Chapter Sixteen
Chris wasn’t sure if the phone call between Danny and his great aunt Marcia had made any difference. Danny was quiet afterward, sitting on a chair beside his bed and watching out the window.
When the time came for his fourth infusion, he refused it, saying he needed time to think. No one pushed him, though Doctor Hollis spent some time talking with him. Chris listened in from the hallway, wanting to be sure Hollis wasn’t putting pressure on him.
He spent the rest of the day organizing the transport to the court the following day. It was different this time because everyone knew where Danny was leaving from and the probable route they’d take. If any rogue officer was going to take a shot at him, they’d have ample opportunity. So Chris decided on an alternate, longer route to take them to the border.
He sat down with Danny after dinner and went through the plan.
“It’ll be like the last time, a little convoy with us in the middle. But we’ll start here instead of Dale County border. The Dale County police will meet us in the same location as last time.”
“And the handcuffs?”
“Same deal as last time. Dale County Sheriff’s Office also requested leg irons and a muzzle over your face, which we’ve politely declined. The handcuffs are the minimum and we need to use them.”
Danny shuddered at the word muzzle but nodded his acceptance.
“What happens after the judge makes her ruling?”
“That will depend on what it is.”
“If she rules that I’m legally a shifter?”
“That’s where it becomes a bit of a gray area. Technically, you’ll be in our custody, so the responsibility falls to us. But she might grant custody to the Dale County Sheriff’s office.”
“In which case, you’d have to hand me over.”
“Legally, yeah.”
“And they’ll be the ones to kill me?”
Danny was pale but doggedly persistent in his questioning.
“None of it’s going to be that straightforward. What will actually happen, is your lawyer will submit an injunction preventing immediate action based on the ruling. If the judge accepts that, and she will, because it is more than reasonable in this case, then your custody will stay with us while we figure out our next move.”
“So they won’t just take me out back and shoot me?”
From the way Danny’s hands were shaking, Chris guessed he thought that was an actual possibility. He moved seats, sitting on the bed beside Danny and wrapping an arm around him.
“No, no one’s doing that. If they’d caught you in the first place, it would have been different. But you’re in the legal system now. Killing you isn’t just a matter of declaring you a shifter. A sentence actually has to be passed. That’s why most law enforcement is so gung-ho where shifters are involved. Once the legal wheel starts turning, they lose their right to kill with no consequences. And so far, no judge in this country has passed down a death sentence in lieu of a trial. And Judge Winters has no intention of being the first.”
That eased Danny’s fears, though Chris stayed beside him, hoping he took some comfort from his presence.
“Tomorrow, after the judge rules, I don’t want to come back here to the hospital. I don’t want to continue treatment.”
Chris let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. “Okay, then. We won’t bring you back here.”
“Where will I go?”
“I’ll need to make a few calls and work that out. Give me an hour and I’ll be back, okay?”
He gently detached from Danny, grabbed his cell phone, and found a quiet corner. His first call was to Will, his second to Tim, and his third to Mitch. The third was going to be the hardest.
“Chris, how is your case going?” Mitch asked, sounding distracted.
“We’re awaiting Judge Winters decision, which should be given tomorrow morning.”
“Good. It will be nice to have all this straightened out. So, what can I do for you?”
“Danny no longer wants to be treated at the facility we’re at. He needs somewhere else to go after court tomorrow. I want to bring him back to Eden.”
There was silence for a moment.
“To what end?”
“If his body doesn’t develop the ability to shift, he’s going to die. I think he needs to be around shifters in order to make that happen. Being around us has already helped, and we saw a definite deterioration once they tried to treat him here.”
“If the ruling is in his favor, there are going to be many unhappy people in Dale, Eden, and the surrounding counties.”
“That’s not Danny’s fault. And he’s not the only one with this condition. There are five others in the basement of this hospital. They’ve lived here all their lives and are dying for lack of being able to shift. Made worse, I suspect, by total isolation from other shifters. If I can help Danny, maybe we can help them, too.”
Mitch didn’t respond at first but Chris knew he was thinking, considering his request.
“I’ll grant Danny a second temporary stay in Eden, for the purposes of helping him learn to shift. I don’t want him in the Omega Haven, not until we understand more about his condition. If he does shift, and he’s like a newly bitten wolf, he could be extremely volatile. I’ll find suitable accommodations for him. This is all on condition that a Shifter Crimes officer stays with him twenty-four seven. If anything were to happen, if another human was harmed by him, there would be bloodshed. And the blood would be all ours.”
“That’s fair, Mitch. I give you my word he’ll be supervised.”
“Not good enough. I don’t want him out in public, I don’t want him wandering the city, or visiting shifter venues. Am I understood? He stays in the accommodation we assign and any trips elsewhere are approved by me personally with twenty-four hours’ notice unless it’s an emergency.”
“Agreed. Put it in a contract, I’ll have me, Danny, and another officer sign it.”
“Good. I’ll have our lawyer draw it up and have it brought to you at the court tomorrow.”
Danny was dozing when Chris returned to his room. Taking a seat on the side of the bed, he called him softly. Danny’s eyes blinked open and he smiled.
“That was quick.”
“No, it wasn’t. Someone’s been asleep.”
“But you have news?”
“Mitch, Eden’s Alpha, will grant you temporary sanctuary in the city. You’ll need to be under constant supervision by someone from Shifter Crimes. It won’t be as onerous as it sounds, it’s just to keep you safe and to keep the city safe, while we try to work out if you can shift.”
“If I can’t, if it doesn’t work, I’m going to come back here and let Doctor Hollis resume his testing. Maybe he’ll find something.”
“That sounds fair. But you need to give this a proper try first.”
“How will we even do it? How do I try shifting?”
“I’m hoping that once your shifter protein levels build up high enough, you’ll get the urge to shift like any other wolf.”
“So we just wait and see?”
“In a way.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Wolves in general, and werewolves in particular, are pack animals. Being in a group, having close contact with other wolves, it’s important. Didn’t you wonder why, after years of being free from shifter proteins, your body suddenly started producing them again?”
“It’s the condition—”
“Doctor Hollis says none of the others affected produced shifter proteins, just you. And you were the only one to have contact with other wolves. Close, physical contact.”
Danny blushed a little at Chris’ emphasis. “You think physical contact is going to wake my wolf?”
Chris leaned in, caressing Danny’s face with the back of his hand, feeling the heat under his skin.
“I think it will.”