Psyche Shield

by Chrissie Buhr

  “I’ll make sure someone escorts her to and from work each day. And she can stay here if she doesn’t have someplace else in mind,” Billie promised him. Feeling a little better about leaving his absent-minded wife behind, he thanked them and came to say goodbye to me.

  “This isn’t your fault,” he whispered in my ear too low to be heard by anyone except Sierra.

  “Yeah, but once again it’s about me. I’ll do everything I can,” I whispered right back. “I won’t let anything happen to Jazz if I can help it,” I promised him, and he knew I meant it. He said goodbye to his wife and left with a Wolf escort.

  Wolves I’d never met introduced themselves to me and Sierra. Some had questions, but mostly they wanted to get a feel for me. Sierra struggled to keep calm with so many strange Wolves around her, and Kato’s presence at her side helped. They’re starting to accept me, I told Billie, pleased with what I sensed from them. Several Wolves jumped when they sensed our mindspeech. Oops.

  I see that. Nothing like an enemy from the outside to stifle conflict within, she replied neutrally.

  Jason had a lot to do with it. His statement floored me. One Wolf blatantly scrutinized me and Billie as he sensed the mental contact between us.

  He heard you earlier. How can we convince others to trust you when our own packmates don’t? I said the same thing to him when negotiating our return, but this time it hit home. You’re taking a lot on right now. Can you effectively watch the territory and guard my mind?

  I’m getting used to multitasking. I’ve been doing both since we got back, and it’s becoming natural.

  Good. You sound much more confident in your abilities these days. You really don’t know the extent of what you can do, do you?

  Nope. I keep finding out I can do more. It’s kind of scary, actually. I have no idea what my limits are.

  After giving them a little time to satisfy their curiosity and work out details with packmates, Billie declared it time for everyone to leave unless they planned on staying the night. Jazz chose to stay elsewhere and left with another Wolf. Kathryn promised Sierra she’d return in the morning and left hand in hand with her mate. Soon only Jason, Matthew, Amy, and Kato remained.

  Muso, when Sierra is anxious she has a strong effect on others, but more on Billie than anyone else. Do you know why?

  Your mate has grown accustomed to your mind in hers and is more open to the Sending gift because of it. His explanation upset me. You are not harming your mate. Nor do you make her weak.

  I digested his statement. Only you and Kathryn seem to be able to staunch Sierra’s emotional output.

  Her gift comes from my Mage father, as Kathryn’s comes from a Mage ancestor. She senses the sameness between us and finds comfort in it.

  I feel the same way about the three of you, I admitted.

  Jason, Billie, and Matthew delved into more detailed strategy. As the pack’s right hand and the third best fighter, they’d call on Matthew and his team if anything happened. Amy listened quietly. Staying fully in the loop helped her assess potential medical needs, so they let her eavesdrop even after they kicked everyone else out. Kato didn’t look like he was going anywhere, listening to everything said with his head on Sierra’s good leg. I stretched out beside him, the back of my head leaning against his shoulder, and listened.

  “Any advice, Eldest?” Jason asked Kato at one point.

  Your plan is sound. They will not believe your words. They will see truth only in your actions. I relayed his response, anticipating Jason’s annoyance at using a Mage as a translator. He twitched his lip but didn’t comment.

  Matthew’s eyes darted between us, and I couldn’t tell what passed through his mind. The last time we’d come face-to-face, he’d tried to kill me, and we hadn’t spoken yet. Still battered from the resulting fight with Billie, he moved with only a little less power than usual. His presence and a yellowing bruise down his neck made me nervous, but he seemed to hold no ill will towards me.

  “What actions will convince them?” Matthew asked of no one in particular.

  “What convinced you?” I hadn’t meant it to sound like a challenge, but it came out that way.

  “I tried to kill you, and you didn’t kill or collar me.” I hadn’t expected such a blunt answer delivered so dispassionately, even from him.

  “Great,” I replied dryly. “All we have to do is let them try to kill me and hope one of you shows up before I’m forced to defend myself. I don’t like that plan.” Billie didn’t either.

  “You can defend yourself against them if you have to?” Matthew asked.

  “I can stop a Wolf without any lasting effects if I have to,” I assured him.

  “How?” They’d heard the statement before, but I’d never explained it. Only Billie had seen me use it on the Mages.

  I sat up and faced them cross-legged on the bed. “The mind controls the body. I can stop someone in their tracks, knock them motionless to the ground, or whatever. It’s not collaring. But it takes magepower, and I don’t like doing that.”

  “What isn’t magepower?” Matthew pressed for more details.

  “Reading thoughts and emotions. Illusion. I know who’s around me just like I knew you were coming and had time to respond. I can speak into someone’s mind without coercing them. Basically, if I don’t smell like a Mage, I’m not using magepower, and if I’m not using magepower, I’m not taking away free will. Some of this is invasive and rude, but it’s not coercive.”

  “You smell like a Mage now,” he pointed out.

  Billie answered from a Wolf’s perspective. “This is just the residue. It takes time to fade. When she does it, you won’t miss it. As tempting as it is to ask Sadie to read them, I don’t think it’s a good idea. It would offend any Wolf.”

  Jason thought about it before deciding for me. “I’d like to know what they’re planning, but it’s not worth pissing them off. Stay out of their heads. The same rules that apply to this pack apply to any Wolf or their Human packmates.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “That limits me to watching over the territory and illusion. Thank God.” Matthew’s eyebrows rose minutely at my response, but I no longer cared. Ready to go to bed but unwilling to go to bed alone, I lay down beside Kato again.

  Before long they concluded discussions for the night. I didn’t feel like we’d accomplished much, but I didn’t argue. I needed sleep, which brought up a question I hadn’t voiced. I don’t think I can watch over everyone while I sleep, Muso. Billie, yes. We’re never truly separate anymore. But not the territory. That worries me.

  In time you will learn to maintain awareness while sleeping. For now I will watch over them while you rest, though not as well as you are able, Kato offered. Our Human packmates are and will continue to be safe. If I may stay in your home, I can assist you and spend time with my granddaughter.

  Of course you can stay!

  Jason, Matthew, and Amy left and I felt like I could relax for the first time in hours. “You have your house back. Almost,” Sierra commented as she stretched muscles tight from the day’s anxiety.

  “I didn’t know this house could hold so many people,” I sighed. “Wolves seem to take up more space, even when they’re the same size as a Human.”

  “Some Wolves sure do,” she agreed. Her eyes followed her thoughts and settled on the front door.

  “The ones that come around the most seem to have the biggest personalities. I guess that’s my fault for falling in love with a Beta. I don’t know about you, but I’m wiped. Do you need anything before I go to bed?”

  “I should eat again. That’s the worst part about being injured. I can’t get enough to eat. But I can get it.”

  Kato jumped to the floor and shifted into his human form. “I too would enjoy a cold meal. I can retrieve food from the icebox for myself and Sierra so that you and your mate may retire.”

  “What do you need to be comfortable while you’re here?” I forgot that Billie and Sierra didn’t know he planned t
o stay, and they looked at the Eldest in surprise.

  Kato smiled, “I am comfortable already. Thank you for your hospitality, Muzi.”

  Fatigue turned into exhaustion as Billie followed me up the stairs. Kato is going to watch over the territory while I sleep, and he gets to spend time with his newly discovered granddaughter too.

  She’ll like that.

  She’ll like knowing he’s her grandfather. I hope he tells her soon. We undressed and climbed into bed. I could barely keep my eyes open and cradled comfortably against my mate. She ran a hand through my hair and tucked her chin in my neck. I love you.

  She responded with a kiss on my ear, and I tucked her arm under mine so I had something of her to hold. I fell asleep with her light breath on my neck.

  Chapter 9

  I woke up alone. Rolling over, I hoped to find myself in error and Billie lying awake beside me. Oftentimes I opened my eyes to find her contentedly watching me sleep. Once awake, we’d fool around before starting our day. I groaned at her absence, but she required much less sleep than I did, and we had guests. Downstairs with Kato and Sierra, she noticed my waking mind.

  Good morning, love, she whispered through our bond.

  The sun filtered in brightly through the curtains. It’s late. I slept in.

  She’d hoped I would. You needed it. You haven’t been sleeping enough lately.

  I stretched and relished the feel of clean sheets and a soft bed for a few minutes before donning a robe and stumbling downstairs. Billie pressed a cup of coffee into my hands when I arrived. I managed to not spill it as I joined her on the couch with a kiss. “Best girlfriend ever. Good morning.”

  Sierra, apparently tired of the bed, reclined in a chair with her injured leg propped up on the table. Tucking my feet under me, I leaned against Billie and sipped on the sweet brew. Sierra acknowledged my greeting absently, and I saw in her the same expression I’d seen on my mate when we fled into the mountains.

  She’s feels lost without her pack, I commented with concern.

  I remember the feeling. At least she’s not alone, Billie replied, protective of the Wolf in her care.

  Billie filled me in on her plans for the day. “I’m not going in to work. Thank the Gods it’s not tax season. But I’ll be out most of the day taking care of Pack business. Stay here with Sierra if you want. You can do your job from pretty much anywhere in Boise. If you leave, take a Wolf with you. How about you, Kato? Are you sick of being inside yet?” He rested his head on his paws and looked at Sierra, showing his intention to stay. Two cats curled next to him, sleeping contentedly. Billie smiled at the Eldest, pleased. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  With a full cup of coffee in me, I went in search of more. Nearly awake, I expanded my senses, feeling like a cat stretching after a nap. Kato noticed and acknowledged the shift change. “Kathryn and Richard are headed this way.”

  I’d settled back into Billie’s lap by the time Kathryn arrived. Billie invited her to enter as she reached the door, saving us from getting up. She shone with some of the serenity she’d lost during the conflict with Richard and settled herself gracefully into one of the chairs.

  “Richard didn’t want to come in?” Billie asked, disappointed in her best friend still.

  “He has a meeting at the firm and is running late. He does not wish to leave me during this conflict.” She smiled at a private memory.

  Kathryn’s happiness pleased both of us. “I don’t blame him. Sadie can hold her own, and I still don’t want to leave her side.”

  “Your mate can do much more than hold her own, dearling,” she replied with a conspiratorial smile.

  “You make it sound like you know something I don’t,” I told her with a soft chuckle. The jest turned serious when I saw her expression. “You do, don’t you?”

  Raising a protective shield around us just in case, I glanced at Kato questioningly. He didn’t know what she meant. Kathryn elaborated. “My Sanyu foresaw his brother’s Muzi and shared some of his vision with me. I thought nothing of it until I discovered Kato named you. He said his brother’s Muzi would do what others would not and accomplish what others could not. She will be more than Wolf, her pack a new frontier.”

  Kato raised his head and stared at the Elder. I did not know he foresaw this.

  I translated and Kathryn inclined her head. “He rarely shared his visions with those who appeared in them.” Kato set his chin on his forelegs contemplatively, and I pondered as well. Kathryn saw our identical responses and raised her eyebrows. “Do you know what this vision means?”

  I opened my mouth to reply but shut it quickly. I thought I understood it, but something told me a deeper meaning lay beneath the obvious. Billie remained conspicuously silent. Kato answered her question, and I relayed the message. Now is not the time to speak of it.

  Kathryn accepted his answer easily, but Sierra wanted to know more. “What is Muso and Muzi?”

  “It is teacher and student, but it’s more than that,” I replied, struggling to put it into words.

  Kathryn saved me the effort. “An Elder Sage who wishes to pass on all he knows will take a pupil as his student. Muzi is the inheritor, the one he promises to guide until ready to take his place. My Sanyu, who you know as Isingoma, named his grandson Muzi. It is a great honor.”

  “But I am not Sage. I’m Mage. That’s the part I don’t understand.”

  Kato explained. Sage is the bridge between Mage and Human. Some of us stand as the bridge between Mage, Human, and Wolf, as do you in a unique way.

  A Mage raised by Humans and living with Wolves. A bridge between all races. I sought to understand.

  Yes. I am Eldest and will in time introduce you to others. When needed, they will come to help us in the rising conflict between Mages and Wolves.

  How will they help? The Mage-Wolf War weighed on me. Some concrete answers would boost my confidence.

  With wisdom, guidance, and foresight. My hope of concrete answers dwindled.

  You wish to know what will come. Even with the gift of foresight, the future is not yet written. Your choices determine your path and the outcome of this conflict. The answers you seek are not for me to say. They are for you to find and create. I pondered his words.

  Giving up on rejoining our conversation, Kathryn addressed Sierra. “You’re learning to control your gift very quickly, Sierra. I’m pleased with your progress in such a short time. Everyone present already knows of our gift. They are the only ones.”

  She didn’t seem comfortable talking about it and avoided looking at Billie entirely. “I don’t feel like I’ve made much progress. I affect people even more than I thought I did.”

  “Improved awareness is progress. You see its effect and immediately endeavor to calm yourself. With time and practice you will master the gift,” Kathryn assured her.

  “I’m trying,” she asserted, obviously unsatisfied with the results.

  “I see it too. You’re very upset about your pack right now, and Billie isn’t.” I supported Kathryn’s assessment. She lowered her eyes, and I knew she’d realized the enhanced effect she had on my mate. “I asked Kato why it’s different with Billie. It’s because of me not you.”

  What are you talking about? Billie asked.

  You’ve been absorbing her emotions more than most, I continued verbally. “But that seems backwards. I keep her mind protected so no one can get in. Can you explain, Muso?”

  Kato shimmered into his human form, disturbing the cats. One stood indignantly and found a new sleeping place with Sierra. Kato sat on the bed cross-legged. “You shield your mate against those who would violate her mind. The Sender’s gift is not a violation. It is an offering that others can accept or not as they choose. In balance, it is a strength not a weakness.”

  Billie took it all in but didn’t know what to think of it. I sighed. “The more I learn about all of this, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

  “This is a sign of a good student.” He inclined his
head at me in praise. To Sierra he asked, “You have questions for me about your gift?”

  She nodded. “I’ve always been this way. Why am I like this? ”

  “Such gifts are inherited and most often manifest in the form we call Sensitive. The Sending gift comes from the same lineage but manifests only rarely. You inherited your gift from your foremother.”

  “Looking back, I’ve often thought my Grandmother was a Sensitive.”

  “Was her name Dalla?” Kato asked softly.

  Sierra, surprised to hear the name, shook her head. “No. Dalla was her mother. I never met my Great-grandmother. She died during childbirth and my grandmother was raised by Dalla’s sister.”

  Kato’s face drifted into sorrow. “I did not know. This explains much. Dalla had the Sending gift and used it well.” His face lightened in memory, but the sadness did not leave entirely. “We spent a short time together as companions and lovers. When she returned to her home, I did not know she carried my child. It is possible your grandmother had Dalla’s gift in some form, but I did not know she existed until I sensed your peril. I understand now why Dalla did not send word to me of our child, and her sister would not have known how to find me.” Sierra’s eyes widened as she connected herself as Kato’s Great-granddaughter.

  “Was Dalla your mate?” The question rushed out of Sierra eagerly.

  Kato’s eyes returned to the present and his granddaughter. “She was not my mate, but we loved each other deeply. She held an obligation to her people and returned home to fulfill it. I have many questions about my child and grandchildren.”

  “There was a family legend about ancestors who could become wolves. After I became Wolf, I wondered if the family legend was about a Wolf. Maybe it was about you.”

  “Perhaps. You are not alone here, Granddaughter. Kathryn was my brother’s mate and is your aunt. Sadie is my Muzi, and by my people’s tradition, she is my daughter, as is her mate. You sit among family.” Sierra looked around at us, bewildered but no longer looking lost.

  Kathryn smiled warmly at her niece. “I am beyond pleased that you are here. Of the many people I’ve known in my life, only Dalla shared my gift. And now you.”