Knight Shift (39 page)

As Bobby drove off in his SUV to the east, Penny and Jax turned the opposite direction and headed down the mountain to continue their journey.

Two days later Penny was standing at the base of the massive stone Lexington Arch located within the Great Basin National Park. Getting to this spot was difficult and she now understood the park ranger’s warning about needing a tough four-wheel drive vehicle and good hiking boots. But since she and Jax made the rough trek together, she decided that their efforts were well worth it.

The hike was hard, so they decided to make camp and Jax insisted that he setup their tent. The last few days traveling had been busy so Penny took a few minutes to update their travel map. She followed their trail across Utah and added a note at Jensen, where she had sprinkled her dad’s ashes in a dinosaur footprint they saw at Dinosaur National Monument. She unfolded a piece of paper tucked into the map to unveil a sketch.

Penny called to Jax, “The petroglyph that we created outside the dinosaur park. How long do you think it will last?”

While continuing to work on the tent stakes, Jax replied, “Ice scratched your design into the stone cliff in a spot that would be extremely difficult for people to get to, so I think it will be there for many generations.”

She replied, “I hope so.”

As her finger continued down the line of highways they had followed for a good portion of that day, she then checked off driving through Salt Lake City. Penny had taken pictures as they passed through the town, but they didn’t stop. As she recalled Jax mentioning he and Sam had setup a safe house in the downtown area, she glanced at Jax again and asked, “How many safe houses have you established?”

Jax stopped what he was doing and, after pondering on her question, replied, “I’m not exactly sure. I know that we have at least one per state. The more densely populated areas have more. Sam and I didn’t create them all. Others have left our safe houses to create their own.”

“You’re doing amazing things for your people.”

“I’ve done what needs to be done.” Knowing the reality of what he had done to get them where they are today, he added, “You paint me like a saint, but I’m far from it. I’ve done things—”

Penny interrupted him by saying, “You were trapped in a corner and did what you were forced to do.” Making a slight shift in where their conversation was headed, she asked, “Do you think we could stop at one of your safe houses so that I can see what it looks like?”

He hated to say no to Penny, but the thought of her walking into a room full of Changelings made him instantly tense. He said, “Although many of my kind can walk in your world without being detected, you would be sensed instantly in my reality. Those that live in these places are there because they were tossed out or brutalized by Humans. I know that you aren’t one of those Humans, but an angry Changeling is dangerous and isn’t going to take the time to see if you’re good or bad. To save my kind we’ve had to segregate ourselves. Our numbers have started to steadily grow, so our approach seems to be working.”

With sadness in her voice, she said, “I wish it didn’t need to be this way.” She rubbed a spot in the center of her chest and added, “I want to get to know your world so badly it hurts inside. I just want to help.”

When her voice broke, Jax wanted to change the subject so he asked, “What was the name of the place we stayed in after we made our stone art? It was in Baker, Nevada.”

Penny went back to her map and, after clearing her throat, answered, “Border Inn, but technically it was in both Utah and Nevada.”

He chuckled and said, “That’s right. They built it literally on the state line so that we slept in Utah and had breakfast in Nevada without ever leaving the building.”

“I have to thank you for agreeing to adjust our travel plans so that we stayed in a motel that night. I enjoy spending time in nature, but I do love indoor plumbing and being able to take a long hot shower once in a while.”

“Especially when you have company.” Jax gave her a growl, making her giggle. She wasn’t about to argue that point. When she looked down at her map, she also realized that they were now in her home time zone and the days with Jax as her traveling companion were numbered.

She continued with their morning’s entry and said, “I really enjoyed our tour of Lehman Cave. I know that wasn’t a planned stop, but I thought you might like spending some time in the dark.”

“I actually did. I especially liked when they turned off all the lights.”

Her temper flared and she said, “That’s right. I promised to yell at you later. Here I was waving my fingers in front of my face when, thanks to those damn night eyes of yours, your fingers found other spots to explore.”

He chuckled as the scene filled his mind. “You did let out quite a squeal. When they flipped the lights back on I think the glow from your blush could have lit our way.”

She picked up a small rock and threw it at him. With ease, he caught it and then tossed it to the side.

She said, “You did give several tourists pause when you kept flashing your reflective eyes at them.”

“I only kept doing it because each time you kissed me to distract our watchers.”

She exclaimed, “You’re impossible!” She threw another rock, yielding the same result.

As he finished up the last of the camp setup work, he said, “You play a love-struck woman very well. Everyone was completely fooled.”

Penny forced herself to laugh at his statement and then quickly buried her face back in her journal to hide the flush in her cheeks. She wasn’t acting.

Jax could sense her embarrassment and he wanted to do something to make her feel better, so he asked, “To apologize for my behavior, would you like to come with me on my hunt tonight?”

Everything Penny was working on slid to the ground and, with her jaw dropped, she asked, “Do you really mean it?”

“I never lie and you always tell me that my attempts at humor are wanting. But you were right about my darker side. He does have the ability to feel other things besides hate, at least when he’s around you. I don’t have a safe house here to show you, but I can share this part of my world.”

Penny scrambled to pick up the items scattered on the ground. After tucking them back into a bag, she picked up her small backpack and said, “I’m ready.”

He thought they would spend some time together in the tent before heading out, but seeing her excitement he said, “Now is as good a time as any. But if you’re going to do this, you have to promise to do exactly what I say.”

Penny nodded, her eyes bright with excitement.

Knowing that he preferred to strip naked when he hunted alone as Ice, she ran to their luggage and pulled out a pair of Jax’s loose fitting shorts. When she tossed them at him, he caught them and asked, “What are these for?”

“If you go hunting naked, I won’t be able to watch anything, but the spots on your backside.”

He laughed and put on the shorts. Since they weren’t going to get sweaty in the tent before he shifted, he took a few minutes to stretch out his muscles to make shifting smoother. He then released his inner hunter.

Penny watched him hunt from a safe perch Ice had tucked her into. Even through the darkness, she was awe-struck by the bursts of speed he could call on and how high he could jump. He even scaled steep inclines like a spider and, when he took each animal down, he pounced on them with the grace of a panther.

When Ice retrieved her, her adrenaline was still racing and she wasn’t ready to end the hunt. On the way back to their camp, Penny stopped in front of a dark opening. Seeing a visitor sign-in sheet in front of the entrance, she knew that it was the cave she had read about in a park brochure. She said, “Oooo, look. I think your prey is getting away.” She raced into the dark, leaving a trail of giggles.

As she hid against an inner wall, she waited. When a sudden chill made her shiver, she knew Ice was near. When nothing happened, she called, “Ice?” Suddenly she felt a familiar tingle in the air and said, “Goodie. Casper has joined the hunt. Now I can be the hunter and you the prey.” She stepped forward and, following the sensation, she waved her arms in front of her in an attempt to touch her target. Ice, as Casper, played with her and led her around the cave, allowing her fingers to occasionally brush against his cool skin to keep her motivated. When he maneuvered her to where he wanted her, he allowed her to grab onto one of his arms.

She announced proudly, “I’ve got you now.”

In a flash of speed, he picked her up and pinned her back against a smooth stone she didn’t even know was behind her. While in the complete darkness, she felt Ice’s cool breath tickle along her skin and knew that he was exploring her aroma. When she felt a chill on her neck, she tilted her head to the side to give him easier access to his target. She gasped when he accepted her gift and she felt his fangs penetrate her skin. She clung onto him tightly as he enjoyed what her body offered.

Penny felt the tickle of his tongue licking her wound shut and, instead of backing away, he brushed his lips up the line of her neck and along her chin. When she felt his breath on her lips she knew that his mouth was hovering in front of hers. Without warning, she wrapped her legs around his waist and threw her arms around his neck, forcing them together. She gave him a kiss which he happily returned. And, based on the feel of his tongue and his fangs, she knew it was Ice she was embracing, not Jax.

As the kiss progressed slow and deep, she felt Ice pull her in even tighter. She wasn’t sure how long they embraced but, when they broke apart, it was too soon for her. She waited impatiently to see what Ice would do. She didn’t have to wait long. He tossed her over his shoulder and, before she knew it, she found herself lying on their bed in the tent.

She watched as Ice ripped off his shorts and crawled toward her. He slowly shifted back to Jax, but not completely. Many of his Human features returned but, to her delight, he kept his spots and a partially split tongue. He methodically unwrapped his prey and tickled every inch of her skin with his tongue. Once he had her panting hard and begging for more, he crawled up her body and quickly filled the tent with her cries of passion.

The rambunctious couple started the day early after a short night dedicated to the task of sleeping. They packed up the Rover and made their way through the rough path that led back to civilization. Once they were back on smooth pavement, Penny quickly fell asleep. After resting most of the morning, she was stirred awake by the sound of jets flying over the valley from the Fallon Naval Station.

She stretched and looked out the window. Not seeing anything that identified their location, she asked, “Where are we?”

“We’re still on Route 50 somewhere between the park we left and Fallon, Nevada. It claims to be one of the loneliest interstates in all of the United States and it lives up to its name. I haven’t seen another car in hours.”

As she stared at her traveling companion she let her mind wander to the scene that had played out in her mind as she slept. She now understood the behavior of newlyweds. Being intimate with someone you care deeply for is an addiction that’s very difficult to control, especially for her since it was all new.

When an idea hit her, she whispered, “Jax, can you pull over?”

Jax glanced over at her and asked, “Is something wrong?”

Penny shook her head and said, “I just had the most wonderful dream and I want to give it a whirl.” When she leaned toward him and rubbed his inner thigh he knew exactly what she wanted.

Seeing where they were, he asked, “You want me to pull over right here? Didn’t you get enough last night?”

As she started to undress she asked, “Does anyone ever get enough? I want to live for the moment.” While looking at their cramped quarters, she added, “I think I want to play a math researcher like Bobby and experiment with the geometry of small spaces.”

With Penny already half naked, Jax wasn’t going to argue. After he stopped along the side of the road, he joined her in stripping. Although awkward for him because of his size, with Penny’s assistance, they were both soon naked.

Looking around the vehicle he asked, “Any thoughts on how you want to do this? The backseat is full of our luggage, camping gear, and presents.”

“Hmmm. In my mind, the space worked like the magic in Harry Potter and magically grew as needed. I guess that we’ll have to make do with what we’ve got. It might be a little tight.” Ignoring the groans and yelps of pain, Penny crawled onto Jax’s lap. Seeing there was no stopping her, Jax slid his seat back as far as it would go to give them a few extra inches to work with.

Penny struggled to force herself between him and the steering wheel. Although he tried to help he chuckled and said, “Your determination is impressive, but I’m not sure this is going to work.”

Penny took a moment to study the situation and announced, “A good researcher never gives up. It will work. Trust me.” Then, with pure resolve, she wriggled and squirmed until she slid into place. When Jax gasped with the feel of their bodies becoming intimately connected, Penny said with a look of satisfaction, “I told you it would work.”

“But I’m not sure there’s enough room for us to move.”

“Watch me.” To motivate her test subject, she wiggled into him and, when she heard his low growl of approval, she whispered in his ear, “Casper, come out and play.” She bit him on the neck. To her absolute delight, she instantly felt the tingle of Casper’s touch.

Working together and with a whole lot of laughter, Jax used his stealth abilities to hide them as they made creative use of the driver’s seat. She really wanted to ask if parts of Ice could join them as well, but she also was very aware that what they were doing would come to a screeching halt if her partner’s body grew even a little in size. She was enjoying herself too much so she gratefully accepted what Casper had to offer.

After they cried out their passions, Jax held Penny against him. When she shivered, he said apologetically, “I’m sorry about that.”

While kissing and nibbling on Jax’s neck contentedly, she replied, “Sorry about what?”

While motioning Penny to look down, he said, “Freezing you.”

While wiggling into their connection, she said, “I’m not.” She flashed her ring at him and said, “We’re soon to be newlyweds, remember? You could give me frost bite every hour of every day and it wouldn’t be enough for me.” While kissing along the line of his chin she added, “Right now my lips could use some cooling off.”

Before he could reply, she pressed her lips on his and gave him a passionate kiss. After embracing long enough that Jax’s lips were numb, he said, “Although I truly appreciate your dedication to a task, my lips are worn out. I had no idea that anyone could kiss as long as you do.” He stretched out his jaw trying to get feeling back.

With a pout of disappointment, Penny replied, “But I really like kissing you, and I’m not ready to give your lips back yet.”

“I’ll make you a deal. It’s getting close to lunch time, so let’s continue on. Whenever we find civilization again and we find a place to stop where we have more space, my lips will be all yours for as long as you want them.”

Penny considered his offer for a moment. When she heard her stomach growl for food, she nodded and said, “I’m going to hold you to your promise. Those lips are mine.”

She gave him one last kiss before attempting to crawl back to her side of the car.

After several failed attempts, she announced, “My dramatic exit has been foiled. You won’t believe this, but I think I’m stuck.”

Thinking she was making an excuse to delay their departure, he swatted her backside playfully and said, “Time to go.”

“I’m not kidding. I’m stuck.” While trying to move her leg she explained, “It’s my foot. Somehow its pinned between the seat and the door and I can’t pull it back out. I think I got it tangled in the seat belt.”

“You were rather insistent in wiggling in despite our space constraints.”

“You didn’t seem to mind.”

“I’ve added it to the top of my favorite first’s list, but we need to get you unstuck before we add anything else.”

They worked together for quite a while, trying to untangle Penny from the car. Their efforts made both of them laugh at the unique situation they now faced.

When she took a break and settled back onto his lap, Jax said, “Well, as I see it, we can stay in this position and I could drive to some place where we can get help. If you don’t want to be seen straddling me, I can continue to be Casper. Although that might draw attention to the Rover since it would appear to be moving without a driver.” To add more humor to the situation, he pressed her body down on his and added, “Although in this position, I could find a bumpy country road to drive down. That could make this much more entertaining.”

Penny swatted him and said, “Very funny. I’m not going to have a fireman use the jaws of life to get us separated from each other and this car. Do you have any real suggestions?”

Examining their location more closely he said, “Well, if I open the door, you might be able to wriggle out that way.”

“But a car could drive by and the moment we separate I’ll be visible again with my naked butt flashing anyone within eye shot.”

“There’s no one within a hundred miles, and it’s all I’ve got. I’m open to other ideas.”

Seeing no other options, she nodded and Jax opened the door. With the extra room to maneuver, they untangled her leg and she fell out of the car. Although thrilled to be free, her celebration was short lived when a green Jeep passed by. Their honks and whistles brought her back to the moment and she raced around the car, jumping into the passenger side.

With her cheeks flaming red, she announced, “No one in a hundred miles, huh? I guess you’re no longer the only man that has seen me naked. God, I hope they didn’t have cell phone cameras ready.”

Jax’s snickers stopped abruptly and he tossed her his shirt to cover her before anyone else saw his self-claimed territory.

Shortly after they were back on the road, Penny spotted an unusual tree not far off the pavement. She asked, “Can you pull over?”

“Lord, not again!” he exclaimed.

“Not for sex. I want to take a closer look at that tree. Something is hanging all over it.”

Jax did as asked and, once they were off the road, Penny grabbed the camera and hopped out of the Rover.

She stood in front of the tree and said, “I’ll be damned.” They were the only words that could make their way out of her mouth.

Jax joined her and asked, “Why in the world is this tree covered in shoes?”

Penny dug out Jax’s phone and did a search online. “I’ll be damned,” she said again when she announced that she found it. “It says that the story behind the tree is that a young couple camped here on their wedding night. They got into a fight and she threatened to walk off. Her husband threw her shoes in the tree so that she would have to walk away barefoot. He drove away and left her there. It says he went to a bar nearby and, after having a few drinks, was talked into going back to get her. A year later they returned to the tree as a couple with their child in their arms. They tossed the child’s shoes into the branches to join theirs which were still hanging from a branch. People have been adding their shoes ever since.” She looked at Jax and said excitedly, “Wait here.”

Penny ran back to the Rover and returned moments later carrying two sets of old shoes. They each tossed the items and hooked a couple of branches toward the top.

With a satisfied expression, Penny said, “That was fun. We need to come back here in a year and see if they’re still here.” She added teasingly, “We can leave our kid at home with the babysitter.” After taking many pictures, she grabbed Jax’s hand and said, “Let’s go see if we can find the bar.”

To Jax’s shock, after a short drive they pulled into the Middlegate Station Bar and found two vehicles in the lot. One was a very old, dusty pickup truck that Jax wasn’t sure would even run. The other vehicle, to Penny’s dismay, was the green Jeep that had passed her on the road. When she groaned, Jax asked, “Do you want to go on?”

Penny scanned their surroundings and laughed. “Remember, we’re on the loneliest highway in the US. There’s nothing else here. Let’s go in. I want to see the bar from the internet story and maybe the Jeep owners won’t recognize me with my clothes on.”

When they stepped into the bar, Jax quickly assessed the situation. He saw a group of three young men huddled around a table in the corner. He assumed they were the owners of the Jeep. At the bar, he saw an older man serving drinks to several others and, given their matched, overly worn attire, Jax assumed they were locals. When the old man looked up at the new arrivals, he scrunched up his face in a grimace, obviously not pleased by what he was seeing.

Jax leaned toward Penny and whispered, “They look like prospectors from an old west movie, and I feel like we need to get a pick ax to blend in.”

Penny grunted in response. She hadn’t heard a word he said, because she was completely captivated by the thousands of dollar bills tacked to the walls and ceiling. Jax was going to suggest they order something to go but, before he could say anything, Penny grabbed his hand and dragged him to a table located in the middle of the room.

As they were sitting down, the old man called, “What do you two want?”

Penny was lost on her visual journey so Jax replied, “A couple cheeseburgers and beers. And we’ll need to fill up with gas before we leave, so I’ll need you to turn on the pump for us.”

The old man grunted and began to cook on the grill behind the bar.

After staring around the room for several minutes, Penny said, “I have to know what this is all about.” She jumped to her feet and walked to the men at the bar. Although Jax had received glares from the locals, they were all smiles for Penny. After talking to them for several minutes, she returned to the table carrying a hammer, a handful of tacks, and a felt tipped pen. While putting the tools on the table, she said, “Tacking up money is an old prospector tradition. When they make some money, they tack a dollar or two up on the wall so, when they’re broke again, they’ll always have a few bucks waiting for them to buy a drink.”

While staring at all of the names written on the bills, Penny’s eyes lit up and she announced, “I have an idea.” She grabbed her purse and, after digging through her wallet, she looked to Jax and asked, “Do you have any one dollar bills?”

Seeing her excitement, he pulled out his wallet and tossed it to her. After finding what she wanted, she handed it back and set a small stack of bills in front of her.

When she picked up the first one and started to fold it, Jax asked, “What are you doing?”

“Wait just a minute and you’ll see.” Moments later, she proudly held out what she had made. She had folded the dollar into the shape of a bird. After retrieving the pen, she wrote her mom’s name and her birth date on the bird’s belly. She then repeated the same routine for her father and her brothers. Once they were all ready, she looked to Jax and asked, “Will you tack these up for me?” Jax nodded and, after finding a spot Penny approved of, he stood on top of a nearby chair and Penny handed him the birds and the tools.

When they returned to their table, their food was waiting for them. Penny found a note and three extra beers next to her plate. She picked up the note and read it to herself. It was short and to the point. “Best mountain view we’ve seen in a hundred miles.” She quickly scanned the room and spotted the table in the back corner where three young men held up their drinks with big grins on their faces. At first she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, but then she stood tall, raised her glass, and called, “Thanks.” She joined them in a toast.