65. Marina

65

MARINA

T he morning sun slanted through the kitchen windows, bathing everything in a warm, golden glow. Marina stood at the counter, her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee, and tried to ignore the knot of tension that had taken residence in her gut.

Beside her, Peter moved with easy grace, cracking eggs into a bowl with one hand and whisking them with a fork with another. Thinly sliced onion and mushroom pieces were sizzling in a pan, waiting to be folded into the omelet he was working on.

"This one is going to be a masterpiece." Peter put another pan on the stovetop and turned on the burner.

"It sure smells like it." She leaned up and kissed the underside of his jaw. "You are spoiling me."

He grinned. "I love spoiling you, so stop complaining." He dropped a generous portion of butter into the pan.

"I'm not complaining. I'm just stating a fact. You didn't even let me make toast."

If she let him cook for her daily, she could kiss her slim figure goodbye. The guy loved his butter.

"Today is my turn to make breakfast." He poured the egg mixture into the pan. "Sit down and enjoy."

"Yes, sir."

She walked over to the dining table and sat down. Alfie had gone to the gym, so it was just the two of them, and Marina should have been enjoying the homey atmosphere. Still, she couldn't shake the memory of the previous day's confrontation with Borga and the cruel, taunting words that had dripped like venom from the Kra-ell female's lips.

She'd tried not to let it get under her skin, but it was hard. Back in the compound, Borga had been at the top of the so-called food chain and Marina at the bottom, but here in the village they were supposed to be equal, and Marina hadn't expected to be subjected to that crap, nor was she willing to just roll over and let Borga stomp all over her.

She wanted to fight back, but she didn't know how.

"You're quiet this morning," Peter said as he slid a plate of a delicious-looking omelet and toast in front of her. "Everything okay?"

Marina sighed, setting her mug down and running a hand through her hair. "Not really," she admitted. "I had a run-in with Borga yesterday at the café."

Peter frowned. "Borga? Pavel's mother?"

Marina nodded. "She came into the café and tried hard to get under my skin. She used to taunt me in the compound, too, but I wasn't mentally ready for it in the village, and it did get under my skin."

Peter's eyes blazed with inner light. "What did she say?"

Marina shrugged. "She threw around comments about wanting me to clean her house and then also about our relationship. She had the nerve to bring you into it and suggest I was just using you to get ahead."

Peter's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with anger. "Nasty person."

"She is, but she's just saying what others are thinking. I was a maid all my adult life, first in the compound, then in Safe Haven, and even on the Silver Swan. I've been a barista for less than a week." Marina picked at the omelet with her fork. "People also wonder what you could possibly see in someone like me."

Peter reached across the table and took her hand. "I don't care what anyone else thinks. I love you, and I want you in my life. Nothing and no one can change that. Not that I think anyone other than Borga has a problem with you. Even my mother has warmed to us being together, and she asks about you every time I call."

A lump formed in her throat. "I love you too."

Peter's mother probably wanted to hear him say they had broken up, but Marina kept that to herself. It was good that the woman was in Scotland, and she didn't have to deal with her every day.

His lips quirked in a smile. "Borga and anyone else who has a problem with us being together can go to hell. They are not worth your energy."

Forcing a smile, Marina nodded. "You're right."

Peter grinned. "That's my girl." He leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. "I'll talk to Kagra about Borga. She will put her in her place."

Marina didn't want him talking to his ex, not about Borga or anything else. "I'd rather put this episode behind me and pretend it never happened."

Peter leaned back in his chair. "I don't think that's smart. Borga didn't make trouble before, and suddenly she's allowing herself to be rude to a community member right as a slew of things start happening that have never happened before."

"Like what?"

"Theft. Packages are being stolen from the mailroom, shutters are malfunctioning, and yesterday, one of the trash incinerators broke down. Those things are built to last forever. There is no way it malfunctioned without someone doing something deliberately to sabotage it."

"I don't think the incidents are connected to Borga, but I'm not a Guardian. You have experience with stuff like that."

"Not really," he admitted. "This is the first time we've had things stolen in the village. No one even bothers locking their doors, and unless things start going missing from inside homes, they'll continue leaving them unlocked. But before I call Kagra, let's finish breakfast."

Talking about Borga and Kagra was enough for Marina to lose her appetite, but she made an effort to take a few more forkfuls before pushing the plate away.

"Okay. Let's do it." Peter reached for his phone, his fingers flying over the screen as he texted Kagra.

Once he was done and hit send, the reply didn't take long to arrive. "She's on her way. She wants to get all the details straight from you." Marina swallowed.

She hadn't seen Kagra since their community had been divided between Safe Haven and the village, but that wasn't why she was apprehensive about meeting the female.

What if she also made derisory comments about her former boyfriend shacking up with a human?

When a few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door, Marina tensed. Peter gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before rising to answer it.

"Good morning." Kagra walked in like she owned the place. "Long time no see, Marina." She nodded at her. "Looking good."

Did she mean that Marina looked good, or was she referring to Peter's house being in a much better state than it had been when the two of them were together?

Marina kept it clean and organized, so that could be what Kagra had meant. "Good morning." She forced a smile. "Please, take a seat." She motioned to the couch. "Can I get you some coffee?"

The purebloods could drink coffee and tea as long as it didn't have added cream or sugar.

"No, thank you." Kagra sat down. "We all have jobs we need to get to. Tell me what happened with Borga."

"It's not a big deal, but Peter thinks it might be connected to other things happening in the village, and that's why he texted you." She continued telling her about the encounter and her past interactions with Borga.

Kagra nodded. "Borga is a character. She needs to be reminded of her place occasionally, and then she behaves for a while." Chuckling, Kagra stretched her long legs and crossed her booted feet at the ankles. "She's like a hormonal human, no offense, Marina."

"As if the Kra-ell are so even-keeled," Marina murmured. '"Between the big egos, the power plays, and the petty jealousies, you are much worse than humans."

Marina would have never dared say that to a Kra-ell while still in the compound, but she felt fearless with Peter at her side.

Kagra barked out a laugh. "Every word you said is true. Still, Borga has her good and bad sides like everyone else, and she is usually not that vicious."

"For some reason, she is to me."

"I don't doubt that." Kagra turned to Peter. "What's your take on this?"

"You know my take. I wouldn't have called you here if I thought there was nothing to it. But what bothers me is that none of the Kra-ell or humans should be able to pull off the recent wave of thefts and the small acts of sabotage. You were all subjected to a powerful compulsion that should prevent you from harming the clan and the village."

Kagra pursed her lips. "Many of the Kra-ell and the humans in the compound spent their entire lives under Igor's compulsion, and they learned to take advantage of every possible loophole that allowed them to maintain some semblance of free will." She leaned forward, her eyes boring into Peter's with an intensity that made Marina's skin crawl. "Borga, or whoever else is committing those small acts of rebellion, might have convinced themselves they are harmless pranks and as such, don't fall under the umbrella of Toven's compulsion."

Marina felt a chill run down her spine. The thought of Borga or any of the other Kra-ell being able to defy the compulsion that bound them by mislabeling their actions as pranks was terrifying. Countless acts of small cruelty could be defined as pranks by the perpetrators while being much more than that to the victims.

Kagra uncrossed her feet. "We should tell Kian." She shifted her gaze to Marina. "Call your supervisors and tell them that you will be late. I'll check with Kian when he can see us."