“Are you okay?” Marcy asked as she rushed over to him.
Or at least that’s what he thought she said, since he couldn’t hear her that well. He pulled out his earplugs and shoved them back in his pocket, then he took Marcy’s hand and let her help him to his feet.
“Yeah, I’m fine, but we have to go stop her,” Alex said.
“Did you see how fast she was?” Kirby asked, since he’d followed Marcy over to check on Alex. “She’s probably halfway to Memphis by now. ”
“She’s not going to Memphis. ” Alex stepped over strewn-about glasses and finger sandwiches as they walked away from the overturned table. “They’re going up to the house on the cliff. Did you have a car?”
“Yeah,” Marcy said. “Lucinda’s parked like two blocks away, though. ”
“Lucinda?” Alex asked.
“Yeah. My car. ”
“Run and get it. I’m gonna see if we can get backup. ”
“Okay. ” Marcy nodded, then turned to Kirby. “You can stay here. ”
“No. ” Kirby shook his head. “You’re my date. I go where you go. ”
“But it’s dangerous,” Marcy protested.
He smiled. “Danger is my middle name. ”
“God, you’re hot,” Marcy said, then rather abruptly, she kissed Kirby on the mouth.
When she’d finished, she took his hand and ran off in the direction of the street, presumably to retrieve her car.
Alex scanned the crowd for Thea, which was easier since the dance floor had started clearing out. When Liv had pushed him into everyone, it kinda put a damper on things. The music hadn’t stopped, though, and he discovered Thea standing by the DJ.
“Thea,” Alex said. “Aren’t you gonna do anything? I know you hate Liv way more than you hate Gemma. ”
Thea hesitated, looking toward the cliff, but then she shook her head, her red hair swaying on her shoulders. “I’m just trying to stay out of these things. ”
“Staying out of it still puts you in it,” he insisted. “You know that Gemma can’t fight Penn and Liv, so if you just stay here, you let them win. You’re killing her. ”
Thea wouldn’t meet his eyes, and her words sounded weak when she said, “She’s not my problem. ”
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Alex moved, stepping into her line of sight so she’d have to look at him, and he looked her right in the eyes. “You are worse than Penn. You act like you’re so above this and that you’re all moral and superior, but you’re not. You’re cold, and you have just as much blood on your hands as Penn does. ”
“I never said that I was better than her,” Thea replied coolly. “And I never pretended to be good. If I somehow gave you or Gemma that impression, then I’m sorry. ”
He shook his head in disgust, and a car horn honked loudly.
“Alex! Let’s go!” Marcy shouted.
He had nothing left to say to Thea since she’d made her position crystal clear, so he left. There was no parking on the street right in front of Bayside Park, where the dance was being held, so Marcy had pulled right up over the curb and sidewalk onto the lawn.
The passenger-side door of her tiny little Gremlin was open, and Kirby was in the backseat. Alex ran over to it and hopped into the car since he didn’t have time to question the fact that they were trying to catch up with a supernaturally fast siren and using a car that had been discontinued over thirty years ago.
Before he’d even shut the door, Marcy threw the car into drive. Instead of going forward, it lurched backward, making an awful chugging sound, before finally moving in the right direction.
“Is this thing even gonna make it?” Alex asked, as it bounced down off the curb, and he heard an awful scraping sound of metal against concrete.
“You gotta have faith in Lucinda,” Marcy said. “When she has to get up and go, she frickin’ gets up and goes. ”
Alex remained dubious, but not for long. Marcy had her foot pressed all the way down, and though it took the car a little longer to get up to speed, once it did, it hauled. It also helped that Marcy didn’t stop for anything, not even stop signs or traffic lights.
As she ran a red light, they were nearly sideswiped by a Jeep, but Marcy jerked the wheel in the nick of time, and the car squealed and got out of the way. Then she floored it again, driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic for a few seconds before she moved back over to the right side.
In the backseat, Kirby was flying all over, and Alex heard him banging around as he flew from side to side.
“Kirby, honey, you gotta buckle up back there,” Marcy said. “I don’t want you getting too concussed to make out later. ”
Though Marcy had nearly gotten them in about fifty accidents, they made it to the edge of town in record time. The sirens’ house was located at the top of a cliff, and the winding road through the cypress and pine trees was steep.
Marcy took the turns much sharper than Alex would’ve liked, but they were only about a third of the way up when he saw the icy blue color of Harper’s Sable through the trees.
“That’s Harper’s car!” Alex shouted, and when they rounded another bend, they were right behind her. “How’d we catch up to them?”
“Because Harper’s driving. Even in a life-or-death situation, do you think she disobeyed a single traffic law?” Marcy asked.
“Probably not,” Alex said. Being in a car accident when she was a kid made Harper kinda OCD about driving. “But where’s Liv? She flew out of the dance like a bat out of hell. ”
“She’s probably already at the house, trying to lay some kind of trap for Gemma. ”
Alex was just about to agree with Marcy, when the roof of the car came crushing in on top of them, sending the windows shattering outward.
FORTY-TWO
Ensnared
The convertible was still running when Daniel got out and walked into the house. No candles were lit this time, and it was rather dark inside, but he could see well enough to walk into the kitchen.
Penn came in a few seconds later and flicked on the overhead light while Daniel opened the cabinets near the fridge until he found the one containing alcohol. He grabbed a bottle of brandy and a large glass tumbler and proceeded to fill it.
“Sure, make yourself at home,” Penn said dryly. She pulled off the black stilettos she’d been wearing and tossed them absently on the couch before walking into the kitchen.
Daniel didn’t respond to her. He just downed the glass in one long gulp and slammed it down on the counter. Grimacing at the taste, he shook his head. Beer was usually his choice of alcohol, and he’d never been that much of a drinker.
Growing up with an alcoholic father and older brother had made him leery of substances, but since he was about to throw his life away to be a siren, he figured why the hell not get a little smashed first? It would probably make the whole experience go a lot easier if he didn’t know what he was doing or couldn’t remember having sex with Penn.
“Why tonight, Penn? We had a deal. Everything was all set. ”
“You changed the date twice. ” She put her hands on the counter and leaned forward. “It was my turn to change it. ”
“The first time I changed it was because Lexi tried to kill me, and the second time was because Liv did kill someone. So these things sound like your fault,” Daniel pointed out as he poured himself another drink. “You’re the one who delayed the proceedings. ”
“I’m sensing some hostility, Daniel. ”
“No shit. ” He drank this glass much slower, sipping it more than chugging it. “It was because I was happy, wasn’t it? You saw me with Harper and couldn’t stand it. ”
“Well, obviously, that pissed me off. ” She switched her tone from angry to sultry and kittenish. “You’re supposed to belong to me now. ”
“I don’t belong to anybody. All right?” He’d finished the drink, so he set it down on the table and walked around the island, meaning to conf
ront Penn more directly. “Not to Harper, not to you. Not now, not ever. ”
She smiled, undeterred by his anger. “You’re really gonna have to change that attitude if you want me to sleep with you. ”
Penn put her hands on his chest, and, gently, she pushed him back against the island. Then she slid her hands down, running them across his abdomen. He turned his head, looking away from her, so she put her arms around his neck, and she leaned in, pressing her lips against his neck.
Either the alcohol hadn’t hit him yet, or it wasn’t working. As soon as she touched him, he cringed. The thought of being with her only made him livid and sick.
“No. I can’t do this. ” Pushing her off him took some strength, but he managed. He stepped away from her and wiped his neck, trying to get her saliva off him. “I’m giving you my life, Penn. Do you really understand what that means? And all I asked for in return is a few more days. ”
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“No. That’s not all you asked for. ” She followed him, unrelenting. “You want me to keep your girlfriend safe and Gemma safe and these people safe and blah blah blah. All you do is make demands, Daniel! And you have yet to give me the one thing I want from you!”
“Fine. You wanna have sex? Let’s do it. ” He started loosening his tie, but then decided that wasn’t good enough. He turned around and swept his arm across the island, knocking off the glass, the brandy, and the few small appliances and dishes that sat on it, and they all clattered loudly to the floor. “Right here, right now. ”
“Not sex, you idiot!” Penn shouted. “I want you to love me!”
He sighed in exasperation. “You can’t bully me into loving you, Penn. ”
“I’m not. I will give you anything you want, everything you’ve imagined. Immortality, power, money. ” She tried to sound softer, imploring him, nearly begging him, as she put her hands on his chest and stared up into his eyes. “Any earthly pleasure you could ever possibly desire, I will give to you. I will make your life heaven on earth, and all I ask is that you love me for all of eternity. ”
“I will do what you say. I will be as obedient as I can,” Daniel contended. “But I can’t love you. ”
“You don’t know that. You haven’t even tried. ”
She kissed him, and it was hungrier than it had been before. Her patience was wearing thin, and there was an overt desperation in the way her lips moved against his. He let her kiss him, though, and he even tried to kiss her back.
She was unbuttoning his shirt, and he put his hands on her arms, trying to be romantic in even the slightest way. When he felt her fingers, warm and smooth but with sharp nails, running along his bare skin, he instinctively pulled away.
“You’re thinking of her, aren’t you?” Penn asked, growling.
“No. This isn’t about anyone else. It’s just…” He moved away from her and shook his head. “This is abrupt, and I need to get my head in it. ”
“It’s not your head that I’m interested in right now. ”
When she went to him, he let her kiss him, and again, he tried to go along with it. But she was too aggressive, and her hand sliding down his pants bordered on painful.
“Penn. ”
He grabbed her wrist, preventing her from going any farther. When she tried to pull it away, he gripped it tighter, and she laughed. He grabbed her other wrist, holding them as tightly as he could, and he knew that if he’d gripped Harper this way, she’d have bruises. But with Penn, it probably barely even hurt.
“You want it rough then, Daniel?” She smiled wider. “I’ll show you rough. ”
Still smiling up at him, he heard a strange cracking sound. He had no idea what it was until he saw her wings spreading out from her back. Pure black, they stretched out to the length of the room when she fully extended them.
“That might be a little too rough,” Daniel said, and that just made her laugh again.
He let go of her wrists, so she grabbed him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Then she flapped her wings, and, with startling speed, she flew up, carrying him out of the kitchen and over the railing into the loft bedroom.
She hovered above the floor for a few seconds, and then half dropped, half threw him down. Daniel hit the bedroom floor rather painfully, then she landed, much more gracefully, on her feet.
With her wings still out, she climbed on top of him and tore off his shirt.
“You know, I never could decide which would be more fun: fucking you or eating your heart. ” Then she kissed him fervently, and he felt her fangs scrape against his lips and her claws dig into the bare skin of his back.
FORTY-THREE
Collide
Harper drove up the winding roads toward the top of the cliff, and she was going well above the speed limit. That surprised Gemma, who normally had to goad her sister to go faster, but now she braced herself against the dashboard.
A flash of headlights behind them caused Gemma to turn around and look behind them. She hadn’t expected to see anyone she knew, but she’d recognized Marcy’s old Gremlin instantly.
“Marcy is chasing us. ” Gemma focused, making her eyes shift from human to their more advanced bird form. “And Alex and Kirby are with her. ”
“What? Why?” Harper looked back, trying to see what was going on, and she almost missed the curve and drove them into a tree.
“Harper! Watch the road!” Gemma yelled, and Harper jerked the wheel back just in time.
“Sorry. ” Harper glanced in the rearview mirror. “I thought you told them to stay—”
Gemma was turned around fully in her seat, watching Marcy follow them, so she saw everything. The moon was nearly full above them, with just a sliver missing, and so Liv cast a shadow as she got closer.
But it all happened too fast for her to say anything. A split second after she saw the shadow, Liv was crashing down on top of Marcy’s car, her golden wings spread out wide behind her. She did a three-point landing, slamming her bare feet and fist into the roof of the Gremlin with all her might.
It was enough to crush the roof of the car inward, and the windows all shattered, glass flying outward.
“Stop!” Gemma screamed, as Marcy’s car skidded and jerked to a halt behind them.
“What?” Harper asked, but she slammed on the brakes. Then she looked behind them. “Holy crap. Oh, no. ”
Gemma jumped out of the car and ran toward the Gremlin to see if her friends were okay. Then Liv stood up, and Gemma realized it might not be such a good idea to rush, so she stopped.
Other than the wings, Liv appeared entirely human. Her wide eyes and bright smile still gave her that unnerving innocent look that Gemma had noticed when she’d first met her. When she stepped down from the roof of the car, her foot crunched on the hood.
“If any of them are hurt at all—” Gemma said, as Liv drifted delicately down to the ground, thanks to her wings working like a parachute behind her.
“You’ll what?” Liv asked with a laugh. “Bore me to death?”
The passenger side opened first, and Alex rolled out onto the ground. It took him a few seconds, but he staggered to his feet and shook his head, shaking bits of glass out of his hair. He appeared to have a few scratches, and a thin line of blood came from his temple, but he didn’t look that bad off.
“I’m okay,” Alex said. “I think Kirby and Marcy are okay, too. ”
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While Liv stared down Gemma, Harper snuck around them to help Marcy get out, but Marcy moved much more slowly than Alex had. Her glasses were crooked but unbroken, and there was a nasty gash down Marcy’s shin that seemed to be making it harder for her to walk.
“Enough is enough, Liv,” Gemma said, and using the focus she’d learned from practicing with Alex, she made her wings spread out behind her. Each time she used them, it got a little less painful, but she still heard her flesh tearing as the feathers broke through.
“Ooo. ”
Liv pretended to be impressed. “Look who finally came out to play. ”
Kirby had gotten out of the car, and he helped Marcy off to the side of the road, where Alex was standing. Harper stood closer and seemed to be debating what to do.
“Harper, go,” Gemma told her. “Stop Daniel before it’s too late. I’ll be up there in a few minutes. ”
“Cocky, aren’t you?” Liv asked.
“I’m a fast eater,” Gemma replied. “It should only take me a few seconds to swallow your heart. ”
Harper still appeared unsure, so Alex told her, “Go. I’ve got her back. ”
Alex had brushed the glass off himself, and he moved closer to Gemma, so he could defend her if he needed to. Daniel was alone with Penn, but Gemma had her siren strength and her boyfriend to help. So Harper nodded and ran to her car.
“Look at you,” Liv said after Harper sped off up the hill. “You have a posse of invalids to defend you. ”
“It’s not them you have to worry about,” Gemma said.
She opened her mouth, letting her jagged fangs show in the moonlight, then she jumped at Liv. Liv was slammed back against Marcy’s car, crushing the metal in, and shards of glass stabbed into her skin and wings.
Liv let out an angry squawk and punched Gemma in the face. Gemma flew back, but used her wings to catch herself before she hit the ground. Liv jumped up, flying in the air to meet the other siren, and Gemma rocked forward, then back, propelling her legs so she could kick Liv in the face with all her strength.
As Liv sailed backward, Gemma glanced down at the ground below them. Marcy had popped the hatchback of her car. It didn’t open all the way, but that didn’t stop Alex and Kirby from looking through it.
Gemma didn’t have time to see what they were searching for because Liv had come back at her. When Liv hit her, she grabbed Gemma’s dress and slammed her back into the top of a cypress tree. The branches smacked her and tore at her wings.
Liv was right. Feeding all the time had made her incredibly strong, probably even stronger than Penn. But Gemma had a lot of anger in her, and she was ready to let it all out on Liv.
“Not so tough, are ya?” Liv asked, smiling to reveal her fangs.
In response, Gemma thrust her forehead forward and head-butted her. Liv didn’t fall, but she let go of Gemma and flew back a bit, her wings flapping haphazardly for a second. Unfortunately, the head butt also left Gemma a little dazed, so she didn’t recover as quickly as she’d hoped.
Her wings were tattered from the branches clawing at them, and that made it harder for her to pick up speed when she charged Liv. She grabbed Liv to throw her to the ground, but Liv only laughed, then got the best of the situation.
She gripped Gemma and pushed her downward, slamming her into the hard pavement of the road. Her wings crunched underneath, and agony shot through her back. But she gritted her teeth and refused to cry out.
Instead, she punched Liv in the face again, and again, until Liv grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the ground. All her jagged teeth were out, and a bit of saliva dripped down onto Gemma’s cheek.
“I bet you’re tasty,” Liv said, her saccharine voice mixed with the demonic monster’s.