Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  Spock took what she offered and, while waving it in her face, he said, “This isn’t worth it if we lost you. And being killed wouldn’t have been the worst price to pay. What if you were followed back here by cops or, worse yet, you ended up in some research facility as a lab rat? You’ve seen what they’ve done to others in the name of ‘science’ and your unique skills would be quite a prize.” Although his words were full of anger, it also held great concern and affection. When he groaned in frustration and looked away for a moment, his eyes caught the partial figure of someone standing behind Jax. Thankful for a change in subject, he asked, “So, I see you brought us a new member. I hope this one is less work than our little impersonator.”

  Penny decided she couldn’t hide anymore and stepped out from Jax’s protective shadow. As she was revealed, the room went instantly silent. While everyone stood in shock, someone across the room whispered, “She’s Human.” Several others growled menacingly.

  Spock said with eyebrows raised, “I have to admit that it’s a bit surprising to see you with a Human that’s not screaming. You’ve never brought one of your snacks here before.”

  Jax replied between clenched teeth, “She isn’t my snack.”

  In an effort to give Jax a moment to calm down and to help him maintain his Human hating persona, Penny announced, “My name is Penny. Sam and Susi asked Ice to escort me across country, so he’s stuck with me until we get back to Oregon.”

  Spock gave Jax a sympathetic nod and said while ignoring Penny completely, “Susi will take in any pathetic thing off the streets, but I never would have guessed that she would sink low enough to take in a Human. And Sam’s talked me into doing many things I swore I would never do. It’s somewhat comforting to know that even someone as strong as you can fall prey to their skills, but they’re going to owe you big time for this one.”

  Penny shivered at a cold stab from Jax’s projected anger towards Spock’s words. Although the room took his reaction as anger for being stuck with a worthless Human, she knew differently. To defuse the situation, she put her hand on Jax’s arm and whispered, “They have every right to hate me. Maybe I should leave and wait in the Rover.”

  Jax shook his head and, knowing how badly Penny wanted to look around, he pulled her forward and announced, “She may be Human but, while she’s here, she’ll be treated as our guest. I’ve asked Charlie to show her around so that Penny can report back to Sam and Susi how things are going.”

  A young woman standing in front of him pointed at Penny and asked, while scrunching up her face, “You want us to treat her as a guest in our home? But she’s a worthless piece of sh—”

  Jax quickly interrupted her by saying with a growl in his chest, “She will not be harmed. Do you understand?”

  The intensity of his stare made the one that spoke cower.

  Penny couldn’t stop tears from welling in her eyes at all of the projected hate in the room. Although she wanted to hold out her hand in greeting to each of them, given their glares of hate, she knew touching anyone was out of the question. Instead she gave the room a smile and said sweetly, “You have no idea how much it means for me to meet all of you. I may be Human, but you have nothing to fear from me.”

  When several from the crowd looked away and whispered angrily to each other, Spock said, “Every single Changeling in this room has had not so pleasant interactions with Humans and some are still trying to recover from the damage they left behind. As long as Ice wants you here, I won’t throw you out into a gutter where you belong but, while you are here, keep your distance and watch your back.”

  Hearing the unspoken threat in his words and seeing the fear and hate filled faces of those in the room, Penny said somberly, “I understand.”

  Spock then turned his attention back to Jax and said, “If you’re going to stay for a few hours, I could use your help. Razor’s new Night Walker has injuries that are much worse than we feared and he’s wiped out our blood supply. We were getting ready to go out and restock.”

  When Jax looked down at Penny, she replied to his unspoken concern, “Please go and help them. I’ll be fine.” She gave him a forced smile, trying to show her confidence. He saw through her deception but, before he could respond, she added, “They need you and I want to do this. Charlie will be here to keep me out of trouble.”

  Jax reluctantly agreed and said to Charlie, “Watch her. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Although Charlie agreed, she couldn’t hide the obvious revulsion she had for her assigned task.

  Spock put a cap on to hide his ears and he and his band of blood thieves moved toward the door. Just as they headed outside, Penny overheard Spock say to Jax, “By the way, we received word from the Nashville castle that you were seen there and ran into some issues. The attack at the bar has been all over the news. What happened?”

  Jax growled in frustration, “First tell me the latest news.”

  Penny desperately wanted to hear their conversation, but the door closed behind them before she heard any details.

  Charlie tapped Penny on the shoulder to get her attention and said, “Come on, Snack. And whatever you do, don’t leave my side or my sight.”

  Looking around at those still staring at her, Penny replied, “You don’t have to worry about that.”

  As they walked through the many rooms, Penny tried to ignore all of the snide comments and references to her new nickname, Snack. Instead she focused on the accommodations, which were practical but lacking completely in color and life. With none of the furniture matching it gave the place the appearance of a second-hand furniture store. Seeing many teenagers among the group, Penny asked Charlie as tactfully as she could, “You know this place has a lot of potential, but have you considered bringing in some color?”

  Charlie replied angrily, “We used whatever your kind throws away that we could salvage. No one comes here with money and, with so many Changelings coming and going, we don’t have any cash lying around to hire an interior decorator.”

  Penny cringed at Charlie’s projected anger, but held her ground and said, “You would be amazed what you can do with only a little creativity and time. I could offer some thoughts.” Just then they passed a room where a teenage boy was sitting on a bed scribbling in a sketchbook. Penny was going to ask if she could have a piece of paper from his pad so that she could sketch a few ideas for Charlie, but before she could ask, the boy’s head snapped up and he sniffed the air. He turned toward the door and Penny gasped internally as she looked at a thin, deathly ill looking Night Walker with dark circles under his eyes and many unhealed wounds on his exposed skin. She guessed there were more in places she couldn’t see.

  Penny held back her reaction and asked, “Excuse me, what are you drawing?”

  Charlie leaned toward Penny and whispered, “That’s Van Gogh and he’s the new Night Walker Spock was talking about. He doesn’t interact with anyone, which is good because he’s very unstable. Although I would thoroughly enjoy watching him use you for his snack, I wouldn’t want to face Ice if I broke my promise. So you need to definitely keep your distance from this one.”

  Penny looked at Charlie and said, “But he’s a fellow artist and I would love to see his work.”

  The boy stared at Penny for a moment and filled his lungs with her scent. Although he normally kept his distance from everyone, he surprised Charlie when he got up and walked over to Penny. Penny noticed that his pace was slow as if he was very weak and in pain. When he was standing next to her, he handed her his sketch pad and said, “You really should listen to Charlie. Besides not being much to look at, I’m not very pleasant to be around.”

  Showing no sign of fear, Penny chuckled and, realizing that her reaction was impolite, she said, “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that I’m traveling with Ice and he has said those exact same words to me several times.”

  Van Gogh’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “You’re traveling with Ice? I haven’t met him yet, but I’ve heard the tal
k around the castle. You’re Human. I’m surprised that you’re still breathing. I was told that he thought your kind wasn’t good for anything but a midnight—”

  Penny finished his thought for him, “Snack. I’ve already been given that nickname, but here I am. Walking and talking.” Getting back to the task at hand, she asked, “How are you feeling right now standing next to me? Does my presence cause you any pain?”

  After taking in another deep breath, he shook his head and said, “Your scent. It smells quite…”

  Penny expected him to say “delicious”, but instead he said, “…comforting. For some reason it actually makes me feel a little better.”

  Penny gave him a gentle smile and said “Good. Then we can visit for a few minutes. But if my presence becomes uncomfortable, please let me know and I’ll leave.” When he nodded, she took the pad he offered and flipped through many sketches of birds in flight. She asked, “Did you draw these?”

  He nodded silently.

  “These are wonderful. You have real talent. Like the one with pointed ears being named Spock, I’m assuming you were given the name Van Gogh because you’re an artist?”

  Charlie answered for him, “When they found him, he was passed out while clinging onto that sketch pad in one hand and had a death grip on a pencil in the other. The moment we noticed that his one ear was badly injured, it took all of two seconds to give him his name.” Charlie had no idea why she had given the information to a Human. Without realizing it, she was already becoming comfortable around her and she didn’t like it.

  Penny said to her fellow artist, “I like the name and I also love to draw.” Looking around his room of monochrome off white and grey, she said, “You really should take your artwork to these blank walls.”

  He asked sadly, “What would be the point?”

  Penny replied, “Making a room come alive is something that’s my passion and gives me great comfort, especially when I’m down. Maybe it could help you find focus as well.” Looking over at his bed, she asked, “Would you mind if I come in and offer some suggestions on how you can make this home of yours come alive?”

  Although Charlie thought it was a horrible idea, it was also the longest conversation she’d seen Van Gogh have since he arrived. And for some unknown reason the Human’s presence did seem to calm him. Charlie gave Penny the nod to proceed.

  Penny walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. After scanning the room and his many sketches, she started to draw. Charlie remembered her promise to Ice and sat down beside her. Soon curiosity won out and, after a few minutes, Van Gogh joined them. Penny told them about the room she decorated for Susi and, while they looked through the pictures on her phone, Penny quickly drew several rough sketches for what they could do to this room. By the time they handed back her phone, she turned the pad to the boy and asked, “Want to decorate your room?”

  The boy stared at the images and then gave Penny a brilliant smile full of sharp white fangs.

  As Penny began to transfer her sketches onto the walls, Charlie stood guard. Penny explained every step to her fellow artist in hopes that he would continue to do the work even after she left. Several times her student got up and actually helped put the design on the wall. While they worked, Penny received a text from Jax wanting to confirm that she was okay. Although she didn’t tell him exactly what she was up to, she reassured him that she was fine. She told those in the room that the text was from a friend, so that Jax’s relationship to her continued to remain a secret.

  As the two artists worked, there was a constant flow of watchers at the door and they were all shocked to see Van Gogh so focused and calm. They didn’t know if it was Penny’s influence or the artwork, but they were thrilled to see him engaged in something.

  By the time the walls were covered in a rough design, a few older members of the group joined them, carrying artist paints and paintbrushes.

  Charlie looked at the items and asked, “Where in the world did you find these?”

  One of them replied, “Don’t ask.”

  With an audience locked on Penny’s every move, they watched as she gave Van Gogh a lesson in how to paint. Although he was initially awkward with a paintbrush, as he saw his sketches come alive, his eyes grew wide. To Penny’s delight, the brush soon became a natural extension to his fingers.

  With Van Gogh busy, Penny stepped out of the room for a moment to take a quick break. With Charlie pinned to her side several people pushed away their fears and approached. When a young girl handed Penny a piece of paper and asked her to draw a picture, she did what was asked enthusiastically.

  She was finishing up the sketch of a dragon, when someone came running toward them in a panic and said, “Van Gogh is having one of his seizures. He needs blood now.”

  Charlie replied in a panic, “But we’re out and Spock isn’t back with a new batch.”

  “Razor is with him and said that this is a bad one. I don’t think he can wait.”

  Charlie and Penny raced back to the room to find their target writhing in pain on the floor. He was being held by an Asian man with pale skin and long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. Seeing his fangs, Penny guessed that he was the one referred to as Razor—the leader of the local Night Walkers.

  Someone else in the room said to Penny accusatorily, “He started having a hard time breathing shortly after you left the room. Thanks to you, he wore himself out and now he’s most likely dying.”

  While Charlie pulled out her phone and called Spock, Penny stared at the wonderful artwork Van Gogh was creating on the walls. With tears welling in her eyes, she said, “We can’t let him die.” Charlie announced that the blood was still ten minutes away Penny asked, “Will any blood work?” Although she asked the question, she already knew the answer.

  Razor said, “It must be Human. It’s a horrible twist of fate that we have to continue to live dependent on those that are trying to make us extinct.”

  Penny squared her shoulders and announced, “I’m Human. Use me.”

  “What?” Charlie asked in astonishment.

  “You heard me. Let me earn my nickname Snack and let him take some of my blood. I can give him just enough to keep him alive until they get back here with a new supply.”

  Razor replied, “You have no idea what you’re asking and what it will feel like. He’s young and unable to control his feedings.”

  With the image of Logan in her mind, Penny rubbed her neck and said, “Actually, I do know what it will be like. Unlike Sam’s bite, it’s going to hurt like hell.”

  Charlie added, “He has no control when he feeds so odds are he would kill you. And, if you die, we’ll have to deal with Ice.”

  Penny replied, “But Van Gogh is barely alive.” Looking pointedly at Charlie, she added, “Conan and Razor could separate us when he starts to go too far.”

  Realizing that Penny was serious and was putting her life in their hands, Razor said, “We have to do something or we’ll lose him.”

  There was no time to waste so Penny took the situation into her own hands. She walked over to Razor and, watching the light reflecting off his extremely sharp teeth, she held out her wrist and said as calmly as she was able, “Bite me.”

  When Van Gogh gasped for a breath, Razor called to the room, “Everyone out, now.” Although he didn’t expect either of them to survive, he didn’t want his people to watch another one of their own die.

  Charlie cleared the room and, once only the essential people remained, Razor took Penny’s wrist in his hand and bit into her skin. Penny held back her reaction to the sting that shot up her arm. Once the wound was bleeding hard, she dropped to her knees and pressed her wrist on Van Gogh’s mouth. As his mouth filled with her blood, she whispered encouragements in his ear. She sighed in relief when she felt his mouth’s pressure on her skin. Her relief was violently yanked away the moment his fangs dug into her.

  Pain shot through Penny’s body like a lightning bolt and, unlike Logan, Van Gogh offered no abi
lity to silence her reaction. The room quickly filled with her screams of pure agony. When Charlie raced forward to separate her from the fangs that were buried deep in her skin, Penny frantically waved her back. While sweat beaded on her skin and tears flowed down her cheeks, she replied with her words choppy and forced, “I’m. Okay.” After taking a moment to try and force back the pain, she whispered barely loud enough to be heard, “Get Conan ready.”

  Charlie stripped and instantly shifted but, when the transformation stopped, it wasn’t Conan that Penny stared at. Instead it was the bright sky blue eyes of Thor that returned her gaze. Penny couldn’t stop an appreciative grin from forming, but her smile turned quickly into another scream. She grabbed Thor’s hand until her knuckles were white, making Charlie cringe at her unexpected strength. When the pain was too much to bear, Penny’s eyes rolled back into her head and her world went dark.

  Chapter 45 - Secrets

  Penny woke and expected to be screaming in pain. Instead all she felt was a steady, but tolerable, ache and a tingling sensation. Seeing Razor working on her wrist, she knew that she had him to thank for using his talents to dull the pain. When her eyes focused on the full room, she caught Jax, Spock, and Charlie in a deep discussion, anger obvious on all of their faces. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t make out what they were saying. All she could hear was a constant buzzing sound, like a radio between stations. When her brain finally engaged and the room filled with normal sounds again, she looked at Razor and whispered weakly, “Is Van Gogh okay?”

  Razor gave Penny a genuine smile of gratitude and said, “He’s fine and so are you, by the way. Your blood saved him.”

  When the familiar angry tones of Jax registered in Penny’s mind, she knew Charlie was getting an earful. She couldn’t help noticing that while others cowered at Jax’s projected anger, Charlie was standing tall and holding her own.