Free A Shade of Vampire 31: A Twist of Fates by Bella Forrest Page B

forcefully. It sprang open, causing the harpy to screech and flap back to avoid being hit by its heavy weight.
    The harpy glared at us. Her face was triangular, with small, mean lips, and heavy, untamed brows.
    “What’s your name?” I asked.
    “First tell me who you two are,” she said, eyeing us over with suspicion.
    We had to be cautious with these harpies. A graze of their talons could potentially be deadly for me if I got caught in my physical form—but I wasn’t sure exactly what effect it would have on Rose as a vampire.
    “My name is Benjamin Novak, and this is my twin sister, Rose. We have come to inquire about some former residents of your esteemed establishment… We don’t intend to take up much of your time.”
    Her chest puffed at my compliment. Although her eyes were still narrowed, she said, “All right. Come in. My name is Miral.”
    Good. This is the woman we need to be talking to.
    I was a bit wary about moving inside with Rose since she would not be able to thin herself if the harpy lashed out for some reason. So although we moved inside, I remained by the door, keeping it open in case we needed to make a quick exit. It wasn’t like the harpies minded drafts, anyway.
    “Over a decade ago,” I began, “a witch made a trade with you—a witch of The Sanctuary, named Loira Sulvece. Do you remember that?”
    She ruffled her feathers before nodding. “Yes,” she said. “Of course I remember. I remember every infant who passes through our home.”
    “Passes through”. What exactly does that mean?
    “So she gave you five infants—part vampire, part Hawk—is that correct?”
    “Yes that’s right.”
    “Do they still live with you?” I asked.
    “No.”
    “What happened to them?”
    “Why do you want to know?” she asked wryly.
    I sighed. I didn’t even know how to start explaining the truth to this harpy, and we didn’t have all day. I sufficed by saying, “We just need to know that they are safe. That’s all.”
    “Why? Are you related by blood to them?”
    “We might be.”
    She clucked her tongue, scoffing. “Well, they are long gone.”
    “What happened to them?”
    “My sisters and I took them in and raised them as though they were born of us, but as soon as they learned to fly, they escaped!” Her eyes flashed with anger. “The ungrateful vermin… I knew we should have clipped their wings the day they arrived.”
    My breath hitched at imagining the trauma the kids of this “establishment” must go through on a daily basis at the hands of these creatures.
    “Okay,” I managed. “So they escaped… and they actually grew up in your care? They developed and aged?”
    “Yes, they aged!” she snapped. “Their wings grew and they worked out how to use them!”
    “How old were they when they left?” I asked.
    “About five.”
    “And did you not try to find them?”
    “We did!” she insisted. “Like besotted parents, we did! But we couldn’t find them anywhere. They were gone. Never to return. Without so much as a thanks or goodbye.” She ground her teeth spitefully, her expression darkening. “I suspect, though, that they met with some nasty end. Stupid little twits who thought they could survive without us…”
    Exchanging glances with Rose, I swallowed. Okay. Whatever we did next, one thing had become clear—while we were here, whatever kids remained in this orphanage, we needed to get them out. Even the ogres.
    “So this is all you can tell us,” I concluded. “They escaped one night when they were about five years old, and although you tried to look for them, you never succeeded in finding them.”
    She nodded defiantly.
    “Okay, well, thank you for your help, fair lady. We will not take up your valuable time any longer.”
    Rose and I backed out of the house. I reached for the door handle, pulling it politely closed behind us.
    “Crazy woman,” Rose murmured with a shiver as we made our way back to the rest of the group.
    It occurred to me that