Page 345 of Evil Hearts

when all you have is blood to live?”

“What are you—”

The words caught in my throat as she moved closer. She was so close now that I could see the faint shimmer of blood still clinging to her claws. The scent of iron hit me, sharp and metallic, as her wings cast a shadow over me.

“You’ll see,” she said, her melody dropping into something darker, almost a growl.

And then the air shifted.

A scream tore through the night, high and piercing, nothing like her haunting song. I froze, my hand tightening on the hilt, as another sound followed—a guttural, snarling roar that sent a chill down my spine.

Her head snapped toward the noise, her wings flaring wide. The playful edge to her voice vanished, replaced by something colder. “It seems we have company,” she said, her words still sung but sharper, clipped.

Before I could respond, she turned and leapt, her wings beating once, twice, before she soared into the air. The scream came again, closer this time, and I caught the faintest glimpse of movement in the shadows—a shape, too big to be human, barreling toward us with terrifying speed.

I drew my dagger. My pulse thundered in my ears as I stepped back, bracing myself for whatever was coming.

And then she struck.

The Harpy descended, her wings slicing through the air with a sound like thunder. She collided with the creature mid-charge, and the impact shook the ground beneath me. Her talons tore into flesh, and a sickening crunch followed as the thing screamed again—a raw, animalistic sound that made my stomach churn.

She didn’t stop.

Her wings beat furiously, driving the creature back as she struck again and again, her claws slicing through skin and bonelike paper. Blood sprayed across the rocks, the metallic scent thick in the air, and I couldn’t look away.

I’d seen death before—hunters returning with kills, animals caught in traps—but this was something else. It was savage. Precise. And yet, there was a strange grace to it, like she wasn’t just fighting, but performing.

It was beautiful.

It was horrifying.

And it was over in seconds.

Chapter 3

The Harpy stoodover the body, her talons and claws slick with blood, her wings folding slowly behind her. The glow in her eyes burned brighter as she turned to face me, her lips curving into a faint, satisfied smile.

“Do you still wish to stay, little lamb?” she sang, her voice soft, teasing, but with an edge that made my stomach twist.

“For now you’ve seen what price is paid,

to wander where the dead have stayed.”

I didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure I could.

Her song faded into silence, leaving only the sound of my ragged breathing. The weight of her gaze settled over me, heavy and unrelenting. Her talons gave a sickening crunch as she stepped through the monster she defeated as her wings cast shadows that stretched far beyond their reach.

“And what would you give,” she sang softly, her voice curling around me like smoke,

“to steal a prize that none may hold?

A heart, a breath, a soul to fold—

would you give these, little lamb?”

My grip tightened on the dagger, though I didn’t draw it. “I told you already. It’s not for me. My mother—she’s dying. If there’s even a chance this relic can save her, I’ll take it.”

Her wings shifted slightly, the faint sound of feathers brushing against each other like whispers. Her head tilted, her glowing eyes narrowing as her lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile. “And do you think she would take it?”

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