Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  Quinn looked at the group and shrugged his shoulders. “They’re just having some fun.”

  Penny replied, “Ahhh. Trust me, my Padawan. You better get ready.” She lifted her arm, pointed it in the customers’ direction, and called on the force within. Suddenly they both cringed as they heard a crash and then watched as boxes of golf balls went sailing into the air. The store echoed with the delighted cheers of those that caused the mess and golf balls bounced and banged in every direction.

  Quinn cursed and said, “They spent all morning working on that display.”

  Penny chuckled and replied, “And the force failed me so it will take almost as long to clean it up. I warned you about allowing the workers to build such a tall tower. It looks cool, but all it takes is one overly enthusiastic customer to send it crashing and five of them just walked through your door.”

  “Lesson learned, Obi-Wan.”

  She patted him on the back and said, “Come on. You’ve got one more lesson to learn.” Penny led him to the scene. As she approached, her smile faded as her inner voice whispered, “Caution.” She understood when she got a little closer and instantly knew two things about the men. Several of them reeked of alcohol and were most likely drunk, and every cell in her body told her that they were Changelings. Given the young ages of several of them, she also knew that the group contained those that recently changed.

  When Penny and Quinn approached cautiously, the oldest and least drunk one of the group said, “I have to apologize for my friends. We haven’t seen each other in a while and we met at a bar up the road. I guess some of us reminisced a little too long. We’ll help clean up the mess.”

  At first Penny thought that the group of Changelings might have been sent to spy on her but, other than the one man that spoke to her, none of the others seemed to even notice her presence. They were too busy laughing and chasing golf balls down aisles. If they were Changelings as she suspected, they were of Jax’s world. Since that was a world that she was planning on making her own, she forced back her fears. Although they seemed harmless, she knew that they were young to the change, making them unstable. She didn’t want to do anything to provoke them to lose control.

  As Quinn attempted to coordinate workers to help with the cleanup and collect the overly helpful drunk customers, Penny stayed with the sober one. He insisted that they buy something to make up for their behavior. Although she helped him shop, she remained on alert.

  Once both Quinn and Penny completed their tasks, the man attempted to herd his friends out the door. In his struggles, he looked over at Penny and said with pleading in his eyes, “I seem to have my hands full. Could you follow me out with my bags?” He nodded toward his purchases.

  Although Penny saw no real threat in his expression, she heard Jax’s voice in her mind. She instantly called over a couple of store workers and they carried the bags and assisted the men out of the store. As he left, he gave Penny a smile and an expression of disappointment. Penny remained inside the store and watched as the men crammed themselves into their two door blue Toyota. Once they drove away, her inner voice relaxed.

  Before turning back into the office, she looked up into the sky and saw that the sun was low on the horizon. She announced to Quinn, “It’s getting late and I really do need to go.” After retrieving her purse, she asked him for Jax’s benefit, “Will you walk me to my bike?”

  Quinn agreed without question and, when others saw Penny leaving, they quickly followed. By the time she made it to her motorcycle, half the store was surrounding her.

  *~*~*~*

  Spider was watching the scene from behind a tall bush and cursed, backing further into the shadows. While leaning against a blue Toyota, he flipped open his phone and made a call.

  *~*~*~*

  Just after Penny gave her last hug, her phone beeped and announced the arrival of a text message. She looked down to see that it was from Taylor. The message said, “Still in town?”

  “Yes.”

  “I am at the cabin. Stop by to review security plans for Chloe.”

  “Can’t. Getting too dark.”

  “We will protect you from the woods.”

  After a moment to consider her answer, she texted, “Ok. I will let Jax know.”

  “See you soon Peanut.”

  She then sent another note to Jax, “Got delayed at store. T asked to meet at cabin. Don’t worry. I’ll have him ride home with me.”

  Jax responded, “Be careful. Text me once there. My return delayed too. Tell you all about it later.”

  She tucked her phone in her pocket and grinned. She had wanted to find an excuse to stop at the cabin so that she could pick up the ring Jax had given her while on their trip. Although he wanted her to wait for a while, she already knew without a doubt that she wanted him at her side forever. She planned to tell him tonight and seal the deal by having him put the ring back on her finger. This time, it would remain on forever.

  It had been several days since she had been to her cabin so warmth grew in her chest when she turned the corner and saw the gentle glow of lights coming from the windows. Although she was willing to share this place with Chloe temporarily, at that moment she knew that she would never be able to sell this piece of herself.

  Per her promise, Penny sent a text to Jax to let him know that she had arrived safely. After she pressed Send, she sent a second text. “Changelings came in store today. Do not worry. Just having fun. Left without any issues. Just wanted you to know.” She then went into the cabin. Although she didn’t find the twins she assumed that they were still in the woods protecting her arrival. She sent Taylor a text that said, “I am in cabin.”

  She received an instant response. “Be right there.”

  She decided to take advantage of the brief delay. She went to her treasure box and retrieved the ring. The familiar sparkle made her heart skip a beat. She debated on whether to put it on, but she wanted Jax to be the one to do it. So she gave the diamonds a kiss and, after wrapping it in a lace handkerchief, tucked it carefully into her pocket.

  Shortly after she walked back into the living room, she heard a playful howl. Since the noises were coming from outside she knew that the twins were, once again, trying to lure her out so that they could jump from the shadows and scare the living daylights out of her. No matter how much she prepared for their appearance, they managed to make her scream each time.

  “Not this time,” she announced with complete confidence. She tossed her purse on the couch and opened the back door. After squaring her shoulders, she stepped out onto the deck and, playing along, called into the night. “Okay boys. Come on out and give it your best shot. I’m ready for you tonight.”

  She stared off into the rustling bushes as a figure emerged. When he stepped into the moonlight, she was shocked to find that it wasn’t the twins. Instead she stared into the face of someone she didn’t know. She asked while discretely backing up toward the door, “Can I help you?”

  He held up his hands to show that he wasn’t a threat and replied sweetly, “I’m sorry if I frightened you. My name is Hawk and I was out hiking with a few of my friends, but I got separated. I’ve been wandering around these stupid woods for hours trying to find them when I spotted your lights. My cell phone is dead. Do you mind if I use your phone?”

  Although the man made no threatening moves, Penny noticed that he wasn’t dressed in hiking gear. She gasped as her inner voice screamed “Night Walker,” followed by “Danger.” Seeing only one, she recalled Jax’s previous instruction. When there was one Night Walker, she was to be very cautious. When there was a group, she was to run and hide. Seeing this one alone, she replied calmly, “Stay there and I’ll call the rangers for you. They can come get you and help find your friends.”

  While keeping an eye on the stranger, she pulled out her phone while continuing to back up toward the house. As soon as she pressed speed dial for Jax, with incredible speed, the stranger was standing in front of her and knocked the phone out of
her hand just as it started to ring. It landed with a crash against the edge of a lawn chair and shattered into several pieces.

  When he pinned her against the side of the cabin, she dropped all pretext. She said, “You better run. I have several wolf friends that will be here in seconds.”

  He held up a phone and asked, “You mean Taylor? He really should be more careful where he stashes his clothes when he shifts. But you’re right. We should get going. Logan is extremely anxious to see you.” When he attempted to pull her away from her home she fought him, kicking a lawn chair and knocking several potted plants over.

  He laughed at her feeble attempts at escape and said, “You are a feisty one, but I promised to deliver you unharmed.”

  After feeling a sharp sting in her arm, she snapped her head to the side and found the friendly Changeling from the store smiling back at her with her blood on the tip of a fingertip that resembled a stinger. As her body went numb, he said, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Spider and this is my cluster.” He pointed toward the trees, where the friends that she had seen with him in the store stepped out of the dark.

  Penny was unable to move and, as the Changelings shot out spider webs like sticky ropes to bind her, her mind swirled out of focus. The last thing she heard was Hawk saying, “Sleep tight.” Her world went black.

  Chapter 65 - The Hunt

  Back at Sam’s, the entire family had been busy dealing with a group of watchers that had surrounded their home. And, like insects, their numbers seemed to increase as soon as the sun went down. When Jax, Razor, and Chloe arrived and joined the fight, the watchers spotted the additions and quickly scurried off in all directions.

  Sam approached the newest members to their fighting team and said, “Thanks for getting back here so quickly.”

  Chloe asked, “When did they show up?”

  Charlie replied, “A couple of hours ago. Everything was quiet and then all of a sudden they swarmed.”

  Chad added, “They didn’t attack us. They just taunted us with the single apparent goal of irritating us to death, like a fly buzzing in our ears.”

  Everyone turned when the twins stepped out of the dark in their Human form. When Taylor saw Jax, he said, “That explains it. I assumed something had changed on our end when those bastards suddenly scattered like leaves in the wind.”

  Jax was shocked to see them and called as they approached, “When did you get back here?”

  Taylor replied, “What are you talking about? We’ve never left. We’ve been here dealing with those chicken shits for hours.”

  Jax asked, looking behind him, “Then where’s Penny?”

  Taylor replied, “We haven’t seen or talked to her since she left for town this morning.”

  “That can’t be. Penny told me that she received a text from you asking her to meet at the cabin.”

  Taylor grabbed at his phone to see if Penny had sent him a message. When he found his pocket empty, he frantically searched his clothes and announced in a panic, “My phone’s missing.”

  Jax quickly reread through his text messages. When he saw the one about Changelings in the store, he cursed and pressed speed dial for Penny. When her phone went instantly to voicemail, he looked to Ben with genuine fear in his eyes and said, “Keep trying to reach Penny.” He shifted into Ice and instantly disappeared into the trees with the twins right on his heels.

  Razor tossed Chloe the keys to his car and said, “Meet us at the cabin.”

  Before running off, Sam added, “When you get home, tell Susi what’s happened and bring her with you. “

  Ben and Chloe ran back to the house. After informing Susi of the situation, they grabbed medical supplies, jumped into Razor’s sports car, and sped off down the lane.

  Jax arrived at the cabin first and, seeing Penny’s motorcycle, he raced into the house calling her name. When he received no response, he checked every room and then ran out onto the back deck. He let out a deafening roar when he found her shattered phone, the damaged furniture, and everything covered in what resembled thick spider webs. He knew she had been taken and, when he caught the scent in the air, he also knew there were quite a few Changelings present with at least one of them a Night Walker.

  Jax reluctantly suppressed his need to begin his hunt. He needed to think calmly and rationally, which he was having a hard time doing since it was Penny who was in danger. Razor and the others arrived moments later. After sharing what he knew, Chad shifted into a bloodhound and used his nose to examine the surrounding area.

  By the time Chloe, Ben, and Susi arrived, Chad announced his findings. “There must be a dozen if not more trails containing Penny’s scent and each heads off in a completely different direction. I even smell signs of car exhaust, so I’m assuming they drove here as well.”

  Jax picked up a web, looked at Chloe, and said, “Spider was here.”

  After Chloe cursed, Ben asked, “Who’s Spider?”

  Chloe answered, “He’s a lot like Logan. Underneath a charming exterior hides a self-centered bastard. He got the name Spider because he has the ability to secrete venom from fangs and fingertip stingers. Somehow he can pick the perfect level of toxicity to paralyze, knock out, or kill his victims.”

  Tadd picked up a piece of the webbing from the deck and, while trying to shake off the sticky substance from his fingers, asked, “He can shoot webs?”

  Chloe shook her head. “Actually, he can’t, but he managed to collect Changelings that can. They ensnare their victims so that Spider can come along at his leisure and attack them. Together they make a truly lethal team.”

  Sam turned to Jax and said, “Earlier you mentioned that Changelings came into Penny’s store. That must have been Spider and his men and they weren’t there by accident. I bet Logan recruited them and other day walkers to his cause in an attempt to get to Penny.”

  Tadd asked, “But then why didn’t they grab her while she was in the store? She wasn’t protected.”

  Jax replied, “She was protected as long as she stayed in the store. Logan wouldn’t want to risk her getting hurt and wouldn’t want us to be alerted to their plan. Her text says that she knew they were Changelings and, although she thought they seemed harmless, she knows better than to follow them outside. Odds are he decided to lure her someplace where they could leisurely grab her without damaging his prize or exposing themselves too early.”

  Sam said, “If that’s all true, that explains why it’s been so quiet around the house these last few days. Most likely they did it so that we would lower our guard. They sat back, watching Penny and waiting for the best time to implement their plan.”

  Jax looked to Ben and said, “You were right. If she had left town as she’d originally planned, they would have been waiting for her.”

  Tadd added, “And all the watchers that showed up today were sent to distract us and keep us busy.”

  Taylor, with a mix of anger and guilt on his face, said, “And I gave them the means to lure her away.”

  Susi walked over to Taylor and, placing her hand on his arm, she said, “It wasn’t your fault. They manipulated all of us. Even if they hadn’t grabbed your phone, they would have found another way to get to her.”

  Razor exhaled in frustration and said, “If you’re going to blame yourself, you must blame me as well. They staged a similar scene in Portland and I had Jax leave home to help me before we realized that it was all a hoax.”

  Chloe asked with a confused expression, “Why go to all of this trouble for just one Human?”

  Jax replied, “Logan and I haven’t seen eye to eye on many things over the years. I really pissed him off when I threw him out of the house and protected Penny in front of his kind. He knows he can’t get to me directly, but if he could grab the one I love...” His voice trailed off.

  Sam added, “It’s partly to punish Jax, but it’s more than that. Penny isn’t just an ordinary Human.” He looked to Jax for permission to share Penny’s secret.

  Jax nodded. H
e knew if Chloe was going to help in the rescue effort, she had the right to know why it was so important to get Penny back.

  Sam quickly recapped Penny’s gift and his morning in the sunrise. After he was done, Chloe looked to those around her for confirmation of what she just heard.

  When everyone nodded, Razor added, “It was her unique blood that saved Van Gogh back in Reno and she offered it willingly, even though it could have killed her. Luckily she survived, no thanks to me. At the time, I was more concerned about how I was going to dispose of her Human body than the fact that she would be dead.”

  Chloe looked to Jax and said, “I’m so sorry. I really thought she was an ordinary Human that was trying to infiltrate our world. Is that why Logan reacted so strongly to her blood when he attacked her at Sam’s?”

  Sam replied, “Yes, we’re hoping that he didn’t realize how special she was, but given what he went through to get her, I fear he’s very aware.”

  Razor added, “And if he’s been watching, he may know a lot more about her than we think. That may be our saving grace. If he knows all of her secrets, he’ll want her kept alive.”

  Susi asked, “That gives us time to get her back, but what trail do we follow? Do we divide up and each take a path?”

  Razor replied, “No. That’s what they’re counting on us to do.”

  Tadd said, “But there are too many paths. They’ve had a long head start and, if we pick the wrong one, they could disappear for good.”

  Charlie asked, “What if they drove her away? They could have driven a hundred miles by now.”

  Sam shook his head. “I don’t think so. Logan is behind this and he’s been watching us for weeks. He couldn’t do that if he wasn’t nearby. Since he’s trapped by the night, he must have a hideout somewhere on this mountain.”