Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  “If anyone asks me where you are, what should I tell them?”

  After a moment to consider her answer, she said, “Just tell them I went out of town for a few days to offer advice to another one of our stores that’s having trouble.”

  “That’s actually not a bad idea and I bet headquarters would agree. You’ve done amazing things with this store and sharing your knowledge could help some of our other stores that are struggling.”

  Realizing that he was suggesting a possible future path for her to follow, she said, “Traveling would keep my mind busy and give me something new to focus on.” She also thought that it would be a perfect way to get her out of harm’s way.

  John patted her on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry about it right now. Just go do what you have to and we can talk more when you get back.”

  Penny thanked him and headed out of the store. She didn’t want to tell the family, but she knew they would worry if they didn’t see her in her cabin. She broke their no contact rule and sent a text to Susi the night before she left that said, “Flying out of town in the morning for work. Gone until weekend. No need to watch cabin. I will text you once back.” After she put away her phone, guilt set in. She hated to lie to her and promised that if the craziness ever ended, she would tell them all the truth.

  The morning of her trip, Penny had her hiking gear stowed in her car before the sun was up. Even though the purpose of her journey was somber, she couldn’t stop the adrenalin rush she always got before heading out into the woods she loved. The drive up into the mountain was quiet and she enjoyed watching the sky change colors as the sun peeked out over the horizon. Once she was parked and her backpack strapped on, she breathed in the scent of pine and a feeling of calm washed over her. Her mother’s birthday was now in two days so that gave her plenty of time to take a leisurely hike to the target camp site.

  She looked up the mountain side and whispered to the blue bag holding her family, “Time for our last journey together. Soon you’ll find rest.” She turned off her phone and, with a gentle smile, took her first steps.

  The afternoon before the birthday, as Sam’s family prepared for their typical evening out, they all stopped when they felt a presence and a cold chill. They turned to see Jax standing in the doorway. This was his first day home since the scene and everyone held their breath, not knowing if Jax or Ice now stood in front of them.

  Ben was the one to let everyone know the answer when he smiled and said, “Nice to see you, Jax.”

  Seeing the apprehension in everyone’s eyes, Jax knew exactly what the issue was so he relaxed his stance and said, “Sorry. I’ve had to be the not so pleasant version of me non-stop for days and I’m having a hard time turning if off.”

  Hearing Jax’s voice, they all exhaled in relief and Sam asked, “Is anyone with you?”

  Jax shook his head and said, “It’s safe; I’m alone.” He looked at an exhausted Susi and Sam and said, “It’s early afternoon. What are you doing up?”

  Sam replied, “Susi and I aren’t sleeping well.”

  Susi added angrily, “How could we after what we did to Penny?”

  Sam pulled a very distraught mate into his embrace and said, “As you can see it’s been especially hard on Susi. She’s been like this since that night. How are things going on your end?”

  Jax replied, “Razor has been getting closer to tracking down a possible lead on Logan’s whereabouts, but we haven’t found him yet. I left him in charge so that I could come back here. Tomorrow is Penny’s mother’s birthday and I know this will be exceptionally difficult for her so I had to see how she was doing.”

  Susi answered with anger in her words, “None of us would know, would we? We haven’t had any contact with her since that horrible night, unless you want to count a few cryptic texts and us stalking her from the woods just to catch a glimpse of her.”

  While Sam continued to console Susi, Jax turned to the twins and said, “You don’t need to watch over Penny’s cabin tonight. I’ll cover it. I need to see her so that I can apologize for everything I put her through.”

  Susi corrected him by saying, “What we put her through.”

  Taylor asked, “What about the plan to stay away from her?”

  Jax said, “I guarantee that I can get in and out without being seen. Regardless, I have to talk to her.” They could all see the pain and guilt in his eyes.

  Tadd said, “But you can’t see her tonight. She’s out of town for work and won’t be back until the weekend. She promised to send us a text as soon as she gets home.”

  Jax replied in disbelief, “Out of town? Her mother’s birthday is tomorrow. There’s no way she would leave now.” Fearing that she was up to something, he pulled out his phone and called her. When she didn’t answer, he called her boss. Although Mr. Thompson told him the planned excuse, there was something in his tone that told Jax that there was more to the story than what he was saying.

  Jax looked pointedly at Ben and said, “You and I are going for a ride.”

  Sensing the sudden anxiety in Jax, he asked, “Where are we going?”

  “To Gone Wild. I need your talents.”

  When Ben joined Jax at the door, Taylor and Tadd called, “Wait for us.”

  Chad was close at their heels and refused to be left out. They all wanted to see Penny so badly that they ignored the potential danger in their plan and raced out the door. Sam and Susi wanted to go as well, but they couldn’t leave the house until the sun went down.

  After they arrived at the store, Jax found Mr. Thompson. Instead of cringing away, Penny’s boss warmly greeted the large man and those beside him. Penny had sung praises for what Jax had done for her on her trip and he knew that Jax had most likely saved her life. Considering Penny almost as a daughter, he would be forever in Jax’s debt.

  He said, “Hello Jax. It’s good to see you again. What brings you into the store?”

  “Hello Mr. Thompson.”

  “Please, call me John.”

  Jax nodded and said, “John, I was looking for Penny.”

  Surprised by the request since Penny said they weren’t speaking anymore, he asked, “Did you and Penny make up? She told me that you weren’t seeing each other anymore. I do hope that you worked things out and are back together again. She needs family around her right now.”

  “We’re working on it, but right now I need to speak to her. You said she was out of town. Where did she go?”

  John reluctantly repeated the planned excuse. “She flew to Texas to corporate headquarters. She’s sharing some of the secrets of her success for saving our store.”

  Jax turned to Ben and, when he saw him discretely shaking his head, Jax turned back to the manager and said, “Tomorrow is Penny’s mother’s birthday and I know for a fact that she wouldn’t fly off on a trip. We’re worried about her and don’t want her to be alone right now. Do you want to tell me where she really is?”

  John stared at the hulking man. No matter what Penny said, he knew how much those in front of him still meant to her, so he said, “I didn’t want her to go alone, but she insisted.”

  Tadd asked, “Where is she?”

  Seeing his look of concern, John decided to tell them the truth. Not out of fear, but out of a shared affection and concern for Penny. “She went up Mt. Hood to spread the last of her family’s ashes.”

  Taylor asked with panic clearly in his eyes, “When did she leave?”

  “Yesterday, before daybreak. She didn’t say exactly where she was headed, but I know it’s on the east side of the mountain. She would have left detailed plans with the park rangers. They might be able to help you track her down.”

  Jax nodded and, after shaking the Human’s hand, he said, “Don’t worry. There isn’t any place on this planet that she can go where I can’t find her.”

  As the group turned to leave, John added, “Please call me when you find her so that I know she’s okay. I’ve been worried sick. She’s been burying herself in her
work, trying to hide how miserable she is. She’ll need help to get through this.”

  Although he was staring pointedly at Jax as he spoke, Taylor responded, “We’ll find her and take care of her.”

  Jax drove his family back to their home to prepare for the trip up the mountain. Susi was beside herself with guilt and worry, refusing to be left behind. The old Ice would’ve insisted on going on the trip alone, so they were thrilled that he asked the entire family to come along. This was yet another sign that Jax had fundamentally changed.

  Just as the sun set, they threw a few supplies into the Rover. They were all so focused on Penny, they didn’t sense the presence staring at them from deep in the woods.

  Although Thorne had told Logan that Penny was no longer a part of Ice’s life, Logan didn’t believe him and decided he had to see it for himself. He hid high in the mountains and sent Hawk, a trusted follower, to take a closer look at what was going on at Sam’s. He chose him because of his ability to sit like a large bird in a tree for hours and, with exceptional hearing and eyesight, he was the perfect choice to stake out Sam’s house without being seen.

  From his perch Hawk heard the twins mention that they were heading up the mountain to find Penny and he called Logan with the news. Logan assumed that Ice’s return to the cause was all a lie and he was about to prove it. After Hawk shared the identity of the road Jax planned to drive up, Logan told Hawk to hike further up the mountain and wait for instructions. Logan then raced to the target location, hoping to cross paths with Penny’s rescue team.

  Jax flew down the road and everyone hung on tightly. No one complained, except Susi who kept insisting that he drive faster. Once they ran out of drivable road, Jax parked and everyone piled out.

  Ben looked at the vast woods that lay ahead of them and said, “This is one big mountain and Penny’s been hiking for almost two days. She could be anywhere. How will we find her? We should’ve called the rangers.”

  Jax closed his eyes and reached out his senses in an attempt to find his prey. He wasn’t sure it was going to work since she was most likely many miles away, but when he sensed a familiar presence in the distance, he smiled and said, “Leave it to me. Just try to keep up.”

  Jax ran into the woods, flanked on one side by Chad in the form of a large hunting dog and on the other side by the twins in their fully shifted wolf forms. Ben couldn’t keep up with all of the shifted animals so he took turns riding on a twin’s back. Just behind them were Sam and Susi, whose hunting instincts were in full gear and they flew through the trees with grace and speed.

  In the meantime, luck was on Logan’s side and he caught the family’s trail. Like Jax’s ability to go invisible, Logan also had a secret gift that he hadn’t shared with anyone. His talent allowed him to mask his scent to mimic another animal. Unknown to Jax and Razor, Logan’s gift was one of the reasons why they hadn’t been able to hunt him down.

  Utilizing his unique talent, Logan followed the hikers from a safe distance and, once they found Penny, he planned to sneak in and take her when they had their backs turned. While Jax focused on the path ahead using his blood connection to Penny, Chad’s animal instincts twitched, forcing him to keep his senses locked on the woods behind them. Although he never spotted anyone and didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary, he remained alert and knew something wasn’t quite right.

  Chapter 57 - Hide and Seek

  It was just past midnight when Jax suddenly stopped in his tracks. As his fellow hunters waited and stared at him intently, his face lit up in a smile and he announced, “I’ve found her. She’s camped about a half mile up.”

  No one questioned his announcement but, if he was right, they were all going to be extremely impressed by his ability to so precisely track his prey from such a long distance. Although Sam, Susi, and the twin’s exceptional hunting senses hadn’t picked up her trail yet, Jax hadn’t varied from his self-defined path. The entire trip through the woods it had been as if Jax was following a rope whose end was tied around Penny’s waist.

  A short time later, they spotted the faint glow from a camp.

  *~*~*~*

  It was a cool night so Penny was sitting by the fire mentally running through the events for the next day. She planned to stand on the ledge which looked out over a valley and sprinkle the last of the ashes just as the morning sun crested over the horizon. With all of the details worked out, she was about to crawl into her tent to attempt to get some sleep when her inner voice warned her that someone was approaching. She cursed, realizing that she had left her rifle next to the fire. Just as she raced back and picked up her weapon, a large Great Dane came barreling out of the woods and knocked her over.

  Staring up at a big dog grin, she scratched him behind the ears and asked in shock, “Chad? How the hell did you find me?”

  “That would be my doing. I thought you knew that you could never hide from me.”

  Penny scrambled to her feet as the air filled with the voice she had ached to hear and she watched Jax and each member of her Changeling family appear out of the dark shadows. She asked, “What in the world are all of you doing here? It’s too dangerous.”

  While the twins put on clothes that Ben tossed to them, Taylor replied without trying to hide his fury, “We could ask you the same thing. What were you thinking?”

  Susi pushed Taylor to the side and raced to Penny, flinging her arms around her. She apologized profusely for what they had done to her while she held her so tightly that Penny was gasping for breath. Sam had to come to her rescue and pry Susi’s arms apart so that Penny could take in air. But when Sam looked into Penny’s shiny green eyes, he couldn’t stop himself. He pulled her into his arms and started his own round of apologies. Before he was done, the twins and Ben took his place. Even Chad shifted back to Human to add in his words of regret. Although in his Human form he was naked, Penny didn’t care. She hugged him back just as hard.

  While Jax waited his turn, he stared at the camp, which was setup exactly as he and Penny had done together so many times before. He instantly longed to go back to the quiet nights wrapped in Penny’s arms.

  When he approached his former tent mate, her breath caught. She wasn’t sure if she was allowed to touch him, but as soon as he was next to her, she gave in to her needs and wrapped her arms around his chest.

  While holding her Jax said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean any of it.”

  Her embrace tightened at his words and tears spilled out of her eyes. After they released each other, they all sat down around the fire and Susi pinned herself to Penny’s side. Jax sent a quick text to John to let him know Penny was safe and then he said, “You should never have risked this trip alone. You know the dangers that lurk in the dark, especially for you.”

  “I didn’t come unprotected.” Penny patted the rifle she had lying on the ground next to her feet.

  Jax replied, “You mean the one that stopped Chad from knocking you onto your butt minutes ago?”

  Feeling Jax’s anger flare, she decided to divert his thoughts into a new direction. She picked up and cradled the blue bag she had pinned to her other side and quickly added, “I couldn’t spend my mother’s birthday locked up in my cabin and, between my family needing to be put to rest and not being able to see all of you, I couldn’t take it anymore. I did plan to tell you about this trip as soon as I was allowed to see you.”

  Sam said, “You may be Human, but you couldn’t be more family to us than if the same blood flowed through your veins. When your Human family died, we would have moved heaven and earth to have been by your side on your trip to Virginia. But, as you know, we weren’t able to be there for you and that fact will haunt us until we take our last breath.” Looking around the woods where Penny was camped, he said, “I know that you were trying to protect us by leaving us out of this latest trip, but this place is our backyard and gives us the ability to be here. We know you need to do this and we could leave you here alone, but let us stay and stand beside you.”r />
  Taylor added, “There are only a select few that Tadd and I have let into our lives and that we would die to protect. Besides those that are sitting beside me, you—a Human—are also on that list.” He gently rubbed the silver eagle hanging on his chest that he hadn’t taken off since the day Penny gave it to him. “Your brothers were also listed right beside you. Tadd and I will miss them beyond words.”

  When Taylor’s voice broke, Tadd took over by saying, “We would like to stay and have the honor to help you say goodbye to them.”

  As Penny’s eyes again filled with tears, she scanned those she cared for most in the world and replied, “You’re right. I should’ve told you about this trip and asked you to come with me, but I couldn’t risk breaking our promise and putting you in danger yet again. I’ve caused too much pain in your lives already.”

  Susi hugged her and said, “We’re family and there’s nothing that you can’t ask of us.”

  Seeing that they weren’t going to leave, Penny said, “Well, here is what I planned. I’m going to stand on the ledge at day break and let the breeze carry my family’s ashes across the valley. Will you stay and help me say goodbye?” She looked between Sam and Susi and added, “And when I say you, I mean all of you.”

  Susi asked, “At day break? But Sam and I can’t—”

  “You can if you drink some of my blood first.” As the protests started, she said loud enough for all to hear, including a watching Logan, “That’s my only condition. Both Sam and Susi need to drink enough of my blood to be able to stand at my side when the sun rises.” She pointed up higher on a nearby cliff face. “As I setup camp earlier, I spotted a cave opening. It’s too high for me to get to without climbing gear, but Jax could shift and take a quick peek to confirm that it’s deep enough for you to hide in. If it’ll work, he could take you both there after my family is finally at rest.”