Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  As the new couple kissed, Tadd grimaced and yelled, “Get a room! There’s young, innocent Changelings in here.”

  Seeing everyone staring at him, Ben choked on a bite of toast and asked, “Did you forget that I can read Penny’s thoughts? Trust me. I’m no longer innocent. I think I could write a bestselling ‘how to’ book.” A very adult, knowing smile lit his face.

  While Penny hid again, Tadd chuckled and said, “Now look what you’ve done. You’ve corrupted Ben and I think he’s getting drunk on your overflow. By the way, I think you two should know that he slept outside your apartment door last night.”

  Ben shrugged his shoulders and defended himself by saying, “Once you learn to ignore the interesting noises, it’s an amazing feeling you project. I’ve never felt anything quite like it and, I hate to admit it, but it’s addictive.”

  Jax kissed Penny on the tip of her nose and added, “You don’t have to tell me that.”

  Ben corrected him. “Actually I was referring to you. When you project fear or hate, I find it physically painful to be around you. Your feelings of affection are much stronger. It gives me gooseflesh, as if energy is pulsing through my body.” He held out his arms to prove his point.

  Everyone turned when the door opened and Charlie and Chad entered. To their shock, Chad was dressed and in Human form. Both he and Charlie had big, silly grins on their faces. Taylor rolled his eyes at the addition and said to his brother, “Look out, Bro. Happy couple number two has arrived. Maybe we should have them move into Penny’s cabin so that my ears can recover.”

  Taylor glared between Charlie and Chad and exclaimed, “I get the noises coming from Jax’s room, but what the hell were you two doing last night? It sounded like you had a zoo in your room.”

  Chad answered innocently, “I was helping Charlie work on shifting into animals. She was really struggling until I found ways to motivate her. It turns out she’s naturally partial to large cats.”

  Charlie let out a loud purr and added, “He’s an excellent teacher. You should see his rather inventive ways to celebrate when I did something well.”

  As Charlie started to explain, Taylor yelled to stop her and said, “That’s one family secret that doesn’t need to be shared—ever.”

  Tadd glanced between the two couples he and his brother were sitting between and said warningly, “Don’t look now, Bro, but we’re surrounded. Don’t touch anything. It might be contagious.” In perfect synchronization, the twins jumped back away from the table as if it was covered in bugs.

  Charlie ignored the twins and asked the room, “Speaking of celebrating, what are we going to do today to celebrate Jax and Penny? I think I can safely speak for Susi when I say that she’ll insist on a party of some kind.”

  Penny replied, “First things first. I need to go into work and decline the offer for the new position and take an indefinite leave of absence.”

  Jax said, “I can take you, but before we leave, I do have something to ask you and I want you to be totally honest with me.”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you want people—I mean Humans—to know that we’re together? I’m a bit frightening to look at and I’d understand if you want to keep me a secret from your world.”

  She took his face in her hands and said, “Although I’ll always keep the secret about your true nature, I won’t hide you away. To me, you’re exceptionally attractive and I’m very proud to have you at my side. In fact, I want everyone on this planet to know that you’re all mine.” After giving him a kiss, her face suddenly fell and she asked, “How long do you think it will be before your world learns that we’re together? Once it’s out, news of Ice being in love with a Human will spread like wild fire.”

  “We’ll deal with it when it happens. You’re mine and they’ll have to learn to accept it.”

  “But what will they do?”

  “I honestly don’t know.” Seeing her face fill with worry, Jax kissed her on the nose and said, “Please don’t think about that right now. This is our day and I don’t want anything to ruin it.”

  Penny nodded and said, “Then let’s go.” She looked over at Charlie and said, “We’ll make it back before dark but, if Susi rises before we get back, tell her I want a party, but not just for me and Jax. We need to celebrate you and Chad as well.”

  Charlie nodded with a smile and said, “The bigger the better; she’ll be thrilled.”

  An hour later, Penny and Jax arrived at Gone Wild. Although Penny wasn’t nervous about showing off Jax, she was anxious about telling John her news. But when she walked into the office, she didn’t hesitate to say what she came for. “John, I really appreciate you going out on a limb by recommending me for the consulting position, but I need to decline the offer. Something wonderful has happened and a new path opened up for me that I’m going to take.”

  Seeing her clinging on to Jax, John smiled and guessed, “Is it safe to assume that you two worked things out?”

  Penny nodded excitedly. She then glanced at Jax and, after squeezing his hand, she said, “Which brings me to my next item. Not only am I not taking the new job, I’m leaving the store. As a friend recently suggested, I’m going to spend some time focused on my own needs and, right now, that means being at Jax’s side.”

  To her joyous surprise, John was thrilled by the news and, after he stood and congratulated the couple, he said, “No one deserves happiness more than you.” He looked over at Jax and added, “Due to narrow minded, ignorant people, the world is becoming a more dangerous place every day. So I’m thrilled to know that Penny will have someone strong at her side to protect her.” Glancing between the two he asked excitedly, “Are you two going to get married?”

  Jax wrapped his arm around Penny and said, “That’s for Penny to decide when she’s ready. But as for me, she’s mine for as long as we both shall live.”

  John called a quick staff meeting to let Penny make her announcement. Although everyone said that they would miss her, seeing the glow of happiness beaming from her face, they were very excited by the news.

  Quinn pulled Penny to the side and said, “I’m sorry I told you to take that job and get away from here. If you had listened to me, you and Jax would have gone separate ways.”

  “Don’t apologize. It was your words that helped me focus on what was important to me. If I hadn’t told him that I was leaving, Jax might not have come forward and asked me to stay at his side. I’ll be forever grateful to you.”

  “Well, don’t worry about the store. You’ve trained me well and I promise to continue what you’ve started here.”

  “After I get settled in with Jax, I’ll stop in and cover a few last items with you. Thereafter, I’m still going to be local so call me if you ever need me.” After they hugged, Penny returned to Jax’s side.

  By the time they made it back to the house, as Penny guessed, Sam and Susi were up and busy preparing a ‘welcome to the family’ party. They decided to ignore the dangers lurking outside to have an evening full of laughter.

  While they celebrated, Sam approached Susi and asked, “Have you noticed the physical changes in both Jax and Penny?”

  Susi nodded and said, “Jax’s body temp and pulse are way up and Penny’s are down.”

  Sam replied, “I’ve known him most of my life and, until Penny came along, he was so full of hate I feared it would kill him. I tried everything to bring him around, but who would’ve guessed that a Human would be the one to have the power to heal him.”

  Susi speculated, “This may sound like one of my sappy romance novels, but I think that each of them was missing something that the other was able to fill. And like two pieces to a puzzle, they fit together perfectly and have become something new. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them. I do know that, no matter what challenges they face, together they’ll create something quite rare and truly magical.”

  *~*~*~*

  Just outside Sam’s home, perched high up on a tree limb, Hawk watched and l
istened. After he had learned all that he needed to know, he silently retreated into the deep woods. He pulled out his phone and called Logan to tell him the news. At the end of his story he said, “Your plan almost worked. Once away from the family she would have been an easy catch.”

  Logan replied, “Up in the mountains when I heard Penny speak about her needing to keep the family safe, she gave me just the weapon I needed. I knew if I could manipulate the situation to play on her affection for Jax and his make-shift family, in time, she would leave to keep them from harm. I was counting on the fact that Humans are so easily manipulated and highly predictable, especially their women. They’re caged by their emotions. What I didn’t count on was Jax’s reactions to her absence. I didn’t think that he was capable of such strong feelings for anything. He’s actually willing to turn his back on his own kind for a Human woman.”

  Hawk chuckled and said, “And it’s those feelings that will be his undoing, but we’ll need to act now while they’re distracted.”

  “It’s obvious our little Human isn’t going anywhere tonight, so come back to the lodge. We’ll need to spring a new trap to catch our little bird.”

  Chapter 63 - Shared Need

  After the celebration party winded down, Penny and Jax decided to spend the night at the cabin for privacy and so that Penny could begin packing. Although everyone understood, Ben was very disappointed that he couldn’t tag along. He hated to not feel the wonderful sensations that their romance projected.

  Jax drove to the cabin and, after escorting Penny in, he stood silently in the middle of the main room. The first thing he noticed was a stack of partially packed boxes and his stomach churned, realizing how close he had been to losing Penny. Once his eyes focused on the room itself, he slowly turned to examine the walls. Penny had completely transformed the room into a campground where the painted trees projected out of the walls into actual branches and leaves.

  “You’ve been busy,” he said while admiring her artwork. When he stopped his visual tour of the moon reflecting off a dark lake, he turned to Penny and announced, “This is our camp next to Crater Lake.”

  She nodded and said, “I paint based on places that touch my heart in some way. This particular place has appeared in my dreams many nights.”

  Recalling their time at the lake, he asked, “Am I in this dream?”

  Penny nodded and said, “That night was one that I’ve relived so many times that I’ve lost count. Being with you was beyond words to me.”

  With a chuckle, he replied, “It was a thing of legend for me as well.” He walked over to a wall and, while touching the fake bark of a tree, he asked, “These are amazing.” He motioned to the room as a whole and added, “When did you have time to create this?”

  “Much of it I did the night of our Thorne show. After Ben and Chad left me here alone, I was desperate for a distraction. You would be surprised by what you can get done if properly motivated. I think I worked for almost 48 hours straight.” Seeing his instant distress, she said, “I know where your mind is going, but let’s not go there tonight. I don’t want anything to ruin our celebration.”

  Jax nodded, but stared off into a shadowed corner, deep in thought. Penny approached him and asked, “What are you thinking about now?”

  He pointed and said, “I’ve been in this home countless times hiding in that very corner. But tonight is the first night that I’ve openly walked these floors with you at my side. I never would have believed that it was possible.”

  “That’s another first to add to our list.” To help distract his mind, she leaned toward him and asked, “Do you want to try for a few other firsts?”

  Seeing the mischief in her eyes, he replied, “What do you have in mind?”

  She said excitedly, “It’s a surprise. Just stay in here until I call you.” She disappeared into her bedroom.

  Jax continued to look around the cabin, recalling all of the nights he spent hiding and watching from the shadows. When he finally heard his name called he walked into the bedroom. While Penny remained in the bathroom, he took in the room and the sight took his breath away. He whispered, “Astounding.” He circled slowly to take in the walls that had been transformed into the deep woods.

  The bed was positioned directly below the tiger mural which was so realistic that he found himself touching it to confirm that it was just plaster and paint. Like a hunter, the tiger was tucked between the shadow of trees whose painted images, like in the living room, transformed into actual trees that projected out of the wall. The forest covered the rest of the room with a tall canopy that extended up and over the edge of the ceiling, making it appear that you were standing in a small clearing. When his eyes followed the tree branches, he found himself looking up at a sky filled with the colors of a fast approaching sunset.

  As he continued to circle, he called, “I’ve watched you paint in here countless hours and can recall every stroke. This final scene is different, but the new location looks so familiar.”

  Penny replied from behind him, “It’s the most precious place on the planet for me, because it’s where you told me that you loved me.”

  He turned to see Penny standing at the bathroom door wrapped in a silk robe, whose material pattern exactly matched the painted tiger’s striped fur. Although the spike heels and stockings he could see momentarily distracted him, he asked, “But why? This scene and the one in the living room are both from times you and I shared but, until last night, you still believed that we weren’t to be.”

  “Many have told me that my artwork comes alive. That’s because I open myself up and let the paintbrush project the passion in my heart. Even if we weren’t meant to be, these places changed me and, like the tiger, they helped the person I’ve become burst out.”

  Jax turned back to the tiger and, after a moment to study the animal, his eyes grew wide. He said, “Although I only see those eyes in a reflection, I would know them anywhere. You’ve painted the eyes of Ice.” He turned back to Penny to confirm his theory.

  Penny nodded and said, “Trying to live here without Casper watching me has been difficult. It left me feeling alone and vulnerable. You’re so strong and I love how you protect your people. I guess I wanted a part of you to forever watch over me as well.”

  As Jax continued to examine the artwork, trying to find other hidden treasures, Penny asked, “Do you like it?”

  “More than words can say.”

  “No, I meant do you like this?”

  Jax turned around to see what Penny was referring to and found her robe pooled at her feet. She repeated, “So what do you think? I thought it went well with the room.”

  Jax instinctively let out a low growl as he examined Penny intensely from head to toe. She had a tiger skin mask over her eyes and was wearing a silk and leather bustier made out of material with the same tiger markings. It had tiny ribbons tied up the front that allowed just enough of her breasts to peek through that Jax’s fingers itched to slowly undo each tie and reveal her body beneath. She also was wearing matching tiger striped panties that partnered with a leather and lace garter belt. Black stockings flowed down her shapely legs, leading his eyes to spike heels.

  Seeing his obvious interest, she explained. “The night I finished painting in here, I found this beauty on one of my favorite lingerie web sites. I bought it to celebrate my accomplishment. Even though we weren’t seeing each other anymore, I had secretly hoped that the first time I wore it Casper would be hiding in the corner.”

  Seconds later Jax disappeared, leaving a pile of clothes where he once stood. While the air filled with the tingle of his magic, she heard a low growling voice say, “Prepare to be pounced, little tiger. I’m about to teach you just how friendly of a ghost I can be.”

  Penny giggled and stepped further into the room. Using her senses to track the invisible hunter’s location, she spun when she felt his presence close by. Her body shivered when several cool fingers caressed across her bare stomach, but when she tried t
o reach out to him, he moved too fast and she grabbed only empty air. On the next attack, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

  While invisible hands began to play with the ties on the front of her top, she let her own hands snake behind her. His unwrapping stopped abruptly when her fingers wrapped around her target. While leaning back into the invisible hunter, she said as she stroked him gently, “It seems I’ve caught my prey. And since I captured it, it’s now mine and I plan to keep it.”

  He leaned into her touch and replied, “Everything that is mine is now yours.” As invisible teeth nibbled on her neck, he added, “Are you still open for another first?”

  She wriggled into him and asked, “What do you have in mind?”

  He whispered his suggestion. “Crawl into bed and get started. And if you’re a good girl, Casper will join you when his skills are needed.”

  Penny knew instantly what previous scene he was asking to relive. The Changeling that stood behind her was the love of her life and she wanted to share every aspect of herself with him without boundaries. Her inhibitions instantly left her and were replaced by the overwhelming desire to please him. After her fingers reluctantly released their captive, she nodded toward the corner and replied, “Your shadow awaits, Casper.”

  As Jax walked away, she blew out several candles and moved others to the headboard so that the tiger glowed while the rest of the room was dark. She walked across the room, turned on some soft background music and, by the time the room was ready, she sensed that Jax was in the spot where she knew that he had stood hundreds of nights. While quietly humming to the music, Penny stood where she knew that Casper could see her clearly and, at a painfully slow pace, she undid the ties on her top.

  Even though Jax knew every inch of Penny’s body, he found himself anxiously leaning forward as each additional inch of skin was exposed. He cursed when she left one tie in place.