Then she heard a bang. A flash of orange light cut through the air, then it sliced straight through Liv. It landed on the road, only inches away from Gemma’s head, burning brightly. It had gone through the middle of Liv, right above her navel at an odd angle, and since it had been on fire, it left a nice singed ring that Gemma could see through.
And through the hole, she could see Kirby, looking rather dumbfounded as he held a flare gun in his hand.
“Great shot!” Marcy shouted.
Liv looked back at him and growled. “You stupid son of a bitch. ”
“Kirby! Run!” Gemma shouted as she tried to push Liv off her.
But when Liv did get up, she moved much faster than Gemma, much faster than Kirby. She raced over to him, and before Gemma had even gotten up on her feet again, Liv had ripped out his throat, and Kirby fell back to the ground, holding his hands futilely against the surge of blood.
FORTY-FOUR
Termination
The car skidded to a stop, nearly driving right into the front of the house, and Harper leapt out. The engine was running, the door was open, but she didn’t care. She didn’t have time to waste.
She wasn’t sure if she did the right thing, leaving Gemma alone with Liv, or if coming here was even the right thing to do. But for the first time in her life, she didn’t care what was right or wrong. She couldn’t let this happen, and she’d do anything to stop it.
“Daniel!” Harper shouted as she ran into the house.
“What is that bitch doing here?” Penn growled from the upstairs loft.
“Harper, get out of here!” Daniel yelled.
She’d started running toward the stairs, ignoring him, but then Penn appeared, leaning against the railings and looking down from the bedroom. She’d slipped out of her dress into a black negligee, and Harper hoped that she hadn’t made it too late.
But even if she had, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. She did not want Daniel to have sex with Penn, but the main thing she needed to prevent, the thing she’d risk her life to stop, was his becoming a siren. And that couldn’t have happened yet, not if Liv was still alive.
“I’m not letting you do this, and I’m not leaving without Daniel,” Harper told Penn.
Penn smiled. “It’s cute that you think you have control over anything that’s happening. ”
Daniel appeared at the railing next to Penn. His shirt was off, and a line of red scratches ran down his chest. Jagged dots on his arm looked like bite marks.
“Oh my god, Daniel. ” Harper gasped. “What is she doing to you?”
“Just get out of here. Please,” he begged her.
She shook her head. “No. It was stupid for me to agree to this, and I take it back. Leave with me, now, before it’s too late. ”
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Daniel made a move toward the steps, but lightning quick, Penn was around him and standing in front of him, blocking his path.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Penn asked.
“To get rid of her,” he said, then he slid around Penn.
Harper raced up the stairs, and he met her in the middle. She wanted to throw her arms around him, but when she tried to touch him, he grabbed her arms and stopped her.
“There has to be another way,” Harper said. “A better way. ”
“The only other way is death, and pretty soon, I won’t care, and I’ll just kill all of you,” Penn said. “This is starting to prove to be far more work than it’s worth. ”
“I would rather die than spend the rest of my life as a siren or see you spend the rest of your life as a siren,” Harper said, her eyes fixed on his. “And I know that you feel the same way. I know this isn’t what you want. We can fight her. ”
“The hell you can,” Penn growled, and walked toward the steps.
Daniel turned around to face her and stood in front of Harper, shielding her. “Penn, I’ve got this. ”
“You do not. ” Penn glared down at him from where she stood at the top landing. “You don’t have anything. You are weak, and you are a waste of my time. I don’t care what you say or what you want. I’m killing her, and I’m doing it now. ”
Without waiting to see if she would act on her words, Daniel ran up the stairs. He knocked her back down on the ground and climbed on top of her. He’d straddled her and pinned her hands to the ground, and even though Harper had never fought Penn, she knew that had to be too easy. Penn had let him do it.
“Now this is hot. ” Penn smiled up at him. “This is what I was looking for from you. ”
Then she lifted her legs, pushing him upward, and did a backward somersault, rolling him so that he landed on his back with her on top of him, pinning him on the ground. He grunted as he tried to push her off, and Harper raced up the stairs to defend him.
She jumped onto Penn’s back, hitting her as hard as she could. But a second later, Penn hit her hard enough to send her flying back into the railing. The wind was knocked out of her, and for a moment, she was too dazed and in too much pain to do anything except lie there.
“I should’ve killed you a long time ago,” Penn said, and she got up to take care of Harper.
She didn’t make it very far before Daniel was up. He grabbed her arm, meaning to stop her, but Penn had had enough. She grabbed him around the throat, so tight that he struggled for breath, and she lifted him off the ground that way, carrying him to the bathroom off the bedroom.
Penn threw Daniel into it, then slammed the door shut. A small fireplace was in the corner, and Penn grabbed a poker from it. With her superior siren strength, she easily twisted it around the door handle and the frame, making it impossible for Daniel to pull the door open.
Harper got to her feet, leaning back against the railing, and she could hear Daniel pounding on the door as he tried in vain to open it.
“Harper!” Daniel shouted as he beat on the door. “Run, Harper! Get out of here!”
“Now that he’s out of the way, us girls can finally have the heart-to-heart we’ve been needing for so long. ” Penn walked slowly toward her, and as she smiled, her smooth teeth gave way to rows of jagged fangs.
FORTY-FIVE
Mêlée
Gemma had her hand around Liv’s throat, squeezing it hard. She wanted to be able to pop her head off, the way that Penn had done to Lexi, but she couldn’t seem to do it. It might have been because Liv was staring up at her.
Or it could’ve been because Liv had her claws out, and instead of tearing Gemma’s hand away from her throat, Liv was trying to break through her chest and get to her heart. She could feel the talons piercing her skin and scraping her ribs.
She should let go and jump off, before Liv succeeded in breaking through and ripping out her heart, but Gemma didn’t want to let her go. Not after what she’d just done to Kirby.
Then she felt a hand tugging on her wing, pulling it so hard that Gemma let go of Liv’s neck and stood up. She whirled around, preparing to fight whoever was pulling at her, but it was Thea, with her own crimson wings stretched out.
“Always guard your heart,” Thea said, as Liv got to her feet. “That’s a siren tip. ”
“What the hell, Thea? You’re helping her?” Liv asked with an incredulous whine.
“You really thought I would help you? After the hell you’ve put me through?” Thea asked.
“Whatever. ” Liv cracked her neck, stretching it out after Gemma had been choking her. “It’s better this way. Now I can kill two birds with one stone. ”
Thea shook her head. “Unlikely. ”
Liv growled and charged at her. Thea spread her wings wide and put her hands out in front of her. When Liv hit her, Thea sent her flying back, crashing through several yards of trees.
“You saved my life,” Gemma said, looking at Thea in a bit of awe.
“Don’t get used to it,” Thea said in her usual husky, nonchalant way.
“I hadn’t planne
d to. ”
“I got this, if you want to go help your sister deal with Penn,” Thea said. “I’m assuming that’s where she went. ”
Gemma eyed Thea uncertainly. “You aren’t gonna try to stop me from hurting Penn?”
“Honestly? I’m not convinced that you’ll be able to, but I wish you the best of luck,” Thea said, and the trees and underbrush were crackling as Liv made her way back toward them. “And I’ve got my hands full down here. ”
Liv came charging through the trees, and Thea jumped at her. They both crashed into a pine tree so hard, they knocked it down. The trunk made a splitting sound, and when it thudded to the ground, sending up a billow of dirt and pine needles, the ground around them trembled.
With Thea handling Liv, Gemma joined Marcy and Alex. Marcy knelt on the ground next to Kirby’s body, and Alex had covered him with a blanket from Marcy’s car, giving him some privacy.
“Marcy, I am so sorry,” Gemma said. She’d never wanted anybody to get hurt over this, especially not someone as nice and innocent as Kirby. He never should’ve gotten mixed up in any of this.
But she didn’t have time to mourn his passing or feel guilt about it. She could spend the rest of her life regretting this moment, but right now, she needed to help Harper and Daniel unless she wanted to spend the rest of her life mourning them, too.
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Marcy wiped at her eyes and nodded but said nothing.
“Are you okay?” Alex had been standing beside Marcy, and he reached out to touch Gemma’s cracked wing. It hurt like hell, but it still moved, so she didn’t think it was completely broken.
“Yeah, I’m fine. ” She brushed off his concern. “I’m gonna go to help Harper. You two should go back to town. ”
“Are you kidding me? After what that asshole did to Kirby and Lucinda?” Marcy asked indignantly. “I’m gonna help Thea kill her. ”
“Stay safe, and stay out of the way,” Gemma said, since she didn’t have time to argue with her. Nor did she really have any right to. If Liv had hurt Alex like that, she wouldn’t have left until she’d finished her off.
“I’ll make sure Marcy doesn’t get herself killed,” Alex said. “And you stay safe, too. ”
“Promise you won’t follow me again. ” She put her hand on his chest and looked up at him. “I couldn’t stand if something happened to you like that. ”
Gemma kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her, mindful of her wings. The crunch of the trees, and Liv’s squawking in anger broke the moment, and she stepped away from Alex.
She gave him one last longing look, then she ran up the hill, pumping her damaged wings until they finally got enough air to take flight. It hurt, but since flying would be much faster than running all the way to the top, she’d grit her teeth and make them work.
FORTY-SIX
Monstrosity
Harper stood taller and stepped away from the railing, refusing to let Penn know how scared she felt. When Penn stopped in front of her, smiling her toothy grin, Harper dropped down. She leaned back, using the railing as support, and kicked Penn’s legs out from under her.
As Penn fell backward, Harper grabbed her hair, and, yanking with all her might, she pulled her toward the railing. Penn grabbed the edge, stopping herself just before she went over, so Harper grabbed her legs and flipped her upward.
Penn yelled as she fell over the balcony, but Harper didn’t stay to see her land. She knew she’d be up in a matter of seconds, so she bolted across the room to the bathroom door.
“Harper? What’s happening?” Daniel asked.
“I’m gonna get you out of here, Daniel,” she promised, but when she pulled at the twisted fire poker, it wouldn’t budge. Not even slightly.
“Don’t worry about me. Just get out of here!”
“You should’ve listened to your boyfriend,” Penn said, and her voice came from right behind Harper.
Before Harper even had a chance to turn around, she felt Penn’s hand in her hair, yanking her backward, and, reflexively, she yelped.
“Penn! Don’t hurt her! Dammit, Penn! Leave her alone!”
Penn didn’t listen, though. She picked Harper up by her hair and threw her over the balcony. Harper screamed as she fell, but she didn’t remember landing. For a moment, she blacked out, and the next thing she knew, she was lying on top of a smashed wooden coffee table, and pain was shooting through her entire body.
When she opened her eyes, Penn was floating down from the balcony, her black wings flapping slowly. Harper tried to move, but everything hurt so badly. Even just stretching out hurt her arm, but then her fingertips brushed up against the sharp, spiked end of a broken table leg.
“You have been one awful thorn in my side. I have dealt with you and your sister’s crap for far too long. But the one thing that kept me going is that I knew when the day came, when I could finally get rid of you, I would make you suffer. ” Penn dropped to the ground next to her and crouched over her. “And today is that day. ”
“You first,” Harper said.
With Penn’s focus on taunting Harper, she didn’t notice when Harper grabbed the table leg. She didn’t even see it at all, not until Harper stabbed it right in her stomach, staking her all the way through.
Penn squawked in pain, and her wings flapped wildly as she staggered backward. Harper scrambled to her feet, the adrenaline pushing her through the pain, and she ran to the adjoining kitchen.
“Oh, you bitch,” Penn growled, ripping the wood from her stomach and tossing it aside.
Harper pulled open the drawers and cabinets, frantically looking for anything to defend herself with. They had a hundred wineglasses, but she wasn’t finding a single knife. She pulled a drawer completely out, sending spoons and forks flying all over the floor, but found nothing sharper than a butter knife.
“I normally don’t eat girls’ hearts,” Penn began, her voice shifting from its usual silken tone to something positively monstrous. “But I am so excited to make an exception with you. ”
Harper looked up from her search to see that Penn had totally transformed into the monster. She was at least a foot taller, standing on long, gray bird legs. Her arms extended several feet, with hooked talons at the ends of her extended fingers.
The negligee pulled grotesquely over her elongated corpse, taut against her protruding ribs and spine. Her cranium had grown to accommodate her larger bird eyes and rows of teeth, so her black hair had thinned into wisps.
As Penn walked closer, Harper finally found a shiny butcher knife, and she grabbed it, holding it up just as Penn reached her. She wanted to stab her, but before she even had a chance, Penn knocked the knife from her hand, and it clattered to the floor.
Then Penn leaned forward, her serpentine tongue flitting through her teeth. “Run. ”
So Harper did. She didn’t know how to fight her, not like that, so she ran as fast as she could, her bare feet slipping on the tile.
She’d been going toward the back door, though she didn’t know what she would do if she made it through, but then she felt Penn’s claws tearing against the tender flesh of her back.
As Penn lifted her, Harper heard the fabric of her dress tearing and hoped that it gave way soon. Penn turned her around, so Harper was facing her. She flicked her tongue out again, almost as if she was trying to taste her, so Harper kicked her in the face, her toes scraping painfully against Penn’s teeth.
“Get away from my sister, you bitch!” Gemma shouted.
Penn craned her almost ostrichlike neck around to look toward the front of the house, and Harper peered around Penn’s massive wings to see Gemma standing in the doorway.
Her copper wings were spread wide, but they looked tattered. But then as Gemma began to shift from girl to monster right in front of Harper’s eyes, the wings began to fix themselves, the torn feathers replaced with glossy new ones.
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Gemma
’s arms began to change first, growing longer, and her fingers stretched out, ending in black talons. The skin on her legs shifted from smooth flesh to gray and scaly, ending in the sharp-clawed feet of an emu.
As her torso lengthened and thinned out, her dress tore and split in two. It became a short skirt at the bottom and a small halter top above, where her collarbones and skeletal ribs jutted out.
Her eyes had already shifted into the odd yellow of a bird, but they grew larger, taking up more of her face. Her mouth lengthened and stretched out, so her lips were pulled back around row after row of sharp, jagged fangs. Her skull had expanded, and her lustrous brown hair thinned into wisps.
Gemma was no longer there. She had become the monster.
FORTY-SEVEN
Heartless
The tops of the trees were swaying and the branches crunched. Above them, Alex could hear the sounds of Thea and Liv yelling and screaming, but it sounded completely inhuman. He felt like he’d suddenly slid into Jurassic Park, and any second a Tyrannosaurus rex and a pack of velociraptors would come running out.
Marcy was still crouched by Kirby’s body, and though she seemed reluctant to leave him, their position felt too exposed to Alex. They should be getting weapons or hiding, but he didn’t want to just leave her like that.
Then Liv and Thea came flying out of the trees, and Liv slammed Thea into the pavement only a couple feet in front of Marcy.
“Come on. ” Alex grabbed Marcy’s arm and pulled her to her feet. “We have to get out of here. ”
They scrambled out of the way mere seconds before Liv threw Thea into the tree that Alex had been standing in front of. And she’d done it hard enough to make the thick trunk crack loudly, though the tree didn’t fall over.
Alex and Marcy hurried around to the back of the Gremlin, but with Marcy hobbling so badly, he didn’t dare go farther. She leaned against the back of the car, and he crouched beside her. He peered through the smashed windows to watch Liv walking toward where Thea leaned up against the tree, catching her breath.
“You’re old, Thea,” Liv said. “You think that makes you stronger, better, but it doesn’t. You’re weak and slow. ”
And Alex realized that Liv had a point. Thea had started out strong, but she’d very quickly lost her stamina. Liv clearly had the upper hand, and he wasn’t sure that Thea would be able to take her on unless she got help soon.
“You’re just so damn cocky, Liv. I can’t wait to smack that smug grin off your face. ”
“I’d like to see you try. ”
Thea stood up and smacked Liv, hard enough that Alex could hear it from many feet away. Then they both moved so suddenly, he couldn’t see much other than a flurry of feathers as they took flight.
“Let’s go. ” Alex took Marcy’s arm and started leading her around the car. When they reached the driver’s side, he said, “Get in the car. ”
Marcy shook her head. “We can’t just leave her. ”
“We won’t,” he assured her. “Just get in the car. ”
The door didn’t open all the way, so Marcy had to slide in through the small gap and carefully sit down on a seat covered in broken glass. She tried to pull the door shut, but it creaked loudly, so she stopped.