Knight Shift (37 page)

It was late morning by the time the Rover was making its way down the highway. Both Penny and Jax were still having troubles dealing with what happened in Nashville, but they knew that there was no way to undo the damage. What they decided to focus on was preventing the same incident from happening again.

As they made their way into Missouri, Jax examined how he was feeling. Normally he always felt his hidden nature waiting anxiously just below the surface. It caused him to constantly have to focus to keep it at bay. But at that moment, his mind was at complete ease. He wondered if it was because he fully released his nature, drank more of Penny’s blood, or a combination of both.

It was mid-afternoon when the travelers drove into Sikeston, Missouri and Jax asked, “We got a late start today. Would you like to stop for a very late lunch or early dinner?”

Keeping to their plan of avoiding all places where crowds could be, Penny suggested, “Why don’t you stop at a grocery store and I’ll run in and get us something?”

“Actually I thought we could stop at a restaurant.”

Penny shook her head and said protectively, “Maybe another day. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

Replying honestly, he said, “But I need to prove it to me. The stories you’ve heard may make it sound like I lose control and let my darker side go crazy. In reality the opposite is true. Every action and reaction was planned and executed with me in complete control.”

“But yesterday...”

“I’ll admit that spending so much time with Humans has forced me to adjust my approach. But after hunting last night and then feeding, I feel completely focused today. Actually I can still feel the heat from your blood coursing through me.” He held up his hand like he was wielding a sword and said, “I feel like a knight that could slay a dragon with one hand tied behind his back.” Seeing that she was still unconvinced, he added with a more subdued, serious tone, “I know that you’re trying to protect me and that means a great deal to me, but I need to show you that I can do this.” To help alleviate some of Penny’s fears, he compromised by saying, “It’s mid-afternoon so any restaurant shouldn’t be busy. If there are too many people, we won’t stay.”

Knowing Jax already had his mind set, Penny reluctantly agreed, but she would remain alert for any danger signs and drag him out if necessary.

When he spotted a restaurant, he pulled into the parking lot. To help hide his eye tattoo, he grabbed a pair of sunglasses hooked to the visor and said with a hint of excitement in his voice, “Let’s go.”

Penny followed him toward the building, but she had her eyes locked on Jax, trying to determine if he was putting on an act for her. If he was, she planned to have another long talk with her traveling partner and this talk wasn’t going to be pleasant.

When they entered the dining area, a hostess greeted them and said, “Welcome to Lambert’s Cafe. Two?”

Before Penny would answer, she peeked into the dining area. When she decided that the crowd was small enough, she turned to the hostess and nodded. As they were led to a table, Jax noticed Penny eying the room as if planning a quick escape. He chuckled at their role reversal and leaned toward her. He whispered, “Relax, Mama Bear. I’ll be fine.”

She grunted in response, but didn’t drop her guard.

Penny was going to drag him back outside when their hostess took them to a table where another group was already sitting. Penny realized that, instead of individual tables, this restaurant seated customers ‘home style’. This meant that they shared their meal with other customers while sitting at long wooden tables.

Seeing Penny retreating, Jax pushed her from behind and whispered in her ear excitedly, “Oooo, this could be fun.”

Penny scowled at his uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

After they were seated it was Jax that introduced himself and his fiancé to those at the table. With his relaxed and friendly disposition, Penny was beginning to fear that the Jax she knew had been replaced by an alien imposter. With anyone else she would have thought his revised attitude pleasant but, with Jax, she found it a bit unsettling.

After they ordered the main part of their meal, they understood the seating arrangements better when the waitresses carried out buckets of side items and served them to each person sitting at the table. A waiter came forward carrying a tray. Then with little warning, a roll came flying across the air. Jax’s hand instantly appeared to catch it.

He handed the projectile to Penny and, to the delight of their tablemates, he happily caught rolls for others at their table. No matter how hard the waiter tried, Jax never missed. As the waiter walked to another table, Jax leaned toward Penny and said with an excited growl in his voice, “Your brothers would have loved this place. We need to bring TnT here sometime.”

Penny agreed about her brothers, but not about the other twins. The thought of them at this style of restaurant made her involuntarily shudder.

They had a very pleasant meal and, to Penny’s complete shock, Jax not only remained in control, he seemed to actually enjoy himself. Although she had to admit that the meal was a success, she was still going to insist on the camping part of their plan so that Jax could fully shift and hunt. Since those they were sitting with were locals, she asked the group, “Jax and I want to do some camping while we travel. Is there a place in town where we can buy some gear?”

An older man replied, “Just up the road is AgMart. It has everything anyone could ever want.”

Penny decided to offer a little of her own flair to the end of the meal, so she taught everyone at the table how to fold money into animal shapes. To the delight of those that served them, the overly large tip they left was guarded by a zoo full of folded animals.

They left the restaurant and Jax had no trouble finding the recommended store. It was massive and the inside seemed to go on for miles. When they were directed to camping equipment and Penny put two sleeping bags into their cart, Jax grabbed one and tossed it back on the shelf, saying “We don’t need two. You’re place is right on top of me naked.” He gave her a leering grin and a growl. Penny glanced away, and she jumped when she felt him pinch her backside. Although his actions made her laugh, she couldn’t help wondering if his playful mood was caused from a reaction from her blood, and how long it was going to last before the more serious, subdued Jax returned.

While they picked up all of their camping supplies, Penny also filled the cart with gifts for everyone back at home. By the time they loaded the Rover, it was crammed full.

They headed back down the highway and, just as the sun was starting to go down, they arrived at Ozark Scenic Riverway. This was a place that Penny’s family had gone canoeing several times. Wasting no time, they rented a canoe and, by the moonlight, they found a wonderful cove where Penny sprinkled more ashes.

It was late by the time they finally had their camp setup. Penny expected the effects of her blood to have worn off by now but, after Penny dressed for bed and crawled into the tent, Jax pounced on her and had her naked in seconds. She giggled, wondering why she even bothered to get dressed in the first place. After he had her sweaty and panting, he took his daily Penny snack. Although he took only what he needed, he didn’t need nearly as much as the night before. Regardless, the act left Penny pleasantly tingling.

Seeing her condition, he gave her a proud male grin and said, “Get some sleep. I’m going for a run and I’ll be back a little later.” To her absolute delight, Ice appeared and kissed her on the nose before disappearing into the dark.

She snuggled into their large, shared sleeping bag with a soft moan and whispered to herself, “It was a good day.”

The next day the travelers decided to drive a long distance to make up for their unexpected delays and get them back on track based on their original travel itinerary. To make the many hours across Kansas go by quicker, Penny downloaded a ‘who done it’ mystery novel onto Jax’s smart phone. While she clutched Jax’s hand, she read the story out loud. By the time the guilty party was identified by an overly attractive detective working for an equally attractive and overly curvy client, they were welcomed into Colorado by the beautiful snowcapped silhouette of the Rocky Mountains that edged the horizon.

Penny continued to read and, when the story’s detective and his client rode off into the sunset together, Penny shut off the phone and stared at her own sunset. After spending a long day in the Rover, Penny read the highway sign announcing their next destination—Colorado Springs.

*~*~*~*

It was late when the travelers pulled into a small motel parking lot located on the edge of Colorado Springs. Although their plan negated staying at any motels, this one was off the beaten path and looked completely empty so Penny agreed. Since they had spent all day sitting in the car, she looked forward to stretching out in a comfortable bed.

After they stepped into their room, they tossed their bags into a chair. The barriers between them were now completely gone so, after they got undressed, they jumped into the shower together. When Penny stepped out of the water, she actually wondered what it would be like when she arrived at home and no longer had a shower buddy. As she crawled into bed and took her normal position pressed tightly against Jax, she realized how much she was going to miss the companionship and comfort Jax’s presence offered.

Penny woke early and, when the sun was cresting over the horizon, she and Jax were already walking the trails that were winding through the Garden of the Gods recreation area. At one of the scenic look outs, Penny took a moment to stare at the morning sunlight reflecting off the unusual red and orange rock formations that were jetting up silently through the deep green of the nature that held them. Seeing all of the different shapes and heights, she had an overwhelming desire to scale up one of the large cliffs. But, neither of them had climbing gear, and the park was too public for Jax to use any of his shifted skills. Instead, Penny led her companion through the labyrinth and, while he captured the moment, she spread ashes at the base of several of her favorite formations.

Jax noticed her disappointment at being forced to keep her feet on the ground. So after a short drive to Pike’s Peak, they hiked up to their planned camp location and he asked, “How high would you like to hike up the mountain to spread the ashes?”

“I would love to go all the way up, but we don’t have the time or equipment to make it very far. They have the cob train that could take us up, but that would require you to be trapped in a small space with Humans for hours. You did great at Lambert’s, but don’t even bother trying to convince me to take the train, because I won’t agree no matter what you say.”

Jax had another idea in mind and said, “There’s another option. The mountain is extremely large and we can find a secluded path away from prying Human eyes. I could shift and take you up as high as you want.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying that you would carry me?”

“You could ride on my back.” To justify his suggestion he said, “You said you wanted to spend more time with that side of me. Here’s your chance.” He then added teasingly, “Unless you’re afraid...”

Penny gave him a huff and then picked up a small backpack. After grabbing only the bare essentials and some food and drinks, she slipped the pack onto her back. She said with a huge grin, “I’m ready. Shift. We’re wasting daylight.”

Jax laughed at her enthusiasm and then began to transform. Penny watched intently as his body changed and her pulse increased as each of her now favorite spots appeared. Once he was ready, he motioned her over. After he helped her up on his back, he grabbed onto her legs and asked in Ice’s lower, more raspy, voice, “Ready?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in, and said, “Let’s go.” She gave him a firm kiss on his neck as a thank you.

After taking a few seconds to lean into the fire of her lips’ touch, he took off into the trees. The unexpected speed and force of his movements made Penny shriek and grab onto him tighter. She was shocked to find how quickly and quietly they traveled. It was as if his feet never touched the ground. Even the typical sounds of snapping twigs or rustling leaves seemed to remain silent as he brushed past them. Whenever his movements stopped, Penny remained perfectly silent. She watched in wonder as the hunter used his keen senses to avoid wild animals and find the quickest paths up the mountain side while still carefully diverting from any areas where a Human was located. They even traveled up slopes that would have required any Human to use special gear.

Concern for him carrying her weight for so long made her ask him several times if he needed to rest. The only response she received was him tightening his grip on her legs followed by a low growl. Although he wouldn’t take a break for himself, somehow he sensed whenever her body needed a break. He would stop and force her to drink fluids while giving her a chance to adjust to the ever increasing altitude.

After traveling for several hours, Penny caught sight of gliders flying silently across the afternoon sky. Although they were standing on a steep ledge that no Human or Changeling in their right mind would attempt to climb, she tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Stop here; this is the place.”

Hearing the seriousness of her voice, he did as asked and carefully put her feet back on the ground. Given the limited space, he continued to hold on to her as he transformed back to Jax. While Jax dug out the camera and several silk pouches, Penny stared out at the scenic alpine wonderland spread out as far as her eyes could see. She whispered in awe of nature’s artwork, “It’s breath-taking.”

Jax captured the moment while the air filled with the sparkle of remains of the ones she loved. He held her and waited for the air to clear and her emotions to calm. When the breeze grew to a level that made him uncomfortable for Penny’s safety, Ice carried her to a more stable location at a much lower altitude.

After eating a quick dinner, Penny announced to Jax that she was ready to return to their camp and then said, “I can’t thank you enough for allowing Ice to bring me up here. I hope staying in your shifted form for so long with me stuck on your back wasn’t too uncomfortable for you.”

His shifted side actually enjoyed feeling Penny pressed against him and Jax replied, “Actually, I found it much easier than I expected.”

“We have a ways to get back to camp, and you’ve done more than enough. I can walk the trail from here.”

He found his darker side was looking forward to again feeling Penny’s body heat so Jax replied, “I got you up here, I’ll get you back down. Besides it’s getting late and there’s no moon tonight. It would be dangerous for you to walk in the dark.”

“If you insist on carrying me, I would feel better if you had a snack before we go.”

“We just ate, so I’m not hungry.”

“I wasn’t talking about that kind of snack.” She gave him a hint by exposing the line of her neck and said, “Don’t try to argue with me on this either. You’re going to have a Human leech attached to your back for a few more hours and you know that it would help make Ice more in control.”

Knowing that Penny was right, he agreed but, when Jax walked her way, she made him stop. She shook her head and said, “The snack is for Ice. He’s the one that will need it.”

Seconds later, Penny found herself staring into the dark eyes of Jax’s shifted nature. When she held out her wrist, he shook his head. When she tilted her head to offer him her neck instead, he declined her offer again. She then asked, “No wrist or neck? What spot do you want?”

As Ice stared lower on her body, Penny said, “You wouldn’t.” Although her words were said warningly, her pulse instantly sped with anticipation.

He gave her a crooked smile and, before she knew it, he had her pants off and his fangs sunk into her inner thigh. While he enjoyed his snack, Penny filled the woods with her sounds of approval. Even though he loved the noises he could coerce out of her, he didn’t need to take much blood to feel completely re-energized. Too quickly for either of them, he released her and healed her wound. Between the higher altitude, the blood loss, and the tingling sensation that tickled throughout her body, Penny giggled the entire time he helped her get dressed and jump onto his back.

Ice began the descent down, but had to stop a few times to regroup whenever Penny’s overly good mood caused her to make fake growling noises and attack his exposed neck with her teeth. Although his shifted skin was too hard to bite through, it didn’t stop her from trying and Ice loved every second of it. When they finally made it back to their camp, he had to step away for a moment to force his body to return to its fully Human form. His efforts for the day were rewarded when he finally crawled into the tent, and he was instantly pounced on by his anxiously awaiting tent mate—no unwrapping required.