Enraged, Billie was already leaping out of the Jeep and flinging her clothes off, shifting forms instantly. Matthew growled, looked from me to his former Beta and faced her. Billie circled until she stood between us, protecting me from the threat. I knew I could stop Matthew in his tracks, but not without coercing him. Confident Billie could handle this, I watched in silence.
Matthew acted first, and they met in mid-air, teeth and claws flying. I could barely follow their movements. Matthew grabbed Billie by the neck and came away with a mouth full of fur. Billie gored Matthew's shoulder somehow and blood started flying. No matter how many times Matthew grabbed Billie with his jaws, he never managed to hold onto her or do any damage. Even from my inexperienced viewpoint, I could see Billie had the upper hand. Blood began dripping down Matthew's face, obscuring his vision. Then another wound sprung open along his side.
His movements slowed, but he persisted. The man didn't give up, and I saw why he was the pack's right hand. Finally he fell to his side, his feet struggling to find the ground beneath him. Billie growled over him, warning him to stay down. He refused, found his feet, and leapt clumsily at her.
He'd lost the fight. Surely he knew that. Why didn't he stop?
She side stepped his lunge easily and clamped her jowls around his back leg. I heard the bone break and cringed at the sickening sound. He yelped, the first sound of pain he'd uttered. On three legs he lunged again, and Billie broke a foreleg.
Matthew stayed down. He didn't surrender, but he couldn't stand. Billie shifted into human form. Blood stained her face and chest, all of it Matthew’s. She breathed deeply, only slightly winded. She looked in grief and anger at her loyal packmate lying broken in a pool of blood. He challenged her with a glare.
“Are you okay?” she asked me without turning from the Wolf.
“Yes.” I was far from okay, but I knew what she meant.
She glanced at the yard and street, considering the situation. Matthew lay half concealed from the road, and it would have to do. “I'll send help as soon as we're gone,” she told the Wolf who'd tried to kill us before addressing me. “Stay far away from him and put the stuff in the Jeep. I'll be right back.”
I did as she said and faced the injured Wolf. Shocked by the turn of events, I resented him and what he represented, and I hated my part in it all. “Billie's not collared, and I would never do anything to hurt the pack. But I didn't do what they think I did. You may not believe me, but it's true. This didn’t have to happen.” He stared into my eyes intensely, and I met his gaze head on.
Billie flew out the front door dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
She tossed her phone in my lap as she pulled out of the drive. “Call Amy.”
Her voice sputtered through in half a ring. “Billie, Holy Jeez! Jason said Sadie killed John and has you and Nathan collared. I'm freaking out here! What's happening?”
“Amy, it's me, Sadie. John’s dead?” The news made the breath leave my body.
“Yeah! They said Nathan killed him, and now no one can find Nathan.”
“Oh, my God, no. They've got it all wrong, Amy. I didn't do it.” I didn't know what else to say.
Billie ground her teeth. “Amy, listen to me. They think Sadie is behind all of this. She isn't. I don't have time to explain. You need to get to my home as soon as you can. Matthew's injured.”
“What happened to Matthew?” Amy calmed as the medic surfaced.
“He tried to kill Sadie, and I stopped him. You know Matthew. He wouldn't quit. Two crushed legs and a lot of blood. Hurry.”
“I'm on my way. Billie, what are you going to do?” Amy’s voice whined and quivered.
“I don't know yet. Watch your back. Be safe. I love you.” Billie said goodbye, fighting off tears that nearly broke to the surface.
“I love you too. Come home. Somehow, come home to us.” Billie nodded at me to hang up the phone. We drove in silence for several minutes.
John's dead. I felt like screaming, but all I could do was cry. “I liked him,” I said. Guilt overwhelmed me, and I screamed in agony. Billie pulled me towards her, and I lay my head on her lap while she drove. I didn't care where. My adrenaline was spent, and I'd hit my limit. I don't know if I blacked out or fell asleep.
Chapter 14
“I don't believe it,” Amy declared. Almost everyone in the pack came to the emergency meeting, Wolves and Humans alike. Over thirty people filled Richard and Kathryn’s living room, all of them either shocked or angry or both. Amy refused to believe Jason's announcement that Sadie had collared Billie and Nathan.
“John's dead, and they're missing,” someone spat at her. “What more proof do you need?”
“You didn't even bother getting to know Sadie. You condemned her from minute one. I know her. She wouldn't do this,” Amy yelled at the top of her lungs sounding like a shrill teenage girl. No one had ever seen her react like this.
Kathryn lay her hand on top of Amy’s. “I also spent time with Sadie. These accusations don't align with the girl I know. Do you have proof?”
Gary stood nervously. “Sadie is the shift manager at the warehouse where I work. I knew her before she met Billie. What I overheard today does not fit with the woman I know. Or thought I knew.” He recounted the conversation between Sadie and the strange Mage woman. “I know what I heard. But it doesn't all make sense. Earlier I panicked, and once I started to think about it, I realized that Sadie could have stopped me easily.
“She could have kept me from hearing the conversation like she did with my coworkers when Adrienne threatened her yesterday. She knew I was listening, and she let me hear everything. She could have handed me over to the other Mage or messed with my memory or even killed me, and no one would have known. She could have done any of those things easily to keep from getting caught. Instead she asked me to trust her. I didn’t, but she didn't stop me from leaving. I'm wondering now if I should have listened to her, or at least heard her side of the story.”
“You're lucky you got away,” someone chirped.
“It wasn't luck. She didn't even try to stop me. There's more to this than meets the eye.”
Jazz spoke. “Yesterday Sadie promised me she would protect Gary if Adrienne picked a fight at the warehouse. She was speaking the truth. Gary’s right. We’re missing something.”
Richard stopped pacing to add his two cents, rage barely contained. “Billie attacked Jason and Matthew. She nearly killed Matthew. The Billie we know is gone.”
Kathryn disagreed. “Billie could have killed Matthew. How many of us could stop Matthew without killing him? Or stop him at all? She crushed two of his legs, wounding him so badly, he couldn't continue the fight. Then she called Amy to patch him up. That is the Billie I know.”
Jason growled at Amy. “That was stupid. Going to Matthew on Billie's word after I told you Billie was collared was utterly stupid and reckless.”
Amy lowered her head but spoke defiantly. “I couldn't let Matthew die.”
“It was stupid. It could have been a trap.” Amy didn't argue, but from the expression on her face everyone knew she didn't agree.
“What do we do now?” Phil asked pragmatically.
Jason replied stonily. “We organize a hunting party and find them. We find them and end this.”
Kathryn raised her voice once again. “You have not addressed Gary's statement. He raised questions that should be answered before we can condemn three of our packmates.”
“Gary is looking for a reason not to believe that Sadie killed John. So are you and Amy. You were deceived,” Richard responded to his mate.
“Or did Sadie get to them too? They did spend a lot of time with her,” Adrienne asked snidely.
Amy piped up again defiantly, showing more teeth than anyone knew she had. “So if we believe Sadie, we must be collared, and if we don't believe Sadie, we must be right. You're the one who's looking through tinted lenses, not us.”
Jazz could always
been counted on to think critically. “Amy is correct. Your arguments allow no possibility for an explanation other than the one you've provided.”
Jason glared at the women. “The facts speak for themselves.” He turned to the group as a whole. “If you want to volunteer for the hunting party, check in with Richard. Meeting adjourned.”
A handful of Wolves stepped forward to volunteer. Kathryn watched scornfully as the volunteers largely consisted of Wolves who'd predetermined Sadie's guilt. “Amy, I believe the hunting party should include the Pack Medic and the most experienced tracker. Do you agree?” Amy nodded enthusiastically. “Richard, dear. Amy and I volunteer for the hunting party as well.”
Richard scowled. “No.”
“You'd be a fool to turn down a medic, and I have more experience in tracking than all of you combined. We're coming.”
“Amy can come. I don't want you in the middle of this.”
Kathryn replied smoothly but exasperation began to show through. “Darling, must I remind you that you have spent your life in classrooms and courtrooms. I spent much of mine escorting runaway slaves through the South, draft dodgers to Canada, and the like. I am coming.”
Amy punched the ceiling. “I knew you were older than you pretended!”
Richard couldn’t argue and growled. “Fine.”
Chapter 15
When I woke, my head lay on Billie's leg, and she caressed my hair tenderly. You’re awake. She greeted me before I opened my eyes.
That wasn't just a bad dream, was it? I asked, sitting up and yawning.
“No,” she said coldly. “It happened.”
“Where are we?” Through the windows of the car, I saw mountains on either side of me. A narrow stream followed the curve of a simple paved highway.
“Past Sun Valley. You've been asleep for a few hours.”
“Where are we going?” I yawned again.
“Sawtooth Mountains. A little bit further, and we'll take a dirt road west, find a place to stash the Jeep, and hike in from there. I've explored the area a few times, but never with Pack. It's a perfect area for us.”
“Will they find us?”
“Maybe, but not easily. We have a little time to rest and plan before we have to worry about it. After what happened yesterday, I wasn't going to take any chances no matter how you felt. This morning I packed for a quick escape.”
“I'm sorry.” I said, my heart breaking for her.
“For what?” She asked in surprise, bewilderment unmistakable in her green eyes and mental tone.
“For getting you into this. For your pack turning on you.” I wanted to sink into the seat and disappear.
“This isn't your fault,” she pronounced heavily. “It happened, and now we deal with it.”
I didn't answer, and I didn't agree. Instead I watched the scenery pass in silence. I felt like confessing everything to her. My conscience ached to tell her everything, but Kato's vision had been clear. I didn't know if enough had changed to tell Billie without risking her, but I couldn't take the chance.
Carefully I hid all of this, and she only felt my guilt. I could feel her worrying about me in every pore of my body, but she didn't say anything. Before long she turned west onto a poorly maintained dirt road. We bumped along in silence, each of us lost in thought.
“How do we deal with it?” I asked without warning. “What do we do now?”
“First we find a safe place to hole up.”
“A hotel wouldn't work?” I loved the mountains, but I wanted a bed and a shower.
“Richard's private investigators can find us in a hotel. It'll take longer to track us through the mountains. I need to be in the wilds right now anyway.”
I looked at her tense face and sorrowful eyes. “How are you doing with all this?”
She hesitated only for a moment. “John is dead because I couldn't admit that Nathan is collared. I knew, but I couldn't admit it.” My stomach churned that she felt responsible. I knew Nathan was collared and didn't tell her.
“You can't blame yourself for that,” I told her.
“I was responsible for their safety. I failed.”
“No,” I asserted vehemently. “You didn't.” The truth nearly came out of me right then. I couldn't bear the self-loathing coming off of her in waves.
“I feel lost.” She said simply, her voice soft. She sounded lost. “I don't know how to be a Wolf without a Pack.”
“The wilds are the next best thing?”
She nodded, gazing at the scenery around us. “I feel home here. The house is empty, but at least I'm home. How about you?”
“I don't know,” I answered honestly. I hadn't come to grips with the situation. “I'm scared.”
She pulled the Jeep off the rustic dirt road onto an even more rustic one. It looked like an old temporary road. Long abandoned, small trees bent beneath the Jeep as we traversed it. A couple hundred yards in, she nested the Jeep behind a stand of pine trees. “This is where we leave it.” Her lost eyes met mine, and she began pulling out supplies. “I prepared for two escape plans: one with just what was in the Jeep and one from home. We have both sets of supplies, so we can go through them together. We'll leave some of it behind.”
I nodded, opening the different compartments of the pack and peeking inside. I found waterproof matches and candles in one. Others held a variety of camping supplies - everything we’d need in the mountains. She’d tied a lightweight tent and sleeping bag to the outside.
Billie pulled a pouch out of the Jeep and tossed it to me. “There's a pocket on the underside of the lower compartment. Would you add this to what's already in there?”
“Sure.” I opened the pouch to find a stack of hundred dollar bills. I'd never seen that much cash in one place, and it shocked me. “How much is here?”
“Ten thousand total. I won’t be able to access any of my accounts without drawing them to us.”
“You really did come prepared.” I combined the money and tucked it away before strapping two coats to the outside of the pack. “Should we do something to hide the Jeep?”
“No. It won't help with Wolves, and it'll draw attention if anyone else notices it. Wait. I heard something.” She cocked her head and sniffed, fully alert and ready. “Do you sense anyone?”
“No. Not for miles.”
“I thought I heard someone. Maybe I'm just jumpy.” She didn't convince herself.
I trusted my senses. I trusted hers too, so I didn't know what to believe. “Maybe it's a regular wolf. I don't sense them like I do your kind of Wolf. By the way, how do I differentiate between wolves and Wolves when I'm talking?”
Behind her, I saw a familiar shape moving silently towards us. My spirit soared and I shouted, “Kato!” Billie jumped in alarm, spinning to face the approaching Wolf as I darted past her to wrap him in a hug. I couldn't believe my eyes. Laughing, I hugged him so tight he braced his feet. His eyes smiled, and he licked my shoulder affectionately.
“Kato?” Billie approached more slowly, eyeing us with absolute bewilderment. “Sadie, how do you know Kato? You're a long ways from home, old friend. What are you doing here?”
He shimmered, and I held an ancient man instead of a wolf. With serene eyes, he held Billie’s gaze while embracing me. “I come when my packmates need me.”
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I held him even tighter. Billie knelt in front of us, still confused. “How do you know each other?”
I looked to Kato questioningly, hoping I could finally tell Billie everything.
“Yes, daughter. You may tell her all. The need for secrecy with your mate is over.”
“I don't understand,” Billie replied succinctly, her gaze zipping between the old Wolf and me.
I reached for Billie's hand and pulled her down beside me. “It’s been killing me keeping this from you. Kato came to see me almost a week ago. It was the day you, Amy, Kathryn, and I had coffee and you left to see Nathan. Kato walked in and asked for my help. He had a vision that the pack w
as completely destroyed. Kato and Amy were the only survivors. You, Jason, and Matthew died. Everyone else was collared.
“He said I could change it, keep it from happening. But it would only work if I didn’t tell you. I've been lying to you.” My voice broke at the confession, and all my guilt poured out in a jumble. “I didn't tell you Nathan was collared even though I knew. I spied on you at the dojo because I needed to connect with Nathan's mind in order to find his Mage. I've talked to his Mage twice now. I even told her I've collared you so I could figure out what they're planning. That's what Gary overheard this morning. She wanted my permission to use you for a job, a job that would help her collar the entire Pack. I pretended to be interested in joining her and returning to the Mage world in order to figure out her plan and stop her. She believed me. So did Gary.” I took a deep breath and waited for her response.
“Gods, Sadie. I had no idea.” Her mind spun with all the new information.
“We couldn't risk the Mages finding out that I was lying, so I couldn't tell anyone. Not even you. They can't read my mind or Kato's mind. But there was no guarantee with you or anyone else.”
“You did all that for the pack?” She could barely breathe as she took in everything I said.
“Your mate has much courage and great compassion.” Kato beamed at me, and I basked in his praise.
“I know I can find out the rest of their plan. I'm in, Kato. They're meeting to finalize their plans soon, and they want me there.”
Billie shook her head violently, her instinct to protect me surfacing. “Whoa! Sadie, you can't walk into a Mage den. What if they find out you're lying? They'll kill you.”
I set my jaw and dug in my heels. “I have to do this. I have to finish this.”
“Kato, Eldest. I don't like this. They could kill her,” Billie pleaded with the old man.
“They do not have the power to kill a Kratos.”
“I don't understand what that means,” she replied modestly. It had the feel of a mantra repeated many times between them.
Psyche Honor (Psyche Moon) Page 16
