8. Marina

8

MARINA

T he morning rush at the café had subsided, leaving a comfortable lull in its wake. Marina was glad of the break in the hectic pace, humming happily as she wiped down the counter.

"What's that tune?" Wonder asked. "It sounds so lively."

"It's a Karelian-Finnish polka." She smiled. "It's very popular with Finnish accordionists, and we had a lady in the compound who could play it, and we all sang along."

"Do you speak Finnish?" Aliya asked.

"Just a little, but I understand most of it."

"Funny," Wonder said. "It sounded like Russian music to me. I guess the two cultures influence each other."

"We have a customer," Aliya said. "The honorable and admirable Lusha." She made a mock bow.

"Lusha?" Marina turned around. "Dear Mother of All Life, it's great to see you. How have you been?"

"Great." Lusha grinned at her. "Welcome to the village. I meant to come say hi, but I was busy working on a big project, and I didn't want to upset my boss by asking for lunch breaks."

Marina wondered if there was really a job or if Lusha just didn't feel like welcoming her to the village. After all, she and Lusha were acquaintances rather than friends.

"Who's your boss?" she asked.

"Come have a cup of coffee with me, and I'll tell you all about my illustrious career in the village."

The invitation was a pleasant surprise, but Marina had already taken her break earlier.

"I don't know if I can." She cast a hesitant glance at Wonder.

"Go." Wonder shooed her away. "We are not that busy. I'll bring you your coffee to the table."

Not for the first time, Marina got teary-eyed in response to Wonder and Aliya's kindness and friendliness. She had known them for such a short time, and they had already become as dear to her as Larissa.

"Thank you."

Lusha put her hand over her heart and bowed. "You have my gratitude as well. Please put it on my tab."

"You don't have a tab." Wonder chuckled. "But that's okay. It's on the house this time."

"You are the greatest." Lusha blew her a kiss.

Marina hadn't known Lusha well, and they hadn't been friends in the compound, but there was only a handful of humans in the village, so becoming friends with the attorney was a good idea.

If she would be agreeable, of course.

As the daughter of a hybrid Kra-ell father and a human mother, Lusha had always belonged to a slightly higher social strata than Marina, and when she'd been sent to college to study law, she'd moved even higher on the social ladder. But that was nothing compared to becoming famous for defending the Kra-ell males who had faced execution and having successfully reduced their sentence to community service instead.

"So, how have you been?" Marina asked when they sat down.

"Great. I'm enjoying the village much more than Safe Haven. I think Safe Haven is better for the older humans, and the village is better for the young ones. That's why I decided to move here permanently after the trial."

Marina frowned. "I think it's the other way around. Those who live in Safe Haven can meet other humans they can marry and start families with. That's not really an option here."

Lusha lifted a brow. "You seem to have found an immortal to settle down with."

"And you found a Kra-ell," Marina countered. "I heard that you and Pavel got close during the trial and have stayed together ever since."

A mischievous grin spread across Lusha's face. "Oh, you know. We're just friends with benefits. It's not serious." She leaned in conspiratorially. "To be honest, I'm more interested in catching an immortal's eye. How did you manage that?"

So that was why Lusha was suddenly interested in becoming her friend.

"Here are your coffees, ladies." Aliya put down a tray with two cappuccinos and two chocolate croissants.

"Thank you," Marina said. "I've been planning to have one of these all morning."

"I know," Aliya said. "I saw you salivating when you served them. Enjoy." She turned around and walked back behind the counter.

Marina tore a piece of the warmed-up croissant, making sure she got some of the gooey chocolate, and popped it in her mouth, buying herself a few moments to think and decide what to tell Lusha. She didn't owe her the truth, but she didn't want to lie either. Perhaps something in the middle was the way to go. She could tell the truth, just not the whole truth.

"It started as a casual thing, you know, a vacation serial hookup." Marina took a sip from her cappuccino. "I didn't plan on Peter being such a wonderful guy and falling in love with him. What was even more astonishing was that he fell in love back." She paused, her next words still feeling surreal. "He even proposed."

Lusha nearly choked on her cappuccino. "No way," she sputtered. "You said yes, right?"

Marina couldn't help the giddy laugh that escaped her throat. "Of course. But we haven't made any concrete plans yet. It's crazy, and I question both our sanities for even thinking about getting married." She snorted. "In our case, until death do us part means something very different to each of us. From an immortal's perspective, I'm not going to be around for long."

Lusha frowned. "Why do you say that? Are you sick?"

"Yes. My disease is called mortality, as opposed to Peter's immortality."

"Oh, yeah. I get it." Lusha took a sip from her coffee. "I hope my father's genes will help slow my aging process." She leaned over the table to get closer to Marina. "Pavel's venom helps to keep me young as well, but an immortal's venom is much stronger. That's why I want one." She tore a piece off her croissant. "Peter's venom might prolong your life expectancy as well. Have you discussed it with the clan doctors?"

"No," Marina admitted. "It's uncharted waters for them because no immortal clan member has had a long-lasting relationship with a human before, so they wouldn't know. I'm the first."

Lusha chewed on her croissant for a long moment and then washed it down with some coffee. "You should talk with them, nonetheless. They should monitor you so they'll know the answer for the next human who enters a long-term relationship with an immortal male."

For a moment, Marina considered arguing with Lusha and telling her that there was no point because there would be no other couples like her and Peter, but that wasn't necessarily true.

As Peter had said, they were trailblazers, and others might follow.

"That's smart. I'll do that. Thank you for the advice."

"You're welcome." Lusha lifted her arm and looked at her watch. "I have to rush back to work, but I want to continue our chat. When are you getting off?"

"I'm here until closing."

"I'll stop by, and we will have another cup of coffee."

Marina wanted to get home as soon as possible after work, cook dinner, and spend time with Peter. She didn't want to stay after hours to chat with Lusha.

"Maybe you can come back tomorrow at the same time? It's usually quiet here after the morning rush is over."

"Sure." Lusha pushed to her feet and collected her cup and what was left of her croissant. "I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled. "There aren't many humans in the village. I hope we can become friends."

Lusha sounded genuine, and Marina felt guilty for brushing her off.

"You know what? How about you come over to my house for dinner tonight? I mean Peter's house. Our roommate Alfie is going to be there, and you said that you wanted to meet a nice immortal male."

"That sounds lovely. What time?"

"I usually serve dinner at eight, but if you don't mind sitting in the kitchen while I cook, you can come earlier."

Lusha's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I can do better than that. I can help. You know, chop vegetables, clean the dishes, and stuff like that. I'm not a great cook."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Seven?"

"I'll be there." Lusha leaned over and surprised Marina with a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you for inviting me."