Hystea examined the claws side by side. “Yes, our claws are much longer. I can see why you believe the injuries to the body match. But I would need to see the body in order to agree with you,” she said.
“We understand,” Evie said. “But a woman has been kidnapped.”
Hystea shrugged, and I leaned back against the wall. “Ilayda is seven months pregnant.”
Something flickered in Hystea’s eyes. Like most paranormals, harpies had a low birthrate. When they were pregnant, their sisters hunted for them, ensuring they were never in any danger.
“Do you believe any of your sisters could be working with both humans and witches?”
She heaved a sigh, and some of the tension left her face. “Usually, I would say no. But…”
My heart rate picked up as I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. But she shook her head.
“I will not accuse my sister without speaking to her first.”
“You could be costing Ilayda and her baby their lives,” Evie snapped.
Hystea gave her a cool look. “Unlike witches, harpies understand loyalty,” she said, obviously referencing the way Evie’s coven had kicked her out. Evie merely stared steadily back at her, and the harpy angled her head.
I sighed. “Give us something, Hystea. You know Samael has banned paranormals from harming humans in this realm.”
She sneered. “Because of his humanmate. She has made him weak.”
Evie gave her a savage grin and opened her mouth. I shot her a look, and she snapped her mouth closed with a sigh.
“If she is responsible for this…she’s in danger,” Kyla said. “Human authorities will be looking for her, not to mention demons and werewolves. If she’s innocent or got caught up in something she didn’t expect, she could end up hurt or worse for no reason.”
A little exaggeration there. The only werewolf interested in this case was Kyla, and we hadn’t exactly involved the demons. But Vas gave Hystea a lazy grin, silently backing us up.
“If she did this, she’s endangered you all,” Evie said. “Most humans know nothing about harpies, and now any information about you will be shared among the human authorities.”
Hystea’s cheekbones somehow stood out even more as she ground her teeth.
“One of my sisters has been acting strangely lately. A few weeks ago, I saw her talking to a light fae. Talking, not hurting,” she snapped before we could say anything. “It looked like they were doing some kind of business.”
“We need a name.”
She clamped her mouth shut, and I pulled my phone out of my pocket, showing her a picture of Ilayda. In it, she was standing next to a large oak tree, her hand on her rounded belly as she grinned at the camera. I flicked to the next picture of the crime scene. Hystea stared at the black SUV abandoned in the middle of the street.
“It’s been five days, Hystea,” I said softly. “No ransom demand, nothing. If she’s still alive, she’s in serious danger.”
Hystea sighed, running her hand through her hair.
“My sister’s name is Solonia. That is all I will tell you.”
I nodded. With the number of paranormals next door in my bar, it was enough. Someone would have heard of her. If not, we would ask around.
“Thank you.”
She turned, opened the door, and stalked away. I glanced at Evie. “I want to take a look at the laptop as soon as possible.”
She nodded and strolled back into the bar, Kyla behind her. Vas grabbed my hand as I went to follow them, pulling me back into the stock room and closing the door.
I glanced up at him. “What’s up?”
“You’re going to go after the harpy.”
“I mean… Yeah.”
