Psyche Shield by Chrissie Buhr Read Free Book Online

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.
     

Chapter 3
    Amy sat on the couch, reading her latest mystery
novel. Her patient slept soundly, and she kept one ear on the Wolf’s breathing
and heartbeat. The leg needed strict attention for a day or two. Though
necessary, re-breaking the compound fracture in the field could cause
complications. Rapid healing usually made her job as Pack Medic easy, but when
a bone began to knit together before set properly, it became an inconvenience.
If any problems arose, she wanted to address them immediately. She’d camp out
at Billie’s until certain the leg would fully recover.
    Her mind persistently wandered from the book to her
predicament. She had four patients at once, three of them the most dominant and
stubborn Wolves in the entire pack. All three had sustained life-threatening
injuries in the last week. As usual, Jason, Billie, and Matthew would barely
let her assess them and refused to rest properly.