Page 81 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

"Hey." He leaned closer. "No need to pout. Do you want to dance?"

He had to explain why he was acting this way and also to tell her his plan.

60

MARINA

As Peter led Marina onto the dance floor, she was once again assaulted by fear and doubts. She thought about the borrowed dress she was wearing and the immortal female to whom it belonged. Was she watching her and telling her friends about her charitable gesture?

Were they pitying the poor human who was trying to be one of them?

But then Peter put his hand on the small of her back and pressed his body close to hers, and she forgot about everyone else around them and focused on the way he made her feel.

She had no doubt that he loved her, but she was disappointed that he wanted to keep his love for her a secret, even though she could understand his motives. His family wouldn't approve of her as his mate, but if he pretended that she was just a passing interest, just another body to warm his bed, perhaps they wouldn't mind.

They swayed together to the music, their bodies molded together as if they had been made for each other, and as Marina let herself get lost in the moment and the feel of Peter's arms around her, she couldn't help but steal a glance at the other couples on the dance floor and the way they moved with such effortless grace and fluidity.

Especially the females.

Their bodies were lithe and supple, and their movements were fluid and seamless. They seemed to glide across the floor with their feet barely touching the ground as if they were floating on air.

Compared to them, Marina felt clumsy and uncoordinated, her own movements stiff and awkward next to theirs, but when she looked up at Peter and saw the way he regarded her, his eyes expressing so much love and adoration, Marina felt all her doubts and insecurities melt away.

She didn't deserve to be loved like that, and the intensity of his feelings terrified her, because she knew how badly it was going to hurt him just by being by her side as her life span would be over in the blink of an eye, while he would go on forever, young and strong and beautiful.

How could she let him love her, knowing that she would cause him so much anguish in the end? How could she be so selfish, so cruel, as to let him tie himself to her?

But even as those thoughts swirled in her mind, the guilt and shame threatening to overwhelm her, Marina knew that she couldn't let Peter go by pushing him away.

She loved him too fiercely, too selfishly.

Maybe that made her weak, and perhaps it meant that she didn't love him enough or wasn't strong enough to do what was best for him, but she couldn't bring herself to set him free to find someone who could give him the forever he deserved.

Letting out a breath, she clung to him, her arms wrapped even tighter around his neck and her face buried in the crook of his shoulder.

"I want to explain," he whispered in her ear. "Why I want my love for you to remain a secret."

"It's okay," she murmured into his neck. "I understand. Your family will not approve of you having deep feelings for me, but they might be okay with you having fun with the human for a little while."

"Yes, but I wouldn't have given a fuck about what they think if changing their perception wouldn't have jeopardized your transfer to the village. For now, I want them to believe that what we have is casual, so no one will think of putting roadblocks on your transfer."

A weight lifting off her chest, she kissed the spot on his neck that her mouth was pressed to. "Thank you for telling me this. It means a lot to me."

He tightened his arms around her. "There is nothing casual about my feelings for you, and to prove it, I'm coming with you to Safe Haven." He brushed his lips against the shell of her ear. "I'll ask to be stationed with the team of Guardians on duty there and stay with you until your transfer is approved. That way, we don't have to be apart for more than a day."

Marina pulled back to look at him. "I love you so much that it hurts."

He frowned. "Why does it hurt?"

She averted her eyes. "You know why. But I'm too selfish to let you go, so I'll take everything you are willing to offer and enjoy it as long as it lasts."

Lifting a hand, he cupped her cheek, his thumb wiping away a tear she hadn't realized she'd shed. "Let's not think about the future. Let's just focus on the here and now."

Marina nodded, her throat tight with emotion. Peter was right. There was no point in worrying about the future when the present was so wonderful and perfect.

61

ARU

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