Isabel pulled on the rope tighter, making sure that Angelique was secured.
A crowd had gathered to watch them set off to find Thane. The council looked on, never taking their eyes off Isabel as she made sure their guide was bound. Isabel could feel their eyes drilling into the back of her skull. They still treated her like some kind of weapon that could go off at any moment. Honestly, there was a small part of her that believed it as well. The only thing keeping her sanity in check was her mother. Although, they hadn't spoken a word to each other since the earlier incident at their hut.
Isabel glanced over her shoulder and spotted Jess standing at the back. Her friend timidly waved before looking to see if Helen was eyeing her. Helen merely kept her head down and double checked her bag to make sure they had enough supplies for their trip. There was no telling how long they would be gone so they needed to be prepared. Isabel looked around at her home. Even when they returned, it would be somewhere new. She couldn't believe this day had arrived. Her and her mother have talked about the chance of moving away one day, but neither of them could have imagined it would be like this.
Helen walked over to Angelique, giving her a stern look. ''Lead the way, and don't try anything.''
''Not like I can do anything.'' Angelique mumbled sarcastically before walking down one of the tunnels. The rope tired around her body flowed out and was held at the end by Isabel. It gave her enough room to keep her distance from the mother and daughter, but close enough that they could still keep her in their sights.
Isabel gripped the rope tightly and the two followed her into the darkness.
They were forced to stride closely together. There was always the risk of a cave in or stepping into a hole. While Isabel knew that she would do whatever it takes to protect her mom, there was no guarantee she could handle the elements like she could with other humans…or worse.
Half an hour had passed before Isabel broke the silence. ''Who is Lord Lacron?''
Angelique paused and turned to her. ''What?''
''When you took the explorers, I heard your group mention that name? Is he your leader?''
''Leader might not be the appropriate word.''
Helen stared darkly. ''What would be the appropriate word?''
''Ruler? Owner? Superior being? Pick one. He's a Drake.''
Isabel and Helen exchanged a concerned look with each other. ''You were going to kidnap us and make us slaves to a Drake?'' Helen gasped.
''That's the way the world works above ground. If you don't work for a Drake, you're dead, or close to death. Trust me, I don't like the arrangement, but I prefer not to be boiled until I was nothing but bones.''
''So, humans are slaves to the Drakes, and then they take orders from Dragons, right?'' Isabel asked.
Angelique stopped walking and turned to face them fully. ''You people have been buried under a rock for a long time. Dragons haven't been seen for almost a hundred years by human eyes. They're resting somewhere in the clouds while their children rule everything.''
''Why?'' Helen asked.
''Fuck if I know. Maybe they got bored of us? After all, it's not like we were ever a match for them.'' Angelique then glared at Isabel. ''And I wouldn't try anything, girlie. You may be strong, but I've seen Drakes annihilate entire resistance forces. You wouldn't last a minute.''
Not liking her tone, Isabel tugged tightly on the rope, making Angelique stumble and almost fall on her backside. ''I'm not looking for a fight. I just want to get Thane back, then you can get back to your people. Nothing more, nothing less. Got it?''
''Crystal.'' Angelique sneered before continuing to walk ahead.
A great distance had been made between them. At first, Helen was worried that they needed to close the gap or risk losing her, but she remembered that not only would Isabel see and hear her making an escape, even in the growing darkness, she was strong enough to keep Angelique in place without breaking a sweat. Her thoughts made her glance in her daughter's direction and she found herself admiring Isabel's physique once again. After what she had seen earlier, it was becoming more difficult to see Isabel in an innocent light. The power and dominance that she showed with Jess left her too stunned to think straight. There was a part of her that wondered if Isabel would do the same thing to her at some point.
Isabel noticed her mother staring and turned. ''Are you okay?'' she asked, quietly enough so that Angelique wouldn't hear them.
''Yes, I just…'' Helen sighed. ''I apologise about earlier, seeing you with Jess like that.''
Isabel was thankful that her mother couldn't see in the dark like she could, otherwise she would have seen her face turn bright red. ''Don't worry about it.''
''I had always thought you would be with Jess. You two were always close.''
Isabel gulped. ''How much did you see?''
''Enough,'' Helen admitted. ''If you wanted her for a mate, I wouldn't be opposed to it. She is a lovely young woman who doesn't disrespect you like others in the colony.''
Isabel didn't know what to say. She could hear sadness in her mother's tone and wasn't sure what to make of her. Her mind was already complicated with taboo thoughts regarding her mom. Now throwing Jess into the mix had confused her greatly. It felt like her heart was being pulled in two different directions, and she couldn't ignore the fire burning in her belly that demanded more.
''I don't want to mate because it's expected of me.'' Isabel said.
''I know. But, I still do hope that you find someone. You know you would have my blessing.''
''It doesn't feel like it.''
Helen stared at Isabel in bewilderment. ''Isabel, if this is about what we did before…''
''We didn't do anything, you watched.'' Isabel growled. ''I can't get it out of my head. It feels like everything is happening so quickly. I want it all to happen at once, but I also want things to slow so that I can think properly and know what I want.''
Hearing her daughter's words, a thought crossed Helen's mind. ''Sweetie, you don't want me. That's not…''
''I can't help but feel that way. I know you're probably thinking that it's my powers that are forcing me to say these things, but it feels more like it's giving me the courage to say things I've always wanted to say. There is a part of me that has always wanted to do something like that with Jess. Even if we didn't go all the way. I didn't want to make her feel forced to do anything. With you…I…I…''
Isabel sighed, unsure if she should continue. She knew that what she was hinting at was wrong in so many ways. But all she could think about was her mom's eyes on her body. She could sense it. The hunger and desire.
''You said you saw enough.'' She said. ''That means you were standing there watching me again. You didn't stop me and you didn't stop us. You wanted to watch.''
Helen tried to clear her dry throat. ''I'm…I'm just fascinated with what's happening to you. I don't want to make you feel like an artefact. I am sorry if that's what I've made you feel. I was also shocked as well as intrigued. I want to make sure that you're safe.''
''So…will it happen again?''
''What?''
''If you want to make sure I'm safe, that my body isn't going to go crazy, will you keep watching me?''
''I should say no…'' Helen confessed before she could stop herself. She wished she could take it back so that she didn't admit what she really felt, but she could feel Isabel looking at her with anticipation and she felt compelled to answer honestly. ''If it makes you feel better, I can watch you.''
Isabel smiled. ''It does make me feel good…I mean better.'' She added, but it was too late to take that back.
Before long, Isabel could feel on the rope that Angelique had stopped further ahead. They quickened their pace and found the woman standing in the middle of a dark, damp clearing.
''This is where we found your friend,'' she said. ''He was ranting like a lunatic about a dead man attacking him. When he told us he had a colony, half of my people took him back to the surface while I led my team to find your colony.''
''How do we get to the surface?'' Helen asked.
Angelique nodded her head towards a narrow cave that tilted upwards. Isabel looked ahead and saw a glimmer of orange light in the distance. She gasped. Was that the sun she'd heard stories about? Transfixed by the sight, she pulled Angelique forward and got her to lead the way.
When there was enough distance between them, Helen moved closer to Isabel and whispered. ''Does Jess know that I watched you?''
''No, I didn't get a chance to tell her. Not that I would have.''
''Yes, it's best we keep these between us.''
Isabel wrinkled her nose. ''Was it a bad thing in the old world for family members to do stuff like this?''
''That's a loaded question.'' Helen replied. ''It happened. It was frowned upon, and it still is. But then again, with humanity on the brink of extinction, people mated with anyone to keep population growing.''
''But, what about for love?''
Helen was silent for a moment before answering. ''I'm afraid I don't have the answer for that.''
''You usually have an answer for everything.''
''Not this time.'' Helen smiled at the genuine bit of praise.
''Mom, if you don't want to answer these questions, just tell me to shut up.''
''I would never say that to you. I've always loved that my daughter has a curious mind.''
Isabel groaned. ''Am I getting too curious?''
''No, you're just wondering what's happening to your body. I'll always be here to help you.''
She should have ended it there, but Isabel's mouth had a mind of its own right now. ''Were you jealous of Jess?''
Helen flinched and licked her dry lips. ''Why would I be jealous?''
''I'm sorry,'' Isabel looked away. ''I don't know what I'm saying. I'm only thinking about myself and I'm making you uncomfortable and…''
''A little,'' Helen answered, shocking Isabel. ''Only because it sounded like you were doing a good job.''
Feeling the back of her neck heat up, Isabel bit onto her tongue, fearing that she would say something that would make the situation more unbearable for them both. She already knew what it felt like to have her mother watch her, and as much as she enjoyed that, thinking back to when she was holding Jess with one hand and using the other hand to stroke herself, she wished that it was her mom's hand instead. Maybe even more than just her hand. Her eyes drifted to her mother's lips and she felt a pulse between her legs. Helen's lips were parted slightly, and the thought of her being on her knees while Isabel's cock slowly slid between them had the girl growling.
''What's wrong?'' Helen asked, hearing her daughter's growl.
Before Isabel could answer, they felt a gentle gust of wind stroke their faces. They stopped in their tracks. The air felt cool against the skin. It was unlike anything they'd felt before. Through the opening they could see clouds. They were dark and stretched as far as the eye could see. Slowly walking ahead to keep up with Angelique, they emerged out of the small cave and stepped onto a dry surface.
''Welcome to Earth.'' Angelique smirked.
It was a barren wasteland of destruction. Giant pillars of rocks spiked out of the ground with no greenery in sight. Flattened remnants of old buildings littered the ground, on the verge of being swallowed by the desolate earth. The dead horizon was blood red, with sand and dirt blowing in all directions. The howl of the wind was loud and cold, sending a chill across Helen's body. To keep her warm, Isabel wrapped one arm around her mother's shoulder. Though that didn't help with her growing erection to feel her mother's body against hers, all she cared about now was keeping her warm.
Helen looked to Angelique. ''Where to now?''
''A couple of miles north. Though if I were you, I'd consider setting up a camp somewhere. We'll never make it before vipers jump out and surprise us.''
''Vipers?'' Isabel asked.
''Human bandits who hide out in the wastelands that steal and plunder from anyone foolish enough to cross their path. Drakes have gotten lazy over the last few years. They don't care if humans start picking each other off for supplies, as long as it doesn't belong to them.''
Helen looked confused. ''I thought Dragons try to hoarder as much as possible. They would never let anything be stolen on their land, even something minor.''
''Like I said earlier, Dragons have moved on. They're up there somewhere, too big to care about pieces of shit like us.'' Angelique said, staring at the clouds in the sky.
Every time Isabel's eyes wandered, she saw a knew part of the surface that left her in awe. She shouldn't be happy seeing what was once mankind's home in such a dire state, but this was beyond anything she could have imagined. ''I wonder what this place was like before.''
Helen held her hand. ''Like in the history books I've shown you.''
''I bet it was better in the flesh.''
''I bet so too.'' Helen nodded.
Isabel tightened her grip on her mother's hand. ''Right, let's set up camp then.''
XXX
GREETINGS MY SWEET SUPERSTARS. I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ALL WELL AND I REALLY MEAN THAT. THE WORLD MAY SEEM LIKE A SCARY PLACE RIGHT, AND IN A WAY IT IS, BUT THERE ARE GOOD AND QUALIFIED PEOPLE OUT THERE OFFERING GOOD ADVICE. PLEASE LISTEN TO OFFICIAL SOURCES AND SCIENTISTS SO THAT YOU CAN LEARN THE BEST WAY GET THROUGH THIS EVENT. I REALIZE IT'S IRONIC SAYING THIS IN THE AUTHOR'S NOTE OF A POST-APOCALYPTIC STORY, BUT THERE'S A LINE BETWEEN FICTION AND REALITY. PLEASE DO STAY SAFE AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES. WASH YOUR HANDS AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.
IN THE MEANTIME, I WILL DO MY BEST TO WRITE AND UPDATE AS OFTEN AS I CAN SO THAT YOU WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO READ. I'M STILL AIMING FOR AN UPDATE EVERY WEEK, BUT IF SOMETHING CHANGES, I WILL LET YOU KNOW.
DID YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER? I WANTED THIS CHAPTER TO GET A GOOD BALANCE OF BUILD-UP WITH THE WORLD AND ISABEL AND HELEN'S RELATIONSHIP (WHAT WOULD THEIR SHIP NAME BE?). THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS WILL BE SWITCHING BETWEEN HOTNESS, WORLD-BUILDING AND ACTION. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE ANOTHER HOT SCENE BETWEEN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER. IT'LL GRADUALLY GET HOTTER BETWEEN THEM BEFORE THE BIG CHAPTER WHERE THEY'LL INDULGE IN PURE SMUT. I HOPE YOU'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. IT'S FUN TO WRITE THE BUILD-UP AND THEIR GROWING FEELINGS, BUT I'M SURE YOU'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THEM GET IT ON SOON. I'LL MAKE SURE IT'S WORTH THE WAIT. TA-TA FOR NOW.
