Chapter 14

LATE AFTERNOON — SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Diana cracked the door a little and peeked in. Jeff looked up and motioned for her to enter. A moment later after plopping down in her husband's lap, "Still out I see," she said nodding to Jill.

"Yeah. I've talked to Little One a couple of times. She says everything is going fine, or at least that's my interpretation of what she sent me. I don't understand telepaths. One time you ask what seems to be a simple question and you get back reams of ... something that you have to try to interpret. Other times you just get one impression or thought. Sometimes you are able to communicate about an involved subject with little problem, other times..."

Diana sniggered and curled up more in his lap, almost like a cat would. "I think your use of the word 'you, ' should be just 'I, ' instead. I doubt if anyone else has ever done this; at least no human has. Well, sometimes Arlene and I, and even some of your other wives get strong emotions from Little One, other times all we 'hear' is a distant — almost buzzing. Arlene and I have managed to communicate simple things a time or two, and most of the time, she seems to understand if we're telling her thank you. At least we get nice emotions back. Then, sometimes, I think she understands me, but just ... won't. Maybe, she just refuses to understand or acknowledge anyone but her Prime."

She wants to get back to her ship. She thinks the ship can do something for her so she'll be able to communicate with me almost as well as the ship can, Jeff thought, but was unable to tell Diana about the ship. And I damn sure don't want to get Little One back where the General can easily get his hands on her. Out of sight, out of mind and all that, and I need to keep it that way. He assigned her to me, but I trust his word about as far as I can throw him.

Jeff laughed. "Well, you knew what I meant, when I said 'you, '" he teased.

Diana traced a fingertip lovingly across his lips. "We have another minor problem. Well, a minor one to us, but not so minor to Bill. He's about to go crazy waiting for word about Jill. I've told him all I can without mentioning the Healer by name, but that isn't much for him to go on. And Kathy is walking the floor until she's about to drive all of us crazy.

"I reminded Bill that this 'procedure' healed Joyce from near certain death, talked about the other times as much as I could, and reminded him that this 'procedure' is what enhanced the Alphas, including him, but I think you need to talk to him — or them. I don't think Kathy will let you get away with talking to Bill about Jill without her being there — not about this, anyway"

"Kathy is going to be a Queen then like we talked about?"

"I've talked to her a little about it a few days ago, then Evie and I discussed it with her, but not in any great detail — we didn't know about Jill then. But yeah, she's been with her Alpha, not just sexually, but accepted him as hers. Little One has enhanced her, and if all the pacing back and forth is any indication, I would say that the Queen Bitch syndrome is definitely taking effect. I think she is starting to take on the responsibilities of a Queen. She's already said that Jill was still Bill's wife, since Jill wasn't in control of leaving him ... and Kathy was emphatic about it."

Jeff sat quietly for a moment, relishing the feel of his wife in his arms. "From what I think I get from Little One, and the memories and emotions I got from Jill through Little one, Jill has probably always been — shall we say — something of a closet submissive, if there is such a term. Oh, nothing drastic, I think, but the tendency has been there. The drugs that Ingles used, plus the hypnosis, have magnified that all out of proportion. Ingles has some key words, probably, that would kick in the post-hypnotic suggestions he has given her to make her obey him, but he could transfer that power to whomever he 'rented' her out to. Might have just told her she had to do whatever the person said, but she had to come back to him at a certain time, or under some circumstance. I don't know. And I also don't know exactly how much of this will be left after Little One is through with her. The Healer did tell me that she was afraid to touch Jill's mind, though. The drugs and their effect on her body will be gone, but I don't know about the hypnosis."

"So you think..."

"I don't know what to think. She obviously managed to get away from Ingles while he was out of the house. She said something about his forgetting to give her the drugs one night, didn't she? But what would she do if he managed to get to her? Would she obey him? I have no way to know. But I do know from the transference of memories that I got from Little One, Jill is terrified of him — and justifiably so."

Diana had remained to watch over Jill, and a few minutes later Jeff walked into the living room where everyone sat waiting. Bill and Kathy were nearest the door with her sitting on his lap. She shot up as if she had been launched, and was to Jeff before Bill had taken more than two steps in Jeff's direction.

"How is she? Is she all right?" she blurted out as if one word.

"Wait, let the man talk," Bill said coming up behind her and putting his arms around her.

"Please, Jeff. We've been so worried," Kathy continued at the same time Bill was talking, not giving Jeff time to respond.

"Kathy. Hush!" Bill's voice softly commanded in her ear as he tightened his arms. "Let him talk."

Kathy took a breath and held it for a moment, obviously forcing herself to relax in Bill's welcome arms.

Jeff smiled despite himself, thinking about what he and Diana had just been talking about. "She's fine," he said to the one fast becoming another Queen. "She's still out, and right now I can't tell you how much longer she'll be that way, but I can state, absolutely, that she's fine."

Tears of relief welled up in Kathy's eyes, then in Bill's as their emotions synched.

"Let's go to the kitchen for a moment," Jeff said to the two. "I need to talk privately with both of you." Then turning slightly, he spoke to the others, "I need to talk to everyone before Jill is back with us. So if you don't mind..."

"We'll be here waiting," Wainwright spoke up for everyone.

The three sat in the kitchen. Jeff would have liked a cup of coffee just to have something to do with his hands, but he didn't mention it. He looked, instead, at the anxious faces of the new husband and wife. "Jill has been through a lot. I ... can't tell you how I know, but if you have ever believed anything I say, please just believe this. She was, indeed, drugged, hypnotized, raped and farmed out to other men to do with as they pleased. She was humiliated in the worst ways that you could possibly conceive of. I'm still shook over the experience."

Kathy looked at Bill, then back to Jeff, frowning. "But how could you ... I mean; I believe you. I believed what she said to Linda, plus you and Diana, but how could you know? If she's been asleep..."

Jeff sighed. "Kathy, I can. That's all I can tell you."

"Go on," Bill quietly said as he unconsciously clenched his fists under the table.

Jeff didn't want to take credit for what Little One did, but he didn't know any other way to say it other than the 'procedure, ' and it was obvious that term was being stretched thin. "This 'procedure'..."

Bill stared at Jeff. "Dammit, Jeff. Like I've said before, you keep saying we're all family here, yet you can't talk to us. You and Diana have both slipped and almost said something which you changed to this 'procedure' thing. We all — well the ones of us who aren't in the know — assume that this thing is one of your inventions, but you avoid the subject. But put a name to it. Earlier, you almost said something to do with healing, I guess. At least it sounded like that was what you were going to say considering the context of the conversation. Hmmm, makes sense. Healer. Maybe that's what you have stopped yourself from saying. But call it fucking something. And unless I'm a complete idiot, most everyone here knows more about your invention than Kathy and I do."

"Bill," Kathy said laying a restraining hand on his, their roles reversed as she, this time, calmed her mate.

Madison took a breath, then let it out in a whoosh. "Sorry Jeff. I apologize. I'm uptight, but that's no excuse. I'm acting like an ass. But it's just that my wife, well my other wife, is ... Hell, I don't know what she is, but Kathy knows I still love Jill. Anyway, she's lying in that suite..."

"Her body and mind have both been traumatized greatly," Jeff broke in. "You have no idea how much. And that son-of-a-bitch is going to pay," Jeff snarled, thinking about this having happened to one of his Alpha's wives.

"My thoughts exactly," Bill agreed.

Jeff stared hard at Bill. "I think this is a lot bigger than just Jill. I'm going to start ... something tomorrow or day after, latest. Then I'll deal with Ingles."

"Like hell you will," Bill reproached. "It's my job to deal with that prick. That son-of-a-bitch ruined my family. Well, he would have, if it were not for you."

"She made it back on her own," Kathy interjected.

Bill glanced at his new wife. "After she's healed, I'll get all the information she can give me, then..."

"I have a plan," Jeff broke in.

Fred, amused, watched the women grab up their cameras, insert their new batteries, and with a little prompting from him — which he doubted they actually needed — put in their memory cards.

"The lighting is screwed," Jessica fretted. "With all these trees and so late in the day, the flash will never do a decent job of lighting the whole area."

"Leave off the polarizer," Fred instructed. "That will give you a couple of F-stops more light through the lens. The pictures, no matter the deep shadows, will show enough of our RV and the campgrounds so we can look at it later and remember. Or there's a collapsible tripod in my case that you can use as you slow the shutter down enough to get a better picture."

The women were soon out the door with their cameras, Jessica now the "pro" coaching her mother. Smiling, Fred followed them out with a brush and cleaning materials for the charcoal camp grill, not even bothering to ask them if they had rather use the built-in gas grill on the RV.

Hmmm, someone did a good job on this when they were through, Fred thought a moment later as he inspected the grill, Not much cleaning needed. We'll have to make sure and do the same for the next person.

After the grill was clean, he went to put up the cleaning supplies and get the charcoal. By the time it was burning, the women had finished their picture taking and came to check on him.

"You can grill the steaks when the rest of the food is about ready," Carla offered.

"Nope. Glad to set on my ass and watch. You know I can get by in a pinch, but Brenda was the cook around the house, and you two have been at the farm most of the time. No use messing up a good thing."

"But you help us," Jessica defended him.

"Yeah, but I'm like Jeff. Why mess up a good piece of meat when I have professional cooks to take care of it."

"We're not professional," Jessica objected.

"Well, you both have been cooking all your lives. How long does it take to be a professional, then?" he teased.

Jessica grinned at him before turning toward the RV to start with the food preparation while the charcoal was getting ready.

Later, the food eaten, they sat in their camp chairs talking. Carla reached over and squeezed Fred's hand. "We need a campfire, Honey."

"Well, it may not be quite as dark as the farm is, but with all these trees and that quarter moon, it's close enough. A campfire will go good."

"Our neighbors down there," Jessica said pointing, "either have their shades down, or they don't have any lights on. I haven't seen anything of them since we pulled in. Heck, for that matter, only one RV came by and a couple of cars."

"So get that nice bum of yours up and build us a fire," Carla instructed as she made as if to pinch Fred on the butt.

He started laying out the firewood, but when Jessica cleared her throat behind him, "What?" he said turning to look over his shoulder as he knelt by the fire pit.