Chapter 211

The king and his lawyer scowled, but the judge continued. “In addition, I will be appointing all of the necessary staff for Miss Laurentia's well-being. Ahe will be housed in a location of my choosing. And I will not be releasing that information to anyone.”

The king scowled even further, and from the row behind me, I heard Charles and both bodyguards let out sighs of relief.

The judge eyed me. “Who's your current security?”

I pointed at David and Theo.

The judge focused an intense gaze on me. “I will see you alone in my chambers after the court is adjourned this morning. And we will talk about your personal safety.”

I nodded. “Thank you, your honor.”

“Now, does anyone have anything else to add here?” The judge looked at both lawyers.

They both shook their heads.

She raised her gavel again and banged it down on her desk. “Then I declare this court adjourned.”

Theo stood and hopped over the rail between the desk where I sat and where he was sitting in the gallery.

“I'll escort you to the judge's chambers,” he said.

I noticed he kept himself between me and nearly everyone else in the room as I followed the judge to a small room off the courtroom. Leo didn't even attempt to enter, nodding me in and taking a place outside the door, clearly at the ready.

I shut the door and took a seat where the judge pointed me, across a small desk from where she sat.

“I'll be blunt,” she said. “Your guard and your fiancé's guard are still under the pay of the palace. Do you trust them? Or would you like me to appoint you security from my own personal list?”

“I trust them.”

She eyed me. “Are you sure you're not misplacing your trust?”

I twisted my shirt around my fingers and then decided to just dive into the truth. “I do trust them. The pair of them enlisted me to help them via the dark web. They asked me to help expose some of the wrongdoings in Packhaven because it was hurting one of their sisters. They've been active in that movement for quite a while. If anyone had found out, they would have been jailed, and after they got involved with me, it would probably have been even worse. They took a huge risk in trusting me. And because of that, I trust them, as well.”

She nodded. “I'm satisfied. I also think having them as your security can work in our favor. I think it will help lull anyone into a sense of complacency if you continue to use palace-issued security.”

“Then you seem as sure as I am that there will be attempts on my life.”

She nodded. “That seems inevitable. You made yourself a powerful enemy.”

I scowled at her. “I didn't make him my enemy. Aiming for the throne was never my intention, and if you believe that, then perhaps you should recuse yourself from this case.”

She held up a placating hand. “Don't get worked up,” she said. “Inadvertent or not, it doesn't change the fact that you made him an enemy. I wasn't accusing you of anything. I will be as impartial as anyone in a case like this, but you have to understand that judge or jury, you're never going to find anyone completely impartial because it involves the king.”

“The only way to get someone completely impartial would be to enlist other shifters,” she continued. “And we don't allow them that sort of power over our kind.”

I nodded. “I guess that does make sense.”

“In the meantime, I'm going to employ you a cook, four additional security guards, and a taster for poisons.” She rummaged around in a desk drawer and pulled out a stack of papers. “I prepared these ahead of time,” she said, “and all on paper, so there's no digital footprint for anyone to hack.”

She grimly grinned at me. “I have old-fashioned pagers with a code to get ahold of these people and let them know to come and see me. I routinely have my house swept for bugs, so you don't have to worry about anyone listening in. And if anyone comes to you and says that they're from me and they are not on this list, then let your security do what they need to get rid of them.”

“What do you mean by that?” I stammered.

She gave me a sympathetic look. “Defending yourself may mean they need to use force or violence.”

I nodded. “I would prefer not to resort to violence, but if that's what has to be done.”

“Then,” she said, sliding the papers toward me, “there is an address on the second page. That's a safehouse. You can go there. The people I assign for your protection will join you there within the day.”

“How did you have all of this ready?” I asked. “I mean, you’ve prepped things like a safehouse. And it’s all so organized.”

She gave me a tiny smile. “My father was an alpha who fell out of favor with King James’ father. My father compiled all of these contacts years ago to get me to safety if necessary. I've kept them once King James took the throne. I wasn't so worried about my own personal safety, but I have children. And to be a fair judge can sometimes mean putting yourself in harm’s way. And now I'm gifting some of these resources to you.”

Her gesture warmed my heart. “Thank you,” I said. “But I really hate to pull resources from your children.”

Her smile warmed with kindness. “You have a heart that is clearly as wonderful as your scent. I would hate to see anything happen to you before the wheels of justice have had a fair turn.”

“Thank you,” I said again, hoping she’d understand how deeply I meant it. “If for nothing else, then giving me a fair chance.”

I collected the paperwork off the desk slowly as I collected my thoughts.

The judge stood and crossed the room to open the door for me. “Everyone deserves a fair chance, my dear.”

“That's exactly what I am always saying.”

I took the papers and held them to my chest, tucking them inside one layer of my sweater on my way out the door.

“How did it go?” Theo asked me.

I shook my head. “Outside.”

Theo knew immediately that I wanted to be sure that we weren't overheard. He clamped his mouth shut and simply took a place guarding me. He followed me across the courtroom and opened the door out of the now-empty room.

David and Charles waited right outside.

David nodded at Theo. “We're going to have to take the underground passages out,” he murmured. “Security may have pushed all of the reporters outside, but it is a complete zoo on the sidewalks.”

“There are underground passages?” I asked.

He nodded. “As far as most of the palace security is concerned, they all come and go directly from the palace so that the king can get to and from important trials without having to deal with paparazzi. And it also serves as an emergency evacuation route should anything happen to the palace, like some sort of military coup, or a siege, or something. But I happen to know of a few passages that lead elsewhere in the city.”

He winked at me. “And that's all I'm going to say.”