Psyche Shield (21 page)

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.”

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.

Jason didn’t like her answer and started to pace. “Kato, I
want to talk to you as soon as Sierra’s under control.”

Inform our Alpha I will be with him shortly and will
answer his questions as well as I may.
I delivered the message.

Jason waited impatiently, pacing restlessly. Billie leaned
casually against the kitchen table, refusing to show her own disquiet. I
wondered if they realized one of them always paced and the other always acted
casual. They expressed themselves very differently, but underneath it all they
were much alike.

“How’s Nathan?” Billie asked the Medic who continued to dote
on her injured mate.

“If he can get some sleep around here, he’ll be just fine,”
Amy grumbled, worry for her mate showing through her voice. Nathan looked like
he wanted to drop off to sleep but couldn’t with all the commotion.

“Why don’t you two go up to the guest bedroom?” I suggested.
“I can dampen the noise so he can sleep.” Jason stopped pacing abruptly and
glared at me. “If that’s okay with you, of course.” Despite my efforts, sarcasm
trickled into my tone. Billie glanced warningly at me, and I snapped my mouth
shut before inflaming the situation further.

Jason narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing me for several seconds
while Amy helped Nathan to his feet. “Do it.”

I still think we should try that out
, Billie
commented, smirking despite the seriousness of the situation.

Sensing the mental exchange and seeing Billie’s
conspiratorial smile, Jason’s lips thinned. “If you have something to say, say
it out loud,” he snarled at us.

Billie’s grin widened and she winked at Jason. “Pillow talk,
Alpha. Nothing more.”

“Hmph.” He believed her but still didn’t like it and resumed
his pacing. Meanwhile, Amy and Nathan made their way slowly upstairs. As
promised, I raised an illusion to dull the noise beneath them. Before long I
sensed Nathan drift off to sleep.

Kathryn arrived with Richard on her arm and another Wolf
right behind them. They looked more content as a couple than I’d seen them in a
while. Richard seemed troubled, but he no longer took it out on his mate. Their
improved relationship lifted my spirits.

I updated her hastily. “Sierra needs you. Her friend died,
and she’s taking it pretty hard. She’s out back with Kato.” Sierra’s angst had
improved since Kato’s arrival, but she still grieved for her friend violently.

Kathryn appraised the room, recognizing the impact of her
niece’s distress in the atmosphere. “I should not have left her side. I
apologize to each of you for my lapse in judgment.” Her presence erased the
last of Sierra’s lingering effects on the Wolves.

Jason narrowed his eyes at the Elder but spoke more politely
to her than to Billie and me. “You should not have kept this from me.”

Kathryn lowered her gaze in regret. “I did not believe any
harm would come of it. I wish to tend to my niece straight away. Afterwards I
will tell you everything.”

Jason nodded his assent and eyed Richard. “Did you know your
mate is a Sender?”

“I don’t know what that is.” Richard shook his head, clearly
unsettled by what he didn’t know.

Kathryn patted her mate on the arm. “I will explain
everything to you as well. Please wait here. I do not wish you to be adversely
affected by her distress.” She disappeared into the backyard, leaving the rest
of us in awkward silence.

I’d barely met the newest Wolf in the room and didn’t know
his name. He leaned against the wall by Matthew unobtrusively. I couldn’t hear
their soft conversation. He missed nothing around him and observed the tension
between us neutrally. Matthew announced their intentions to go back to
Richard’s and Kathryn’s home to clean up and catch Linda’s scent.

“Take Owen and Phil too. Get in and out quick. If it can
wait, leave it. Make damn sure you look too formidable to attack, and do not
retaliate. One Wolf already died today. No more.” Jason made his point clear.

They left, and silence filled the room. Finally Billie broke
the ice. “It’s good to see you, Richard.”

“And you, my friend,” he replied quietly. As packmates they
knew their place with each other. As friends, they hadn’t resolved their
differences.

“How are you getting along without me at the firm?” she
continued, choosing a safe topic.

Richard answered carefully. “The staff is curious about your
absence. I have assured them it has nothing to do with our altercation. All
requests of you are waiting until you’ve returned.”

“How is morale and gossip about our ... altercation?” Richard,
in a moment of heightened stress, had threatened one of the paralegals. Billie
had been forced to restrain him physically in full view of other employees. At
the firm, Billie worked for Richard and everyone knew of their friendship. Only
Richard’s personal assistant Isabel was Wolf, and only she knew that Billie
outranked him in Pack hierarchy. Everyone else saw an employee toss the boss
against the wall and kick him out of the office. Billie hadn’t had sufficient
time to smooth things over before we fled town.

“I think the staff is ready to give you a medal,” he replied
soberly, his Irish lilt emerging as it did occasionally when strained. “I’ve
made things right with Tina. She’s avoiding me, so I’m keeping my distance and
giving her space. But she’s back at work and seems content with the
compensation and apology I offered.”

“What do they believe happened?” Billie asked, relieved to
hear his report.

“I didn’t give an explanation. According to gossip, I’m
having marital difficulties,” he grunted, “which is closer to the truth than
I’d like. Isabel is proving valuable in keeping the rumors in check.”

“Good,” Billie replied. Both of us wondered when or if he’d
make things right with me. Neither of us asked. If forced, I suspected he’d
return to his old rancor in lieu of apologizing. He hadn’t even acknowledged my
presence since he entered our home. I couldn’t complain. It seemed we’d put
insults and threats behind us.

Our friendship ended when he found out what I am, and his
viciousness hurt me deeply. On one hand, I could understand his reaction,
considering that a Mage had slaughtered nearly his entire pack including his
first mate. But the massacre had happened long before I was born. I hoped his
attitude towards me was changing. I could live without the awkward tension
between us, and Billie wanted her friend back. When honest with myself, I
didn’t know if I did.

“How’s the Pup?” Richard asked after a long silence.

“The knife wound will heal in a few days. We’ll see if any
fresh injuries show up. He lied to Amy,” she added with a devious smile.

“Kathryn told me they were mated. That is happy news.”
Little of his joy showed through. I thought he looked more miserable than ever.

Kato saved us from the clumsy attempt at conversation.
Muzi,
please join us outside with your packmates.

I relayed the request, and we headed as one to the back
patio.
How is she?
I asked my Muso.

She has lost a dear friend today. With our assistance,
her emotions will not cause distress to others.

Sierra sat where Billie and I left her, Kato sitting in
human form on one side and Kathryn on the other. Her anguish weighed heavily in
her eyes and posture, but she didn’t extend it to the rest of us as we gathered
around. “He thought I was collared and came to save me. That’s the kind of Wolf
he was. He came to save his friend.” She shook her head.

“Is there anything we can do?” I asked her.

“Stop this. End this somehow. Don’t let anyone else get
hurt. Or killed,” she replied with a tremor in her voice. We made no promises
about stopping the Pack War. Nothing we could say would be both honest and
reassuring, and she knew it. “I’m sorry about earlier,” she apologized to all
of us.

Billie reassured her. “That was a very understandable
reaction.”

Jason rarely displayed compassion, but when it mattered
most, he could be surprisingly courteous. Calling him sensitive would suggest
that he ever quit scowling, but he backed off when someone needed it. I’d
discovered that side of him the first time we met. Reluctant to question or
accuse the grieving Wolf, he turned to Kato and Kathryn for answers. “No more
secrets. What’s going on?” He didn’t hold his irritation in check despite his
respect for the Elders.

Kathryn spoke first. “I have known what I am since long
before I came here. I did not wish others to know and did not believe it
necessary to explain, so I did not. Today I was proved wrong. I am sorry for my
deception and the harm it caused.”

Jason nodded slightly, accepting her apology and explanation
readily. He understood Kathryn’s motives and her reluctance to speak of her
past. He shared little of himself with others. He did not understand Kato’s
reasoning, and only respect for the one who made him Wolf and named him Alpha
held his snarl. Instead he glowered. “What is happening in my Pack, old friend?
We are Wolves.”

“You are learning more about your packmates. Only your
perception of us has changed,” Kato replied evenly, his deep brown eyes seeking
the Alpha’s understanding.

“Nothing has changed?” Jason did not believe him and the
veins in his neck showed his level of frustration. “Sierra nearly caused a
brawl because of an ability I’ve never even heard of before. More than my
perception has changed, old friend.” Jason sensed something happening around
him, but he couldn’t define it well enough to ask the right question.

Kato cocked his head at the Alpha, unfazed by his anger. “If
none had offered another explanation, would you have believed this more than
Wolves quarreling?”

Jason’s patience evaporated. “That is beside the point, and
you know it. You’re keeping something from me. What is it?”

“I say what must be said as I become aware of it.”

Jason closed his eyes, and I could practically hear him
count to ten. When he opened them his resolve showed clearly, though he spoke
respectfully to the Eldest Wolf. “You have always been cryptic, and I have
always respected your judgment. But we’re nearly at war with another pack. I
know there’s something you’re not telling me. I demand an answer this time.
What is going on?”