Psyche Shield

by Chrissie Buhr

  I raised an illusion to protect all of the Wolves from Human eyes and ears, but it didn’t work well so far away. I needed magepower to accomplish what I’d promised. Gathering a little bit of power, I felt it crackle lightly over my skin. Even the small amount needed filled me with its familiar euphoria and confidence. Distantly I heard Sierra shriek in surprise and sensed Kathryn’s silent startle. I ignored them and focused on the task at hand.

  As soon as I sensed the Montana Wolves move from their hiding place, I informed Billie. At top speed, she and Jason raced silently across an empty lot, staying downwind of the intruders. They jumped a fence and ran along the back of an old strip mall to a narrow alley between two buildings. Illusion still didn’t work, but my promise to Jason didn’t extend to the nearby Humans. Anyone who noticed my packmates forgot instantly, enabling the Wolves to move quicker than humanly possible without drawing attention.

  Amy heard them before she smelled them. Jerking her head around, she saw two strange Wolves approach at a brisk walk. One stood only a little taller than her, thickly muscled like most Wolves. The other had a leaner and taller build. By Human standards, they looked completely nondescript and drew little attention from the busy bystanders. Nothing about them appeared menacing. They pretended well, and even their body language didn’t alert anyone to their intentions. To save herself, Amy would have to bring attention to the danger, risking police involvement and unwanted questions. Graham knew how to strike in plain sight.

  Amy calculated their speed and estimated they’d catch her just when she reached her car. She quickened her pace, careful to keep her actions casual. Instinctively she darted her eyes back and forth, looking around for an escape route. She didn’t have any good options and reminded herself that Jason and Billie would come. She forced herself to not turn and look at the hunters again, relying on her nose and ears. Her heart beat fast in her chest, and she fought the instinct to bolt. Keep going, Amy. Billie and Jason are almost there, I assured her when it seemed that she might run despite the plan.

  Billie and Jason stepped out from between the buildings behind the trespassers. Both fought the urge to attack the Wolves who hunted their packmate, Jason’s promise holding them back. Their footsteps gave them away, and the Montana Wolves turned. Amy noticed their arrival, her eyes transforming from barely concealed terror to obvious relief. She veered and circled widely around the hunters towards her Alpha and Beta until she stood safely behind them. With her protectors between her and the threat, the last of her fear dissipated. She trembled lightly with spent adrenaline.

  “Graham,” Jason challenged the other Alpha, his voice rumbling dangerously though he kept his volume low. “You’re trespassing and hunting one of my Wolves. Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you both.” I directed Humans past the confrontation, near enough to make Graham hesitate but not close enough for him to suspect anything out of the ordinary. The Humans barely glanced at the Wolves and wouldn’t remember them at all.

  The Montana Alpha stood his ground with sheer determination. His plan had failed. Billie appraised both Wolves and anticipated an easy win if it came to a physical confrontation. She wouldn’t be the one to start it, but she would finish it if needed. Graham returned Jason’s challenge. “You have my Wolf. Give me Sierra, and I’ll leave.” When the Alpha mentioned Sierra’s name, the Wolf by his side projected utter rage and grief. He didn’t say a word or show it outwardly, standing beside his Alpha in silent readiness. Sierra was more than just a packmate. She was his friend.

  Jason dismissed the other Alpha’s demand. “No. I won’t hand her over until I know she’ll be safe with you.”

  “She’s safer with me than with a Mage. If there’s anything left of you, you know I’m right.”

  Jason frowned at the Wolf’s stubbornness and let the other Alpha hear his absolute exasperation. “I am not collared, Graham. None of us are.”

  “We’ve already explained this to you,” Billie said coldly, speaking for the first time.

  He’d never met Billie, but he recognized her voice. “You’re the Beta.”

  She continued. “My mate is not like other Mages. I know what other Mages have done and how hard that is to believe. That’s the only reason you’re still alive after the stunt you just pulled.” Amy stood safely behind her Alpha and Beta, watching with wide eyes.

  Graham appraised Billie with unveiled regret. “Your reputation precedes you. I wish I could have met you before.”

  The Montana Alpha believed he spoke to collared Wolves, mere shadows of their former selves and essentially dead. The conversation went nowhere. Jason’s voice rumbled threateningly. “Don’t be a stubborn ass, Graham. You don’t want a Pack War any more than I do. What will it take to convince you?”

  Graham’s eyes flashed and he finally spoke as if to Jason the Alpha, not a collared Wolf. “You want to convince me? Kill the Mage. You should have done that the moment you smelled her.”

  Billie took half a step forward, and Jason raised his hand warningly. She stopped. Merged with her mind and sensing everything she did, I felt her shoulders relax. The Montana Wolves didn’t know her tell and thought she yielded to her Alpha’s authority. Amy and Jason knew she readied to fight, and I knew even her Alpha couldn’t hold her back when it concerned my safety.

  Jason surprised me with his reply. “No. The Mage is Pack. If you won’t listen to reason, then we’re done here. Get out of my territory and don’t come back. I may not give you a second chance.”

  Graham glared at the Boise Wolves upon hearing he could leave. He didn’t believe it and expected some kind of trick. He had few choices left and only one possible way out, so he took it. Without another word, the Montana Wolves turned on their heels and walked away. Jason watched them go, following their progress until they turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

  Billie turned to Amy, laying a hand on her friend’s arm. “Are you okay?”

  The Medic still trembled but less than before. “Yeah. Holy moly, that was close!”

  “Let’s get you back to my place,” Billie stated. Will you make sure they leave town, love?

  Gladly. Did Jason really just declare me Pack? I asked.

  He did, Billie confirmed. But don’t think you’re off the hook for disobeying orders.

  I couldn’t let them hurt Amy, I defended myself.

  She hesitated before responding, and I felt her disapproval. I’m glad she’s safe. We’ll be home soon.

  Coming back to full awareness of the living room, two sets of acute Wolf senses faded rapidly. Smells and sounds from the other side of town dulled into nothingness, and I looked out of a single set of eyes once again. The abrupt change made the room spin slightly, and I steadied myself. Magepower dissipated back into the world around me, its energy retreating from my body. The void spared me. My hands shook in the aftermath, and my breath came heavy from my chest.

  “It’s so easy to use, but on the best day letting it go feels like I’ve run a mile,” I commented self-consciously.

  Sierra stared at me, wide brown eyes completely fixated, her muscles tense as if I’d jump at her. “That was enlightening.”

  “Is that the first time you’ve sensed magepower?” I asked, dropping into the couch heavily. She feared me again, and my stomach knotted at the sensation.

  “Yes. It’s kind of unpleasant,” she admitted.

  “That seems to be a universal opinion,” I acknowledged and rubbed my eyes.

  Sierra prepared herself for the worst. “Is everyone okay?”

  “Everyone is fine. No one’s even injured. Jason eighty-sixed your packmates and mine are on their way here.” She closed her eyes in silent gratitude. I shared her sentiment and dropped my head into my hands. I’d used magepower yet again. “I’ve never smelled like anything other than Mage to you, have I?” I asked Sierra remorsefully without looking up.

  “No. What else would you smell like?” she asked.

  “I only smell like a Mage if I’ve used magep
ower recently. It fades. Normally I smell like a Sensitive. I’ve been using it too much lately. I need a vacation.”

  Kathryn patted my leg comfortingly, but her voice held a slight edge that I couldn’t identify. “We are fortunate you are on our side, dearling. You would be a formidable foe.”

  I smiled sideways at her, the statement more true than she could guess even knowing Isingoma’s vision about me. “Jason called me Pack.”

  Kathryn’s eyebrows made a valiant attempt at tapping the ceiling. “Did he now?”

  “Graham said he’d end the conflict if Jason killed me. Jason said no, the Mage is Pack.”

  “I’m very pleased to hear that. You have the status you deserve.” She’d argued my case many times. By tradition, a Wolf’s mate became Pack automatically, a custom denied to me because of my heritage.

  We didn’t have long to wait before the party returned home. We didn’t think to call Nathan, but he and Phil arrived just before the others. Jason entered first, his head low as he glared at me. The door barely closed behind everyone before my Alpha began roaring. “I told you to stay out of Wolf minds!” I looked at Billie, who stood beside and a step behind Jason in what I’d come to view as the Beta’s spot. His reaction didn’t surprise her, and her expression remained neutral. The others snuck past us silently and retreated to a less volatile side of the room.

  Jason’s explosion astounded me after all my efforts to keep Amy alive and the Pack War at bay. I grew instantly defensive. “Amy would be dead if I hadn’t done something.” Fisting my hands on my hips, I argued right back. “I didn’t hurt her. I just talked to her.”

  “That’s not the point, and you know it. You disobeyed my orders. If you were Wolf, I’d knock you across the room.” He waved his fist as if he wanted to but stayed far enough away to resist temptation. I wasn’t sure if his restraint towards me would hold, and stupidly I didn’t care.

  What else was I supposed to do? I asked Billie.

  He sensed the mental contact and shook his fist at me. “No! This is between you and me. Save your mindspeech crap for later.”

  “What else was I supposed to do?” I repeated the question, offended that I couldn’t speak to my mate about it. The other Wolves watched us in shock. No one talked back to Jason, and this went beyond our normal bickering. I challenged the Alpha who’d just named me Pack. He would have grabbed any of the spectators by the throat for speaking to him the way I did. It shocked me too. No one brought out my belligerent side as explosively as Jason.

  “You were supposed to follow orders,” he snarled menacingly. “I’m a controlling son of a bitch for a reason.”

  Sarcasm ripped through me, and I spoke without thinking. “So you’ve been honing this skill? No wonder you’re so good at it.”

  He glared at me, a low growl rumbling through the room, and I met his gaze squarely. I wasn’t Wolf, and my instincts didn’t tell me to back down. His lip curled, and the muscles on his neck popped. “I’m very good at keeping my Pack safe. An out-of-control packmate is dangerous to everyone. You’ve been around long enough to know that. Follow my orders.” He repeated himself, something he didn’t like to do.

  I intended to and smiled cheekily. “You already regret calling me Pack, don’t you?” He grunted. “Amy’s alive, so I’m not sorry. But I won’t do it again,” I conceded.

  “Make sure you don’t,” he retorted, accepting that I’d backed down in my own way. “Did they leave town?”

  I nodded. “Immediately. They’re out of range, but I don’t think they’re gone entirely.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I furrowed my eyebrows, trying unsuccessfully to clarify the impression. “It’s just a feeling. I’d have to get rude to know for sure.”

  “Don’t.” A thought occurred to him and his eyes narrowed. “Did you trespass on their minds today too?”

  “No,” I assured him honestly. “Only Amy’s.” Nathan hadn’t heard what happened yet. I couldn’t see him where he stood behind me, but I sensed his horror.

  “You did something right at least. Stay out of their minds, no matter what. That’s a mess I won’t be able to clean up short of killing you.” His lip curled so high I could see his teeth.

  I cocked my head at him and sighed loudly. “I’m Pack, and you’re still threatening to kill me. Are you ever going to stop?”

  “I doubt it. You are the most annoying, disrespectful pain in the ass I’ve ever met. You don’t shut up, and you’ve been at the center of every mess since you arrived. Since you don’t have Wolf strength and take too long to heal, I’m reluctant to hit you. But don’t push me.” He turned abruptly to Billie, dismissing me entirely. The argument ended on a very dissatisfying note in my opinion.

  I glared silently as he addressed Amy. “Why didn’t you answer your phone? Why were you out there at all?”

  “I was getting supplies. I stayed in public like you told us,” she replied softly. “With all the injuries lately, my jump bag was getting light. But then my purse disappeared, and I couldn’t even buy what I went out for. My phone was in my purse.”

  “Graham,” Kathryn interjected unexpectedly and looked to Sierra for verification.

  She nodded. “That’s his style.”

  “What are you saying?” Jason seemed to have worked it out for himself, but waited for their verification.

  Sierra answered. “He brought a Human packmate to scout ahead for him. That’s how he knew where to find Amy and how he cut her off from communicating with us. It must be Linda. She’s cleaned up her act for the most part, but she’s a talented thief. I don’t know anyone else who could steal a purse out from under a Wolf’s nose.”

  “He deliberately targeted our Medic,” Billie’s fury began to rise. “That’s low.”

  “That’s smart,” Jason corrected her, his eyes narrow in thought.

  “This Linda character is probably still here. We have to find her,” Billie declared and asked me. “Do you know where she is?”

  “No. I can’t tell one Human from another unless I know them. The only way it’s possible is to piggyback through Sierra, and that’s not going to happen,” I reminded her. Sierra’s expression affirmed she would never give me permission into her mind.

  “Glenn can find her,” Jason declared. The Alpha gave new orders for the pack’s safety. “Tell everyone to stay in threes, even in public. Billie and Matthew’s team are the only exceptions. You stay in pairs. Graham’s fox enough to hunt in public without Humans noticing. We underestimated him and almost lost Amy because of it. No one goes anywhere alone, not even you.” He pointed at Billie.

  Jason slammed the door behind him as he left, alone I noticed. His sudden departure after the eruption left a vacuum. When angry, Jason filled a room and the sudden void left some of us dazed. Only Billie seemed unaffected. She crossed the room and took my hands in hers. “I’m glad Amy’s alive. But Jason’s right.”

  Half the time I couldn’t stop myself from arguing with Jason, but with Billie I backed down immediately. “God, I know he’s right that following orders keeps everyone safe. But she was walking right into their hands. I don’t know how to stand by and do nothing if someone I care about is in trouble.”

  Kathryn answered for Billie. “You remember that you are Pack, and Pack works together.”

  Billie nodded and held my gaze, her green eyes showing the seriousness of her statement. “Trust me and trust Jason. We’re both very good at keeping our pack safe. You could have asked. You made a solitary decision, and that’s not our way.”

  “I’m sorry.” I kissed Billie’s hands and gave her the apology I should have given my Alpha.

  I turned to Amy and smiled merrily. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

  She smiled weakly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I could barely hear her she spoke so softly. “You saved my life, and I’m glad I’m alive. But I gotta admit, I didn’t like it, and I don’t want to do it again. There’s something not right about having someone in m
y head. I don’t know how you do it, Billie.” Nathan held her closer as if his arms could protect her from anything. He studied the floor.

  Billie replied. “Sadie’s voice in my mind feels more than right. It feels like she belongs there. It would probably be different with anyone else.”

  Nathan raised his gaze to meet mine, and I saw disappointment in it. Haunted memories shadowed his eyes. He’d been through more than anyone else at the hands of a Mage. He’d lived in hell, with Cassandra’s incessant voice in his mind for months. He loved Amy, and I’d entered her mind without permission.

  “Nathan ... it wasn’t like what she did to you,” I tried to explain.

  His head bobbed thoughtfully. “I know ya’ Sadie, and I know ya do what ya think is right and ya just wanna protect us. But people do lousy things all the time and make themselves feel good by saying it’s for the right reason. Ya said yerself the magepower makes ya feel like a god, and God’s a big reason why people do the wrong thing for the right reason.” He sighed. “I’m not tryin’ to make ya feel bad. I’m just tryin’ to make ya think. I know ya’d never hurt my mate on purpose.”

  The word ’mate’ jumped out and bit us unexpectedly, changing the mood of the room instantly. I looked at the couple happily while Billie whistled beside me. Amy nestled her head comfortably in Nathan’s neck. “It took long enough, but I found my mate.” She brightened at the new topic and pulled the collar of her shirt down to show a brilliantly bruised matebite above one breast.

  “Congratulations, my dear,” Kathryn beamed. “This calls for wine and a toast.” She left to raid Billie’s wine cupboard, and I headed for the wine glasses. I wanted to disappear entirely.

  Amy and Nathan followed me into the kitchen, recognizing a retreat when they saw it. I spoke without turning. “I’m sorry, Amy. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Apology accepted. I’m not mad at you, Sadie. Neither of us are mad at you,” she assured me.

  “Let’s put it behind us,” Nathan added.