Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  Feeling the much welcomed tingle, she slowly opened her eyes, gave a weak smile in the direction of the sensation, and her inner voice sighed in relief.

  With Ice now in place, the plan kicked into gear. From the woods Razor let out a roar as he, Chloe, and Chad as his new massive Gorilla form attacked those standing out front. At the same time the twins’ wolf forms jumped into the middle of a group of guards that were walking in the back.

  Hearing the sounds of battle outside, Logan grabbed onto Penny and, holding her tightly, he used his mind abilities to silence her so that she couldn’t call out or fight him. He waved Hawk to investigate. His follower did as requested but, when he whipped open the front door, he was instantly slammed to the ground by a massive Saber Tooth Tiger. Ice was already in position and, as Charlie’s form jumped over him, Ice’s invisible claws ripped through Hawk’s throat. Those assembled weren’t sure what they were seeing and assumed somehow the tiger had sliced him.

  Charlie took advantage of the invisible attacker’s distraction and her tiger form quickly weaved through the enemy ranks. Per the directions given to her earlier by Jax, she ran straight to the room holding the Humans. After instantly determining the situation, she jumped on the Night Walker that had been obviously feeding on a Human who now lay dead at his feet. Seconds later the Changeling’s lifeless body slumped on the floor.

  Charlie shifted back to a Human form and announced, “I’m here to help you.”

  The Humans had watched the Changeling kill one of their own kind but had no idea how to respond to their savior, so they remained cowered in the corner.

  Seeing the fear in their eyes, Charlie softened her tone and said, “I’m a friend of Penny’s. Which one of you is her co-worker Quinn?”

  Quinn wasn’t sure if he should answer but, seeing his rescuer now in as Kate Beckinsale dressed in the tight leather outfit from the Underworld movies, he took a chance and replied, “I’m Quinn.”

  Charlie pulled out a knife and commanded, “Turn around.” He did as asked and she sliced through his bindings. Charlie said, “Free the other Humans and prepare to get the hell out of here.” She then shifted into the Thing from the Fantastic Four movies and took a protective stance at the door. Anyone that wanted in there was going to have to go through her first.

  *~*~*~*

  Back in the main room, Chloe ran through the front door and, after a quick scan, she found her target—Spider.

  While keeping Spider in her sights, she glared at Logan and said, “Logan, you and I were once very good friends and based on that friendship I’m asking you one and only one time. Let Penny and the Humans go or you’ll end up like Hawk.” She pointed to his follower’s dead body.

  Showing no signs of remorse for losing countless followers outside and one of his best men, he said, “My lovely Chloe. You’re as beautiful as ever. I’ve missed that body of yours, but alas, you dumped me for Ice. Surely you know he was playing you for a fool? While you pined for him, he was up in the mountains get up close and personal with Penny’s naked body. Then he again showed how much he really cares for you by sending you in here to be sacrificed in an attempt to save his Human girlfriend.”

  “She’s my friend as well and, based on her appearance, you’ve almost killed her. Do you have any idea how important she is to our kind?”

  “Trust me. I’m more than aware of what she offers.” Caressing the outlines of several bites on her arms, he added, “I may have underestimated the reaction my fellow Night Walkers would have in seeing her gift in action, but I won’t make that mistake again. If you’re her friend, then come stand at my side. You can help protect her while we wipe out the traitors.”

  “Your plan won’t work and will destroy our people. We aren’t strong enough.”

  “Maybe not right now, but we’re growing in numbers every day. Someday soon, if we band together, we can exterminate the Human infestation.”

  “I won’t follow you and, when others learn about what you’re doing, they’ll fight you. I’ll give you one last chance. Surrender or be destroyed.”

  When she saw Logan glance over at Spider, whose fangs and stingers appeared, Chloe knew his answer. Penny watched in shock as a wave washed over her newest friend, leaving behind dark skin covered in short spines with a face distorted to look almost like an insect. As Spider stepped forward, Chloe turned toward him and hissed, showing off a long, whip-like tail with large barbs at the end.

  Spider’s men quickly circled her and sent webs to ensnare her. Chloe smiled and didn’t fight her bindings because, seconds later, she was cut free by invisible claws. Once she was free, Ice sliced one of her attackers across the chest, allowing Chloe to leap directly at Spider. Her tail whipped around his body and, although he tried to bite and sting her, his weapons were useless since they were unable to penetrate her steely leather skin.

  With a shriek, she picked up and tossed Spider against the wall, breaking through the boards that were nailed across a window. With a crashing sound, he was thrown outside with Chloe on his heels.

  As she began her battle outside, Spider’s men shot webs at their invisible attacker to mark his location. Although Ice could cut through the sticky strings, they covered him enough that hiding his presence was no longer possible. As Casper receded, his body reappeared. Everyone gasped when they saw the legendary killer standing in the middle of the room.

  Logan growled and said, “Nice trick, Ice. So glad you could join us.” With a nod, every available Changeling in the room attacked en masse. Spider’s men fought as one with uncanny speed and agility.

  Charlie wanted to join the fight so badly that she had to grab on to the door frame to stop herself, but Ice had forced her to promise to stay in her position no matter what she saw until reinforcements arrived. He knew that, given the chance, Logan would use the Humans against them as innocent shields.

  The back door to the lodge smashed open and two wolves came barreling in. They howled to announce their arrival and then quickly went back to work clearing a path through the webs with their fangs and claws. Their efforts allowed Susi, Ben, and Sam to enter. They raced to the room holding the Humans and began to heal the wounds of those that were still alive.

  With the additions, Quinn stumbled to Charlie’s side and said, “Go fight. I’ll cover the door.” When she looked at the man now holding two large blades and fury in his eyes, she nodded.

  Just when Penny thought all hope was lost, Thor came racing into the main room. With a warrior cry and a swing of his mighty hammer, several of their adversaries were knocked off their feet and crashed through side windows, where Chloe’s barbed tail and Razor’s fangs were more than happy to greet them.

  As the fighting continued and the number of rescuers began to outnumber their living adversaries, Logan tightened his grip on Penny and pressed a knife to her throat.

  Ice sliced through his last challenger as Razor and Chloe raced into the room. With his body dripping with blood splatters, Ice stalked toward Logan and he slowly shifted back to Jax.

  “Stay back,” Logan warned.

  Jax replied, “Time to give up. Your followers are dead, dying, or running away, leaving you to fend for yourself. You can’t win.”

  After a moment to ponder on his situation, Logan said, “I know you and I haven’t always seen eye to eye on things, but there’s another alternative ending to this scene. You can join me. War is inevitable and, with Penny’s talents at our disposal, we would be invincible.”

  Jax replied, “How could you turn your back on our kind and start a war we can’t win?”

  “A year ago, you would’ve not only welcomed a war, you would’ve been leading the charge. What happened?” Glancing down at Penny, he filled his lungs with her scent and asked, “Penny did this to you, didn’t she? I agree that she’s intoxicating, but she has infected your mind.”

  “No, she helped me see what’s right.”

  “Her kind is weak, pathetic, and so predictable. They must be eradicat
ed before their plague destroys us all. We must band together and fight for our survival.” Seeing Jax remain unconvinced, he added, “If you kill me, someone else will take my place. You can’t kill us all. It’s time for you to pick a side.”

  “I choose to stand with Penny and others like her. They’re the key to our survival.”

  Although Penny was touched by Jax’s words, her visual focus quickly shifted when she caught a severely injured Changeling get up with a knife raised towards Taylor’s back. She wasn’t about to let her dear friend be killed rescuing a Human, but Logan had her mentally gagged so she couldn’t warn Taylor.

  The anger and frustration inside her turned to a deadly calm. All sounds in the room quieted except for the heartbeat of her prey. In a focus she never thought possible, her body surged with power and she broke the mental binding. Using the techniques taught to her by her brothers, she called on that strength and grabbed Logan’s arm. She let out an ear-breaking scream as she flipped him over her shoulder and smashed him down to the floor. After pinning him and pulling his arm back, she yank hard enough that she heard something snap. Without breaking stride, she took his knife and threw it at the Changeling about to stab Taylor. The knife penetrated her target in the side of his head and the intensity of the blow knocked him sideways into the wall.

  Hearing Logan’s mind fill with thoughts of hurting Penny, Ben reached out with all of his mental strength and, with a newly emerged skill, he bound the Night Walker’s mind.

  As Logan screamed and was forced to endure the same mental pain he had often inflicted on others, Penny leaned down to her captive and said through clenched teeth, “Weak, pathetic Human, huh?”

  While everyone in the family stood in disbelief, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed, Jax approached Penny. When she looked up at him, the fury in her eyes instantly softened and she said, “He hurt me.”

  Jax replied calmly, “I know, but he’ll never do it again. You can let him go now and we’ll take him.”

  Suddenly the pain and weakness in her body came crashing back. She cried out and, as she started to collapse, Jax caught her while Taylor’s wolf fangs took ownership of Logan’s neck.

  With all of their adversaries taken out or injured to the point that they could no longer fight, Tadd limped forward and helped Taylor drag Logan outside so that the family didn’t witness what they were about to do to him.

  As Jax held Penny, he was afraid to see her look at him with disgust and hate after witnessing what his kind were capable of, especially himself. Instead the love in her eyes made him pause.

  She looked up at Jax said, “You saved me, again.”

  “Of course. You’re mine.”

  “And I’m yours.” Her strength was quickly giving out, so she tried to reach in her pocket, but her hand wouldn’t cooperate. Jax took on the task and pulled out a lace handkerchief. He opened it to find the ring he had given her. When he stared at Penny for an explanation, she said, “I was going to tell you last night, but my plans were interrupted. I want you to know that I have no doubts about you and I want to wake up with you next to me every day for the rest of my life.” After her mind blurred for a moment, she decided she needed to get to the point sooner than later, so with her body shaking from weakness, she took his hand into hers and asked, “Will you marry me?”

  Although she was covered in blood splatters, bite marks, and massive bruises, he thought she was the most beautiful creature in the entire world. A grin lit his face as he slipped the ring on her blood covered finger and said, “Yes, it would be my honor to marry you.”

  Penny heaved a sigh and whispered, “Good.” She then gave into to her body’s demands and passed out.

  *~*~*~*

  Sam raced over and helped Jax lay Penny on the ground. Sam quickly healed large cuts on her arm and neck to stop the major bleeding. He then put his cheek on her chest to listen to her heart. Although he was relieved to hear a strong beat, a look of confusion grew on his face when he caught other unexpected sounds.

  As he continued his exam and everyone grew concerned, Susi asked anxiously, “Is she going to be okay?”

  Sam sat up and said, “She’s lost a lot of blood and she’s very weak, but I think she’ll be fine.”

  Charlie asked, “Then why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

  He looked from Penny to Jax, who was pulling his fiancé back into his arms, and said, “Unless my ears are deceiving me, Penny’s pregnant.”

  As everyone gasped and Jax looked down at the woman he loved in disbelief, Susi came racing forward and pressed her hand on Penny’s stomach. She said with her eyes wide in astonishment, “Sam’s right. I can feel the heartbeat.”

  When those assembled stared at Jax, he replied, “But I’m a Changeling. I can’t father a child.”

  Seeing Jax’s mix expression of hurt, betrayal, and anger, Ben let out a loud, “Ha! That explains everything.” He looked to Jax and said as a matter of fact, “She’s carrying your child.” When the family looked at him like he had gone crazy, he explained. “Since Penny returned from her trip, I noticed changes in her and I’m not referring to her choice of clothes and hairdo. I mean in her mind. It’s been gradually getting stronger and just now when she attacked Logan, I felt it the strongest yet.”

  Susi asked, “Felt what?”

  “I felt Jax. Her emotions and inner voice are reacting like Jax would. Since they’re always at each other’s side, I assumed that their brain waves were mixing, but now I know the truth. She has a piece of him inside her and it’s impacting her own body chemistry.” He turned to Susi and asked, “Didn’t you tell me that you noticed how her body temp and pulse were getting lower?”

  “Yes, but how could this happen? Changelings are sterile.”

  Sam asked Jax, “While you traveled with her, how often did you take her blood?”

  Jax replied honestly, “Almost every day. I didn’t take much, but it was part of my daily routine and it helped keep me in control.”

  Sam smiled excitedly and exclaimed, “That’s it! It’s her blood. I told you that, for me, it feels like it brings life back to my body. The effect is only temporary, but if I drank a steady supply, I know the effect would continue indefinitely.” He looked at Jax and said, “Your month together did more than just make you feel more in control. It allowed you to father her child.”

  Susi asked, “But why didn’t we sense this earlier?”

  “We’ve all been rather busy and who would have suspected it? Or would even have considered it as a possibility?”

  Charlie looked down at her friend and asked, “Do you think Penny knows?”

  Jax said, “No, she wouldn’t have been able to keep it a secret from me.”

  Ben quickly added, “She definitely couldn’t have kept it from me.”

  Jax cradled the one in his arms like she was a priceless masterpiece. He placed his shaking palm on her stomach and said, “I’m going to be a father.” He was both thrilled beyond words and absolutely terrified.

  With his cool touch, Penny blinked open her eyes again. Seeing the intensity of his stare, she whispered weakly, “What’s wrong?” Assuming the worst, she tried to sit up in a panic to see which family member was missing. As Jax held her down, tears streamed down her cheeks and she asked, her voice breaking, “Who died?”

  Realizing what she was thinking, Sam gave her a smile and quickly replied, “We’re all a little banged up, but we made it through.”

  Sniffing back tears, she asked, “Then why is everyone staring at me like I’ve grown a second head?”

  After everyone laughed, Ben said, “That’s because you have.”

  When one of Penny’s shaking hands tried to reach up to feel if a second Penny was spouting from her neck, Jax took hold of her hand and guided it to her stomach instead. When Penny looked up at him for an explanation, he said, “The second you is in here. You’re going to have a baby.”

  Penny stared back at him without saying a word. Wit
h her head still so foggy, she assumed that she heard him incorrectly.

  Seeing her waiting anxiously for the real explanation, Jax leaned closer and said slowly and clearly, “You’re pregnant with our child.”

  “But I can’t be. You’re a Changeling.” She frantically added, “You have to believe me when I say that I’ve never been with anyone else.”

  Jax replied, “I believe you.” He then looked to Sam for help.

  Penny turned to Sam as he started to speak. After he explained his theory and Susi came over to describe what she felt inside her, Penny’s tears returned. This time they were from a combination of shock and happiness.

  “I’m going to be a mother?” As her mind swirled, trying to comprehend the reality of what they had told her, she looked down at herself. Seeing all of the wounds on her body, she asked Sam in a panic, “Is the baby okay?”

  He replied, “The baby’s heartbeat is strong and appears to be fine.”

  As Jax wiped away a trail of tears, realization of what this meant hit Penny. Her expression turned to sadness and she said, “I’m so sorry. I want you to know that I had no idea that this was possible.”

  Jax’s eyes opened wide and he asked, “Are you thinking that I’m upset by this news?” When she looked away, he hugged her against his chest and said, “After you asked me to marry you, I didn’t think it was possible for my world to get any brighter.” He caressed her belly and added, “And then you gave me this gift. It’s beyond my wildest dreams and I can’t wait to meet our child and raise him or her at our side.”

  Her emotions shifted again and she said, “I’m Human. What if I’m not strong enough?”

  “You’re the strongest person I know and I have no doubt that you can do this.” He nodded toward those assembled and added, “And we aren’t doing this alone.”