Page 23 of Shapeshifter's Vengeance

I wake up to the sound of the guard's gruff voice. “You have a visitor.”

Blinking away sleep, I sit up and rub my eyes. It's been a while since I had any visitors. My heart leaps at the thought of seeing someone from the outside, someone who believes in me. I follow the guard, my mind racing with possibilities.

As soon as I step into the visitor’s room, I see Evelyn standing there. Relief and joy flood through me. I close the distance between us and hug her tight, inhaling her familiar scent. It grounds me in a way nothing else has since this nightmare began.

“Alexei,” she whispers, holding me just as tightly.

When the guards leave us alone, I finally pull back, looking into her eyes. “How have you been holding up?” she asks, concern etched on her face.

“I’m managing,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “There was an incident... some inmates tried to pick a fight. One of them stabbed me.”

Her eyes flash with anger. “What? Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m fine now,” I assure her. “It’s past. They stitched me up in the clinic and of course my healing powers, thank goodness the shiv wasn’t silver.” I whisper.

She takes a deep breath, visibly calming herself. “We have several days left in the council’s one-week deadline,” I remind her.

“I know,” she replies, her voice firm. “Things will go well. But first, I’m getting you out of here. The fact that they moved you to general population and then you were hurt...”

I shake my head. “Evelyn, it’s not the prison that scares me. It’s the council’s judgment. I have a feeling I might not walk away unscathed.”

Evelyn cradles my face in her hands, her touch gentle but determined. “Let me worry about that,” she says softly.

I nod, drawing strength from her confidence. “I’ve missed you,” I admit, my voice breaking slightly.

“Soon,” she promises, pressing a kiss to my cheek. She steps back, her eyes lingering on me before she turns to leave.

After she’s gone, I return to my cell, my mind buzzing with a mix of hope and fear. Evelyn’s visit has lifted my spirits, but the looming deadline is a constant shadow. I lie on my bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying our conversation over and over.

Chapter 11: The Shape of Deception

EVELYN

I stride into the courthouse, my heart pounding with a mix of anger and determination. The air is thick with tension as I push open the doors to the judge’s chambers. The room falls silent, all eyes turning to me.

"Judge Thompson," I say, my voice firm, "we need to talk."

He looks up from his papers, his expression stern. "Sheriff Evelyn, again. This is highly irregular."

"So is keeping an innocent man locked up," I retort, stepping closer to his desk. "Either trial Alexei for the murders or let him go."

Judge Thompson sighs, leaning back in his chair. "Sheriff, you know as well as I do that Alexei’s case is complicated. We can’t just release him without—"

"Without what?" I cut in. "Without keeping him in solitary confinement and then suddenly moving him to general population where he was threatened and attacked?"

The judge’s eyes narrow. "Alexei isn’t innocent, Evelyn. The evidence—"

"What evidence?" I challenge, my voice rising. "Explain how the murders of those men happened while Alexei was locked up. He couldn’t have done it."

The judge opens his mouth to speak, but I press on. "You have no proof that he’s guilty, and now we have proof that he’s being set up with evidence of him being driven to the murder scene. Keeping him in jail without a fair trial is unjust."

"Very well," he says slowly. "We’ll release Alexei to his house under house arrest. Multiple sheriff deputies will watch over him every day. But he must adhere to strict conditions."

"Thank you," I reply, my voice softening. "You’re making the right choice."

I hurry out before he changes his mind, my heart racing with relief. I drive straight to the prison, my mind focused on seeing Alexei free. When I pull up, he’s already outside, looking bewildered. Judge Thompson probably gave the order before I left his office.

"Evelyn," he says, his face lighting up with a smile as he sees me in the car. He slides into the passenger seat, and I can see the disbelief in his eyes.

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