Raving Moon, Lords of the Night Book One

Chapter 19: Sky

Sky pounded the arm of the chair, the wooden frame crying under her assault. She was volatile, close to exploding. I should have let Ariane calm the suspect, I could sense we were close to something.

"What happened the night Sheila and the baby died?" I dared not say murdered out of fear of setting her off.

The eyes that glared at me weren't human.

"It... wasn't supposed to be like this..." Her voice jumped between the stern woman and the angry beast like an oscillator.

Ariane caught my eye again, her expression a stern mask. I could see the wolf behind those eyes, ready to pounce.

"What happened?"

"It w... was an accident-"

The front door burst open with the sound of splintering wood.

"Babe, you okay!" A vaguely familiar voice rumbled through the house, in its wake a soothing blanket of warmth. "There's a throne outside."

A large barrel chested man entered the room, filling the doorway nearly shoulder to shoulder. His energy screamed shapeshifter. It was all around us. Where Sky was chaotic, he was controlled. Their power intermingled in an intimate dance, his cool caress reducing her flames. They were a mated pair, man and beast bound together. Not only did the man look familiar, he felt familiar too.

He took in the scene, his eyes sweeping from Sky to Ariane before settling on me. I watched those eyes narrow and his irises take on a yellow tint. His concern became suspicion, then anger.

Sky went to him and the two embraced. In such close proximity, their power became one.

"What are they doing here?" he asked. Despite the change in his eyes, the man was fully in control.

"They had questions about Sheila and Marty."

"We discussed this." He kissed her forehead. "Never invite them into our home, ever." The last word was clearly directed at me.

"But, Rock-"

"No, Sky! Never. I told you what they did to my brother."

Rock! The bouncer from The Wild. That was why he looked familiar. I gathered from his reaction, he remembered me and wasn't a fan.

"Mr. Yazzie, your wife was just-" I started.

"Get out."

"Your wife was likely the last person to see Sheila Taishoff alive. We'd like her to give us some clarity about that night."

"Get out!"

I caught a glimpse of Jacob through the window curtains. Again, I gestured for him to keep his distance.

"You're not helping Sky at all. Cooperating with us may be-"

"Her best option?" Rock asked. "I've heard it before. Cooperate and you can go home. Be respectful of the authorities and they will respect your rights. Tell the truth and the system will work with you. It's all bullshit. You're not here to help her. You're here to entrap her. GET. OUT."

"I-"

Ariane's hand on my shoulder cut off my words.

"Mr. Yazzie, Sky is a suspect in a serious case," Ariane explained. "Let us get her side of things."

"You." He shook his head. "People think you becoming a throne means change... it's just more of the bullshit and more of the lies, but now it's our own people spewing it."

"I'm truly trying to help. Let Detective Michele and I ask a few more questions. Sky was about t-"

"No. We're done cooperating."