Page 16 of Maar's Girl

He pauses mid-push-up, and for a second, I think he might actually look at me. But his eyes remain fixed on the ground. "I need to finish up here."

"Right, of course." I force a smile, even though he can't see it. "Hey, maybe I should join you instead? We could do some calisthenics together."

Raaj shakes his head, his voice clipped. "It's a solitary exercise."

I stand there for a moment, arms crossed over my chest, feeling increasingly foolish. Something's off. The easy connection we had last night, the spark, the passion - it's all evaporated in the harsh light of day.

"Raaj," I say softly, "is everything okay? You seem... distant."

He finally looks up at me, and for a split second, I see a flicker of something in his eyes. Guilt? Regret? But it's gone before I can place it.

"I'm fine," he says, his voice carefully neutral. "Just focused on my routine."

I nod slowly, unconvinced. "Okay. If you say so. I'll... I'll see you later, I guess."

As I turn to go back inside, I can't shake the feeling that something's terribly wrong. The man doing push-ups behind me doesn't feel like the same person who held me last night, who whispered sweet nothings in my ear, who made me feel things I've never felt before.

What changed? And more importantly, what am I going to do about it?

CHAPTER 13

MAAR

"Damn the Precursors," I grunt as I look up at the Martian sun. "She will be the death of both of us."

I'm thinking about Alyssa. There is nothing else I can think of. Last night was glorious. But the fact of the matter is that she is a marked woman.

The morning air is crisp, the Martian sun a cold, distant spectator to my turmoil. My exercises are a pantomime of discipline, a hollow routine that fails to drown out the drumbeat of my racing heart. The image of Alyssa, her body entwined with mine in the heat of the cave, is a siren song to my senses, a haunting melody I can't silence.

I should be cold, distant—a fortress of solitude to sort through the chaos of my thoughts. But the mere thought of Alyssa sends a ripple of heat through my veins, a fire that no amount of Martian chill can extinguish. My resolve is as fragile as the icecaps of Thalissia, melting with the mere whisper of her name.

I enter the habitation unit, the air heavy with the scent of her—a blend of solar-warmed jasmine and the undeniable musk of our shared passion. My senses are a traitor to my cause, each inhalation a betrayal that tightens the knot of my desire.

The sound of running water beckons me, a siren's call to the depths of my carnal hunger. I shed my garments as I approach the bathing chamber, each piece of fabric a barrier to the woman who has become my obsession, my sanctuary, my curse.

The door slides open with a soft hiss, and there she is, Alyssa, her form veiled by the mist and the translucent curtain of water that cascades over her like a waterfall on ancient Terra. Her eyes widen in surprise, a gasp escaping her lips as I step into the shower, my presence invading her solitude.

"Raaj," she breathes, her voice a mix of shock and something deeper, a longing that resonates with the jalsaghar bond that thrums between us.

I say nothing, my actions speaking the volumes my voice cannot. My hands find her waist, drawing her close as the water drenches us both. Her skin is slick under my touch, her body a landscape I am desperate to explore once more.

She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine for answers to questions left unspoken. "What are you doing?" she asks, a tremor in her voice that betrays her excitement.

"Claiming what is mine," I growl, the words rumbling from deep within my chest. "You, Alyssa. You are mine."

Her lips part, a retort poised on the tip of her tongue, but it dissolves into a moan as I capture her mouth with mine. The kiss is fierce, a clashing of wills and desires, a tangle of tongues and teeth that leaves us both breathless.

Her hands slide over my chest, her fingernails scraping against my skin, a delicious pain that only fuels the fire within me. I lift her, pressing her against the cool tile as she wraps her legs around my waist, her core aligning with my rigid length.

I break the kiss, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I look into her eyes, those twin pools of cerulean that have seen the depths of my soul. "I cannot protect you from the shadows of mypast," I admit, the weight of my deception heavy on my tongue. "But I will fight every demon, face every foe, to keep you safe."

Alyssa's expression softens, her eyes brimming with a trust I do not deserve. "Then let's face them together," she whispers, her words a vow, a promise of a future I have no right to claim.

In this moment, there is no past, no mission, no deception. There is only Alyssa—her touch, her kiss, her fierce determination to stand by my side.

The steam of the shower is a veil, shrouding us from the world, a world where my deception could mean our end. Yet here, enveloped by the mist and the heat of our desire, I am not Maar the enforcer, but Raaj, the soldier who captivated her heart.

"You're insatiable," Alyssa murmurs against my lips, her voice laced with a hunger that matches my own.

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