Psyche Shield (11 page)
“He agreed to the meeting. It could be much worse.” Only
Kathryn held her emotions in check. She moved closer to Sierra and worked her
magic on the distressed Wolf, calming her as well as her Sending gift would
allow.
“Billie, would you stop?” I raised my voice to get her
attention. “Did you really expect him to take our word for it? This isn’t
helping.” Jason watched me frankly, and I couldn’t read anything from his
superficial thoughts. I usually couldn’t. With the dreaded phone call behind
us, he grew quiet and thoughtful.
My mate stopped in her tracks and faced me with blazing
eyes. I’d never seen her so angry, her voice low and menacing. “He threatened
to kill you, Sadie.”
I threw my arms up as she stated the obvious. “Of course he
did. He thinks I have an army of Wolves at my disposal, and I’ve just claimed
one of his. How would you respond if Amy was with a Mage, and you couldn’t get
to her? A Mage other than me?” I amended.
“He threatened to hunt you.” Her face twisted as she spoke,
unable to let it go. She bristled against outside dangers in a way she hadn’t
against threats from her own packmates. Sierra’s influence compounded her
natural reaction explosively.
“Billie, love. He can’t hurt me. How is he going to hunt and
kill someone who knows he’s coming from miles away? Matthew couldn’t. Do you
think Graham will have any more success?” Sierra and Kathryn also watched us
silently.
“Our packmates are going to meet them blind and probably
outnumbered. If he doesn’t believe them, he’ll kill them. He’ll kill Kathryn,
Jason, Kato, and Sierra.”
He’ll kill all of them, Sadie!
“I won’t be
there to stop it, and then he’ll come after you.”
“What am I, a field mouse now?” Jason growled at her
unintended insult and the mindspeech he could sense but not understand. “I can
protect my pack just fine, Beta.”
“That’s not what I meant, Alpha, and you know it.” Like any
Wolf she found comfort in the strength of Pack, but usually she offered that
strength. Now she needed it, and his reminder helped her cool down. She stopped
pacing and spoke a little more rationally to her Alpha. “Either one of us can
be beat if he brings enough Wolves. He doesn’t have enough to stop the two of
us together.”
“That’s why you’re not going,” he pointed out. “The last
thing we need is a Pack War. If he doesn’t feel threatened, he’s not as likely
to attack. If he does attack us, we’ll still win.” He looked at Kathryn and
Sierra with disdain. “I’ll still win. They don’t have anyone who can fight
worth a damn up there.” Sierra didn’t agree but refrained from responding to
the insult against her packmates. I thought that wise.
“Then take Matthew. Any decent fighter who can back you up.”
She began to sound desperate again.
For a rare occasion, I took Jason’s side. “Kato and Kathryn
will convince them, and Jason will protect them if it goes sour. They will be
fine. He’s definitely not a field mouse. A bear maybe. Bigger than a badger for
sure.” I thought for a moment that Jason would snap at my rudeness, but he
seemed to recognize the attempt to distract Billie from the tempest inside her.
I hadn’t convinced her, but she began to calm down. The absurdity of my
comments made Billie stop and stare at me incredulously.
She kissed me on the forehead. “You live dangerously, love.
I’m going to get some fresh air.” No one offered to join her, and I sensed her
need to be alone.
As soon as she stepped out of sight, I faced Jason and
mouthed a sincere apology. “Sorry. It worked.”
He nodded curtly, grateful that Billie’s rage had calmed. He
glanced solemnly in his Beta’s direction, and I thought I sensed concern. With
Jason I could never be sure.
Jason still leaned against the wall and turned his
calculative glare on the visiting Wolf. “Your Alpha will kill you if he
believes you’re collared. I won’t hand you over to him until I know you’ll be
safe. Your timing sucks, but you’re not to blame for it. I won’t have you harmed
because you came to my pack for aid.”
Jason’s offer of protection along with Kathryn’s influence
reassured Sierra, and she calmed quickly. Like any Wolf, she felt safe under
his guardianship. “Thank you. I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”
“We’ll convince him,” Kathryn declared confidently.
A look I didn’t understand passed between the Alpha and
Elder. I’d barely begun to understand the nonverbal communication between the
Wolves. Kathryn addressed Sierra. “You are well cared for and safe in this house.
My packmates will make sure of it. I must attend to other matters with Jason.”
Sierra showed her embarrassment, though Jason didn’t know
the true reason for it. “I’m okay now.”
As soon as they left, she announced her desire to shower.
Amy helped her up the stairs while I retrieved clothes from my closet for her
to change into. I sensed a Wolf I’d never met approach and recognized her as
Pack through my connection with Billie. Unconcerned, I met her at the door,
forgetting I still smelled like a Mage. She held a bag of newly purchased
personal items along with a pair of crutches. “Amy asked me to bring this to
her.”
“Thanks. Want to come in?” I offered, but she shook her
head. Handing me the items, she backed away without even introducing herself.
Refreshed from a shower and wearing a skirt and tank top,
Sierra and Amy sat in one of the spare bedrooms. She accepted the items
gratefully and immediately went to brush her teeth. Amy kept her voice barely
above a whisper, low enough that Billie wouldn’t hear from the backyard. “How’s
Billie?”
“She’s cooled off,” I responded, just as quietly.
“She hasn’t gotten like that in a long time.” Concern for
her friend shone out of Amy’s eyes.
“She’s okay,” I assured my packmate as well as the Wolf
eavesdropping while radiating guilt.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Sierra tried out the
crutches. After only a few minutes, she shortened them and evaluated the new
length. Before long she moved about the house freely, dodging Amy’s repeated
threats to get off her leg. Sierra obeyed about as well as any Wolf obeyed the
frustrated Medic. She trotted around like a three-legged dog, using the
crutches like forelegs instead of the usual awkward rolling gait.
My laughter brought Billie inside, ignoring Amy’s critical
inspection. She’d returned to her normal mood and wrapped her arms around me
protectively. Feeling me safe in her arms brushed away the last of the shadows
within her.
Do you feel better now?
She replied heavily.
Much. I’m going to start dinner.
Join me?
Eventually Amy had to go to work. She gave each of us strict
instructions about the others. Unconvinced that we’d obey her demands but
having little other choice, she finally left. I didn’t have any success keeping
either injured Wolf off their feet, but admittedly I didn’t try very hard.
With dinner nearly ready, Sierra tried to help us set the
table, determined to figure out how to carry plates and walk at the same time.
I shooed her away with a laugh. “I got it. Go sit down so I can tell Amy I made
you stay off your feet.”
“She won’t believe you. She knows better,” Billie replied
with a wry smile. With a glimmer of humor in her eyes, she commented on my
earlier behavior. “I can’t believe you said that in front of Jason. Only you,
love.”
“He was grateful it calmed you down,” Sierra defended me
loyally.
I shrugged self-consciously. “I said I was sorry. I think he
knows I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I’m not sure he cared much. You were close to raging,”
Sierra commented from the chair she finally decided to sit in, an introspective
look on her face. I understood where it came from. With Jazz and Gary on the
way, I didn’t broach the subject.
Billie outwardly hid how much it bothered her. “I haven’t
lost my temper that badly in quite a while.”
“They’re almost here,” I notified the others even knowing
they’d hear the vehicle shortly.
“Nervous?” Billie asked.
“A little.”
I’m more nervous about seeing Jazz
, I
admitted to Billie silently.
“Gary’s the one who overheard you and the other Mage,
correct?” Sierra asked, remembering the story from the day before. She’d grown
very comfortable with me in a short period of time.
“Yeah,” I replied slowly. “He and I used to work together.
I’ve known him longer than I’ve known Billie.”
“And his wife is Wolf?” She verified.
I nodded. “I haven’t met their kids.”
We had the food on the table and everything ready by the
time Billie and Sierra heard the SUV.
Jazz looked beautiful as always. She cared little for her
appearance, and yet made a simple ponytail, slacks and blouse look stunning. Gary
stood beside her, their arms linked in the affectionate familiarity common to
long-term couples. He looked older than his wife despite thirty years’
difference in the opposite direction. Two young teenagers stood beside the
parents, their faces lighting up when they saw us. “Hi, Aunt Billie!” At
twelve, their daughter promised to be as beautiful as her mother someday. The
fourteen-year-old son had his father’s eyes and Jazz’s sedate demeanor.
“Hi! Give me a hug, you two!” Billie opened the door wide so
they could enter with a round of hugs. I hung back a bit, uncertain of myself
despite the wide smile on Gary’s face.
Billie reached back for my hand and pulled me closer.
“LeeAnn and Dean, I’d like you to meet my mate, Sadie.”
“Hi,” I replied shyly. I hadn’t spent much time around kids.
Dean turned to his mother and informed her seriously. “I
thought a Mage would be much more frightening.” A laugh caught in my throat,
and I coughed instead. His honesty alleviated my nervousness a little.
“Pleased to meet you works well too, Dean,” Gary chided his
son and winked at me. “They’re very direct.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Dean changed his greeting
nonchalantly. “You’re not frightening at all.”
“Um. Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say.
LeeAnn pinched her brother and stuck her hand out to me.
“I’m LeeAnn. Ignore him. He thinks he’s more mature than he really is.”
“So I am frightening?” I asked as I shook her extended hand.
She looked me up and down critically and shrugged
dramatically. “You look nicer than Matthew, and he’s nicer than he looks.”
“I think that was a compliment, but I’m not sure. Are you
hungry?” I asked the family with an amused smile.
“Not as hungry as Mom. She forgot to eat lunch again.” Gary
laughed at his daughter’s announcement and shooed the kids the rest of the way
inside so they could enter.
“I didn’t know it was possible for a Wolf to forget to eat.”
I told Jazz, trying to regain my composure.
“It’s not,” Billie replied for her. “Somehow she does it
anyway.”
Jazz took their mocking with bright eyes and defended
herself. “I’ve been comparing allelic expression in Wolf and Human primary
relatives. Today’s analysis was going too well to stop for lunch.”
“That’s what she always says.” LeeAnn rolled her eyes. “Just
with different big words each time.”
We crowded around the dinner table and began serving from
the mountains of food. “How did you manage to find yourself in Boise with a
broken leg?” Jazz asked Sierra, who recounted her story yet again.
“How has your stay been so far?” Gary questioned her
politely, though we all knew the subtext.
Sierra chose her words carefully and delivered them with a
glimmer of humor in her tone. “It’s not what I expected, but it’s been very
enlightening. I’ll never forget it.”
“I’m glad you’re not bored,” Gary replied with mock
seriousness. “No one seems to be sure what to think of Sadie at first.”
She glanced at me shrewdly. “I knew exactly what I thought
of her at first, but I didn’t know how to escape with a broken leg. I’m glad
I’m getting to know her, though. I hear you’ve known her longer than anyone.”
“I didn’t know she was a Mage. A couple times I wondered if
she was a Sensitive, but I never asked. She was always very serious and kept to
herself.” Gary enjoyed the memory as he recounted it to Sierra. “Then suddenly
she was happy and smiling. I suspected she had someone new in her life, so I
asked. She told me about a beautiful redheaded accountant. Small world.”
“He knew Billie and didn’t tell me.” He shrugged,
unconcerned at the repeated accusation.
“I didn’t think you knew about Wolves yet. That’s a tidbit
of information that should come from a partner at the right time.” Jazz glanced
at her husband adoringly. She enlightened him the day he proposed.
“Billie was bleeding on my couch in wolf form while Jason explained
Wolves and Mages and threatened to kill me for the first time. I wouldn’t call
that the right time,” I countered mockingly.
“You’re still together.” Gary, always the optimist, declared
it a success.
“You should have seen her. She stood up to an Alpha Wolf and
refused to let him push her around,” Billie added, still astonished from
earlier. “I’ve never heard anyone talk to him like she does.”
I frowned. “Most of the time I don’t even mean to. I tell
myself I’ll be nicer, more respectful. And then when I see him, all I want to
do is argue. Domineering, arrogant control freak. He’s all teeth and attitude.”
“You do realize you just described Billie?” Jazz pointed
out.
“She likes my teeth,” Billie replied smoothly, amused by the
turn in the conversation, and I blushed remembering the matebite on my thigh.
“So long as you don’t break the skin,” she warned. “We’d
like to keep Sadie around for a while.”
“Why can’t she break the skin?” Sierra asked, apparently
unaware of the myth and saving us from answering.
“A Wolf’s bite is fatal to a Mage,” Jazz informed her with
surprising simplicity.
“I didn’t know that.” Sierra furrowed her eyebrows. “There’s
a lot we don’t know about Mages.”
“Join the club,” I muttered and changed the subject before
Billie or I had to answer a direct question. “Gary, when did you meet Billie?”
He glanced at my mate with such mischievousness that I
eagerly awaited the story. “It was a few months after she came to the pack.
Jazz didn’t want me near her at first.”
“She was dangerous at first,” his wife interjected
protectively.
“She was at that. The kids and I skipped a couple of full
moon runs because of the crazy Pup everyone was talking about. We weren’t the
only ones. Most of the Humans stayed away until she got herself under control.
After she nearly killed Richard, everyone was a little scared of her.”
“Everyone was a lot scared of me,” Billie corrected him. The
turn in conversation brought out her serious side again. “Staying away was
smart.”
“Jason was the only one who could really handle her,” Jazz
told Sierra. “Even Matthew had trouble.”
Unsettled by the story, Sierra asked, “No one prepared you
properly to become Wolf?”
“No one prepared me at all. I didn’t know anything about
Wolves until Kathryn found me, and that was several months after I was bit.”
Sierra gasped at the offense. “You went through it alone?”
Billie nodded soberly.
Gary continued his story. “I first met her at Richard’s and
Kathryn’s home. My sister was in trouble, and Richard offered to help. Matthew,
Kathryn, and Billie were out back training, and he introduced me. She was still
kind of wild, but she was polite enough.”
“I don’t recall being polite. At all.” Billie raised her
eyebrows at his perspective.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “You made an effort.”
“Kathryn helped with your training?” Sierra inquired,
unaware that Billie knew about the Sending gift.
“Jason shadowed me. Any time he had to be somewhere else, it
was Matthew and Kathryn. She has a real gift. It was fortunate she found me
instead of another Wolf.” Billie met the Sender’s eyes long enough to make her
point but not long enough for anyone other than me to notice.
Sierra glanced at me questioningly and I added, “She’s great
in a tense situation.”
“I’ve heard of Wolves who can’t handle the transition, but not
very often. I only know one other who was bit forcibly,” Sierra commented
thoughtfully.
“I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I’m lucky I
didn’t kill anyone before Kathryn found me. I almost did. One day I went to
work and lost my temper with the office manager. Kathryn happened to be there
and stopped me from doing any real harm. She brought me here. I wouldn’t have
made it without her.” Billie drove her point home.
“It took a long time, but she found her way,” Jazz added.
“She’s unusually dominant.”
“Obviously. I’ve never heard of a Beta so young,” Sierra
replied.
Gary changed the subject to the one I’d avoided in the kids’
presence. “I’ve heard the gossip, of course. I’d like to hear it from you. What
happened when that Mage came to see you at the warehouse? Why did you let me
hear everything?” His clever eyes watched me from across the table. I
hesitated, and I glanced at the kids who bickered about a TV character I’d
never heard of.
“We don’t hide anything from them,” Jazz assured me.
I paused to collect myself before answering. “When you
walked up, I nearly lost it. If Cassandra knew you were Pack, she would have
used you like she uses everyone. I couldn’t do anything that would draw her
attention to you. So I did the only thing I could think of to make you go away.
I was rude. Of course you didn’t. I sensed you listening just out of sight, but
I couldn’t do anything about it.