Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  Penny agreed about her brothers, but not about the other twins. The thought of them at this style of restaurant made her involuntarily shudder.

  They had a very pleasant meal and, to Penny’s complete shock, Jax not only remained in control, he seemed to actually enjoy himself. Although she had to admit that the meal was a success, she was still going to insist on the camping part of their plan so that Jax could fully shift and hunt. Since those they were sitting with were locals, she asked the group, “Jax and I want to do some camping while we travel. Is there a place in town where we can buy some gear?”

  An older man replied, “Just up the road is AgMart. It has everything anyone could ever want.”

  Penny decided to offer a little of her own flair to the end of the meal, so she taught everyone at the table how to fold money into animal shapes. To the delight of those that served them, the overly large tip they left was guarded by a zoo full of folded animals.

  They left the restaurant and Jax had no trouble finding the recommended store. It was massive and the inside seemed to go on for miles. When they were directed to camping equipment and Penny put two sleeping bags into their cart, Jax grabbed one and tossed it back on the shelf, saying “We don’t need two. You’re place is right on top of me naked.” He gave her a leering grin and a growl. Penny glanced away, and she jumped when she felt him pinch her backside. Although his actions made her laugh, she couldn’t help wondering if his playful mood was caused from a reaction from her blood, and how long it was going to last before the more serious, subdued Jax returned.

  While they picked up all of their camping supplies, Penny also filled the cart with gifts for everyone back at home. By the time they loaded the Rover, it was crammed full.

  They headed back down the highway and, just as the sun was starting to go down, they arrived at Ozark Scenic Riverway. This was a place that Penny’s family had gone canoeing several times. Wasting no time, they rented a canoe and, by the moonlight, they found a wonderful cove where Penny sprinkled more ashes.

  It was late by the time they finally had their camp setup. Penny expected the effects of her blood to have worn off by now but, after Penny dressed for bed and crawled into the tent, Jax pounced on her and had her naked in seconds. She giggled, wondering why she even bothered to get dressed in the first place. After he had her sweaty and panting, he took his daily Penny snack. Although he took only what he needed, he didn’t need nearly as much as the night before. Regardless, the act left Penny pleasantly tingling.

  Seeing her condition, he gave her a proud male grin and said, “Get some sleep. I’m going for a run and I’ll be back a little later.” To her absolute delight, Ice appeared and kissed her on the nose before disappearing into the dark.

  She snuggled into their large, shared sleeping bag with a soft moan and whispered to herself, “It was a good day.”

  Chapter 39 - Friendship Grows

  The next day the travelers decided to drive a long distance to make up for their unexpected delays and get them back on track based on their original travel itinerary. To make the many hours across Kansas go by quicker, Penny downloaded a ‘who done it’ mystery novel onto Jax’s smart phone. While she clutched Jax’s hand, she read the story out loud. By the time the guilty party was identified by an overly attractive detective working for an equally attractive and overly curvy client, they were welcomed into Colorado by the beautiful snowcapped silhouette of the Rocky Mountains that edged the horizon.

  Penny continued to read and, when the story’s detective and his client rode off into the sunset together, Penny shut off the phone and stared at her own sunset. After spending a long day in the Rover, Penny read the highway sign announcing their next destination—Colorado Springs.

  *~*~*~*

  It was late when the travelers pulled into a small motel parking lot located on the edge of Colorado Springs. Although their plan negated staying at any motels, this one was off the beaten path and looked completely empty so Penny agreed. Since they had spent all day sitting in the car, she looked forward to stretching out in a comfortable bed.

  After they stepped into their room, they tossed their bags into a chair. The barriers between them were now completely gone so, after they got undressed, they jumped into the shower together. When Penny stepped out of the water, she actually wondered what it would be like when she arrived at home and no longer had a shower buddy. As she crawled into bed and took her normal position pressed tightly against Jax, she realized how much she was going to miss the companionship and comfort Jax’s presence offered.

  Penny woke early and, when the sun was cresting over the horizon, she and Jax were already walking the trails that were winding through the Garden of the Gods recreation area. At one of the scenic look outs, Penny took a moment to stare at the morning sunlight reflecting off the unusual red and orange rock formations that were jetting up silently through the deep green of the nature that held them. Seeing all of the different shapes and heights, she had an overwhelming desire to scale up one of the large cliffs. But, neither of them had climbing gear, and the park was too public for Jax to use any of his shifted skills. Instead, Penny led her companion through the labyrinth and, while he captured the moment, she spread ashes at the base of several of her favorite formations.

  Jax noticed her disappointment at being forced to keep her feet on the ground. So after a short drive to Pike’s Peak, they hiked up to their planned camp location and he asked, “How high would you like to hike up the mountain to spread the ashes?”

  “I would love to go all the way up, but we don’t have the time or equipment to make it very far. They have the cob train that could take us up, but that would require you to be trapped in a small space with Humans for hours. You did great at Lambert’s, but don’t even bother trying to convince me to take the train, because I won’t agree no matter what you say.”

  Jax had another idea in mind and said, “There’s another option. The mountain is extremely large and we can find a secluded path away from prying Human eyes. I could shift and take you up as high as you want.”

  “What do you mean? Are you saying that you would carry me?”

  “You could ride on my back.” To justify his suggestion he said, “You said you wanted to spend more time with that side of me. Here’s your chance.” He then added teasingly, “Unless you’re afraid...”

  Penny gave him a huff and then picked up a small backpack. After grabbing only the bare essentials and some food and drinks, she slipped the pack onto her back. She said with a huge grin, “I’m ready. Shift. We’re wasting daylight.”

  Jax laughed at her enthusiasm and then began to transform. Penny watched intently as his body changed and her pulse increased as each of her now favorite spots appeared. Once he was ready, he motioned her over. After he helped her up on his back, he grabbed onto her legs and asked in Ice’s lower, more raspy, voice, “Ready?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in, and said, “Let’s go.” She gave him a firm kiss on his neck as a thank you.

  After taking a few seconds to lean into the fire of her lips’ touch, he took off into the trees. The unexpected speed and force of his movements made Penny shriek and grab onto him tighter. She was shocked to find how quickly and quietly they traveled. It was as if his feet never touched the ground. Even the typical sounds of snapping twigs or rustling leaves seemed to remain silent as he brushed past them. Whenever his movements stopped, Penny remained perfectly silent. She watched in wonder as the hunter used his keen senses to avoid wild animals and find the quickest paths up the mountain side while still carefully diverting from any areas where a Human was located. They even traveled up slopes that would have required any Human to use special gear.

  Concern for him carrying her weight for so long made her ask him several times if he needed to rest. The only response she received was him tightening his grip on her legs followed by a low growl. Although he wouldn’t take a break for himself, somehow he sensed whenever her body
needed a break. He would stop and force her to drink fluids while giving her a chance to adjust to the ever increasing altitude.

  After traveling for several hours, Penny caught sight of gliders flying silently across the afternoon sky. Although they were standing on a steep ledge that no Human or Changeling in their right mind would attempt to climb, she tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Stop here; this is the place.”

  Hearing the seriousness of her voice, he did as asked and carefully put her feet back on the ground. Given the limited space, he continued to hold on to her as he transformed back to Jax. While Jax dug out the camera and several silk pouches, Penny stared out at the scenic alpine wonderland spread out as far as her eyes could see. She whispered in awe of nature’s artwork, “It’s breath-taking.”

  Jax captured the moment while the air filled with the sparkle of remains of the ones she loved. He held her and waited for the air to clear and her emotions to calm. When the breeze grew to a level that made him uncomfortable for Penny’s safety, Ice carried her to a more stable location at a much lower altitude.

  After eating a quick dinner, Penny announced to Jax that she was ready to return to their camp and then said, “I can’t thank you enough for allowing Ice to bring me up here. I hope staying in your shifted form for so long with me stuck on your back wasn’t too uncomfortable for you.”

  His shifted side actually enjoyed feeling Penny pressed against him and Jax replied, “Actually, I found it much easier than I expected.”

  “We have a ways to get back to camp, and you’ve done more than enough. I can walk the trail from here.”

  He found his darker side was looking forward to again feeling Penny’s body heat so Jax replied, “I got you up here, I’ll get you back down. Besides it’s getting late and there’s no moon tonight. It would be dangerous for you to walk in the dark.”

  “If you insist on carrying me, I would feel better if you had a snack before we go.”

  “We just ate, so I’m not hungry.”

  “I wasn’t talking about that kind of snack.” She gave him a hint by exposing the line of her neck and said, “Don’t try to argue with me on this either. You’re going to have a Human leech attached to your back for a few more hours and you know that it would help make Ice more in control.”

  Knowing that Penny was right, he agreed but, when Jax walked her way, she made him stop. She shook her head and said, “The snack is for Ice. He’s the one that will need it.”

  Seconds later, Penny found herself staring into the dark eyes of Jax’s shifted nature. When she held out her wrist, he shook his head. When she tilted her head to offer him her neck instead, he declined her offer again. She then asked, “No wrist or neck? What spot do you want?”

  As Ice stared lower on her body, Penny said, “You wouldn’t.” Although her words were said warningly, her pulse instantly sped with anticipation.

  He gave her a crooked smile and, before she knew it, he had her pants off and his fangs sunk into her inner thigh. While he enjoyed his snack, Penny filled the woods with her sounds of approval. Even though he loved the noises he could coerce out of her, he didn’t need to take much blood to feel completely re-energized. Too quickly for either of them, he released her and healed her wound. Between the higher altitude, the blood loss, and the tingling sensation that tickled throughout her body, Penny giggled the entire time he helped her get dressed and jump onto his back.

  Ice began the descent down, but had to stop a few times to regroup whenever Penny’s overly good mood caused her to make fake growling noises and attack his exposed neck with her teeth. Although his shifted skin was too hard to bite through, it didn’t stop her from trying and Ice loved every second of it. When they finally made it back to their camp, he had to step away for a moment to force his body to return to its fully Human form. His efforts for the day were rewarded when he finally crawled into the tent, and he was instantly pounced on by his anxiously awaiting tent mate—no unwrapping required.

  Chapter 40 - Protect

  Penny and Jax slept late the next day and, after packing up the camp, drove several hours north to Estes park. After spending a leisurely afternoon and evening finding a place to spread the ashes, they ran into an astronomer taking pictures of the night sky. Although Jax wanted to pass by without stopping, Penny wanted to say hello. Seeing that the man posed no threat, Jax agreed, although he knew that if Penny wanted to do something, he would have done it no matter what he thought.

  When the man saw hikers coming his way, he stood to greet them. Jax used his night vision to examine the Human. He noted that he was a tall, stocky man in his mid-twenties that was dressed in a vest with a hundred pockets, each bulging with a lens or some other electronic gadget. His clothes, hair, and stubble on his chin told him that he had been there for at least a couple of days.

  The astronomer stepped forward carrying a flashlight giving off a low red beam of light. Although Jax knew that the red glow would have given him an even more intimidating appearance, the man held out his hand and said, “I’m Bobby. I’m way off the beaten path, so you’re the first people I’ve seen since I setup camp.”

  After introducing herself and her fiancé, Penny asked, “What are you doing out here?”

  “I’m a doctoral candidate at Colorado State, working on my PhD in mathematics. I’ve been stuck in a lab for weeks so I decided to come out here to spend a few days reigniting my inspiration. Astrophotography has always been my passion and it led me to my latest education path. I’m currently doing research on video data processing.” When Penny stared at him blankly, he explained, “You know about facial recognition where the computer takes an image and determines who you are? Now imagine letting a computer examine a video image to determine if you’re doing something bad, such as walking toward a building carrying a gun. Think about how the capability could change the way we do law enforcement.”

  Jax examined the large amount of equipment spread out on the ground, multiple large telescopes, and countless junk food wrappers. He asked, “How many are with you?” Based on what he was seeing he was guessing at least three more people.

  Bobby replied casually, “It’s just me.” He spoke as if he didn’t understand why his guest would even have asked the question.

  Penny looked up into the moonless night at the wide, open sky filled with exceptionally bright stars and said, “You’ve picked a wonderful spot to stargaze.”

  “I did a lot of research to find this place and I think it’s the best in all of Colorado. I just got all of my equipment setup for the night. Would you like to join me for a few minutes?”

  Penny glanced at Jax, trying to read his mood. When he gave her a nod, she turned to Bobby and said, “We would love to.”

  Although Jax only watched from the sidelines, Penny spent the next hour listening to Bobby share his knowledge and it was obvious his passion lived in the sky above them. When Penny explained why she and Jax were traveling across the country and that they were creating a picture diary of her spreading her family’s ashes, Bobby pointed to the east sky and said, “It isn’t the best time of year to see it, but if you look at the constellation Gemini, you’ll see two bright stars that are close together. These are the twins, Pollux and Castor. In Greek mythology, Pollux was one of two brothers. He was the son of Zeus and immortal, while his brother Castor had a mortal father. They were very close and now they’re shining brightly in the night sky as inseparable brothers for all eternity. Whenever you look at these stars, think of your brothers twinkling above you.” Seeing Penny’s emotions welling, he said, “I can take a picture for you. It will take a few days to process once I get back to the university, but I could email it when it’s ready. It would be my gift to remember me as part of your journey.”

  Penny was truly grateful for his thoughtfulness and nodded silently. After staring at the twins for a while, Bobby let her use his telescope to look at the rings of Saturn while he stepped into the trees for a quick nature break. As he attempted to
return to the camp, he found his path blocked by a large wolf. The animal was stalking slowly toward him with blood dripping from a severe wound in his neck.

  As Bobby froze in place, Jax appeared next to him and whispered, “He’s fatally injured, making him very unpredictable and dangerous. I’ll distract him while you back away slowly.”

  As Bobby did as instructed, Penny walked through the trees. Jax yelled, “Stay back.”

  When the animal began to crouch and snarl menacingly, Jax knew he needed to address the situation immediately. Seeing no other options, he shifted. By the red light of the flashlights, Ice quickly put the animal out of its misery. After returning to Jax’s Human form, he turned to look at his audience.

  Bobby staggered and announced, “You’re a Changeling.”

  Although Penny instantly began to attempt to calm his fears, Bobby squared his shoulders, stepped forward, and held out his hand to Jax. He said while his body shook, “I suspected what you were when I caught your eyes reflecting the light like an animal. But I don’t care. All I know is that you most likely saved my life and are welcome here.” After they shook hands, he added, “I know that wolves are rarely alone so this one may have friends nearby. I have absolutely no ability to protect myself unless you count shining a laser in their eyes. If you would be willing, I would be very grateful if both of you would camp here for the night.”

  Knowing how kind he had been to Penny, Jax replied, “We’ll stay, but I doubt another wolf is something you need to worry about. The injuries on this animal were done by a Night Walker. I can smell their unique scent.”

  Bobby had heard horror stories about this type of Changeling and instinctively cowered as he began to scan the shadows all around them.

  Feeling his fear spike, Penny said, “Don’t judge all of them by a bad few. Not all Night Walkers need to be feared. Actually two of my favorite people in the world are Night Walkers and I trust them with my life.”