Harpy's Freedom
Harpy’s Freedom
Supernatural Retrieval Agency #3
Laura Greenwood
Contents
Keep Up To Date
What Happened Before
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Author Note
Also by Laura Greenwood
About the Author
© 2021 Laura Greenwood
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All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address; lauragreenwood@authorlauragreenwood.co.uk.
Visit Laura Greenwood’s website at:
www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk
Cover by Ravenborn Designs
Harpy’s Freedom is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Blurb
Caught by the woman she's trying to bring down, Harper is determined to find a way to escape.
* * *
When a chance turn of events brings her back together with Elias, the chances of successfully bringing Ocypete down are higher than ever, if they can figure out how to outsmart the crime boss.
* * *
Can Harper find her freedom and protect the people she cares about, or will Ocypete win for good?
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Harpy's Freedom is book three in the urban fantasy romance Supernatural Retrieval Agency Series, which includes an m/f romance.
What Happened Before
Harpy's Mission
* * *
Harper starts her dream job at the Supernatural Retrieval Agency, a supernatural run branch of the police who work alongside humans in order to keep peace in the world. She's paired up with another agent, Elias, who she takes a liking to, especially after the two of them spend some time sparring and getting to know one another (because of this, he owes her two lasagnas).
While out on her first mission, they let a vampire slip through their grasp but manage to arrest a woman wanted for murder. The woman makes a deal to lessen her sentence if she reveals information about the new crime boss in town, Ocypete.
Once the two of them are assigned to the case, along with their fellow agent and cupid (Pippa), they find information about a hostage that they need to get free from Ocypete. Their boss pressures them into taking on a dangerous assignment that involves getting Harper purposefully kidnapped so they can get the prisoner out.
Everything goes to plan, to the extent that they get suspicious, especially when there aren't any of Ocypete's people left in the building when Elias and Pippa arrive to help get them out.
Back at the station, Pippa heads off to question their witness, while Harper and Elias go through the paperwork again to try and work out what happened. It isn't until Harper realises that it's all been a trick that they realise the woman they rescued works for Ocypete and hatched a plan to get into the station so she could kill the person testifying against her.
They race to the safe house to save Pippa, and once there, find themselves face to face with their former kidnapping victim, who reveals herself to be Ocypete herself and to have tricked them all completely. Harper gives chase, but she loses her chance when Ocypete fires a gun at her.
* * *
Harpy's Escape
* * *
Having learned that Regina and Ocypete are the same person, Harper, Elias, and Pippa are faced with the problem of no one believing them, which is made even more difficult by Regina having resurfaced and starting to carry on as if nothing happened.
Meanwhile, Pippa interferes with Harper and Elias' budding relationship by revealing that she can sense how they feel. With her encouragement, the two of them start to explore their relationship, making them come to the realisation that they want to be together.
Regina asks Harper for a meeting at which she admits that she was responsible for the ridiculous plan to rescue her so she could get into the station and get rid of a witness. She asks Harper to join her, to which Harper refuses.
The team receive a tip that women with wings are being recruited from one of the supernatural-only nightclubs, so they go. Harper is approached by a woman named Nina, who asks her to meet her the next day at a warehouse. While there, Harper realises it must be related to Ocypete and it is heavily implied that they are kidnapping male harpies.
Her worry for Elias makes Harper realise how deeply she cares for him, and she makes him promise to stay as safe as possible.
The two of them head to an underground fight as research for another case. While Elias is in the ring, Harper ends up so scared for his safety that her wings pop out - a result of emotion she can't control.
After, the two are walking for ice cream and they have a moment. They kiss, both of their wings pop out. They almost tell one another that they love each other, but are interrupted by a group of harpies attacking them. Knowing that they're probably after Elias, she tries to distract them, but he doesn't leave her to fend for herself. They manage to call for help, but it doesn't arrive until after Harper has been caught in a net.
She finds herself in a cage kept there by Regina and taunted about what's going to happen...
Chapter One
My back itches with the urge to let my wings loose and fly. But that's impossible. I don't know what Regina has done to the flat she's moved me into, but it stops me from changing into my full harpy form.
And that's a problem if I ever want to escape. Especially with the addition of steel doors and guards who change every few hours.
I suppose if I can't get my wings out in here, they can't either, but that relies on them being harpies and there's a good chance they aren't.
I sigh and head to the bathroom. There's a vent in the ceiling I think I can worm myself through. It'll take some doing but I'm determined to at least try. If I don't do anything, I'm going to go crazy with only myself for the company and not a lot to entertain myself with.
If this is Regina's method of torture, it’s working surprisingly well.
I glance towards the door to make sure none of the guards has decided to make a sudden appearance. That would certainly put a damper on my bid for freedom.
I slip into the bathroom and close the door as slowly as possible. The barely audible soft click of the catch slipping into place is still too loud for my liking. Without knowing what kind of supernaturals the guards are, I have no idea if one of them has super hearing, or something like that.
Perhaps I should have organised some kind of distraction, but with only me and the very basics in the flat, I'm not sure how well I could have pulled that off.
I wait a couple of moments so I can be as sure as possible that I haven't attracted any unwanted attention, then climb onto the toilet.
This would be so much easier if I could shift my feet into my talons to use as a better grip. I know better than to try to s
hift. It will only lead to frustration and exhaustion, neither of which will help me with my escape attempt.
I stretch as far as I can and push the vent covering. It scrapes loudly despite my previous attempts at loosening it. I wince and freeze in place to make sure no one is about to burst in on me. Perhaps it would be better if I got into a less incriminating position in case they do, but a small part of me is scared to move. Certainly more than I should be.
Once I'm certain the coast is still clear, I push on the covering again. The muscles in my arms and back burn with the strain. Yet another thing that would be easier if I could use my harpy magic.
I push those thoughts to the side. It's pointless to dwell on what I wish I could do. I've trained for most of my life to be able to do things without my magic so I'm not powerless in situations like this and now is the time to finally put that training to use.
The vent covering finally slides free. I'm careful to push it into the ventilation shaft above rather than letting it fall. Partly because of the noise risk, but also because it seems like a good idea to slot it back into place once I'm in the vent. It'll leave fewer clues about where I've gone.
Not that Regina will be asking that question for long. She knows as well as I do that I'll head straight back to the Supernatural Retrieval Agency station I call my home base.
I can't wait to get back inside and help Pippa and Elias uncover the truth about her. I don't need revenge for my kidnapping, but I do want justice for all the things she's done wrong.
At this point, I'm not convinced she's going to get it if I don't manage to get out of here. Maybe now she's done something as crazy as kidnapping an agent, my superiors will actually believe she's guilty of the rest of what we have evidence for.
Not that Michelson will like that. He'll probably try and take all the credit too.
I push the thought aside. For now, I need to focus on getting out of here. Getting distracted by what may or may not happen after isn't going to help me in the slightest.
I take a deep breath and latch onto the edge of the vent to hoist myself up. A soft grunt escapes me from the strain, but I manage to lift myself from the toilet. That's the easy part. Now I have to find a way to pull the rest of me into the vent.
And once I'm there, I have other problems. I have no idea what the layout of the building I'm in is like. I could end up stuck in the vents for days trying to find a way out.
It's best if I don't think about that either. I'll drive myself mad if I keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong. At least I already know that the first escape I did while in the hands of Ocypete's people was all arranged in advance by Regina. Otherwise, I'd be obsessing over the fact this isn't anywhere near as easy as that time.
I pull myself forward, struggling to get more of a grip on the slippery metal surface of the vent. Shouldn't they make these things with more of a view for people trying to escape bad situations?
After what feels like hours, but definitely isn't, my upper body is finally within the vent. I blow at a piece of hair which has come free, but it doesn't seem to do much. Great. I'll just have to leave it as a distraction while I try to drag my legs into the vent.
A familiar thud sounds from the other room and I freeze.
Uh oh. Not good at all. In a split second, I have to decide whether it's better to continue trying to pull myself further into the vent, or if I should jump back down and try to make it look as if I've only been using the bathroom for its intended purpose. It'll only take them a few minutes to try and find me if the past week or so is anything to go by.
I shimmy out of the vent and land with ease. Even without my harpy powers, I still know what I'm doing.
I dust myself off, only realising I've left the vent open as the door handle starts to turn. I grimace. I can hope no one will notice, but I can't rely on that. With nothing else for it, I rush forward and start to open the door myself. If I can keep anyone from seeing the open vent, I can still use it as a way to escape once the guards have left me alone.
I fake stumbling back as the open door reveals a burly man with a sour expression.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were there," I say as brightly as possible.
"Hmm."
"Is everything okay?" I doubt he's falling for my bubbly demeanour, especially when I'm barely convincing myself, but it's worth a try.
"Ocypete wants to see you."
"Oh, right." Great, just what I need. I guess that means I wouldn't have managed my escape anyway. If Regina wants to see me, she'd have raised the alert instantly, whereas the guards may have wanted to look for me first.
I follow him into the main room, relieved I don't have to hang around at the scene of my crime for too long.
Sure to the man's word, Regina sits on one of the sofas, as neatly presented as normal. At first glance, she doesn't look like the kind of person who runs a crime empire, but I know differently and I'm not going to be fooled by her again.
"Hello, Harper."
"Regina," I say coolly. "To what do I owe the displeasure?"
One of the guards behind her twitches, drawing my attention to him. There's something oddly familiar about him, but I can't put my finger on it. Which isn't surprising. Regina has brought male guards, which means they aren't harpies. Or I'm guessing not. She seems to prize male harpies the most and keeps them under lock and key to use as breeding partners for her cohorts.
I repress the shudder that threatens to run through me. I can't imagine how horrific it must be to be used like that.
"It's always a pleasure to talk to you, Harper."
I snort. "That's a lie."
"I don't tell lies."
I raise an eyebrow. "Except for telling me you'd been kidnapped by someone who turned out to be yourself just so you could sneak into the station and kill a witness."
"That was a ruse."
"Funny. I'd call it an outright lie."
She sighs dramatically. "I see the more comfortable lodgings haven't made you any more reasonable."
"A gilded cage is just that," I mutter, though I have to admit I'm glad to be out of the actual cage. I still wake up thinking the chains are weighing me down.
A small smirk lifts the side of Regina's mouth. "What can I do to make you more comfortable?"
"I guess telling you to release me is going too far?"
"A little, yes."
"It's a shame. We could have such a blast if you did that."
Regina gets to her feet, not at all phased by my requests. Is there anything I can say that will rattle her? Somehow, I don't think so.
But that doesn't mean I can't get in her head.
"I'm glad we could have this chat," I say in the most blasé tone I can manage.
"It's always a pleasure, Harper."
She's out of the room before I can come up with a smart comeback. It's probably for the best. Other than not being able to transform into my harpy-self, this prison isn't too bad. I have enough food, and some privacy even if it's interrupted by the guards coming to check on me.
Speaking of which, the oddly familiar one glances back at me as he leaves.
I narrow my eyes, trying to work out what's going on. I should be able to work it out. Even if I was brought into the Supernatural Retrieval Agency specifically because I'm a harpy, I still passed all the training. And not by the skin of my teeth either. I did well.
Now I have a chance to prove it. And I'm going to. Regina thinks she has me cornered in this flat. And I suppose to some extent she does. But I'm not the kind of person to give up easily.
She's going to regret ever encouraging one of the higher-ups to hire me.
Chapter Two
I shift on the sofa, trying to make myself comfortable but failing miserably. I want to get out of here. I need to let my wings out. And I can't.
I don't think I've ever been this helpless in my life and I'm not doing very well at dealing with it.
I could try to escape via the vent again, but Re
gina's guards are checking on me at regular intervals and I don't want to get caught. It's probably best if I don't try that until they decide I'm trustworthy again.
I snort. That isn't going to happen any time soon.
As if summoned by my thoughts the front door opens, creaking loudly as it does. They need to oil it if they don't want me to know they're coming each and every time they come to check on me. Then again, I do like being prepared.
I lie back and cross my arms.
"I haven't gone anywhere," I mutter to the guard.
"That's probably a good thing," a familiar voice says.
I jump to my feet and turn to face the direction of the door, not believing my eyes.
The moment the truth sinks in, I rush forward and jump into Elias' arms, wrapping myself around him and pressing my lips against his. Maybe I should spend a little longer making sure it really is him, but I don't need to. I can sense it's him with every part of my soul. I know there's no such thing as a fated mate, but that doesn't mean we don't share a connection.
He kisses me back without any hesitation, confirming what I already know to be true. It's him.
I break the kiss but don't pull out of his arms. "What are you doing here?" I ask, concern and excitement warring within me. As much as I want to see him, I don't want him to risk getting caught. Regina has already made it clear what she plans for male harpies who fall under her control. I don't want that for anyone. Especially not Elias.