by H. A. Kotys
Katarina didn’t, couldn’t understand. This was the mistake. But they might have to wait an age for the opportunity to come around again. It was exasperating, frustrating and Amber said the thing that was in her heart and her last hope to inspire a reaction, “I love you!”
== ~ ==
The two women looked at the lifeless figure at their feet, one coldly impassive, the other agitated and nervous.
They couldn’t trust the staff. He employed them. Raven knew they held Immelmann in grudging esteem. She was also smart enough to recognise the discrete professional dislike with which they answered to her. It was the first time in years Raven had needed anyone and right now she needed Red’s help. They had to cover their tracks and quickly.
Assessing the options, Raven started to plan the rapid remedial work needed so she could keep what she had so recently taken. Pointing, explaining, directing, Raven brought the Californian’s head round to what needed to be done. Red in turn busied herself in the tasks set by her Mistress, relieved to immerse herself in a distraction to thoughts and guilt. Raven turned to return to her room, needing at least to be dressed to begin the challenging day ahead.
== ~ ==
Three simple words broke on Katarina like a hundred foot wave. The welcome weight of promise and the connection to her dreams shattered the walls of possession that Raven had so carefully built. Interminable moments passed. The two women looked at each other again, this time the connection holding the significance of that single expressed emotion.
An exploratory lacing of fingers, skin intertwining with leather, came first then desire bent Amber into the cage to find the lips she sought. The kiss that ensued lasted long and was held deep, both losing themselves in the moment, a moment unusually free of threat and a moment that blasted away all else.
It was the nature of the hallway that saved them. The stone floor between the Persian rugs eked out the sound of footsteps even though feet were bare.
The kiss shattered. Amber darted away, finding what shelter she could behind a tapestry that reached the floor from the wall. Katarina wasn’t quite so lucky, her reactions dulled by captivity and strain and Amber’s touch.
Indecision gripped her. As Raven rounded the corner into the room, all she saw was her pretty whore halfway out of her cage.
Her pent up fury would have moved mountains. Seizing Katarina harshly by the hair, Raven dragged her fully out. She needed an outlet and that outlet would be taken gladly.
== ~ ==
Amber’s heart pounded in her refuge until she feared it would either be heard or explode, giving her away. She could only guess at what was unfolding so close by but Katarina’s wail said enough, and it was all she could do to stay hidden, fists clenching, throat tight.
She had to stay still if she was to win through, if they were to win through. And so she held her breath, emerging only when she was sure of the silence and safety, making her way back to her room to start the routine of the day as if nothing had just ripped at her heart.
== ~ ==
Katarina felt alive. Senses heightened, she was awake to the dangers which headed her way. Raven’s spell had been broken but now was not the right time so she complied, struggling only to the degree she felt was expected.
She was dragged again to the gym, not the destination she had anticipated. This was different and Katarina knew enough to be concerned. It was well founded. The thin chain Raven fed through the rings in her nipples foretold of what was to come. Katarina shook her head in denial but the other end was attached to the treadmill regardless.
There was no lengthy preparation this time. No catsuit to squeeze into, no running shoes and Katarina took that as encouragement. The rigid routine had been broken and the spontaneity suggested things were happening that were out of control.
“I need to be busy today. You will run, whore.” There was urgency in Raven, that wasn’t normal. “If you know what’s good for you that is,” she added, the threat of failure explicit in the flick of the chain from Katarina’s nipples.
A loud peel of bleeps and the treadmill started. With the first tug on her breasts, Katarina started to jog, careful to precisely pace herself to match the running belt.
It wasn’t fast and Katarina knew it was a pace she could maintain. With each stride the chain bounced, pulling agonisingly on the recent attachments through her nipples. Her bare feet quickly blistered on the unforgiving rubber. It was to be the hardest of all her sessions.
== ~ ==
Stepping back, Red finally acknowledged that the room was cleaned to her satisfaction. She’d already moved the body of Immelmann deep into the manor. The staff never went there and it allowed time to attend to all those other details that urgently needed to be dealt with, one of which was the IT system. Red made her way back to the surveillance room to make sure all was still well.
As the 3rd of her reports was running, Red found herself chewing on her nails for the first time in years. It had been a nervous habit in childhood but, like many things in her life, it had been discarded as she joined the race for physical perfection so prevalent on the beaches of her home state. When nervous it resurfaced and it was joined this time by the incessant twitching of her foot as data scrolled up the screen.
The anomaly came on the 4th report. She almost missed it as her mind wrapped itself in the knots thinking of possible consequences of last night’s frenzy.
The web traffic monitor showed a huge amount of activity incoming that evening and, checking the timing, it was explained by website hits in and around the slave auction. That was all fine and dismissed. Red’s focus had drifted once again until the outgoing spike showed the unusual activity just before midnight.
Curious, she scrolled back. It bore no relation to the auction and slipping back into her abandoned profession, the former IT professional started to dig.
It was far from easy and the user had been careful. To the untrained eye, it would have been enough to pass scrutiny. Red’s expertise though took her further and natural curiosity matched her sense of self-preservation.
The protective layers were slowly stripped back. The traffic had been an email and the attachment was large. Red’s heart rate quickened, fearing what the next level would reveal.
Perhaps it was an automatic virus check, they sent packets of data back to the vendor for analysis, nothing worrying in that. In her heart though Red already knew and that fear was soon confirmed – it was an email and the file extension on that email was for video.
The email address of the sender was unfamiliar but it was someone in the manor. Skilled as she was Red couldn’t decode the receiver and the file itself was already gone. The dead end was frustrating. She sat there, curiosity not yet extinguished. There had to be another way to find out what it was, who had sent it and to whom.
Red’s eureka moment came quickly, dormant skills slowly waking. Plunging back to the keyboard it wasn’t long before she had the answer. The sender hadn’t been as quite as careful as she thought she had been after all. The video file started to play from Amber’s personal temporary files cache and rising to her feet as she watched, Red knew what she had to do.
CHAPTER XLV – Amber Alert
An hour’s drive away, preparations were being made. Jade hadn’t moved too far after leaving the manor. Deep down she’d wanted to stay close in case he summoned her to return to his side. The call had never come and she’d often regretted not severing ties completely in an effort to move on.
Now though, the proximity was a distinct advantage. Jade and Mela rushed to ready themselves in response to the hurried email that delivered a video from Amber that needed no explanation.
== ~ ==
Red was a huntress, senses alive, stalking the halls of the manor in search of her prey. She knew the surveillance room was clear and, checking her bedroom, ticked that off as well. The gym similarly drew a blank, though Red had to pause to look at the running girl already glistening with sweat.
So simpl
e and yet so effective, her Mistress had kept the girl tortuously occupied with such minimalist elegance. Red could only admire the sadistic ingenuity that was Mistress Raven. The girl was running okay for now but that wouldn’t last and in other circumstances, she could have watched for hours. Today though was the day for action rather than languid enjoyment and so Red tore herself away to continue her hunt.
== ~ ==
She looked at the clock. Three tasks completed; business as usual and now was her time for some air so Amber took the shortcut outside through a door normally used by the staff. The air was calm but contained an edge that sharpened senses and she drew it in deeply to wake her lungs before they took in their regular dose of nicotine.
Bending, Amber retrieved the packet tucked in the top of her boot, flipped it open and lit her too long delayed first cigarette of the day. It was almost 10.30am. She had time to pause for breath now at least and drew deeply to take in the nicotine she craved.
The tranquillity of that moment was welcome after the way the day had gone already. Amber quietly took in the sweep of the surrounding countryside while gathering her thoughts. How close she’d come to discovery. It would have only taken Raven to look behind her to see the abnormal shape bulging out the tapestry, but Amber had got away with it. It was hard to believe but then she was due a break.
The familiarity of her daily routine - which she’d started as soon as she could, hoping that it would allay any possible suspicions - should have settled her but it felt alien now. She hadn’t intended to tell Katarina that she loved her. In fact she hadn’t even been previously sure of it herself but when she’d said the words, it had seemed so natural, so right. She held no regrets.
A fire had sparked in those saddened eyes, a fire that would not be doused by the actions of Raven. It would keep her companion even in the darkest moments of Raven’s brutality. Yes, she had done the right thing.
As Amber drew on the cigarette and the tip flared orange, she retrieved a note from her boot and tucked it into a small crack on the underside of the stone bench. It bore the key code of the day.
Note placed, time to get on. Amber mashed the cigarette out under her heel and turned to head back inside. It was out of her hands now but at least she had got the message out. Now she could only hope Jade acted on it and, taking in a final breath of the crisp air, Amber closed the coded door behind her.
== ~ ==
The eyes that watched Amber from the upper hallway were those of a kestrel that finally finds the long-sought mouse. Sitting there as if all was normal, the eyes watching her knew far better, Red had told her as much. Normal had been ripped apart and all that remained was the turmoil of chaos. She would bring order out of the chaos though, a new order, her order and, her gaze now drawn to the expansive grounds, Raven smiled in satisfaction.
== ~ ==
Amber’s next task was Raven’s bedroom. She had to make it ready to receive Raven later that day. It was a normal job for a normal day, and because of that it had already been guessed by another. Having checked and crossed off all other possible destinations, Red now waited silently for Amber to come.
It wouldn’t be long now. Red was poised, primed, concealed but ready to strike, knowing that surprise was everything and it all lay with her. Footsteps? Red couldn’t be completely sure, and strained to hear. Soon she was rewarded with the sound of Amber tidying sheets and plumping pillows. Red knew that she would have to pass close to fetch more bedding from a chest under the window. She waited, ready, and soon Red heard her moving nearer and, as the lid of the chest creaked open, she struck.
== ~ ==
It was just a blur of unexpected movement, but Amber reacted and ducked lower, the blow glancing off her shoulder. It still hurt though and, through squinted eyes, Amber saw why as the short wooden cudgel struck again, this time into her side.
She clasped a hand to the spot, instinct immediately to protect it from further damage. It was a distraction that offered opportunity elsewhere and, with a practiced aim, the short wooden club was swung into her elbow before being driven straight into her stomach, driving the wind from her.
It was all so sudden, so violent and Amber doubled over, clenching an already bruised arm across her stomach. The next blow to the back of her knee caused Amber’s leg to buckle. The boots she saw as she crumpled matched hers and in her clouded confusion Amber wondered why she was attacking herself.
Winded and hurting, Amber looked up and straight into the eyes of Red. This was more than her recent power games, she had to have been found out. She had failed and as the redhead drew her arm back to strike again, it was the last sight Amber saw.
== ~ ==
The first blow had been difficult in so many ways. Red had vowed never to be a victim again. Her flaming hair drew too much attention and so she’d attended classes, ‘just in case’. Red had trained hard, honing martial arts skills she knew would be useful one day. This though was far from self-defence and in her pre-emptive strike she knew how much the hardwood club would hurt her former lover.
She had no choice, Amber had left her without any. And so she pushed her reluctance aside and struck with all the force she could gather, drawing far back before lashing forward. Inaccurate, the strike jarred her arm, but she struck out again.
The second blow was easier as Red’s training kicked in and she systematically dealt with her opponent with blow after carefully targeted blow. Even the sight of her former lover’s tearful questioning eyes failed to register and, drawing back for the final fateful blow, Red knew that Raven would be pleased.
CHAPTER XLVI – The Approaching Storm
Jade and Mela dressed. Two women, thrown together through circumstances and a not insignificant amount of money, hurried from clothing to catsuit via nudity. There was no time for embarrassment, no time for Jade to argue against Mela’s choice of material, they had to finish quickly and get under way.
It was a strange situation for Mela. She’d worn latex before at the whim of her Mistress. ‘Former Mistress,’ she corrected herself. It was not unpleasant, in fact she rather liked the way the material sculpted her body, hugging it tightly to hold all the rebellious bits in place. But importantly, it allowed freedom of movement.
When previously worn, it had been a compulsion but now it was a practical choice. Zipping it carefully through her legs then up to and over her chest, Mela promised herself she would invest in one of these. It would be glossed though, more polished - this one had a dull functionality.
Boots followed. Not the strikingly stilettoed kind that had been de rigueur in the manor, these too were functional, with flat heavily treaded soles and laces up to mid shin. Fingerless gloves to protect her palms completed her outfit.
Mela crouched, flexing and testing. She congratulated herself on her choice, doubling those congratulations when she saw Mistress Jade.
“Perhaps later, ma petite.” Mistress Jade had caught the intent behind Mela’s glance, and the gentle reprimand in her eyes cavorted with the playful promise of what ‘later’ may involve.
The redness of Mela’s cheeks signalled her embarrassment and she turned away and cast her eyes to the floor. This was born of respect though, rather than fear.
The tender kiss on her cheek was a surprise. “We must go.” Jade handed Mela the webbing belt. Handcuffs, mace spray, zip ties and a ball gag were arrayed along it, ready for rapid use when needed. With a deep breath and a nod, Mela was ready to right the many wrongs she’d both seen and endured.
== ~ ==
They were close - Mela recognised the countryside. It was beautiful, the trees were fading to autumn hues. She’d never appreciated it before, wrapped up as she was in the grief and guilt that had long dogged her. Now though, she saw the way the wind nuzzled the crinkling leaves and the gentle sweep of hills flanking the lazy curve of a river that wound past the manor.
As much as Mela feared it, she was right to come back and the hand that patted her thigh then squeezed an encourageme
nt. The smile she returned was a nervous one and the hand remained as the two women drove to the place where they had been instructed to park.
It was near a dead spot in the security system and a place where hikers parked before they set off to walk in the rolling countryside. Their jeep wouldn’t stand out and drawing up, they quickly disembarked and moved into the woods.
The two women picked their way along the riverbank, careful to keep in the cover of the tree line. As the river swept away to the west, they climbed into the manor’s formal gardens, edging their way as close as they could toward the bench.
It was in plain sight from the main building. Jade could see the crack on the underside, and was sure she could make out the paper stuffed into it. It would be dangerous, possibly the riskiest part of their approach.
