Psyche Shield (26 page)

“Look who’s talking. Your pet was in my backyard uninvited,
and you tried to read me.” I shot right back.

He crossed his arms over his skinny frame and looked me up
and down, clearly trying to figure me out. Assuming I’d claimed any Wolf in my
presence, he didn’t even spare them a glance. “My name’s Lief. Come in. Would
you like tea?”

“Tea would be nice. I’m Sadie.” I decided to play along with
the false courtesy, especially if it got us in the house. Matthew and Graham
followed me silently. Neither expressed much, and I wondered what they thought
of the situation. He started a teapot already sitting on the stove, and I made
myself comfortable on a barstool at the counter. The Wolves took a position
several feet behind me and simply watched. I didn’t beat around the bush. “Why
are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” He evaded my question with
a sly expression.

“I live here. You don’t. This isn’t even your home.” I
pointed at our immaculate surroundings. Family pictures filled the walls, none
of which included him.

“Touché. It’s a borrowed home. Comfortable, though. I didn’t
think any Mages lived around here.”

“I do. You didn’t answer my question. Why are you here?”

“I’m looking for my mother. She took something of mine. I
want him back.”

Him, not it. I confirmed my suspicions. “She stole your
pet.”

“Her manners are appalling, too. They always have been, but
she’s my mother. The last time I talked to her she was headed here. Now she’s
missing.” He pulled out two mugs and dropped a tea bag in each.

My skin crawled as I saw where this conversation would take
us. “Why here? This is Wolf territory.”

“It’s the best place to find Wolves. She made sure the pet
would land in this pack. When I heard about you through my pet, I thought you
were my mother. I found you instead.”

“Is your mother’s name Cassandra?” I asked blankly.

“So you did meet her.” His face brightened. “Where is she?”

“Can’t you contact her?” He didn’t know, and I didn’t want
to tell him.

He grew serious again. “I hope she’s blocking me. Or too far
away.”

“She’s not. She’s dead.” I told him flatly.

His whole body reacted and he had difficulty catching his
breath. Grief emanated from him in waves. “What happened?” he demanded softly.

“She tried to claim the pack. I stopped her.” I let some of
my regret show in the statement.

“Why would she do that if it was already yours?” He didn’t
understand, and I could sense his mind still coming to terms with his mother’s
death. He wouldn’t live long enough to mourn her, and I regretted that too.

“This pack isn’t mine. I’m one of them.” He understood, sort
of, eyes lifting to the two Wolves watching him intently from behind me.
Continuing our false courtesy, I introduced them. “Lief, I’d like you to meet
Graham. You probably recognize him now that you’re paying attention. He’s your
pet’s Alpha. And this is my packmate Matthew.” Neither Wolf bothered saying
hello.

His fear filled the room and he looked at me with utter
bewilderment. “Packmate?”

“Packmate,” I affirmed. “You’re in our territory and you’ve
claimed Graham’s Wolf. I’m here to set things right.”

I sensed when he called his pets to him but didn’t
interfere. “Don’t bother. One Wolf and two Humans are no match against these
two.” I jutted a thumb behind me. He called them anyway but left them standing
at the other side of the kitchen, waiting for instructions.

“What are you doing in a Wolf Pack?” He asked the most
obvious question and the one I considered least relevant.

“Sleeping with the enemy, according to most people,” I
replied blandly.

“No, really,” he asked earnestly, and I answered my cousin
honestly.

“I fell in love with a Wolf.”

“Why didn’t you claim him?” He didn’t talk down to me like
his mother had, which I appreciated. Cassandra’s condescending attitude had
infuriated me. Lief simply didn’t understand.

“Why would I claim her? I want to be with her, not own her.”
He still didn’t get it, and I didn’t have the desire to explain something that
should be obvious.

He no longer dismissed the Wolves, but he couldn’t bring
himself to address them. “What do you want from me?” he asked weakly.

“I want information.” I didn’t tell him what Graham wanted.
He’d have to be stupid to not know. “Is anyone else here? Any other Mages?”

“Why are you doing this? This is ridiculous.” He refused to
answer the question.

“Have you claimed anyone else from Graham’s Pack?”

His voice began to rise in both pitch and volume. “Let’s
claim these beasts and get out of here. You don’t belong here.”

I smiled at him sadly. One more question. “How do I find
other Mages?” He looked at me blankly, his mouth tight as he refused to
respond. My patience dissolved even further, and I lost the will to play nice.
“Answer my questions or I’ll dig them out of your head.”

He responded snidely and set his jaw as he went on the defense.
“You blocked me earlier, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. I’m not.”

“Neither am I. I can get anything I want from you.”

“You’re bluffing,” he persisted, convincing himself I posed
no real threat. He gathered magepower, and I reacted instantly. Power flowed
into me, filling me. It crackled across my skin and pulsed through my mind
until I felt larger than life. I could do anything.

He didn’t bother attacking me but pushed at the Wolves
behind me instead. He didn’t have enough power to harm a Mage. He wasn’t
Kratos. I didn’t have the same limitation. As promised, I countered his mental
attack before he reached the Wolves who flanked me. Without moving from my
seat, I knocked him backwards against the stove. The teapot crashed to the
floor, and even I could smell burning flesh from his hand.

All color drained from his face as he felt the power of
Kratos, and he knew he had no chance against me. He held his hand close to his
chest and refused to give up. He spoke to his pets aloud, his voice wavering.
“Kill her.”

The Wolf and two Humans took a step towards us, and I
stopped them easily. Reaching into my cousin’s mind, I found the information I
desired. He resisted the onslaught, fighting me with everything he had, but it
made no difference. Finally I let him go, and he looked at me fearfully, eyes
wide and panting heavily.

Who are you?
he demanded.
I know every Kratos, but
I don’t know you.

I answered the question even though it didn’t matter.
I’m
Sadie, Beatrice’s granddaughter. My mate is Beta of the Boise Pack, and I am
Pack. I freed Nathan, the Wolf you made and claimed and lost in a single day. I
am highest of all Kratos. Your mother couldn’t stop me and neither can you,
Cousin.

“This isn’t happening,” he protested aloud. “Don’t kill me.”

Wrapped in volatile magepower and feeling godlike, I looked
at the Mage, my cousin, like a bug. I didn’t care that I planned on turning him
over to his executioner. “I’m not going to kill you. You claimed a Wolf, and
you will answer to them for it. I have what I want. He’s all yours.”

Graham walked up to the Mage, and Lief tried to reach out to
the Wolf’s mind to defend himself. I stopped his thoughts, and he battered at
the Wolf wildly with his hands. Undeterred by the weak resistance, Graham
snapped the man’s neck.

I didn’t release the power yet. With a thought, I sent the
collared Wolf to the living room. Matthew watched with obvious interest, and I
told him my plan. “I’m going to free him. If he’s like Nathan, he’ll come out
of it fighting hard. Will you restrain him?”

“Finally,” Matthew replied blandly, pretending boredom. I
stepped to the other side of the room and waited for Matthew and Graham to take
position.

“I have to concentrate. Don’t let him near me.” I showed
them my vulnerable spot, trusting that Matthew would do his part. He nodded,
and I focused. The Wolf’s mind, much more damaged than any of Cassandra’s pets,
took immense concentration. He’d been collared a very long time, and untangling
the mess required more effort than expected. I don’t know how long I worked at
it, but eventually I finished. The Wolf, damaged beyond my ability to repair,
would never recover. But he had his autonomy back. I retreated out of his mind
gently and heard a distant roar gaining in volume as if he drew closer.

Upon opening my eyes, I felt sweat trickling down my
forehead. The former pet fought Matthew and Graham mercilessly, and I could do
nothing more for him. Together they held him down and finally Graham growled
like a thunderclap through the room. The Wolf met the Alpha’s gaze. He didn’t
submit, but he no longer fought.

Confident they had the situation under control, I reached my
mind outward to Graham’s packmate. He ran towards his owner in wolf form
through farmlands, circumventing the more populated areas. I ordered him to
turn around and return to my home.
Obey Jason and Billie.

The strange Wolf looked at me with utter rage in his eyes. I
had more pressing matters to attend to and ignored him, addressing Matthew
instead. “What do you want to do with the body?”

“That depends on what those two will tell the police,” he
nodded at the Humans still standing in the kitchen. They watched us in terror,
unable to move or act on their own.

“They won’t remember any of us,” I assured him. “They won’t
remember the last few days at all.”

“We’ll take the body with us. I’ll get rid of it.”

Raising an illusion around us, I informed him. “No one will
see you take it out to the Jeep.”

He set to work and easily carried the dead Mage out the
front door. When he returned, he announced his intention to gather Lief’s
belongings.

“Can you tell what’s his? I can make them help if you need
them.” I gave him the option of utilizing the Human couple.

He disliked the idea even more than I did. “I’ll sniff it
out myself.”

I waited while Graham and the other Wolf watched me
carefully, their faces harsh. The strange Wolf wanted to attack me, and I
sensed him calculating how he could successfully kill me. “You can’t, Winston.
If you try I’ll stop you. And anyway I’m not your enemy.” He didn’t respond,
but he didn’t quit thinking about killing me. Graham considered it too, but
only as a backup plan. “I’m not your enemy, either,” I told the Montana Alpha.
He might have been more prone to believing it if he couldn’t smell magepower
coursing through me.

“No one can see us out front?” Graham confirmed.

“Not if you stay in the yard. Take him outside if you want,”
I replied, sensing his desire to get far away from me and take the strange Wolf
with him. They left, which made the room more comfortable. I waited for Matthew
to return, carrying a large suitcase in one hand.

“I didn’t find his car,” Matthew stated when he returned.

“He doesn’t own one. Is that everything?”

He nodded and inquired about the Humans. “Will they react
the same way as the Wolf?”

“Probably not, and I can control them if they do.” I faced
the Humans and released each one, repairing the damage and removing their
memories as I went. They’d had it easy compared to many I’d uncollared. Lief
only wanted use of their home and car. In no time at all, I’d finished. Holding
the connection with their minds a little longer, Matthew and I walked out the
front door. I let them go with no memories of Mages and Wolves. They wouldn’t
even question the days lost.

“It’s done. Let’s get out of here,” I advised Graham who
stood on the lawn with the strange Wolf. They climbed in the back seat while
Matthew and I took the front. As we pulled away from the house, I let the
illusion dissolve.

Releasing the power that ran through me, I felt the world
crash in on me. Without its benefit, I remembered everything with horror. The
void spared me, but my body began to shake uncontrollably. I felt like I would
split in two, and I wanted to scream. Instead I leaned against the window,
tears running down my face.

Distantly I noticed Matthew reach across and buckle my
seatbelt for me. He didn’t speak, but pulled out his phone and sent a text
while he drove. I felt two pairs of eyes from the backseat watching me and
studiously ignored them. The strange Wolf spoke. I heard his spiteful words but
they barely registered. “She’s coming with us?”

Matthew answered him warningly. “She is Pack.”

“Impossible,” he spat.

“A Mage can’t be Pack.” Graham agreed with the newly freed
Wolf.

“This one can.” Matthew watched them both carefully, ready
for any move against me.

Graham ignored Matthew. He didn’t like me before, and after
watching me in action, he loathed me. His hatred hung thick in the air as he
challenged me once again. “What about my Wolf? You gave me your word, Mage.”

I didn’t have the strength to bicker and answered him
quietly. “I sent him back to my home. I’ll free him when we get there.”

“You’re stalling,” he accused.

“I could have brought him to us or sent him back. It’s the
same either way for him. I can’t free him without a Wolf around to control him.
But using magepower is ... I need to go home to my mate and packmates. So I
sent him there.” My hands wouldn’t quit shaking, so I tried to bury them in my
lap. I watched the scenery pass and thought about Lief.

Sadie.
Billie’s voice emerged in my mind. Her
presence eased my trembling body.
Love, what happened?

We’re on our way back, and we have a strange Wolf with
us. The Mage is dead. He was Cassandra’s son.
I choked out the last words.

Gods, Sadie. I’m sorry.
She wanted to hold me, and I could
almost feel her arms around me.

I sent Graham’s packmate back to you. He’s still
collared, but he’s harmless now.

We’ll watch for him.