Psyche Shield (4 page)

“Everyone would lose. Wolves, Humans, and any Mage who tries
to stand in their way,” I told her softly.

“I see.” Jazz looked between us, her mind rapidly processing
the dilemma. “I have to destroy the research.”

I nodded, sensing her come to terms with destroying her
work. Her quick willingness to do it anyway astonished me. “All of it, as if it
never existed.”

She began verbally listing what had to go. “Journals, notes,
computers, backups, equipment logs, samples, everything.” She went to the
refrigerator and retrieved two tubes of blood and set them on the counter. She
started pulling tiny vials, notebooks and printouts from various places, adding
everything she found to the growing pile. “You can take that and destroy it. If
I do it here someone will notice. No one destroys research. I’ll wipe
everything from the computers and backups.”

Billie stashed all of the items she’d gathered into a
handbag we’d brought for just such a purpose. Jazz blinked in confusion as she
saw the large bag. I’d hidden it from view and would do the same on the way
out. “Illusion,” I told her.

“Oh. No one will suspect you left with all this.” She nodded
approvingly and stuffed a lined notebook in with the rest.

Turning in a circle, she inspected the room. When she faced
us again, she declared. “That’s everything except for electronic data.”

Relieved at her willingness, I still nervously anticipated
the next request. “I’m glad you understand how important this is.”
Your
turn.
I handed the reins back to Billie. The next part should come from her
Beta, not from me.

“Is there anything else you can think of? Any records or
trails of any kind that would lead back to this?”

Jazz thought carefully. “Gary knows you gave me a blood
sample, and maybe the kids too. A few others know you were planning on it but
not that you did it unless Gary told them. The front desk has a record of your
visit, but they don’t know why you came. I have not had any contact with the
other researchers since before we initially talked. In my last report, I
mentioned my intent to obtain a Mage blood sample, but I did not tell them how
or who.”

“I appreciate your discretion.” No one could remember so
much as a polite conversation between a Mage and a Wolf before me. My
relationship with Billie and my position in the Pack was unprecedented. Her
Wolf colleagues wouldn’t like it.

She shook her head, dismissing my gratitude. “I wasn’t
relevant. Until it was relevant, I didn’t care to defend my friendship with a
Mage. They would believe me collared.”

The word “friendship” made me smile. Billie mentally sighed
in relief to hear that the other scientists didn’t know I existed. “Keep them
in the dark for now. How long will it take you to wipe all of the electronic
records?”

“Five minutes at most,” she replied confidently.

“Would you do that now?” Jazz promptly swiveled to face the
computer and started typing. Billie’s mental tone sounded miserable.
Compulsion
smells rotten to the Wolf, who breathes freedom like air.

I recognized the Eldest’s style.
Kato said that?

I asked if you only smell like a Mage when you use
coercive power. That was his reply. It is so true. I don’t want to ask her to
do this.
Billie’s guilt weighed on me as much as my own. As Beta she’d
sworn to protect her packmates. To protect everyone we had to harm one Wolf.
Billie would ask Jazz to willingly submit to my mental invasion. In order to
destroy the research completely, we had to remove it from her mind as well. It
wouldn’t harm Jazz’s mind or collar her, but it went against her nature as
Wolf.

Neither do I. God, even if she agrees, I don’t want to do
this to her.
I felt my chest tighten. If she didn’t submit to it, I would
have to do it anyway.

Kato’s right about this knowledge. It’s too dangerous. It
has to be erased.
She reminded herself, but it didn’t assuage the guilt.

Jazz retrieved something from a small safe and returned to
the computer. She finished wiping the electronic records and swiveled to face
us. “It’s done. Everything here is clean. There’s no cloud server or internet
access from this computer at all. The only backups are in the fireproof safe. I
corrupted the last week of backups, and a fresh one is running right now. We’re
obsessive about confidentiality for obvious reasons, which made it possible.
The right tech savvy person could tell I’ve erased information, and I can’t
help that. I’ve removed it at every layer. There’s no way of retrieving it.”

“What will happen if someone notices information has been
erased?” Billie inquired, her voice beginning to betray her emotions.

“They’ll know I did it or allowed it. I would catch hell
from the other scientists, and I could be removed from the research team
entirely. There aren’t very many Wolf scientists, and I’m the only one with
PhDs in both genetics and biochemistry. That would be an extreme decision.” By
her troubled expression, she believed it possible.

“If this information gets out...” Billie started but Jazz
raised a hand and saved her from saying it.

“There’s only one way to ensure it doesn’t get out and only
one reason why you look like you’re about to ask for my firstborn child. If the
wrong Mage extracts this from my memory, we’re all in danger. The right Mage
needs to erase it.” Jazz nodded at me with fearful determination. “I have a few
questions first.”

“Of course.” I kept my tone steady with effort. She wouldn’t
remember the conversation and assurances, but she deserved them anyway. “What
would you like to know?”

The first question came immediate and hurried, a sense of
urgency hidden behind her even tone. “Can you remove the information without
damaging my mind?”

The question startled me, and I answered immediately. “Yes!
Oh, God, yes! I couldn’t do it otherwise.”

She sighed visibly, and I realized she’d have agreed either
way if it would protect her pack and family. “What about Gary and the kids? He
knows you gave me a sample, and if the kids were paying attention, they do
too.”

“I can erase those memories easily and safely,” I assured
the protective mother.

Billie interjected. “Are you willing to make that decision
for them?”

Jazz nodded. “If it’s perfectly safe, then it’s an easy
choice. It protects them too.”

Billie frowned in confusion, troubled as much as reassured
at her packmate’s response. “I didn’t expect you to agree so easily. I thought
we’d have a nice long debate and eventually you’d come around.”

Jazz raised her chin and peered at Billie passionately. She
looked more Wolf in that moment than ever. “I asked her to keep Gary safe, and
she did. No one asked her to keep the pack safe, and she did it anyway. She’s a
lot like you, Beta. If a Mage is willing to risk everything for our pack and my
family, how can I do any less? I don’t like this. I’m terrified to have any
Mage in my mind, even Sadie. But I know she won’t hurt me or my family
deliberately.”

I bit my lip, humbled by Jazz’s blatant trust and
willingness to put her brilliant mind in my hands. “I know when I’m done,
you’ll be just fine. I have no doubt of that, and I still don’t want to do it.
I wish there was another way.”

“I don’t think there is,” Jazz admitted, returning to her
usual pragmatic demeanor and focusing on other details. “If the other
scientists believe I’m collared, they will be concerned about the integrity of
our research. We have protocols for such an event. Trust me, you don’t want to
set that in motion. If they discover the missing information, it would be better
for them to believe I’m incompetent or hiding something for other reasons. You
may need to remind me what I’ve forgotten if that happens.”

“If it comes to that, we will,” Billie promised.

I added a little insurance. “I can plant a suggestion that
ensures you’ll come to one of us and no one else if questions arise.”

“That’s reasonable. I also recommend you plant a suggestion
not to offer information about you to the other scientists. Your presence alone
could instigate an investigation and set those protocols in motion.” It sounded
like a wise precaution to me too. She tapped her nose as she pondered. “Let me
think if there’s anything else. I’ll need a reason why you came to see me but
didn’t give any blood. I don’t have a reason to reject your sample.”

I’d already considered it. “I got nervous. I came, we
talked, and I couldn’t do it. I just found out I’m a Mage, and it hasn’t been a
picnic. I’ll give you a sample someday, but I’m not ready. Billie’s promised
not to bite me dead. How does that sound?”

“That will do well. Humans back out of these tests at the
last minute all the time. You were raised Human, so it’s reasonable that you
acted like a Human. Today you came to apologize to me for terrorizing my
husband and explain your actions, but I already knew.” We all believed the plan
would work.

“Anything else?”

“What about you and Billie? You’ll still know. How will you
keep this information safe?” She looked between us again thoughtfully.

Billie made an impulsive decision to return Jazz’s show of
trust. “I can tell you, but Sadie will need to erase that too. Would you like
to know?”

“Yes. I’ll be more confident about this decision if I know.”
She looked to her Beta for answers. “Once she’s done, I won’t need to feel
better about it.”

“Sadie is the most powerful Mage in the world. No one can
read her, and because of our bond, no one can read or collar me so long as
she’s around.” I shifted awkwardly. I’d only recently discovered this about
myself and the statement discomfited me every time.

Jazz straightened in her seat, astonishment written
throughout her entire body and emanating from her surface thoughts. After a
moment she beamed at me. “That makes me feel a lot better. If you’re that good,
you won’t damage our minds.”

I tried to return her smile but failed, instead speaking
with resigned sorrow. “I’m glad you’re okay with this. Humans barely notice
coercion. But if it’s anything like uncollaring Nathan, this is going to be
uncomfortable for you. You’ll want to fight me, and if you do, it could be
painful. Try to relax and think about the information. It’ll help guide me and
make it smoother. I’ll be as gentle as possible. Are you ready?”

She nodded and closed her eyes. “I’m ready.”

Be prepared for her to fight it.
Billie moved to
stand behind her packmate and placed a hand on Jazz’s shoulder. The contact
from her Beta helped to reassure her. If Jazz’s instincts kicked in, Billie
could restrain her before damaging me or the lab.

I gathered magepower, drawing it from everything around me.
It filled me, humming across my skin like an electric current and flowing
through my body seductively. I only drew on as much power as I needed for the
task, only a fraction of my potential. Even so, I felt larger than life and
wanted more.

Wolves could sense magepower and disliked it, instinctively
rebelling against the very thing that defined me. Jazz barely flinched as she
smelled it. Billie had experienced it a number of times, and it didn’t surprise
her. As the power coursed through me, she sensed the godlike euphoria that
inevitably came with it. She barely recognized me when consumed by magepower,
and she couldn’t hide her feelings about it.

My earlier hesitation disappeared under the thrall of the
power. I didn’t waver as I entered Jazz’s mind, gently navigating my way through
the layers and along the threads of knowledge. She didn’t resist. Highly
disciplined from decades of intellectual pursuits, Jazz relaxed and ignored the
discomfort, dismissing her instincts to fight the violation. As requested, she
focused her thoughts on the dangerous information, allowing me to find every
reference easily. Carefully and meticulously, I eliminated the threat and
planted the suggestions we’d agreed upon. As suspected, her cooperation made
the uncomfortable ordeal easier.

When finished, I retreated most of the way out of her mind,
keeping a simple hold on it for a little longer. Finding Gary’s familiar mind
with ease, I erased his knowledge of the blood sample and verified that he
hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else. Finding the children through their mother,
I did the same. Her Human family didn’t even notice the intrusion.

I raised my gaze and met my mate’s crystal green eyes.
No
one outside her family knew. It’s erased. I’ll finish with Jazz as soon as
we’re gone.
Billie held her composure, wishing I couldn’t sense her worry
about how much magepower changed me. She knew I hated that I could do this to a
person except when under the power’s influence.

Jazz opened her eyes and looked at us with only mild
confusion. Billie addressed her as if we’d barely arrived. “It’s good to be
back, Jazz. I’m glad you had time to see us.”

“Of course,” she replied while shaking off her confusion.
Thanks to the lingering hold on her mind, she couldn’t smell magepower on me at
all. She smiled genuinely and stood. “Thank you again for protecting Gary and
the pack. I better get back to work, but I’m looking forward to hearing the
whole story at dinner.”

The power still hummed along my skin as I shouldered the bag
containing the remnants of what I’d erased. Jazz didn’t see the handbag, nor
did anyone else as she led us back through the maze. Once she’d deposited us in
the front office, she disappeared back into the belly of the laboratory. The
receptionist reclaimed our temporary IDs and we returned to the Jeep. I
finished the job, ensuring that Jazz wouldn’t realize I’d tampered with her
mind or used magepower in her presence. Satisfied, I released the power and
felt it return to wherever it came from.

As the power dissipated, I blacked out.