Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  Looking at the clock she announced, “Almost time, Casper.” As she was leaving the bedroom, her phone beeped, informing her she had received a text. After typing a quick response, she rummaged through a packing box in the living room and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels and a shot glass. She wiped off a layer of dust, telling Ice that she didn’t drink very often. She set the items next to her computer and started up a chat session. After sending a computer generated call, a man’s face appeared on her screen, saying “I see by your quick response that my text didn’t wake you.”

  “I wish.”

  “Still can’t sleep?”

  “No, but did you think that moving here would change that?”

  “I was hoping a new location might change things.”

  “Maybe it’s because I miss that ugly mug of yours.” She giggled.

  Ice adjusted his position so that he could see the computer screen. It was obvious that the man Penny was talking to was very attractive and the twinkle in Penny’s eyes showed that she cared a great deal for him. When he wondered if he was the intended target for her nighttime wardrobe, his anger flared. They were now his and, if she took off her robe to show him his pink number, he wasn’t sure he would be able to control his actions.

  While Ice’s agitation grew, a second face, exactly the same as the first, pushed in front of the screen. “Do you miss me too?” he asked.

  She acknowledged the second man with, “Hey Max. I guess I miss even you.”

  Max asked, “Hey sis. How’s our little lingerie model doing?”

  Ice now knew that she was talking to the twin brothers that he read about in her profile.

  Penny shrugged her shoulders and replied, “I’m fine, I guess.”

  Morgan asked, “So how many have you bought since moving out there?”

  “Only a few,” she replied innocently.

  Max laughed and said, “Somehow I doubt that. You should join LA.”

  Penny asked, “What’s LA?”

  Morgan explained, “Lingerie Anonymous.” After clearing his throat, he imitated Penny’s voice and said, “I, Penny Blanchard, am hopelessly addicted to thong underwear.”

  In mock disgust she exclaimed, “You started it with that birthday party gag gift of yours that you sent to me from a secret admirer. All of which you did for the sole purpose of embarrassing the hell out of me in front of my friends.”

  Max replied with a laugh, “I never knew anyone could turn that shade of red. I think you glowed, but I had no idea that you would become hopelessly obsessed.”

  Morgan suggested, “If you wore them hunting, I bet the animals would come running to you.”

  Max asked, “Speaking of hunting, how’s the terrain out there?”

  Thrilled that they had moved on to a new subject, Penny replied, “Great! You would love this place. I spent a weekend in the woods a few weeks back and took a small group of hikers on an overnighter. While out in the woods, I scoped out a great hunting spot.” Penny suggested, “Why don’t you two come visit and we can go out and give the spot a try?”

  Max replied, “We’re trying to make that happen. I hate that you’re out there alone and unprotected…especially in the woods. Those mountains are full of lethal creatures. They’re lying in wait for someone tasty like you to come alone. When you drop your guard, they’ll strike without warning.”

  Ice chuckled to himself at the truth in Max’s words.

  Although the image of the shadowed creature she saw at the edge of the store’s parking lot flashed in her mind, Penny squared her shoulders and replied, “Don’t start the same old ‘you’re too weak to be on your own’ lecture again. The two of you taught me well and I know how to protect myself.”

  Morgan said, “We know you can, but we would both feel better if someone was there watching over you.”

  Max added, “Speaking of watching you. Have you shared your collection with any male visitors yet?”

  Penny shook her head and said, “I’ve recently become good friends with a set of twins that remind me a lot of you. And before you ask, we aren’t dating. Who needs a boyfriend anyways? I have something much better.”

  “A girlfriend?” Morgan teased.

  When she rolled her eyes with a huff, Max suggested, “A dog?”

  Penny shook her head. “Not even close. My cabin is haunted by a ghost that I named Casper.”

  The twins laughed and Max said, “You always were a sucker for supernatural stories.”

  Penny replied with a hint of anger in her voice, “You should pay attention to those stories. Ghosts do exist. I thought your mind would have opened up since the world learned about Changelings.” Staring off into the air, she added, “I wish they hadn’t gone into hiding.”

  Hearing the longing in her voice, Max said warningly, “I wish you weren’t so eager to find them. Not all of them are friendly.”

  Morgan added, “Remember the story about the Chicago gang whose bodies were ripped into tiny pieces by what they think were teeth and claws? Given the DNA evidence, they confirmed that it was done by one of those ‘friendly’ Changelings of yours.”

  Max said, “Luckily the research shows that they’re naturally sterile so they can’t produce offspring. Could you imagine killer babies?”

  Penny shook her head and replied, “But I think there was more to that gang story then what they printed in the papers. I’ve also heard horror stories of Human’s torturing and mutilating Changelings for fun or in the name of research. I can’t imagine the things that gang must have done to make him lash out that way. Human’s fear anything we can’t explain.”

  Morgan said, “Some things are best if they remain hidden.”

  Penny replied, “I don’t agree. I can promise you that I won’t go out looking for Changelings, but I won’t close my eyes or my doors. I would welcome them into my home. Did you ever think that they may be our future? We can’t stop evolution.”

  “But Sis…they weren’t created from nature. It was a genetic abnormally triggered by that flu inoculation.”

  “Who’s to say that wasn’t fate leading us toward our next natural step? Research also shows that we all have some kind of genetic abnormality lying in wait within us. Nature just needed a little helping hand to make it come to the surface. Many of them have extraordinary gifts.” After a moment to ponder, she asked, “If I changed, I wonder what my special gift would be?”

  Max replied, “Maybe yours would replace your screeching with a great singing voice. It would be a perfect addition to your ability to dance on bar counters.”

  Recalling a very embarrassing night in a bar with her brothers before she moved, Penny exclaimed in a huff, “Don’t you dare bring that up. That was all your fault for getting me drunk. Speaking of partying, how was your birthday? Did Mom and Dad throw you a big bash like you’re still their babies?”

  Morgan replied, “Of course. Mom doted on us like we were turning 16 instead of 30. She actually cried.”

  Penny laughed. “That’s Mom for sure. She gets so sentimental on birthdays.”

  After a long discussion about the events of the party, Max asked, “Well, are you ready?”

  Penny nodded and filled her shot glass, holding it in front of the screen so that they could see it.

  Morgan asked, “Are your doors locked? I don’t want you dancing in the streets.”

  Penny rolled her eyes and said, “Ha, ha. I’m safely at home with the doors locked. No one can get in and I can’t get out.”

  Ice knew his presence each night negated that theory.

  Once the twins had matching shots raised, they toasted to their birthday and downed the liquor. By the time Penny signed off for the night, she had downed several shots too many and was very drunk.

  As she swayed, she caressed the cool blank screen and sighed—the pain obvious in her expression. Drinking straight from the bottle now, she put on some music. When she attempted to sing along, Ice instantly understood her brother’s comment about her lac
k of singing ability.

  When Penny spotted the white Casper pillow staring back at her, she toasted him with another drink. After putting the bottle down, she staggered over to the couch and clumsily gave the pillow a curtsy. “May I have this dance, Casper?” she asked.

  She took the pillow into her arms and started to dance around the room. When she bumped into the computer side chair, she hiccupped and said, “Oops. Excuse me sir.” She placed Casper on the seat and, when a song came on that she liked, her eyes opened wide. She staggered to the bottle and downed another big drink. With a wicked grin, she turned to her pillow and asked in a sexy voice, “Are you ready for me, Casper?”

  Ice watched intently as she dropped her robe, revealing his favorite nightgown. He couldn’t stop his body from reacting as she twisted and turned in snake-like movements that left him almost hypnotized. He thought her moves would have given a professional stripper a run for her money. As his eyes focused on the ribbons loosely tied at her chest, willing them to undo, her fingers obeyed his unspoken demands. He let out a low growl as she undid each bow, slowly revealing more of what was hidden underneath. Just when her top was almost fully undone, she lost her balance and stumbled forward, landing with her legs straddling the chair. She leaned against the Casper pillow, too drunk to stand and mumbling things Ice couldn’t make out. Moments later her eyes closed.

  When her body went completely limp, Ice cautiously stepped out of the shadows and approached. Then for some reason he didn’t understand, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Casper says time to go to bed.”

  She swatted at the air without opening her eyes and managed to slur out, “Leave me be, Casper.”

  Her movement made her lose her balance and Ice caught her to prevent her from hitting the floor. While she lay in his arms, he couldn’t believe how warm her body was, even for a Human. It was as if she had a fever, but she wasn’t sick. He assumed that it was how her body reacted to alcohol. Now that he was holding her, he wasn’t sure what to do with her. Going against every hunter instincts he possessed, he lifted Penny up, noticing that her fingers still clutched onto the Casper pillow with a death grip.

  She pressed herself against his cool chest, letting out a “Mmmm,” noise. He was naturally very cool to the touch, much like a reptile, and she loved how it felt against her hot skin.

  He carried her into her bedroom and laid her on the bed. Before he could back away, she unexpectedly leaned toward him. Without opening her eyes, she said clearly and with all humor gone, “Stay with me, Casper. I’m so lonely.” When he started to back away, she grabbed into the air trying to catch her ghost. With real need in her voice, she begged, “Please don’t go.”

  In a panic, he tucked the body pillow she held each night into her arms. She accepted the gift and wrapped her arms and legs around it tightly. Just before she passed out, she whispered, “You’re my best friend. Don’t ever leave me.” Soon the room filled with her even breathing, informing Ice that his prey had fallen into a deep, alcohol induced sleep.

  Ice remained squatted next to Penny’s bed for a very long time. At first he cursed profusely at himself. He had her in his arms and could have killed her in seconds. But as he stared down at her sleeping form, his mind swirled with unfamiliar emotions and his arms already ached to touch her again. Seeing her hugging the pillows with such affection, he actually wondered what it would feel like to be that pillow.

  While he continued to watch her sleep, he recalled her discussion with her brothers. He was envious of the closeness she had to her family—a sensation that would be forever unknown to him. Although she said she wanted to meet a Changeling, he knew that if she was aware that she stood face to face with one, she would run in fear, as everyone else had done. But he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if the twins were right. She was unlike any Human he had ever met. Maybe she would embrace their racial differences.

  Just before he stood, he reached out and caressed a line down her cheek. When she naturally leaned into his touch, he shook his head in a futile attempt to remove new and extremely intimate images that were quickly filing his mind. In a flash, he was gone.

  Chapter 7 - Truth Revealed

  Penny plastered on a fake smile at work the next day, while inside her head pounded. “Why did I do that?” she yelled at herself, but then cringed even from the internal noise that thinking caused from within her mind. As she walked gingerly through the aisles, a pair of hands grabbed her at her waist.

  When the voice said, “Hey my slice of bacon. What’s sizzlin?”

  Penny covered her ears, cringed, and whispered, “Not so loud.”

  Seeing her bloodshot eyes, Tadd asked, “What in the world did you do last night? You look like the walking dead.”

  “It was my brothers’ birthday and we celebrated long distance. I think I may have overindulged. I don’t recall much of the night after I disconnected.”

  With a chuckle, Tadd asked with a chuckle, “Did you wake up on the floor?”

  “Actually no. I woke up tucked in bed.”

  Taylor asked, “How did you manage that?”

  “I didn’t. Casper carried me.”

  Tadd added with his eyebrows raised, “Your ghost?”

  “I know you don’t believe in ghosts, but I swear last night he helped me get into bed.”

  “And helped you out of your clothes, I bet,” Taylor replied with irritation in his voice.

  Although she half-heartedly chuckled, she looked away to hide her warm cheeks. If her ghost had helped her the night before, she knew he saw more than just a little flesh.

  To divert the subject matter she said, “It’s almost lunch and it’s time for my break. I’ll let you buy me something to eat and a bottle of aspirin.”

  The twins said in unison, “You have a deal.”

  *~*~*~*

  Later that night when Penny again awoke from her sleep, she looked over to her shadowed corner and, to her dismay, she felt nothing. “Casper?” she called. After searching the entire cabin unsuccessfully, she was forced to admit that her ghost wasn’t going to visit her that night. She had become so accustomed to his presence that she felt an odd sense of loss by not feeling his familiar tingle in the air. Facing the night without her friend, she headed off to the couch alone to watch a sappy romance and eat a bowl of chocolate pudding.

  The cabin was devoid of Casper for the rest of the week. When her day off arrived, she didn’t want to spend it locked up in her cabin alone, so she decided to do some hiking. She jumped on the back of her dirt bike and headed down a long winding back road. When she headed down a side gravel road that she hadn’t traveled on before she marked her GPS location, for safety reasons. When the road stopped she continued on, following a narrow dirt trail. When she could go no further on her motorcycle, she parked and headed out on foot.

  She traveled for several hours before she stopped at the top of a ridge to rest. While leaning against a tree, she heard unusual animal sounds down in a ravine. Feeling the breeze in her face, she knew she was downwind so she quietly stalked forward to try and get a glimpse of the creatures.

  She quickly spotted the animals, which were covered in reddish fur and resembled a large wolf. She was fairly familiar with typical woodland creatures, but she had no idea what these animals were. She sat quietly and watched them fight. Although they both made a lot of noise, neither seemed angry or injured by the other’s attacks. It resembled puppies play fighting.

  As she continued to observe their actions, one of the creatures jumped at the other. Although he had left the ground as an animal, it landed as a Human male. After tossing his attacker to the side, the second creature shifted to a Human form as well. She gasped when she recognized who they were. “The twins are Changelings,” she whispered in disbelief.

  She continued to watch them shift back and forth effortlessly. Then, without warning, the wind shifted direction. In an instant, the now animals stopped playing, looked in her direction, and growled. She quic
kly hid behind a tree, but knew that wasn’t going to hide her scent. It was too late. She stared into the woods in front of her and ran.

  She never looked back, but she could hear something quickly approaching from behind. “Keep moving,” she yelled at her legs when they started to cramp. To herself, she added mentally, “And whatever you do, don’t trip like some big boobed girl in a bad horror movie.” As soon as the thought hit her, she stumbled over a downed log and cursed. After scrambling back to her feet, she raced into a small clearing. One of the creatures dropped in front of her and blocked her path. She skidded to a stop and, when she turned to run the other way, she found the other creature waiting for her. Now surrounded, she grabbed the daggers from the sheaths on her legs and stood her ground.

  Instead of attacking her, they paced nervously. She could tell they were trying to decide what to do and she knew her only hope was to try and connect to their Human side. She gathered all of her courage and yelled, “Hey fur balls. Knock it off. Let me see Taylor and Tadd.”

  The animals stopped moving and, after glancing at each other, shifted back to their Human form. Penny now stood between two naked men. Unsure where to look, she tried to stare at Tadd’s eyes and said, “I guess clothes don’t shift with you.”

  The twins looked down at themselves and chuckled. “Sorry. Our clothes are back at our camp.”

  Taylor asked, “Why aren’t you screaming in terror?”

  “I’ll admit my heart is about to explode out of my chest, but why would I scream? If you wanted me dead, I would already be your lunch.” While glancing between her friends, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me? I knew the two of you were different, but I never would have guessed this was your secret.”

  Taylor said, “You’re Human; we’re forbidden. Our kind is being hunted to extinction.”

  Penny said with complete honesty, “I would never expose you and would rather die than hurt any of you. You’re family to me. This is like a dream come true. I’ve always hoped that someday I would have the opportunity to meet one of you, and now here you are right in front of me.”