Series Title: After the Reapers
Pairing: Garrus/Shepard

Author: Knights-Honour
Disclaimer: Mass Effect universe © BioWare
Any character you haven't heard of © me

Author's Notes:
Thanks go to my Beta; Blueglaceon, who despite having little knowledge of the Mass Effect universe, agreed to edit the series anyway. Thanks, Blue!

Here's the conclusion to Return to Tuchanka.

Primal Instincts

By the time the Kodiak came into view, Garrus had cooled down and was now sneaking glances at Kat to try and measure her mood, but her face remained passive and unreadable, leaving him clueless as to how to proceed. It was in his species nature to be fiercely territorial of their mates, so when Wrex had leaned close to Shepard and murmured those words, challenging his place as her life partner, instinct had taken over and he'd reacted.

For her part, Shepard was also caught up in her thoughts. She had never seen Garrus behave like that before, never seen him so blindly enraged. And while she knew, logically, that she should be yelling at him for attacking Wrex and nearly getting himself shot, she couldn't get the primal image of her Turian standing over the Krogan Battlemaster, his hands curved into claws as he defended his claim to her out of her head.

Of course, she had read about this, that Turian males were prone to react violently to sexual advances from other males, complete with uncontrollable bursts of anger, growling, hissing and, if the challenger didn't back down, bloody battles to determine who was top dog.

But seeing that behaviour in real life... it stirred something inside of her... something primal... something that wanted the predator to prove that he was worthy of being her mate...

His husky rumble interrupted her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I realize that I was out of line back there," she could tell by his tone of voice that he was still a little riled by Wrex's actions. "But friend or no, he had no right-"

"It's okay, Garrus," she interrupted him as they entered the Kodiak. She made a bee-line for the controls and closed the shuttle's door before turning back to him. He was watching her now, unsure of how to take her understanding attitude. He'd obviously been expecting some form of reprimand for his actions. "I know why you acted the way you did," he shot her a confused look. "You're not the only one who's been doing research," she informed her mate as she took a step closer to him, her voice turning husky as she continued, "I have to be honest with you, Garrus; no one's ever fought for me like that. Not for that reason, at any rate. I'm not used to it. I didn't expect it, and right now I'm as horny as hell because of it that I want to rip your armour off so that you can show me just how a Turian re-stakes his claim over his mate."

Garrus rapidly took a few steps back from her as he struggled to rein in his instincts, which were screaming at him to pounce on her and do just that. "You're playing with fire here, Kat," he warned her.

"I don't think so," she returned, defiantly. "I can take anything you dish out."

"You think you've seen how violent a Turian can be?" he growled, changing tactics and advancing on her, hoping to intimidate her into backing off this dangerous path. "The night I marked you was child's play compared to this. Trust me, Shepard, you've barely scratched the surface."

"So, in other words, you're not man enough to step up to the plate? Pity," she turned away from him. "Maybe I should go and take Wrex up on his offe-"

Garrus' furious roar drowned out the rest of her sentence and suddenly she found herself violently pinned against the Kodiak's slick metal wall, his harsh breaths hot against her skin. "Just remember; you asked for this," he growled in her ear before stepping back just enough so that he could spin her around and then, with brutal efficiency, removed her armour until all that was left was her bodysuit. He paused then, a moment of stillness, closing his eyes as the scent of her arousal reached his nose, and then he was moving again, removing his own armour. He'd just started on his bodysuit, when a movement caught his eye and he growled. Shepard froze, her fingers on the tab of her suit's zipper, as her eyes met his and with a defiant look, she continued her task and pulled the tab all the way down. Another growl came from his throat as his own suit dropped to the ground and then he was on her, claws ripping the fabric from her body. Then, grasping her by the hips, he picked her up and slammed her back against the wall behind them, her cries of pain at the rough treatment were music to his ears, his shaft extending out of him in response as he used his armoured form to pin her against the wall.

"You're MINE!" he snarled as he violently sheathed his cock inside her, his teeth sinking into her neck as his claws drew blood from her hips and she cried out in response as he began to thrust into her, setting a brutal pace so that all she could do was cling to him, her head lolling back to rest against the shuttle wall, as he dominated her and their coupling and it didn't take long before she felt the familiar fluttering in her body that preceded an orgasm and then she was flying, screaming his name as she came. Her release triggered his, but instead of releasing her as their bodies locked together, like normal, he bit into her neck, hard and vice-like, her flesh muffling his snarls as his seed filled her. He continued to hold her in place, thrusting into her shallowly until, overwhelmed by the sensations he was causing, she passed out.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

When she came too, the first thing she felt was crisp linen against her skin and a slight chill in the air. With a soft moan, she opened her eyes and was met by the blue bioluminescent glow from her fish tank.

She was back on the Normandy.

Rolling over onto her side, she pushed herself into an upright position, wincing as pain shot through right shoulder. Looking down, she gingerly touched the bite mark, noting that the faintest bloom of a bruise was beginning to appear. She had no doubt that by morning it would be as black as the ace of spades. Turning her attention back to her surroundings, she could see no sign of her mate.

"EDI?" she questioned as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, a flashing datapad on the bedside table catching her attention as she did so, and she picked it up.

'Kat,

Donnelly messaged me, said he was having trouble calibrating the new weapons systems with the ship's power core.

Gone to help.

Garrus.'

"Yes, Shepard?"

"Doesn't matter. I know where he is. Thanks anyway."

"Logging you out."

Sliding out of bed, she made a bee-line for the shower.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Stepping out of the elevator, Shepard made her way to the Main Battery.

"Try it now, Engineer Donnelly," she heard Garrus rumble as she entered the room and quietly leaned against the wall to wait, she knew better than to disturb him when he was working on the ship's calibrations.

"That's done the trick. It's back to a stable level now. Thanks, Garrus."

"Not a problem. Garrus out." He powered down the console before turning back to her. "Hey," he purred in greeting as he made his way over to her.

"Hey," she murmured back as she straightened up, resting a hand on his waist as they pressed their foreheads together.

"How're you feeling?"

"A little tender in some parts, but otherwise fine."

She saw him take a breath, and instinctively knew what was coming. "I'm sor-"

"Don't be," she cut him off, "I wouldn't have provoked you the way I did if I didn't think I could handle it."

"Still..."

Kat laughed and changed tactics, "Well, I suppose I could forgive you if you take a break and come and have lunch with me."

"Yes, ma'am," he playfully saluted, before taking her hand and leading them out of room and towards the Mess Hall.

Fin.