Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, Chris woke him early, prompting him to shower, dress, and eat breakfast. The last bit was the hardest, his stomach twisting and turning as he thought about what lay ahead. The rest of Chris’ team pulled up outside, and, as before, Doctor Hollis got ready to leave with them.
He’d stopped by Danny’s room that morning and Danny had told him of his decision to stop treatment. It was met with sad acceptance and Danny was quick to thank him for all his efforts. Maybe they were misguided, but he believed Doctor Hollis only wanted what was best for him.
As they approached the door, Chris stopped him with a hand on his elbow. He glanced over, wincing as he caught sight of the handcuffs in Chris’ hand. With a sigh, he turned, putting his hands behind his back as Chris snapped the cool metal around his wrists. As before, he kept them comfortably loose. Not enough for Danny to pull his hands free but not tight enough to put pressure on his joints.
They got back in the same vehicle as last time, with its tinted windows. He sat in the middle, Chris one side of him, Robin the other, while Will drove and Lee took the passenger seat. There was a car in front and Doctor Hollis drove behind.
He’d had another dose of medication before they left, and found that between the warmth of the car and the pain relief, he dozed off a few minutes into the journey. He woke with his head on Chris’ shoulder, the Alpha calling him softly.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re almost to the county line. And as cute as you look right now, I think it might be better if you were awake when the Dale officers check the car over.”
Yawning, sat up, catching Will’s amused gaze through the rearview mirror. Blushing, he ducked his head again, and kept it down as Sheriff Banes walked past their car then arranged his cars either end of their convoy.
His nerves ratcheted up a notch when they finally pulled into the courthouse, and Chris laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Once more, with feeling,” he said, and they got out and made their way in. Just inside the door, a man hailed Will and Chris by name and handed over a short sheaf of paper. Chris read it quickly, turning to Danny.
“This is the contract to allow you to stay in the city on a temporary basis. It basically says you stay where they put you, don’t wander out in public, and get permission from the Alpha of the city if you want to go anywhere. It’ll be reviewed in a month.”
“Where do I sign?” he asked. He trusted Chris. If the Alpha thought this was okay, he’d go for it.
Will undid one of the handcuffs, the other shifters crowding around him to block the view of the humans milling about. A pen was pushed into his hand and he signed on the dotted line, watching Chris sign after him, then Will.
The man returned the signed contract to his folder, handing Chris a copy of the contract and a set of keys.
“Best of luck in there, gentleman. You were fortunate with Judge Winters.”
Will slipped his wrist back into the cuff. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
Judge Winters again ordered a closed session, sending all but a handful of people out of the court. She didn’t beat around the bush, and Danny’s nerves eased as he heard her decision.
“I’ve read the research presented by Doctor Hollis and spoken to a number of his colleagues. It is clear that the evidence he presents is irrefutable proof that Daniel Adams has never completed a lycanthropic shift and therefore could not have caused the fatal injuries sustained by his family which the ME has ruled were the result of a shifter in wolf form. Therefore, Daniel cannot be acted upon under the lycanthrope criminal guidelines as set out in the statutes. I am releasing him on his own recognizance and advising that he continue to seek treatment or pursue alternative therapies for his current condition.”
Sheriff Banes stepped forward. “We would, therefore, like to take Mr. Adams into custody, to investigate his role in the heinous murder of his family.”
“Do you have any additional evidence to present to the court?”
“No, not at this time, your honor.”
“Then you do not have sufficient cause to take Mr. Adams into custody. Furthermore, any attempt to do so without presenting the relevant evidence to me will be seen as attempting to circumvent my ruling. And I take a very dim view of that, is that understood, Sheriff Banes?” she asked, making eye contact with the disgruntled Sheriff standing at the back of the court. Danny twisted around to see, watching him grudgingly acknowledge the judge’s order.
“I understand, your honor.”
Judge Winters brought the court to a close and Danny was surprised to find himself hustled out of the courtroom by Chris and Will and back into the car. They didn’t waste any time getting underway, Chris taking off the handcuffs as they sped away, leaving the court behind.
“The farther away we get, the better,” he said to Danny.
“Do you think they would have ignored the judge’s orders?”
“They’re champing at the bit to find some way to get a hold of you.”
“Because they don’t believe Doctor Hollis.”
“See it from their point of view. A sleepy town with no history of shifter activity suffers a terrible crime, and the only surviving family member comes up positive on a shifter blood test. It doesn’t matter how much science you throw at them, they’ll be forever stuck on that point.”
“And now we’re going back to Eden?”
“We are.”
Danny didn’t relax until they crossed the county line, leaving Dale behind. It had been his home for more than twenty years and now, he was in exile. He had no doubt that were he to return, and someone to recognize him, he’d meet an unfortunate end. And whoever killed him was unlikely to face any consequences. They’d be lenient, given his confusing shifter origins.
Eden city would be different. A new start, a city where shifters weren’t just known about, they were expected. If he was going to become one, he had a lot to learn.
Danny didn’t have a lot of time to bask in the relief of the ruling. Mitch had sent Chris the address to bring Danny to. Chris didn’t seem familiar with it, but Will was.
“It’s a place in the old warehouse district where the Pack would keep newly bitten wolves. Used to have a lot of trouble with kids, especially around Halloween. There were rumors the place was haunted because of all the strange noises.”
“Mitch isn’t taking chances,” Chris said.
“He’s a cautious man by nature. On the bright side, you’ll have plenty of space, peace and quiet, and reinforced windows and doors.”
“Sounds charming,” Chris said, then he smiled over at Danny, easing his uncertainty. “Let’s hope it’s habitable.”
Danny was almost certain the Alpha was joking. Almost.
“How long will I need to be there?”
“That depends. If you manage to shift and you’re taking to the transition okay, I’m sure Mitch will ease up on the restrictions. The thing to focus on is going to be letting it happen. Not easy when you’ve been railing against it all your life.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“And maybe you were. It meant you had a home, a family, stability. People who grow up without that struggle.”
It was midafternoon when they finally entered Eden, crossing through the city to get to the warehouse district on the opposite side.
“Chris, do you need to stop by your place and pick up some stuff?” Will offered.
“No, I’m good for now. Assuming there are laundry facilities at this place.”
“There should be, if not, we’ll work something out.”
Will came in with them, leaving Robin with the car. From the outside, the place looked dismal, paint peeling from the walls, trash strewn across the ground in front of them. Chris pulled the keys he’d been given from his pocket and stepped forward to open the door.
Danny hung back, unable to shake the feeling that he was walking into a prison. Would he leave here again? If he didn’t change, would they let him return to the hospital or would they decide to take matters into their own hands?
It was only Chris turning back towards him with a smile that spurred him to follow across the threshold. The Alpha seemed very determined to help him and Danny wanted to be helped.
The inside wasn’t anywhere near as dismal as the outside. It was clear someone had been there recently, the place smelled fresh with just a hint of cleaning products.
“Mitch redecorated,” Will said, following a step behind Danny.
“I hope he didn’t go to all that trouble just for us,” Chris replied, as he walked through the hall further into the building.
“No. One of the first things he realized when he took over was that the city no longer had a secure location to put new shifters. He decided it made more sense to renovate this place, given we still own the land around it and the building, than start from scratch.
“Has it been used yet?”
“No. Even before we stopped using it, we had about one occupant every two or three years. Pretty much the only way to get infected these days is to deliberately not seek treatment.”
“Does that happen?” Danny asked, as they walked through another door, this one even thicker than the first, and the building started to look more like a house. The corridor they were in led off to various rooms; a living room, a dining room, a kitchen. They climbed the stairs, finding bedrooms and bathrooms. Another set of stairs led up, and they found an entirely different set of rooms. Some with padded floors and walls. One large room with mats and gym equipment. A room filled with beanbags and with soothing floating lights.
“It’s very modern,” Chris commented.
Will made a sound of agreement, giving an explanation when he caught Danny’s look of confusion. “Back in the day, a set of heavy metal chains and a reinforced door was the usual introduction into the shifter world. You left the newly bitten alone for a few days, checked if they were still alive, and offered them some food if they were.”
“And now we have relaxation rooms, lower sensory stimulus, light therapy… all sorts of things that supposedly help ease the transition.”
“You don’t think they work?” Danny asked them. He was relieved not to see a room with chains.
“Shifting is shifting. The rest is all in the mind.”
“It might be helpful for us, though,” Chris mused. “If you think about it, your mind and your body are both against you right now. Your body will have to heal itself, but your mind… we may be able to help with that.”
They returned downstairs, leaving their bags in two of the bedrooms and checking out the kitchen. It was fully stocked with a note tacked to the fridge.
‘Welcome back to Eden, Danny. Mitch.’
“Nice of your cousin to be so thorough,” Chris said. There was the slightest edge to his voice that Danny didn’t understand, but it didn’t seem to phase Will.
“He does his best. It’ll never be good enough for everyone, Chris.”
“Knowing what he was handed all those months ago, it’s impressive what he’s managed to achieve so far.” Chris sounded more genuine that time and some of the tension in the room eased.
“I need to get home,” Will said. “We’ll arrange a rota to relieve you.”
“For now, I’m more concerned with you managing the team’s responsibilities while I’m tied up with this.”
“It’s been quiet lately.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t take much for all hell to break loose, most especially when we’re short-handed.”
“I’ll talk to Tim, make sure we have enough cross-cover,” Will said, turning to Danny. “And you, listen to him,” he jerked his head towards Chris. “He’ll see you right, okay?”
“Okay,” Danny replied, nodding even though he wasn’t sure what Will meant.
As Will left, closing the heavy door behind him, Danny again got that sense of being trapped, closed in. He shivered, glancing over at Chris who was busying himself pulling food from the cupboards.
“I’m going to make dinner,” he said over his shoulder. “Why don’t you settle in?”