Max was in heat again.

Or at least, she was fairly certain. She was constantly horny and all, she had every symptom of being in heat… save for one.

She wasn't attracted to anyone. Usually she could barely stand to be in public for fear of jumping on every living male in the room. But this time… it was different.

She masturbated relentlessly of course, and that definitely took the edge off, but she needed so much more. She burned with the need and allowed it to consume her body. And that's how Cindy found her.

"Max, it's time to get up! We're going to be late for work, girl." Cindy knocked on her door. Max could only whine in response, her body spasming as she fought the urge to just leap up and… run. She didn't know where she wanted o go but every cell in her body seemed to crave something that was just south of her apartment… or someone. Cindy opened the door and entered the room. "Max, come on, we got to-." She trailed off when she saw her best friend and rushed to her bedside, laying a hand on her sweaty forehead. "Girl, what's wrong? Should I call Logan?"

"H-heat," Max managed to stutter out between convulsions. "he-help," she pleaded. Original Cindy relaxed slightly.

"Girl, why's it so bad? I don't think I've ever seen you like this before!"

"Don't know," Max gasped out. Every part of her fought to start running, to find something, or someone, to stop this- anyone.

"Well girl, why didn't you just hit the hay with some man at the cub last night?!"

"It's different this time," Max nearly growled annoyed at Cindy's refusal to do anything to help. "Not attracted to men,"

"Well I'll get you a girl then, sugar!" Max shook her head.

"Not women... I don't know what I want. Something specific, but I can't tell you who or what it is. Call-." A shudder of epic proportions racked through her body and she moaned with need. "Alec, call Alec- he might know… was at Manticore longer,"

"Aright, Original Cindy will call your boy and get you some water but then I'm leaving. I don't think this will kill you and I can't be late again, Normal already gave me four warnings. I'll cover your ass but you'd better be alright when I get back." Cindy left briefly and came back with water in a child's Sippy cup she'd borrowed from the neighbors so that Max wouldn't spill all over herself during a convulsion. "Your boy sounded like he knew what was going on, acting really strange about it too. But I'd better be off, love. See you when I get home."

"Than-thanks," Max accepted the cup gratefully and curled up as Cindy left, waiting.

She waited for a long time but to her horror, the pull she felt south grew stronger. She writhed and whined, kicking all the blankets off her bed so that she was sprawled out on her mattress, sweaty and wanton with only a lace and silk camisole negligee covering her heated torso. The pull shifted and grew to a peak. All she wanted to do was sprint over to the front door and swing it open. And then it opened without her assistance.

Max locked all her muscles in place and yowled, her feline nature peeking through. A very wary looking Alec stepped into her bedroom a moment later. Max looked up at him, pupils dilated. Only what little sanity and reasonable thought she had left kept he from pouncing on and raping the other transgenic right there in her doorway. Alec's eyes dilated in arousal in response but he also looked miserable.

"Max, I am so, so sorry. Please forgive me, darling," he shook his head and took a step closer. Max forced her body to move back instead of forward, managing to sit up.

"Alec, help me…" she whimpered. "Tell me what's happening!"

"Manticore," he sighed. "You weren't old enough when you escaped. They didn't tell us until puberty. Every single X-5 was created with a perfect mate. A breeding partner designed to keep the line going. Our pheromones are keyed to each other. Whenever you go into heat as long as I am near enough and alive, you will crave only me. I'm sorry, Max."

"What happens if we don't?" Max asked, afraid of the answer but still shuddering with need.

"Manticore programmed it so that we would both die. Not breeding was seen as a violation of direct order and therefore punishable by death. I thought I was far enough away… but I was wrong and I am so sorry."

"So… we have to have sex?" Alec nodded stoically and sighed.

"Until both of us are sated… But Max, I know about you and Logan. I know that if it wasn't for this virus you two would probably be engaged, if not married. And so I promise you this- after this night is over and the heat has passed, I will forget it all. I will never mention or refer to it in any way ever again. No strings attached."

"Promise?" the need was growing unbearable. It was fuck or die and Max couldn't have both their deaths on her conscious. Alec's face fell almost unnoticeably and he nodded.

"Promise," he swore. Max nodded.

"Thank you," before Alec had a chance to do anything, Max was on top of him and they were falling. He hit the ground with thud and exhaled as the breath was knocked out of him. Max was sucking and biting at his neck and his hands instantly tangled in her hair as a feline growl of pleasure ripped up through his throat. Max purred in response and raked her nails over his dirty, oil stained tee shirt, ripping it to shreds and placing her hands on the newly exposed skin hastily.

As soon as their skin touched, the frenzy died down. She could think rationally again and purred as Alec's fingers rubbed soothing circles n her scalp. She arched her back into the touch and mewled. Alec purred approvingly and managed to gather her in his arms and stood, throwing her onto the mattress and falling down on top of her. He lapped at her collar bone with the tip of his tongue and pinned down her writhing limbs as he traced a line with his tongue from her collar down into her cleavage. His hands trailed up from pinning her wrists to her sides to under her negligee, caressing the heated, tawny skin under it.

"Alec," she moaned as he trailed his surprisingly soft fingertips on the undersides of her breasts. He growled and retracted his hands, pulling back. She whined in protest and he bit back a grin of satisfaction. He quickly kicked off his boots and unzipped and shed his pants. With her permission in form of a nod, he slowly peeled the silk garment off her torso, throwing it across the room. She lay almost completely bare in front of him, her body open and begging.

Her brow nipples were peaked and begging to be touched, to be sucked. Her skin was flawless thanks to her gene code, just as his was. And lower than all that was the nearly unbearable scrap of pink lace- a soaking thong. Alec purred and ducked his head to capture her lips in a heated kiss. She purred in response when his hot palms came up and cupped her breasts, massaging them with the same gentle circles as he had with her scalp.

They broke the kiss after nearly seven minutes without air and Alec immediately trailed his mouth lower, panting in between licks and nips. He captured her left nipple first. Max screeched and arced off the bed, a feline yowl and a female moan of pleasure synced together into a mating call that was almost too much for Alec to resist. He ground his erection into her core and smiled around the nipple in his mouth when she returned the gesture. He switched between her breasts for a while, sending hot shocks of pleasure up and down her body. Finally she had enough.

Max used a combat roll designed to gain the upper hand on your opponent in battle to flip them over. She traced his abs with her tongue and smirked when he growled. She worshiped him as he had with her and reveled in every pleased noise he made. His boxers were damp with precum and she could see the veined outline of his throbbing erection clearly through the white fabric. She ran her tongue over the fabric, tracing a vein. Alec half roared, half yowled. He bucked up and flipped her over and under him in one smooth movement. He captured he breathless lips in his own and fought her tongue for dominance. He could smell he arousal heighten when he won the battle.

A second later, her thong was ripped off and his boxers were clear across the apartment. He sank down between her thighs slowly. She whined and reached between them to grip his cock, rubbing the length of it once before lining him up and pushing her hips onto him. He was instantly half-sheathed in her tighter than tight cavern.

They both yowled simultaneously and Alec thrust down, fully inside now. Max was gasping- she had never had a partner as big as him before. He stretched her in every direction but the pain was lost as his cock massaged every inch of her vagina. Neither one wanted to pull away so they stayed that way for a long time. Alec's head was buried in her neck and she could feel his stuttered breathing. She whimpered in his ea and took the lobe between er teeth, gently nipping at it. Alec slowly pulled out and slammed back in.

Max screamed.

Alec continued his brutal pace until Max clenched around him, her vision going white as the orgasmic pleasure washed over her. He continued to thrust shallowly until she's finished. Then he slid all the way back in and waited for the aftershocks to pass, enjoying the zings of pleasure they sent through him. Max soon began whimpering for more and he obliged, taking note of er every sweet spot and massaging them all with practiced thrusts. Manticore had designed hem to be perfectly compatible and neither could deny it. Alec managed to hold out through three more of Max's orgasms, purring reassuringly every time she came down from her high. Max was raw with pleasure and extremely tired but Alec hadn't come yet. She was beginning to feel self conscious- was she not good enough for him?

"Alec… what's wrong?" she whispered after her fourth orgasm. "Am I doing something wrong?" she worried. Alec's eyes widened and his purring halted.

"No!" he denied vehemently. "No Max, you are perfect," he placed a line of tender kisses along her jaw line and stroked her hair.

"And then what? Why haven't you come yet? It has to be me," she clenched around his still rock hard length. Alec groaned in pleasure and shook his head, face flushed. Max's eyes narrowed.

"Are you-?" she paused. "Alec, why are you blushing?" Alec blew out a breath and caressed her face tenderly.

"I have… I have only ever had an orgasm once before."

"What?" Max furrowed her brow. "But all those women you took to bed…"

"I never got any real pleasure from that. It's always been about them, never about me. The only time I have ever come was by my own hand. I was slow about it; just to see if that made any difference. And it did."? He blushed darker and Max smirked wickedly.

"So you're saying if I fuck you really slowly," she enunciated the word 'fuck' and Alec strangled a moan and gulped endearingly. "You'll fill me up with what I need? Your hot seed?" she had never tied dirty talk before and hoped to god that she wasn't blushing like bob the tomato. Alec nodded slowly and licked his lips.

"Pretty much," he answered hoarsely. Max grinned and flipped them over, latching onto his neck with her teeth and sucking, determined to leave a mark. Slowly, ever so slowly, she pulled her hips up, his length sliding out of her wet cavern until only the tip was in. just as slowly and still sucking his neck, she lowered herself. Alec shouted and bucked his hips. Max sat back with a smirk.

"Uh, uh, uh- bad boy," she shook a finger at him as she leaned back and braced her hands on his hips, pinning them to the mattress. "You said you wanted it slow." She grinned evilly as he whined and continued her tortuously slow pace. Every upstroke took at least ten seconds and the down strokes took longer. Max couldn't stop moaning as his hands came up to guide her, keeping her set pace but caressing her hips gently all the same.

He was constantly purring, the sound growing louder until it morphed into a constant growl of pleasure. The white heat built in both their pelvises and kept building with every thrust. One of Alec's hands slid down to circle her clit gently, slowly. Their pace sped slightly but remained slow. Somehow between er fourth orgasm and that moment, they had started making love. Max's head was tossed back in ecstasy when their orgasms approached and Alec couldn't stop himself from growling the order that would ruin them both.

"Max… look at me!" Max's black eyes met his own and they hit their peak instantly. Only as the white pleasure consumed them both and they maintained their pace, their peak morphed into a plateau. For nearly two minutes they writhed against each other, Alec's thumb moving in jerky circles n her soaking clit, her cavern rhythmically clenching and stroking his length as he shot his seed into her depths in endless streams. At some point she collapsed over him and he bit into her neck, sucking hard and leaving his own mark of claim. Once it was over, they were panting harder than ever. Max rolled into Alec's side and curled into him. He clutched her closer. Both lost consciousness within a few moments. And neither ever wanted to forget this.