Knight Shift (43 page)

Jax asked in frustration. “But what’s the point? She and I come from different worlds and, once I get her back home, we’ll return to our normal, separate lives.”

Razor asked in return, “Is that what you want?”

Jax shook his head. “I don’t think we have a choice. When we were in Nashville and I was trying to blend into her world, I lost it. Many Humans were hurt because I was jealous and was protecting my self-claimed territory. And look what happened to her today while she ventured into our world.”

Seeing the internal struggle Jax was having over his feelings for a Human, Razor said, “Don’t make a rash decision. Take your last few days together to think it through, but this needs to be a decision you make together. No matter what you decide, you need to remember how important it is that no one finds out about her unique gift, especially those of my kind. If word gets out, the tables will turn and, whether you’re a couple or not, anyone that gets in their way would be slaughtered. And if they get to Penny, they wouldn’t just kill her. They’d use her until there was nothing left.” Seeing a sudden expression of fear on Jax’s face, Razor asked hesitantly, “Does someone else already know about Penny’s gift?”

Jax replied, “ Logan.”

Razor cursed and said, “He’s one Night Walker that I’m not proud to say that he’s of my kind.”

Jax “He stopped by Sam’s while Penny was there. I was too stubborn to admit that I cared for her and didn’t watch her close enough. He attacked her. I threw him out and warned him that his life would be the price if he stepped one foot on my mountain again. I’ve asked his friend Chloe to watch over him and keep me informed of his actions. She doesn’t know the specifics of Penny’s gift, unless Logan told her, and I don’t know exactly what he knows. He wasn’t injured when he took Penny’s blood, so maybe he isn’t aware of its full effect.”

Razor shook his head and said, “No way. I’ve tasted her and the effect is immediate and unmistakable. He may not know the extent of her gift, but I guarantee that he knows it’s very special. But his arrogance and greed may be our saving grace.”

Jax asked, “Why?”

Razor explained his thoughts. “Because he won’t want anyone to know about Penny for fear someone else would take his prize.” When an image of what he would do to Penny filled his mind, he added, “Logan needs to be found and, if it’s determined that he’s a threat, he needs to be removed from the picture. And it needs to be done quickly and quietly in a way that won’t raise suspicion.”

Jax asked in shock, “You’re asking me to hunt down one of your own? I’ve already had to remove several of your kind that threatened exposing our world. Not everyone supported my actions and it caused me to have many Night Walker enemies.”

“You did what needed to be done; they were completely out of control. I know there are many Changelings, especially in my kind, that want an open war with Humans, but it would be a horrible mistake. We’re outnumbered and outgunned. It would be innocent Changelings littering the ground when it’s over. Logan is from my world, so I’ll hunt him down.”

Jax asked, “You? This isn’t your problem to solve.”

Razor replied with resolve, “I’m making it my problem. I want to do this as a gift to Penny and in memory of Elena. If you won’t change your mind about me escorting her home, then your job is to get Penny back to Oregon and keep her safe until the Logan situation can be resolved.”

After talking out options on how to proceed, Jax looked at his watch and said, “We better get back to the room. Penny knows that she inadvertently exposed her secret and is most likely panicking that I’ve killed you. I need to show her that I kept my promise and that you’re still alive.”

Knowing that the conversation Jax was speaking of between him and Penny didn’t happen verbally, Razor said, “You really do know each other well, but why would she care if I lived or died? None of us have been very nice to her since she arrived. In fact, when she offered to give her vein to Van Gogh, I cleared the room only because I didn’t want others to watch one of mine die. At the time I didn’t give a damn what was about to happen to the Human.” His mind suddenly filled with guilt and regret.

Jax replied, “She doesn’t see the world like we do. To her there isn’t a line between Human and Changeling. While we see everything in black and white, she lives in a world where all colors swirl together and there’s no convincing her otherwise. God knows I’ve tried. What she did tonight proves my point.”

Razor pointed to the door and said, “Then let’s head back before she does something else stupid.”

Jax rolled his eyes and said, “If that was my goal, I could never leave her side, even for a minute.”

*~*~*~*

When Jax entered the bedroom, Penny’s eyes grew wide in horror when she didn’t see Razor at his side. Her fears quickly became unfounded when she saw Razor’s form step through the threshold. Her first instinct was to kick Jax in the shins for scaring her like that.

While the rest of those in the room continued to talk animatedly to their newly healed housemate, Razor and Jax approached Penny. She put the food Charlie gave her to the side and, while Jax knelt at her feet, Razor lifted her wrist to check her wound. While he caressed the remains of the bite mark, he watched a silent conversation between Penny and Jax. With only the expressions on their faces, Jax communicated to Penny that Razor was unharmed and would keep their secret. Razor knew she got the message when he felt the tension in her body relax and she gave both he and Jax a grateful smile.

After Razor released Penny’s arm, Jax stood and called to the room, “Everyone out so that Van Gogh and Penny can get some rest.” Although no one wanted to leave, they knew better than to question one of Jax’s commands. Once the room was again down to the bare minimum occupants, including Charlie, Jax looked to Penny and said, “Razor and I need to step out for a while. Are you going to be okay if we leave you here in Charlie’s care?”

After Penny nodded and attempted to stand, Razor reacted instantly by quickly scooping her up and carrying her to Van Gogh’s bed. Once he laid her down, he said, “Van Gogh will be up all night so you can stay right here for now. I’ll make sure that you’re not disturbed.” He gave her a brilliant smile and then kissed the pink mark from the wound on her wrist that would most likely scar and remind her of this day forever.

“Thanks,” she replied awkwardly to the Night Walker who was staring at her with a look of adoration that made her squirm uncomfortably.

Jax moved in front of Razor and, after he covered Penny with a blanket, he said, “I’ll be back for you in the morning. Call me if you need anything.” He surprised her when he caressed her affectionately across her cheek.

When Penny called out an instruction to Van Gogh, Charlie crawled onto the bed and said, “I’ll make sure she gets some rest.”

Jax nodded in acknowledgement and he and Razor left the room, closing the door behind them.

Penny nodded off a few times, but she found it difficult to sleep. When Charlie saw that Penny was awake, she asked, “Can’t sleep?” When Penny shook her head, she said, “Van Gogh really took a chunk out of you and I bet it really hurts.”

Although Penny nodded, that wasn’t the real reason for her insomnia. It was because it was the first night in weeks that Penny hadn’t slept in Jax’s arms. She deeply missed the comfort of his cool body pressed against her.

To help distract Penny, Charlie asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what caused you to travel across country with Ice?”

“My entire family was killed in a plane crash and I had to go identify their bodies. I wasn’t mentally safe enough to drive myself so Ice took me.”

Charlie replied, “I’m sorry to hear about your family. Although I may not be a fan of Humans, I do know how hard it is to lose family. Yours died and mine told me I was dead to them. That means we do have something in common. We’re both orphans.”

After they both took a moment to emotionally regroup, Charlie decided to shift the direction of the conversation and said, “Traveling with Ice must be interesting, especially in your situation. I’ve never seen him offer comfort to anyone.”

“I know it hasn’t been easy for him, but his quiet strength was just what I needed. Originally the twins wanted to take me, but no one thought putting those two around that many Humans was such a great idea.”

Charlie nodded and said, “Those two aren’t very good at keeping their nature hidden. That’s one of the reasons they moved to Oregon. They were getting into too much trouble here and, if they stayed, I know they would have been killed. I’m grateful that they found a place that they can be themselves, but I miss them. Tell me…what have they been up to?”

“Better yet. Why don’t we call them?” Penny pulled out her phone and before pressing the speed dial number for Taylor, she said, “Whatever you do, don’t mention what I did here tonight. It would really piss them off and I would never hear the end of it.” After initiating the call, she put the phone on speaker.

The two talked to the twins for over an hour and, after they hung up, Charlie lay back on the bed and said, “Describe their house to me and tell me about the others that live there. I know Sam and Susi, but I don’t know Chad and Ben. What are they like?”

After sharing the basic details, Penny said excitedly, “You should come visit. I know the twins would be thrilled to see you again and I would love to spend more time getting to know you. If you wanted you could even stay with me in my cabin.”

Charlie was touched that, even after being so unkind to Penny, she still wanted to be friends. She replied, “I would love to come visit and then you could introduce me to Chad. I didn’t even know that there was another shifter that can transform like I can. Can he shift into Human forms or just animals?”

“Actually, I don’t know. He told me that he could shift into anything that his mind knew enough details about. He loves animals so I guess that works best for him. Have you ever tried to shift into an animal?”

Charlie thought about the request and then jumped off the bed. After stripping she got on her hands and knees and concentrated with all of her mental strength. Penny watched in wonder as she transformed into an unrecognizable animal-like form. After Charlie returned back to her Human form, she asked, “How did I look? It was my pet cat I had when I was younger.”

Van Gogh, who had been watching while painting, exclaimed, “That was a cat?”

Seeing the disappointed expression on Charlie’s face, Penny added, “But it was a very nice cat, for a first try.”

Charlie laughed and said, “You’re a terrible liar. Maybe I should stick to Human forms.”

Penny replied sympathetically, “You just need some practice.”

With Penny offering constant encouragements, Charlie experimented with a few other animal forms. All attempts had the same not quite right results that made both of them laugh until they had tears in their eyes.

After Charlie crawled back onto the bed, she and Penny talked until the sun started to come up. When Charlie saw that Penny had fallen into a deep sleep, she covered her up. Although she fought it, somehow she managed to like this unusual Human. While staring at Penny, she wondered if she could learn to trust her and, given a little time, consider her a friend.

When Penny woke in the morning, she rolled over and found Van Gogh missing and Charlie sprawled out on the floor wrapped in a sheet. When Charlie turned and looked up at her temporary roommate, Penny asked, “What are you doing down there? There was plenty of room on the bed. Was I snoring?”

Charlie sat up and said, “No. Snoring I could handle. Has anyone ever told you that you’re a serious bed hog? No matter where I moved, you seemed to follow. You had me pinned. And what’s with the heat? I swear sleeping next to you is like sleeping next to a furnace.”

Penny cringed slightly and replied, “I’m so sorry. I’m guilty on all counts.”

“You told me that you and Ice are sleeping at night in a tent. How are you making this work? There’s no place for him to hide from the attack of the Human fire-breathing leech.” She held up her arms to Penny like Frankenstein’s monster and let out a growl.

While Charlie giggled at her own humor, Penny was saved from having to answer her question when Van Gogh entered the room. His wet hair and night shorts informed them that he was ready to go to bed.

Penny jumped up and said, “The bed is all yours.”

Charlie snickered and added, “Yeah, Penny got it all warmed up for you.”

Van Gogh missed the joke and, while looking pointedly at Penny, he said, “I want you to know that you’ve ruined me for life.” Seeing an instant hurt expression wash across Penny’s face, he quickly added, “I finished my meal and washed down my food with a bag of hot liquid, but it tasted like crap compared to your blood. You wouldn’t want to give me a pint or two before you leave, would you?” He gave her a big, fang filled grin.

Penny replied, “Sorry, but you tapped me out last night and I don’t have any extra to give right now.”

He groaned in disappointment and said, “Well your breakfast is being served and, as much as I long for a suntan, the sun is up and I need to go undercover.”

Penny wanted to tell him so badly that odds were he could stand outside for a few minutes, but she had already done enough damage in regards to revealing her secret gift.

While her mind continued the debate, Van Gogh added, “By the way, the bathroom is open if either of you want it while there’s still hot water.”

Charlie announced, “Penny doesn’t need any help. She boils water all on her own.”

When Van Gogh witnessed Penny playfully kick at Charlie, he asked, “Did I miss something?”

Penny quickly replied, “No” before Charlie could say anything else. She then added, “Thank you so much for letting me crash here last night.”

He replied, “You’re welcome to use my room anytime you’re here. You’re planning to visit again, right?”

Seeing his interest in having her come back, Penny replied honestly, “I do hope so.” Looking at the partially finished room, she asked, “I wish I could stay until your masterpiece is done. Would you be willing to share phone numbers so that we can stay in touch? You can send me pictures of your progress and can call me if you need any painting advice or want someone to talk to.”

After exchanging numbers, Penny turned to ask Charlie the same thing. Charlie replied, “While you tried to burn down the castle with your inner furnace, I exchanged our numbers.”

Penny thanked her and announced, “I’m going to go take a quick shower. I’ll see you later at breakfast.” Given the conspiratorial look on Charlie’s face, Penny knew that the moment she left the room, Van Gogh was going to get all the details on Penny’s unusual nighttime behavior.

After retrieving clean clothes and bathroom supplies from the Rover, Penny headed to the bathroom. Just before she opened the door she heard her name called. When she turned, she saw Razor walking toward her. Once they were standing next to each other he said, “Good morning, Penny. I’m glad I caught you before you and Ice headed out. I wanted to thank you again for what you did for Van Gogh.”

“I’m thrilled beyond words that I was able to help him. He’s a wonderful kid and a great artist.” Knowing that Razor had spent the night talking with Jax, she asked hesitantly, “By the way, did you and Ice work everything out?”

Not wanting others to know the details, he replied, “He and I discussed a lot of things and made some future plans. I know that he’ll tell you about it later. By the way, I peeked into Van Gogh’s room earlier and saw what he created with your guidance. You did so much more for him than just save his life. I don’t think I’ll ever see him again without a paintbrush in hand. He’ll have his room done in no time and I’m not sure what we’ll do to keep him occupied.”

Penny looked at the bare walls around her and, seeing them as blank canvases, she warned with a smirk, “I fear that your dull home is about to be covered in color.”

While they talked and laughed about the challenges of living with an enthusiastic artist, Jax stepped around the corner. When Razor caught him staring at them intently, he said to Penny, “I need to head to bed, but I’ll see you again soon.” He then took her hand and kissed her newest scar tenderly before opening the bathroom door for her. Once she was inside, he gave Jax a nod and then walked down the hall toward his room.

Although Jax knew that Razor meant nothing by his flirtation with Penny, he couldn’t stop his territorial feelings from surfacing. When he heard the water in the shower turn on, he decided to do what he knew would instantly calm his reaction. He went to the door and, using his unique talents, he had the lock undone and was standing in the bathroom in seconds.

Penny didn’t hear him enter and was already under the warm streams when the shower door opened. She spun and, seeing Jax, she whispered urgently, “What are you doing in here? Someone could have seen you come in.”

His cool hands instantly appeared at her waist and he said, “You lost a lot of blood last night and I wanted to make sure you were steady on your feet. I didn’t want to risk you slipping in the shower.”

Although she enjoyed his cool touch, she said, “That’s very sweet, but as you can see, I’m fine.”

He gave her body a quick once over and said, “More than fine.” As he playfully let his fingertips begin to roam, he asked, “Do you want me to leave?”

She couldn’t help sighing at his touch and said, “No. I missed those cool hands of yours last night. Poor Charlie tried to stay by me and I think I singed her.” She placed her hands on his chest and, while caressing his firm muscles, she said, “Well, if you’re going to stay, you can be at least useful.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Without you last night, I really did overheat. Do you want to play fireman and try to put out my fire?” She gave him wink followed by a wicked grin.

In a flash of speed, Jax picked up Penny and pinned her against the side of the shower. While he held her easily in place, she couldn’t help swooning at the raw strength he possessed.

He leaned down toward her and, after giving her a low growl, he said, “Get prepared, Human. I plan to thoroughly tame that inner fire of yours.” After positioning her, he slid himself into her warmth and she let out a loud moan. He chuckled at her reaction and said, “You keep that up and people are going to wonder what you’re doing in here.”

After taking a second to adjust to the coolness of his inner touch, she whispered, “I can be quiet, but what about you?” She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist to force a tighter connection and then bit into his chest, making him gasp and stagger. After giving him a smug look, she asked, “Now who’s the one that isn’t stable on their feet?”

While everyone else was busy eating breakfast, the battle in the shower was on and, for weapons, they each used whatever act they knew drove the other one crazy. Much to Penny’s delight and frustration, Jax was winning the ‘being quiet’ bet. In an effort to turn the tide, she went for broke and kissed a path down his body. When she found her mouth’s target, Jax’s hands turned into fists in an attempt to hold in his reaction. When he could contain it no longer, he let out a roar in appreciation for her efforts and his fingers instantly appeared intertwined in her hair.

Once Penny stood and saw Jax panting, she said with pride, “I think it’s safe to say that I won this one, Iceman.”

While trying to slow his breathing, Jax said, “I’ll concede the battle, but not the war.” He turned off the water, shook off the water on his body like a dog, and said, “My turn.” The blaze that was in Penny was now flaming in his eyes.

By the time Penny surrendered the war, both of them had drunken smiles on their faces and Jax had successfully reduced her raging inferno to smoldering coals.

*~*~*~*

Charlie had been waiting for Penny to return so that they could go to breakfast together. Given the delay, she became concerned and decided to go check on her. As she walked down the hall toward the bathroom, she passed a man that said, “Someone is already in there and, I don’t know what they’re doing, but there’s been a lot of banging noises. My bet is that someone lost control on their shifted form again. Shit! Last time this happened it took me over a week to repair the damage.”

As the man grumbled and walked away, Charlie grew even more concerned about Penny. Just before she was about to knock on the bathroom door to find out what was going on, the door swung open. Charlie jumped back when she saw Jax standing in front of her in nothing but pants, a towel wrapped around his neck, and an extremely satisfied expression on his face.

Charlie said, “Sorry, Ice. I thought Penny was in there.”

Jax replied casually, “She’s finishing up and will be ready in a few minutes.” Without trying to hide the situation, he turned and said to the one behind him, “I’ll see you in the kitchen.”

As Jax walked away, Charlie peeked in and her jaw dropped, finding Penny standing in front of the mirror in nothing but a towel. Charlie walked in, closed the door behind her, and said, “Last night, I think you neglected to share some need to know information, so spill it, girlfriend.”

Penny wasn’t sure how to respond but, since Jax didn’t try to hide from Charlie that they had shared the bathroom together, she took it as a sign that she could fill in a few gaps in her story.

As Penny dressed, she told Charlie a quick synopsis of her and Jax’s physical relationship. When she was done, she said, “Please keep this to yourself since I know that Ice wouldn’t want other Changelings to know. This is only a temporary arrangement anyway—just until we get back home.”

Although Charlie’s initial instincts were to be furious over the idea of Ice with a Human, she was forced to admit the positive changes Penny had made in him. As long as she’d known Ice, she had never seen him so content and relaxed. She said, “I can’t imagine Ice being romantic with anyone, Human or Changeling, but seeing the glow in both of your faces, obviously it must be working. I say enjoy the time you have, because none of us know what tomorrow will bring. No matter what, I insist that you call me and keep me up to date on how it’s going.”

“I promise.”

After Penny was dressed, they headed to the kitchen and Penny tried to ignore the rest of the room that continued to glare at her. Even though she had helped save Van Gogh, they still saw her as an intruder and were anxious for her to leave.

While they ate, Charlie watched Penny and Jax, trying to imagine them as a couple. Her thoughts were interrupted when the man that she had spoken with in the hall stood and said to the room as a whole, “I don’t know which of you was making all of the racket in the bathroom this morning, but if you broke anything, you’re going to help me fix it.”

While Penny became very interested in something on her plate, Jax looked at the one that spoke and announced nonchalantly, “Oh, that was me. I was a bit stiff this morning so I was doing some stretching. The shower was a bit small, but the vanity turned out to be a perfect height for a few moves that warmed up my muscles quite nicely.”

The anger in the man’s face was instantly replaced by a smile. He then said almost apologetically, “That’s okay, Ice. I can take care of any damage that you may have inadvertently caused.” He added to himself, “I really thought that I had heard a woman’s voice in there.”

Jax turned to Penny and said, “You were in there after I left. Did you see any damage?”

While choking on a bite of toast, Penny shook her head and coughed out, “The room was fine.” While Charlie snickered at Jax’s unexpected humor, Penny kicked him in the shin.

Within an hour, Charlie walked the travelers to the Rover. Jax unexpectedly gave Charlie a kiss on her forehead to say good bye. She wanted to give this new Jax a hug, but, out of old habit, she couldn’t make her arms wrap around him. If this improved version of Jax was going to stay, she would have to learn new ways to interact with him.

As they started to drive away, Charlie put her fingers to her face like a phone and mouthed to Penny so that no one else would hear, “Call me.”

Penny nodded at her new friend and they disappeared down the road.