Page 30 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

As Peter and Jay made their way to the buffet table, Larissa put her fork down, leaned back and regarded Marina with a knowing look. "Okay, talk. What happened?"

Marina leaned in close. "I followed your advice, and I confessed everything."

Larissa's eyes widened. "And? What did he say?"

Marina felt a smile bloom across her face. "Peter forgave me and told me he loved me and didn't want to let me go, no matter what. He wants me to move in with him. Can you imagine? It's everything I wanted."

A squeal of delight escaped Larissa's lips, and she reached across the table to embrace Marina. "I knew it! I told you he would forgive you. Peter is so in love with you that anyone could see it besides you."

Marina ducked her head. "I hoped so, but I didn't dare to believe. Heck, I still can't believe it."

"I'm so happy for you," Larissa whispered. "But what's next? You need to plan for the future."

Knowing what her friend was going to say, Marina grimaced. "What future? I'd rather not think about it."

Larissa sighed. "You can enjoy a few years with Peter, but you shouldn't stay with him for more than five years. Save up some money, maybe even study in an online university, and when you are ready, leave and find a human man to marry and have kids with. You don't have much time if you still want to have them."

Marina felt like she'd been doused in ice water, the harsh truth of Larissa's words hitting her like a physical blow despite having the same thoughts herself.

Somehow, it felt more real when someone else voiced them. Humans were very good at shoving unpleasant thoughts and consequences to the back of their minds. It was a coping mechanism, and right now, Marina would have loved to do that, but Larissa was right about the life she had imagined with Peter being a beautiful but fleeting dream.

Mother of All Life, have mercy on her soul. The thought of leaving him, of walking away from the most perfect relationship she'd ever had with a male, was like cutting her heart in half.

She just wouldn't survive it. To be with Peter, she had to give up other dreams.

"I'm not stupid. I had the same thoughts, but then I realized that not everyone has to have kids. We don't get to have everything we want, Larissa. And if I want to keep Peter, maybe I need to give up the idea of having children." She took a deep breath. "Did you know that in the Western world, as well as most countries in Eastern Europe, there aren't enough live births to keep the population from shrinking? Many people are not having kids at all. On average, women only have one and a half kids, which is way below the replacement ratio needed. The world population is going to decrease significantly in the next few decades."

Larissa rolled her eyes. "So what? You can't change that, and having kids isn't going to reverse the trend. You need to do what's good for you, not what's good for the planet."

"I want to have children," Marina said, even as the words rang hollow in her own ears. "For me, not for the planet."

Larissa threw up her hands, a look of frustration passing over her face. "A moment ago, you said you didn't want kids, and that many women chose not to have any. Then you said that the planet needed women to have more children, and that you want that too. Make up your mind."

The truth was that Marina didn't know what she wanted. The only certainty she had was her love for Peter.

Her gaze drifted to where he stood in line, his broad shoulders and tousled hair making her heart ache with longing, "I just want to be with him. I don't want to worry about anything else, about the future or the consequences or anything. I just want to live in the moment and not think about the future." She looked back at Larissa. "Is that so wrong? To want to be happy, even if it's just for a little while?"

Larissa's expression softened. "It's not wrong at all. The Mother of All Life knows how little joy we get in our miserable existence, and we need to grab whatever sliver of happiness we can get our hands on. If this sinfully handsome immortal makes you happy, then hold on to him with both hands for as long as you can."

22

EDGAR

Edgar had had easy conquests before, but never with a stunning beauty like Jasmine. And yet, here he was, holding her hand as she led him down the narrow corridor leading to her cabin.

Seducing her had taken almost no effort.

Hell, who was he kidding? He hadn't done the seducing, she had. Well, they both had.

Could she hear the pounding of his heart?

If Jasmine were immortal, she probably could, but she was human, so his secret was safe.

Well, not for long. He would have to thrall her soon so she wouldn't notice his fangs and glowing eyes, which he was barely managing to hold control of.

Edgar hadn't been with a woman in over two weeks, which was a long time for an immortal male, especially since he wasn't a fan of self-pleasuring. It was no fun having to bite a pillow or a towel to empty his venom.

It would take a lot of restraint for him not to harm Jasmine when he was going in that hot.

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