They had no way of knowing how much time has passed.

Isabel was constantly looking back, expecting Lacron to be on their tail. Ever since his warning, Isabel's mind has been rattled, trying to think of a way to defeat the Drake. But she was coming up short. She couldn't out muscle him at this current stage. She simply wasn't strong enough. And she couldn't rely on anyone to help her in this fight, not if she wants to keep everyone alive. The only reason her mother and Jess were walking next to her right now was that this was probably the most fun Lacron has had hunting humans in a long time. It infuriated her to feel so powerless despite being the most powerful human.

She caught Helen and Jess staring at her. None of them was quick to talk just in case Lacron could hear them. They didn't know how far they had walked, but they didn't want to take a chance and have the Drake eavesdrop on any strategy they might share between them.

Isabel's ears perked up when she heard mumbling from multiple people ahead of them. She stopped in her tracks and turned. ''How long do we have, Lacron?''

Helen and Jess halted as well. They turned to Isabel and waited for her response. She listened carefully, but she didn't receive an answer. Considering how much fun he had toying with her, she wouldn't have believed him to go silent now. He would have enjoyed letting Isabel count down the seconds.

''I think we're too far for him to hear us.'' She said to her companions.

Jess sighed with relief. ''Do we know what we're going to do?''

''We keep moving,'' Helen said. ''We don't stop for food or rest. We have to get as far away as possible…''

''That won't work,'' Isabel grumbled. ''I think his sense of smell is stronger than his hearing. He could track us down. And I don't think we can get everyone far enough before our time is up.''

Helen looked to the ground and thought carefully. She had to think of something, otherwise, their only option would be for Isabel to take a chance and fight Lacron again. However, Helen feared that the Drake wouldn't be so merciful a second time. He would cut his way through her daughter and then massacre everyone else. Her face turned pale white at the thought. The worst part was that despite the lack of light, Isabel could see the fear written on Helen's face.

''Running is all we can do for now,'' Helen said. It wasn't what she wanted to say nor what Isabel wanted to hear, but it was all they could do.

Isabel gritted her teeth and nodded down the tunnel. ''I can hear the colony ahead. They must have made it to the new place.''

''We'll have to tell them to move on,'' Helen said. ''They're not going to like it. But when they hear that there's a Drake still on our tail, they'll have to listen.''

Despite their situation, Isabel forced a grin. ''Good thing you're now on the council to make those decisions.''

''I would have got them moving even if I weren't on the council,'' Helen said.

Jess coughed to grab their attention. That's when Isabel could see that her friend was looking at her in a flustered manner. ''Before we reach the colony, perhaps you should…cover yourself.''

Isabel looked down and did a double-take. She had completely forgotten that her clothes had been burnt and she had been walking alongside her mother and Jess naked from top to bottom. While she imagined that the two of them couldn't see much, with only a few glowing insects crawling along the walls to light their way, it was clear that they could see a few details, including Isabel's hardening cock. Isabel didn't cover herself and looked up. Both Helen and Jess turned away, though she could see that they both were desperate to look for a little while longer. If time was running out, Isabel would have been more than happy to let them gawk at her.

She then heard something being torn and turned to see her mother had ripped part of her rags from her arm all the way up to her shoulder. Helen walked over and tied the cloth around Isabel's waist. At first, it looked like it would do the job. But then Isabel caught a glimpse of her mother's cleavage, which had become more noticeable because of where she ripped her clothes and her cock grew more and more, almost poking out from the loose fabric. Jess found it near impossible to tear her eyes away as she watched on.

There were two things that she noted. The first thing was that Isabel looked to be much bigger than before she left the colony to rescue Thane. The second thing was that Isabel's mother didn't shy away from kneeling close to the long shaft. She brushed aside those thoughts, believing herself to be projecting onto Helen and wishing she was the one on her knees in front of Isabel. She slapped her hot face and walked ahead before Isabel could notice her blushes.

''Thanks,'' Isabel said softly when her mother finished.

It wasn't perfect. But it would help Isabel keep her modesty until she found some new rags. Helen rose to her feet and smiled. She rubbed her hand over Isabel's chest. ''It looks like you're healing quicker. Your bruises are almost gone.''

Isabel looked down at herself and saw that her mother was right. Even with minimal light, she could see that she was almost back to her full…

''That's it!'' Isabel screamed. Her mind had burst to life. She clapped her hand over her mouth and turned around. Thankfully, it seemed like Lacron hadn't heard her outburst.

''What's it?'' Helen stared in puzzlement.

''Mom, do you still have that walkie-talkie thing to call Cruise?''

''I do…''

''Can I use it?'' Isabel asked before Helen had finished her sentence.

Helen hesitated out of curiosity. But she remembered that time wasn't on their side. She had to trust her daughter with whatever plan had struck her, and she had no reason to doubt her. She reached for a small satchel that was hanging around her waist and retrieved the walkie-talkie. She toyed with the switch, trying to get on the right frequency. Static rumbled throughout the tunnel. Isabel listened carefully, just in case Lacron decided to be nosy and hear what was going on. Her plan relied on the Drake knowing as little as possible.

''You call?'' Cruise's voice could be heard on the other side.

Isabel snatched it the device from her mother's hand and pressed her mouth against it, not sure how close she had to be for it to pick up her voice. ''Cruise, Lord Lacron is after us, and I need your help to defeat him.''

There was a pause from Cruise. ''So, no pressure then?''

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. ''Listen, do you have any weapons like…ancient plates that would explode if you step on them?''

Helen quirked her brow at her daughter. ''Land mines?''

''Yeah, land mines!''

''Hmm,'' Cruise thought. There was some movement in the background before he answered. ''We might have kept some around, but we can't be sure if they're all in working condition.''

''As long as one of them works.''

''Alright, where do you need them.''

Isabel looked at her mother. Helen grabbed her hand and brought the walkie-talkie close to her mouth. ''We're moving the colony ahead. There should be a tunnel that leads back to the surface. If our maps are correct, it should be close to a tall structure that resembles a woman with a crown, carrying a torch.''

''We know it,'' Cruise said confidently. Despite not seeing him, Isabel could vividly imagine the poise radiating from him. ''We'll meet you there and start placing the mines around…''

Isabel took the walkie-talkie. ''No, get there and start setting them up immediately. By the time we reach you, Lacron will be right behind us. Once you're done, I'll take care of the rest.''

''Right, I hope you know what you're doing kid.'' That was the last thing Cruise said before he switched the call off from his end.

Isabel lowered the walkie-talkie and saw that her mother was staring at her with a mixture of worry and confusion. ''Isabel, what are you planning? Land mines won't be enough to kill a Drake.''

''I know. I have something else in mind. I don't know if it'll work, but it's our best shot. And it'll be better if fewer people know about the full details.''

Helen sighed. ''That means you won't tell me what it is.''

''I can't,'' Isabel stepped closer, cupping her mom's face. ''It needs to have the element of surprise. I don't want to keep you in the dark…''

''I know. Unfortunately, I don't have much of a case to argue against you. If you think this will work, then I believe you.''

They locked eyes and smiled. Even with danger literally hunting them down, they could find solace with each other. Isabel couldn't resist the temptation and leaned forward so that she could crash her lips against her mother's. Helen was so overwhelmed by her emotions she returned the kiss with even more passion. Spurred on by lust and fear, their kiss became more heated. It was only meant to be a small moment together, but they dragged it out for as long as possible. Isabel forced her tongue into Helen's mouth, swirling it around her mother's tongue and earning throaty moans from the older woman.

It was only when Isabel heard a faint gasp that she finally pulled away. She turned and was met with a look of utter shock plastered over Jess's face.

XXX

UH OH! THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT THE WAY THEY WOULD HAVE WANTED JESS TO FIND OUT. WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN NEXT? WHAT WILL JESS'S REACTION BE AND HOW WILL IT CHANGE THEIR RELATIONSHIP? WHO'S CURIOUS ABOUT ISABEL'S PLAN? I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS AND THEORIES. THIS IS A MOMENT I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG TO SHOW YOU ALL AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR REACTIONS. WORD OF WARNING, THE CLIFFHANGERS DON'T GET ANY EASIER IN FUTURE CHAPTERS. I'LL BE BACK MONDAY WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER, AND A FEW CHAPTERS AHEAD ON MY P/A/T/R/E/O/N. THANK YOU ALL FOR READING. KEEPING BEING AMAZING AND STAY SAFE AND WELL. TA-TA FOR NOW.