Psyche Shield (3 page)
The Elder Wolf redirected my priorities, and I welcomed her
reminder to see to the injured Wolf’s needs. “You’re right. We don’t have a
bedroom on the main floor, and I doubt she’s up to climbing the stairs with a
broken leg. The couch?”
“Billie and I will carry a bed from one of the guest
bedrooms to the living room. She will find a mattress more comfortable during
her recovery.”
“I can help you with it. Billie’s more injured than she’s
admitting,” I offered quickly. With something to do, I didn’t fret as much
about the approaching guest.
We’d almost reached the bottom of the stairs with a
queen-sized mattress when Amy and Billie walked in supporting a young-looking
woman between them. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the tangled dark hair
that framed her face. Too weak to stand on her own, she planted one good leg
under herself and let the others hold most of her weight. Pain and exhaustion
overshadowed everything else about her. She looked like she needed half an elk
to eat followed by a long undisturbed nap.
“Give us two minutes, and we’ll have a place for you to lie
down. Sorry it’s in the living room, but all of the bedrooms are upstairs. We
thought you’d be more comfortable here.” I told the injured Wolf as I wrestled
one side of the mattress onto the box spring already in place. Kathryn,
appearing twice my age, handled her side easily while I struggled with the
cumbersome weight. More than a century older than she looked, the Elder’s
strength and agility hadn’t waned much with time.
Billie eyed me oddly as she held the injured Wolf’s weight.
Through our bond, I could feel the pain of her own injuries, but she showed
none of it outwardly. Her clothes covered the worst of her injuries, and her
stubborn pride obscured the rest. “We could have done that if you’d waited five
minutes.”
With a shove and a grunt, the mattress fell in place. I took
a deep breath and stretched my back, frowning at the effort. “I may not have
Wolf strength, but I can carry a mattress. I really should work on my upper
body strength, though. Hi, I’m Sadie.” The wide-eyed Wolf had already figured
that out and followed my every move fearfully. She seemed conflicted between
trusting Billie and pulling away. Instinctively she sought protection from the
strong Beta, but Billie’s relationship with a Mage confused her instincts.
I could sense some of a person’s emotions without delving
into their minds, and Sierra projected hers loudly. Only the broken leg and
exhaustion kept her from bolting to get away from me. Terrified of being
collared, she watched me like a cornered animal alert for any opportunity to
stay alive.
A panicked Wolf would attack if provoked, and she could put
up a fight even with a broken leg. My mate knew a Wolf’s impulses better than I
did, and she worried about my safety around the visitor. Billie’s protective
nature emerged quicker with me than anyone else, and in her present mood I
didn’t know what she’d do if Sierra attacked me. I wouldn’t put Billie in the
position of having to protect me from Sierra if I could help it. A little
distance would keep a bad situation from exploding.
Unperturbed by the tense atmosphere, Kathryn fetched bedding
and tossed a pillow at me to dress. In minutes we had a comfortable place for
the guest. The Wolves helped Sierra into bed while I retreated to the kitchen
to find leftovers. Covering my nervousness with conversation, I spoke from the
other room at a normal volume. They could hear me from anywhere in the house.
“How’s Leroy?”
I’d met Kathryn’s grandson once and liked the good-natured
man. Billie raised her voice so I could hear without the advantage of Wolf
ears. “He looks like he’s doing well. He was out deer hunting when he found
her. I can’t believe how lucky that was.”
“I doubt it was luck. Kato had his hand in this one. He
didn’t find Sierra accidentally, so Leroy may not have been coincidence
either,” I replied, returning to the living room carrying a plate heaped with
an assortment of sandwich meats and roasted chicken. The first night I’d
discovered the existence of Wolves, I’d also learned of their need for
protein-rich food when injured. Handing the plate to Billie instead of directly
to Sierra, I addressed the strange Wolf. “He knew when you went off the road
and went to find you.”
“How do you know any of that? How do you know my name?” She
spoke to me for the first time, digging into the meal with gusto. Her attention
didn’t stray from me for even a second, though she quit watching me with her
eyes. I could almost feel her rapt ears pointed at me, and the focused wary
attention gave me Goosebumps.
No one had spoken her name aloud, and her suspicion didn’t
surprise me. “Billie told me your name before you arrived. Mindspeech is
perfectly safe. Kato woke me up this morning and told me to send help. I told
Billie, she called Amy and Kathryn, and off they went.”
“Billie told you my name before I arrived,” She parroted
between bites, taking it all in.
“She repeats things when they don’t make sense to her.” Amy
sounded like a teenager from the early 1900s most of the time, and her bubbly
personality usually infected me. Tension weighed on her, and the comment
sounded more malicious than she intended.
“She’s exhausted,” I defended, wondering what had crawled
under Amy’s skin.
The Medic finished a fresh assessment of Sierra’s leg and
began cleaning the wound on her shoulder, pulling supplies out of a large
medical jump bag. “She should be glad we’re taking care of her. Not looking at
Sadie like she’s gonna jump out of the bushes and say boo!”
Billie gave Amy yet another warning look, her inner
agitation starting to show outwardly. “Give her a break, Amy. She doesn’t know
Sadie.”
“That’s ’cus we didn’t properly introduce her,” Amy decided
with a cheeky grin. “Sierra, this is Sadie our Mage packmate and Billie’s mate.
Sierra’s from the Montana Pack. There. She’s introduced.”
Kathryn only smiled consolingly at the startled young Wolf.
“My name is Kathryn, dear. Welcome to Boise. We will make your stay here as
agreeable as possible considering the circumstances.”
“Thank you.” Sierra answered the Elder automatically.
“See! She can say thank you,” Amy replied. Billie looked
ready to order the Wolf to shut up. She caught my eyes and clenched her jaw
instead. Sierra’s presence had unnerved the stalwart Beta more than I’d have
expected.
Kathryn made a noise of displeasure and chided her friend.
“Amy, dear. You are not helping the situation, nor are you showing proper
hospitality to our guest. She is exhausted, injured, far from home, and
terrified. Her lack of courtesy is excusable. Yours is not.”
Billie leaned a hip against the edge of the couch tensely,
her eyes sharply warning the Medic. “Kathryn’s right. Back off.”
Amy waved her hand at Billie, unwisely dismissing the Beta’s
order. “I don’t see the point in walking on eggshells. I get why she’s being
rude. She’s in the same room as a Mage and that’s pretty scary for any Wolf.
I’m irritated because of what happened last week.” She stopped her
ministrations and looked Sierra squarely in the eyes, emphasizing her next
statement. “Sadie’s not going to collar you.”
“Aren’t you?” The frightened Wolf looked at me searchingly,
and I returned her stare with my own sorrowful one. Billie refrained from
censoring Amy and let me respond instead. Sierra’s assumption didn’t surprise
me. Every Wolf thought the same thing initially, and some never moved past it.
The constant distrust towards me hurt, but I’d come to expect it.
“No, I won’t.” I assured her steadily.
Sierra continued to study me, unsure whether or not to believe
me. She didn’t smell a lie, but she didn’t know if she could trust her senses.
Despite the awkward way Amy shoved us into the conversation, she was right. We
couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room if we wanted it to find somewhere else
to live. My packmates observed us attentively and didn’t bother hiding it. “Why
not? Isn’t that what you do?”
Explanations would take time, and she needed sleep more than
anything. So I kept my response simple, hoping to reassure her enough that she
could rest. “Some Mages do, yes. But not all of us. Not me.”
“You don’t collar Wolves?” She asked again, relaxing only
marginally. Kathryn took the empty plate from her hands and handed it to
Billie.
My mate’s concern that Sierra would try to hurt me eased but
didn’t disappear. A Wolf close enough to reach me before I could think could
hurt me. If I had time to react, they didn’t have a chance. In her exhausted
and injured state, Sierra posed no real threat, and I no longer sensed any risk
of attack. Still, I didn’t want to add to Billie’s already frayed nerves and
kept the couch between us, leaning on my elbows over its back as we talked.
I made Sierra the same promise I made to every packmate,
Wolf or Human. “I never have and I never will.”
Sierra wavered slightly. She’d kept going on pure
adrenaline, and as her fear subsided the last of her strength disappeared. Even
the act of sitting up became too much for her to maintain, and Amy interrupted.
“Lie down and sleep. You can hear all about Sadie when you’re not falling over
exhausted.”
Sierra didn’t have much choice and curled into a ball with
one knee tucked over her stomach, her braced leg sticking out at an awkward
angle. Before she closed her eyes, Billie informed our houseguest of our plans.
“Sadie and I have to run an errand. Amy and Kathryn will stay here with you. If
you need anything, just ask.”
She’ll sleep better with me out of the house
anyway,
I spoke into my mate’s mind after we climbed into her black Jeep.
Billie didn’t deny it. “She’ll get used to you.” We switched
between mental and verbal speech easily. It hadn’t taken Billie long to grow
accustomed to this form of communication. Mages communicated through
mindspeech, but not Wolves. Raised by Humans, I’d had no opportunity to use the
ability until recently, but it felt as natural as breathing to me.
Jason’s not going to be happy about her staying with us,
is he?
I brought up another pressing question. We hadn’t seen the Alpha
since our return. Before we came home, he told Billie I upset the balance of
the pack and caused trouble by my presence. I didn’t look forward to proving
him right so quickly.
“No,” she replied stonily and gripped the wheel a little
tighter. “But since she knows about you, she should get to know you.”
I understood her reasoning and agreed with it, but that
didn’t make it easier.
Let’s hope she comes around before she has the
strength to try anything,
I replied wistfully.
“Don’t take any chances,” she warned me with a concerned
glance. “Make sure someone is close enough to stop her if she does. Don’t count
on Amy.”
“I will. Just how pissed are you at Amy?” The level of anger
she’d displayed towards her friend had surprised me, though it had already
begun to fade. Billie had a hot temper but rarely stayed mad long.
She huffed. “I didn’t tell her not to out you, so I can’t
complain. But I wanted more time to deal with our own pack before we involved
others.”
I felt the same. It had been an exhausting week, and I
hadn’t slept enough. “I wanted to spend the day in bed with you.”
Not running
around taking care of more problems.
She zoomed in on the first part of the statement and grinned
deliciously. Billie’s intense green eyes pierced me for a moment, and I warmed
with the promise of where her thoughts led. “Me too. No rest for the wicked.”
I’d
have you all to myself today if I could. We have stuff to take care of, but
soon,
she promised.
In a real bed with real sheets,
I sighed longingly,
sending her an image of us tangled in the bedding, naked and entwined but
clean.
“I thought you liked camping,” Billie replied with surprise,
though she enjoyed the image and saw herself nibbling her way slowly from ear
to toe. My body warmed and my breathing quickened at her thought.
“I love camping. I don’t like hiding in a cave from a pack
of Wolves who want to kill me,” I explained. “I’m not complaining. Not really.
But clean sheets and a roof over my head sound really good right now.”
“Want to go camping next weekend?” Billie joked with a
wicked grin, slipping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.
Her embrace melted away the last of my tension regarding
Sierra. Running a hand down her thigh, I felt her aroused response to my touch.
“If you can promise me a week without invading Mages and murderous Wolves, I’ll
do anything you want.”
Mmm. It’s a deal. I can think of a few things I want you
to do.
I doubt you can keep your side of the bargain. I’ll do
them anyway,
I replied seductively. Her red curls falling out of her clip
whipped around her face in the breeze from the open window. Her wild, fiery
hair reflected her personality well, and I resisted the urge to kiss her while
driving. Instead I plucked one lock off of her cheek and tucked it behind her
ear, stroking her face with my thumb in the process.
I’ll hold you to that promise!
She kissed me on the
forehead. Her hand at my waist slipped under the fabric so that I could feel
the skin-on-skin contact. A Wolf’s sex drive ran much hotter than mine, and I
loved it.
Somehow I’m going to get you alone today. Then we can celebrate
our return home properly.
With clean sheets,
I insisted, wishing I could make
it happen immediately. Feeling her arousal as intensely as my own, I had
difficulty holding back.
A hot bath and a massage,
she suggested, and I melted
at the prospect of one of her massages. Noticing my response, she fed the
fantasy.
I’ll start at your feet and work my way up. You’ll be completely at
my mercy and let me do anything I want. I might reach your nipples by tomorrow.
When have I ever said no to anything you want to do to
me?
I told her, my breath starting to hitch. If she kept going, I’d forget
the people all around us and embarrass myself.
Never. As soon as this is done and our guest is taken
care of, we’ll disappear for a little while,
she promised, her libido
ebbing as she remembered our current mission.
My thoughts hadn’t strayed far from it either. Ever since
Kato informed us of the situation, we’d felt the weight of it. Sighing in
resignation, I leaned further into her.
How do you want to handle this?
I’ll talk to her first. If she understands the stakes,
she’ll probably agree on her own. She’s pragmatic and logical. She won’t like
it, of course, but I think with some persuading she’ll see that it’s necessary.
We’re lucky it’s Jazz. We wouldn’t have a chance of convincing most Wolves.
Does she know what really happened yet?
Gary, Jazz’s
Human husband, overheard the damning conversation that led Jason to believe I’d
betrayed the pack. Based on Gary’s accusation, Jason had ordered my death.
She might be the only one who doesn’t. Gary said she’s
been locked in the lab since you gave her a blood sample. He’s barely seen her.
Wait. She might still think I collared you and Nathan and
killed John?
I asked in sudden alarm.
Billie shook her head and stroked my waist reassuringly.
According
to Gary she got the short version of the events but didn’t stop long enough to
hear the whole story. She knows you’re not Satan.
Thank God,
I sighed in relief. Jazz might still blame
me for scaring her husband, but at least she’d heard some of the truth.
When
did you talk to Gary?
I called him on my way out of town this morning. I tried
Jazz first, but she didn’t answer. Gary said she was already at the lab.
According to Amy, he stuck up for you at the Pack Meeting.
That made no sense to me. The last time I saw Gary, he
accused me of betraying the pack before running away in terror.
Why would he
do that?
When he stopped long enough to think about it, he
realized you let him go. You could have stopped him, but you didn’t. By the
time they gathered for the Pack Meeting, we were already gone, but he’d begun
to question what he heard. He’s known you longer than any of us.
He’s not mad?
I liked Gary and hoped I wouldn’t lose
that friendship.
Not at all.
Billie pulled the Jeep into a parking lot
and killed the engine. The simple building housed a research laboratory where
Jazz worked as a geneticist. None of her coworkers knew her specialty:
lycanthropic genetics. The woman barely looked old enough to have a teenage
son. They’d never guess she graduated from college the same year that Watson
and Crick published the famous DNA paper and predated World War II. They only
knew she spent part of her time on a private research and development project.
In the front office, a polite receptionist confirmed our
identities and handed over temporary ID passes. Before long Jazz opened the
security door wearing a lab coat and jeans, a pair of safety glasses perched on
her head. Her long nearly-black hair, pulled back in a simple pony tail, hid
under her lab coat. She appeared to be in her early thirties, only a little
older than me.
She spoke to us politely and professionally, giving no
indication of our friendship. “Thank you for coming. Right this way.” We
followed her in silence through a series of sterile halls with doors leading into
rooms filled with complicated equipment and smelling of foul chemicals.
As we made our way through the building, I lightly touched
every mind searching for any Mage coercion among her coworkers. We’d
encountered sentries before, collared Humans who lived relatively normal lives
without knowing they spied for a Mage. Wolves could smell a Mage, but they
couldn’t detect a sentry.
Everyone here is Human. No sign of Mage coercion,
I
informed Billie.
Good. I don’t sense anything out of the ordinary, but I
can’t smell much in this place. I don’t know how she can handle all the
chemicals.
She grimaced visibly.
She said she’s used to it. I can’t even stand the smell,
and I don’t have a Wolf’s nose,
I replied. Jazz gave no sign that she
sensed the mental exchange. At work she kept a professional distance from her
packmates, one of many security measures that helped keep the existence of
Wolves secret.
Eventually we entered a small room filled wall-to-wall with
refrigerators, computers, and strange instruments. No windows allowed natural
light into the room, and a picture of her family covered the only window on the
door. I raised a shield to protect our conversation from any mental or physical
eavesdropping. No Mage could penetrate the barrier I raised, and no Human could
hear anything said within it.
We’re safe to talk openly,
I informed
Billie. Wolves couldn’t sense a barrier or illusion. Safely out of sight and
sound of anyone else, Jazz leaned against the closed door. Her pretense
disappeared and a wide triumphant smile spread across her stunning face.
“Welcome back!”
“Gods it’s good to be home!” Billie exclaimed, sharing her
packmate’s joy.
“It’s good to see you, Jazz,” I told her genuinely. “I hope
you’re still coming to dinner.”
“We wouldn’t miss it. The kids are eager to meet you.” Her
bright eyes told me everything that mattered. My worries about our budding
friendship dissolved into relief. She noticed and cocked her head confidently.
“Gary and I understand you were protecting the pack. We are grateful for what
you did.”
“You don’t know how much that means to me.” I fought back
tears remembering the last time I’d seen Gary as he ran away from me. “He
thought I’d betrayed everyone. He was never scared of me until then, not even
when he found out I’m a Mage.”
“He’s not anymore,” she assured me. Jazz’s cheeks turned
rosy with excitement and she couldn’t contain her announcement any longer. “I’m
glad you called. I have some great news for you. Billie’s bite isn’t lethal to
you in any way. I’ve double-checked everything and I can’t explain it yet. But
you don’t have anything to worry about.” After discovering that Billie’s bite
might kill me, I’d given Jazz a sample of my blood. She wanted it for her own
research purposes anyway. None of us knew the consequences of my decision at
the time.
Billie replied for the both of us. “That’s excellent news
for me and Sadie. Thank you. Have you told anyone else?”
“No. I’m preparing a report for the other scientists, but
I’m waiting on one more result to share it. I should have it done by the end of
the week.”
“You haven’t told anyone? Gary, packmates …?”
“No. No one. What’s wrong?” She began to see the red flags
fluttering around Billie’s persistent question, and looked questioningly at me.
Something on my face erased her excitement, and she looked at her Beta with
unveiled apprehension.
Billie made herself comfortable on a stool, and I looked
around for another. The room only contained one other chair, a small
uncomfortable seat in front of her computer. Jazz dropped gracefully into it,
and I leaned against the counter beside my mate. Billie took the lead, and I
steeled myself for the dreaded conversation, steadying myself with Billie’s
confidence. “Do you know yet why my bite isn’t lethal to Sadie?”
“What I know is that she has the same genetic marker that we
believe to be the latent lycanthropy gene. We’ve speculated for years that this
gene is absent among Mages since the bite is fatal to them. We’ve never had an
opportunity to test it before. Obtaining a tissue sample has never been a
priority when Mages come around.” She sounded offended at the lack of
consideration for her research needs. “I can’t draw any conclusions about the
race from one person, but I have several working theories on why Sadie has this
genetic marker. I’m waiting for another test to narrow it down.” She ticked her
theories off on her fingers. “She could be part Human. She could be a genetic
anomaly among Mages. We could be studying the wrong gene entirely…”
Billie interrupted her mid-sentence, her voice flat as she
verbalized the dangerous truth. “Our bite isn’t lethal to Mages.”
Jazz dropped her fingers abruptly, surprised by her Beta’s
announcement. “How do you know this?” She eagerly asked, completely missing the
bigger picture.
Your turn.
Billie passed the hat.
“Kato told us. It’s a deliberate lie that prevents Mages
from becoming Wolves.”
She didn’t argue with Kato’s information. Like all of us,
she accepted the ancient Wolf’s knowledge without question. “Why would anybody
lie about that?”
I placed a hand on Billie’s shoulder as I explained.
“Because if a Mage becomes Wolf, we keep all our own powers and gain yours as
well. We’ve all seen what some Mages will do for power.” I paused and
Goosebumps surfaced on my arms as they did every time I thought about it. The
idea of Billie’s strength, speed, and longevity bestowed on someone who could
manipulate and coerce the mind scared me. “That’s a lot of power.”
“Oh, no.” She understood the implications and quit breathing
for several seconds.
“No one can know,” Billie explained urgently. “If Mages were
to discover this, it would be disastrous for everyone. If even one person who
knows is read or collared, we’ll have the bloodiest war in history on our
hands.”