The Blood Moon

Questions and Answers

"And how was he killed?" I asked, my curiosity dampening some of the tremors rattling my limbs.

She paused and watched me for a moment, before continuing.  "Stabbed twenty-three times with a silver blade."  With this evidence exposed to those in the foyer, she turned her eyes to Antonov, who shifted by my side.

"Why wouldn't he have fought me off?" I asked, my brow pinching with confusion.

"Wolves may be strong on a Blood Moon," answered Kyra, "but in return they pay with their strength of will.  Their instincts are pulled to the surface.  Which makes them both vicious and susceptible to their base needs."

"Are you suggesting, she seduced him?" asked Antonov, his words hesitant with disbelief.

Kyra didn't answer, but based on the way Everett's hair rose up along his arms and the way his lip curled, Antonov wasn't far off.  As for me, I seemed to have lost all the air in my lungs and was gasping before Kyra like a flailing fish.

"Have I satisfied enough of your concerns," asked the stoic sheriff, with little regard for my crumbling sanity, "to have you leave this manor willingly?"

"Am...am I under arrest?" I asked, looking up at the two of them with tears threatening to breach.

"Only if you fight us," answered the somber werewolf.

"And then what happens?  Do I just sit there and hope my memory comes back so I can prove it wasn't me?"

"We go back," she answered, "and we go step by step through the timeline.  Eventually your memory or the evidence will tell us what happened."

"Speaking of timeline," added Antonov with a hesitant drawl to his words, "my queen, would you honor me with your presence in my study.  There are matters I would like to discuss."

"Whatever you tell her, she'll tell me," replied Everett, though that didn't stop Kyra from making her way towards the hall that led to Antonov's study.

"She may choose to do as she sees fit," said the vampire with his chin raised and a snarl on his lips.  "However, for now, I choose to keep my words for her ears as I trust she will use them most appropriately."

With that the two of them left and Everett and I were left alone in the crushing silence of the foyer.

For a space of time, neither of us looked at each other.  We inspected the curvature of the stair's balusters.  We counted the number of crystals in the chandelier.  We perused the artwork hanging on the walls.  What we did not do was face one another.  However, as fate would have it, as one of us darted our gaze from an antique vase to a thriving fern, the other was moving on from the artistry of the rug to the tassels of the heavy curtains, and in so doing, our eyes crossed and that split second contact created a concrete hold upon us.

We watched each other, our bodies as stiff as our gaze, though there were minute movements that spoke louder than any grand gesture could have.  In that moment, I could tell how his ears folded and his snout buried itself beneath his paws.  It didn't matter that he was in his human form.  I could feel his submission inside my bones, his fear and guilt resonating with the pain and disappointment that stiffened my spine and burned my eyes.  As much as it pained me to see him so weak and small, a part of me took satisfaction in his cowing.  A part of me felt a shred of vindication, though another part of me, which burned and spat like a raging fire, knew that it still was not enough.

"Everett," I said, my voice strained as it filtered through my emotions, "what happened between us last night?"

"It's my fault," he explained, a noticeable lump sliding down his throat as he did.  "I was scared, I was the furthest thing from an alpha.  I should have told you.  I'm sorry."

"Tell me now then," I replied, my teeth clenched as the tears breached.

"Kyra thinks..."

"I'm not asking her, I'm asking you."

"This," he said with a shake of his head, though his sad eyes remained on mine, "doesn't feel like the right time."

"Will there be a..."

The sound of footsteps broke the spell that entwined us and we looked to the hallway where Kyra and Antonov emerged.

"Dragan has illuminated a missing piece of our timeline," she said as she stopped before us with arms clasped behind her back.  "We're still missing a few hours, but the picture continues to sharpen."

As Kyra spoke, Antonov continued across the foyer and towards the stairs, which he ran up with inhuman speed.

"We've stayed here long enough," she said, turning her eyes on me.  "We're going to the station with you either walking beside us or dragged behind us."

"Walking," I said, rising up from my chair, only to be knocked back by Antonov's sudden return to my side.

"Here's the shoes we got for you.  Let me put them on, I'll keep it loose around your sore ankle."  I was too weary and sore to fight him and so I allowed his dexterous fingers to slip on the socks and tie the shoes to my feet.  After that, he offered me his arm so that I could rise with his support.

"Good," said the female sheriff, who turned back to the hall she emerged from.  "If you need assistance with walking, myself or Sheriff Hathaway can provide you support.  However, Antonov will remain here and tend to his newly converted wife."

"My sweet Delilah," said Antonov with a sigh, "as much as it pains me to leave you with this barbaric wolf, I know my mistress will ensure your safety.  As for my darling Zelda, I must assure her needs are met during these difficult days and that she doesn't go on a rampage like some other creatures are prone to do."

Antonov patted my hand, while Everett growled.  However, the vampire gave the wolf little notice as he made his way towards the opposite side of the manor.

"Are we going to your car?" I asked as I declined Everett's offer to provide support for my uneasy ankle.

"No," answered Kyra, who continued to walk further into the belly of the mansion, "we will be taking the tunnels."

"Oh, right, the sun," I said with a shake of my head.  "You can't go between the house and the car with the sun out."

"That could be a concern," she replied with flat indifference, "though Dragan has a shaded garage that we could have used.  No, this is mainly for your protection."

"Pardon?"

"You have been identified as the last person to see Alpha Zachary and thus, suspect number one as far as the new alpha is concerned."

"The new alpha," I mumbled, my mind sifting through the recent memories I still retained.  I then recalled the kind face of the wolf that had saved me before I reached the zombie commune — Ryan.

"Yes," said Everett, his growl ominous as we stepped into the dark stairway that led down into the tunnels.  "The death of an alpha is a serious crime and though we have the right to investigate as it was committed in our town, if we can't prove your innocence, we are legally obligated to hand you over to be executed."

***

Kyra and Everett offer answers to Del's questions, but they fail to comfort her. They promise her safety, but only if her innocence can be proven and how can they accomplish that if even she can't recall what happened at the time of the murder?

I'm on vacation! My son's spring break is this coming week and my family is finally getting a chance to spend some quality time with each other for the first time in about a year. That being said, I no longer have a laptop, so the next few chapters may be a bit rough around the edges and lacking some of the bells and whistles since I'm having to post this off my phone...