52. Marina

52

MARINA

W edding jitters were the worst.

Marina nearly fell on her ass as she crouched to arrange pastries in the display case. Her balance was off, and not just physically.

Everything felt off-kilter.

Luckily, she managed to stabilize the tray so that nothing fell off.

"You should go home," Wonder said. "Your wedding is on Sunday. You should be soaking in the bathtub with a tub of ice cream and a spoon, watching romantic comedies. You're so stressed I'm afraid you'll pop a vein, and then what will become of your wedding?"

Marina shook her head, carefully arranging the pastries. "I'd rather keep busy than stay home thinking about everything that could go wrong."

And there was so much that could go wrong. Peter's recent promotion to lead the new Avengers division should have been exciting news, and it was, but she couldn't stop worrying. Going after pedophile rings was dangerous enough when dealing with humans, but if Doomers were involved as suspected...

Immortals weren't invincible. A well-aimed bullet to the head or heart could still kill them. The thought of Peter facing armed criminals was bad enough. Adding Doomers to the mix changed the equation, making it much riskier for him.

"As you wish," Wonder said. "I offered. By the way, I love my bridesmaid dress. Good choice." She clapped Marina on the back before grabbing the coffee carafe to deliver refills.

"It was all Amanda," Marina called after her retreating form. "I only saw the pictures."

Wonder's knowing smile said she'd already known that.

The dresses were gorgeous, each in a slightly different hue of blue and varying cuts. She wondered if her bridesmaids would be willing to part with the dresses after the wedding because she wanted to keep them. She could wear them on the dates she and Peter were planning to go on as a substitute for not having a honeymoon. Peter had reserved four dinners at By Invitation Only , one each Wednesday following the wedding.

A heavy sigh escaped her as she watched Wonder weave between the outdoor tables. The whole wedding felt surreal as if she was playing dress-up in someone else's life. Amanda had worked her usual magic, transforming the village square into something worthy of a fairy tale, but Marina felt like Cinderella before the transformation—completely unworthy.

She was an ordinary human girl marrying an immortal, and yet a goddess was going to preside over their ceremony.

Any one of Peter's immortal friends could have officiated, maybe even the chief, and that would have been honor enough. Instead, the Clan Mother herself was going to do it, and Marina was probably going to faint.

"Hey, Marina." Lusha's voice pulled her from her spiral of anxiety. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay, more or less." Marina gestured toward Wonder's retreating form. "Wonder thinks I should go home and eat ice cream in the bathtub while watching romantic movies. That's her idea of relaxing. My idea is to work until I drop."

"I don't know why you're so nervous." Lusha leaned across the counter. "You're going to look like a princess in that incredible dress. Peter will grin so hard when he sees you that his face will split."

The dress had been delivered the day before, and Lusha had demanded to see Marina in it. Peter had been in a meeting, so Marina had obliged her, which had resulted in Lusha gushing for hours about the incredible masterpiece and how the dress was worthy of a princess.

It helped, Marina wasn't going to deny it, but it wasn't enough to steady her nerves.

"I'm not stressed about Peter." Marina began reorganizing the already perfectly arranged cups. "I'm stressed because a goddess is going to marry us."

"Oh." Understanding dawned in Lusha's eyes. "Just keep your eyes on Peter and ignore everyone else."

"Right." Marina rolled her eyes. "As if anyone can ignore the powerhouse that is the Clan Mother. She glows, Lusha. Actually glows."

"I know." Lusha reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "But this is going to be your day, and you will glow just as brightly because you're the bride." A mischievous smile crossed her face. "In fact, I got this new makeup that reflects light and makes you look like you're glowing. I'll smear it all over you."

The mental image startled a laugh from Marina. "You could also attach Christmas lights to my train. That would make me glow even brighter."

Lusha wagged a finger at her. "That's not a bad idea. Let me see if I can find any."

"Lusha!" Marina called after her retreating friend.

"Just joking," Lusha called back. "See you at home later."

Watching Lusha leave, Marina felt some of her tension ease. Her friends might not fully understand her anxiety, but they were trying to help in their own ways. Wonder with her practical suggestions, Lusha with her humor—they were doing their best to support her.

According to Bridget, Marina's test results were encouraging, and so were Lusha's, but more time was needed to figure out how much the regular exposure to venom prolonged their lives. Kaia had also been throwing around hints about the research she was conducting that could lead to a breakthrough. The scientist was positive that one day she would discover a way to turn regular humans immortal and joked about Marina being her first test subject.

She hoped Kaia would find the answer for her, and she didn't want to think about the implications for the rest of humankind. Would the discovery turn every human immortal? Would it be a good thing or terrible?

One step at a time.

Right now, she needed to survive until the wedding ceremony without having a nervous breakdown and try to enjoy the most important day in her life.