Psyche Shield

by Chrissie Buhr

  Smiling with mock sweetness, I replied, “I must be improving. You’ve been here for two minutes, and you haven’t threatened to kill me yet.” I sensed stifled laughter from every corner of the room, and by Jason’s expression he noticed it too. He liked my teeth even when he wanted to throttle me. At that moment he wanted to strangle me.

  “Let’s get this over with,” he growled resolutely.

  Kathryn pulled out her cell phone and found the Montana Alpha’s number. I sat on the couch and grew quiet, wishing I could opt out of this phone call. I knew Jason, and I knew where I stood with him. An unknown Alpha and what he represented scared me. Sensing my nervousness, Billie took a seat on one side of me and wrapped an arm around my waist. Amy sat on my other side. Jason leaned against the nearest wall with his arms crossed, while Sierra studied a spot on her blanket.

  Kathryn punched a button to activate the speakerphone and placed the ringing cell on the table. A husky voice answered almost immediately. At the sound of his voice, her face lit up in genuine pleasure. “Good morning, Graham, it’s Kathryn. How are you, darling?” she drawled pleasantly.

  His tone softened, and I could imagine his expression mirroring hers. “Better, hearing your voice. It’s been too long old friend.”

  “I do believe we’ll be rectifying that soon. You’re on speakerphone so that everyone can hear. You know Jason, but I don’t believe you’ve met our Beta, Billie. Her mate Sadie is with us as well as our Medic Amy.”

  Jason didn’t wait for questions or more pleasantries. “We picked up one of your Wolves after a car accident yesterday.”

  His voice grew brisk once again, lined with a sharp edge of concern. “You have Sierra?”

  “We have her. Our Medic patched her up.”

  “What happened?” Sierra’s protective Alpha demanded to know the details. I knew how Billie would react if one of her packmates lay injured outside of her reach. She’d need to assure herself of their safety and wellbeing, either remotely or in person.

  Jason nodded at Sierra to answer her Alpha’s question. “My car slipped on some gravel and went off a cliff. I hiked out on three legs, and a friendly hunter found me. He brought me safely to the Boise Pack.”

  “You’re a real cat, Sierra. But I think you’re down to four lives now.” She grimaced, and I recognized it as a regular criticism from her Alpha. I wondered what other trouble she’d found herself in. “How bad is the leg?” he asked.

  Amy voice chirped from beside me on the couch. “Hi. I’m Amy. She has compound fractures of the left tibia and fibula. It started to heal improperly before I reached her. I re-broke it and set it cleanly, but she should stay under observation and off her leg for another twenty-four hours minimum. A break like this can have complications, but nothing I can’t handle. Other than that, she had a minor laceration and moderate exhaustion. Some food and sleep has nearly cured those already. She’ll be good as new in a couple of weeks.” She could sound almost professional when she wanted.

  Graham expressed his appreciation. “Thank you for taking her in. I’ll head your way tomorrow and stay ’til she can return home if you’re agreeable.”

  Jason replied in his usual gruff tone. “Of course. Come be with your Wolf.” Courtesy demanded that he request permission to enter the territory. Despite the discomfort of having a strange Alpha around, Jason wouldn’t deny his request. He’d want the same if the tables were turned.

  “Hi Graham, this is Billie. Sierra is staying with me and my mate. You’re welcome to stay here with her until she’s ready to travel.” Jason glared at Billie, his neck muscles popping in silent anger at her bold defiance. She’d crossed a line and knew it beforehand. Jason couldn’t recant the offer once made.

  The other Alpha continued, oblivious to the sudden tension. “Much appreciated, Billie. I’ll be there sometime tomorrow evening.”

  “I’ll have a room ready for you,” Billie promised, meeting her Alpha’s eyes. She accepted the consequence of her actions.

  Graham continued the conversation with his Wolf while I wondered if the tension would become physical. “Sierra, how did you manage to survive a hunter finding you in wolf form?”

  Kathryn saw an opportunity and answered. “By a stroke of good fortune and during wolf season no less. Kato sensed her predicament and contacted Billie’s mate. Billie and Amy left immediately to search for her. Meanwhile, my grandson found her injured while deer hunting and recognized her as Wolf. He brought her safely out of the forest and contacted me as soon as he was able. Billie and Amy met up with them and brought Sierra home.”

  “That is good fortune. Three lives, Sierra, for surviving wolf season. Sadie, you must be quite the Sensitive to hear Kato from such a distance.”

  My chest tightened, but thankfully Kathryn answered for me. “We are fortunate Sadie heard Kato, and she is a blessing indeed. However, Sadie is not a Sensitive but a Mage and a proven friend to our pack.”

  Despite Kathryn’s exquisite wording, Graham went silent and then bellowed, “She’s a what?!” Amy and I flinched, and Jason’s face screwed up tightly. Billie’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and Sierra’s anxiety became almost tangible.

  Jason rumbled right back at the other Alpha, undaunted by his tone. “She’s no danger to the pack, Graham. I wouldn’t let her live if she was.” I could always count on his ability to make a murderous threat sound casual.

  Kathryn added her own delicate flavor to counteract her old friend’s reaction. “Graham, we’ve known each other most of our lives. Your Wolf is safe, I promise you. Sadie is not like any other Mages we’ve encountered. She has not harmed any of us in any way. Just the opposite.”

  “What are you up to, Mage?” He ignored Jason and Kathryn, his voice emanating low and threatening. The Wolves around me no longer existed to him, and he spoke to me directly. I heard in Graham’s voice what Kato meant when he said I would face another pack’s enmity. I hoped my own would stand with me.

  “Graham, you are speaking to my mate.” Billie’s low warning punctuated the conversation.

  I decided I couldn’t stay silent. As much as I wanted to let Billie and Jason handle it, the Alpha spoke to me and expected me to answer. Keeping my voice as steady as possible, I responded. My voice trembled slightly as my chest tightened. “I’m not up to anything. I don’t collar Wolves like some Mages do. I have not and will never collar Sierra or harm her in any way. I swear.”

  A low growl emerged from the phone and filled the room. My stomach flipped and bile rose to my throat. He didn’t believe me. This would not end well. “Get away from my Wolf. If you’ve done anything to her, I’ll make your death slow and painful.” I slapped my hand over Billie’s mouth, preventing her outraged response to the Alpha. She didn’t respond well to threats against me, and anything she said would only add to the current problem. Jason offered me a reluctantly appreciative glance and glared Billie into silence.

  Just in case, I continued the conversation with my hand over Billie’s mouth. I could sense her indignation and ignored it. I’d make it up to her later. “Billie and I have given her a place to recover from her injuries, that’s it. The only thing I’ve done to Sierra is give her food and a place to sleep.”

  “It’s true, Alpha,” Sierra interjected. “It’s strange, but you’d never guess she’s a Mage. She’s nice.” The unintentional insult wounded me, but I let it go. We had bigger issues.

  Kathryn added the ultimate argument. “Kato trusts her, Graham. He trusted her enough to send us a message through her. Kato and Sadie are responsible for rescuing your Wolf.”

  The urgency in Graham’s voice thickened, and he spoke rapidly. “What you say isn’t possible, Kathryn. We’ve been friends for 150 years. When have we ever met a benign Mage?”

  I admired Kathryn’s ability to stay calm in the face of adversity more than ever. “I never thought I’d see it, old friend, but I have. She’s sitting beside me. Like you said, we’ve been friends for 150 years. You know me and you know y
our Wolf. You need only look into our eyes to see the truth.”

  “Are you suggesting something? Speak plainly.” Wariness crept into his tone. He already suspected a trap.

  “I suggest we meet so you can see the truth for yourself. You may choose the time and location. Jason, Kato, Sierra, and I will come alone. Kato sees into a person’s heart and cannot be collared. This was also true of his brother who you knew well.”

  “And your Beta?” Graham weighed the situation carefully.

  Jason answered Graham while staring resolutely at Billie, effectively ending my mate’s argument to attend the meeting. “My Beta doesn’t respond well to threats against her mate. We’ll have a more civilized conversation without her.” I couldn’t help appreciating the truth in his statement. Billie scowled but couldn’t argue with my hand still covering her mouth and her Alpha holding her gaze warningly.

  Graham considered the offer for several moments and agreed to the meeting. “I’ll call you with a time and place. Mage, if you’re lying I will hunt you down and rip you apart.” Billie’s posture showed how she felt about the statement. Fortunately she stayed silent.

  “I’m not lying. I don’t know what it’ll take to convince you of that, but I’m not,” I insisted sadly. I couldn’t think of anything else to say. No argument would suffice. Either he’d believe in the possibility of a benign Mage or he’d want me dead.

  An earsplitting roar echoed through the phone as he hung up. Panic escalated and filled the room. Billie sprang to her feet and began to pace while Jason stood against the wall, his expression calculating and watchful.

  “This is bad.” Amy’s eyes rolled wide, and she looked to her Alpha and Beta for courage. Billie normally responded to fear with an action plan. This time she responded with silent fury that heightened with every step she took.

  I saw the flip side to the Sending gift as Sierra filled the room with panic. I set my jaw, sounding more determined than I felt. “We’ll deal with it.” I watched Billie, her response alarming me. She hadn’t acted like a caged animal when Matthew tried to kill me and our pack hunted us through the mountains.

  “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.

  Chapter 6

  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.”