The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,106
They took statements and called the higher authority, which sent out two Regulators to review the evidence and formally serve Jack with an arrest warrant. He didn’t say a word as they put him in the car.
Not that it mattered. Now that they had sufficient proof, a Vampire questioning was probably in his future to expose his sordid plan. There were strict rules about using Vampires to charm the truth out of people; the higher authority preferred hard evidence to a confession since a person’s mind could be manipulated too easily. Jack had coveted the tribe’s land, but the only way to acquire it was if Shikoba’s people were convicted of something so heinous that the Council would have to legally evict them. And what better way to oversee that than to take a seat on the Council? It made me wonder how long he’d been scheming against the Iwa tribe. Robert didn’t seem to have any knowledge about the old contract between Jack’s family and the tribe, but it was legally binding and easily accessed through their archives.
After giving the Council my side of the story, I went out to Lakota’s truck and fell asleep. I was emotionally spent and physically exhausted. I didn’t remember the drive back, only the sensation of him carrying me in his arms. How he had the strength and energy after the hell he’d just been through was beyond my understanding. I’d underestimated what a warrior Lakota truly was.
At one point, I opened my eyes and found myself curled up in his lap in Shikoba’s living room. A bright glow from a burning log on the grate brought warmth, but it was incomparable to the warmth of the man holding me. Lakota was sitting straight up on the couch, his head resting against his shoulder, eyes closed, and arms wrapped around me. Though I had questions about Tak and the Council, Lakota needed rest, so I didn’t wake him. Instead, I nestled against his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating—the most beautiful sound in the world.
“Melody, time to wake up.”
The blanket slid away from my face, and I groaned. Light slipped between my closed eyelids and forced them open. It wasn’t from the fire. Sunlight leaked through a window on the second floor, where an older woman was leaning against the railing, watching us. When she smiled, deep lines formed in her cheeks.
I swung my gaze to the left, where Lakota was standing, dressed like I’d never seen him—brown trousers, a matching vest, and a long-sleeve white shirt. His hair was silky and loose, and a beaded choker made from black and turquoise stones encircled his neck. My eyes traveled down to the plate of food in his hand.
Despite the inquisitive stares from above, I sat up and grabbed the plate like a ravenous animal. Two biscuits and five pieces of bacon later, I noticed that someone had dressed me in a turquoise-blue shirt. Fortunately, I still had on my jeans, but my hands were clean and no longer stained with blood.
Lakota folded my blanket and set it on the hearth.
“Where’s Tak?” I asked. “Did they let him go?”
Lakota put his hands in his pockets. “They won’t release him just yet. They found his bag and weapon by the last victim, and he’s still not denying involvement.”
“Why not? We caught the killer.”
“He has no idea what happened last night. The Council is treating it like two separate crimes until they get Jack’s testimony, and I don’t know how much Jack knew about what Crow was doing at the crime scenes.”
I set the empty plate aside. “It’s not right.”
“Agreed. But that’s for the tribe to resolve. And to think, all this time, they were looking for a wolf. Koi’s wolf had gashes on his neck. If Crow didn’t do that with his knife, you can bet it came from his owl’s sharp talons. The tribe won’t dig up Koi’s body and shave his fur just to verify the exact cause of death. It would be violating sacred ground.” Lakota shook his head. “I don’t know what will become of Tak.”
Lakota suddenly swung his gaze up to a man walking by on the upper floor. Then he lowered his voice. “Your phone rang three times while you slept. I don’t know if it was Hope or your family, but your absence hasn’t gone unnoticed. It’s time for you to go home.”