Going Under Ch. 04

"You are so strong." Cate said.

Sara could only grin and then slowly shook her head.

"You are. You're still here, walking into the wolves' lair, keeping up the role, separated from your lover, with no contact back. You don't even know if we have got your messages, and yet you persist."

"You. Faith in you." Sara replied weakly.

Sara's eyes locked with Cate's gaze. As tears formed in the corners of Cate's eyes, Sara felt such a jolt run through her that she knew she was bound to this woman for life. They fell against each other, their arms wrapped so tightly, and just stood feeling and hearing the rise and fall of each other's breathing.

Cate finally stepped back a little. "It's tonight."

"Tonight? But it's not the full moon for three days yet."

"They'd avoid that if they can, not all the newer members of the various packs are as good at controlling their transformations as old hands like Maciej, and they wouldn't want that bunker witnessing a wolf-on-wolf feeding frenzy. Once you told us Benedykt was coming Pavel had the idea of checking on private flights into Moscow. Benedykt's a wealthy man, he has his own jet. I haven't seen him in since we crossed swords in Pilsen in the mid-seventies, but I recognised him straight off. We managed to get a tap on his hotel phone and he's decided on tonight, no-one's going to argue with someone of his power."

"What do I do? I suppose I go ahead as if nothing's happening."

"That's it. You won't be in there long, we'll raid the place the minute everyone's inside, so you won't have to stay around for any of the rituals, it'll all be over pretty quickly. When it does start, get out as quickly as you can. You've got no armour and once those silver fragmentation grenades start going off, things will get hazardous. I'll park my bike round behind the Kosygin block. You know it? It's close to the main road."

Sara nodded, feeling pleased that not only did she have some action to focus on, but that it meant that soon everything in Moscow would be finished. She let herself have a brief glimpse of her future.

"Here's a spare set of keys. I'll lock a helmet to it. Get away as soon as you can. I'll try and find you, but you know it'll be chaos, and I want you away clear as soon as you can. Keep the settling of scores to the minimum. I'll have to help finish things off here, but you should see me by one at the latest. I'll have my mobile phone if anything occurs. If you can't get to the bike for any reason, head back to the safe house we were last in, the one over from the diner, that's going to be the control centre for tonight, they've got your picture, so they won't shoot you, okay, and Pavel should be there anyway. Right, I think that's it. Everything clear?"

"What happens if it goes seriously wrong?"

"It won't, but if for whatever reason it gets too dangerous even for that apartment, you know our one, the one where you killed Cyprian? There's a key to that apartment on this ring."

Sara nodded and reached forward for a kiss. Part of her felt rather put out that she would not be involved in the destruction of the pack. She wanted to be there beside Cate as she killed Maciej and the rest of them. Then she thought about Paulina and even Big Jan, and wondered if she was ready yet to face killing people like them, that she had known, however much they would resemble a wolf once the fighting started. She thought herself into Cate's position and knew that in this situation, she would want Cate out of the way as soon as possible. Even if she was to die herself, Sara knew that she would want her lover safe, and saying that, Sara lacked all the regenerative abilities that any vampire had. A single bullet could kill Sara, when Cate would simply spit it out.

"Don't be late. We've got a lot of catching up to do." Sara said cheerfully, but she meant it.

Cate stepped in close again and they kissed. Sara turned without saying anything more and walked away, not looking back, not wanting to draw more attention to Cate than she already had, and knowing that she would be gone by now anyway. Yet Sara could not stop herself and before she turned to head to her own apartment block, she turned and saw Cate smiling, her features just picked out by the rather weak street light. Sara smiled back, then, her feet unsteady, she pressed on. There was a lot to get ready.

"Krystyna, Krystyna." Paulina called excitedly as she let herself into the apartment.

Sara hurried to her greet her flatmate, knowing the news she was going to tell her, but well rehearsed in showing surprise and not slipping up with an 'I know'.

"It's tonight, Benedykt's moved it forward. Isn't it great?"

Sara nodded enthusiastically, embracing Paulina.

"We need to get ready. What are you going to wear?"

"I don't know, what do you wear to things like this?"

"Well, you know, leather's always good. I suppose you've only got that brown jacket. I'll find you something out. Let me get showered; no need to shave tonight." Paulina laughed, heading around the apartment frantically.

Sara made them some coffees and vegetated in front of the television whilst Paulina made her preparations. It felt like the last hours before a school exam, or maybe like waiting for a date. You wanted the time to past, but remained apprehensive about what would happen once it had.

"Ta-da!"

Paulina made a grand entrance and Sara turned to see. The waitress was dressed entirely in black leather: a coat which stretched to her ankles was over a halter top, tight leather jeans and sharp-heeled boots. Sara applauded, inwardly laughing at the fact that vampire and werewolf fashions were not that far apart.

"You look the perfect Frankfurt businesswoman."

"Thank you. Now you. I haven't got anything quite like this, but there's my biker gear. A lot will go like that, I expect Big Jan will."

Paulina's little prompts towards the possibility of attraction between Sara and Jan lifted Sara's worries a little. It was becoming more like a girls' night out than a werewolf ritual finished off with slaughter by vampires.

"Do you think so?" Sara said, happy to play along as a distraction. "Yes, I could do that." She added, thinking the outfit would be ideal for her quick escape on Cate's motorbike. "Lead on."

In twenty minutes, Sara looked resplendent in biker's leathers, a heavy jacket over a tight glistening teeshirt and thick but sleek trousers fed into cowboy-style boots. She had to admit she felt protected and excited in these, and only partly because they reminded her of Cate.

"Let me look at you." Paulina said taking a step back. "Excellent, really cool. You'll look just the part, you'll have the Alphas begging at your feet." Paulina glanced at her bedside clock. "But for now, we've got time together."

Paulina stepped forward and snaked her hand behind Sara. The aroma of leather was heady and Sara gave into a kiss, loving the feel of their bodies, wrapped in the robust, creaking second skin, close together. Yet it felt wrong and after a few moments Sara stepped back.

"Are you alright?"

Sara sat down on Paulina's bed. "A bit nervous I guess."

"There's nothing to worry about. It's all over so quickly, and you feel so strong, so fired up afterwards. Oh, the orgasms, you can't describe them. I guess Wladyslaw told you that, yes?"

"Only a little. We only knew each other a short time, before he was killed."

"I bet it was the only thing he could talk about. He'd done so much for Maciej, getting him in here in Moscow, that he deserved to be turned more than anyone. There was only a few weeks to go before the changing would have happened, and of course those bastard vampires came in and slaughtered him. Maciej was lucky to get away. I think it's that wish for revenge that's driven him. He's been so successful in pushing back the vampires all over this city."

"Yes?"

Sara wondered for a moment if there were things she had missed, particularly when enthralled to Tatiana and convalescing later. Had she got the wrong perspective on things? Was it the vampires who were on the back foot and this was their last desperate throw to change the situation? She had thought that Maciej was backing into his last redoubt, but maybe she had simply ignored the evidence. It seemed clear that werewolves had been coming into the city unopposed for the past fortnight at least. She had no idea how many there were in the city, in Russia, in Europe as a whole, but surely the few hundred expected to attend that night was a strong force. She tried to guess whether that would be more or fewer than all the vampires she had seen at the dacha, and were most of them in any fit state to fight? Then again, had Cate been drafting in Cuvant forces and that was why she had been out of touch?

"Yes, that's why he deserves to be Rykov. It's not every city leader that gets someone of Benedykt's status to crown him."

"Will it hurt?"

Paulina came and sat beside Sara taking her hand. "You are worried aren't you? It's my fault, I've forgotten what it's like. I thought you got along with me, Lukasz, Big Jan's crew alright that you must be cool with it."

"Oh yes, I am, it's just, you know..."

"Not knowing. Yes. Well, look at me, I've come out of it better than ever. Do you remember when you saw me back at the restaurant, all weak, like a beanpole- dreary!life? Now look at me."

"Yes, you look wonderful, Paulina."

"You will too. Have no wïrries. Maybe it's best you get some sleep, I'll call you in good time so we can get a decent place. You'll have to go up with the newbies, but we can get you near the front of the queue. I think there'll only be a couple of other women. Think about it, you'll get Maciej to turn you, and Benedykt's blessing, there's not many wolves who could say that."

Paulina lent forward to kiss Sara's lips. The pure sensation did make Sara's concerns begin to fade. With the two of them dressed like this, in a way that Sara now recognised she had come to love, her mind was all to easily sliding into arousal and her body quickly followed suit. Sara guessed Paulina could sense this, maybe her werewolf faculties helped and in moments she was pressing her leathered body hard against Sara's. The aroma was intoxicating and each creak reminded them of the clothing they wore. Sara's resistance was feeble as she was pushed back on the bed and Paulina slid between her legs so easily, quickly exposing Sara's pussy, barely recovered from its encounter with Cate. Decadently Sara threw her head back, the pleasure of Paulina's tongue beginning to work on her truly dismissing the worries she had been feeling. Her body and mind relished the fact that women seemed to be queuing up to service her sexually. She laughed as she told herself that a camera on the wall would be filming one damned hot leather-clad lesbian when zooming in on her.

Paulina's voice came muffled from between Sara's legs. "Feeling better?"

"You bet."

Sara ran her hands all over the hard, black leather, remembering this moment physically, showing herself what a true sexual animal she was. She was eager to let that primeval energy out on Cate, but for the moment Paulina was doing a fine job. This had nothing to do with love, this was simply satisfying the pure sexual urges that had been unleashed in her and had been growing more insistent.

Sara caught her breath and convulsed up from the bed. That was good and it came again. Dully in her mind she realised Cate had well warmed her up, and if this was going to be her last night on Earth it was going to be filled. Sara gasped again, but was unable to stop a shriek emerging and her legs kicking out. She was going to be filled with a string of orgasms, Sara's mind struggled to finish that thought. Sara was hot, her body slick in the leather, her ankles crossing to lock Paulina into her, simply as a living sex toy, feeding Sara with pleasure. Now the orgasms came closer, Sara's mind was swept away, she had no ability to think, she was simply a thing of physical pleasure, a shuddering, shrieking , black leathered orgasm centre.

Part Four

"Come on, wake up."

Sara woke to Paulina's voice. It was now dark outside, with just weak lights from the blocks around breaking the darkness. Sara dragged herself off the bed, glad as she stood and the leather touched her skin that she had clearly slept long enough for all the sweat to dry. Paulina was putting the finishing touches to her hair. Sara walked over and gently kissed the nape of her neck and smiled to her in the mirror.

"Tonight's going to be a good night."

"From where I'm looking it already has been."

"You haven't seen anything yet." Paulina said putting down her hairbrush and directing Sara to the bedroom door.

As the two women walked between the apartment blocks Sara was reminded of going with friends to see a popular band in her home town. You could spot all the people heading the same way, clues in how they dressed or what they were talking about, they were your kind of people. They seemed to emerge from all sorts of directions, but soon everyone was going down the same path. It was the same here. She could see men and women like her and Paulina, coming out of the blocks, others were leaving cars or motorbikes, others seemed simply to appear from the shadows. Sara noticed militia cars, as if they were here to police an outdoor festival, but she guessed there were wolves among the militia too, and they were there to ensure the right people were let in and the simply curious were turned back.

Soon they reached the entrance to the bunker. Sara guessed there had to be other ways in and out, she could hardly expect Maciej, Benedykt and the other leading lights to file in with the masses. Two men, burly even for werewolves flanked the doorway. They smiled at Paulina and waved the two women in. The procession down the steps was slow but within minutes Sara and Paulina were going with the flow towards the large hall that Sara had seen earlier. The air was thick with the sweat of probably over three hundred people, at the moment milling around, chatting in small groups, smoking, drinking cans of beer. The stage was the key focal point, with banners hanging behind it, and the roadies on it putting the final touches to public address system.

"Hang on a moment." Paulina said and disappeared into the morass. She returned soon grasping a chilled bottle of vodka. "Here you are, I had it stashed. It can get hot in here."

"Sure." Sara took the bottle and had a swig just as Paulina had done.

The alcohol ran fast through Sara, but she liked it, the burning both awoke her and calmed her. It killed some of the scenarios she had had running through her head, of being torn into bloody fragments by ravenous wolves at the climax of tonight's activities. Now she was feeling that she was simply at some bikers' convention or heavy metal night. Sara did keep looking around half expecting Cate and Sophia to emerge through one of the doors, sub-machine guns blazing, but fortunately Paulina seemed barely to notice, as she chatted with acquaintances and checked out the local male werewolf talent.

As time passed Sara noticed that no more people were coming into the hall. She wondered if everyone was now inside. Moments later her suspicion was confirmed and she saw the doors into hall all being closed. Sara felt a pang of concern, she certainly had the sensation she had been locked in. Nervously she looked around to see where the closest exit was. It was in easy reach, and fortunately, as the crowd began to sense the event was about to kick off, they were gravitating towards the front, the small groups coalescing into a mass of hot, leather-covered bodies. The sensation was disorientating, and Sara knew that under different circumstances she could easily have been swept up in it. Sara took another swig of vodka, and guessed it might be time to make her way out. She was certain Cate would be aware that all her prey were inside, and that Maciej, Benedickt and the other prime targets had to be readying themselves just out of sight.

There was a brief squeal from the public address system, then the crowd surged forward. Sara guessed this meant the main event was beginning. She strained to see through the press of muscular bodies to the stage, and caught a glimpse of Maciej coming on to stage. He and the older man who followed, who had to be Benedickt, almost looked like priests in plain long black coats buttoned tight. For a moment Sara wondered how they coped with the heat, but she guessed underneath they were naked. With their appearance in the centre of the stage, the crowd erupted into applause.

Sara muttered something to Paulina, but like those around her, she was caught up in the acclamation of the werewolf leaders. Sara easily slipped through the edge of the crowd and was at the door quickly. She pushed against it, fearing it would be locked, but it yielded with light pressure; Sara guessed that even lycanthropes had to pay attention to fire risks. She closed the door behind her and stood in the empty corridor catching her breath, feeling the sound of the crowd just inches through the wall. There was no need to rush. She guessed she was out of harm's way for the moment, Cate's team had not yet arrived and Sara did not want to attract unnecessary attention by trying to exit the bunker quite yet. She wandered away from the door and slumped against the wall, taking a few more sips of the thawing vodka from the bottle she still grasped in her fist.

The crowd had quietened and she could hear a lone, amplified voice booming out across them. She recognised some of the words as old Russian and Polish, some Slavic mish-mash mixed in with touches of German she guessed. This had to be the werewolves' cant.

The sound increased for a moment then dropped away again and Sara looked up to see Karol entering the corridor. She had half expected to find Big Jan coming after her, but guessed he had his pick of the pack females. Karol was dressed like many of the others, a heavy leather jacket left open to show the black teeshirt below and leather jeans laced tight. The outfit not only showed a physique enhanced by him being a werewolf but honed by hard work on building site. Unlike his workmates though, Karol's weathered face had that touch of thoughtfulness that for a moment painfully reminded Sara of Wladyslaw.

"A bit crowded in there." Karol said quietly.

"Yeah, it was a bit hot. I've not been to anything like this before."

"No? Well, this gathering's a bit special anyway." Karol took a sip from the bottle of beer he carried. "I bet it's a bit scary for someone as beautiful as you."

"Yes."

"I said I'd come and find you, take you up to the stage so you can join the others for turning."

"Yes?"

"But we've got a few moments yet."

"Yes?" Sara's voice was coming still but more huskier with each response.

Karol stepped closer. "I thought you could do with some time to get ready, a few distractions."

"Yes." Sara said breathlessly.

Sara was glad Karol had not adopted the full-on macho approach, but she could sense he was warming up to make a pitch. Her mind was a mix of emotions: fear blended with the undeniable excitement of a few hundred humans, soon a few hundred wolves, literally baying with a sense of their own power, shaken up with a celebration to recognise that force.

Karol came right up to Sara, his booted feet sounding quietly on the concrete floor. He dipped to set his beer down on the floor and his hand closed around Sara's bottle to relieve her of it, putting it carefully against the wall. Sara looked up into his eyes. She guessed he was in his late twenties. He had a long face, characteristic of many Poles, well weathered, but with sleek, surprisingly smooth skin. His long, dark blond hair was pulled back from his face and held down by gel and now sweat. Very carefully, very slowly, he lent down towards Sara and brushed his lips over hers. Sara yielded enjoying the sensation. Her vodka-filled, sensation-drunk mind told her to enjoy it. She slowly wrapped her leather-covered arms around him, pulling him tight. Her hands slid beneath his jacket, enjoying the sensation of his oh-so-hard muscles beneath her fingers, as gently his tongue pushed into her mouth, the tang of beer on his mixing with the flavour of blazing, strong Polish vodka on her tongue.