The Succubae Seduction Bk. 02: The Twins Ch. 20

"Then we can kill her?" Sonia pressed.

"No," Shelly and Lysa said at the same time.

"She was... She was..." Sonia's anger and disgust were palpable as she spluttered and pointed to the creature. It dawned on Shelly that Sonia was jealous. She couldn't bring herself to comfort the android, too filled with shame, and anger, and an emotional wreck after what she'd just been through.

"You can talk to us, Shelly," Mandy spoke up. "It raped you. It wasn't your fault. You have every right to want to kill that thing."

Before Shelly could organize her thoughts, Gaia appeared, forming up out of the ground.

"You can't kill King Aeacus for the same reason I never gave Lyden Snow the location of this place," she said. Her dark skin almost blended into the rock wall behind her as she faced off against Mandy. "She rules every queen ant in both worlds. Kill her, and there will be terrible consequences—"

The sound of thunder blasted in the now cramped room. Everyone spun to face Sonia. The woman calmly put away her pistol and faced the others. Where had she been hiding that weapon? Aeacus no longer thrashed on the bed, though she had a new hole in her head.

"She hurt Shelly," Sonia stated in dead tones. "That thing didn't deserve to live. To hell with the consequences."

"What have you done?" Gaia screamed. "Ants are an important part of the ecosystem. They help move seeds, and aerate the soil. Without them, the world could die! Both worlds!"

"Shelly, you're bleeding," Sonia stated and came to her side, ignoring the Pillar of Earth.

She looked down and saw blood running from between her thighs. She wasn't in pain, so where was the blood coming from? With a start, she realized she still had Aeacus's severed penis inside her.

The rape of her mind, body, and soul struck her then, recalling all that she'd been through, and all that she would have done. The way she'd felt, before losing control, and then during the ordeal swamped over her beleaguered mind. If not for Shemhazau saving part of her psyche, she would have been lost completely.

The world turned black around her, darkness swallowing her vision.

* * * *

"It's the only way," Gaia's pleading voice woke her. Her body felt heavy, as though tight bands were wrapped around her. "She must—"

"Do you have any idea what you're asking for?" Sonia demanded, her voice sounding just above Shelly's head. Without opening her eyes, she came to the conclusion that the android must be holding her. "To... To do that...? I've got the mental profiles of tons of women that've been raped downloaded into my memory, and have been raped myself. You can't ask her to do that."

"It's the only way," Gaia repeated. "Otherwise both worlds will die."

"Forgive me, Gaia," Mandy interrupted, "but as the Pillar of Earth, can't you help make another creature, or assign one to do what the ants do?"

Gaia's sigh was loud and tired. "If I had a thousand years, and weren't picking up the slack of three other Pillars, then yes, I could. Don't look at me like that, Lysa. You're strong, and you've come a long way in the last twenty something years, but you're no Fujin. You wear his mantle, but that wasn't all that he did. If it was just one Pillar, it would be easy, but it's three. Just in the time we've been talking, while my concentration has been split, two ecological disasters, besides the ant queens of the world going mad, have taken place. I don't have time to argue. She has to do it!"

"Do what?" Shelly finally spoke up. Her lips were slow to form the words, and she had to repeat herself to be understood. "Do what?"

"Shelly, you're awake!" Sonia squeezed her tighter in a hug. Shelly was almost afraid her ribs were going to break before she was finally released. "I was going to join you in your Mens Mundi as soon as it was safe."

"Do what?" Shelly croaked for the third time. She opened her eyes and saw that Sonia had been crying. Lysa and Mandy were watching the entrance to the chamber, while Gaia gave her a critical look.

"You're pregnant," Gaia stated without any formality. Sonia hissed, but Shelly remained focused on the Pillar of Earth. "I can ensure that the child you carry will become a new queen, and save both worlds."

Shelly wanted to turn away, and bury herself in the deepest, darkest hole. Looking around, she realized she was already there, deep in the late King Aeacus's realm.

Carry the child? Of the creature that'd raped her? Of the thing that had tried to strip her of her identity, and make her nothing more than a plaything? A personal slut? Aeacus was mad, switching from one extreme to another. What would this child be like? Would it be a hermaphrodite like its father? Would it create hate and discord? Could she live with herself, knowing that she carried the spawn of such evil within her?

A small part of her—a very small part—wanted to carry it because it had been Aeacus's will. That realization alone made her want to rip out her lady parts with a spoon.

To carry the thing, would mean to save both worlds. That bore consideration. As its mother, could she keep it from becoming evil? Would she be able to even look at it, without hating it and how it came to be?

Gaia looked at her, likely knowing every thought that went through her head. Just as Jessica had known all the thoughts she thought were safe and personal. Had Gloria known what Jessica truly was? At this point, did it matter?

Jessica wanted to destroy this world. Part of Shelly still loved her, made easier knowing that they weren't related by blood. What Jessica wanted would cost thousands of lives, if not more. If Shelly chose to get rid of the thing forming inside her, it would kill billions.

"Can you keep it from becoming hateful? Evil?" Shelly asked, her voice dull.

"That will depend on how you raise her," Gaia stated, a sad smile touching her thick lips. "I can adjust her genetics to ensure she will become the next queen, but it will be you that shapes how she'll rule."

A weight that defied any known scale settled upon her shoulders as she nodded. She would keep the child, and do her best. She was going to have a girl, then? So be it. She couldn't promise to love her, but she would do everything in her power to make sure the child never knew.

"Are you sure?" Sonia asked.

In answer, all Shelly could do was turn and cry into her lover's shoulder as she felt Gaia's gentle touch on her stomach. Choosing to keep the child seemed easy, compared to trying to figure out how she was going to tell her own brother all that she now remembered.

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From the Author

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It's... been a long time. I could give you excuses, and explain why I wasn't able to write, but the truth is that it came down to priorities. My time over the last year has been very limited (going from an 40 hour work week to a 60+ hour sucks!). As such, I devoted my time to other pursuits. Mostly, my family, and what little relaxing I could accomplish. My schedule has leveled out closer to that 40 hours again, and so expect it to NOT take a year before the next chapter.

I've said before that this story is not dead, and I mean it. There is an ending coming... sooner rather than later. I won't say more than that as it's not written yet, except to say that there is a final story planned to round this series out as a trilogy. The final story will have new characters, and a new main (but someone you've met in this book), and will continue shortly after this one ends.

I want to thank everyone who is still reading these, and who have stuck around. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out, and I promise the next one *should* drop within a couple weeks. It's written, just needs editing.

Please let me know what you think of this chapter in the comments below. Even if all you do is chew me out for the long hiatus, I want to hear from you.

Thank you!

-DBs_BRO (AKA Zerg Rush, Sselxuyt)