Psyche Honor (Psyche Moon) (17 page)

Matthew acted first, and they met in mid-air, teeth and
claws flying. I could barely follow their movements. Matthew grabbed Billie by
the neck and came away with a mouth full of fur. Billie gored Matthew's
shoulder somehow and blood started flying. No matter how many times Matthew
grabbed Billie with his jaws, he never managed to hold onto her or do any
damage. Even from my inexperienced viewpoint, I could see Billie had the upper
hand. Blood began dripping down Matthew's face, obscuring his vision. Then
another wound sprung open along his side.

His movements slowed, but he persisted. The man didn't give
up, and I saw why he was the pack's right hand. Finally he fell to his side,
his feet struggling to find the ground beneath him. Billie growled over him,
warning him to stay down. He refused, found his feet, and leapt clumsily at
her.

He'd lost the fight. Surely he knew that. Why didn't he
stop?

She side stepped his lunge easily and clamped her jowls
around his back leg. I heard the bone break and cringed at the sickening sound.
He yelped, the first sound of pain he'd uttered. On three legs he lunged again,
and Billie broke a foreleg.

Matthew stayed down. He didn't surrender, but he couldn't
stand. Billie shifted into human form. Blood stained her face and chest, all of
it Matthew’s. She breathed deeply, only slightly winded. She looked in grief
and anger at her loyal packmate lying broken in a pool of blood. He challenged
her with a glare.

“Are you okay?” she asked me without turning from the Wolf.

“Yes.” I was far from okay, but I knew what she meant.

She glanced at the yard and street, considering the
situation. Matthew lay half concealed from the road, and it would have to do.
“I'll send help as soon as we're gone,” she told the Wolf who'd tried to kill
us before addressing me. “Stay far away from him and put the stuff in the Jeep.
I'll be right back.”

I did as she said and faced the injured Wolf. Shocked by the
turn of events, I resented him and what he represented, and I hated my part in
it all. “Billie's not collared, and I would never do anything to hurt the pack.
But I didn't do what they think I did. You may not believe me, but it's true.
This didn’t have to happen.” He stared into my eyes intensely, and I met his
gaze head on.

Billie flew out the front door dressed in jeans and a
T-shirt. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

She tossed her phone in my lap as she pulled out of the
drive. “Call Amy.”

Her voice sputtered through in half a ring. “Billie, Holy
Jeez! Jason said Sadie killed John and has you and Nathan collared. I'm
freaking out here! What's happening?”

“Amy, it's me, Sadie. John’s dead?” The news made the breath
leave my body.

“Yeah! They said Nathan killed him, and now no one can find
Nathan.”

“Oh, my God, no. They've got it all wrong, Amy. I didn't do
it.” I didn't know what else to say.

Billie ground her teeth. “Amy, listen to me. They think
Sadie is behind all of this. She isn't. I don't have time to explain. You need
to get to my home as soon as you can. Matthew's injured.”

“What happened to Matthew?” Amy calmed as the medic
surfaced.

“He tried to kill Sadie, and I stopped him. You know
Matthew. He wouldn't quit. Two crushed legs and a lot of blood. Hurry.”

“I'm on my way. Billie, what are you going to do?” Amy’s
voice whined and quivered.

“I don't know yet. Watch your back. Be safe. I love you.” Billie
said goodbye, fighting off tears that nearly broke to the surface.

“I love you too. Come home. Somehow, come home to us.” Billie
nodded at me to hang up the phone. We drove in silence for several minutes.

John's dead. I felt like screaming, but all I could do was
cry. “I liked him,” I said. Guilt overwhelmed me, and I screamed in agony.
Billie pulled me towards her, and I lay my head on her lap while she drove. I
didn't care where. My adrenaline was spent, and I'd hit my limit. I don't know
if I blacked out or fell asleep.

“I don't believe it,” Amy declared. Almost everyone in the
pack came to the emergency meeting, Wolves and Humans alike. Over thirty people
filled Richard and Kathryn’s living room, all of them either shocked or angry
or both. Amy refused to believe Jason's announcement that Sadie had collared
Billie and Nathan.

“John's dead, and they're missing,” someone spat at her.
“What more proof do you need?”

“You didn't even bother getting to know Sadie. You condemned
her from minute one. I know her. She wouldn't do this,” Amy yelled at the top
of her lungs sounding like a shrill teenage girl. No one had ever seen her
react like this.

Kathryn lay her hand on top of Amy’s. “I also spent time
with Sadie. These accusations don't align with the girl I know. Do you have
proof?”

Gary stood nervously. “Sadie is the shift manager at the
warehouse where I work. I knew her before she met Billie. What I overheard
today does not fit with the woman I know. Or thought I knew.” He recounted the
conversation between Sadie and the strange Mage woman. “I know what I heard.
But it doesn't all make sense. Earlier I panicked, and once I started to think
about it, I realized that Sadie could have stopped me easily.

“She could have kept me from hearing the conversation like
she did with my coworkers when Adrienne threatened her yesterday. She knew I
was listening, and she let me hear everything. She could have handed me over to
the other Mage or messed with my memory or even killed me, and no one would
have known. She could have done any of those things easily to keep from getting
caught. Instead she asked me to trust her. I didn’t, but she didn't stop me
from leaving. I'm wondering now if I should have listened to her, or at least
heard her side of the story.”

“You're lucky you got away,” someone chirped.

“It wasn't luck. She didn't even try to stop me. There's
more to this than meets the eye.”

Jazz spoke. “Yesterday Sadie promised me she would protect
Gary if Adrienne picked a fight at the warehouse. She was speaking the truth.
Gary’s right. We’re missing something.”

Richard stopped pacing to add his two cents, rage barely
contained. “Billie attacked Jason and Matthew. She nearly killed Matthew. The
Billie we know is gone.”

Kathryn disagreed. “Billie could have killed Matthew. How
many of us could stop Matthew without killing him? Or stop him at all? She
crushed two of his legs, wounding him so badly, he couldn't continue the fight.
Then she called Amy to patch him up. That is the Billie I know.”

Jason growled at Amy. “That was stupid. Going to Matthew on
Billie's word after I told you Billie was collared was utterly stupid and
reckless.”

Amy lowered her head but spoke defiantly. “I couldn't let
Matthew die.”

“It was stupid. It could have been a trap.” Amy didn't
argue, but from the expression on her face everyone knew she didn't agree.

“What do we do now?” Phil asked pragmatically.

Jason replied stonily. “We organize a hunting party and find
them. We find them and end this.”

Kathryn raised her voice once again. “You have not addressed
Gary's statement. He raised questions that should be answered before we can
condemn three of our packmates.”

“Gary is looking for a reason not to believe that Sadie
killed John. So are you and Amy. You were deceived,” Richard responded to his
mate.

“Or did Sadie get to them too? They did spend a lot of time
with her,” Adrienne asked snidely.

Amy piped up again defiantly, showing more teeth than anyone
knew she had. “So if we believe Sadie, we must be collared, and if we don't
believe Sadie, we must be right. You're the one who's looking through tinted
lenses, not us.”

Jazz could always been counted on to think critically. “Amy
is correct. Your arguments allow no possibility for an explanation other than
the one you've provided.”

Jason glared at the women. “The facts speak for themselves.”
He turned to the group as a whole. “If you want to volunteer for the hunting
party, check in with Richard. Meeting adjourned.”

A handful of Wolves stepped forward to volunteer. Kathryn
watched scornfully as the volunteers largely consisted of Wolves who'd
predetermined Sadie's guilt. “Amy, I believe the hunting party should include
the Pack Medic and the most experienced tracker. Do you agree?” Amy nodded
enthusiastically. “Richard, dear. Amy and I volunteer for the hunting party as
well.”

Richard scowled. “No.”

“You'd be a fool to turn down a medic, and I have more
experience in tracking than all of you combined. We're coming.”

“Amy can come. I don't want you in the middle of this.”

Kathryn replied smoothly but exasperation began to show
through. “Darling, must I remind you that you have spent your life in
classrooms and courtrooms. I spent much of mine escorting runaway slaves
through the South, draft dodgers to Canada, and the like. I am coming.”

Amy punched the ceiling. “I knew you were older than you
pretended!”

Richard couldn’t argue and growled. “Fine.”

When I woke, my head lay on Billie's leg, and she
caressed my hair tenderly. You’re awake. She greeted me before I opened my
eyes.

That wasn't just a bad dream, was it?
I asked,
sitting up and yawning.

“No,” she said coldly. “It happened.”

“Where are we?” Through the windows of the car, I saw
mountains on either side of me. A narrow stream followed the curve of a simple
paved highway.

“Past Sun Valley. You've been asleep for a few hours.”

“Where are we going?” I yawned again.

“Sawtooth Mountains. A little bit further, and we'll take a
dirt road west, find a place to stash the Jeep, and hike in from there. I've
explored the area a few times, but never with Pack. It's a perfect area for
us.”

“Will they find us?”

“Maybe, but not easily. We have a little time to rest and
plan before we have to worry about it. After what happened yesterday, I wasn't
going to take any chances no matter how you felt. This morning I packed for a
quick escape.”

“I'm sorry.” I said, my heart breaking for her.

“For what?” She asked in surprise, bewilderment unmistakable
in her green eyes and mental tone.

“For getting you into this. For your pack turning on you.” I
wanted to sink into the seat and disappear.

“This isn't your fault,” she pronounced heavily. “It
happened, and now we deal with it.”

I didn't answer, and I didn't agree. Instead I watched the
scenery pass in silence. I felt like confessing everything to her. My
conscience ached to tell her everything, but Kato's vision had been clear. I
didn't know if enough had changed to tell Billie without risking her, but I
couldn't take the chance.

Carefully I hid all of this, and she only felt my guilt. I
could feel her worrying about me in every pore of my body, but she didn't say
anything. Before long she turned west onto a poorly maintained dirt road. We bumped
along in silence, each of us lost in thought.

“How do we deal with it?” I asked without warning. “What do
we do now?”

“First we find a safe place to hole up.”

“A hotel wouldn't work?” I loved the mountains, but I wanted
a bed and a shower.

“Richard's private investigators can find us in a hotel.
It'll take longer to track us through the mountains. I need to be in the wilds
right now anyway.”

I looked at her tense face and sorrowful eyes. “How are you
doing with all this?”

She hesitated only for a moment. “John is dead because I
couldn't admit that Nathan is collared. I knew, but I couldn't admit it.” My
stomach churned that she felt responsible. I knew Nathan was collared and
didn't tell her.

“You can't blame yourself for that,” I told her.

“I was responsible for their safety. I failed.”

“No,” I asserted vehemently. “You didn't.” The truth nearly
came out of me right then. I couldn't bear the self-loathing coming off of her
in waves.

“I feel lost.” She said simply, her voice soft. She sounded
lost. “I don't know how to be a Wolf without a Pack.”

“The wilds are the next best thing?”

She nodded, gazing at the scenery around us. “I feel home
here. The house is empty, but at least I'm home. How about you?”

“I don't know,” I answered honestly. I hadn't come to grips
with the situation. “I'm scared.”

She pulled the Jeep off the rustic dirt road onto an even
more rustic one. It looked like an old temporary road. Long abandoned, small
trees bent beneath the Jeep as we traversed it. A couple hundred yards in, she
nested the Jeep behind a stand of pine trees. “This is where we leave it.” Her
lost eyes met mine, and she began pulling out supplies. “I prepared for two
escape plans: one with just what was in the Jeep and one from home. We have
both sets of supplies, so we can go through them together. We'll leave some of
it behind.”

I nodded, opening the different compartments of the pack and
peeking inside. I found waterproof matches and candles in one. Others held a
variety of camping supplies - everything we’d need in the mountains. She’d tied
a lightweight tent and sleeping bag to the outside.

Billie pulled a pouch out of the Jeep and tossed it to me.
“There's a pocket on the underside of the lower compartment. Would you add this
to what's already in there?”

“Sure.” I opened the pouch to find a stack of hundred dollar
bills. I'd never seen that much cash in one place, and it shocked me. “How much
is here?”

“Ten thousand total. I won’t be able to access any of my
accounts without drawing them to us.”

“You really did come prepared.” I combined the money and
tucked it away before strapping two coats to the outside of the pack. “Should
we do something to hide the Jeep?”

“No. It won't help with Wolves, and it'll draw attention if
anyone else notices it. Wait. I heard something.” She cocked her head and
sniffed, fully alert and ready. “Do you sense anyone?”

“No. Not for miles.”

“I thought I heard someone. Maybe I'm just jumpy.” She
didn't convince herself.

I trusted my senses. I trusted hers too, so I didn't know
what to believe. “Maybe it's a regular wolf. I don't sense them like I do your
kind of Wolf. By the way, how do I differentiate between wolves and Wolves when
I'm talking?”

Behind her, I saw a familiar shape moving silently towards
us. My spirit soared and I shouted, “Kato!” Billie jumped in alarm, spinning to
face the approaching Wolf as I darted past her to wrap him in a hug. I couldn't
believe my eyes. Laughing, I hugged him so tight he braced his feet. His eyes
smiled, and he licked my shoulder affectionately.

“Kato?” Billie approached more slowly, eyeing us with
absolute bewilderment. “Sadie, how do you know Kato? You're a long ways from
home, old friend. What are you doing here?”

He shimmered, and I held an ancient man instead of a wolf.
With serene eyes, he held Billie’s gaze while embracing me. “I come when my
packmates need me.”

Tears sprang to my eyes, and I held him even tighter. Billie
knelt in front of us, still confused. “How do you know each other?”

I looked to Kato questioningly, hoping I could finally tell
Billie everything.

“Yes, daughter. You may tell her all. The need for secrecy
with your mate is over.”

“I don't understand,” Billie replied succinctly, her gaze
zipping between the old Wolf and me.

I reached for Billie's hand and pulled her down beside me.
“It’s been killing me keeping this from you. Kato came to see me almost a week
ago. It was the day you, Amy, Kathryn, and I had coffee and you left to see
Nathan. Kato walked in and asked for my help. He had a vision that the pack was
completely destroyed. Kato and Amy were the only survivors. You, Jason, and
Matthew died. Everyone else was collared.

“He said I could change it, keep it from happening. But it
would only work if I didn’t tell you. I've been lying to you.” My voice broke
at the confession, and all my guilt poured out in a jumble. “I didn't tell you
Nathan was collared even though I knew. I spied on you at the dojo because I
needed to connect with Nathan's mind in order to find his Mage. I've talked to
his Mage twice now. I even told her I've collared you so I could figure out
what they're planning. That's what Gary overheard this morning. She wanted my
permission to use you for a job, a job that would help her collar the entire
Pack. I pretended to be interested in joining her and returning to the Mage
world in order to figure out her plan and stop her. She believed me. So did
Gary.” I took a deep breath and waited for her response.

“Gods, Sadie. I had no idea.” Her mind spun with all the new
information.

“We couldn't risk the Mages finding out that I was lying, so
I couldn't tell anyone. Not even you. They can't read my mind or Kato's mind.
But there was no guarantee with you or anyone else.”

“You did all that for the pack?” She could barely breathe as
she took in everything I said.

“Your mate has much courage and great compassion.” Kato
beamed at me, and I basked in his praise.

“I know I can find out the rest of their plan. I'm in, Kato.
They're meeting to finalize their plans soon, and they want me there.”

Billie shook her head violently, her instinct to protect me
surfacing. “Whoa! Sadie, you can't walk into a Mage den. What if they find out
you're lying? They'll kill you.”

I set my jaw and dug in my heels. “I have to do this. I have
to finish this.”

“Kato, Eldest. I don't like this. They could kill her,” Billie
pleaded with the old man.

“They do not have the power to kill a Kratos.”

“I don't understand what that means,” she replied modestly.
It had the feel of a mantra repeated many times between them.

“Your mate is the most powerful Mage of them all. She is
highest all Kratos. Her birth was foretold, and she will do great deeds for
Wolves and Mages.”

Billie rocked back on her heels, stunned. I looked shyly at
her. “He keeps saying things like that, and each time it gets grander.” Confidence
began to arise in me as I spoke. “He's right. They can't kill me.”

“What is a Kratos?” she wanted to know.

“It’s a Mage who can coerce another Mage. Cassandra doesn't
know I'm Kratos. I've been careful about that. Actually she warned me to stay
away from ... me.”

She laid a hand on my arm gently, her mind still buzzing.
“I've missed a lot in the last week.”

“I'll tell you everything now. No more lies. No more
secrets.”

“I want to hear it all. But we should hit the trail. We're
going to run out of light, and I'd like to find a warm place for you before
nightfall. You can tell me all about it around a campfire tonight.”

“I found a place nearby where your mate will be warm and
protected.”

“Thank you, Eldest. Lead the way.”

“I'll take the pack for the first stretch. Go run.” Grateful,
Billie stashed her clothes in my pack and hoisted it onto my back. Once I'd
settled into the straps, she shifted into wolf form. Kato joined her, and we
followed the Ethiopian Wolf into the forest.

Billie jumped and stretched as we plied our way through the
woods. In her wolf form, she found some peace, and Kato's arrival gave her
hope. She nipped playfully at the old Wolf's heels, and he responded to her
antics with patient amusement. I smell dinner, she announced suddenly and raced
into a grove. I laughed as she chased a game bird, seizing it with a lunge as
it frantically took flight.

Nice catch
, I complimented her.
Where's mine?

I'll hunt for you. But let's wait until we have a place
to prepare it. Kato didn't say how far we have to go.
Laying the bird in
front of her, she knelt on the ground and began eating.

You can't ask him?

No. Wolves don't speak mind to mind.

I knew that, but I'd assumed it was different with Kato
since I could mindspeak with each of them. It surprised me to realize they
couldn't communicate with each other that way. Checking with Kato, I relayed
his answer to Billie.
He said the cave is directly over that ridge to our
left. We're close.

You can speak mind to mind with Kato?
Her ears
twitched towards me in surprise, but she didn't pause in her meal.

Yes.

I thought it was just our matebond allowing us to do it.
Kato's different in a lot of ways.
It didn't take her long to finish eating
the bird. I continued knowing she’d catch up easily, and soon she bounded to my
side. She rubbed the length of her body against my leg, and I wrapped my
fingers in the thick mane at her neck. Lifting her nose to the air, she
searched for more game.

Ahead of us Kato turned at the ridgeline and sat, waiting
patiently. Billie rubbed her head against my hand affectionately.
I smell
your dinner!
she announced as she bounded off once again.

When I reached the summit, Kato grinned a wide wolf smile at
me. With a beckoning tilt of his head, he descended down the other side. A long
narrow valley lay below us, a small stream cutting a path through. The
picturesque view took my breath away. Shortly below the top of the ridge, he
disappeared behind a large rock protruding from the side of the hill.
Following, I found him sitting in front of the mouth of a cave. It wasn't deep,
but it curved in on itself to form a protected space. As I entered, I saw
enough space for all of us to sleep and noticed the soft floor with
satisfaction.

 
You should see this cave, Billie. It's a good spot.

I'm almost there.
Within moments she appeared behind
me, another game bird in her mouth. She dropped the hen at my feet and shifted
into her human form. “Dinner is served.”

“Thank you.” I leaned in for a kiss and abruptly pulled
back, plucking a feather off my tongue. “Oh, gross. Remind me not to kiss you
after hunting until you've brushed your teeth.” She laughed and helped me out
of the pack. Dutifully, she found the toothbrush and toothpaste, brushing her
teeth with a mouthful of canteen water. When finished, I pulled her in for a
deep kiss, running my fingers through her tangles of red hair. Kato smiled at
us like a loving grandfather.

“If you get the fire going, I'll prepare the bird,” She told
me as she pulled a knife out of the pack. “Kato, would you like the discards?” His
ears perked forward affirmatively, and Billie scooped the bird off the ground
on her way out of the cave.

I gathered rocks for a fire ring and wood, enjoying the
crisp evening air. Billie and Kato sat beside the creek. She cleaned the bird
expertly and tossed the discards in front of Kato who gobbled them the instant
they hit the ground. He shimmered into human form for a while, sitting
cross-legged in the scrub by the creek. I couldn't hear their conversation, but
the dark cloud over Billie had nearly lifted.