Knight Shift (4 page)

When she asked them for advice on group hiking locations, Taylor suggested, “If you’re up to it, how about we take you out to see some of our favorite spots?”

Penny replied, “I have to work this weekend, but how about we head out on Monday at daybreak, stay overnight, and come back Tuesday night?”

Taylor exclaimed, “Slumber party…that works for me! We’ll pick you up here at sunrise.”

After they discussed equipment needs and finalized their plans, the twins rode off toward their home. Penny wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to go hiking with two tricksters, but she saw it as just another adventure and was excited about the trip.

*~*~*~*

The morning of their outing Penny woke exceptionally early and didn’t bother trying to get back to sleep. She was too excited by the prospect of spending time out in the woods. Although she knew everyone questioned her sanity for spending time with the twins, she found them wonderful to be around. They were quickly becoming close friends and having someone care about her was something she missed most about moving away from her own family. She no longer felt alone.

By the time the twins rode in on a couple of old off-road dirt motorcycles stowed with their gear, Penny already had her equipment packed and ready.

Taylor called, “Good morning, Honey Buns. Are you ready?”

After giving them each a hello hug which they accepted without hesitation, she put her hands on her hips and asked, “Okay Taylor. I have to ask. What’s up with all the nicknames?”

He replied, “We have street names, so I thought you needed something special too. I just can’t seem to find the right one. But don’t worry. I’ll keep trying.” He gave her a brilliant smile.

Her shoulders slumped, knowing that there was no way to stop him until his mission was complete. In resignation, she nodded and said, “Let’s go.” She got onto her motorcycle and the group of explorers headed out on their adventure.

Taylor led the way and, after riding some distance and stopping periodically so that Penny could chart their path on her GPS, he guided them to a small clearing tucked under an outcropping of stone. They used it to hide the motorcycles and it also provided their vehicles some protection from the weather. She noticed several cans of gas ready for them so that they could refill before heading back down the trail.

After Penny logged their position, she called the local ranger and the small band of adventurers headed out on foot.

As they explored the mountainside, the twins gave her a very thorough lay of the land. Penny was pleasantly surprised by their knowledge of their surroundings as well as the history of life on that mountain. As they talked, she filled a small notebook with all of the details she was learning, many she wanted to share with the customers that she would soon be guiding through these same woods. Since the twins hadn’t grown up in the area and still didn’t associate well with any of the locals, she knew that they had to have gained this level of knowledge by studying. She chuckled at the image of the twins sitting down long enough to actually read a book.

After they setup camp for the night, Taylor said to Penny, “We still have a few hours of light left. You’ve already proven to us that you can hike. How about you show us your hunting skills? That is…unless you were lying about being able to handle a gun.”

Penny walked over to her gear and pulled out her rifle, saying “Let’s go, boys.”

For the next few hours they tromped through the woods. Although Penny was able to offer some assistance in hunting prey, she was in absolute awe of the twin’s natural abilities to track both large and small game.

When they returned to the camp with Tadd carrying several large rabbits for dinner, Penny said, “I have to tell you two, I’ve never seen anyone with hunting abilities like you.”

Taylor replied, “I guess we’ve spent so much time in the woods that we’re becoming more animal than Human.”

Tadd added, “You did alright for yourself. You took down one of these fur balls for us.”

Penny smiled and said, “Only because you helped. I never would have spotted that rabbit on my own.”

Taylor replied, “Well now we have something better to eat for dinner than pre-packaged camp food.”

When Penny went to help clean their dinner, the twins waved her off, saying “The one that kills dinner doesn’t need to clean it.”

Tadd said, “Me caveman. I make fire.” He beat the ground with a stick.

Taylor added, “Me Tarzan. I make meat.” He beat his chest and let out a Tarzan yell.

Penny laughed and said, “Me Jane. I make food.”

Working together, their camp was soon filled with the wonderful aroma of their dinner cooking over an open flame.

While they ate, the twins insisted on hearing stories of Penny’s life. Although she tried to get them to share details about their own lives, she found them very resistant to offer anything about themselves. Knowing their rough upbringing, she didn’t press the issue and hoped that, over time, they would learn to trust her and open up without fear.

Although they had setup two tents, when the night turned unexpectedly cold and they decided to call it a day, the three crawled into the same tent for warmth. While wrapped up in their blankets, they continued to talk until the sun peeked up over the horizon and Penny’s deep breathing told them she had fallen asleep.

The twins had never spent so much time physically close to a Human since they turned because they often lost control with lethal results. It was completely different with Penny. They found her presence calming. As they watched her sleep contentedly between them, they knew she had nothing to fear from them. They would never harm a hair on her head no matter how much time they spent together. They even found themselves letting down their guard and falling asleep next to her.

By the time their camping trip was over and they escorted Penny back to her cabin, she had become an official member of their self-defined family. They even initiated the goodbye hugs and their embrace was filled with the genuine affection they held for her.

As they started to drive away, Taylor called back, “Until next time, Turtle Dove.”

Ice arrived at home after being gone for over a month. He was in a foul mood. During his absence he had been forced to severely reprimand a group of Changelings that had gone on a Human killing spree. Although Jax didn’t have any problems killing Humans, he did it to protect his kind. The action of this particular group had gone over the line and had put many innocent Changelings in danger, forcing him to use lethal force on his own kind to regain control.

As he headed to his room he overheard the twins talking about going to visit someone named Penny. Assuming that the twins had gone against his implicit instructions to stay away from Humans, Ice instantly appeared from the shadows.

“Stop that!” Taylor yelled after Ice’s sudden appearance caused his body to involuntarily shift and rip his clothes.

Ignoring their actions, Ice asked with an ever present growl in his voice, “Who’s Penny?”

Tadd answered, “No one in particular. She’s the new assistant store manager over at Gone Wild.”

“Where?” Ice questioned.

“That store we like to spend your money at.”

Taylor added, “She’s cool. You should have seen her the day we met her. Fire got fresh and she flipped him, pinning him to the floor.”

Without thinking Taylor blurted out excitedly, “That’s nothing. You should see her hunt.”

Ice roared in anger when he realized that the twins had spent time with this Human in the woods.

Recoiling at his displeasure, Taylor quickly added, “Don’t worry. She doesn’t know anything and we’ll never tell her.”

Ice was furious. “No Humans can be trusted. No matter what they say out loud, secretly they want to see all of us wiped off the face of the Earth.” He glared at them and warned, “Stay away from the Human and that damn store or I’ll resolve the situation my own way.” He disappeared back into a shadow.

Once the room was Ice free, Tadd said, “We need to be more careful, Bro. He takes care of all situations the same way—with a lot of blood.”

Taylor replied, “Sorry. It won’t happen again.”

The next day, as Ice drove toward town, he contemplated on how he could quickly remove the thorn with the name Penny. Although he knew that the twins would be upset if she were to disappear, he also knew that it was the best course of action before they became attached to yet another Human pet. His primary concern was protecting their secret and no Human was worth risking their survival. In time, the twins would understand.

It was just before dusk when Ice pulled into the store’s parking lot. After he walked in, he asked the first worker he saw, “Where’s Penny?”

Quinn instinctively took a step back as he stared at the man that stood over 6 feet tall and dressed in black. He had a shaved head and a tribal tattoo that started at the top of his hairline, ran over a deep scar over his right eye, and ended on his cheek. He pointed to the back of the store and said, “She’s giving lessons on the climbing wall.”

Ice walked through the main aisle and everyone naturally gave him a wide berth. When he spotted a female worker coming down the rock wall, he stepped into an aisle. While he acted as if he was looking at a display of shoes, he examined the woman that was now putting away the climbing equipment. When he caught the name ‘Penny’ on her name tag, he confirmed that she was his target. Although he thought she was pretty, he didn’t see anything overly special about her.

He whispered to himself, “Just another ordinary, dime a dozen Human.” Seeing her petite frame, he groaned with disappointment. “This one won’t even be a challenge.”

When she started to walk toward him, he picked up a pair of climbing shoes. He expected her to avoid him as every other Human did but, to his surprise, he heard a soft voice next to him that said, “I highly recommend those shoes. It’s what I wear to climb.” She lifted a foot to show him her matching shoes.

When he locked eyes with Penny, she surprised him again when she smiled at him and asked, “Although you’re larger than our typical climbing customers, would you like me to see if we have them in your size?”

He gave her an intense stare, trying to figure out her lack of negative reaction. When his mind returned to the task at hand, he said coldly, “No.” He dropped the shoes back on the shelf.

Sensing that he wasn’t the kind of customer that liked to be bothered by a sales person, she said, “I’ll let you shop in peace but, if there is anything that I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask. My name’s Penny.”

The first response that came to Ice’s mind was, “
You can die quick and silently.
” Instead of saying what was on his mind, he gave her a stare so intense Penny felt it in her chest. As he walked past her, he inhaled her scent deep into his lungs and then bumped against her hand.

Penny felt a slight prick and, when she examined the spot, she saw a small dot of blood. Assuming that she must have snagged herself on his clothes, she rubbed the sore and watched the man walk away. She sensed something was different and very frightening about this unusual customer. Although his appearance was intimidating, she couldn’t stop from wanting to learn all about him. How did he get the scar across his eye and then chose to highlight it with a tattoo? Why did he choose to accentuate both by shaving his head?

Her interest in learning more got the best of her and she called out, “Please come back again and ask for Penny.”

Her words made him stop walking. He turned and looked back at her to find her giving him a brilliant smile and a friendly wave. He gave her a nod in acknowledgement of her request. He knew that they would soon be seeing each other again, but not to help him pick out climbing gear.

As he walked out of the store, Ice licked a small dot of blood off of a finger that had just shifted back to its Human form from the shape of a small dagger. He closed his eyes for a moment and let the hunter within focus all of his senses on memorizing the taste of her blood and her scent. Even the small dot of blood felt like fire on his tongue. His pulse began to race as he imagined how good she was going to taste with his teeth sunk into her neck. He decided that instead of killing her quickly, he would take it slow and enjoy every drop until she gasped out her last breath.

*~*~*~*

Penny had to work late that night since she was going to be off work for the next few days laying out the path for her first group hiking expedition. She let all of the workers leave while she finished up the last of the paperwork and instructions for those working the next day. Once she was ready, she turned off the lights, locked the doors, and headed to her car. Although as Assistant Manager she was allowed to park by the door, she refused. Instead her car was sitting on the far side of the lot where all of the other workers were required to park.

While she walked, she chuckled at all the silly things that happened that day and her smile faded when her mind filled with the image of the strange man that had come into the store. She had never seen anyone quite like him and was intrigued to learn who he was and why he was so angry with life. As she walked across the parking lot, a sudden chill filled the air, making her shiver. “Crap! I hope a storm isn’t coming,” she said as she looked up into a clear starry sky and looked for signs of clouds. It had been a warm day and she hadn’t heard that the weather was going to change. She didn’t want her plans to be rained out.

Before she continued on to her car she noticed the eerie silence. “How odd,” she said while wondering why the air was void of the buzz of insects and other typical sounds of life at night. As if the lack of sound wasn’t enough, she suddenly felt like she was being watched by a thousand pairs of eyes.

She called out, “Is someone out there?”

No one answered.

A chill ran up her spine when she heard a low growl. She turned slowly, scanning into the dark shadows in an attempt to see what was making the noise. She snapped her head to the side when she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. As she stared at a large dark section at the woods’ edge, she absentmindedly checked her thigh, searching for the knife she carried whenever she went out hiking or hunting. She cursed when she remembered that she had left her weapons safely locked in the trunk. It was company policy—no personal weapons allowed in the store.

Thinking of her brothers’ instructions, she pulled out her keys and placed several between her fingers, locking her fist tight. She then started for her car again at a more urgent pace.

The sound grew more intense and her pulse started to speed in response. When the growl turned into a snarl, her hair stood up on the back of her neck. She knew that whatever it was, it was getting closer.

All of a sudden, she recognized the feeling growing inside her. She recalled a similar, but less intense, version of the sensation from her many hunting outings with her brothers. Sometimes they would turn the tables on her and make her the prey. She knew without a doubt that she was being hunted, and the one currently after her wasn’t Human.

“
Maybe a wolf?
” she speculated. She shook her head knowing the sound was larger…maybe a bear. She debated on going back into the store, but she was now closer to her car than to the building. If she ran for it, odds were it would trigger the animal to chase and attack. Her best bet was to walk briskly, but calmly, to her car. She was a few feet from her door when she saw something large creeping forward from the dark of the trees. Still hidden in shadows, she couldn’t make out what it was. Given the large size, she gasped and whispered, “A grizzly?”

She jumped when headlights flashed in her eyes and temporarily blinded her. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was a patrol car making his rounds. She waved him toward her and, as he pulled next to her, she looked back at where she had seen the animal. It was gone, but the sounds of nature had returned.

She told the policeman her story and he said, “I’ve never heard of a grizzly coming this close to town, but anything is possible.” Seeing her trembling in the warm night, he said, “You’re a bit shaken. Is there someone that you want me to call and come give you a ride home?”

The first faces that entered her mind were the twins, but she didn’t want them to think of her as being scared of a boogieman, so she shook her head and said, “No, I’m fine.”

“If you’re going to continue to work late, I would suggest that you carry some bear spray in your purse.” As he helped her into her car, he said, “I’ll follow you down the road to make sure you’re safely on your way.”

She replied, “Thank you. I know I’m being silly, but I really appreciate it.”

*~*~*~*

After a long run, Ice stopped along the edge of the river and shifted back to his fully Human form. He picked up a rock and threw it hard against a tree trunk, causing shards of wood splitters to explode out in all directions. He was livid that his planned hunt had been interrupted and he vowed to find out Penny’s address so that he could pay her a visit the following night.

When Ice arrived at Sam’s home, he stormed into his room without saying a word to his housemates. After he disappeared behind his door, Tadd asked Taylor, “What’s up with him? He looks even more pissed off than normal.”

Taylor shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know. Maybe he’s still angry because of Penny.”

Tadd said, “May those two never meet.”

Taylor added, “Never.”