Chapter 7

Chapter 7

M attie stirred, her eyes fluttering open to the dim light filtering through the shelter’s windows. At first she thought the storm was still in progress but the wind had dropped. The storm was finally abating, leaving a film of dust over everything. As awareness seeped in, she became acutely conscious of the strong arms encircling her, the solid warmth pressed against her back. Jeb.

A small smile curved her lips. Despite the impulsiveness of her invitation and the potential complications, she couldn’t bring herself to regret asking him to share her bed. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she had slept peacefully through the night, lulled by his presence and the steady beat of his heart.

She shifted slightly, and his embrace immediately tightened, pulling her closer against his body and against the massive ridge of his erection. A shiver of anticipation shuddered down her spine.

He wanted her, at least in this way, and she was surprised to realize that she wanted him just as much. Her previous relationships had been… less than successful, at least in part because she’d always held herself back, afraid to trust.

But I trust Jeb . And the chemistry between them was impossible to deny. His body spoke more loudly than any words and she wasn’t about to ignore it. She squirmed against him again, enjoying the feel of his hard body pressed against hers, and he growled a low warning in her ear.

“If you don’t stop doing that, I can’t promise you’ll be able to leave this bed today.”

“Who said anything about leaving the bed?” she teased, continuing to squirm.

He sighed, then rolled on top of her, pinning her down with his big body, his cock lodged firmly between her thighs. In the hazy light, his hard features seemed softer, almost vulnerable, and she reached up to trace the line of his jaw. His cock throbbed against her when she touched him and her heart thudded with excitement, but all he did was stroke his thumb across her cheek.

“Yesterday was the first time I’d seen you without a breathing mask.”

“Disappointed?” she whispered.

“No. You are beautiful either way.”

Despite the warmth filling her at his words, she rolled her eyes at him.

“I’ve never been beautiful.”

“You are to me,” he said firmly, and then his lips captured hers in a slow, thorough kiss that made her toes curl.

Heat bloomed low in her belly, need pulsing through her veins. It would be so easy to lose herself in him, to let the connection simmering between them ignite into an inferno. But before she could deepen the kiss, he pulled back. He brushed his thumb over her cheekbone again with a rueful smile.

“I should go check for damage from the storm.”

She tamped down the twinge of disappointment. He was right, of course. The life of a Martian colonist demanded practicality above sentiment, diligence over desire.

“Be careful out there.”

“Always.”

He dropped a final quick kiss on her lips before extricating himself from the tangle of sheets. She remained where she was, watching the fluid grace of his movements as he quickly gathered his gear. Such lethal power contained in the lines of his body, but she knew to the depths of her soul that he would never harm her. At least not physically. The fact that he’d somehow begun chipping away at the walls she’d spent years fortifying around her heart was another matter.

Jeb gathered up Trojan’s reins and gave her another quick smile before leading the horse into the airlock.

“Back soon,” he promised before he closed the inner door.

Sylvester gave a disappointed chirp and flew over to join her, landing on her chest as she flopped onto her back. She stroked his head as she stared up at the domed ceiling, trying to sort through the tangle of her thoughts and emotions. The undeniable attraction between them aside, she couldn’t shake the sense that this — whatever this was — ran deeper than mere chemistry or loneliness.

It terrified and exhilarated her in equal measure. Trust was a rare commodity for her, hard-won and easily shattered, and yet she trusted him. Which made the possibility of him breaking her trust even more frightening.

The restless energy of her thoughts finally propelled her from the bed, carrying Sylvester with her. One step at a time , she reminded herself. First, they needed to assess the damage from the storm, then decide what to do about the new mineral. Then… well, then she supposed they’d figure out the rest.

As she waited for him to return, she busied herself with small tasks around the shelter, trying to distract her mind from worrying about him. She checked the oxygen recyclers, ensuring they were functioning optimally, and made a mental note to clean the dust from the storm off the solar panels later. Her hydroponic garden was functioning as efficiently as ever and she collected a handful of ripe vegetables. Despite her efforts, her thoughts kept circling back to Jeb, out there alone in the aftermath of the storm.

When the airlock finally hissed open, her head snapped up, her heart leaping into her throat. He stepped inside, his expression grim and his shoulders tense. Red dust covered his shirt but she didn’t see any signs of injury.

“What is it? What did you find?”

He met her gaze, his dark eyes shadowed.

“Nothing for you to worry about right now,” he said, his voice composed. “We can discuss it later.”

She immediately bristled at his evasion, her independent nature chafing against being kept in the dark. She opened her mouth to protest, but something in his expression made her pause. There was a weariness there, a burden he seemed to carry that she couldn’t quite decipher.

Swallowing her frustration, she nodded.

“All right. But I expect you to keep your word and tell me what’s going on later. We’re in this together, remember?”

A flicker of warmth softened his features, and he lightly touched her cheek.

“I know. And I appreciate that more than you know.” He drew in a deep breath, then smiled at her. “For now, I think we should focus on exploring the lava tube and tracing the mineral vein as far as possible. See if we can figure out what we’re dealing with.”

Excitement chased away some of her unease. The prospect of discovery, of unraveling the secrets hidden beneath Mars’ surface, never failed to invigorate her. She nodded eagerly.

“Let’s do it. I’ll grab my gear.”

As she explained what she wanted to take, he started filling his own pack, taking the heaviest equipment. She thought about protesting, then decided it was foolish not to let him carry it. It would weigh her down but his cyborg strength could handle it easily. Sylvester flitted around the shelter, his excited chirps echoing through the small space. The canary seemed to sense the anticipation building in the air, his curiosity piqued by the impending exploration.

As she shouldered her unusually light pack, she glanced at Jeb, noting the way his jaw clenched as he checked their gear. The weight of whatever troubled him still lingered in the set of his shoulders, but he nodded when he met her gaze.

“Let’s head out,” he said in the same artificially composed voice.

The three of them stepped outside and she paused for a moment, breathing in the thin, metallic-tinged air through her mask as she did a quick survey. There was no obvious damage from the storm—which made his tension even less understandable.

As they headed for the lava tube, Trojan came over to join them but Jeb shook his head.

“Not this time. I’m sure the rube will get smaller so you’d better stay here.”

The horse huffed and pawed the ground, then turned his back on them and headed over to the edge of her claim, offense in every line of his body.

“He doesn’t like being left behind,” Jeb explained unnecessarily, and her heart suddenly ached.

“Do any of us?” she asked quietly.

Something flickered across his face, but he didn’t respond, simply turning to lead the way into the tube, scanner at the ready. She swallowed her sudden flare of anxiety, scolding herself for letting her fear interfere with their plans.

They passed into the darkness of the tunnel, the air cooling perceptibly as they descended beneath the red, dusty surface. Sylvester stayed close by, occasionally landing on her shoulder, his small body a comforting weight. Jeb remained silent, his steps steady, but he still seemed preoccupied, his expression grim as he scanned the tunnel ahead.

She could almost taste the tension radiating from him as they continued further down the tube, the blue light of the scanner illuminating the rocky walls. Several times the tube branched off and they had to choose a path, trying to follow the strongest signal.

The deeper they went, the more treacherous the terrain became. Jagged rocks extended from the walls and twice they had to edge past deep crevices in the ground. Jeb continued to lead, keeping the scanner extended in front of him. The device emitted a soft, pulsing hum as it analyzed the surrounding environment, following the faint traces of the mineral vein and searching for any anomalies.

She followed closely behind him, studying the readouts on her own scanner.

“I’m picking up some unusual readings,” she said. “The mineral composition here has shifted again, but I don’t recognize any of it.”

He nodded, studying the path ahead.

“I’m seeing the same thing. It’s almost as if…” His voice trailed off as he focused on a large boulder against one wall. “Hold on.”

His scanner beeped insistently as he approached the boulder. Gripping the boulder tightly with his cybernetic arm, he heaved it aside as easily as she would have tossed a pebble, to reveal a small, glittering vein embedded in the rock.

“That’s it,” she breathed, moving closer to examine the find. “That’s what we’ve been looking for.”

The scanner picked up the new element as she watched, identifying it as a new form of mineral previously unknown on Mars. As they both stared, the vein split, extending its tendrils through the stone like a plant reaching for the sun. Sylvester squawked and huddled against her neck.

“Did you see that?” she whispered. “It’s as if it’s alive.”

He nodded abruptly, his expression grim.

“That would explain why the composition is constantly changing.”

She started to step closer, to examine the vein in more detail, but he put out his arm to prevent her from coming any closer.

“Until we find out more about it, I don’t think we should touch it. If it is some kind of life form, it undoubtedly has some type of defense mechanism.”

“I suppose you’re right.” She took a step back and looked up at him. “What now?”

He hesitated and she had the distinct impression he was considering ending their explorations, but then he smiled down at her.

“I say we keep going, see if we can find the source. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

Excitement hummed in her veins as they turned to continue down the channel. He started to move into the lead again, but she reached out and took his hand.

“Together,” she said quietly, and his hand tightened briefly around hers.

His cyborg hand, she realized. The same one that had so easily tossed the giant boulder aside but which cradled her hand as delicately as if it were made of glass.

The path grew even more treacherous as they descended, the rocks sharper and more jagged. Sylvester had regained his courage, flitting ahead of them once more although he never went far.

Her legs began to ache and she finally tugged Jeb to a halt, resting on a conveniently placed boulder and taking a sip of water from her canteen. She offered it to him and he accepted it with a nod of thanks, his fingers brushing against hers as he took the container.

His fingers lingered for a moment, sending a spark of excitement through her veins. She found herself studying his profile, the strong lines of his jaw, the intensity of his gaze as he surveyed their surroundings.

He handed the canteen back to her, his eyes meeting hers for a fleeting instant before he turned away, focusing once more on the path ahead. She tucked the canteen back into her pack, her heart beating a little faster than before, and took his hand again.

As they rounded a bend in the tunnel, he held up a hand, signaling for her to stop. He dropped her hand and stepped forward cautiously, his scanner held out in front of him. She held her breath, waiting for his verdict.

“There’s something up ahead.”

“The source of the vein?”

“I don’t know. There’s a cavern of some sort, but none of these readings make sense.”

The thrill of discovery surged through her veins and she grinned up at him.

“Then I guess we need to see for ourselves.”

“I suppose so.” He hesitated for a second. “I want to try something. I want to turn off the light from the scanner.”

The thought of being surrounded by total darkness made her swallow nervously.

“Why?”

“Call it a hunch.”

The words seemed to surprise him as much as they did her, but she gathered her courage. She called Sylvester over to perch on her shoulder and then she nodded.

“Just don’t let go of my hand.”

“I won’t,” he promised, and then he turned out the lights.

For a moment panic threatened to overwhelm her, but his hand was still cool and firm in hers. And then she realized it wasn’t totally dark. A faint blue glow came from up ahead.

“What’s that?” she whispered.

“Some type of luminescence. It appears my hunch was correct.”

She could hear the satisfaction in his voice and smiled into the dimness, squeezing his hand.

“Then let’s go take a look at your discovery.”