Psyche Shield

by Chrissie Buhr

  With everything done, I left my key on the counter and locked the door behind me. One more piece of my old life came to an end. Content in the thought, I walked away from it.

  Chapter 12

  The afternoon sun had just begun to retreat. I’d spent most of the day unpacking, watching over the territory automatically. The others came in and out as they attended to their various Pack duties. Sierra and Kathryn ate an early dinner at Ruth’s, utilizing the time to calm the nervous Wolves staying with her. Kato, the only Wolf unconstrained by the Alpha’s orders, left soon after. Unused to life under a roof, he took the opportunity to run.

  Amy arrived, escorted by Nathan and Phil. Excited by her new purchases, she showed off the medical supplies and a brand new yellow phone. Nathan wouldn’t easily let his mate out of his sight. He and Phil had other duties but waited until their Beta arrived to leave us. Still weak from her injuries, Sierra tired quickly, so Billie picked her up from Ruth’s on her way home.

  As the day moved into evening, the four of us discussed our day on the back patio. “How are they faring at Ruth’s?” Billie had checked in with them of course. She’d come to respect the Sender’s observational skills and trusted Sierra’s assessment.

  “They’re putting up a good front, but it’s an act. They’re starting to jump at shadows. They know you and Jason will defeat any direct threat, but my Alpha isn’t coming at you directly. They don’t feel safe anywhere. Without Kathryn I think you’d have a real problem very soon, but she’s keeping it at bay.” She paused to collect her thoughts and choose her words carefully. “Gossip about Amy’s close call is spreading, and it’s not all accurate. They know Sadie trespassed on Amy’s mind. That’s not helping. They have two boogeymen in their minds, Sadie from inside the pack and Graham from outside.”

  “But I’m not upset with Sadie. Why are they? She made a mistake,” Amy insisted loyally.

  “Tell them that,” Sierra suggested.

  “I will!” She pursed her lip determinedly. Her unwavering support touched me.

  “What do you recommend?” Billie asked the astute Wolf.

  Sierra thought about it before answering. “Kathryn should stay at Ruth’s until this is over. I’m learning a lot during our visits, but I’m not much help yet, and I’m worried I’ll lose control around them. Keep popping in, both you and Jason. Your presence reassures them. Wolves are resilient, but everyone has their breaking point.”

  I wondered if I could eliminate one of the boogeymen. “What if Amy and I visit Kathryn at Ruth’s home tomorrow? Will that help?”

  “It couldn’t hurt,” Sierra gave her opinion.

  “If Kathryn thinks it’s a good idea, do it,” Billie decided. “Make sure William stays by your side. If you’re forced to defend yourself against a packmate, we’ll have even more problems on our hands.”

  “Is that why you wouldn’t come near me the first day?” Sierra asked.

  “Partly,” I admitted with a wry smile. “Mostly it was to keep Billie from blowing a gasket.”

  The feeling, though vague, came on very suddenly. Distracted from the conversation, I stretched my senses as far as possible. It came from beyond my normal range, and I had difficulty bringing it into focus.

  “What’s wrong?” Billie noticed, and her voice sharpened. All attention focused on me.

  Still indistinct, I finally grasped why I felt uneasy, though I couldn’t come up with any details. “It’s Nathan and Phil. They’re in trouble.”

  “Where are they?” Billie’s phone appeared in her hand.

  “That way.” I pointed off to my left. “I’m not sure how far.”

  “Can you estimate?” she asked as Jason answered her call. She filled him in as I searched for the information she needed.

  Ignoring her other conversation, I tried to narrow it down before replying. “More than ten miles. It could be twenty. I just don’t know.”

  “How can you not know?” Jason growled, his voice coming through the speaker on Billie’s phone. Concern for his Wolves’ safety didn’t improve his personality.

  “Because I’m obeying your orders,” I snapped right back at him.

  Fear for her mate caused Amy’s voice to rise shrilly. “They planned to meet Richard tonight.”

  “That fits. I’m on my way, Amy. What’s happening, Sadie? Give me something.”

  “Matthew’s closer than you,” I offered desperately.

  Billie punched at her phone impatiently as she conference called Matthew. Billie gave no preamble. “Head to Richard’s home now,” she ordered and explained as he drove. To my relief, Matthew declared himself less than ten minutes from his destination. “I’m on my way, too,” she decided, unable to sit still with her packmates in danger.

  Jason countered her decision before she did more than stand. “I’m closer. Stay where you are and coordinate with Sadie.” She sat once again, her tense muscles showing the difficulty of that directive.

  Matthew’s calm voice reached my ears, and my earlier fear of him didn’t return. Nathan and Phil mattered more. “Sadie, what else can you tell us? Describe everything, important or not.”

  “They’re too far away to tell much.” I closed my eyes, wishing I had another pair of eyes to look through. I could read a little of their emotions without prying into their minds. Of all the times to discover my limits, why did it have to happen with Nathan in trouble? “They’re not alone. I think they’re fighting.”

  “There’s got to be more,” Jason grumbled loudly.

  Already irritated at myself for not having the answers, I took it out on him. “I’m not a psychic, Alpha. I’m a mind-reader. Without a mind to pick, all I get is vague impressions. You’re lucky I can sense anything at this distance with my hands tied.” I followed the conflict as well as I could through the peripheral emotions of the Wolves involved. “They’re definitely fighting. Matthew’s nearly there.”

  “I see them,” Matthew announced and gave his location. “They’re fighting six Wolves. I’m going in.” He disappeared from the conversation, and Billie looked like she would blow a fuse.

  “Oh, thank God.” Matthew’s arrival and dispassionate update calmed my anxiety, and I began to breathe again. Jason headed in their direction, still too far away. I continued to follow the conflict, relaying what I sensed to the others. “Nathan’s in pain. He’s injured. Wait, I think they got away. Yes, they’re headed in our direction, too quickly to be on foot.”

  “We can travel fast in wolf form,” Jason reminded me, still listening to me ramble.

  “Not this fast.”

  Billie spoke to Amy. “Try Nathan’s phone. Tell him to drive straight here.” She’d already pulled her phone out of her pocket.

  “Nate, are you okay?” She calmed when she heard his voice. I only heard Amy’s side of the conversation, but I could read between the lines. “I’m at Billie’s. How badly are you hurt? ... Okay, that’s not that bad. ... Sadie told us. ... They want to know if Isabel, Richard, and Kathryn are okay.”

  I checked and said yes. “Richard and Isabel are downtown. Kathryn is still at Ruth’s. They’re all fine.” With my packmates out of danger, I sat anxiously and waited.

  Several deep breaths began to calm my nerves, and I looked up at Sierra. She sat with wide eyes, concentrating on her breathing and barely able to keep her emotions under control. “Sierra. Nathan’s going to be okay. It’s over.”

  “It’s not over. He’s not going to stop.” She trembled with fear and pent-up anger.

  “For now, it’s over. This one is over. We’ll figure it out. Breathe.” She gained some ground, and I felt the difference in Billie and Amy. She continued the struggle to control her emotions while we waited for the others.

  Jason arrived first, and we met him in the living room, Sierra loping ahead of me on her crutches. The minutes ticked by, and eventually the missing Wolves pulled into the drive. Jason and Billie met them out front, insisting the rest of us stay behind. Not knowing what the
y would find, I raised an illusion around the property. They returned with a pale Nathan supported between them, Phil and Matthew directly on their heels.

  Blood ran down Nathan’s leg from a deep cut on his thigh. His slashed jeans exposed the wound, and an image of Billie bleeding on my couch sprang to my mind. Nathan bled freely, arterial blood pumping out of him. Phil carried a blood-soaked shirt in one hand, his chest bare. He’d already tried to stop the bleeding with little success.

  Amy got down to business. “Put him on the couch. He’s lost a lot of blood.” She pulled dressings out of her jump bag, covering the wound with blurred movements. “You lied to me, Nathan.” she accused loudly, fear transforming into anger at her mate.

  “I didn’t want ya to worry.” He slurred his words as he tried to focus his eyes on her.

  “I’m the Medic and I’m your mate. Don’t lie to me about injuries. Ever!”

  “Sorry, Darlin’.” He looked like he would pass out.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else?” she demanded as she applied pressure on the wound and assessed him quickly.

  “Don’t think so. Honest.”

  “Okay. Someone hold this for me.” Phil knelt beside his packmate and did as she asked. “Press harder,” she told him. “Put your other hand here and press hard. I better see a bruise there later.” She showed him a pressure point and pulled what looked like a sewing kit out of her large jump bag. She threaded the needle and lifted the towel. Blood began flowing again, but at a trickle compared to before. Stitching so quickly her hands blurred, she knitted the wound together. At last the bleeding stopped. “Okay, Phil. Ease off slowly. Let’s see if that did the job.” Phil released the pressure point, and it didn’t start bleeding again. She let out a small cry of relief. “Thank heavens for Wolf metabolism. It’s not that easy with a Human. Nate, are you still with me?”

  “Yeah. I’m here. Yer not rid of me yet.” He slurred his words and lolled his head at his mate.

  “I plan on keeping you for at least a century. No dying,” she ordered him.

  “Good thing yer a Medic,” he joked.

  “Would someone get him something to eat?” Amy requested of no one in particular, and I headed to the kitchen. Seeing Nathan bleeding on the couch after I could do so little for him made me feel useless, so I gathered as much as I could carry.

  He scooted so he could eat partially sitting up, accepting the food gratefully. His face turned to shock when he saw the trail of blood across the carpet, ending in a large stain soaking into the couch. “Aw, I’m sorry.”

  Billie dismissed it. “You’re not the first person to bleed all over my home. You won’t be the last. You’re okay, and that’s what matters.”

  “Yep,” Amy agreed. “You’re going to be good as new in a few days.”

  I nearly tackled him from behind, hugging him tightly around the neck. “You scared me, Nathan.” I told him. “I couldn’t figure out where you were.”

  With Nathan stabilized, Jason wanted answers. “What happened?”

  Phil sat back on his heels and recounted the events. “We were on our way to Richard’s and headed up his drive. He was supposed to meet us there. We saw Isabel’s car off the road and wrapped around a tree, so we stopped. That stretch of drive isn’t visible to the neighbors or the road. It’s a good place for an ambush, and we knew it, but we had to check. We approached the car on foot and smelled a Wolf we didn’t recognize. It wasn’t much warning. Six Wolves jumped us, all in human form. Nathan’s a brawler, and he did okay, but we were outnumbered. Matthew showed up and evened out the odds a bit. One of them put a knife in Nathan’s leg. I gave it back blade first. It distracted his packmates, and we got out of there.”

  Matthew continued. “They must have stolen Isabel’s car. That would have delayed Richard too.”

  “Get Richard and Kathryn on the phone,” Jason ordered Billie.

  “Already done,” Matthew replied. “Richard’s dropping Isabel at Ruth’s and picking Kathryn up. They’re coming here.”

  “How did they steal Isabel’s car without you sensing them?” Jason demanded of me.

  I shook my head, just as frustrated as my Alpha. “I’d have sensed a Wolf.”

  “Linda.” Billie reminded us, her voice grim. “She slipped by us again.”

  Matthew updated his Alpha and Beta. “She knows how to stay low. We don’t know where she’s staying, and Glenn hasn’t found an electronic trail to give us a place to start. With only a name and a photo, we haven’t found her.”

  “You can’t find one Human in our own territory?” Jason belted. We outnumbered the Montana Wolves and had a much stronger fighting force, but once again they’d found a way to strike in our own territory. I shared his frustration.

  “She’s good,” Matthew told him. “If she stole the car, we’ll have a scent. We’ll find her.”

  “Make sure you do.”

  Sierra, observing from the other side of the room, finally spoke. “My packmate. How is he?”

  Phil’s face showed obvious remorse. He’d had little choice, and he knew it. “He was alive when we left, but not for long. He won’t make it. I’m sorry.”

  “What did he look like?” Sierra asked weakly, anguish building in her.

  “Blond hair, red highlights, with a small scar over his left eyebrow.”

  Sierra raised her hands and pressed her palms against her temples. Anger filled the room as she lost control. She reacted as any Wolf might have in her situation, but other Wolves didn’t have the Sender’s gift. Every Wolf felt her anger as their own. I felt it fill the room to a suffocating level. “You killed Xan!” She screamed at him.

  “I didn’t have a choice!” The normally even-tempered Wolf yelled right back, rising from the floor aggressively. Jason put a hand on Phil’s shoulder, pushing him back to the floor. “He attacked us!”

  “He was my friend!” she spat right back.

  Jason kept his hold on Phil. He and Matthew exerted remarkable control, and I wondered if they’d simply had more practice managing anger. Billie felt it worse than anyone and held herself in check with obvious effort. Even I felt it a little. Usually I noticed it without feeling its effects.

  I had to get her out of there. “Sierra, calm down.” She disregarded me and knocked my hand away like an annoying fly. I didn’t have even a fraction of her physical strength.

  As soon as Billie saw my attempts to calm her, she understood the sudden explosion in the room. “Go outside,” she ordered and took two steps towards Sierra, who grabbed her crutches and stalked out the back door.

  I followed with Billie on my heels. Muso, Sierra needs you.

  I am coming. I am near.

  “Go back inside,” I told Billie, unconcerned about my rudeness. “Kato’s on his way.”

  “I’m not leaving you with her.” My mate fisted her hands, her control visibly waning.

  “Both of you go away,” Sierra snapped, refusing to look at either of us. She focused on the foothills, waiting for her grandfather.

  “Stay here,” I commanded. Satisfied that she would stay put, Billie and I retreated into the house. By the time we reached the living room, I felt her influence on Billie lift. She didn’t project very far, and those still inside had begun to recover. Phil rubbed his face with his hands, looking bewildered but not knowing Sierra had influenced him. Amy realized it and regarded Billie and me thoughtfully.

  “What did you do?” Jason assumed I’d caused the bizarre behavior around him.

  “It wasn’t me this time.” I didn’t have the desire to bicker for once and suggested, “Give it a minute to wear off, and it’ll be easier to explain.”

  “Tell me now,” he ordered, showing his typical lack of patience with me.

  I took a deep breath and cleared my head. “Have you ever heard of a Sender?”

  “No.”

  I explained a Sender’s gift. “Kato says it’s very rare. She lost control and affected everyone in this room. We felt what she felt.”<
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  His gaze redirected to his Beta. “Is she the reason you’ve been losing your temper?”

  Billie showed her loyalty towards Sierra. She’d shaken off the Sender’s influence enough to answer calmly. “She’s not doing it intentionally, and she’s working hard to learn how to control it.”

  “How do we make her stop?” His usual distaste for any mental ability caused his lip to curl.

  “We don’t. Kato and Kathryn are on their way,” I replied. “We should leave her alone and let them deal with it.”

  “Why Kato and Kathryn?” Matthew asked curiously. “Why not you?”

  The cat was about to escape, so I opened the bag wide. I saw no point holding back and hoped Kathryn would understand. “Because Kato’s her Great-grandfather and Kathryn’s a Sender.” I expected him to explode, but he surprised me.

  “Why wasn’t I informed about any of this?” Jason demanded of us, his tone dangerously low.

  “Kathryn and Kato asked us not to say anything. They are entitled to some privacy,” Billie replied. Only I could sense her guilt at withholding important information from her Alpha.

  “Not at the expense of the pack’s safety.” He raised his eyebrow at her.

  “We took precautions to prevent any problems while respecting their wishes. Not enough, obviously.” Billie defended her choice.

  I sensed Kato enter the backyard. “Kato’s back. I don’t think he’ll leave her again for a while.”

  Jason looked squarely at each of us. The roar I expected finally erupted from him. “What the hell is happening to my pack? Mages and Sages and Senders! I should kick the whole lot of you out on your haunches!”

  Billie didn’t answer right away. I followed her thought and shook my head. “She’s too far away. That’s all Jason.”

  “I think Kato can answer your questions better than I can,” Billie replied neutrally. Outwardly, Billie maintained absolute composure while deferring to her Alpha. I sensed her unease.