right,” said the older woman. “You should take it. If more men come, a little shock won’t stop them. You need it more than we do.”
“Thank you,” Lily whispered, eyeing each of the women with a grateful nod. She turned, gave a stubborn-looking Vanessa a nod as well, and jogged down toward the forest, where her new companion was already lingering.
“You guys are insane!” Vanessa called from behind them.
Lily caught up to her new brunette friend, who was currently darting nervous glances around the clearing, and they made their way toward the edge of the forest. Both of them came to an abrupt stop at the tree line as though the dark eeriness of the woods had turned their feet to lead.
Lily’s heart slammed against her chest. I can do this. I can get us through until we come up with another plan. She let out a slow breath, worked to clear her mind, and straightened her spine. I can do this.
The brunette woman peered at her, her mouth curled in a crooked, uncomfortable smile. “I’m not backing out, but I gotta tell you, the extent of my wilderness prowess involves RV camping.”
Lily glanced at the woman and saw barely masked fear peeking through her expression. Lily assumed her face looked the same. “I have some skills. Earth skills. But what I know might not matter in there. I think I can at least keep us alive until we figure out our next move.”
She tried to remain humble about her wilderness training. Truth be told, she could hike into most jungles back home with a machete and elbow grease and live off the land without too much trouble. The miserable annual treks she took with her parents had ensured her skills remained relatively intact but…this was different. Being too cocky would do nothing but land them in hot water down the line if Lily found she couldn’t be the self-sufficient badass she thought she was.