Page 24 of Dark Awakening: New World

He peered at the screen over her shoulder. "Nothing has been stolen since the cameras were installed, so I don't know what you hope to see."

"Someone acting suspiciously." She narrowed her gaze on the monitor. "But that's hard to do at ten times the speed. I will have to slow down when I see something suspicious. I'm looking for someone who seems to be checking for cameras."

"They were only installed Sunday night, so there isn't that much footage to go over."

Kagra paused the replay and turned to face him. "How many people know about the cameras in the mailroom?"

Peter made the mental tally. "All the Guardians have been briefed, plus William's crew who installed them. You and Jade know, of course, and probably Phinas, too. And if Phinas knows, Kalugal knows as well, and so does Rufsur. I don't know if Kian informed the council, although I doubt he would have bothered them with such a little thing."

"That's a lot of people. Do you think the rest of Kalugal's men know about the cameras as well?"

Peter shrugged. "I don't think Kalugal would make a big deal out of petty thefts that most likely have nothing to do with his men. They've been living in the village for a while now and haven't caused any problems. Besides, they live in their own secluded section, and they are not as affected by the Kra-ell newcomers as much as the rest of the villagers."

Nodding, Kagra resumed the replay at only six times the speed. "Frankly, I don't think it's one of your clan members. I suspect my people. Especially the teenagers."

"I don't think we should exclude anyone. We know that some of the clan members are not happy about the way things are in the village. The integration everyone was hoping for is not happening. Except for a few notable exceptions, there's very little contact between the three groups."

Kagra's lips quirked into a wry smile. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. There's plenty of contact happening at night between Kalugal's males and the clan's females."

Peter was aware of the hookups. Living in such a close-knit community, it was hard to be ignorant of that, but there was a big difference between hookups and relationships, which for some reason failed to arise despite the robust activities.

The Kra-ell were too different, so he could understand that, but Kalugal's men were perfectly compatible, at least physically, and there should have been more couples than just Ingrid and Atzil, and Edna and Rufsur. Evidently, though, the clan ladies found it hard to forget that the males were former Doomers.

It was also possible that the Fates had different plans for all of them.

"True, but so far, there have been only two integrated couples between the clan and Kalugal's group, and only Edna and Rufsur are bonded mates. Atzil and Ingrid treat each other as placeholders until their one and only appears."

Kagra nodded. "Speaking of Atzil, have you been to his bar yet?"

Peter shook his head. "No. Why?"

"You should check it out. Take Marina there for a drink," Kagra murmured while intently watching the screen. "It's only open on weekends for now, but it's a good place for Kalugal's men to meet clan people. I mean, aside from the ladies they're already acquainted with."

"I might do that. Thank you for the suggestion. Marina would love it there."

His voice must have changed cadence when he spoke about Marina because Kagra slowed down the recording again and turned to him. "You really care for her, don't you?"

Peter ran his fingers through his hair. "I love her, and as impossible as it seems, I think she is my one and only."

As he'd expected, Kagra's lips twitched with a smile, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she turned back to the monitors, all business once more.

He knew that she thought that he was in love with the notion of love and was imagining the bond he felt with Marina, but Peter also knew that Kagra was wrong, and he was right.

Marina was his truelove mate, which meant that the Fates would find a way to make her immortal.

15

MARINA

As the doorbell rang, Marina wiped her hands on the dish towel and walked over to open it.

"Good evening." Lusha entered with a small bouquet of roses in hand. "These are for you."

Marina took the small bundle and brought the flowers to her nose for a sniff. "These are lovely. Where did you get them?"

"Mo-red trimmed the rose bushes in front of the clinic today and brought these home, so I commandeered some. I'm staying with him and Vanessa."

That was news to Marina. "I didn't know that. Why are you staying with them?" She motioned for Lusha to follow her to the kitchen.