5. Marina

Marina felt drowsy as the bus rumbled down the highway towards Safe Haven. Leaning into Peter"s embrace, she savored the warmth of his body and the comforting feel of his arm around her shoulders.

About an hour and a half had passed since they had boarded the bus at the port, which meant twelve more on the road, but with Peter right there with her, she didn"t mind the long ride. Besides, a luxury bus with all the amenities on board was a good way to travel.

Onegus had approved Peter"s request to accompany her to Safe Haven and be part of a team of Guardians who would be on duty there for the next two weeks.

Regrettably, Jay was not one of those Guardians, and Larissa hadn"t taken the separation well. She"d been sniffling softly from the moment she and Jay had said their goodbyes, and since she was sitting in the row behind them, Marina couldn"t help but hear the pitiful sounds, and her heart was twisting with sympathy for her friend.

Jay had promised to visit Larissa in Safe Haven, but Marina knew the likelihood of that happening was slim. Jay"s promise had been meant to offer temporary comfort but held little weight. He wasn"t coming, and Larissa knew it.

Guilt nibbled at the edges of Marina"s happiness, a nagging sense that her joy was somehow an affront to Larissa"s pain. She knew it was irrational and that her friend would not begrudge her the love she"d found with Peter, but the feeling persisted nonetheless.

Peter tightened his hold around her and drew her closer to his side. "What"s on your mind, love?" he murmured, his breath warm against her ear.

Marina sighed. "I was just thinking about Larissa," she whispered to avoid being overheard. "She"s hurting, and I feel guilty for being so happy when she"s not."

"It"s not your fault that things didn"t work out as well for them as they did for us." He kissed the top of her head. "It just wasn"t meant to be."

She and Peter weren"t destined for each other either, but Marina wouldn"t say that out loud. They were both pretending they didn"t care about the future, and as long as Marina maintained that conviction, she was happy. The problem was that it was difficult to cling to a fallacy.

She rested her head on Peter"s shoulder. "I just wish there was something I could do to help her." She lifted her head and looked into his warm, brown eyes. "What about the Guardians that came with us? Maybe you could introduce Larissa to one of them."

"I can do that, but let"s not rush things. It"s too early."

He might be right. Before starting a new one, Larissa needed to grieve the end of her relationship with Jay, no matter how brief it had been. On second thought, though, perhaps she shouldn"t date any more immortals. Nothing good would come out of it, and she was probably better off finding a nice human to settle down with.

The problem was finding such a guy in Safe Haven—the bastion of free love and no committed relationships. They had been told about the community"s structure before voting between settling there or in the village, but Marina hadn"t given the particulars much thought.

She"d been sure that her partner would come from her community because that was how things had worked in the Kra-ell compound. However, she hadn"t factored in the new liberties that allowed the import of new partners from the outside, especially the universities that some of the human offspring of the Kra-ell hybrids were attending, the way her ex-boyfriend had.

"Tell me about your lodging in Safe Haven." Peter changed the subject. "Do you have enough room for me?"

"Not really. Larissa and I share a small room that is only a little larger than the cabin we shared on the ship." Marina sighed. "Maybe I could alternate shifts with her, so you and I can be together when she"s working."

Peter shook his head. "I"ll get us a place of our own. They had a bunch of small bungalows built for a project that got abandoned, and as far as I know, they haven"t repurposed them yet." He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. "As long as there is a bed large enough for all the wicked things I want to do to you, I don"t care how small the rest of the place is."

As images of what he would do to her flitted through Marina"s mind, a tingle of desire coursed through her, but she quickly tamped it down. They were on a bus, surrounded by her coworkers, and would be stuck there for many more hours. "Won"t our cohabiting weaken the prospects of my transfer request?" she asked. "You"re not supposed to seem attached to me."

Peter chuckled, a confident grin spreading across his face. "Don"t worry about that. Eleanor and Emmett owe me, and they"ll work with us to ensure your transfer goes through smoothly. Besides, no one will bat an eyelash at my need to be alone with you."

Marina"s curiosity was piqued.

Tilting her head to the side, she regarded him with a questioning gaze. "Why do they owe you?"

Peter"s smile turned into a wince. "It"s a long story that"s a tale for another time."

Marina huffed, shaking her head in mock exasperation. "You"re just full of secrets, aren"t you?"

"It"s not a secret, and I"ll tell you all about it when we get there. It really is a long story."

She hoped that it didn"t involve a history with Eleanor.

Marina knew that Eleanor and Emmett were a couple, but Peter could have been with her before she"d met Emmett.

So yeah, she was jealous of any relationship that Peter had ever had, but she felt entitled to her jealousy, even if it was irrational.

He belonged to her.

The depth of emotion that had grown between them in such a short time felt surreal, but Marina didn"t doubt it anymore. Still, she couldn"t help asking, "Just tell me if there was anything between Eleanor and you."

He chuckled softly. "It pleases me that you are jealous of me. To be perfectly honest, there was a smidgen of attraction when we had to work together as a team, but it never evolved into anything more, and Eleanor is now happily mated to Emmett."

"So, she never shared your bed?"

"She did not, and before you ask if I shared anything else with her, I assure you that we were never intimate."

"Good." Marina leaned her head against Peter"s bicep.

As the bus wound its way along the coastal highway, the sprawling expanse of the Pacific Ocean stretching out before them, Marina felt a sense of peace wash over her. With the endless canvas of blue meeting the distant horizon and the rhythmic rumble of the engine lulling her to sleep, she closed her eyes and dozed off.