Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  Thorne stood, nodded approvingly, and said, “Ice, it’s nice to see that the real you is back.”

  Jax admitted, “I was a bit distracted for a while, but my head is on straight again.” He squeezed his date and said, “I just needed to spend some time in the right arms.”

  Thorne then glanced at the Changeling he was referring to and added, “Nicely done, Chloe. By the way, you look stunning tonight.”

  “Thanks.” She snuggled into Jax’s embrace and added, “I’ve been waiting forever for Ice to contact me. Then out of the blue my phone rang and I heard his voice on the other end. I don’t know exactly what he’s been up to this last year but, whatever it was, I’m glad it’s over.”

  Sam asked casually, “Are you two going someplace special tonight?”

  Jax kissed Chloe’s hand and said, “I have something a little more private planned for our evening.”

  As Chloe swooned, Penny came racing through the kitchen door and called, “Jax, is that you? It’s about time you made it home.” She stopped dead in her tracks and almost tripped over her own feet when she spotted her target with his arm wrapped around his guest’s shoulder. Recognizing the Changeling at Jax’s side, Penny asked with genuine confusion, “What’s going on? Chloe, what are you doing here?”

  Before Chloe could respond, Jax whispered something in her ear and she obediently stepped to the side. He then glared at Penny and said without any sign of emotion, “Human, go home. You don’t belong here.”

  Penny fumbled with the words to say and stuttered out, “Why? What did I do wrong?”

  “You’re Human. I think that says it all.” He glanced back at Chloe and added, “I’ve found someone more capable of fulfilling my real needs.”

  Penny had been afraid of being able to cry, but seeing Jax with Chloe was the key to unlocking her emotional floodgate and real tears began to fall.

  Completely ignoring the sudden streams running down Penny’s face, Jax glanced over to Susi for a moment as if debating on a decision. He then returned his attention on Penny and said, “For Susi’s sake I’m going to let you walk out of here even though you know what we are, but beware of shadowed corners. If you betray us or anyone from the Changeling world in the slightest way I promise you that it’ll be the last thing you do.”

  Penny cowered from the cold chill that was quickly filling the room but, when she continued to stare at him without saying a word, he asked with a deep, low growl, “Do you understand me, Human?”

  Penny sniffed back tears and whispered, “Yes, Jax.”

  Jax let out a roar that made everyone in the room jump and then cower. He said, “My name is Ice. Don’t ever call me by that Human name again.” He then softened his expression slightly and moaned before he added with disappointment, “Damn, I really do enjoy a good, long wounded animal hunt. Maybe another day, Snack.”

  While Penny continued to sob quietly, Jax looked to Sam and said, “I apologize for my long indiscretion and for my weakness for giving into my Human urges. That side of me has run its course and is tightly locked away again.” He turned and held out his hand to Chloe and said, “I must apologize to you as well for interrupting our evening with such an unpleasant scene.”

  It took a moment for Chloe’s mind to re-engage. After she regrouped, she scrambled back to Jax’s side.

  As they walked away, he told those assembled, “I expect this room to be silenced from the irritating Human’s wailing within ten minutes or I will rescind my promise to Susi.” The continued chill in the air informed them that, although his words were said calmly, his darker side was awake and prepared to embark on a Snack hunt at the slightest command.

  Penny’s eyes were locked on Jax’s hand pressed on Chloe’s lower back as he guided her down the steps to his bedroom. As he closed the door tightly behind them, she suddenly realized that his room was a place she had never been invited or even seen.

  Everyone turned to look at Penny, who was still standing helplessly in the middle of the room, sniffing back tears and wiping trails of black mascara running down her cheeks. She glanced around, looking for anyone to offer her comfort. Although Thorne had a satisfied smirk on his face, everyone else refused to look at her, so she slowly made her way to the door.

  Just as she touched the door handle, Taylor jumped up and called, “Wait a minute.”

  She spun around, hoping to find a sympathetic face but instead, her former friend handed her a box and said, “We collected all of your things so that you wouldn’t have to come back.”

  Seeing her brother’s silver eagle dangling from his neck reminded her that this was all a ruse and it gave her the strength she needed to remain upright. Taylor brushed against Penny’s hand as she took the box from him and, when their eyes met, she could feel the agony he was in. She gave him a gentle smile, turned, and walked out the door. Moments later, Penny was in her car and speeding down the lane.

  Back in the house, Thorne said, “Well, that’s that.” After a moment of silence, he asked, “Do you think that Ice would mind if I pay Snack a friendly visit? Even when she’s a mess, that girl makes my mouth water.”

  Although his reaction told them their ploy most likely worked, everyone in the room was clenching their fists to prevent themselves from ripping him apart. Sam found the strength to reply, “I would highly recommend keeping your distance from her for a long while. When Ice tosses something out, he doesn’t look back. He may not have any interest in Penny anymore, but he doesn’t take kindly to others ‘garbage picking’ his former property. I can tell you from past experiences that his reaction isn’t pretty and those that tried it didn’t live long enough to tell the tale.”

  Seeing the strained faces of those in the room, Razor suggested, “Talking about snacking has made me thirsty. Who wants to join me for a little hunting?”

  Thorne agreed instantly and the twins were fully shifted and out the door before Razor stood. They all felt awful for what they forced Penny to go through and needed to run off their guilt and anger. Sam also agreed to go so that he could distract attention away from Susi, who had raced into her bedroom to hide her own tears. Within seconds of her being alone and with her hands shaking, Susi sent dozens of apology texts. She begged Penny to respond to her to let her know that she was okay.

  Meanwhile, Penny was now sitting quietly in the passenger seat with Ben driving. He and Chad had hidden in the backseat so that they could offer her comfort. Feeling her anguish, Ben had asked her to pull over as soon as she was out of sight of the house. She gratefully gave him the keys since she was having a hard time seeing with her eyes red and swollen from crying.

  Penny hadn’t said a word since leaving the house, but words weren’t necessary with Ben. He had experienced the scene multiple times through Penny’s mind. Although it had all been an act for Thorne’s benefit, Penny’s tears were quite real. She forgot how cold and unfeeling the old Ice was and hearing his words of hatred toward her was almost more than she could take.

  When the scene of Jax leading Chloe to his bedroom flashed repeatedly in her mind, Ben responded to her thoughts. “None us knew that Chloe was a part of this. I know how much it hurt you, but Jax had to make all of our expressions of shock look real to make the scene believable.”

  Penny replied, “I know and it worked. But to see him with Chloe in his arms and seeing the look on her face… I don’t think she was acting. She was there because the old Ice called her and she came running.” Penny’s mind instantly filled with images of what Jax could be doing at that moment to convince Chloe that their deception was very real.

  Feeling her jealousy and sense of betrayal, Ben said, “I guarantee that he was the old Ice only because he could never have done what he needed to do as Jax. Your safety is his number one priority and you know that he doesn’t do anything half way. He knew how hard it was going to be for you to act out fake pain. Seeing you in real agony, although difficult, most likely saved your life. Try to push it all out of your mind. It’s over n
ow.”

  “But that’s the thing. It isn’t over and never will be. We may have fooled Thorne, but he’s just one of many. We’ll have to keep this ruse going forever or we risk exposing the truth. I honestly don’t care what happens to me, but I refuse to let them hurt the ones I love most in this world because of me. If they find out, they won’t hesitate killing all of you or worse. They could use you to make examples of what they do to traitors.”

  ‘We’ll be fine and we’ll find a way to make this work out.” Although she nodded in response, he heard her thoughts of doubt.

  Once they arrived at her cabin, Ben escorted her in and Chad brought up the rear. She found her phone in her purse and, when she turned it back on, it beeped continuously informing her that she had a bank of texts waiting for her. Seeing that they were all from Susi, she decided to read them later. Instead she sent her a quick reply stating that she was okay and that Ben and Chad were with her. Seeing no text from Jax, she excused herself to go change her clothes.

  While Ben waited for her to return, he and Chad walked around to marvel at the many sketches that covered the walls. Seeing a section that had already been painted, he knew that the designs were guides for her planned masterpiece. When Penny returned, Ben exclaimed, “Your sketches are fantastic! I know you told me that you were painting your bedroom, but I had no idea that your entire cabin was your canvas.”

  “It’s lonely here at night and painting keeps my mind distracted.”

  Pointing to a roll of chicken wire and other non-standard decorating supplies, he asked with genuine interest, “What’s your overall plan?”

  “I’m going to make this room look like a camp in the woods. I’ve been studying 3-D design on the internet and plan to have my artwork come out of the walls.” What she didn’t say out loud was that it was a scene from Crater Lake where she had spent a very passionate night with Jax.

  Ben said, “This is quite an undertaking.”

  “You already know that I haven’t been sleeping well so I have a lot of free time on my hands.”

  Ben was very aware of her situation so she didn’t need to elaborate any further. He held out his hand and led her to the couch. Once they were seated and Chad’s Great Dane head was resting on her lap, he said, “I do know how painful tonight was for you and how hard the coming months will be, but I have an idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A week ago when I stopped in to see you at work, I overheard the others asking you to join them for a few drinks. When you said no, I didn’t press it at the time, but now I think it’s time to offer a different answer.”

  “The twins already talked to me about this a few days ago.”

  “They’re right. Until we figure this out, you’ll need others to help you.” Seeing her wariness, he added, “Try giving yourself a break from all of this and enjoy your world for a while.”

  She nodded, but refused to commit to anything.

  They all turned to the window when they heard a wolf howl. Ben said, “My ride is here. Are you going to be okay if I leave you? I could stay.”

  “No. Thorne could get suspicious if you don’t return and I could never do a repeat show of what we did tonight. I’ll be fine. I wanted to try and build a tree trunk anyway.”

  She escorted her guests to the back door and, after giving both of them a long hug, they walked off toward the trees. Even after they disappeared into the dark, she stayed and stared into the woods to listen to the night. As miserable as she was, she was shocked to find that that the forest was full of the sounds of normal woodland life. She sighed deeply, realizing that the rest of the world was going on even though she felt like yet another door was slammed in her face.

  She went back into her cabin and cranked up rock music so loud that it rattled the windows. It filled her mind and drowned out any other thought. With her ears ringing, she walked up to the chicken wire and began her work.

  Out in the woods, Razor’s phone rang. After a brief discussion, he hung up and said to Thorne and Sam, “Sorry, but we need to cut our hunt short. Ice just called and said that there’s a problem in Portland.” He looked up into the night sky and seeing that morning was on its way, he said, “If we want to join his hunt, we have to get back to the house immediately.”

  Thorne scanned the woods and asked, “What about the twins? I think we lost them.”

  Sam replied, “Who knows where those two ran off to. If you want to get to Portland before morning, we don’t have time to track them down.”

  Thorne replied, “Then we better get moving.”

  Using their gift of speed, the three arrived to find Ice consoling a very disappointed date. They guessed that she didn’t get the passionate night that she was hoping for.

  By the time they had gathered a few supplies and loaded the Rover, the twins arrived home with Ben and Chad in tow. Jax approached Taylor and said, “I need to leave for a while and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Can you and Tadd make sure Chloe gets back home? Since it’s already late, I told her that she could stay in my room tonight. You can drive her home tomorrow.”

  Razor tossed Tadd a set of keys and said, “We’ll be taking the Rover so you can drive her home in my car.”

  The twins agreed and before Ice headed out the door, he pulled Chloe into his arms and said, “I’m truly sorry that our night didn’t go as planned. I won’t be around for a while, but I promise that I’ll contact you as soon as I can.” Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, he lifted her chin and gave her a kiss so deep and full of desire that she staggered when she was released. Everyone watching froze, completely taken aback that Jax was capable of showing such passion.

  Susi watched the latest scene while standing in the doorway to her bedroom. As soon as the Rover pulled away, she sent another text to Penny that said, “Part 2 is in motion.”

  Although Penny couldn’t hear her phone over the music, she felt it vibrate in her pocket. The cryptic message informed her that Jax was off to infiltrate back into his world. Although she knew that he couldn’t risk contacting her in any way, she couldn’t stop the pain. She desperately wanted to hear his voice tell her that he didn’t mean anything he said and that everything would be okay.

  After reading the message, she tossed the phone onto the couch and turned up the music a little louder.

  Chapter 56 - Forbidden Journey

  Penny tried with all of her might to live each day without her Changeling family but, instead of getting easier, their absence felt like a weight crushing her chest. Spending time in the cabin she loved continued to offered her little comfort. When at home she would constantly shoot glances at shadowed corners, hoping to feel Casper’s tingle or waiting for Jax to magically appear. Her new inner voice wanted desperately to talk to him for a few minutes and even dialed his cell number several times. But before she could initiate the call, Razor’s warning flashed in her mind and she tossed the phone. She looked out the window and knew that her family was watching over her from afar, but not being able to see their faces was almost more than she could bear.

  In desperation, she had done as they had suggested and went out with people from work a few times. She had successfully hidden her pain from them beneath her camouflage, but her heart wasn’t in it. When Charlie called her, wondering why she hadn’t heard from her in over a week, Penny had to tell her not to contact her again until further notice. Penny wouldn’t risk doing anything that exposed their lie and endangered her family, especially Jax. Charlie agreed, but she had several not so polite words to say that expressed her opinion on the whole matter.

  After another night alone staring at her half painted walls, Penny stood and exclaimed, “That’s it! I need to get away from this place for a while.”

  When she spotted the familiar blue bag that held the remaining ashes of her family members, a plan formed. It had been over two months since she returned from her trip and the weather was starting to turn colder, announcing the arrival of fall. Her mother’s birthday was at t
he end of the week and she decided it was the perfect time for her to say her final farewell to her Human family. She decided to take a trip up the mountainside alone and spread the ashes.

  The next day she made arrangements with her boss, John, to take a few days off work. Although she confided all of the details of her plan with him, she didn’t want anyone else to know.

  John replied, “You’ve been working non-stop since you came back and only take a day off when forced, so I think it’s a great idea that you get away for a few days. Is your traveling friend Jax going with you again?”

  “No, he’s out of town.” Knowing she needed to continue her lie into her Human life, she said, “He and I had a falling out and aren’t speaking.”

  “I’m very sorry. I know that he meant a great deal to you. Does the rest of his family at least know about this trip?”

  “No, and I would like to keep it that way. This is something that’s between me and my family.”

  “But aren’t Jax and the others your family too? You used to speak of them that way.”

  “I loved them all very much, but they aren’t part of my life any more. Anyway, I need to say my final goodbye by myself.”

  “I wish you weren’t going alone. Not because I don’t think you’re capable of handling yourself out in the woods…I hate to think of you doing this without a shoulder to cry on.”

  “It seems like all I have done for months is cry and it’s time for me to stand on my own two feet again. I love the woods. They’re my second home and I already know the perfect place for my family’s final resting spot. This outing will give me time to clear my head and plan my future. To do that, I need closure so that I can move on.”