The Story of Max Cale
by pari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Disclaimer and rating in chapter 1.
Chapter 12
Her kidnapper was good at tying people up – this Max learned as she turned and twisted, trying to break
free of her restraints. He'd no doubt had experience with this sort of situation.
Max felt another chill go through her as she was reminded of the danger she was in with this man.
She turned and twisted a little more.
He was good with tying people up…but he'd probably never tied someone up who had the abilities that she
had. And even if he had, he probably wasn't expecting that to be necessary with her. Granted, Max had
tested her own strength so rarely, that she was unused to employing it. But fear and desperation
encouraged her. And before long, she'd rubbed the skin on her wrists raw, but she'd managed to tear
through the ropes. Right through them.
When she was free, Max just stood there a moment, looking at her handiwork; at the once strong rope,
lying in shreds at the head of the bed. She didn't know if she should feel proud or frightened.
Then she blinked.
She really didn't have time for either. She just had to get out of here!
Max rushed to the door and pulled it open, stepping out…
…and then she ran straight into a man's chest.
Zack instinctively dropped the bags he'd been carrying, his arms snaking around his captive as soon as they
bumped into one another. He held her in a vice-like embrace.
Max was at once shocked and horrified. 'No!' This couldn't be happening to her…it just couldn't.
Zack saw the look on the woman's face, felt the tension in her, and knew she was about to start panicking.
But they couldn't have that out here in front of their room, could they? It would be calling attention to
himself. And it was Zack's experience that things got messy whenever an X5 called attention to himself.
"Listen…," he began, talking slowly and clearly, as if to a child, but with a firm tone that told Max he was
not to be taken lightly about this. "…I'm not going to say a word about what you're doing out here. And
you are not going to cause a scene, do you hear me? You are going to back up, and get in the room."
Along with her fear, defiance and anger sparked hot in Max's eyes.
She opened her mouth, and as if sensing her intentions, Zack tightened his arms around her. Max's eyes
widened, and her mouth closed. He wasn't holding her tight enough to hurt her, but the gesture reminded
her of the strength in this man. He was a good head taller than her, and when he was holding her she felt
totally surrounded by him. She looked up and met his eyes. That was something she'd tried not to do since
she'd woken up in the van. Those eyes sent shudders right down her spine.
But she looked up now, and once she did, she couldn't look away. It was as if she were trapped in his gaze.
And she felt her resolve wavering beneath his cool stare.
"I'm not joking," he told her, one last time. "I don't want to hurt you, but…"
Zack let the rest of the sentence go unsaid. Max believed it was because he felt he needn't voice the threat
in his tone to make it real. In actuallity, he'd simply forgotten what he was saying. Those chocolate brown
eyes of hers were locked with his. And it was odd… the oddest jolt ran down Zack's spine just looking
into those eyes. The scent of lilacs filled his nostrils. And he was suddenly very aware of the petite body
molded against his own, wrapped up in his arms…
Zack shook his head, trying to clear away the disturbing thoughts and sensations before they could take
hold.
He finally stepped back, releasing Max so quickly, she had to stumble not to fall down.
"Move it," he told her, his voice coming out harsher than he'd meant. If only Max knew it was unfamiliar
desire that thickened his tone, not severity.
Max complied without word, her eyes watering as she did so.
She didn't even realize what she'd done until her captor was closing the door behind them, setting the
locks.
She'd gone back into the room. He'd given her a command, and she'd complied with a word. Without
question. She'd been trying to make her get away, damn it! And the second he showed up, she just backed
off without a fight.
Max stood there shocked. Not believing herself.
Why had she done that? Why did she listen to him? Because he'd told her not to cause a scene?
Max reeled as a disturbing bit of truth assaulted her. She'd listened because she hadn't enough clarity of
thought to do anything else. She'd listened because she'd been so consumed by him, basically…by his
nearness, his presence…that she hadn't been able to think.
'Oh, God…' This man had kidnapped her, and she was just going along for the ride. And why? Because
she felt some sort of twisted, irrational attraction to the man?
Anger at herself overrode all of Max's other feelings and thoughts. It took control. It eclipsed the
realization that what she'd done was right. If this man really was a killer, then causing a scene could only
have made things go from bad to worse. Starting a fight with him would have been unwise. It even
eclipsed the realization that starting a fight with him now – behind a closed door – was, likewise, suicidal.
Self-directed anger took hold of Max and eclipsed everything else.
And so she lashed out.
"What the hell do you think you're going to do with me? Keep me here forever? If you're going to kill
me, get it the fuck over with already and stop stringing me along! You know damn well I have nothing to
tell you! I was waiting up there for you, okay? Are you happy? There, I said it! I…"
Max's heated monologue abruptly ended. Because then her captor reacted in a way she hadn't expected.
Nor had Zack particularly expected it.
But one second he was bolting the door, and the woman was raging in the background. It occurred to him
that he should be annoyed. Annoyed that things weren't going as easily as he'd thought. Annoyed that this
little human woman had made short work of the complex knot he'd used to restrain her. Annoyed that she
was ranting now, as though she were the one with the upperhand here, not the trained killer holding her
hostage.
Zack realized that he should be annoyed…but he also realized that he wasn't. That fact hit him like a bolt
of lightning. He wasn't annoyed, he was…intrigued. Amused, even? Yes. He was fucking amused?
Since when did he ever appreciate the humor in a given situation? But it was true – he was amused. And
intrigued. Here this little human woman had very nearly escaped *him*, and now she was standing there
ranting like she had the upperhand. It was awfully…brave of her.
And something about the fire in her eyes as she argued… The defiance in her posture, and the pout in her
lips…
Zack found himself smiling in amusement; his eyes burning with the curiosity this woman had roused to
know more about her.
And before Zack realized what he was doing, instinct took over, and suddenly his eyes were burning with
something else, as well.
Before he could stop himself, he leapt at her, coming to her side in a blur of speed that normal humans
weren't capable of. Her words died out as she saw him move, and before she could say anything else, Zack
had pulled her into a crushing embrace yet again.
And this time, as he held her, his lips held hers, as well. He kissed her, passionately. Roughly. He took
her face in his hands and kissed her with every bit of desire he felt churning inside of him.
A part of Zack was every bit of surprised as Max was, maybe even more so. He didn't act like this. He
didn't spontaneously combust just because he was near a pretty woman with an angry attitude. To tell you
the truth, unless he was in heat, he usually paid little attention to the women around him – pretty or not. He
certainly didn't just kiss them right in the middle of a sentence. And, despite that, he was hardly
inexperienced with the opposite sex. But in none of his experiences had he ever just defied common sense
like this. He'd always retained an acceptable level of control. The fact that, with this woman, in this
instance, he didn't feel the same need to hold back…it actually shocked him.
A part of Zack was just waiting for her to push him away. To slap him or to screech indignantly or to get
this scared, violated look on her face. A part of him almost welcomed the rejection. It would put him in
his place. Would remind him why this was crazy and wrong; foolish, really.
But, alas…she didn't slap him. She kissed him back.
For a moment, Max just stood there, shocked and unresponsive. Then, yet again to both their surprise, she
kissed him back. His arms wrapped around her, and she linked hers around his neck. She didn't really
understand why. She was still angry with him and with herself. She was still aware of the situation and of
who this man was. He was most definitely not someone she should be kissing – he'd kidnapped her, after
all. He'd been spying on her brother. But something had captivated her about him since the moment she'd
felt his breath against her skin up there on that roof. Something had drawn her to him. He was oddly
familiar to her senses, somehow, and yet unfamiliar. She knew she didn't know him, but she felt, deep
inside of her, that she should. It was strange and confusing but totally irresistible.
So when he kissed her…and all of those strange and confusing emotions overtook her, when desire
overtook her…desire like she'd never felt before…she didn't push him away. She kissed him back.
That reaction had the opposite effect of returning Zack's sanity.
With something between a groan and a growl, he lifted her in his arms, their mouths still locked.
Max knew she had to have gone insane. That was the only explanation. Otherwise she wouldn't possibly
be doing this. She didn't even know his name! But there she was, and the wilder his kisses became, the
wilder hers became, as well. When he lifted her, she wrapped her legs around his waist. When his hands
began to knead the muscles in her back, her fingers tangled in his hair. He was surprisingly tender and
excitingly passionate, both at the same time, and all of this in only moments.
When his lips strayed from her lips, down her neck, Max gasped, a thrill running through her. When she
returned the gesture, Zack's sharp intake of breath told her she was at least effecting him every bit as much
as he was effecting her. Then he growled again, making Max shudder and hold onto him even tighter.
During this time, they had moved from where they'd been by the door closer to the beds. One last step
back, and they were tumbling onto one.
The feel of the mattress beneath had the power to do what nothing else had. It brought Max and Zack back
to their senses.
Suddenly, they stopped. They were both breathing heavily, and they were both stunned at what had just
happened.
They just stared at one another.
Then Zack was the first to recover.
He pulled back suddenly, sitting up. And the look on his face was so perplexed, Max forgot to feel
embarrassed about what had just happened or afraid of what would happen next.
"I…"
He didn't know what to say. He really didn't know what to say.
"Just…"
He had to leave. That's what he had to do. He glanced at the shredded ropes still lying there on the bed,
but he hardly blinked. There was too much on his mind right now to think about how she'd done that.
"Stay," he simply said.
Then he got out of that motel room as though there were an army of Manticore's finest hiding in the closet.
So Max just sat there, trying to compose herself.
What the hell had just happened?
A/N: Okay, I don't know if this chapter went like it should have. I've criticized people, often enough
before, for getting characters together too quickly too easily. That's not what I was trying to do. I just kind
of got this idea that if Max and Zack had met, as adults, without any preconceived notions of one another,
that they would totally blow one another away. Max has never been around one of her kind before, and
Zack's never been around her before, so they're both drawn to each other and they don't know what to do
about it. I don't know if that came off or not. Let me know.
by pari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Disclaimer and rating in chapter 1.
Chapter 12
Her kidnapper was good at tying people up – this Max learned as she turned and twisted, trying to break
free of her restraints. He'd no doubt had experience with this sort of situation.
Max felt another chill go through her as she was reminded of the danger she was in with this man.
She turned and twisted a little more.
He was good with tying people up…but he'd probably never tied someone up who had the abilities that she
had. And even if he had, he probably wasn't expecting that to be necessary with her. Granted, Max had
tested her own strength so rarely, that she was unused to employing it. But fear and desperation
encouraged her. And before long, she'd rubbed the skin on her wrists raw, but she'd managed to tear
through the ropes. Right through them.
When she was free, Max just stood there a moment, looking at her handiwork; at the once strong rope,
lying in shreds at the head of the bed. She didn't know if she should feel proud or frightened.
Then she blinked.
She really didn't have time for either. She just had to get out of here!
Max rushed to the door and pulled it open, stepping out…
…and then she ran straight into a man's chest.
Zack instinctively dropped the bags he'd been carrying, his arms snaking around his captive as soon as they
bumped into one another. He held her in a vice-like embrace.
Max was at once shocked and horrified. 'No!' This couldn't be happening to her…it just couldn't.
Zack saw the look on the woman's face, felt the tension in her, and knew she was about to start panicking.
But they couldn't have that out here in front of their room, could they? It would be calling attention to
himself. And it was Zack's experience that things got messy whenever an X5 called attention to himself.
"Listen…," he began, talking slowly and clearly, as if to a child, but with a firm tone that told Max he was
not to be taken lightly about this. "…I'm not going to say a word about what you're doing out here. And
you are not going to cause a scene, do you hear me? You are going to back up, and get in the room."
Along with her fear, defiance and anger sparked hot in Max's eyes.
She opened her mouth, and as if sensing her intentions, Zack tightened his arms around her. Max's eyes
widened, and her mouth closed. He wasn't holding her tight enough to hurt her, but the gesture reminded
her of the strength in this man. He was a good head taller than her, and when he was holding her she felt
totally surrounded by him. She looked up and met his eyes. That was something she'd tried not to do since
she'd woken up in the van. Those eyes sent shudders right down her spine.
But she looked up now, and once she did, she couldn't look away. It was as if she were trapped in his gaze.
And she felt her resolve wavering beneath his cool stare.
"I'm not joking," he told her, one last time. "I don't want to hurt you, but…"
Zack let the rest of the sentence go unsaid. Max believed it was because he felt he needn't voice the threat
in his tone to make it real. In actuallity, he'd simply forgotten what he was saying. Those chocolate brown
eyes of hers were locked with his. And it was odd… the oddest jolt ran down Zack's spine just looking
into those eyes. The scent of lilacs filled his nostrils. And he was suddenly very aware of the petite body
molded against his own, wrapped up in his arms…
Zack shook his head, trying to clear away the disturbing thoughts and sensations before they could take
hold.
He finally stepped back, releasing Max so quickly, she had to stumble not to fall down.
"Move it," he told her, his voice coming out harsher than he'd meant. If only Max knew it was unfamiliar
desire that thickened his tone, not severity.
Max complied without word, her eyes watering as she did so.
She didn't even realize what she'd done until her captor was closing the door behind them, setting the
locks.
She'd gone back into the room. He'd given her a command, and she'd complied with a word. Without
question. She'd been trying to make her get away, damn it! And the second he showed up, she just backed
off without a fight.
Max stood there shocked. Not believing herself.
Why had she done that? Why did she listen to him? Because he'd told her not to cause a scene?
Max reeled as a disturbing bit of truth assaulted her. She'd listened because she hadn't enough clarity of
thought to do anything else. She'd listened because she'd been so consumed by him, basically…by his
nearness, his presence…that she hadn't been able to think.
'Oh, God…' This man had kidnapped her, and she was just going along for the ride. And why? Because
she felt some sort of twisted, irrational attraction to the man?
Anger at herself overrode all of Max's other feelings and thoughts. It took control. It eclipsed the
realization that what she'd done was right. If this man really was a killer, then causing a scene could only
have made things go from bad to worse. Starting a fight with him would have been unwise. It even
eclipsed the realization that starting a fight with him now – behind a closed door – was, likewise, suicidal.
Self-directed anger took hold of Max and eclipsed everything else.
And so she lashed out.
"What the hell do you think you're going to do with me? Keep me here forever? If you're going to kill
me, get it the fuck over with already and stop stringing me along! You know damn well I have nothing to
tell you! I was waiting up there for you, okay? Are you happy? There, I said it! I…"
Max's heated monologue abruptly ended. Because then her captor reacted in a way she hadn't expected.
Nor had Zack particularly expected it.
But one second he was bolting the door, and the woman was raging in the background. It occurred to him
that he should be annoyed. Annoyed that things weren't going as easily as he'd thought. Annoyed that this
little human woman had made short work of the complex knot he'd used to restrain her. Annoyed that she
was ranting now, as though she were the one with the upperhand here, not the trained killer holding her
hostage.
Zack realized that he should be annoyed…but he also realized that he wasn't. That fact hit him like a bolt
of lightning. He wasn't annoyed, he was…intrigued. Amused, even? Yes. He was fucking amused?
Since when did he ever appreciate the humor in a given situation? But it was true – he was amused. And
intrigued. Here this little human woman had very nearly escaped *him*, and now she was standing there
ranting like she had the upperhand. It was awfully…brave of her.
And something about the fire in her eyes as she argued… The defiance in her posture, and the pout in her
lips…
Zack found himself smiling in amusement; his eyes burning with the curiosity this woman had roused to
know more about her.
And before Zack realized what he was doing, instinct took over, and suddenly his eyes were burning with
something else, as well.
Before he could stop himself, he leapt at her, coming to her side in a blur of speed that normal humans
weren't capable of. Her words died out as she saw him move, and before she could say anything else, Zack
had pulled her into a crushing embrace yet again.
And this time, as he held her, his lips held hers, as well. He kissed her, passionately. Roughly. He took
her face in his hands and kissed her with every bit of desire he felt churning inside of him.
A part of Zack was every bit of surprised as Max was, maybe even more so. He didn't act like this. He
didn't spontaneously combust just because he was near a pretty woman with an angry attitude. To tell you
the truth, unless he was in heat, he usually paid little attention to the women around him – pretty or not. He
certainly didn't just kiss them right in the middle of a sentence. And, despite that, he was hardly
inexperienced with the opposite sex. But in none of his experiences had he ever just defied common sense
like this. He'd always retained an acceptable level of control. The fact that, with this woman, in this
instance, he didn't feel the same need to hold back…it actually shocked him.
A part of Zack was just waiting for her to push him away. To slap him or to screech indignantly or to get
this scared, violated look on her face. A part of him almost welcomed the rejection. It would put him in
his place. Would remind him why this was crazy and wrong; foolish, really.
But, alas…she didn't slap him. She kissed him back.
For a moment, Max just stood there, shocked and unresponsive. Then, yet again to both their surprise, she
kissed him back. His arms wrapped around her, and she linked hers around his neck. She didn't really
understand why. She was still angry with him and with herself. She was still aware of the situation and of
who this man was. He was most definitely not someone she should be kissing – he'd kidnapped her, after
all. He'd been spying on her brother. But something had captivated her about him since the moment she'd
felt his breath against her skin up there on that roof. Something had drawn her to him. He was oddly
familiar to her senses, somehow, and yet unfamiliar. She knew she didn't know him, but she felt, deep
inside of her, that she should. It was strange and confusing but totally irresistible.
So when he kissed her…and all of those strange and confusing emotions overtook her, when desire
overtook her…desire like she'd never felt before…she didn't push him away. She kissed him back.
That reaction had the opposite effect of returning Zack's sanity.
With something between a groan and a growl, he lifted her in his arms, their mouths still locked.
Max knew she had to have gone insane. That was the only explanation. Otherwise she wouldn't possibly
be doing this. She didn't even know his name! But there she was, and the wilder his kisses became, the
wilder hers became, as well. When he lifted her, she wrapped her legs around his waist. When his hands
began to knead the muscles in her back, her fingers tangled in his hair. He was surprisingly tender and
excitingly passionate, both at the same time, and all of this in only moments.
When his lips strayed from her lips, down her neck, Max gasped, a thrill running through her. When she
returned the gesture, Zack's sharp intake of breath told her she was at least effecting him every bit as much
as he was effecting her. Then he growled again, making Max shudder and hold onto him even tighter.
During this time, they had moved from where they'd been by the door closer to the beds. One last step
back, and they were tumbling onto one.
The feel of the mattress beneath had the power to do what nothing else had. It brought Max and Zack back
to their senses.
Suddenly, they stopped. They were both breathing heavily, and they were both stunned at what had just
happened.
They just stared at one another.
Then Zack was the first to recover.
He pulled back suddenly, sitting up. And the look on his face was so perplexed, Max forgot to feel
embarrassed about what had just happened or afraid of what would happen next.
"I…"
He didn't know what to say. He really didn't know what to say.
"Just…"
He had to leave. That's what he had to do. He glanced at the shredded ropes still lying there on the bed,
but he hardly blinked. There was too much on his mind right now to think about how she'd done that.
"Stay," he simply said.
Then he got out of that motel room as though there were an army of Manticore's finest hiding in the closet.
So Max just sat there, trying to compose herself.
What the hell had just happened?
A/N: Okay, I don't know if this chapter went like it should have. I've criticized people, often enough
before, for getting characters together too quickly too easily. That's not what I was trying to do. I just kind
of got this idea that if Max and Zack had met, as adults, without any preconceived notions of one another,
that they would totally blow one another away. Max has never been around one of her kind before, and
Zack's never been around her before, so they're both drawn to each other and they don't know what to do
about it. I don't know if that came off or not. Let me know.