“I’ve never seen this side of you before, and I like it,” she purred. “So as your reward, I’ll do it. I’ll kill Liv because you asked me to. And you can replace her. ”
“When?”
“Assuming all goes well tonight, then tomorrow. The next full moon is on Monday, so we should get started with the process, just in case you don’t take. ”
“Tomorrow? Like, in twenty-four hours?” Daniel asked. The thought of becoming an immortal monster in a day didn’t seem like enough time to prepare.
“Yes. I’ll kill Liv in the afternoon, you come over, drink some blood, and by the next morning, we should be all set to go,” Penn said.
“Unless I die, of course,” he reminded her. “You’re not even sure this will work on me, since I’m a guy, and I know that it nearly killed Gemma. ”
“Well, yes, that is a possibility. ”
“What then?”
“What if you die?” Penn shrugged. “You’ll be dead. ”
“And you’re fine with that? You’re so obsessed with me, but you’re cool with my being dead and gone in a day or two?” he asked.
“I’m not ‘cool’ with it, but it’s the price I have to pay. And if you say no, I’ll kill you anyway. ”
“You know that doesn’t make any sense, right? You are a sociopath,” he told her as reasonably as he could. “You cannot love something and then just kill it. That’s not love. ”
“I never said it was love, Daniel,” Penn corrected him. “It’s something, and I’m being very generous with you, so take it for what it is. I’m giving you the most I can give, and this is it. ”
It was true, and he knew it. This was the best he would get from her, and this would be his best chance at protecting Harper and Gemma and everyone else in Capri. He’d have to become a monster and kill strangers to survive, but that had to be better than letting everyone he loved die.
And if he was one of them, it would be easier to try to figure out the curse or at least how to stop the sirens. He’d have their superstrength, so he’d be evenly matched in a fight against Penn. This could be the way out.
“So this is it then?” he asked finally.
“What?”
“I sleep with you now, and tomorrow I become a siren. ” He swallowed the lump in his throat and hoped he didn’t look as nauseated as he felt. “And then I’ll leave this life forever and run away with you. ”
“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Penn said, pretending to be hurt.
“No, it’s not,” he agreed, and forced a smile at her. “This is the best option I have. ”
“It is. So maybe you ought to come thank me for being so nice. ”
He walked over to her, almost hurrying to get to her and get this over with. He kissed her, and they seemed to be picking up right where they left off. Only Penn was more insistent now. She began unbuttoning his shirt, but it must’ve been taking too long, because she ripped at it, sending buttons flying across the room.
“Much better,” she said as she ran her fingers over the smooth skin of his abdomen.
His skin trembled under her touch, and that must’ve pleased her, because she laughed. She kissed him again, then, in an inhumanly fast move, she flipped him over. Daniel was lying on his back, and she sat on top of him.
Her dress was hiked up to her waist, exposing the thin straps of her lace thong. He put his hands on her waist, letting his hands slide up under her dress. She smiled, but she grabbed his hands and pinned his arms on either side of him.
“You’re mine now,” she purred.
“I know. ”
When she kissed him again, her mouth was hungry and eager. He could feel her teeth scraping against his lips, but there was something pleasurable in it, too. She rocked against him, and when she leaned forward, he could feel the soft flesh of her stomach press against his.
His mind instantly flashed to Harper. When they’d been making out in his bed, her tank top had slid up, and he’d felt her skin against his. It had excited him, and not just because things were so heated. The thought of being with Harper like that, as close as two people could be …
But he had to push her from his thoughts because as soon as he thought of her, he felt sick to his stomach. He’d thought that if he couldn’t get going with Penn, he could try pretending that Harper was Penn, but that would only make it worse.
To keep her safe, Daniel had to forget about Harper and focus on the way it felt when Penn ran her fingers down his chest.
Penn sat up suddenly, and for a second, Daniel was afraid that she somehow knew he’d been thinking of Harper. But then she smiled and slid farther down his legs. Penn leaned down, letting her lips travel down the treasure trail on his stomach, while her hands undid his pants.
Daniel closed his eyes and wished for the moment to be over.
A phone started ringing, a loud, plaintive sound, and Penn growled.
“That’s not mine,” Daniel said, in case she planned on punishing him for it.
Penn glared at the phone on the nightstand. “It’s my damn sister. ” She leaned over and grabbed the phone, then threw it so hard against the wall it shattered. “That’s better. ”
“You could’ve just turned it off,” Daniel pointed out.
“That was more fun. ” She climbed back on top of him. “Now where were we?”
“About here. ” He sat up a little so he could kiss her. If they were kissing, then she wasn’t unbuttoning his jeans, and he wasn’t quite ready for that yet.
She pushed him back down, but he tried to hold her to him. He slid one hand up her dress, pressing against her back, and the other one wandered below the string of her panties.
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“Penn!” Thea shouted from downstairs, and the front door slammed shut. It hadn’t even been a minute or two since Penn had destroyed her phone, and Daniel had no idea how Thea had gotten there so fast.
“Dammit, Thea!” Penn sat up and shouted back over her shoulder, her voice filled with a rage that seemed to echo inside Daniel’s head. “I will come down there, and rip your—”
“Save it, Penn,” Thea said. She’d reached the top of the stairs, so she was standing at the end of the loft and staring right at Penn straddling Daniel. “I know that I’m only supposed to interrupt if there’s an emergency—”
“No, I said don’t interrupt even if there is an emergency,” Penn corrected her.
“It doesn’t matter. ” Thea was totally unruffled by the venom in Penn’s tone, and Daniel sat up so he could see around Penn better. That’s when he noticed that blood was splattered all over Thea’s shirt and face. “All hell is about to break loose downtown. I can’t deal with this myself. You need to come take care of it. ”
TWENTY-SIX
Carnage
Anthemusa Bay was far too crowded for a swim, but the watersong was calling to her, so Gemma settled for sitting on the beach. Night was falling, and she’d hoped that some of the people would clear out, but At Summer’s End had brought in far too many tourists for that.
Earlier, there had been a classic car show at Bayside Park, but that had been replaced by a local band playing covers of hits from the fifties. The sound of their crooning an old Elvis song wafted over the beach.
Gemma dug her feet into the sand, not daring to go any closer. The water lapped at the edge of her toes, enough where she could feel the slightest hint of a flutter but not enough to bring on a shift.
Stars shone brightly in the indigo sky, and Gemma lay back so she could stare up at them. Searching for the constellations that Alex had shown her, she almost wished she’d invited him down here with her.
But she’d wanted some time alone. Her head was buzzing from the watersong, and she needed to ease it. Her failed attempts at breaking the curse had left her crestfallen, and her hunger pangs were only growing stronger.
She needed to do something if she wanted to keep from going mad, but it ap
peared that it would be very late before she’d be able to sneak off for a night swim without the risk of being spotted.
Her eyes automatically shifted in the fading light, and she could see clearly in the night sky. The ocean breeze went over her, soothing her headache some, and she watched as bats took flight from the nearby cypress trees.
As she was staring up, she saw a huge bird taking flight. She turned her head, watching as it flew toward the cliff at the other side of the bay, and quickly realized that it wasn’t a bird. The crimson wings were far too large for any bird in Maryland, and, more telling, she saw human legs.
Thea had taken off from Bayside Park.
Gemma sat up and looked over toward the park to see if anyone was reacting, but she couldn’t hear anything other than “Heartbreak Hotel. ” People might not have noticed Thea—either because she’d somehow been discreet since humans didn’t have the night vision that Gemma had, or she’d used her siren song as camouflage—but that was still a big risk for her to take.
Penn and Liv might not care as much about attracting attention, but Thea always did her best to avoid it.
Her heart thudded in her chest, and Gemma began to fear that something was wrong. Thea had flown toward the cliff, but once she’d reached the heavily wooded area around the sirens’ house, Gemma had lost sight of her.
It was only a few minutes longer that she had to worry, because then her phone started belting out an old Heart song—Thea’s ringtone.
Gemma answered the phone. “Is something going on?”
Thea waited a beat before speaking. “Yeah. How did you know?”
“I saw you flying overhead,” she replied as she got to her feet. “What’s wrong?”
“Meet me behind the band shell at Bayside Park. ”
“Why? What happened?”
“Just do it, okay?” Thea said, then hung up without waiting for a reply.
Gemma shoved her phone back in her pocket and jogged toward the park. It wasn’t that far away, but she kept glancing up to see if Thea or Penn was flying above her, which slowed her down.
The closer she got to the park, the denser the crowd became, and Gemma soon found it impossible to jog because she had to weave through the people. They normally parted for her, thanks to her siren beauty, but everyone seemed too entranced by the band onstage to notice her, and she actually had to push people out of the way.
Gemma wondered if that’s how Thea had flown away without being spotted—she used her siren song to get the crowd to focus completely on the band; so they wouldn’t notice Thea’s transition or any of the trouble going on around them.
The band shell was a concrete bandstand shaped like a seashell, so the music would project better. It was on the other side of the park from where Gemma had been, closer to where her father worked and Daniel used to dock his boat.
Behind the band shell was a thick cluster of cypress and maples, and it went down a rather steep hill before becoming the smooth trail that led to the docks.
Once she reached it, Gemma looked around, spinning in a slow circle to be sure she hadn’t missed anything, but she couldn’t see the sirens anywhere. She wasn’t even sure if Thea could get here so fast, but Gemma headed behind the stage, like she was told.
Large speakers were set up at the sides of the band shell, and Gemma ducked around them. She pushed through a prickly bush and was beginning to think that Thea had been tricking her for some reason when she finally rounded the back of the stage.
The problem was immediately obvious. There was so much blood. Splattered against the smooth, white concrete of the back of the shell and soaking the grass all around. The leaves on the trees were even stained dark red, and parts of human intestines dangled from a branch.
Worse than walking into a bloodbath like this was Gemma’s reaction to it. Instead of wanting to throw up the way she should have, her stomach growled impatiently, and she had to fight to keep her fangs in check.
It only got messier the closer she stepped toward the victim. He’d been completely eviscerated, torn open from his throat down to his groin. Most of his organs had been ripped out, and while some had certainly been eaten, parts of his liver and lungs had been left in chunks that littered the ground.
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“Finally, you got here,” Liv groaned, and Gemma realized she had become so entranced by the fresh blood and warm organs, she hadn’t even noticed the siren standing beside the body.
Blood dotted Liv’s cheeks and forehead in a light spray, almost like she had freckles, but her lips were completely covered. Her golden hair was soaked red from her ears down, and it dripped heavy droplets onto her shoulders. From the waist up, Liv looked like she had gotten hit by blood sprayed from a fire hose.
“Finally?” Gemma asked, trying to comprehend the situation.
“Yeah. I’ve been waiting forever. ” Liv was completely human, except for a long talon at the end of her pinky, and she used it to pick at something between her teeth. “I don’t know how to get rid of this stupid body. ”
“I have no idea what to do with it. ” Gemma motioned to the band shell, rumbling doo-wop beside them. “A ton of people are here. There’s no way you can get a mangled corpse past them. ”
“Ugh. ” Liv groaned and stared up at the sky. “This is all stupid. We should just kill them all. ”
“Kill them all? The thousands of men, women, and children in Capri right now?” Gemma asked dubiously.
“Yeah. ” Liv glared at her. “They’re weak. We can take them out, and we should. Anything that stands in our way, we should get rid of. We’re the top of the food chain. ”
“This isn’t a food chain, Liv! Those are human lives!” Gemma shouted at her, not caring if anyone heard. “You can’t just go around massacring people!”
“Oh, honey. ” Liv’s irritation had given way to her innocent act. She batted her eyelashes, which were coated in blood. “Don’t you even realize? Tonight, I just proved that I can. I can kill whoever I want, whenever I want. ”
“What are you talking about? Who did you kill?”
Before Liv could answer, Gemma crouched next to the body. His face was almost too drenched with blood to recognize, and maybe she wouldn’t have … if she hadn’t made out with him once.
“Aiden Crawford,” Gemma gasped, and jumped back.
“Oh my. ” Liv laughed, almost sweetly, at Gemma’s surprise. “Aren’t you the prude?”
Gemma pressed her hand to her stomach, trying to ease the wave of nausea that hit her. “I thought you liked him. ”
“I did,” Liv said. “But I killed one of the most prominent, eligible young men in town not twenty feet from this huge celebration, not to mention from his own father, the mayor. ” Liv plucked at a bit skin of stuck to her hair. “I wanted to do it right in front of everyone, on the stage, but Thea wouldn’t stand for that, so I had to sneak back here and pretend I was gonna have sex with the handsome idiot. ”
“You killed him…” Gemma trailed off, trying to get a handle on what Liv was saying. “Why? To prove that you could?”
“No, no, of course not. ” Her mouth curved up in a smile. “I killed him because I wanted to. I was hungry, and I wanted to taste his blood. ”
“Liv, you’re gonna…” Gemma was at a loss for words. She didn’t know how she could possibly reason with someone so cold.
“Now I’m stronger. ” Liv stepped over the body, coming toward Gemma. “Much stronger than you. I’m almost stronger than Penn, and I’m certainly stronger than Thea. I eat every day, and it won’t be long until I’m unstoppable. ”
“Unless the police or the FBI catch you first,” Gemma said. “I’m sure they’d love to have you. Lock you up, cut you open, see what makes you tick. ”
“Gemma, I will kill them all,” Liv told her emphatically. “I will kill everyone on this whole fucking planet if I want to. ”
“At first, I thought
you were just a little power hungry,” Gemma said. “You were having a hard time adjusting, and this was all going to your head. But now I realize that you’re just insane. Totally and completely insane. ”
Liv narrowed her dark brown eyes, and the wide-eyed innocence instantly evaporated, changing into pure evil. Penn was cruel, but empty. Liv was full, but with darkness, and Gemma felt a chill run down her spine.
The brush beside them rustled, but Gemma didn’t look away until Liv did. She didn’t want to take her eyes off her, not when Liv was looking at her like that.
“This is bullshit, Thea, and you know it,” Penn grumbled, and within seconds, she appeared, pushing her through the trees.
“Tell that to Liv,” Thea replied, following at her heels. She had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, and Gemma could see a blue tarp poking out through the top.
When they emerged from the trees, there was still someone coming up behind them, and Gemma tensed up even more, fearing that a stranger had stumbled on them. Instead, it was Daniel, with his shirt unbuttoned almost all the way down to his navel. As soon as he saw her, he froze.
“What are you doing?” Gemma asked, but he just shook his head.
“Oh, this is ridiculous, Thea,” Penn snapped as she surveyed the mess around her. “You could’ve handled this. ”
“Maybe, but I’m not doing it anymore,” Thea said, and tossed the duffel bag down on the ground. “You think Liv is so great, then you take care of her. She’s your problem now. I’m done. ”
“Thea, this isn’t so bad,” Liv tried as sweetly as she could. “I just don’t know how to get rid of a body. ”
“You’ve done it enough times, you should be a goddamn expert,” Thea told her.
“I can’t get rid of a body in this crowd without being spotted. And I’m fine with that, but you told me—” Liv started the same spiel she’d given Gemma when she got there.
“Liv!” Penn shouted in frustration. “You need to stop making a mess and provoking the humans. Just calm down. We have eternity. You don’t need to get all your killing done in one day. ”
Liv suggested that they leave the mess and let the animals and the rain take care of it, which immediately resulted in a squabble between Penn, Thea, and Liv about how best to deal with this, with each of them shirking the responsibility.
With the sirens otherwise occupied, Gemma edged back to where Daniel was standing. He stared down at the body lying a few feet in front of him, and she wasn’t sure how much of the carnage he was really able to take in thanks to his weaker human sight.
“Was that human?” he asked.
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“Yeah. ” Gemma nodded. “It was Aiden Crawford. ”
“Aiden? Holy shit. ”
Daniel wheeled around just in time to dry heave into the bushes. It sounded more like he was coughing than actually throwing up, but the reality of it had obviously hit him hard. When he’d finished, he wiped his mouth on the back of his arm and mumbled an apology.
“It’s a lot of blood to take in,” Gemma said when he turned back around.