Why was Elizabeth reminded of zoo cages? The kind with two doors and a space in between, where an animal could be trapped if it tried to escape. The bailiff unlocked the second door, also of foot-thick steel, and ushered Elizabeth into a long, narrow courtroom.

It was a courtroom unlike any Elizabeth had seen, and unfortunately she'd seen quite a few during her colorful adolescence. The judge's bench, at the far end, was raised six feet off the floor and caged in front by floor-to-ceiling iron bars. A woman in judge's robes was just coming through a door right behind the bench. Bench, door, and judge were unreachable by anyone on the courtroom floor.

Ronan sat in a large metal chair below the bench, at a right angle to the rest of the room. His hands were now shackled in front of him; a chain between the shackles hooked them to a ring on the heavy chair, which in turn was bolted to the floor.

The courtroom was unadorned, no paneling on the walls, no heavy wooden tables or carved benches, just a generic linoleum floor, white walls, and two plain metal benches in the front of the room. A nervous man in a suit, probably the prosecutor, occupied the right bench. A man and woman sat together on the bench on the left.

The woman was human, with short dark hair, a business jacket and skirt, and a briefcase. Her buttoned-up look screamed lawyer, though she wore sandals on bare feet instead of hose and shoes.

The man next to her was a Shifter, no doubt about it. He had dark hair, eyes of incredible blue, and a Collar around his neck. He lounged on the bench, watching everyone in the room, including the judge, with an air of command.

Most people believed that Shifters posed a threat to humans, and looking at this man, Elizabeth finally understood why. Ronan was huge and full of muscle, but this Shifter, while nowhere near as big as Ronan, exuded a strength of presence that spoke of power. No matter that he wore a Collar, he could be deadly, and he wanted everyone around him to remember that.

Ronan saw Elizabeth and lifted his shackled hands in greeting. He looked the calmest of anyone in the room, no matter that they were treating him like a dangerous animal.

Granted, Elizabeth had seen Ronan as a big, scary bear, and even now, with his buzzed hair, glittering eyes, and muscles bulging out the Red-Hot Lover T-shirt, he still looked frightening. But he gave her a nod--in thanks, she guessed, for calling Kim and then showing up herself.

The tall bailiff locked the door, the clang of the keys loud. The judge hammered once with her gavel. "Counsels approach the bench."

That was it. No one else apparently would show up to this hearing, no court stenographer, no other witnesses. Maybe the session was being recorded, but what did Elizabeth know? Perhaps records weren't kept of Shifter hearings.

As Kim rose with the prosecutor and walked confidently toward the judge, the bailiff said to Elizabeth, "Sit over there."

He pointed to the seat next to Kim's Shifter. The Shifter sat up from his lounging position, smiled, and patted the bench next to him. The smile was charming, but it was also predatory, and his eyes were watching, watching. Ronan caught Elizabeth's worried look and sent her another nod.

Elizabeth went to the bench. The Shifter rose, though both judge and bailiff scowled at him, and stuck out his hand. "I'm Liam Morrissey," he said. "You're Elizabeth?"

"Elizabeth Chapman. I called your wife."

"She's my mate." Liam closed his right hand around Elizabeth's and then laid his left hand on top of it, sandwiching her fingers in a cushion of warmth. Liam Morrissey was the leader of the Austin Shiftertown, Elizabeth knew. He and his wife--no, mate--Kim, were the liaisons between Shifters and humans. "No worries, lass," Liam said. "You answer the judge's questions and tell the truth. Kim will take care of the rest."

The pressure of his hands on hers and the confident look in his eyes, together with the Irish lilt to his voice, were soothing and reassuring. Elizabeth found herself nodding, wanting to promise she'd do her best.

Ronan said from across the room, "You can let go of her now, Liam."

Liam's smile widened but he released Elizabeth. "I'm thinking you're growing a mite possessive, my friend," he said to Ronan.

"I'm thinking she's had a bad night," Ronan growled. "That and I can break your head with one hand."

"Shut it, Bear. I'm mate-bonded. You have no competition from me."

The judge pounded with her gavel. "The defendant will stay in order," she said sharply. Both Ronan and Liam went quiet but neither looked contrite.

The Shifters are in charge here, Elizabeth realized. Not the judge, not the bailiff, not the prosecutor. Liam and Ronan might be inside the cage, but they've taken it over.

"The defendant will approach," the judge said.

The bailiff unlocked Ronan's shackles from the chair, helped him stand, and led him forward. Kim came to Ronan's side, not looking worried, though the prosecutor kept his eyes on his notes as Ronan hulked next to him.

"The charge is assault with intent to kill a human," the judge said. She had dark hair going to gray, a face like a squashed prune, and a flat voice. "How does the defendant plead?"

"He pleads mitigating circumstances," Kim said. "And intent to kill is not on the arrest sheet. The human in question was armed with a loaded nine-millimeter pistol. My client was defending the owner of the store the human man had come to rob and was shot by the human in the process."

The judge eyed Kim in dislike. "I asked for the plea, not the defense. You'll have the chance to speak in a moment. Prosecution?"