CHAPTER 1


Alec slowly closed his eyes and felt all his senses sharpen. The sounds of cheering voices, tripping footsteps and loud music, silently subsided along with his aggressive pace. He closed it all out, made the sounds disappear completely. Something felt wrong. He wanted, needed, to find out what. There was something in the air that caused his heartbeat to rise and his body to be extra alert. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but the fact of not knowing the reason for his sudden change in behaviour, didn't make him all peachy inside either.

A familiar bartender greeted him with a small nod, while holding up an empty glass. The classical invitation for one more drink. He returned the favour, nodding a silent well, why not. It would be his fourth glass of scotch, but it didn't matter one bit. It would take at least the entire bottle before the alcohol would kick in and another half to make his head spin. A healthy metabolism did have its downsides.

He held the glass loosely in his right hand circling the drink around as he looked dully at the three ice cubes. At the same time, he noticed a couple of girls staring seductively at him, secretly whispering and laughing about God knows what but for the first time ever, he found himself ignoring the invite they obviously both were throwing at him.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Dude! Alec, my man," someone yelled from a distance.

Alec immediately turned around, swallowed the rest of his scotch and leaned against the bar table, his green eyes patiently looking at his lanky friend with a cocky smirk. He tried to ignore his out-of-control-senses and kept a straight face while Sketchy talked.

"Dude, I just got hustled, man. You need to do something!"

Shifting all his weight to his left leg, Alec shook his head and couldn't help it but smile. He really wanted to help out his friend, but with everything else distracting him and driving him crazy, he doubted he would be at any help at all. "Sketch, there's a difference between sucking at pool and getting hustled," he answered wisely.

"But you gotta help me. I'm seriously broke if I don't get my cash back," Sketchy pleaded, smashing his hands together into a praying fist. If the floor hadn't been filled with dirt and spilled liquor, he would probably have fallen onto his knees too. "C'mon, you can kick their asses in less than 3 minutes – whaddaya say?"

Alec wanted to say yes, win a couple of games, give Sketchy some much needed free cash, keep half of it for himself and continue the night with the two hot blonds who apparently still stood patiently at the bar, eyeing him, fantasising about what he hid under his shirt and jeans. But tonight just wasn't the night. The odd smell in the air, his pacing heart, uncontrollable body and alerted senses told him a game of pool and hot chicks was the last thing he needed at the moment, and he chose to trust his instincts.

"Sorry, man. Not tonight."

The look of defeat was written all over Sketchy's face. His arms dropped to his sides and you could easily see his mind processing the next week's complications and problems of not having enough money to get by till next Friday. You couldn't help it but feel just a little sorry for the guy.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll lend you some cash for the next week and win your money back in a few days," he said shrugging, acting like it wasn't a big deal… it really wasn't that big of a deal.

A lot of people thought Alec didn't have a conscience, but at times like these, he proved a lot of people wrong. Pity, they weren't there to see it. Well, pity wasn't the right word for it, luckily would actually be more appropriate.

Sketchy's eyes lid up like small Christmas lights and he immediately sent Alec a thankful smile. "I owe you, man."

"Yeah well, you could just do me a favour and quit playing pool. No offense, buddy… but you suck." Alec raised a preaching eyebrow at his friend and pointed his empty glass at his friend's chest. "Big time."

Even though, the words had stung a little, it was the truth and Sketchy didn't mind hearing it. He was just relieved that he didn't have to live on breadcrumbs and poisoned water for the next week. Once again his friend had saved his sorry ass and he promised himself that he, at least, would quit involving cash when playing pool. He betted 20 bucks that that promise would be broken in less than a month… well, make that 30.

Alec turned around and left his empty drink on the table, along with some cash. The tip alone was worth more than the expensive liquid, but he didn't care to look through the bundle of cash for a more suitable amount. Unlike Sketchy, he could easily find a quick way to win some greens without breaking a sweat. Compliments from good ol' Manticore.

The bar was getting more and more crowded. People couldn't help it but bump into each other due to lack of space. It felt like the sounds, voices and the thickness in the air was slowly drowning him. It had suddenly gotten a little unpleasant. He had never experienced something like it before. Maybe he was coming down with something, but that couldn't be possible – he never got sick, he wasn't able to get sick.

"Suga', you okay?" A voice behind him asked with a hint of concern. Original Cindy waved her empty pitcher at the bartender and placed it at the oblong table. Like everyone else, she knew Alec wouldn't admit if he one day would found himself in a situation where he actually wouldn't be all right. Heck, even if he had 5 bullet wounds and 2 knifes in his back, he'd be waving people away, smiling, laughing and telling worried faces, "I'm fine, people, I'm fine. Never been better."

But she could clearly see something was off. He hadn't even answered her with a cocky remark yet. She tilted her head and gave him a suspicious look while she blindly paid for the pitcher of beer. His eyes dazedly followed the switch from money to pitcher in slow motion and as a result Cindy snapped her one finger at him and shot her hip to the side, while placing her hand on her waist. "Fool, what's up with you?" she snapped, hoping he'd wave her off with one of his lame comments. The guy had a ton of them. Why he hadn't used one of them yet actually worried her.

"I'm fine, Cin, jeez. Can't a guy gaze at a gorgeous chick without getting interrupted?" he said and winked playfully at her. A simple line like that would have worked on 98 percent of the girls at Crash, but fortunately O.C knew he was just being a jerk. She sighed with relief.

"Yo' know, I'm glad there's guys like you around, hot boy. You remind me, everyday, why I'm into hunnies and not… dat." She pointed at him, starting from his feet and ending the mockingly pointing at his face.

Alec dramatically placed a hand on his heart and made a hurtful face at his chocolate skinned friend. "Ouch! You aim where it hurts, Cin."

Meanwhile, Max was sitting watching some guys play pool. At her side sat Sketchy. He gobbled the last of his beer and slammed it back on the table with a sigh of relief. Just a few minutes ago he had been frantically worried and weary after losing a game of pool. Not only did he lose the game, but with it he'd been stupid enough to lose a 100 bucks. She and O.C had warned him, though. They both knew that pool and Sketchy were two things that just didn't go hand in hand, but Sketch was an avid optimist and he truly believed that this was his lucky day. Unfortunately, it turned out that it wasn't.

Max ran a hand through her long dark hair and cocked her head to the side, then placed her hand on her neck and felt the warmth from her skin reek through her fingers.

"Yeah, it's hot tonight, huh?" Sketchy commented and wiped off the sweat on his forehead. She nodded and a part of her was relieved she wasn't the only one who felt the sudden heated temperature. To cool off, she drank the last of her beer and instantly felt the cooling sensation dampen her body.

"So did Alec come through?" she asked and nodded at the line of pool tables. She smiled teasingly at Sketch, reminding him of his defeat. Of course, she felt sorry for him, but someday that boy had to learn how to take better care of his money.

Sketchy sighed and shrugged. "Nah, at least not today."

"So how are you gonna live for the next week?"

"He'll lend me some cash and win back my money some other time," Sketchy replied with a big smile on his face.

"How noble." Max didn't hide the obvious sarcasm in her voice, but she was still a bit surprised over Alec showing some signs of humanity. Usually, the guy didn't care about anyone else but himself. In return Sketchy would probably owe Alec a year of free beer at Crash or cover his shifts at Jam Pony whenever it's needed. There was simply no way the king of all selfishness and hustlers would lend Sketchy money and get Sketchy's lost money back without getting something in return.

Sure, they say, there's a first time for anything, but anything clearly must have some sort of limit.

Still she wondered why Alec had postponed the game of pool. He could easily had won Sketchy's money back in no time, but for some reason he had chosen not to – what a friend.

She rocked impatiently back and forth on her feet, both elbows on the small round table. Unconsciously she let her eyes trail down at the bar where Alec was standing. He had that famous smirk on his face while he was talking to O.C. Judging from Cindy's look of disgust and pointing finger, she guessed he probably just said something stupid.

"I better go save Cindy," Max sighed playfully. They had waited too long for their pitcher to get refilled and as always the blame was on Alec. She smiled at Sketchy, rolled her eyes at him and nodded down at the bar. "Sometimes I wonder if he suffers from some kind of deadly disease where he'll die, if he doesn't succeed to piss off at least 10 people a day."

Sketchy grinned and shook his head. "Ah, c'mon Max, give him a break. He's not that bad."

She smiled and shrugged. Sketchy was right. Alec wasn't that bad, but he was still bad… and he just knew how to get on her nerves.

"You two are like cats and dogs – ever considered a truce? You might just get along."

Max almost laughed out loud, but managed to keep her mouth shut. If only Sketchy knew the truth of his own statement. She and Alec acted exactly like cats and dogs would against each other, but she doubted that it was because of her feline DNA and Alec's canine DNA. They were both, after all, human. Well, kind of.

"The day Alec will stop being such an ass, I'll consider a truce… maybe," she added and started heading towards the crowded bar.

What a beautiful lie. Like they'd ever stop irritating each other.

The two girls were slowly starting to give up on their prey. That handsome guy they'd been checking out was unfortunately occupied with some other beautiful girl, and based on their casual body language, they probably knew each other. How typical. All the good ones were always taken. It was his loss, though. Besides, there were lots of other guys at Crash. Maybe they weren't as amazingly good-looking as Alec, but as the saying goes – don't judge a book by its cover.

Grabbing their drinks, they continued their search for the perfect guy somewhere else. In the process of doing so, they couldn't help themselves and consciously passed the bar where Alec stood, still talking to the dark skinned girl. The taller of the two blonds, lightly bumped into him and made it look like an innocent accident. She gracefully twirled around, licked her lips and gave him a seductive smile. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz," she laughed and took a zip of her three-colored drink as she slowly walked backwards. A few drops of the sweetened drink was spilt on her hand and she slowly licked off the cold juice with her tongue. With bashing eyelids, she gazed at Alec, waiting for a reaction. This was her last chance. Next to her, her friend was grinning silently, admiring the game she was playing. They were both still walking backwards in a very, very slow pace. Their bodies were practically begging him to follow.

"That's… alright," Alec stuttered and watched the blond lick the few drops off her hand. Her blue eyes were pinned at him, secretly telling him the things she and her friend wanted to do to him. Before he got to eye her some kind of answer, he felt his body turn around, away from the two girls and back to Original Cindy.

O.C gave Alec a puzzled look and then glanced over at the two very hot blonds he'd just turned down. Heck, if the two honeys had been into girls, O.C would have gladly made a move on them. She watched them walk away, clearly disappointed about the abrupt turn down. When facing Alec, he looked just as confused as her.

"Suga', you sure you okay?" she asked and placed her hand on his forehead. She was getting a bit worried now.

Alec didn't respond. Instead, he narrowed his eyes in the direction of pool tables. A comfortable scent caught his attention and his body instantly wanted to walk towards it, but he kept his feet grounded. It was no longer acceptable to feel like a stranger in his own body… but it was almost like something or someone was calling out for him. The smell, scent – whatever it was, it was sweet and honeyed – seductive, somehow. And it was slowly affecting his body in ways he couldn't explain. He felt a sudden need to burn off all the energy huddled up inside of him; like run 40 miles without stopping or challenge his deep diving skills, fight an army of Crash visitors, punch a whole in the nearest wall. Anything. But most of all he just wanted to inhale that sweet scent that seemed to call out for him.

Suddenly an unpleasant thought crossed his mind. Maybe it was a trick. Maybe someone was luring him into a deadly trap. It was highly possible. Nowadays, everything's possible. Some evil genius could probably mix up a delighted cocktail of irresistible scents that would attract him like bees to honey and before he'd know it, there'd be one less transgenic to worry about in the city of Seattle.

Honestly though, he doubted that that was it, but when you were a hunted transgenic, former super soldier, worth billions of dollars you could never be too careful. Something weird was going on and he didn't like it. He didn't like not knowing what it was. Not to mention the lack of control he had over his body. He'd unconsciously turned down two girls, what the hell was up with that?

"I think I should go," he muttered, giving Cindy a confused puppy-eyed look. He needed to get away. Far away, before he'd do something stupid.

"Hold up, hold up, pretty boy! Now you tell O.C what's wrong, before you go do somethin' stupid," Cindy preached, unaware of her mindreading skills.

Alec was about to give her a fake believable answer, but the interruption of Max made him forget his well-planned words. Out of nowhere she seemed to have popped up beside O.C, her smile all warm and welcoming, but when she turned her attention to him it immediately faded.

"Hey boo," O.C greeted and placed the pitcher at a table beside them. "I think yo' boy's sick—"

"I'm not sick!" Alec interrupted his voice mad and commanding. He starred at his two friends with a surprised look on his face, ashamed of raising his voice at Cindy. A few people turned to look their way, curious about the sudden outburst.

"What's wrong?" Max asked and actually managed to sound a little worried.

"Nothing is wrong, okay?"

"Then why are you all twitchy and jumpy?" she fired back, narrowing her accusingly brown eyes at him.

Alec just stared back at her, wondering if she could sense it too, that scent. She should be able to. They did share a lot of the same abilities. Enhanced senses, speed, strength, stamina, agility and believe it or not, a very high I.Q. – just to name a few.

But nothing indicated she could feel something was off. As always, Max was just her pissed-off self. She must have gotten pretty rusty, if her senses couldn't even pick up the slightest bit of that… scent. And now it was as strong as ever. It was right in front him, drowning him, teasing his skin and senses. He already felt addictive to it, somehow.

Ignoring his friends' confused stares, he walked past Max to search for whatever it was that made him act completely inappropriate. Lightly grabbing Max's arm to walk past her, he stopped and quickly pulled his hand close to his chest. He made the innocent touch look like it had burnt his fingers.

"Oh fuck," Alec whispered and froze. Now he knew. Now it all made sense and frankly, he almost preferred his former suspicion to be true instead. A deadly trap didn't sound so bad after all.

Max furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance and took a step towards him, ready to punch him if he as much as breathed wrong.

"Alec, what the hell's wrong with—"

"Igottago!"

Max tried grabbing his sleeve, but he avoided her by frantically walking backwards.

"Alec!"

"Stay away, Maxie," he said threateningly, emphasizing his point by raising his finger at her. A part of him actually found the intense situation a bit amusing and he unwillingly let a cocky smile escape from his lips. She wasn't even aware of it yet…

He saw Max noticing his arrogant smile and he wouldn't blame her for interpreting it as a mocking towards her. Old habits die hard.

Max bit the inside of her lip and clenched her fist. "You're such an idiot," she spat.

Alec ignored the comment. He was practically immune to Max's taunts. The only thing he needed to think about was how to get out and he needed to think fast. He needed to come up with some sort of escape plan. He needed to get away. Fast. He accomplished to think of at least 10 possible ways to get out of Crash, without making Max follow, but all the scenarios would result in a big mess and it was just not worth it.

"Just stay away," he whispered, making sure only Max's advanced hearing would pick it up. He tried his best to sound dead serious. Without drawing too much attention, he set off in a sprint towards the exit door, shoving a few people away in the process.

"What the hell is his problem?" Max wondered and turned to O.C.

"I dunno, boo, but I really think you should figure out what the hell he's strugglin' with. I'm tellin' ya, that boy wasn't himself. And knowin' how sneaky fast you peeps are, you betta' hurry." Original Cindy grabbed her pitcher and stared expectantly at her friend. She heard Max sigh and saw the frustration in her eyes.

A mix between curiosity, worry and annoyance filled Max's thoughts. She knew she didn't have enough time to consider what she needed to do. Follow the fool or stay with her friends at Crash? Annoyed, she gazed at the door where Alec just had fled through a few seconds ago. "I'm so gonna regret this," she muttered and ran before Cindy got to say goodbye.


A/N - Thank you for reading, and yes.. I changed up their cocktail a lil' bit. My story, my rules.