The world darkened at the edges, and the harpy was suddenly gone. I just lay there for a long time, dazed. Solonia had rung my bell.
Kyla let out a long howl, and I finally managed to sit up, head spinning.
When my vision cleared, I frowned.
The harpy was lying on the grass in a heap…dead. Evie stood next to her, hands raised.
I stared at Evie. “What happened to no killing?”
She awkwardly cleared her throat and glanced away. “Mistakes were made.”
Kyla padded over to me, nuzzling at my face. “I’m okay,” I said.
She wandered away, and I stayed sitting for a moment longer while she dragged on her clothes. When she walked back in her human form, she offered me a hand, hauling me to my feet.
“Let’s search her house,” Kyla suggested. She’d gave Evie a better-luck-next-time grin as she walked by.
I hesitated as I walked past Solonia’s body. Evie wound her arm through mine. “She helped arrange for Ilayda’s kidnapping.Andshe’s killing humans. We did her a solid, because Finvarra would have killed her slowly when he found out she was working with his enemies.”
She was right. I let her lead me into the house.
“Mere, electronics,” Evie said. “Kyla, you take the living room. I’ll take the bedroom.”
We all stopped as we stood in the entranceway.
“What. The. Hell.” I gaped at the junk piled up against every wall.
Evie winced. “Harpies tend to be hoarders. In their realm, they use the things they find to build their nests. In this realm… Well, as you can see, it’s not good. Most harpies keep an eye on one another to make sure they’re not doing…this.” Evie waved her hand around at the mess. “But Solonia was a loner.”
“How do you know so much about harpies?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Edward gave me a ton of books to read. We were mostly focused on the physical stuff while I was in Texas, so I’m studying up in my free time.”
We slowly picked our way through the house. Old food, broken furniture, plastic toys meant for kids aged three and under, Solonia had hoarded it all. Claustrophobia made my chest tight, and I grabbed her laptop and phone.
“I’m taking these outside,” I said.
Evie nodded. Kyla sent a longing look toward the front door as I strode toward it. I sat on the lawn, wincing as Solonia’s body was once more in my line of sight.
What did it say about me that I’d rather be close to a dead body than in that house?
I sighed and opened the laptop, thankful it had enough charge so I could stay outside for a while. Then I focused.
An hour later, Evie and Kyla stumbled out of the house, gasping at the clean air.
“I found this,” Evie said, holding a pen in her gloved hand. It was fat, gold, clearly masculine, and the namePatrick Carterhad been engraved along the side. It was the kind of gift corporate lackeys were given after a fancy promotion or new job.
We all stared at it in glum silence. “Where was it?” Kyla asked.
“On her bedside table. Along with these.” Evie held up a watch, a gold ring, an empty wallet, several pictures, a key, and a silver cigarette lighter.
“I’m betting they all belong to her victims.”
“Yeah,” Evie said. “Turns out, hoarders make terrible criminals. She obviously couldn’t ignore the compulsion to take something of theirs. We’re going to need to call Nelson so he can send a team to go through the rest of her house.”
I cleared my throat and pointed to the laptop. I was no longer sorry Solonia was dead. “She truly didn’t believe anyone would find her. I found the forum on the dark web.” I glanced down at the notes I’d been making. “Solonia was contacted by someone who booked her for a ‘job.’ There’s also a post from a black witch in the forum advertising her pleatix.”
“Let me guess,” Kyla said. “The same people who booked Solonia also booked Lydia.”
