Lucy Dosch (EBookObsessed)

“One of the guards gave her a hard shove.

Stumbling forward, she scowled and stopped short again. Hands curling into fists, she turned suddenly and punched the guard in the throat.

Caught by surprise, the guard cupped his neck and began to wheeze.

Ava spun and delivered a hard kick to his belly, driving him back a step.”
― Dianne Duvall, The Purveli

“Smiling, Ava closed her eyes as weariness overcame her.

Jak’ri and his brother continued to razz each other, seeming almost to compete to see who could launch the most outrageous accusations or recount the most ridiculous stories.

Tears welled in her eyes as she realized what they were doing.

They were trying to distract her from the pain.

Trying to keep fear and despair from overwhelming her by making her laugh.

Helping her feel less alone.

And it was working, she thought moments before darkness claimed her.”
― Dianne Duvall, The Purveli

“Jak’ri surfaced beside her a second later.

Grinning, Ava drew in deep breaths and swiped water from her face. “That was awesome!”

Once again, he found himself smiling, something he did a lot around her. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“You’re so fast!”

He nodded. “You should see the Purvelis with tails. They’re even faster.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Some of you have tails?”

He grinned. “No. I just wanted to see your reaction.”

Laughing, she splashed him.”
― Dianne Duvall, The Purveli

“Ava motioned to the darkening passage that led from the cave. “This is the first time I’ve set foot on an alien planet. And even though it bears a general similarity to Earth, there are enough differences to make me want to walk around like this all the time.” Widening her eyes, she dropped her jaw until her mouth formed a large O and gaped at the walls around them in exaggerated amazement.

Jak’ri laughed.

“I’m serious,” she insisted with a grin. “I saw a butterfly today that was the size of a duck!”
― Dianne Duvall, The Purveli