Chapter 213

Fred, Carla, Brenda and Audrey sat on the new furniture in their living room on the farm. The drapes were pulled back from their big picture window so they could watch the light snow falling, the roaring fire in the fireplace making the room seem even more inviting. Jessica had her own seat, snuggled on Fred's lap, her face lying against his neck. Occasionally, she squirmed on his erection, nipped his ear with her teeth, or teasingly licked his neck with the tip of her tongue.

A laughing Carla reached over to swat her daughter's butt. "Would you leave the poor man alone? He's just finished screwing all of us unconscious a couple of hours ago, and now you're stirring things up again. Give the man a break."

"I'll bet your panties are wet, too," Jessica absently responded as she kissed just beneath Fred's left ear again, making the big man shiver.

"You know I'm wet, and will be for a while, just as the rest of us are. After all, we're all full of come," her mother tried to indignantly say, but it didn't quite come across the way she meant it to. She barely held back a giggle as she realized she was being turned on, too.

Despite Jessica's ministrations and the banter, Fred seemed somewhat preoccupied.

"What's wrong, Baby?" Brenda asked her mate. She was in the new body since the RV trip, but her mind knew her longtime husband better than the others did.

"Nothing, it's just that ... Oh, hell, Angel (Their daughter) hasn't called in a couple of weeks. A little while ago, I tried to call her just after we all finished making love. I got an 'out of service' notification. Remember, all she has is that cell, since she cancelled her landline months ago." After a hesitation, "I don't know. I'm just a bit worried. You talked to her the last time; did she say anything that might..."

Jessica, realizing that now wasn't the time, stopped kissing Fred's neck and lay against him, listening to the conversation.

Brenda let out an exasperated sigh. "She should have left that asshole years ago." Then to the others, "She defied us to marry him, and we were sure he'd wind up treating her like shit. Now, we suspect he's doing it, and has been doing it for years." Back to her husband, she continued with, "But to answer your question, she seemed like she always does. In other words, she put on a happy voice that I didn't believe for one second. I told you I wired her some money, yet again."

"You know I don't mind. No telling how long it's been since that asshole brought home a paycheck," Fred injected.

"And we both know, with his drinking, it's probably gone by now," Brenda added. "We're reasonably intelligent. How can the daughter of our loins act so stupid, not to mention anything about obstinate? She knows we would give her a place to live in a heartbeat, yet she continues to stay with her sorry-ass husband."

"I told that son-of-a-bitch I would kill him if he ever hit her. He better remember that," Fred snarled, his erection disappearing from under Jessica's butt.

"You'll have to stand in line if I get there first," Brenda quietly said, "but I will want to cut his balls off before I kill him."

The vehemence in her voice convinced everyone in the room that she was dead serious.

Near Idaho Springs, Colorado

At Matt and Courtney Grigsby's new home, tucked into the side of a small mountain a few miles from Denver, the couple went out their back door, Courtney with a pie carrier in each hand and Matt carrying two small travel bags.

A few minutes later, Courtney stumbled on a tree root as she followed the meager glow of Matt's penlight along his almost-invisible running trail through the woods. "You sure you know where this clearing is?" she worried.

"Certain. We went by it when you went jogging with me, remember?"

Courtney, not having the foggiest idea where he meant, since she always seemed to be lost when they jogged, agreed anyway. "Yeah, I guess." Then, irritated when she stumbled again, "I know you have brighter flashlights..."

"If they're coming in blacked out with no lights, we don't need to call attention to them by advertising our presence out here."

Feeling stupid, not to mention being nervous, she let out a quiet grunt, then concentrated on following him without stumbling and risking dropping her pies.

A couple of minutes later, they stopped and he extinguished the tiny light. "What time is it?" she whispered, wondering why she did so.

"Five minutes yet," he quietly returned.

About the time she had decided to try to find a rock to sit on, she heard something, felt a wash of air and saw an indistinct form settling into the clearing.

"Shit," she sighed out, almost inaudibly. "How can they do that?"

A moment later, both saw a vague form approaching in the darkness, "Evening, Sir – Ma'am," a polite female voice said. "I'm trooper Foster. May I take your things Ma'am?"

"No thank you. I have them."

"I'm..." Grigsby started.

"We identified you before we set down, Sir," the trooper said.

All Courtney could see in the near-total darkness was a dark blob that seemed to be wearing a helmet.

Well, at least she didn't walk up entirely invisible like they did in Atlanta, Grigsby thought.

"This way. Oh, and watch your step. About ten feet in front of you is a small depression that could cause a sprained ankle. I'm using night vision, so just follow closely behind me, and Sir, we appreciate your discretion with your light."

"Well, if you were coming in here with a quiet helicopter, no use my lighting up the world and advertising your presence," Grigsby softly answered, knowing that voices would carry in the silence of the woods.

Courtney didn't comment, concentrating on keeping her footing on the uneven ground in the darkness. A few seconds later when they arrived at the copter, another person reached to help her inside.

"I'll take your carriers, Ma'am," the voice said. Then, "Ummmm, they surely do smell good."

"Pecan pies, still warm from the oven," Courtney responded.

"Don't worry, I'll secure them so they won't be harmed."

"Thank you," Courtney managed as the trooper helped with her seat belts. "Can't we have a light in here?"

"In a few moments, Ma'am. Let's wait until we're in the air, just to be sure," a male voice responded.

The helicopter lifted and quietly ascended into the heavens. Shortly, a subdued light came on allowing Matt and Courtney to see two uniformed and helmeted people sitting across from them.

"As, I said, I'm trooper Foster, and this is Sergeant Higgins," the female trooper said as both faceplates retracted, showing a young woman and a somewhat older male.

"Could you tell me..." Grigsby started.

"Sorry, Sir. All the information I have is the rendezvous location and your identities. We're headed to a much higher mountain not far from Winter Park, where Colonel Matthews lives. It will be a short ride. I'm told the Colonel will meet you at the helipad."

"This helicopter..." Grigsby started, his curiosity killing him.

"Sorry, Sir. At this point, I'm unable to discuss anything with you. I apologize. I will say that the Colonel and his family are very nice people. I'm sure they will fill you in when we get there."

"Sorry, Sergeant. I shouldn't have asked."

"No problem, Sir."

Courtney reached over to take her husband's hand.

Eventually, the Sergeant did something and they saw starlight out the windows. Then, a few minutes later as the helicopter turned, they could see a large building in the distance, its lights and the surrounding security lighting ablaze in the whiteness of deep snow. On the way, Matt had been forced to swallow several times to clear his ears, so he knew they were much higher up than their home in Idaho Springs.

"I assume that's our destination?" he said, motioning out the window.

"Yes, Sir. That's the Colonel's home. They call it the Retreat," Sergeant Higgins responded.

"It's his home? That's not a hotel?" Grigsby asked before he could stop himself.

"Well, in a way, Sir. But it's the Colonel's residence."

As the helicopter dropped toward a lighted landing pad, Matt got a better look at the building and thought, Shit! No Colonel makes that kind of salary. The building is huge.

"And you're part of his Security?" Grigsby pushed.

"A small part of it, Sir."

Courtney squeezed her husband's hand when Higgins said that, but she didn't comment.

When the helicopter landed, Higgins spoke up again. "Please remain seated until the rotors stop. They are high enough to easily clear your head, but the ice crystals they kick up can sting."

When the rotors had stopped, the Sergeant opened the door and assisted Courtney down the two steps. Trooper Foster brought the pie carriers, but Grigsby insisted on bringing their bags.

Before Grigsby could comment on the cold, an Escalade pulled up and three people got out, quickly approaching.

"Colonel Matthews," Matt said as he put down one of the bags he was holding and put out his right hand.

"SAC Grigsby," Jeff responded as they shook. "Good to see you again. This is my wife, Diana," Jeff said, motioning to the stunning woman beside him, "and this is my wife, Kayla, who you met in Atlanta," he finished as he motioned to the beautiful woman on the other side of him.

Grigsby had recognized Kayla, but felt a slight jolt of adrenalin as he realized that he had just been introduced to two wives. He hoped his reaction didn't show on his face. "This is my better half, Courtney," he replied, striving to keep his voice even.

As soon as the introductions were over, Diana bent to stare into the clear carriers. "Oh, my goodness. Are those pecan pies in there?"

"Yes. Southern recipe, and pecans from Georgia," Courtney responded when she heard the melodious tones of Diana's voice, and the slightly southern accent she (Courtney) immediately recognized that spoke of home.

"We're from Georgia," Diana laughed as she reached for Courtney's arm. "Come on. We're going to get along just fine."

The women were in the Escalade before the men had the luggage and pies secured in the back. A moment later, Jeff and Matt Grigsby got in the front, chatting and chuckling over something.

Courtney had been dreading their arrival, but Diana had bombarded her with questions about Atlanta, making the agent's wife forget her tension until they pulled into the inside garage and saw all the women standing there waiting to be introduced.

Diana reached to take Courtney's hand as soon as they were out of the Escalade. "Please hold your judgment of us for a little while, but all of us," she said, motioning, "are married to our Prime."

Courtney didn't trust herself to speak as the shock of realization hit her. He isn't married to just two wives; he has many of them. Despite the shock, she just nodded numbly while she wondered how a man could be married to so many women, and why this woman would refer to her husband as a Prime. If Matt knew this Colonel was married to all these women and didn't tell me, he's in big trouble. I would never have consented to this trip, had I known.

Almost as if Diana were reading her mind, the beautiful woman went quickly on, "Your husband didn't know any of this. He only met Kayla in Atlanta. But you're both here because your husband is an Alpha. Just please trust me for a little while. Everything will be explained to you during your stay with us."