Dark Awakening: Echoes of Destiny (The Children Of The Gods #88)

41. Marina

41

MARINA

M arina sat cross-legged on her living room sofa, a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream nestled in her lap. The spoon clinked against the container as she dug for another generous scoop, her eyes fixed on the muted television screen displaying the local news. No breaking stories, no reports of disturbances or police activity. Just the usual mundane updates that filled the late-night broadcasts.

She shouldn't have been watching. Peter always told her not to, that it would only feed her anxiety. But she couldn't help it. Every time he went out on a mission, her imagination ran wild with worst-case scenarios.

"You're going to give yourself brain freeze if you keep eating that fast," Lusha's amused voice cut through Marina's worried thoughts.

She turned to her friend, who was curled up in the adjacent armchair, nursing her own pint of Rocky Road. Lusha's presence was comforting, a fellow sister in vigil for her male.

"I can't help it." Marina sighed and licked her spoon clean. "Peter is immortal, for the Mother's sake, and really hard to kill, but every time he goes out there, I freak out."

Lusha nodded. "Immortal doesn't mean invincible. I worry, too."

A tense silence fell between them, broken only by the soft clink of spoons against ice cream containers.

Marina's gaze drifted around the room, taking in the cozy space she shared with Peter. Photos of their life together adorned the fireplace mantel, snapshots of picnics in the village, group photos with other Guardians, a candid shot of Peter mid-laugh.

Each image was a reminder of what she had to lose.

"Thank you for staying with me," Marina said. "You didn't have to."

Lusha waved her spoon dismissively. "Of course I did. What kind of a friend would I be if I left you to wallow alone? Besides, I'm eating your ice cream, and it's damn good. The problem is that neither of us has an immortal metabolism, and this is going straight to our thighs."

Marina chuckled. "I wonder if the venom helps with metabolism, too."

"What leads to the venom bite does." Lusha scooped another large chunk of Rocky Road and went on to devour it while making sounds that could be easily mistaken for sounds associated with a different pleasurable activity.

Marina regarded her friend for a long moment before asking the question that was niggling at her. "Hey, Lusha. Is there a reason you haven't moved in with Alfie yet? You are here most of the time anyway."

Lusha's spoon paused halfway to her mouth. She lowered it slowly. "He hasn't asked me to."

"Do you really have to wait for his invitation? Just do it and stake your claim."

Lusha shrugged. "I'm not staking my claim because I have none. We are enjoying each other for the time being."

"What if he asks," Marina pressed, "would you say yes?"

Lusha was quiet for a moment, stirring her ice cream absently. "I'm not sure. I like my independence. But then there is Bridget's experiment, so I have to stay with Alfie until she's done, so maybe it would be more convenient to move in with him for the duration."

Marina snorted. "I bet that would be a hardship."

Lusha grinned. "Oh, absolutely. Such a sacrifice."

They both laughed, the sound easing some of the tension that had been building in Marina's chest.

"What about Rob?" she asked, trying to keep her tone casual. "He seems interested."

"He's a nice guy all around," Lusha admitted. "But he's human, and when he transitions, it'll be at least six months before his venom glands are operational, and I really want to see whether the venom is helping me live longer. I don't want to stop the experiment."

Suddenly, Marina remembered a piece of information that Peter had told them that might affect Lusha's decisions regarding her love life. "You know that the venom is addictive, right?"

"Well, duh. It's like the best drug on the market, just without the nasty side effects."

"There is more to it." Marina put her bucket of ice cream down on the coffee table. "If you are injected with the venom of only one immortal for an extended period of time, you will become addicted to it. You will not want any other males, and when you are separated from your immortal for whatever reason, you will suffer withdrawal symptoms. So, if you think that Alfie is not for you, you should switch to another immortal, and then another, until you find the one you are willing to spend the rest of your life with."

Lusha pursed her lips. "Why did Alfie keep this from me?"

"Maybe he forgot. It's not something most immortals concern themselves with because they don't hook up with the same human females often, and when they find their one and only, they stay with her for life anyway."

Lusha tilted her head. "So, what about a couple like Ingrid and Atzil? They've been together for a long time, and the rumor is that they are not fated mates. She's most likely already addicted to him."

Marina reached for her bucket of ice cream again. "Maybe she has other lovers on the side to keep herself from getting addicted. These immortals are quite promiscuous until they find their one and only and commit."

Lusha sighed and lifted her spoon with what ice cream remained on it. "You are lucky with Peter. He regards you as his fated mate, which is very unusual. Hell, it's unheard of for an immortal to choose a human as his one and only."

"I know." Marina took a big bite of cookie dough. "I hoped Alfie would feel the same way about you."

"He doesn't." Lusha tucked one leg under her. "He's a fun guy, and he cares for me, but he doesn't love me. Maybe if he weren't so afraid of falling for a human, he would have allowed himself to feel more."

"Will you be able to leave him to prevent the addiction?" Marina asked gently.

"Do I have a choice? Maybe I can keep switching immortal lovers until Rob's glands become functional and hook up with him. He's smart, he's funny, and he's got this...I don't know, this earnestness about him. Like he's excited about every new thing he's learning."

"That's not a bad thing," Marina pointed out.

"No, it's not," Lusha agreed. "But right now, Rob is not ready yet for a new relationship, and he just needs a friend. I can be that for him without complicating things."

They settled back into silence, focusing on the muted TV. Marina's ice cream was long since finished, and the empty container was discarded on the coffee table. She pulled a throw blanket over her legs, feeling the lateness of the hour starting to weigh on her.

"Go to sleep," Lusha said. "You have work tomorrow."

"So do you."

Lusha shrugged. "I don't need as many hours of sleep to recharge. My quarter Kra-ell genes are at least good for something."

Marina wondered what else they were good for. It didn't make sense that Lusha had not benefited from them in some other way as well.

When her phone buzzed on the coffee table, Marina snatched it up, her heart leaping when she saw Peter's name on the screen.

"Peter?"

"Hey, beautiful," his warm voice came through, instantly soothing her frayed nerves. "We're all done here. Everyone's okay, and the mission is accomplished. We still need to drop off something at the keep, so it will be a while until I'm back. I don't want you to stay up for me. Alfie says to let Lusha know that he is fine. He is coming with me, so both of us are going to be back late."

Marina closed her eyes, letting out a breath she felt like she'd been holding all night. "I'm so glad that everyone is okay. Lusha is right here with me. I'll tell her. And, Peter?"

"Yes, my love?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart," he said. "Try to get some sleep, okay? I'll see you soon."

As she ended the call, Marina looked at Lusha, who didn't look as happy as Marina felt. "What's the matter?"

"Peter called you, but Alfie only relayed a message. Do you see the difference?"

Regrettably, Lusha was right, but Marina wasn't going to admit it. "They have different personalities, that's all."

"Yeah." Lusha snorted. "One is in love, and the other is not."