Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  Penny blurted out, “I promise,” and quickly got out of the vehicle before he could change his mind. As they stepped away from the Rover, she asked, “Where are we going?”

  “I’ll explain after.” In a feeble attempt to justify his actions, he added, “You think the twins are a handful? Just wait until you meet Charlie.”

  Instead of clearing up Penny’s confusion, his response perplexed her even more. “Who’s Charlie?” she asked as Jax headed down the street. Following his instructions to the letter, she let a large gap grow between the two of them. She couldn’t stop herself from chuckling when she saw that the theory she expressed in the Rover was right. Jax’s unusual appearance went completely unnoticed by those he passed.

  Penny stopped in her tracks when Jax put up his hand to silently tell her to stay where she was. She stood quietly while Jax stretched his muscles before turning into an alley. He continued down the narrow corridor toward the back where several young men were being taunted and tossed about by an extremely attractive woman.

  Penny squinted into the shadows in an attempt to make out what was happening. “Is that Angelina Jolie?” she whispered in shock as she stared at the woman that looked exactly like the Lara Croft character from the Tomb Raider movies—from the curvy figure and tight clothes to the guns strapped to her thighs. Penny couldn’t imagine why the men were being attacked by a casino celebrity impersonator and why Jax was joining in. She jumped when Jax slammed the Angelina look-alike against the wall.

  While holding her body at bay, Jax turned to the cowering men and commanded, “Leave.”

  The men hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do. But when Angelina pulled out a knife and began to fight Jax’s restraint, they quickly scrambled back onto their feet and ran. As they raced out of the ally, Penny pinned herself against the wall to get out of their way. Once they were out of sight, she turned to see what Jax was going to do next.

  The scene went from somewhat funny to frightening in an instant when Jax, originally trying to subdue Angelina, now faced an adversary that looked remarkably like Arnold Schwarzenegger dressed as his character from the Conan the Barbarian movies.

  Penny gasped and whispered to herself, “She, I mean he, is a Changeling?”

  Jax released the darker side of Ice. After growling low, he knocked the character’s massive broadsword from his hand. Now disconnected from the magic, it instantly disappeared into thin air. Ice then glared at the shifter and yelled, “Knock it off, Charlie.”

  After one last attempt to escape Ice’s grip, Conan slowly began to shrink and change. When the transformation was complete, his form had changed into a petite, overly thin, naked, young woman that looked to be around 18 years old.

  Jax returned to his Human form and the woman hit him hard in the chest, saying “Damn it, Ice. You take away all of my fun.”

  As Jax picked up the blanket and wrapped it around Charlie’s body, he said, “I’ve warned you more times than I can count about terrorizing Humans.”

  “They’re assholes and deserved it, but I did what you said. No one saw me shift and I didn’t kill anyone this time.”

  “One of these days you’re going to run into a group that are going to call your bluff and I won’t be there to protect you.”

  Sensing a presence, Charlie suddenly snapped her head toward the opening to the alley and exclaimed, “Shit! A Human.” At the same time she started to shift into something large and green.

  Seeing the transformation beginning, Jax said, “Calm down, Charlie. She’s with me.” Once Charlie was back in her fully Human form, Jax waved Penny forward. Penny did as instructed and, when she was at his side, Jax said, “Penny, this is Charlie.” He turned to Charlie and said, “Charlie, this is Penny—a friend.”

  Charlie’s eyes opened wide. She had never seen Ice share space voluntarily with a Human and he’d never referred to one as a friend. Actually, she had never heard him use that term to refer to anyone.

  Although Penny was thrilled that Jax acknowledged her as someone in his life, she instinctively took a step back from the intensity of Charlie’s stare. It was obvious she held no love for Humans.

  After giving Penny a quick look-over, she turned to Jax and asked, “What are you doing here with a Human in tow?”

  Jax replied with anger and frustration in his voice, “I’m here saving your ass for the thousandth time.” Before Charlie had a chance to respond, Jax commanded, “Get dressed and let’s get out of here before the cops arrive.”

  Charlie grabbed the stack of clothes she had stashed and, after getting dressed, she began to pick up the money that littered the ground. Penny quickly jumped in to help her. When Penny handed over a stack of bills, Charlie yanked them from her fingers with unnecessary force. While she tucked the money into her back pockets, she glared at Penny and said, “Ice, you didn’t answer my earlier question. What’s up with the Human?”

  Jax replied sternly, “She’s none of your concern and when did my actions become any of your business?” His expression told her that he wasn’t in the mood for her snippy attitude.

  Charlie snapped back, “Fine. What difference is it to me if you want to play with your food before ripping its neck out?”

  Jax growled at Charlie, informing her that her behavior was unacceptable, but she continued to shoot disapproving glares at Penny.

  Jax pushed Charlie forward and said, “Move it. The Rover is parked along the road.”

  As they started up the alley, Charlie moved to position herself between Jax and Penny. Jax quickly grabbed Charlie’s arm and dragged her to his other side, opposite from the object of her curiosity. He decided it would be best to keep the two of them apart until he knew if Penny was safe with his underling. To avoid the inevitable Penny conversation for a few more minutes, he asked Charlie, “Would you like to explain yourself? What were you thinking?”

  Charlie replied, “I’m tired of being useless, so I decided to use my talents to get the castle some money to help earn my keep. I’ve been working really hard on my shifting abilities and have learned to change into famous movie characters.” She squared her shoulders and added proudly, “I can now do about half a dozen well enough that people race to my side. They pay to get their picture taken with me.” After only getting the impressed reaction she was looking for from the Human, she went back to her explanation. “Those two rich brats were in the casino showing off all their money and were trying to pay Angelina to do more than just pose for a picture, so I decided to teach them a lesson. They thought I was some wimpy, out of work actress that was willing to do anything for a few bucks, so I lured them outside.” As she pulled out a stack of bills and counted, she added with a chuckle, “That’s one mistake they paid dearly for.” Tucking the ill-gotten money back into her pocket, she nodded toward Penny and asked Ice, “So are you ready to tell me about your walking snack?”

  “No.” Jax pushed Charlie again to keep her moving forward.

  When they arrived at the Rover, Charlie cut across Penny’s path and announced, “I call shotgun.”

  Hearing the words that Penny had heard from Max a thousand times, the faces of her brothers instantly filled her mind. Jax felt her emotions as a stab in his chest but, when he looked over at Penny, she crammed herself into the backseat without saying a word.

  As they drove down the road, Penny’s mental state forced her to break the awkward silence by asking, “Jax, where exactly are we going?”

  Charlie snapped her attention over at the driver and asked in surprise, “Your real name is Jax?”

  Realizing that she may have shared information Jax may not have wanted others to know, Penny quickly apologized and decided that, from this point forward, she would use his street name while she was in the company of unknown Changelings.

  Jax glanced over at Charlie and said, “Of course I have a real name, Charlotte.”

  Charlie cringed at the use of her real name and exclaimed, “Don’t call me that!” After a moment of silen
ce she asked, “Well, may I call you Jax?”

  Jax’s response was quick and to the point, “No.”

  Charlie took a moment to stare at Jax inquisitively. Seeing him wearing a non-black shirt and his normally shaved head covered in short hair, she said, “A new name, a new look…you’ve changed.”

  Jax shifted his fingers into claws and, while he tapped the steering wheel and let out a growl so deep the vehicle vibrated, Charlie smiled and teased, “I guess the Ice we know and love is still in there.”

  He grunted in response and let his hands return to their Human form.

  Charlie looked back at Penny and said with a hint of jealousy, “To answer your question, Human. Ice is taking me back to my home in our Ice Castle.” She emphasized the words ‘my’ and ‘our’ in an attempt to inform Penny that Charlie was also a part of Jax’s world.

  Penny ignored her tone and replied as a matter of fact, “That’s right. Sam told me that they called Ice’s safe houses Ice Castles.”

  Charlie’s eyes opened wide and she asked, “You know Sam?”

  Penny nodded and said, “I live near him and his family. I actually met them through Tadd and Taylor.” Realizing that Charlie might not know their real names either, she said, “I mean Smoke and Fire. Do you know them?”

  Charlie rolled her eyes and replied, “Of course I know TnT. I’ve actually known them for years. After Ice brought me to the castle, the twins took care of me. They taught me how to survive on the streets.”

  Jax grunted and said, “More like taught you how to get into trouble.”

  Penny chuckled and said, “They’re masters at that. But I didn’t realize that the twins came from Reno.” She looked over at Ice and said, “I assumed that they were from your home town of Chicago.”

  Charlie looked at Jax and asked, “You’re from Chicago? We thought you were from somewhere in the southeast.” She was really getting irritated that this Human knew more about Ice than she did.

  Seeing the almost hurt expression on Charlie’s face, Penny realized that the twins were right. Jax had kept facts about himself and his life from everyone—including those from his own kind. When she looked down at her hands and caught the sparkle from her diamond ring, she decided that another fact needed to be kept secret. She quietly pulled of the ring and tucked it into a pocket in her purse. She had become so accustomed to its presence, the change felt wrong and uncomfortable. She pushed back her feelings and, in an attempt to shift the mood in the car, Penny asked, “By the way, Ice. How did you know that Charlie was in the alley?”

  Charlie let out a loud, “Ha!” and asked condescendingly, “I thought you knew everything about Ice?”

  Penny stood her ground and, ignoring Charlie’s outburst, asked Jax, “Did you sense her using your blood tracking ability?”

  While Charlie cursed, Ice nodded and said, “As we drove down the strip, I could sense that someone I’m protecting was close by. With Charlie I feel it as a stabbing pain in my ass.”

  Charlie laughed and said, “Wow. You’ve gained a sense of humor. That’s somewhat disturbing.”

  Penny listened to the two argue for a few minutes. Then, to move on to a new subject, she asked loud enough to stop Charlie’s current rant, “Hey Charlie. Earlier you said ‘we’. How many live at the Ice Castle with you?”

  Not trusting the Human, Charlie replied, “I think that fact I’ll keep to myself, Human. Pray you never find out because several of my friends have fangs that they would love to introduce to that pretty little neck of yours.”

  Jax yelled, exasperated, “I told you to knock it off!”

  Charlie replied, “You brought her, and it’s the truth. Those at the castle would love meeting her. I may think drinking blood is disgusting, but even I can tell she smells sweet for a Human.”

  Penny ignored Charlie’s last comment and asked a little too excitedly for Jax’s comfort, “You have Night Walkers like Sam and Susi?”

  Charlie replied, “A Night Walker named Razor is in charge of the group and I know they would all love to have you over for dinner. One of them is new and has only been with us for about a week.” She gave Penny an evil grin and added, “He isn’t tame yet.”

  Jax replied, “Charlie. Stop trying to scare Penny. She’ll be fine.”

  Realizing what Ice had just said, Charlie asked, “Wait, you plan to let her see where we live? I figured you planned to dump her along the road somewhere before we got home. She can’t go; she’ll expose us.”

  Penny was ecstatic, realizing that she was about to see a safe house. But before she could respond, Ice replied without hesitation, “No, she won’t.”

  Penny was truly touched by Jax’s response, but Charlie just got more frustrated with the whole situation. She tried to use Jax’s unexplained toleration for the Human to her advantage and said, “Well, it’s too dangerous for her, so she can’t come in.”

  Jax couldn’t argue about the dangerous part but, when an idea popped into his mind, he smiled and said to Charlie, “Since you think it’s too dangerous, you’re going to be her protector while she’s there.”

  Charlie exclaimed, “Hell no! I’m not babysitting a disgusting Human.”

  Penny tried to defuse the situation by saying, “It’s okay; I don’t need a babysitter. I’m willing to take the risk.”

  Jax replied flatly back to Penny, “I’m not.” He then gave Charlie a stare that told her not to argue and said, “You will do what I ask and you’ll do it with a smile.”

  Charlie cursed and then said, “Fine.” She plastered a huge, fake smile on her face and, after turning back in a huff, she said under her breath, “This has to be the worst thing that you’ve ever made me do. She better do what I say or all bets are off.”

  From the backseat, Penny said, “I promise to listen to you and not be a burden.”

  As Charlie mumbled things that Penny knew it was best not to hear, Penny sat back and marveled at the whole situation. The conversation between Jax and Charlie reminded her of her own teen years when she fought with her father. She knew Jax well enough to know that no one argued with him, but yet, he allowed it with this Changeling. It told her that, even though he was furious with the young woman, his anger was because he cared for her. And even though she was arguing back, it was obvious that she cared for him as well. But in the end, like Penny with her father, Charlie would do whatever Jax asked of her.

  Although Penny had many questions burning to come out, she kept them to herself and they spent the rest of the trip in silence.

  Chapter 44 - Other Life

  Jax drove through several backstreets and, when he approached an old run down building, Penny’s pulse started to race with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to see a home that Jax had created for his people.

  As they pulled into a back entrance, someone must have been watching because a large door automatically opened for them. Once the path was clear, Jax pulled in and the door quickly closed behind him. At that point, Penny knew that there was no turning back.

  Just before Jax got out of the Rover, he urgently placed his hand on Charlie’s arm and said, “I’m trusting you to help watch over Penny because I know you’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Don’t let me down.”

  Initially Charlie was taken aback to have the one she looked up to touch her. It was the first time he had ever done it without anger being involved. Although she had no idea why he wanted this insignificant Human protected, she knew that he didn’t give his trust easily. She was suddenly filled with pride that he thought her strong enough to do this job for him. She wouldn’t let him down, no matter how disgusting she thought of the assignment.

  She hesitantly put her hand on top of his cool skin and said, “You can trust me. I promise I’ll watch over her and, if anyone gives her grief, Conan will knock the crap out of them with his broadsword.”

  Penny cleared her throat loudly and, once she had their attention, she asked Charlie, “Can you make it Thor instead? Chris Hemsworth has d
reamy eyes. Anyone staring at those baby blues would melt into submission.”

  When Penny fanned herself, Charlie couldn’t hold back a snicker and said, “I can’t argue with you on that one, Human.” For a brief second she found she had something in common with Penny but, as she recalled her being tossed to the curb by her childhood family, the hate she held for all Humans crashed back into her mind.

  As they walked through the main door into the living quarters, the three travelers were met by several dozen Changelings. It was apparent that they had been told of their arrival and were waiting to greet their guests. When they made eye contact with Jax they all stood a little taller. Penny remained hidden behind him and, when she peeked around his back to see those that had assembled, she thought the scene reminded her of movies where the villagers all welcomed home an honored warrior after a battle where he saved the village. In this current scene, the villagers came in a multitude of shapes, sizes, and colors. Although several looked Human, she knew they hid another side to their nature. Others weren’t so lucky. Their form forced them to stay out of the public eye because their nature fully surfaced and appeared to have replaced their Human form.

  Penny’s visual tour ended when a tall, thin man with pointed ears stepped forward and said, “Welcome back, Ice. We weren’t expecting you in town again so soon.”

  Jax replied, “I had to take an unexpected trip to the east coast and I’m heading back to Oregon now. I was passing through the strip and ran into one of ours playing with a few Humans.” He pushed the guilty party forward.

  While staring down at Charlie, the man asked, “Sorry, I assume you found her by a casino?” When Jax nodded, the man said, “She’s been warned repeatedly to stay out of the downtown area.” He then added while glaring daggers at Charlie, “It’s dangerous and you know it.”

  Charlie pulled out a large stack of bills and said, “But Spock. I have talents for a reason and, as your name-sake would say, it would be illogical to not utilize the gifts that I’ve been given.” She handed him the money and added proudly, “Here’s my contribution for the castle.”