Page 8 of Stalker

The thought should hurt. Instead, warmth blooms in my chest as Maryse's fingers brush mine.

"Have you seen the Firefont yet?" Maryse traces the rim of her wineglass.

"The what?"

Her eyes widen, lips parting in shock. "You haven't heard of the Firefont? Oh, you absolutely have to see it."

The eagerness in her voice draws a smile from me. Her enthusiasm sparkles brighter than the wine.

"What is it?"

"It's..." She waves her hands, searching for words. "You just have to experience it. Let me show you after dinner?"

My chest tightens. Every moment spent with her delays my vengeance. Mother's face flashes in my mind - bloodied, broken. The weight of my mission settles back on my shoulders.

"I should probably-"

"It's right in the Station Core. Next to the administrative offices."

My breath catches. Daniels' office. The target I've hunted across three systems sits mere meters from this supposed wonder.

"The Core, you say?"

"Mm-hmm. So what do you say?" Her smile could outshine stars.

"I'd love to see it."

The words come easily. Just reconnaissance, I tell myself. A chance to scout the area, nothing more. Her presence is merely convenient cover.

The maglev train glides through transparent tubes, offering a breathtaking view of Alpha Centauri station. Below us, countless levels stretch into the artificial horizon. Above, the vast dome of reinforced plasteel reveals the star-studded expanse of space.

"Look there." Maryse points to a cluster of ships. "That's the merchant district."

Her shoulder brushes mine as she leans across me to get a better view. The scent of her perfume makes my head swim.

The Core looms ahead, a towering spire of gleaming metal and glass. My target waits somewhere in those upper floors. The thought should fire my blood with anticipation, but Maryse's presence dampens the fury to mere embers.

"Almost there." Her fingers find mine again.

The Firefont's glow bathes the observation deck in crimson light. A column of liquid fire erupts from the central pool, arcing a hundred feet into the air before cascading back down. The heat kisses my face even through the containment field.

"Amazing, right?" Maryse's eyes reflect the molten display. "The magnetic fields contain the plasma, keeping it in a perfect cycle. The temperature has to be maintained within point-zero-three degrees or the whole system destabilizes."

Her hands dance through the air as she explains the intricate balance of forces. The technical terms wash over me, but her enthusiasm is infectious.

"Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" she asks.

"Yes." The word escapes before I can stop it. "She is standing right beside me."

Her mouth falls open at my words, and my heart stutters. Too forward. Too honest. I brace for rejection, for the disgust that humans always show when faced with my kind's advances.

But then - a smile. She bites her lower lip, and the gesture sends heat coursing through my veins.

"Thanks." The word comes out soft, almost shy.

But her eyes... Those emerald depths burn with something far from innocent. The fire there calls to the predator in my blood, awakens instincts I've kept chained since leaving the Dreadmoon.

Could I match that intensity? Handle the passion barely contained behind her proper facade? The bone spurs along my arms itch, responding to her unspoken challenge.

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