Knight Shift (22 page)

Susi said, “Her family just died in a plane crash. I guarantee she won’t step one foot on a plane.”

Taylor announced, “Then Tadd and I will take her. M&M were our friends and we want to go say good-bye.”

Sam replied, “I understand but you, Tadd, and Chad can’t go. Although you handle yourself well around Penny, you would be forced to spend time with many other Humans that don’t have Penny’s open heart. You would never be able to hide your Changeling side and imagine the potential results.” He looked at Susi and said, “You and I would go, but we can’t be out in the sunlight.” He looked over at the youngest of the group and said, “Ben can’t go either. He’s still learning to control his skills and he would never be able to handle feeling all of those emotions at once.” He turned to Ice and said, “You’ll need to take her.”

Taylor sprang to his feet and exclaimed, “No way! He can’t go. She’s Human. He would rather kill her than comfort her.”

Susi shook her head and said, “She would be perfectly safe with Ice at her side. Although he may be a little intimidating to look at, he’s the only one that could handle being around Humans for extended periods of time without exposing his secret.”

Ice started to pace. “The twins may be right—not about me wanting to kill her. I would never hurt her. But I’m not great around people and I definitely wouldn’t know the first thing about trying to offer comfort.”

Sam walked over to Ice and said, “You can do this. We’re now the only ones she has.”

Taylor wanted to continue to argue, but he knew that Sam was right. In his frustration, he walked over to the window and threw back the curtain so that he could stare outside at bright afternoon sun.

When the light streamed into the room, Susi shrieked and jumped back, avoiding the bright beam. Sam, who had his back to the window, didn’t move or react. Seeing Sam standing in the light, Susi yelled, “Close the curtain!”

Sam spun and the light hit his face for a second before Taylor blocked the window again. Feeling no burn Sam yelled, “Wait! Open the curtain again.”

Taylor looked around the room for guidance and, when Ice nodded, he did as asked.

When Sam stepped into the beam, he closed his eyes and said, “Ahhh.”

Susi whispered in disbelief, “This can’t be.” Not understanding exactly what she was seeing, she stepped forward and stuck a finger in the light, instantly feeling heat building and pulled her hand back. “How are you doing this?” she asked in amazement.

“I have no idea,” Sam replied in wonder as he walked closer to the window. Although he had to squint at the brightness, he let the heat of the sun caress his entire body.

Susi looked up at the door to the bedroom holding Penny and asked in disbelief, “Is it possible Penny’s blood did this?”

Sam twirled his hand in a sunbeam and said, “It must be. The sensation I felt when I drank her blood was unlike any other.”

Tadd asked, “I wonder how long it’ll last?”

Sam replied, “I don’t know, but this is the first time in my adult life that I’ve been able to stand in the sun and I’m going to enjoy every second.”

Everyone watched silently as he soaked up the rays. After slightly over an hour, he announced, “Alas, it’s starting to wear off. I can feel the heat starting to build.” He turned to his family and said, “When Penny wakes, let’s keep this to ourselves. She has enough on her mind to deal with right now. She doesn’t need to know that her blood is some kind of miracle drug.”

Susi added, “We also must keep it a secret from any non-Human creature as well. If they were to find out, Penny would be hunted like no other.”

“That won’t happen,” Ice decreed with a protective growl, but he knew that there was one Changeling that had already sensed the draw from Penny’s blood—Logan.

A few hours later, Penny woke and she was helped back into the living room. Although still very shaken, she was now able to focus her thoughts. As predicted, she insisted on driving herself across the country. When the room argued with her, she replied, “I can’t ask any of you to do this with me.”

Sam replied, “You aren’t asking, we’re insisting. In your current mental state, you can’t even drive safely. We won’t risk losing you.”

The idea of making this trip alone made her body shudder. She scanned those around her and asked, “Then who is the unlucky one that has to go with me?”

When she stared at the twins, Taylor said, “We wanted to go, but they won’t let us. They’re afraid we’ll lose control and terrorize the Humans.”

As Penny continued to scan those assembled, she heard a voice from behind her say, “I’ll be your escort.”

She turned and asked Ice, “You?”

Sam stepped forward and explained. “Susi and I can’t handle the sun. Ben is too unstable, and the twins are… well, the twins. Chad is willing to try to remain Human, but it would be extremely difficult for him. Ice is the logical choice. He has spent more time around Humans than all of us combined and has the best ability to control himself.”

Penny said, “But he hates being around Humans. He would be stuck with me twenty-four hours a day for weeks.”

Ben put his hand on Penny’s arm and said, “But he can protect you like no other.”

Taylor stared at Ice and added in a warning tone, “And he’ll bring you back unharmed.”

Ben shook his head and said, “You don’t have to worry. He won’t harm her.” He tapped his temple to show that he confirmed his theory from Ice’s mind.

Ice looked down at Penny. “I may not be the best traveling companion, but I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

Seeing the honesty in his words, Penny reluctantly agreed with the plan. While checking her pockets, she said, “I need my phone. I think I need to call someone.”

Ice handed her phone back and said, “Already done. I talked to your boss earlier and he said to take as much time as you need. I also called out east and told them we would be driving across country. They aren’t expecting us until the end of the week.”

Penny was touched that he had done that for her. She asked, “When do you want to leave?”

“You need more rest. How about we leave first thing in the morning?” Ice looked over at Susi and said, “The sun is now down. Could you go over to Penny’s house and help her pack?”

Susi nodded. “Of course. I’ll drive her over. I don’t want her alone tonight so I’ll bring her back here when we’re done.”

With a plan set, Susi took Penny home to prepare for her trip.

Later that night, Penny and Susi returned with luggage in hand. As Penny headed to the guest room, the twins approached Susi and asked, “How is she doing?”

“Not well. She still hasn’t cried and is holding in all of her pain.” She turned to Ice and said, “Be gentle with her on your trip. Sooner or later her emotions are going to have to come out.”

A crying Penny wasn’t something Ice was prepared to handle. He said, “But I wouldn’t know how to handle that. I shouldn’t be going. I’ll just make this worse.”

Susi put her hand on Ice’s back and said, “Don’t worry. You’ll do what’s needed when the time comes and you can call me anytime. I’ll help you through this.”

Ice still thought that the trip was a very bad idea, but he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to watch Penny drive away with anyone else. He had to be the one watching over her—a role that had become a major part of his life and he wasn’t about to give it up now.

That night everyone took turns staying with Penny so that she was never left alone.

During a breakfast that Penny picked at, Ice loaded the car. After many long hugs from each member of the family, the twins walked the travelers to the Range Rover and watched as Ice drove out of sight with their friend at his side.

Taylor leaned into his brother and said, “I know we owe him our lives and that he could rip our arms out of their sockets without breaking a sweat, but if he hurts her…”

Tadd nodded and said, “No matter what, I have your back, Brother. But I think Ben is right. Ice has changed and I think he actually cares about Penny.”

“I hope that you’re right.”

As the travelers drove out of town, Penny’s mind wandered. She was now alone with the object of her obsession, but the whole world had changed around her. Twenty-four hours ago, while her family was dying, she was acting like a love sick adolescent and planning how she could get Ice into her arms. As her thoughts filled with pain and guilt, she buried her daydreams deep in the back of her mind. The time had passed for childish fantasies and she had to face a new and dark future. Fate had decided that she needed to travel her uncharted path alone. Accepting her destiny, she said in an uncharacteristically cold voice, “It’s going to be difficult for you to be trapped in a car so long with a Human, so I’ll try to make this as easy on you as possible. I know that you’re not much for small talk and I’m not in the mood to socialize. Don’t feel obligated to try and talk to me.”

Ice hated seeing her in pain but, not knowing the right words to say, he nodded in acknowledgement. Although he did prefer the silence when traveling in the car, he found it unnerving to be around Penny when she wasn’t talking non-stop.

Once they were on the interstate, Penny kicked off her shoes and rearranged her seat to get more comfortable. She had put on a lightweight summer dress that, while curled up in the seat, was unintentionally showing off her legs. Ice swerved when he briefly lost focus on the road while glancing at the view. With his body’s obvious attraction to his travel mate and their continued close proximity, it was going to take all of his mental strength to suppress his feelings for her. He realized that the trip was going to be challenging for him in many ways.

Several hours later they pulled into a truck stop for gas and Penny went inside to grab something to eat. Although it was lunch time, she had no appetite. Out of pure habit, she ordered a hot cup of tea and piece of toast—something her mother made for her whenever she was upset or not feeling well.

While sitting at the counter waiting for her food, a man approached and asked, “Is this stool next to you taken?” Penny shook her head and gestured for him to sit. After the waitress took his to go order, the man asked Penny casually, “Where are you headed?”

Penny replied, “Virginia.”

“To see family?” he guessed.

A lump formed in her throat. Unable to verbalize a response, she nodded.

Seeing her instant distress, he asked with true concern, “Is everything alright?”

Penny looked down at the newspaper in his hand and, when she saw the heading for the plane crash, she pointed silently.

He looked where she was pointing and realized that she must have known someone in the crash. He put his hand on hers and said, “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”

She was touched by this stranger’s kindness and they talked for a few minutes. He shared the story of how he lost his wife in a car accident a few years back. Somehow Penny found it comforting to share their pain together.

Ice entered the cafe to tell Penny he was ready to go. When she spotted him, she held up a finger, indicating that she would be out in one minute. Ice waited and watched as the man next to her took Penny’s bill from her hand and then kissed her on the cheek. Ice clenched his fists and he dug his fingernails into his palms to stop himself from racing over. He wanted to remove the man’s hand not just from Penny’s arm, but also rip it from his body.

After Penny stood, the man handed her a card that he had written on. She thanked him and headed out with her tea and untouched toast.

Once back in the car, Ice asked between clenched teeth, “Who was that?”

“Just someone traveling.”

“What did he give you?”

She took out the card from her pocket and looked at it. “It’s his business card.” When she flipped it over, she read out loud, “Call if you need anything. Brad.”

Ice caught the cell number that had been hand-written on the card and was deeply bothered by the attentiveness of this stranger to Penny. As they returned to the highway in complete silence, he analyzed his feelings and realized that his anger wasn’t with Brad. It was directed toward himself. A stranger was able to offer Penny needed comfort and he wasn’t. In a feeble attempt to do something, Ice left the highway and got on a smaller country road.

Seeing what he was doing, Penny asked, “Where are we going?”

“I know how much you like to travel on country roads to see small town America. And since we have plenty of time, I thought the change in scenery might help make the trip easier on you.”

Although Ice was correct and she did prefer traveling by off-roads, she couldn’t recall ever telling him that fact. “The twins were right. You do seem to know everything.”

Ice cursed at himself, realizing that the knowledge he shared was given to Casper. Unless he wanted to confess all, he needed to be more careful from this point forward. But seeing Penny’s body relax as she stared out the window, he decided that his blunder paid off. He had found a small way to offer her comfort.

Hours later they stopped for an early dinner at a small road-side bar. Penny picked the location, thinking that a dimly lit tavern wound make Ice feel more comfortable. She still wasn’t hungry, but refused to allow herself to be any more of a burden on Ice than was absolutely necessary. Per his promise, Ice excused himself to make a quick call to check in with Sam. At the same time, Penny went ahead into the bar and got them a table. While sitting by herself, a man walked over and offered to buy her a drink. Ice walked in as the man kissed her hand and walked away.

Once Ice joined Penny, he asked while unsuccessfully hiding his irritation, “What did that man want?”

Penny was shocked to see emotion in Ice’s expression. In an attempt to keep his anger in check, she said calmly, “He thought I was alone and wanted to buy me a drink. I sent him away.”

Ice looked down at the table and saw yet another business card. Her popularity caused a flash of jealousy—a now familiar and uncomfortable feeling for him. Ice ate his meal, but noticed that Penny didn’t touch her plate. As the waitress boxed up her food, Penny pulled out her wallet to pay her part of the bill. Ice stopped her and said, “While on this trip, allow me to cover the expenses.”

She shook her head and replied, “I can’t let you do that. It’s already bad enough that you’ve been forced to come on this awful trip with me. You shouldn’t have to pay for it as well.”

“As you already know, money isn’t an issue for me. I may not be the best company, but let me do this for you.”

Penny didn’t have the mental strength to argue so she nodded in agreement. Since they would be traveling together for a while, having the money issue resolved took one more burden off of her mind. Her shoulders relaxed and she said, “Thank you, Ice.” In the back of her mind she planned to keep track of how much he spent on her and find a way to repay him.

When the waitress took Ice’s credit card, Ice looked to Penny and said, “And from here after, call me Jax.”

It was a small gesture to him, but she was deeply touched. Now she was one person—possibly the only one—on the planet that was allowed to use his real name. It made her feel very special. With her emotions suppressed so close to the surface, she couldn’t find her voice to respond so she nodded and gave him a small smile.

Jax sat up a little straighter, proud that he was, once again, able to offer something to Penny. For his next gesture, he decided to stop early for the night to give Penny a chance to stretch out and rest.

When he found a motel to stop at, Penny went into the lobby at Jax’s side. When he requested two rooms, Penny panicked. She couldn’t bear the idea of being alone. Although she would have preferred one room, she looked at the woman behind the counter and blurted out, “Adjoining, please.”

After Jax carried Penny’s luggage to her room and placed it on the bed, he went into the room next door. Penny stood in the middle of her empty room, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. When she heard a knock at the adjoining door, she opened it and Jax asked, “I noticed that you didn’t eat anything at dinner. Can I get you something else?”

Penny shook her head and said, “I have leftovers if I want to eat later.” She had already thrown the box out.

Jax knew he should do something else to comfort her, but he had no idea what to do so he said, “Then I’ll see you in the morning.”

As he left her room, Penny asked with a hint of panic in her voice, “Can you leave the door unlocked please?”

He nodded and closed the door behind him.

Penny decided to get ready for bed. When she opened her suitcase, she cursed as she looked at the pile of shear lace and silk. When packing, she had blindly grabbed nightgowns out of her drawer without looking and every item was not appropriate for mixed company. After she grabbed the one on top and changed, she crawled into bed. She lay staring at the television screen late into the night, but couldn’t have told anyone what she had watched. She finally gave up, turned everything off, and closed her eyes.

Per her normal routine, she woke when it was still dark and shot up in bed. Her body was dripping in sweat, but this time it wasn’t from overheating. It was from the horrible dream that she woke from. With her pulse still racing, she wrapped herself up in a sheet and walked over to the adjoining door. As quietly as physically possible, she peeked into the room. To her extreme relief, the hinges didn’t squeak.

Although Jax was in bed with his eyes closed, in reality he stirred the second she opened her eyes.

There was only one bed in Jax’s room so she curled up in a recliner and stared at her roommate. She wanted desperately to be held, but knew that was an impossible request to make of her traveling companion. For lack of anything else to do, she scooted her chair up as close to the bed as she could get, careful not to wake the one sleeping. She curled up in the chair like a cat and tried to find a comfortable position. She planned to stay only until the sun started to rise so that she could sneak back into her room before Jax woke, but she fell asleep out of pure exhaustion.

Jax opened his eyes when he sensed her deep breathing and was surprised to find Penny with her hands and feet stretched out toward him with her fingers inches from his hand. It looked as if she was reaching out to him. He crawled out of bed and carefully scooped Penny up into his arms. He tucked her in the spot he was lying in minutes before. He then took her former position in the chair and watched her sleep.

When she woke hours later, she found herself still wrapped up in her sheet and in Jax’s bed with all of the pillows tucked next to her. She was using them like a body pillow and had them in a death grip. Jax was nowhere in sight. By the time she was dressed, he returned to the room with food. She was pleasantly surprised by his choice of hot tea and toast—exactly what she wanted. She had no idea that he even noticed what she had ordered the day before.

As she nibbled on the bread, she said, “Sorry about last night. I woke from a bad dream and didn’t want to be alone, but you could’ve left me in the chair. I didn’t mean for you to give up your bed for me.”

“It’s no big deal. I don’t need much sleep and you seemed more in need of the bed than me.”

Less than an hour later, they were both in the Rover and heading down the road.

Jax’s hunting instincts allowed him to feel Penny’s emotional state and he found it very difficult to deal with her projected pain. He needed a little fresh air and time on his own to clear his head so, when they stopped for lunch, he told her to go ahead and eat. He needed to stretch his legs.

She agreed, knowing that her presence was weighing on him. She said apologetically, “Take as much time as you need. I’ll wait inside until you come and get me.”