The Succubae Seduction B. 02: the Twins

Shelly and Jessica head to Marchosias's island once again, but will he remain helpful or turn on them? What will Water's Demesne be like now that Varun is no longer controlling the surf?

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Chapter 08

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Whose Side are You On?

"Shelly, Jessica, wake up!"

Years of training and instinct kicked in. Shelly moved before her eyes were open. She rolled off the bed and hit the floor, looking for the source of the threat. Brooke stood at the foot of the bed and was the one who spoke. Bridgette stood by the door, a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other.

"What's going on?" Jessica asked with a yawn as she sat up, stretching her arms. Shelly watched as she blinked sleep from her eyes and looked around. Neither woman had redressed after their tryst last night. Jessica's breasts stood perfect on her chest, her nipples hard and proud in the cool underground air, except for a hickey or two that belied what had happened. The blanket they'd used to sleep with puddled around her waist, hiding the hickeys lower down. Shelly wondered if they shouldn't have been healed afterwards, but knew there were more important things to worry about.

"Erwin was missing when we got up this morning," Brooke said with a cautious tone. "He didn't leave a note to explain his absence and I don't trust his agreeing to help us last night. He's a wily man and tends to do things the way he wants. Sometimes I feel he's more cat than human anymore."

Shelly relaxed as Brooke spoke. If she had enough time to explain this much, they weren't in immediate danger. She searched for and found her shirt on the floor where it had been tossed. Her cheeks burned as she felt Brooke's eyes on her. Brooke had never been one to be judgmental, but the simple fact that her step-mom knew what they'd done last night was mortifying. At least her half-sibling was in her female guise. Having Brock gawk at her would have been mortifying.

"So, you're afraid he's setting a trap for us?" Shelly asked to distract herself from her embarrassment.

"It's no secret that most of those living here don't like the Pillars, or some of their rules. It's not too far of a stretch to think he—or some of those here—may have had something to do with Varun's death." Brooke joined her daughter at the door, giving them a modicum of privacy.

They dressed, the movement and action waking them up, if the worry about their situation hadn't.

Brooke glanced into the room and saw that they were clothed. "Get your stuff, and we'll get out of here. The sooner we're away, the better I'll feel."

They didn't have much to grab. Shelly hid a yawn behind her own hand, wondering what time it was. She shared a couple of red-cheeked glances with Jessica as they left Bridgette's home. Her sibling was going to have to wash those sheets if she ever came back.

"Why don't we leave via Bridgette's room?" Jessica asked as they slinked down the well-lit streets. "She has that back door entrance under the water, doesn't she?"

Shelly felt her cheeks burn hotter as her girlfriend mentioned, "back door." She shook herself to get rid of the thought. She was thinking like Sheldon, and that would only get them in trouble.

"It's the most obvious way to leave," Brooke said. She peeked around a corner, then waved them forward. Shelly suspected it was still early in the morning, too early for most people to be awake. "We'll sneak out another route and swim to the border."

"Swim?" Jessica asked as her face darkened. "I can't hold my breath forever."

"We only have to go underwater for a moment," Bridgette stated. "Mom or I can pull you along, and then we can stay above the surface until we get to Marchosias's island."

Silence fell as they continued sneaking through the underground city. Bridgette's mechanical legs made plenty of noise, but it didn't carry far. Shelly worried about what Erwin Schrödinger might be doing right then. He hadn't been the most pleasant host last night, and she knew his scruples weren't the highest. The man had put a cat in a box and left it alone to starve in the name of science. Despite the tense situation, and her dark thoughts, Shelly giggled.

"What's so funny?" Bridgette asked.

"Sorry," Shelly felt her cheeks heat as Jessica smiled at her. "I just had the thought that until we know exactly what Erwin is doing, he's both setting up a trap, and

not

setting a trap for us."

Brooke shook her head, but Shelly noticed a smile touch her lips. Bridgette looked between them confused. "I don't get it."

Brooke leaned over and whispered in her ear low enough that Shelly couldn't hear. Bridgette's gray eyes grew wide, then a look of horror crossed her face. "Erwin did that to a cat? No wonder the fairy cursed him!"

No one else commented, and they moved to the edge of the floating island without incident. "Edge" was the perfect word to describe the drop-off to the water about five meters below. If there were waves in the water, Shelly couldn't see them.

"What about your legs?" Shelly asked her half-sister. "Are they waterproof?"

Bridgette grinned as she patted her mechanical limbs. "Yeah, Dad thought of everything. It even has built in boosters, places to store weapons, and I can even fly for short distances."

Shelly didn't want to admit it, but she was a bit jealous. She understood that Dad hadn't been able to spend as much time with Bridgette as he did his other children, because he could no longer change forms, but Shelly had never received such a gift from her father. She wouldn't give up a moment of the time she'd spent with him, but she couldn't smother the spark of jealousy that her sister had something so cool.

"Is it safe to jump?" Jessica asked while looking over the edge.

"There are no jagged rocks and the water is plenty deep." Brooke stripped off her clothes as she spoke. "The water will be cold, though not as cold as last time. Shelly, Jessica, let us go first. Give us a couple seconds to get out of the way, then come down."

The two women nodded. A second later, Brooke and Bridgette leapt over the edge. There was no wind to carry sound, but Shelly barely heard them splash when they hit.

"You ready for this?" Jessica asked as she gripped Shelly's hand. Shelly smiled before leaning in and giving her girlfriend a soft peck on the lips. Jessica returned her smile as Shelly pulled away.

"I'm glad you're here with me," Shelly admitted before she knew the words were out of her mouth. Jessica's eyes widened at her admission, and she thought to pull them back, but knew that they were true. Rarely had she ever gone into a dangerous situation with someone other than her brother. Sheldon could be foolish and brash at times, but he was brave and Shelly trusted him implicitly. Jessica was also brave and knew how to fight. Jessica was on a very short list of people that Shelly trusted at her back, or to wield her. Last night's confession about her past only solidified Shelly's trust.

Shelly saw tears form in Jessica's eyes, but she didn't understand what would have caused them.

"Thank you," Jessica's voice was full of suppressed emotion. Before Shelly could react, Jessica pulled her into a tight hug. She hugged back, not sure her words warranted this much reaction, but enjoying the contact anyway.

"Come on!" Bridgette's voice reached them a moment later, and Shelly realized they were holding up the mission. "We said wait a few seconds, not all day!"

"We'd better get going," she said, pulling away a bit but grabbing the other woman's hand.

"Um, yeah," Jessica nodded and tucked a strand of her black hair behind one ear. She glanced over the edge again. "Do we really need to get naked again?"

Shelly took a moment to consider. She kept her grip on Jessica's hand as she came to a decision. Jessica gasped as Shelly changed form, taking on the shape of her favorite swimsuit. She slid under the other woman's clothes, hugging her body tightly.

It only took a moment to shift most of her mass

away

and form the one-piece swimsuit. She enjoyed the intimacy this afforded her as she was able to snuggle her entire body around Jessica. Just for fun, Shelly allowed her fabric body to ripple across the other woman's skin.

"Oh, this could get naughty," Jessica giggled.

"I think Brooke stripped so that her clothes didn't interfere with her becoming a mermaid. You'd better jump before she gets upset," Shelly laughed as she made her thin form vibrate to make noise.

"I'm not going to be able to do much thinking when you talk," Jessica replied, pinching Shelly's fabric between her fingers. She stood next to the edge and looked down.

"Perhaps I should just hum then," Shelly laughed as Jessica shivered. She started humming, and realized that she was really having an effect on her girlfriend when Jessica started growing moist. Before she could comment, Jessica leapt off the ledge and they were weightless for a moment. If Shelly still had a stomach, it would have been in her throat at the unexpected launch. As promised, the water was cold when they struck, though not as cold as it could have been. She felt Jessica's body stiffen against the low temperature, and thickened her form to offer as much warmth as possible.

"I could get used to having clothing like this," Jessica thanked her.

"About time you two showed up," Bridgette commented. Shelly wondered how her half-sister knew that she was already here and not still up above.

"We've got a long way to go," Brooke piped up before Shelly could ask. "With Bridgette's booster powered legs, I recommend we all grab on and save our energy."

She followed suit with her own words, and Jessica gripped the hard metal on Bridgette's opposite side, which hovered just above the water.

"Do I really need to say the words?" Bridgette moaned before they started moving.

"It was your dad's idea," Brooke replied. "He was the one that helped program them. Just say them and we can be on our way."

"Fine." Bridgette heaved a hearty sigh that even Shelly had to admit did wonderful things for her chest. "Go, go, Gadget Boosters."

Shelly didn't understand what Bridgette meant, but before she could even think to wonder, the water around them bubbled as they were propelled forward at a powerful rate. This trip was going to be shorter than she'd originally thought at the pace they were cutting through the water. The only difficult part came when they had to travel underwater through a cave, but it lasted less than a minute before they powered back up and continued on their way.

* * * *

Despite the speed at which they cut through the water, it took them hours to reach Marchosias's island. By the time they stopped, Shelly had a headache from the sound of Bridgette's rockets and the water constantly beating at her cloth body. She never knew a swimsuit could get a headache, but her mood was foul when Jessica walked onto land and Shelly changed back with all her own clothes intact.

"What other fun things can you become?" Jessica whispered in Shelly's ear.

"Be good, and maybe I'll show you," Shelly forced a smile and gave her a peck on the cheek.

She looked around and saw that Brooke and Bridgette were knee deep in the waves, bent over something.

"Thank you," Brooke said to whatever was in the water. "If you learn anything else, please get word to me, but don't get in trouble with Poseidon. He's got a big heart, but he also has a terrible anger."

Shelly made out tentacles as it flipped and dove under the water when she approached them. Brooke looked up and from the look on her face, Shelly didn't think she'd received good news.

"It seems not everyone is happy with Poseidon taking over. There's been a fair amount of infighting."

"You mean there's civil war?" Shelly asked, aghast at the very notion. One of the best things about living in the Shadow World was the absence of war, with the exception of the Chaos War before she was born. Oh, there were fights and skirmishes between the elemental borders from time to time, but the genius in the landscape of the Shadow World kept those down to a minimum. While not every faction or race got along, they knew better than to battle amongst themselves. Even Aeacus didn't actively fight against the Pillar of Fire, though he'd made his hatred of her clear over the last couple decades. Wars were a human thing. The idea of a civil war in the Shadow World was...

unthinkable

!

"A civil war implies only two sides," Brooke shook her head. "This sounds more like complete chaos. No one seems to know who really killed Varun, but they're blaming each other. Poseidon has the largest power base, but he's nowhere near in control of his realm."

"Are we going to leave him in power?" Jessica asked with a frown. "Didn't he try to kill us? I'll bet he's the one that killed Varun. Didn't he say he was next in line to take over? My guess is he grew impatient and offed the stupid seahorse. With us having been there, it offered him an opportunity I'll bet he couldn't pass up."

Shelly watched a series of emotions play across Brooke's pretty features before she settled on anger. "Varun may have had his problems, but he was worthy of respect. I won't have you disrespecting him."

Jessica looked like she'd been slapped. Shelly saw her recover quickly and straighten her shoulders as she faced off against the assassin turned supermodel.

"Why would you defend him? Didn't he kidnap you twice and have you tortured? Didn't he try to kill your husband? Why would you defend a monster like that?" Jessica demanded.

Shelly didn't see Brooke move. One moment the mermaid was standing in the water, the next she was standing over Jessica's prone form with one of her shimmering blue blades at Jessica's neck.

"Yes, he did all that, but he wasn't to blame for most of it," Brooke snarled at the prone woman.

"Wasn't to blame?" Jessica tried to ask, but Brooke talked over her.

"When he had me taken and tortured the first time, he was under the Outsider's influence. I love Lyden for all I'm worth, but my husband grievously wounded and insulted Varun. Can you really blame the previous Pillar of Water for wanting revenge? Before the Chaos war, Varun was one of the wisest among the Pillars. Creatures from every realm came to him for advice. Calling him a seahorse would be like calling a human an ape. No, I didn't love Varun for what he did to me, but I don't blame him either. This world is weaker now because of his death. Three of the six Pillars are relatively new to their power. The other three have to shoulder that extra weight until Lysa, Angela, and now Poseidon can completely control their strength. This world is on the verge of crumbling. You heard what Gloria told us about the Firsts. Whoever, or whatever killed Varun has placed us all in danger."

Shelly saw tears drip from Brooke's eyes onto Jessica's cheeks. Jessica's throat swallowed, but she didn't blink as she met Brooke's glare.

"Maybe it should crumble," Jessica said, shocking them all. "How much trouble and misunderstanding has occurred because the two worlds were separate? Both sides won't get along until they're forced to."

"You don't know what you're saying," Shelly said through numb lips.

"What you're talking about is the death of thousands on both sides by the time it settled down,

if

it ever did," Brooke spoke next. "Tensions are already thick between both worlds. How many innocents would die? How many children would lose their lives or their parents, because you're not happy with the way things are?"

"It wouldn't go that far," Jessica said, though she'd lost some of her heat. "You and... your husband, or Shelly and her brother would stop them before it got that far."

"What do you think we're trying to do?" Brooke demanded. She hesitated another moment, then pushed herself away from Jessica. "We're trying to stop the violence now, before it gets that far. If the two worlds combine, there will be no stopping the violence. That's hoping that the worlds don't collapse altogether, killing us all. The original six Pillars separated this world from Earth, but they're still tied together. Collapse one, and they both might fall."

Jessica didn't get up right away. She touched her throat where a trickle of blood seeped from a shallow cut.

Shelly was torn. On the one hand, she wanted to run to her girlfriend and comfort her. On the other hand, she agreed with Brooke, if not necessarily her methods. No matter how much Brooke might have respected Varun, there was no reason for her to attack Jessica like that. She chose to comfort her girlfriend, but Jessica glared at her, and Shelly stepped back instead. She knew she should have backed Jessica up from the beginning, but the thought of the two worlds crumbling sent a shiver of terror through her.

"Has anyone else noticed that it's not raining?" Bridgette spoke into the tense silence.

Shelly blinked a couple times as she tried to understand what Bridgette was getting at. Why was she talking about the rain? There were more important things to worry about. A moment later, her heart sunk as she realized what the lack of rain meant. It

always

rained in the Pillar of Water's demesne. Looking up, Shelly saw that there were clouds in the sky, but they were white and fluffy. What did this mean?

Silence fell as they all looked at one another. Did the lack of rain mean that Poseidon

hadn't

taken over as the Pillar of Water? Or was he changing things up now that he was in charge? Or was he too occupied with fighting for his position to properly manage his realm?

"I don't think now is the time to sit here and argue," Shelly said. All eyes turned on her and she wished she'd kept her mouth shut.

Jessica grimaced as though swallowing something sour, then dropped her head. "You're right. We have other things to worry about."

Brooke looked out over the water before walking over to her daughter. "We'll go see what we can find out. You two go talk to Marchosias and see what he has to say. I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but he can be dangerous. Watch yourselves around him."

"We've dealt with him before," Jessica said in a derisive tone. "I think we can handle him."

Shelly saw Brooke's eyebrow rise in a way that she knew meant danger. No matter how Brooke might look on the outside, or what most of the world saw her as, Shelly knew she was a dangerous woman. She moved to her girlfriend. "We'll be careful," she said in a rush. "If we're lucky, he'll only be an illusion again. If not... well, we'll be careful no matter what."

"See that you do." Brooke turned her back on them. Shelly felt Jessica tense next to her and she reached down to grab the other woman's hand. Jessica looked at her for a moment before pulling her hand away and walking up the beach.

Shelly moved to follow, but Brooke's voice stopped her. "Watch her, Shelly. I can see what she means to you, but there's a darkness inside her. I won't tell you whom to care for, but be careful with her."

"Then don't tell me," Shelly spat before she could think better of it. When she saw the shock and anger on the assassin's face, she moderated her tone. "She told me how she was treated by her own mother. I can't say I understand what she went through, but I know we can trust her. She's saved our lives more than once, and helped rescue you."

"Don't talk to my mom that way," Bridgette—no, now it was Brock in the mechanical legs—stated as he stepped forward. "She's not the one that wants to destroy our world."

"Jessica doesn't want that either," Shelly spun to face her half-brother. "Not really. She's just been hurt and doesn't know how to deal with a family that loves and cares for each other."