Page 37 of Princess of Hell

“She’s waking up. We need to question her.”

The Harpie cracked her eyes open and released a bone-shaking shriek. Never in my life have I heard anything like it. It made my blood freeze and my breath tighten in my chest.

“Silver.”

“Coming.” Silver got up, leaving Jacks with Drae. Jacks was already better. I saw him looking at her protectively, wanting to place himself between her and any trouble.

Silver stared down at the Harpie. “Why are you here?”

The Harpie shrieked again.

“Stop the show. I know you’re able to speak the human tongue.”

The Harpie struggled against her restraints, pushing and pulling, spitting and shrieking again. Silver took off her glove and pressed it on the Harpie’s chest. Smoke rose and the small chapel lit up like it was illuminated with candles. The Harpie kept yelling and shrieking.

“How about we end this, and you tell me why you killed the Fear Demon. How are you involved in the theft of my necklace?” Silver lifted her hand off the Harpie’s chest. “I don’t want to kill you. It’s just a job for you, so what do you care?”

“How little you know, Princess. I’d rather die than tell you anything. You have no idea what’s going on in your kingdom.”

Why did she call Silver “princess”? That made no sense. Unless…. No, that was too damn absurd even to consider.

The Harpie released a shriek, and her eyes went blank.

“Did she just die?” Silver looked around as if expecting an answer from us.

“I assume so.”

“Are we leaving her here? What if someone finds her?”

“I’ll call Razor. He has cleaning teams everywhere. He gets things fixed.”

Silver turned to me. “River?”

“Yes?”

“I’m tired. Let’s stay somewhere, at a hotel. I don’t feel like driving up to New Orleans tonight.”

“I think it’s best. Jacks needs to lay down for a while to recover. What about him?” I gestured toward Preach.

“I’ll go with you if you’ll have me. You saved me from a world of hurt and a universe of torment. Please don’t leave me.”

“I can’t guarantee your safety.”

I honestly didn’t want Preach on the team. He was not part of the pack. He was some dude we picked up in a madhouse.

“I knocked out the Harpie. I can take care of myself, don’t you think?”

“My man has a point.” I had to stand by him.

“Let’s get some rest,” Jacks muttered. Drae helped him stand, and he threw a look at the Harpie. She was dead now, and Razor would make a pretty buck off her.

“How did she die?” I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “No one killed her and she wasn’t in much pain.”

“It’s a Harpie thing,” Silver answered. “They can will their own death. They can shift back to their realm this way. It’s a bit of a long road since they land in the Pit of Demons, but eventually, they get back.”

I nodded. There wasn’t much to be said.

Twelve

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