62. Peter

When Peter stepped into the bungalow, the silence that greeted him was an unpleasant surprise, and the sight of the half-prepared breakfast heightened his unease.

Marina and the housekeeping staff didn"t have work today, so it wasn"t like she needed to step in for someone who got sick. The last retreat ended on Friday, and the housekeeping crew spent all of Saturday cleaning up and preparing the lodge for the next retreat, which was about to start on Monday.

Maybe something had happened to one of her friends?

No, she would have called him if that was the case. She had probably made a quick run to the kitchen to pick up some ingredients she needed to finish making breakfast or something she planned to cook for lunch, and she would be back in no time.

Taking off his holster, Peter hung it in the closet and returned to the kitchen to finish what Marina had started.

He chopped the remaining vegetables, heated the skillet, added a pat of butter, and watched as it sizzled and foamed in the pan. The aroma of browning vegetables filled the air, mingling with the rich scent of the coffee that still sat untouched on the counter.

Just as he was about to heat the half-cooked eggs, the sound of the door bursting open made him jump, his hand automatically reaching for the weapon that was no longer at his hip. But before he could process that, he registered who was barreling toward him, and he had just enough time to turn off the stove before he found himself with an armful of Marina, her face flushed with excitement and her eyes shining with joy.

"Whoa, what"s got you so excited, love?"

Marina pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. "My transfer was approved," she said, the words tumbling out in a rush. "We can leave for the village on Wednesday as soon as the new team of Guardians arrives."

Peter felt a rush of relief wash over him.

Pulling Marina close, he buried his face in the soft curve of her neck and breathed in her sweet, familiar scent. "I"m so happy for us. I can"t wait to show you all the wonders of living near a big city. We can go out to restaurants, the movies, theater, musicals, whatever you can imagine can be yours."

He felt Marina stiffen in his arms. "I"m pretty sure that Kian won"t allow me to leave the village whenever I want."

She might be right if she was just a regular transfer, but she would be accompanied by a Guardian.

"Having a Guardian for a boyfriend comes with some privileges. With me taking responsibility for you, Kian won"t object to your excursions out of the village."

His words had the effect he had hoped for, and her shoulders relaxed. "Having a boyfriend who is a Guardian is a privilege." She stretched on her toes, kissed him, and then chuckled. "It"s not enough that we will be the first and only human-immortal pair in the village; we will be doubly scrutinized because you are part of the force."

"We wouldn"t be the first. There were others before us."

"Right." She smiled sadly. "When one of them was a Dormant, waiting to be induced to transition, but that"s not going to happen to me. I"m going to stay a human no matter what, and your people might look down on our relationship because of that."

Peter"s heart clenched at the fear and vulnerability in her voice, the way her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He hated seeing her like this, hated the thought that anyone or anything could make her feel less than the incredible, beautiful, absolutely perfect woman she was.

"Listen to me, Marina." He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "Instead of the possible negatives, we should focus on the positives. We"re going to be trailblazers, and in more ways than one." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

Marina"s eyes widened. "What do you mean?" she asked, her head tilting to the side in that adorable way that always made his heart skip a beat. "In what other way are we trailblazers?"

Peter chuckled. "Forgive me. I"ve misspoken. I forgot about Brundar and his kinky club when I thought that we would be the only couple with divergent proclivities. It"s just that Brundar keeps it on the down low, and not many know about it."

Marina shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? Brundar looks the part of a dominant. But how does he find the time to run a club? I thought he was a full-time Guardian like you."

Peter shrugged, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "It"s more of a passion project for him. He doesn"t do it for money. He does it because he enjoys it. Brundar wanted to create the perfect atmosphere to cater to his particular preferences."

Marina pursed her lips. "It sounds lovely to make money from something that provides him joy and satisfaction, but I know what it takes to run a hospitality business, and a kink club is no different. Come to think of it, it"s probably more complicated and involved than running a regular club."

"He has a partner," Peter said. "So, it"s not like he needs to be there every night. His mate used to work with him at night, but then Callie opened a restaurant in the village and got too busy. I bet Brundar doesn"t frequent the club as often now that she can"t join him."

Marina"s eyebrows shot up. "Callie? I know her, and she doesn"t seem like the submissive type at all."

Peter laughed, pulling her close and nuzzling the soft skin behind her ear. "Looks can be deceiving, love," he murmured, his breath hot against her neck. "Who would guess that beneath the rebel with blue hair and piercings lies a woman who craves the thrill of submission and the rush of surrendering control?"

"True," she admitted. "But I"ve never been to a club like that." She lifted a pair of blue eyes to him. "I"d be lying if I said I wasn"t curious." She sounded breathless.

Peter wondered how Marina knew about the existence of such clubs. She hadn"t had access to the internet in Igor"s compound, and in Safe Haven, her access was limited.

"How do you know about kink clubs?"

Marina smiled conspiratorially. "We had books in the compound. We could order whatever we pleased, but books were not a high priority since we had a tiny allowance for personal expenses. Still, we shared what we got, and some of the romance novels were pretty kinky. How do you think I learned about all that?"

"I thought it was because of the Kra-ell."

She laughed. "They are brutal but not kinky."

Her comment reminded him of his experience with Kagra, and he had to agree.

"I can take you there," he said. "If you want to go, that is. Reading about it and experiencing it in person is not the same."

She grinned. "Does taking me to a kink club also fall under the definition of Guardian supervision?"

"Even more so." He lowered his hand to cup her bottom. "You won"t be able to give me the slip when you are all tied up."

Marina shivered in his arms, her eyes fluttering closed as a soft moan escaped her lips. "I"m a little scared, but that only arouses me more." She lifted her gaze to him. "But if Brundar keeps his club a secret, will he be okay with us showing up there?" Then, her brow furrowed. "Have you ever been to his club?"

Peter shook his head in amusement. "I love it when you get jealous over me. I"ve never been to Brundar"s club. It will be the first time for both of us." When she still looked unsure, he added, "Trust me, love. No one at Brundar"s club is immortal or knows about our existence. As far as they"re concerned, Brundar and Callie are just a beautiful couple, and they will think the same about us." He leaned in close, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "We don"t have to do anything publicly if you are uncomfortable with it. We can just rent a private room."

Marina"s eyes darkened with desire as she melted against him. "Let"s take it one step at a time. Private room first, and then we shall see."

"No problem. I"m not much of an exhibitionist, but I"ll do anything you feel like doing." He gave her bottom a hard squeeze. "You know that it"s all about you, right?"

She nodded. "With you, it is. Not everyone is like that."

Peter felt his fangs elongate. "Those types don"t deserve to scene with anyone."

"I agree."