34. Marina

34

MARINA

" I have to go, love." Peter leaned over Marina and took her lips in a sweet kiss.

She was still woozy from the venom bite, but thankfully, she no longer blacked out for as long as she had at the beginning.

"It's been half an hour, more or less." Peter got up, giving her a wonderful view of his ass. "Your blackouts are getting shorter, which means that your euphoric trips have gotten shorter as well, and I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay." She turned on her side. "I think that the venom trips never took more than a few minutes. The rest was just sleeping off the effects."

He smiled and looked at her longingly. "I wish I could stay in bed with you."

"Yeah, I wish so, too, but you have places to go and people to save."

"True." He stepped into the bathroom but left the door open.

She couldn't see him from her side of the bed that was closer to the window, but every cell in her body was still infused with the warmth of their lovemaking.

It had been a good day, and Marina felt a surge of optimism. The earlier conversation with Bridget had opened possibilities beyond what she'd dared to imagine. If the test results proved their hypothesis, she might stay young and vibrant for much longer than she could have ever hoped for, and in that time, Kaia could find the secret key to turning ordinary humans immortal.

The prospect of an eternal life with Peter filled her with a giddy excitement.

She turned her gaze away from the window and swept it to the dresser, where she had arranged several framed photos of her and Peter. Some were from the cruise, others were from Safe Haven, and a couple were from the village. Each told a story, a moment in time, and now they might get to create so many more.

"I need a larger dresser," she murmured.

Peter emerged from the bathroom clad in his fatigues. "What for?"

Naturally, he'd heard her murmuring with his bat hearing.

"For all the framed photos of us that I'm going to put out."

"You know you can have a digital picture frame that automatically rotates your pictures. I'll get you one."

"I prefer real photos in nice frames, but when our mementos become too numerous, you can get it for us."

Understanding dawning in his eyes, he grinned and leaned over her. "We will make so many new memories that we're going to need an Anumati-made digital frame." He kissed her forehead. "I'll be back in about four hours."

"Call me when the mission is over. Otherwise, I will keep worrying until you get home."

"I will call you as soon as I can."

"I love you." Marina wrapped her arms around Peter's neck and kissed him. "Be safe."

"Always." He removed her hands. "I really have to run."

When the door closed behind him, Marina's fingers itched to grab her phone and call her friends to share the incredible news. Larissa would be thrilled and would resume her search for an immortal boyfriend, and when she told the others about it, every unattached human woman of the former Kra-ell compound would want to move into the village and look for immortal partners.

It was too soon.

She needed to wait for the results of the test before getting anyone's hopes up. Still, the doctor's excitement had been palpable, and that was encouraging. Bridget didn't strike her as the type who got easily excited, and for her to react with such enthusiasm, she must have believed that the results would be positive.

As Marina got up and returned to the kitchen, she realized that Peter hadn't eaten anything other than the salad and was probably hungry. Perhaps she could prepare a quick sandwich for him and rush to the training center to give it to him. She might make it in time before the Guardians left for their mission.

Assembling the ingredients, she started working on the sandwich when she heard the front door opening.

"Marina?" Peter called out.

"In the kitchen," she called back. "Is everything okay?"

He'd only left a short while ago.

Peter appeared in the doorway, still in his mission gear. His face was flushed, his eyes bright with an intensity that made Marina's heart skip a beat.

"What's wrong?" She set down the knife. "Did the mission get called off?"

Peter shook his head, crossed the room in a few quick strides, and before Marina could say another word, gathered her in his arms, pressing a deep, passionate kiss to her lips.

When they finally broke apart, Marina laughed. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that?"

Peter's hands cupped her face gently, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. "I love you so much. I want you to hurry up with those wedding plans."

Marina blinked in surprise. "Shouldn't we wait for the test results?"

Peter shook his head. "No, I want to do it before. I want to marry you regardless of what those tests say."

"But what's the urgency?" With her hands resting on his chest, she could feel his heart beating rapidly beneath her palms. "Why did you run back to tell me that?"

Peter's eyes, which usually were so confident and assured, held a hint of vulnerability. "I want to prompt the Fates to make you immortal," he admitted. "And proving my devotion to you might just do the trick."

For a moment, Marina was speechless. Then, a bubble of laughter escaped her. "Oh, Peter." She shook her head. "I don't think the Fates will be all that impressed by a wedding ceremony. If they exist, they probably expect grander gestures than that."

Nevertheless, Marina felt a warmth spreading through her chest. The fact that Peter would even think that proved how much he loved her. "I love you so much for thinking that, though," she murmured, standing on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips.

Peter's arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer. "I mean it, Marina. Start planning today."

She felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She blinked them back, not wanting to get overly emotional. "Okay," she said. "Aren't you late?"

The smile that broke across Peter's face was radiant. "It's okay. They'll wait for me." He lifted her off her feet and spun her around the kitchen as she laughed, clinging to his shoulders.

When he set her down, Marina couldn't stop smiling.

"I really do need to get going now."

"Hold on." She turned to the counter. "You didn't eat dinner, so I made you a sandwich." She finished stacking the cold cuts on top of one slice of bread and covered it with the other. "I wanted to run to the training center to give it to you, but you surprised me by coming back." She didn't have time to wrap it nicely and just handed it to him.

He took it and then lifted his head with a smile. "That's how it all started. With a sandwich."

She laughed. "Go. We can reminisce when you return. Be safe."

"Always."