Shepard exhaled nervously, pacing the workout/training room in the Spectre center at the Citadel. She had moved all the equipment to the far corner of the large room and retrieved the floor pads from their storage containers. She bounced lightly on the pads, testing them. They felt firm and comforting under her wrapped feet. She hoped, for her sake, that they would help absorb the trauma she was about to willingly place herself through. She walked over to the wall and inspected it with her hand. She was satisfied that the padding would absorb a good portion of the impact if she were to be thrown against the walls.

She resumed her pacing, waiting for Garrus. Her thoughts were running rampant. Her mind began concocting scenes about how this scenario of hers would play out. Part of her fretted over her plan and the incident that took place that spurred her into action. She was surprised that the other part of her was excited by her plan. Shepard took a few moments to reflect on the recent events that had caused her to place herself in such a position.

A few weeks back, Joker had been teasing Garrus, remarking on the perpetual stick that seemed to be up Garrus' ass. Instead of jabbing back with his own jest, Garrus had lashed out at Joker, almost violently. The intense behavior was not like Garrus at all. This concerned Shepard because Garrus usually kept his temper under the most precise control.

He's just getting on my nerves is all, Garrus had replied when Shepard confronted him about it.

She knew he was lying to her. After some contemplation, Shepard realized that the outburst had reminded her of a reaction Grunt had once had. She remembered her struggles to keep Grunt's bloodlust under control while he dealt with his pent up desire to squash everything and everyone in sight. The revelation made her wonder if Turians experienced the same kind of primal impulses. Garrus had often spoken of regular sparring on Turian vessels in order to relieve tension, claiming that some matches were incredibly intense. She wondered if there was an outlet he needed that he wasn't being provided on a ship full of non-Turian personnel.

Since Garrus was unwilling to talk to her, Shepard decided to do a little research on her own. Between the medical discs Mordin had once given her to help acquaint her with Turian anatomy, which she had never used, and the Extranet, she discovered that Garrus was indeed suffering from lack of stimulation. Apparently being shot at on a day to day basis failed to provide the adequate outlets for pent up Turian energies.

With the help of Joker, who had been sworn to secrecy lest he suffer some major bone fractures in his face, Shepard had found a handful of vids illustrating mating/sparring sessions between two Turians and one human. Nothing she had ever been through prepared her for what she saw on those vids. The scenes verged on disturbing. Turians turned into savage beasts, communicating through a series of guttural growls and snarls. She hadn't been aware that Turians could make such noises. In the vids, the female would taunt, strike ruthlessly, drawing blood, and tease the male until his primal urges seized control of him. And then, for lack of a better term, he would overpower and dominate her. Brutally.

While Shepard found the ritual extremely interesting and also slightly erotic, it worried her to go up against Garrus in the same way. Despite her cybernetic implants, she was, after all, a human and he was a Turian. If he had the mind to do so, he could easily snap her in half without any effort. The realization both exhilarated and frightened her. If she was totally honest, it excited her much more than she admitted to herself.

She stopped pacing, taking a moment to stretch in her skin tight bodysuit. The suit was composed of polymer and other synthetics which lead to its lightness and durability. It would shield her body from sharp objects while not limiting her agility. She'd never worn this type of armor before. She felt a little dubious about calling it armor since it left very little to the imagination. She flexed the reinforced gloves she wore. Again, the material was thin, but incredibly durable. She'd already gone a few rounds with the boxing bag and she hadn't felt a thing. She hoped it would all stand up against Garrus and his metallic plates. She splayed her fingers out, enjoying the pointed tips on the gloves. The armor and gloves were meant to be used in close physical contact. The fingertips of the gloves were optimized for tearing holes in Enviro Suits or shredding flesh. Though she knew they would do little damage to someone like Garrus, she hoped they would still give her the effect she desired.

The door to the Spectre center chimed. Shepard steeled herself, eagerness mingling with her nervousness. She could barely maintain her composure when she opened the door.

Garrus stood in the doorway, clad in full armor. His mandibles flared in surprise as he took in the sight of her.

"That's quite the, uh… outfit," he muttered, staring at her intensely.

"You like it?" Shepard asked, a pleased smile forming on her lips. "I wanted to test it out."

"Lightweight tactical armor?" Garrus inquired. "I don't think that would be the best choice for the kind of combat we usually find ourselves in, Shepard."

"It's not for combat," she said casually as she walked to the training area. "It's for sparring. Off with the armor, Vakarian."

Garrus stared at Shepard, confused. "I don't understand. Why do you want to spar with me? Don't get me wrong, I like seeing you like this," he muttered, taking in her gait appreciatively. "But wouldn't James or Kaidan be a better choice?"

"I want a challenge," Shepard replied confidently.

Garrus' mandibles slid up slyly, pleased. "Alright then, but I'll have to take it easy on you."

"Funny, I was just going to say the same thing to you," Shepard said, beginning the playful taunts.

Garrus gazed at her for a moment, staggered by her retort, but began pulling off his heavy armor. After a few moments, he stood in front of her, clothed only in thin bottoms and gloves.

"The gloves, too," she commanded.

"What?" Garrus asked, flustered. "Shepard, my talons could…"

Shepard strode up to him and pulled down on his carapace so that his eyes leveled with hers. "You heard me, Vakarian," she said lowly.

Garrus blinked in surprise. "What's this about?"

Shepard shoved him away from her, hard. "That's an order." She strode away, glad her back was turned to him. She felt like she had just struck a stone wall.

His confusion was quickly replaced by anger. "Fine," Garrus huffed, yanking off his gloves and discarding them.

Shepard crouched low, ready to strike. "Let's dance, Vakarian."

"I've seen you dance, Shepard," Garrus retorted. "This won't be a challenge."

Before she could respond with her own jibe, Garrus struck at her. Shepard dodged him easily, spinning around and landing an unfettered punch into his stomach. Garrus grunted in discomfort, anger flashing through his eyes. He reached for Shepard again, catching her shoulder with his talons. Luckily, the material proved resistant, she hardly felt a thing. She avoided his next jab, retaliating by sweeping at his legs.

Garrus stumbled backwards, avoiding her attempt to knock him off his feet. He grabbed for her and she ducked, rolling against her shoulder. Quickly, she was up on her knees, ready to run out of his reach. He was bigger, but she was faster.

She felt a cocky smile touch her lips. "You move like an Elcor."

Garrus muttered something under his breath and squared his shoulders. Shepard anticipated the strike, easily deflecting the shot and swiping her sharp tipped gloves across his chest.

Garrus grunted, gazing down at his chest and then back at her incredulously. The sharp tips of the gloves hadn't damaged him, but he'd felt them "What was that?"

Shepard flourished her fingers for him to see. "You're not the only one with claws in this fight, Vakarian."

"Shepard," he rubbed his chest where she had struck him, his talons tracing the slight grooves she had left. He tried to hide it, but she could see he enjoyed the sensation. "Thing are getting too… rough. I don't want…" She charged him, effectively silencing him by landing a punch to his abdomen. She followed up her strike by connecting a blow from her elbow into his unscathed mandible. Before he could recover, she sank the claws of her gloves into the back of his carapace, dragging them down the plates of his neck and back. Garrus gasped, stumbling at the unexpected, forceful flurrye. Next, Shepard moved to his inner hip, swiping viciously at the unprotected, softer skin.

When she drew away, she saw light droplets of blue blood begin to seep from the surface of his inner hip. Garrus stood rigid and tall, panting heavily. His hands began to shake involuntarily. He touched the pads of his fingers to the blood, staring at it as if he were entranced. Shepard had watched various vids where the same move had been executed during the ritual. Each time it had happened, the male Turian seemed to lose himself in a near frenzy. She wondered if it had something to do with the blood being drawn in such a tender part of the body. She hadn't succeeded in drawing as much blood as most of the Turian females had on the vids, but she had certainly left her mark.

Shepard was surprised to discover that she was actually enjoying the ritual. She felt her stomach rise with anticipation. She watched Garrus with interest. His chest heaved with heavy breaths and his eyes appeared to cloud over slightly. A deep growl resonated from his throat. His gaze shifted from the blood on his fingers to her. He glared blue daggers at her, as if he were a predator and she was his prey. The icy stare abated her anticipation and a slight uneasiness pricked at her. He looked as if he could literally kill her. Without warning, he lunged at her with a speed very uncharacteristic of a Turian. Shepard felt her heart leap into her throat and she unconsciously hesitated before moving. Garrus collided with her, sending her sprawling to the floor. She bounced sharply against the floor, frozen by shock and pain. Garrus towered over her, reaching down for her quickly. Shepard scrambled to get away, arcing her body just fast enough to see his talons grasp at the empty space she had been occupying moments ago. His talons sank into the padding on the floor, shredding it.

Shepard took advantage of his position and kicked him in the chest with both feet, jarring herself in the process. Garrus groaned as the air fled from his lungs. This gave Shepard the opportunity she needed to escape her defenseless position. As she clambered away, she slammed her knee into his wounded hip. The growl that followed the strike was not filled with pain or anger, but desire.

She quickly wrapped her arm around Garrus' neck, holding him in place. The futile maneuver turned out to be mistake. Garrus stood up quickly, sweeping Shepard effortlessly over his shoulder. Her world spun in front of her and she crashed heavily onto the padded floor. The breath rushed out of her lungs painfully. She coughed, her lungs and back screaming in protest. Before she could collect herself, Garrus was reaching for her again.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, lifting her up and slamming her roughly into the nearby wall. He pressed his face close to hers. She could feel his talons grip through her armor. She was disconcerted that she couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet.

Garrus shook her hard, slamming her against the wall again as he did. "Are you trying to piss me off?" He growled, his breath warm and delicate against her lips and skin. She couldn't help herself, she kissed him. Garrus hesitated, then returned the kiss, a purr-like growl emanating from him.

When Shepard pulled away, she gave him a wicked smile before taking both of her palms and thrusting them into his mandibles. The motion shocked Garrus, causing him to release his grip and drop her. Shepard landed on her feet, wasting no time as she executed her next move. She swiftly grabbed his muscled wrist and spun herself behind him, using the momentum of her body to wrench his arm around and behind his back. Garrus let loose an unholy snarl, endeavoring to yank free of her grip. Shepard responded by kicking the back of his leg, pushing her weight onto his back.

Garrus' legs buckled and he fell to his knees. He hissed in discomfort, panting and growling softly underneath her grip. "Oh, come on, Vakarian, you're already on your knees? I thought you were a Turian!" She twisted his arm harder for embellishment. He winced at the pressure, his growl rising dangerously.

Shepard used her weight on him, forcing his chest to the ground. She placed her hand against the back of his crest, shoving his face to the floor. As she pushed him down, she slid her sharply tipped fingers under his crest firmly, scraping them down his neck. This was something she had seen done in the vids several times as well. She felt Garrus shudder underneath her.

"Don't do that!" Garrus rumbled, his sub harmonics resonating low with desire.

"What?" Shepard teased. "This?" She repeated the motion, this time harder.

Garrus shuddered again in pleasure, growling more deeply as he did. "You don't know what you're doing," he gasped. "You're going to get hurt. I can't control it."

The role play was beginning to excite Shepard even more. She was enjoying the control she had over him. She had the ability to drive him over the edge, to push him to a breaking point where his lust surpassed desire and transcended into necessity. As she thought this, she felt the warm blossom of arousal spread through her body. Unable to control herself, she continued to tempt fate. She placed her head down against his mandible, brushing her teeth along the bottom of the ridge and up to his fringe. She found the softest spot with her lips, teasing him with her tongue before sinking her teeth into his flesh.

The roar that rose from Garrus was not from the Turian she knew. It was completely animal, wild and hungry.

Garrus bucked her off from his prone position with a strength that surprised her. She lost her grip on him. Garrus reached around and seized her by the shoulders, flinging her as if she weighed nothing, across the training room and into the opposite wall. Shepard crashed into the wall, feeling the breath once again retreat from her already raw lungs. Her head swam for a moment, blurring her vision. As her vision cleared, she saw Garrus careen towards her.

Disoriented, Shepard slumped to the floor, inadvertently avoiding the impact of the crazed, charging Turian. She stood up unsteadily, bringing her arms together and driving them into Garrus' back. This turned out to be another mistake.

Shepard had always heard the term 'poking the bear', however, the reference never rang true until that moment. Garrus glared at her, wild frenzy dancing in the deep blue depths of his eyes. With deadly speed, Garrus grabbed her wrists, mercilessly twisting them behind her back. He clamped one large hand around her wrists, wrapping his other arm tightly around her waist. His fingers dug wickedly into her hip bone. He growled in her ear, his hot breath basking over her skin. He moved his hand down and between her legs, gripping her tightly. Shepard's stomach fluttered and she felt her heart quicken as the familiar ache of arousal spread through her.

Garrus breathed in her scent deeply, his sub harmonics resonating with a feral rumble. His tongue snaked out, running over her neck coarsely. Shepard leaned back into him, shoving her bound palm against the plates in his pants as best as she could. Garrus rumbled with a low purr, removing his hand from between her legs and up to her breasts. He squeezed each one tightly, his talons digging into the armor. Shepard quivered under his touch, a contented moan erupting from her throat. She felt his plates shift against her palm and she pushed into him hard, eliciting another growl from him.

In a quick motion, Garrus flung her to the ground. She landed heavily on her stomach. She gasped out in surprise, the sting of the floor pads lingering against her body. Before she could react, Garrus was on top of her. He grabbed her hips, flipping her over on her back roughly. He hovered over her, a feral beast waiting to devour his prey. She could see the bulge of him sharply through his pants.

She reached out to touch his girth when he caught her hands, pinning them violently against the floor pads with one hand. His eyes swam with savage desire. Without warning, he bent his head down and sank his teeth into her neck. His teeth punctured the armor and broke through her skin. Luckily, the armor stopped most of the force. Garrus reached down between her legs with his free hand once again and began to massage her. Shepard writhed under Garrus, her loins burning with anticipation. Even with the roles reversed, she was enjoying herself.

She was breathing heavily as he continued to massage her intimately and bite through her armor. The pin pricks of his teeth were titillating and she found herself aroused by the slight pain of it. He moved his mouth down and drove his teeth into her breast, breaking the skin through the armor.

Shepard cried out involuntarily, moaning in pleasure. The sound excited Garrus. She felt his tongue invade her mouth, touching the back of her throat. He released her wrists and she felt his taloned hand cupped her bitten breast tightly. The hand between her legs became more insistent, rubbing the pad of his palm into her harder. Shepard felt her muscles tighten in anticipation. She reached up with her own claws, running them over his shoulders and under his crest, stroking each sharp fingertip along his grooves.

Garrus hummed deeply, his talons digging into her. He removed his tongue from her mouth and she gasped in a deep breath. He nuzzled her neck with his mandible, trailing his tongue wetly across her skin.

In a quick motion, he grabbed her hips and pulled her into his lap. As she straddled him, she could feel the pleasurable pressure of him against her as he pushed into her. He growled at the sensation, grabbing the back of her head and turning her face, exposing her throat to him. His mandibles brushed over her jaw, pulling the armor down and exposing the skin on her neck. He ran his mouth over her neck, his teeth cutting slightly into her flesh. She moaned softly as his tongue explored the wounds he'd just created.

Shepard began to massage herself against his solid mass, rotating her hips sensually into him. She could feel his talons cut into her back as she pushed against him. She moaned out his name.

Garrus snarled against her throat and she felt him shift under her. He stood, gathering her up in his arms, and forced her against the wall. She grunted as her back struck the surface solidly. Garrus grabbed her hands, pinning them once again against the wall, leaving her to his mercy. Without any effort, Garrus literally ripped his pants off with his other hand. Shepard gazed down at the solid, throbbing mass that awaited her. Garrus grabbed her chin with his other hand, his tongue snaking out and sliding over her lips. He moved his hand down to her armor, hooking his talons into the material. Shepard heard the disconcerting tear as he shredded through her armor as if it were merely cloth. She felt the air caress her hard nipples through the large rips. Garrus trailed his talons over her nipples sharply before dropping his head and running his tongue down the length of her body.

Shepard squirmed against him, moaning as his hot tongue licked her body. He released her hands, sliding her down the wall and to her knees. She knelt in front of him as he stood solid and erect. He grabbed her chin and pushed her head into him.

She took him into her mouth immediately, feeling him throb and pulse as her lips endeavored to tighten around his girth. Garrus moaned loudly as she ran her tongue under his ridges. He ran his hand through her hair, grasping the blonde locks tightly, while bracing himself against the wall for support with his other hand. Shepard looked up at him, slowly pulling away from him and rolling her tongue over his tip. He watched intently as she licked and sucked every ridge on him. Before she could really begin, he grabbed her and dragged her over to a large workout bench, forcing her to bend over it. Seconds later, she heard another rip as he stripped off the last remaining remnants of her armor, his talons catching the soft skin of her hips in the process. Shepard gasped and pulled back, but Garrus shoved a hand against her back, keeping her down. Garrus forcefully pushed her legs apart. Without coaxing, he thrust himself into her.

Shepard cried out as Garrus mercilessly plunged deeper and deeper into her. The wide bench rocked beneath her as he pulled out and shoved himself back in. He trapped her wrists beneath his hands, using his full weight on top of her as he continued the barrage. She writhed under him, crying out loudly as his ridges spiked burrowed even further into her. Her cries became whimpers and she wondered how much more she could take.

Suddenly, he pulled out and she moaned in relief, trembling with exertion. He picked her up, flipping her over and dropping her to her back on the bench. Garrus dropped to his knees, cradling her hips in his talons. He pulled her to him, his long tongue snaking into her deeply, rubbing along her, tasting her, satisfying her.

Shepard cried out again, this time in immense pleasure as his strong tongue probed and caressed every part of her. His teeth dug into her as he pushed his mouth against her, allowing the full expanse of his tongue to explore her. Shepard panted, her hips pushing desperately into him. She grabbed his hands which were still locked onto her hips, squeezing them hard. He rolled his tongue against her and she pushed down against him, feeling herself begin to peak.

Garrus growled, feeling her tighten around him. He removed his hands from her hips and grasped at her exposed breasts, his claws penetrating her skin as he clamped down.

"Now," he growled as she pumped herself into him. In moments, she was overwhelmed by her violent release. She convulsed, nearly screaming, as she came around his blue tongue. Garrus continued to lick her as she convulsed, leisurely sliding his tongue out of her. Before she could recover, he replaced himself inside of her, hoisting one of her legs over his shoulder, gaining deeper access. He began to beat himself against her brutally. The bench whined under their combined weight, but held.

Shepard continued to cry out moans of unhindered ecstasy as he viciously plunged into her. Garrus reached out and clamped a strong hand around her throat, cutting off her air. She struggled to breathe as his weight leaned in on her neck. He squeezed her breast with his other hand, his grunts becoming ragged and incessant. Her gasps were now cut off and came out as hoarse whines of pleasure and pain. She was nearly immobile in this position and completely at his mercy.

Garrus stuck his tongue into her mouth, making it more difficult for her to breathe as he continued to ravish her. Shepard began to feel light headed as Garrus squeezed her neck tighter. His tongue ran over her tingling lips and trailed her jawline. She rasped and struggled for air, feeling him begin to swell inside of her.

"Again," he commanded, thrusting into her harder.

"I…" She uttered, cutting short from the lack of oxygen in her lungs.

"Now," he roared, slipping his hand from her breast and pressing a padded finger against her engorged clit. His to mouth moved to her nipple and he bit down on the tender flesh.

Shepard felt no effort for the release on her part. She had not built up to it. It came powerfully and swiftly overwhelmed her. Her vision went dark, dotted only with bright white pinpoints. Her body began to buck as she convulsed over and over again. Garrus released her throat, allowing screams of ecstasy to erupt from her mouth. Moments later, Garrus' moans matched hers in volume and she felt him release forcefully into her, filling her with an unnatural heat she had come to enjoy.

Shuddering with exhaustion, Garrus collapsed on top of her, panting heavily. Shepard tried to swallow, her throat tingling and dry.

Garrus lifted himself up slightly, remorse flooding his features. "Spirits, Artemis. Are you okay?"

"I… thought… you were going to… kill me," she rasped out, feeling somewhat like a Volus.

Garrus reached up and stroked her hair lovingly. "You shouldn't have done that. I could've really hurt you."

Shepard laughed. "Oh, but it was so worth it."

Garrus rubbed his head against her shoulder. The weight of him was becoming uncomfortable, but Shepard was too exhausted to complain. "Did I hurt you?" He asked, gingerly touching the puncture marks on her neck.

"I think I'll live," Shepard replied, placing her hand on top of his gently.

Garrus' mandibles rose in a smile. "That's my girl. You're more Turian than human anyway."

Shepard responded with a laugh. "I think I can agree with that."

"Come on, I believe I owe you a Medi gel massage." Garrus shifted his weight, pushing himself up when suddenly, the bench gave a shrill shriek, giving way under their weight. They dropped heavily to the floor.

Shepard blinked in surprise, looking over at a stunned Garrus. He gave her a sheepish look.

"Guess I owe you a new workout bench, too," he muttered, embarrassed.

Shepard began laughing, cuddling next to him. "I think I can afford it," she said, stroking his mandible softly. "Glad that happened after we were done."

Garrus chuckled in agreement, gazing at her with awe and admiration. "So, you really enjoyed that?" Garrus asked skeptically as he surveyed the gouges he had left all over her body. He grimaced when he saw her hips.

Shepard nodded, aware that her whole body hurt. "It's definitely not something I recommend we do on a daily basis, but yeah, I did enjoy being dominated by a large, sex crazed alien."

Garrus laughed. "I think you enjoyed tormenting me, as well." He said, rubbing his mandible in memory of her jabs. He reached down and touched his hip. "You got in a couple of pretty good shots. You really knew what you were doing. Which begs the question, how did you know what to do?"

"I watched a lot of vids to prepare," she confessed, her cheeks burning lightly in embarrassment.

Garrus' mandibles flared in surprise. "Really?"

Shepard shrugged, playing it off as if it were no big deal.

"Shepard, I don't know how you knew I needed this, but thank you," Garrus said genuinely.

Shepard smiled, her lips meeting his mouth. "Anytime, Garrus. You can talk to me, you know. I'm willing to try anything with you."

Garrus hummed happily. "Anything, huh?"

"After I'm healed," Shepard amended.

"Right!" Garrus replied, standing and pulling Shepard up to him and into his arms.

"Now, what do you say to that massage?" Garrus asked, nuzzling his forehead against hers.

"I say Hell Yes. Lead the way," Shepard said.

Garrus picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the room. "So, about those vids," Garrus ventured. "How did you find them?"

Shepard bit her lip. "We'll talk about it later…"