Psyche Shield (7 page)

Amy tucked her head under his chin, the memory of that day
still haunting her. “They found John in his home, dead just like Nate said.
They told us Sadie did it and she had Nate and Billie collared. Almost everyone
believed it. She’s a Mage. That’s what they do, right? Me and Kathryn and a
couple others didn’t. It didn’t make sense. Sadie let Gary go when she could
have stopped him. And Billie left Matthew alive even though he tried to kill
her mate. She even called me right away to patch him up, and good thing. He
would have bled to death if she hadn’t done that.”

Sierra looked cautiously at Nathan and frowned thoughtfully
as she absorbed the story. Billie continued. “We hid in the mountains, and Kato
joined us. They told me about the vision and what Sadie was doing to prevent
it. John’s death and Nathan’s disappearance gave us the opportunity we needed.
Without Nathan here to spy for her, Cassandra didn’t know what was going on in
the pack, and we were able to continue with Sadie’s plan. She met the Mages with
her pet Beta on her arm.”

Bile rose in my throat as I recalled that day. “It was
disgusting. I showed her off like a fancy car, and that’s all she was to them.
My possession. A prized pet. There were three of them. Three Mages, one pet
Wolf, and seven pet Humans. Plus a large handful of other Humans they used as
sentries in the nearby towns. They wanted to use Billie to lure the whole Pack
into a trap on the next full moon. They told me how they planned on claiming
everyone and offered me a share of pet Wolves in exchange for using Billie.
They never got the chance.”

Billie picked up the story smoothly. “She uncollared Nathan
and the Humans. One of the Humans died, but everyone else got to go home. We
had Nathan back, fully himself and very different than when we first met him.
Thank the Gods for that. He was a real ass before. We’d stopped Kato’s vision,
but we were still on the outs with the pack. We headed back into the mountains
to regroup with Kato and figure out our next move. The next morning they found
us.”

“You must have some excellent trackers to find you so
quickly,” Sierra remarked.

Amy boasted about her friend’s skills. “Kathryn’s the best.
We went with the hunting party, but not to kill them like everyone else. We
wanted to hear their side of the story.”

Billie interrupted Amy so she could control the flow of
information. “They found us. It was a showdown, and Jason and I had a lot to
work through. Sadie told them all about the Mages we stopped and why she
deceived us. Jason believed us. He’s still not happy about having a Mage
around, but he knows Sadie won’t hurt us. She’s proven herself. He set some
ground rules that Sadie has to follow and let us come home.” Her packmates
appreciated how she summarized it. Billie effectively excluded every sensitive
Pack detail including how she won a second fight against the Alpha. Once again
she deferred to Jason’s authority and saved his pride despite everything.

“Incredible,” Sierra declared, obviously believing us. “I
wouldn’t have believed a Mage could ever be Pack.”

“I’m not Pack,” I corrected her reluctantly. Jason denied me
Pack Status largely as a statement to outside Wolves, and I felt obligated to
uphold it. “I’m a Mage, and that still makes some people uneasy. Jason decided
it was best this way.”

“But you consider this your pack and obey the Alpha’s
rules,” Sierra pointed out.

“True.” I hadn’t thought about it quite like that. I hadn’t
had much time to ponder everything. “I guess I consider myself Pack even if I
don’t get the benefits of Pack Status.”

“Interesting.” She thought about it as she formulated her
next statement. “I need to call my Alpha and tell him where I am. If I tell him
I’m staying with a Mage, he’s going to think I’m collared. If I don’t tell him
and he finds out later, it’ll be even worse. I don’t know what to say to him.”

Kathryn jumped off the couch and shifted into human form
before sitting once again near my feet. The entire motion only required a few
seconds, and we didn’t have to wait for her to speak. “I can speak to your Alpha
on your behalf. I have known Graham since we were Pups and have a chance of
convincing him all is well.”

“I appreciate that,” Sierra replied without much hope of
success.

I shared her opinion and envisioned Sierra’s Alpha coming
after me, hackles up and teeth bared. “Do you really think you can convince
him?”

“I doubt he will take our word for it. If given a chance to
speak with him face-to-face, I believe he will see the truth. We were packmates
for a very long time. My mate was our Alpha and his my best friend’s daughter.
Jason, Sierra, and I should meet him alone and where he feels strong.”

“No. Not happening,” Billie declared. I will not let the
three of you go alone to face an Alpha whose first impulse is to kill you. I’m
going with you.”

Kathryn reasoned with her. “It is our best chance, Beta. As
the Mage’s mate, your presence will complicate the meeting. Your talents in a
conflict are less likely to be needed if you remain behind. You must not come.
Richard, too, must stay behind. He does not trust Sadie.”

Billie knew Kathryn’s mate well, though their friendship had
thinned in recent weeks. He would not like Kathryn’s idea either. “How do you
plan on convincing Richard to stay behind?”

“I hope he will listen to reason. If not, he will follow his
Alpha’s orders. I believe Jason will agree with me.”

“If you fail to convince them, they will try to kill you,”
Billie argued, a growl nearly surfacing. Staying behind while her packmates
walked into danger went against every natural impulse in her.

The doggie door flapped with Kato’s return, and Billie
turned her head in surprise. No one expected the Eldest to come back so soon.
The leggy old Wolf carried a large grouse in his mouth. He stopped in the
dining room, dropping the dead animal to the floor before crossing into the
carpeted area. He locked eyes with Sierra and shifted into his human form.
“Fresh meat for your recovery. I thank you for seeing my Muzi with clear eyes
and promise to aid in explaining her presence to your Alpha.”

“Thank you.” Sierra looked at the game on the floor, stunned
at the unexpected gift. Kathryn shared her astonishment, finding Kato’s
behavior out of character. Nathan jumped to his feet, delighted to have
something carnivorous to cook. He plucked the bird off the floor and carried it
into the kitchen.

I didn’t think you’d be back so quickly.
I admitted,
grateful for his return.

He smiled softly at me and sat with his back against the
couch. A cat padded into the room and climbed into his lap, purring loudly.
Billie’s cats didn’t show their faces to strangers often, but Niall found the
courage for Kato. The Eldest pet the cat fondly.
I did not have time to hunt
for Sierra before coming to you earlier. Your packmates were well able to care
for you in my absence, allowing me to acquire a proper gift for our guest.

Sierra isn’t just a guest, is she? What am I missing?
I pried for an explanation of his odd behavior.

Our visitor is dear to my heart, though she does not know
it yet,
Kato replied.
I would not risk conflict with her pack if she
were otherwise. I found myself making an unexpected decision when bringing her
here.

I couldn’t imagine leaving her to face the mountains alone
and injured no matter what conflict she brought with her.
Is this likely to
go badly?

Her presence will draw conflict to us.
That sounded
like the same thing to me.
I wish to speak privately with you, Kathryn, and
Billie. Will you make this possible?

Switching to audio, I answered Kato’s request. “Of course,
Muso. Kathryn and Billie, would you join me and Kato in the kitchen? He would
like a private conversation.”

“I’d be delighted,” Kathryn replied as we quickly made our
way to the kitchen. After a full day of bizarre behavior, we eagerly awaited
what the Eldest had to say.

Behind me, Sierra asked how we expected privacy so close to
Wolf ears. Amy answered on my behalf. “Illusion. It’s a Mage thing, but not one
that mettles in our minds.”

Billie kicked Nathan out of the kitchen temporarily, and I
raised an illusion to dull the sound. At most the Wolves in the other room
would hear indistinct buzzing. Sierra’s loud peripheral emotions reached me in
the kitchen. She strained to hear us through the illusion, and I stifled a
laugh.

Kato took Kathryn’s hands in his and looked at her with
bright eyes that made him look much younger. “Sister, do you remember Dalla?”

His use of the title ’Sister’ startled Kathryn even further.
“Yes, Brother. I remember meeting her when you visited Sanyu and Kibuuka. She
was a beautiful soul and a lovely girl.”

“She returned to her family shortly after that visit, and I
never saw her again. I did not know until this morning she was with child when
last I saw her. The Wolf we rescued from the mountains is my descendent. What’s
more, she shares your gift.”

“Kato! By the Gods, you have a granddaughter!” Kathryn
declared. I nearly let the illusion slip, and even Billie appeared startled. “I
am delighted for you. This is why you brought her to us?”

“Yes. Her presence creates much difficulty in the future of
our pack, and yet I could not let her die.”

“Of course you couldn’t let her die,” Billie told the
Eldest, the idea of abandoning someone in distress offensive to her. “We’ll
deal with any problems.”

“Thank you for your support, Beta,” Kato nodded solemnly.
“I’m afraid I have created much trouble for you and your mate by bringing her
here. I must ask you to face enmity from another pack before ours is ready to
stand with you.”

Billie spoke fiercely. “Kato, I wouldn’t have left her out
there even if she wasn’t your granddaughter. You don’t owe us an explanation.”

Kato’s need to explain baffled me as much as Billie. More
importantly, his granddaughter sat in the next room unaware of the
relationship. “Why are we discussing this behind an illusion? Why don’t you
tell her?”

He looked at each of us as if searching for something. “In
time, yes. For now I ask you to keep my secret. Sister, she shares your gift
but does not yet know how to harness its benefits. She must learn quickly. Will
you teach her without telling her of its origins?”

Kathryn’s face tightened with his request. Her eyes shifted
focus, and she replied hesitantly. “I will do as you ask if I can. Lately I
find myself troubled by this gift and inconsistent in its use. I sometimes
spread my own sorrow unintentionally, which I have not done since losing my
Sanyu.”

A shadow fell across Kato’s face at the mention of his twin
brother’s death. It lasted only a moment. “You ache for your mate’s attention.
Richard is alive, and hope still exists between you. Find joy in this Wolf,
your niece, and you may find your gift returns in full.”

Kathryn had been distant a great deal since discovering my
Mage heritage. Her mate, Richard, had turned on me viciously, despite our
friendship. Kathryn refused to tolerate his bigotry, and their relationship had
suffered over it. I’d assumed conflict with her mate caused the melancholy that
settled over her, but there was more. Her voice shook as she articulated it.
“What of its origins, Kato? This changes how I view the family I left as a
child.”

He looked within her, his eyes softening compassionately.
“The gift sometimes comes of Human parents with no such ability, as it did for
Sierra, a Mage distant in her heritage.”

I glanced back and forth between the Elders and interrupted.
“Kathryn’s a Sensitive?”

“Her gift is much like that of a Sensitive but flows in the
opposite direction. She bestows emotions instead of reading them. My brother
taught her to use the Sending gift well, and she has done so for many decades.”

Billie expressed her surprise more sedately. “That’s what
you meant after you told us Sensitives are of Mage lineage. You told Kathryn
there was no benefit to adding to the situation.”

“Even now there is no benefit to any others knowing of
either Wolf’s lineage. Our Mage packmate is still difficult for them to
accept.” He spoke to me directly, eyes bright with excitement. “In my people’s
tradition, Muzi is adopted as one’s own child. It is why I call you daughter.
Will you accept Sierra as family? She is of the age to be your sister.”

“Of course!” I replied, happily. As an only child, I’d
dreamed of having a sister.

“My mate’s sister is my sister too,” Billie’s pronouncement
came with a promise to protect and care for Kato’s granddaughter as she would
Pack or family. This pleased Kato and assured him of Sierra’s safety and
wellbeing.

“I thank you both.” To Kathryn he said. “Your plan is wise.
Take only Jason and Sierra to meet her Alpha. I will join you.” Billie bristled
but didn’t argue.

My presence in the pack created the conflict, just as Jason
predicted. I felt obligated to help in some way. “What can I do?”

He saw through me as he always did. “You are the subject of
the conflict, Muzi, but you did not cause it. Your assistance is needed to
resolve the conflict, but you owe no debt. I ask for help not atonement.”

His rebuke pleased Billie, and I sensed her hope that I
would take it to heart. I nodded, words too thick to reach my lips. He’d said
it before, and I had trouble believing it.

He watched me struggle and touched my face softly with his
wrinkled hand. “Continue building a friendship with your sister. She believes
you but still must unlearn distrust of all Mages. Keep close watch over our
territory, and inform your mate immediately if you sense a strange Wolf. Beta,
watch patiently and quietly. Do not let my granddaughter’s unease affect your
actions unwisely. Pack against pack is to be avoided at all costs.”