Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  Unexpectedly, Taylor sprang over, picked Penny up, and threw her over his shoulder. While she yelled and hit him on the back he said to his family, “We’ll see you all in the morning.”

  Like parents sending off their children to a school dance, Sam and Susi stood at the door with a Great Dane at their side. They waved goodbye and yelled, “Have a great time.”

  Since it was already dark, the twins headed toward a campsite about a mile up the mountain side. Susi’s boots were too big for Penny and were causing her to repeatedly lose her footing. To her complete dismay, the twins picked her up and, as they continued up the trail, they took turns tossing her back and forth as if they were playing catch.

  Once they finally allowed her feet to touch the ground again, they setup camp. They only brought a few blankets to sleep on so it took just a few seconds to have their beds ready.

  By the light of a full moon they laid on their blankets while staring up into the sky and talking. Although Penny participated, the twins could sense that her heart was elsewhere. The mood suddenly shifted and Taylor asked with an uncharacteristically serious tone, “You know that we love you and would do anything for you, don’t you?”

  Tadd added, “You’re the sister we never had.”

  Their sudden seriousness made Penny wary and she replied, “And I consider you family as well.”

  “Well, as your family, we want you to know that we’re very concerned about you. Since you arrived home from your trip, you’ve changed.”

  Penny asked, “You mean the hair and clothes? I thought you liked them.”

  Taylor said, “We do. You look hot. But that isn’t the change I was referring to. We may not be psychic like Ben, but we can tell that something isn’t right. Ben described it to us as an inner loneliness, but he won’t tell us anything specific.”

  Tadd added, “He says your thoughts are private and not for him to share.”

  She waved off their concern and said, “That’s because there isn’t anything to tell. And I’m not lonely. I have all of you.”

  Tailor shook his head. “Spending time with us doesn’t seem to be enough. If that was true, we wouldn’t be sensing what we are from you. We’ve all noticed.”

  Seeing their true concern for her well-being, her smile faded and she replied somberly, “I’m trying. Accepting the loss of my family has been hard.”

  Taylor quickly replied, “We think that it’s more than that. We had a family meeting and we decided that you need more help than what we can provide.”

  Penny sat up and asked in disbelief, “You want me to go see a shrink?”

  Taylor replied, “Actually we were thinking that maybe you should spend some time with your Human side. You spent every free minute working, locked up in your cabin, or with us at Sam’s. You’ve completely segregated yourself from your own world.”

  “Is this the reason why you kidnapped me tonight? To try and convince me to make more Human friends? Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  Seeing panic appear in her eyes, Taylor exclaimed, “No! That’s not what we’re saying. We can’t imagine you not being a part of our lives. But it’s like you’re locking out the world that you came from. We’ve been selfish with you and think you should take time to connect back to who and what you are. Maybe if you re-engage, it will help fill the hole that we can’t fix.”

  “I spend all day with Humans. Besides, my life is too complicated to add in others.”

  “You work with Humans, but that’s it. We want you to do whatever it takes to be happy again. Maybe Human friends would give you a break from the craziness our world brings.”

  She replied, “I thank you for your concern and I swear that I’m as happy as I can be given my circumstances. However, I do hear what you’re saying and promise I’ll think about it.”

  “That’s all we’re asking.”

  The mood shifted again when Taylor teased, “Then again, you and I could date and let our bodies intertwine. That could make camping more interesting.” As he waggled his eyebrows at her, she hit him square in the chest with a clump of dirt.

  “You?” Tadd exclaimed. “If she was going to date anyone, she would definitely have picked me.”

  Penny watched the two play fight over her and the woods echoed with her laughter. After she declared their battle a tie, they switched to a debate over to the traits of a perfect mate. Given the description Penny provided, they thought that only superman would meet her requirements. They were completely unaware that, as she spoke, she had only one face in her mind—that of Jax.

  When Penny yawned, they decided to call it a night. Although it was a beautiful warm evening, Penny convinced them to start a fire, saying that she liked to listen to the wood crackle and pop. By the light of the moon, they separated to collect kindling.

  Penny had collected an armful of branches and, just before she turned to head back to camp, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and an inner voice said, “Danger.” She dropped the wood and spun to find a stranger blocking her path. Before she had a chance to speak, the twins in their fully shifted wolf forms jumped in front of her protectively.

  The recent arrival didn’t flinch at their sudden appearance. Instead he said, “Hey TnT. Long time no see.”

  The twins shifted back to Human, but remained in front of Penny. Taylor asked, “What are you doing here, Thorne?”

  “I was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop in to see Sam and Susi. I heard a woman’s laughter and thought that they might be out here hunting.” Seeing the twins standing guard protectively in front of a Human he asked, “I see that you’re out here with a playmate.” After he caught a unique scent in the air, his eyes opened wide and he asked, “Could the creature behind you be the infamous Penny?”

  Shocked to hear him use her name, Penny moved so that she had a clear view of Thorne and asked, “How do you know who I am?”

  “You’re the Human that was traveling with Ice, right? You’re rather famous in my circles. Based on how they talk about you, I thought you were some wicked creature hell-bent on our destruction. No one told me how pretty you were.” He took in a deep breath and filled his lungs with the scent lingering in the air. He gave her an approving, fang filled smile and added, “Or how very sweet you smell.”

  Penny knew, without a doubt, that Thorne was a Night Walker and every cell in her body warned her to keep her distance. Her inner voice seconded her thoughts and added the word, “Enemy.”

  Everyone stared at each other, trying to decide what to do. Penny broke the silence and said, “Why don’t we go back to camp so that Taylor and Tadd can get dressed. Their bare backsides are blinding me. We can then give Sam a call and let him know that you’re here.” Naked bodies weren’t the real reason for the suggestion. She was desperate to get back to a phone to call in reinforcements.

  They did as Penny suggested and, as they traveled through the trees, Thorne kept shooting glances over at her inquisitively. Within minutes of Taylor’s call, Sam and Susi came racing into camp. After pleasantries were over, Sam didn’t like seeing Penny so exposed so he asked, “Why don’t we head to the house where we can have a drink?”

  They headed down the mountainside and Penny cursed. She had no ability to keep up with their inhuman speed, so she agreed to travel downhill on the back of Taylor’s shifted form. Thorne raised his eyebrows, seeing a Human so comfortable around Changelings.

  Once they were safely back in the house and Chad saw their unexpected houseguest he, in his Rottweiler form, pinned himself to Penny’s side. Penny didn’t argue since her inner warning alarm hadn’t quieted for a second. Ben joined those assembled and saw Thorne’s intense stares directed toward Penny and heard Penny’s intense reactions in her very loud inner voice.

  Ben uncharacteristically stepped forward and said, “Hey Penny. It’s very late. Why don’t we go upstairs and let the Night Walkers chat?” He added a slight nod to Chad to tell him to remain at her side.

  Penny knew that
she should heed Ben’s warning tone, but she found herself wanting to stand her ground with this stranger. Her fists clenched as her inner voice said, “Fight.” She was shocked by her continued boldness. Chad had to bump her several times to force her to go against her new tough Human attitude and walk to the stairs.

  Thorne called as she was leaving the room, “It was nice to meet you, Penny. I can see why Ice enjoys your company. If you’re ever in need of an escort in the future, keep me in mind. I would be happy to spend my nights protecting you.” He breathed in her scent one last time.

  “Liar,” Penny’s inner voice yelled at herself. For the sake of the family, she decided to remain polite and said out loud, “Thanks for the offer, but I have plenty of protectors right here that watch over me.” She scratched Chad’s Rottweiler head affectionately.

  Once Penny was safely tucked away in the guest room she instantly positioned herself with her ear to the door, trying to catch the conversation that continued downstairs. As she yelled at her pitiful Human hearing, Chad grabbed the edge of her shirt and tugged her toward the bed. She finally gave in and said, “Okay Chad, don’t cough up a hair ball. I’m going.” After grabbing a shirt she found in the closet, she changed and crawled under the sheets.

  Once she was properly covered, Chad jumped on the bed in the form of a small Beagle. After Ben sat on her other side, she said, “Thanks to both of you for taking care of me.” Looking toward the door and knowing the dangers that were sitting downstairs, she heaved a sigh. She hated the trouble she constantly brought to her Changeling family. She looked at the kidnapping co-conspirators and said, “Maybe all of you are right and I need to spend some time with my own kind. Tell the rest of the family I’ll honestly try.”

  Chad licked her across the face, making her giggle. While he rested his head on her stomach, Ben sprawled out next to her and the two friends talked. It didn’t take long before her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

  As the sun rose, Penny found herself deep in a dream where she was enthusiastically thanking Jax for saving her from the clutches of a hungry Night Walker. Jax was wrenched from her arms when the twins bounced on the bed hard enough that she was almost knocked to the floor.

  Taylor ignored Penny’s screech and exclaimed, “Morning, Peanut!”

  After Penny’s brain recovered from the shock, she replied while rubbing her eyes, “Good morning, boys.”

  Tadd asked, “Hey, what was up with you last night? Your fearlessness reminded me of Jax. We were afraid that you were going to jump across the table and take Thorne out.”

  “I don’t know what was wrong with me. I guess my new look has given me an odd sense of power. By the way, is Thorne still here?” She was surprised to find that a part of her was ready to stare down the Night Walker again.

  Taylor replied, “No. Razor gave him a ride into town.”

  Penny sat up and asked, “Razor? When did he get here?”

  “He and Jax arrived about an hour after you went to bed. Razor took Thorne into Portland and is going to stay with him for a while to see what their kind is up to. Jax is downstairs having breakfast.”

  She hadn’t seen Jax in a couple of weeks and the thought that they were in the same house together made her pulse race. She crawled out of bed and said while trying to hide her longing, “I’ll get dressed and be right down.”

  After the twins left the room, Penny cleaned up as best she could and put on the clothes she arrived in the evening before. She didn’t want him leaving before she got a chance to see him. As she hurried downstairs, she followed the voices to the kitchen where she found everyone, including Sam and Susi, discussing the previous night’s events.

  All talking stopped abruptly the moment Penny stepped into the room. She was going to argue with them over leaving her out of the conversation, but all thoughts disappeared when her eyes locked on Jax. When she caught Ben’s grin out of the corner of her eye, she quickly looked away. Seeing Sam and Susi, she said, “The sun is up. Shouldn’t you two be in bed?”

  Sam replied, “We were just about to head that way.”

  As they stood to leave Penny said, “I’m sorry my presence caused you issues with your kind again.”

  Susi kissed Penny’s forehead and said, “Everything is fine.”

  Penny didn’t need her new inner voice to tell her that they were hiding from her the reality of the situation they now faced. She fixed herself a plate at the stove and when she turned to sit at the table, she found the only spot available was next to Jax. Seeing Ben avoiding her gaze, she assumed that he had somehow manipulated the situation. She took in a deep breath and sat down.

  As she tried to eat, she found herself unconsciously leaning toward Jax and hoping to somehow touch him. To distract her inner voice, she turned to face him and asked, “I talked to Charlie a few nights ago and she said you were there. Did you go to see Razor?”

  Jax replied, “I didn’t realize that you and Charlie were keeping in touch.”

  Penny nodded and said, “I really like her. We video chat and I’ve also used it to give Van Gogh advice on his artwork.”

  Jax chuckled and replied, “You’ve created a monster in that boy. He’s already painted several rooms and I saw no signs of him slowing.”

  “But I still seem to be enemy number one for those that live there. I gave Charlie and Van Gogh permission to join in on Snack bashing so that no one will suspect that we’re friends.”

  “Who’s Snack?” Taylor asked.

  Penny replied, “Didn’t I tell you? The moment those at the Ice Castle saw me with Jax, they assumed that I was his walking talking snack and my street name was born.”

  As soon as Jax heard the name Snack, his mouth instantly began to water. Since returning home, his darker side refused to feed from a vein other than Penny’s.

  While the twins did a worthiness comparison of the nicknames Peanut versus Snack, Penny squirmed. She had sensed Jax’s need and her inner voice pleaded, “Feed.”

  When breakfast was over, Penny decided to implement a plan. After announcing that it was time for her to go home, she gathered her things and surprised Jax when she asked, “Would you walk me to my car?” She then glanced over to Ben and said in her mind, “If you can hear me, can you keep everyone busy for a few minutes?” She then waited a moment to see if Ben would respond. Her answer was immediate when Ben challenged the twins to a round of Rock, Paper, Scissors. It was a game they often played and, to the twins’ frustration, Ben never lost. The twins took the bait and were determined to block their thoughts long enough to finally beat him.

  When the overly loud battle began, Penny walked outside with Jax behind her. As soon as she was behind the Rover and blocked from view from the house, she turned and said, “I know that you and I are not a couple anymore, but you’re still my best friend. I felt your need during breakfast and would like to offer you a Penny snack.”

  Jax shook his head and said, “You don’t have to do this. I’ll survive.”

  “But I want to do this. I owe you my life and it’s a debt a million snacks wouldn’t cover. You told me that you would always be there for me if I ever needed you. Well the same thing applies to you. I want to be here whenever you need me.” Seeing his continued resistance, she added “But if you really don’t want it...”

  It was Jax’s inner voice’s turn to scream within his mind. Penny couldn’t hear his thoughts, but his expression betrayed his desperate need. She loosened her shirt and said, “You’ll have to use a spot that I can easily cover with my clothes. I do want to apologize to the part of you that’s Ice for not being able to offer his preferred spot, but given where we are, I hope this selection will do.” She opened her shirt enough to expose her chest.

  Jax stared at the softness of her exposed skin and watched as her breasts heaved with each breath. Seconds later he found himself kneeling in front of her with his cheek pressed against her, listening to her heart beat loud and steady. He breathed in the scent just before h
e penetrated her silky skin with his fangs. As he dank in rhythm with her pulse, Penny closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his short hair. She was completely lost in the much missed sensations he was causing inside her. Meanwhile Jax’s whole body moaned in relief as the fire of her blood now coursed through his own veins.

  He knew that it wouldn’t be safe for her to drive home if he took too much so he forced himself to stop. Even after he healed her wound, he didn’t back away. Instead he wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tightly. She returned his embrace and kissed the top of his head.

  After they finally separated and he stood, they silently stared into each other’s eyes for a few minutes. Jax wanted to kiss her so badly, but he knew if their lips touched he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from stripping her naked and pinning her to the back of the Rover.

  Penny smiled at the look of desire now flaming in his eyes. Somehow it helped her to know that he was struggling to suppress the feelings he still had for her. She said, “Please call on me whenever you’re in need of another snack.” After he nodded, she got into her car and drove away without looking back.

  She went to bed that night with her ice pack stuffed pillows. After having intimate dreams of Jax, she woke when she reached out and didn’t find her dream lover lying beside her. As she walked around the house, she sensed Jax’s presence outside and knew that he was in the woods watching over her. When she smiled at the thought, she realized that her feelings for him hadn’t faded at all. In fact they felt like they were actually getting stronger. Being in Jax’s arms the previous day had caused all of her feeling for him to burst to the surface again. As her body again longed for his touch, she feared that, without taking drastic measures, she was fighting a losing battle.

  Chapter 54 - Deception

  A few days later shortly after the sun set, Razor returned to Sam’s house. After his fellow Changelings quickly gathered together, he said, “They think I’m out hunting so I can’t stay long, but I need to talk to all of you.”