Catching the Thief

Max was bored. She had been gingerly pacing her small apartment since she had been shot the week before. She was no stranger to injuring herself, and was always edgy when cooped up for too long. Fortunately for her fraying patience this was the last morning of her self enforced incarceration.

Another big issue was food. Max was not a big cook, in fact she didn't. Ever. As a Changer she ate more than the usual human, but there were only so many microwave meals you could enjoy in one day.

Currently she was onto the last of her fruit and vegetables. Not her usual pick, but she took comfort in the thought that she would be back to her usual junk food diet within a day or two.

Max selected one of her sharp knives (one of the only instruments in her kitchen that she used regularly) and began quickly chopping carrot slices. She was lost in her own thoughts when she felt rather than heard movement behind her.

Spinning on the ball of one foot she registered a big male and threw her knife, aiming powerfully for the centre of the man's chest. Half a breath later she realised her mistake as Gabriel Hunter snatched the knife and growled at her "You're lucky I'm in a good mood kitten."

She flushed as memories of his big hands sliding down her wet body intruded on her anger. "Well kitten are you going to apologise to me?" Determined not to let him get a rise out of her she raised an eyebrow in a way she hoped made her look sassy "Well sneak into my apartment and you can expect me to throw something at you."

Instead of taking the bait Gabriel just grinned and moved to the bench, taking over slicing the carrots. "So are you in the mood for a little breaking and entering?" he asked.

"Depends entirely on what your expedition would be in aid of." Max was thrown by the subject change. How could he be so relaxed here, was he not thinking of the night she was shot? She was. But then she'd been thinking about it a lot.

She wasn't sure if she was entirely comfortable with the fact she had had sex with Gabriel. Sex itself was an idea that she was still trying to grasp, how did the rest of her kind approach it? Was she now the Changer version of easy? That coupled with her healthy fear of other Changers left her on territory she was not familiar with. She studied his back as he replied, "Someone has taken something of the Council's, and they want it back.

Max's eyes widened. The Council ruled Changers and other non human beings. They made the rules, and punished those caught breaking them. To have something stolen from them was a big thing, as Humans did not officially acknowledge the existence of the other beings on the earth, however if a Council-produced document ended up in their hands that could change in a microsecond. And they all knew how well Humans would react to finding they were not at the top of the food chain anymore... It would be war.

Are you up for it?" He turned glancing down at her side meaningfully. "Well..." Max arched her torso and prodded the scar experimentally, "I think it's pretty much healed, as long as I'm not doing too much heavy lifting I should be fine." Of course for a Changer 'heavy lifting' meant something the size of a small pony, so she wasn't in much danger of that. "Does this go towards reducing my debt?"

Gabriel snickered, "No kitten, this is just for fun..." He munched on a carrot slice grinning suggestively. Max hadn't really thought it would be that easy. If she was going to be honest with herself she really didn't want it to be that easy. He even makes vegetables look sexy she mused.

"Hungry?" Gabriel grinned seeing the longing look in her eyes. Max nodded then watched, a little concerned, as Gabriel stalked towards her with a predatory gleam in his eye, and a carrot in his right hand.

Max's eyes grew in astonishment, he wouldn't would he? She didn't know, and that revelation was enough to send her vaulting over the bench, and through the apartment. Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know that much about Gabriel.

He caught her as she tried to get past him to the front door. "Listen Gabriel I've changed my mind i'm really not, er, hungry at all." She wriggled with all her cat like agility as he moved into the bedroom, and lay her stomach down on the bed. "Kitten, would you calm down and get this though your head." Gabriel pinned her to the bed with a large hand on the small of her back "I'm not going to hurt you. You can tell me no, and I will stop, but you're going to be denying yourself an awful lot of fun."

Max paused, her blood was boiling. She would be uncomfortably aroused for the rest of the day if he left. And he was true to his word, she had enjoyed everything at his hands so far. With a sigh she relaxed, and nodded her head.

Gabriel released his breath, they were over the first hurdle, she trusted him. With a sexy grin he slipped her jeans over her legs and removed her tee-shirt, using it to secure her hands behind her back.

Max was then moved down the bed so her knees rested on the floor an her belly was supported, still on the bed. Gabriel's cock twitched, and he decided he quite like her like this, bound and presenting herself for him. He positioned himself behind her, and spread her legs wider, reaching for the carrot, lying almost forgotten on the bed.

Max's breath huffed out of her at the first touch of the cold vegetable against the crack of her arse and Gabriel trailed it downwards. Max held herself rigid, still unsure of his intentions as he gently wriggled the end of the carrot in her entrance.

Max could feel herself growing wetter by the instant. Gabriel leaned over her body, pinning her more solidly with his weight, and gently biting her neck as he began drawing the carrot along her slit, rubbing her clit with every movement.

Max whimpered, she could feel every bump and ridge. "Please, Gabriel, I need..." she started, and before she could finnish Gabriel eased the carrot into her body.

She grunted and tried to move under him as he worked the vegetable into her tight passage. She was overwhelmed by the feeling of cold hard flesh sliding in and out of her repetitively. Gabriel could feel himself pulsing, trapped in between their bodies. He was determined to have his fun first though.

Max was desperately trying to get herself free of the tee-shirt, She waned to grab something, or touch herself, or claw her bed in delicious agony. Her stomach was tightening, and she was totally focused on the movements of the carrot in her vagina. Gabriel continued to move it frustratingly slowly into her, and easing it out with a slight twist. He nerve endings were sizzling, and her entire world contracted, and then shattered. Max came in a pulsing white-hot orgasm, gasping for air, and writhing her body under his. Her juices were seeping down the carrot onto his hand, and it was becoming easier to thrust into her. Max was still grunting and trying to move under Gabriel, She was causing quite a bit of friction and he desperately needed relief. He removed the carrot grinning at her moan of disappointment.

Being careful to avoid her healing side, he flipped her over to her back and propped her back onto the pillows at the head of her bed. Max's cheeks were stained red, and she had squeezed her eyes shut. Her legs however were still spayed open. Gabriel was alarmed when he felt a surge of warm feelings for her, it really wasn't a good idea to become too attached to this woman.

Unable to restrain himself any longer he slipped out of his clothes, and turned to throw them against the bedroom wall. When he turned back Max had opened her eyes and was watching him, her eyes were clouded with lust and if he was right, a bit of uncertainty she had seen his alarm.

He grinned reassuringly at her "Still hungry?" Max arched her back and felt the air cooling her body, "You have no idea..." Gabriel reached beneath her to release her hands again and then slid himself over her body, noticing the way she shivered at the feel of his skin against hers.

Max felt him nudging at her entrance, and let her breath out slowly, trying to relax. Although the carrot had been large, Gabriel was still bigger than what her body was used to. Max looked up to find his face inches away, his dark eyes boring into her. He held himself above her like that as he entered her.

To Max's relief there was no pain this time, just a feeling of being stretched around him. She looked down their bodies to the place they were joined, watching his shaft dipping into her. Meeting his eyes again she dragged his lips down to hers, and lost herself in the primal pleasure of his rhythm. Gabriel slid his hands over her body lost in the feeling of her below him. He sank deeply into her warmth, and roared over her as he came. No there was nothing wrong with this at all she thought as Gabriel's strong caresses sent her over the edge.

Gabriel had her cradled against him when she became aware of her surroundings again. "You're back then." he smiled drowsily. She didn't answer him, now that it was over she was a little worried about the implications. She wasn't quite sure she liked the idea of casual sex with a Changer, and she was equally unsure of an actual relationship with Gabriel. Is that even when he was offering?

Gabriel studied her as she lay lost in thought. He was feeling more and more uneasy by the minute. She rolled away from him, looking seriously up into his eyes. "What are you doing with me Gabriel?"

"I thought that was obvious Kitten." Gabriel's heart was sinking.

"I mean, what is this? are you looking for a relationship, or is this just sex? Is this your payment, or just...?" She didn't ask if this was normal for their species, no more meaningful to him than food, sleep or Changing, even though she wanted to.

"Kitten... " Gabriel wanted to just avoid this altogether. He really wasn't all that sure what he was doing. Her stony eyes forced him to answer. "I'm not looking for a life-mate. I'm not really in a position where that would be a practical thing for me to do. This isn't about your debt. I wish I could offer you more Max" This last sentence was murmured into her ear.

Max relaxed slightly. She watched him slide out of bed and clothe himself. Her questions weren't really all answered but she sensed that this was the best she was going to get for now. Was it what she wanted?

After he had left the building she showered and spent an unusually long time on her hair. after her fourth try at a simple ponytail she arched her eyebrows at herself in the mirror "Yeah you don't care..." She would leave her hair free, it was only shoulder length and probably wouldn't be too much of a hassle anyway.

Before she'd even taken two steps from the mirror she changed her mind. After putting her hair up, and securing it with too much hairspray to discourage herself from changing it again she searched under her bed for the last emergency packet of junk food in the house. Carrot sticks were not going to help her at this point, she needed the artificial goodness of marshmallow and biscuit covered in chocolate.

Later that night Gabriel collected Max who had slipped into a tight black body suit. She wore them when involved in something of this nature, mostly because they were easy to move in. She had thankfully resisted the urge to play with her hair again.

When she exited the building she was greeted by the sight of two men grinding against each other against the door of a black van. They separated as Gabriel explained to her "This is Grey and Michael... They're a little over-sexed. Grey is a Cheetah and Michael is a Tiger"

Michael straightened up, revelling himself to be the man she had seen walking at the front of the limo the first day. He was big and tightly packed, and even with his size he managed to move with a certain amount of grace. He had dark auburn hair, and interesting gold flecked eyes.

Grey was the blonde who had been with them at the parade. He was short and lean, with warm brown eyes that made him look approachable and friendly next to the others... He was also the man who had shot her. "Guys this is Max..."

She wasn't sure who was more surprised when she cuffed Grey across the chin and slammed him back against the van with an angry growl. She had even shocked herself a bit there, and true to form, she hadn't really thought it though all that clearly. Gabriel had moved to her right, and Michael looked like he was about to intervene on Grey's behalf on her left when Grey began to snort with laughter. "She's going to fit right in. Nice to meet you Max, sorry for shooting you and all that."

Max released Grey and after a few moments of silence Michael motioned her into the back of the van saying "Hi, I don't think we've met." She shook his offered hand, and after a few moments of easy small talk he moved on to briefing her for the upcoming job.

It seemed that Max would be doing the actual break in, with Michael and Gabriel on surveillance, and Grey working from the van to talk her through finding the information she needed to retrieve and clearing the way for her to get into the building though the computerised security system.

Max would be finding the locations of several historical books for Changers. Michael explained that one of Gabriel's agents had stolen them a while ago, and he had been charged with retrieving them for the Council as it was one of his men that had betrayed them. There was a reasonable amount of haste involved in getting to the books, as it was possible the books were on their way to the hands of a human, and that would be disastrous for all concerned.

Max was given an earpiece and dropped on the side of the road almost a kilometre from the property she needed to gain entrance to. Barely waiting for the van to depart to drop Gabriel and Michael to their vantage points Max leapt joyfully into the woods surrounding the back perimeter of the office.

It felt good to be running again, and after only a dull ache in her side Max allowed herself to really stretch out, sprinting silently through the forest. She regretted not being able to change into her cat and really enjoy the run, however she had a job to do, and was soon slipping over the fence into a large garden.

Crouching behind a small stone structure she waited for confirmation that the guards were all safely tranquillised and hidden in various points around the building. When she received the signal, she slipped through the shadows, to the back door and picked the lock, trusting that Grey had done his job and disengaged the alarm.

Inside the building she was able to slip into the main office within a matter of minutes. There was only one man in the office, and all it took was a small tranquilliser dart to subdue him. Grey was waiting in the van with instructions for Max, so all she had to do was slip the CD into one of the computers and follow directions as he extracted the needed information then turned several thousand dollars worth of computers into expensive paperweights. When he was done she removed the CD and slipped out of the room leaving the man still sleeping, with his hands bound in front of his workstation.

Max was nearly out of the building when an urgent Gabriel hissed in her ear "We've lost a guard." Hearing footsteps Max slipped into a nearby doorway, and held her breath as the missing guard passed. She sprinted down the last corridor and out of the building, moving quickly through the shadows and over the back fence.

Max was almost back at the meeting point when the guard finished his coffee break and poked his head around the office door. When he got no response form the night technician there was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, this only intensified when he entered the room to find the mans hands taped together and every computer in the building dead. "Where the hell did they all go!" he could be heard yelling frantically as he exited the building. Some one was going to be skinned alive for this, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be him.

In a matter of minutes Max was back in the van. Grey and Michael had curled up against each other in the back seat amongst Grey's computer gear, Max had taken the front while Gabriel opted to drive again. "Well that went smoothly" remarked Max spinning the CD between her fingers thoughtfully.

They drove back to the city in silence. Max was acutely aware of Gabriel sitting across from her. She watched him from the corner of her eye as the streetlights illuminated him. The job had gone more smoothly than most of her own, the increase in numbers allowing her to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Gabriel turned the van into a parking space front of her apartment block, the movement enough to wake Grey and Michael. Max was about to open her door when Gabriel dropped an ID badge in her lap. A closer inspection revealed that it was for her, complete with a photo she hadn't posed for and her birth date. "Hunter Enterprises, Protection and Retrieval Agency... You want me to work for you?"

"Yes, you will be more centred on the retrieval side of things, in keeping with your abilities." Gabriel eyed her speculative face. "I will pay you a competitive salary, in return for which you will keep yourself in top working condition, and your services available exclusively for Hunter Enterprises. You have the right to refuse a job, you will have to give me good reason for it as you will not be asked to do anything I see as beyond ethical boundaries. Often our work does put us slightly to the left of the law, but I assume that will not be an issue for you." Max's mind raced as she processed the information.

"What he means is, we want you to join our club." snickered Grey.

"Let me get this straight. In exchange for me working within your team, you will call it even, and even pay me for the privilege of it." Max stated incredulously.

"Yes, although, it will be working on the basis that you are not free to end your employment with me unless I agree to it, or unless you are fired by me." said Gabriel.

After a pause Max shrugged "Count me in." Not that she suspected she had a choice. Gabriel rewarded her with a grin. "Sleep well kitten." Gabriel said in a voice that made her knees weak. "Don't call me that in front of the guys, they'll think I'm not tough" Max said glancing into the back seat at Grey, now playing with Michael's long hair.

She heard Gabriel laughing as she exited the car. Grey stuck his tongue out good-naturedly as she passed his window, Michael was still watching Gabriel in interest - it was not often he heard his leader laughing. Still grinning Max moved up the stairs, and let herself into her apartment. She stripped and slid into bed naked, asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

Max woke with a start. Something wasn't right, confused she glanced at the red numbers on her bedside clock 3.05 am. The clink of metal against metal galvanised her into action. Max threw herself to the ground beside her bed, as the masked man shot a volley of bullets through her bed.

In the confusion of the noise, smoke and bullets Max managed to change into her jaguar form, and slide to the side of the bed. The man paused and Max leaped at him, knocking the gun from his hands with her body, and grappling with her claws for a moment before dropping herself, allowing her weight to break his neck.

She Changed back to her human form, and scooped up the mans abandoned gun. At the rate he had gone through bullets there would be next to nothing left, but it was better than nothing. She did not naturally use a gun and preferred to use her body over the somewhat questionable engineering of a human made weapon.

Max charged through her bedroom door, firing madly as she ran for the cover of her kitchen bench. Two men returned fire briefly before she managed to hit them. Her gun was now out of bullets, so she dropped it in disgust and changed back into her cat form.