“I’m gonna run inside,” Alex said, and he was already backing toward his house.
“Yeah, sure. ” Daniel hit the remote unlock on the keys and reached for the car door. “Thanks again!”
He jumped in the car, already dripping wet. It had only been a matter of seconds that he’d been outside in the rain, but it was coming down hard enough that he was nearly soaked. He ran his hand back and forth through his hair, trying to shake off a few excess drops.
Daniel knew how to drive, but he’d never driven Alex’s car before, so he took a few minutes to acclimate himself. One of the hardest things about driving a strange car was figuring out how to get the windshield wipers working at the right speed.
Once he got that straightened out, he backed out of Alex’s driveway. Daniel hadn’t even made it to the end of the block when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. When he pulled the phone out, the ID said it was Harper, so he took a deep breath and decided that now was as good a time as any to invite himself up to visit her.
“Hey, Harp—” Daniel began, but that was all he could get out before she was shouting frantically in his ear.
“Where’s Gemma? Are you okay? Are you with her? What’s going on?”
“What?” Daniel had just reached the stop sign at the end of the block, and there were no cars behind him, so he decided to wait there until he could figure out what Harper was freaking out about. “I’m fine. I don’t know where Gemma’s at. I’m just in a car. ”
“What car?” Harper asked. “Where are you going? Have you talked to Gemma?”
“I borrowed Alex’s car,” Daniel said. “I thought I would come out and visit you tonight, and I haven’t talked to Gemma today. ”
“No!” Harper shouted. “You can’t come out tonight! Something’s wrong. Something’s going on with Gemma. You have to find her. ”
“Slow down, Harper,” Daniel said. “I can barely understand you. ”
“I’ve been calling and calling, and she’s not answering her phone,” Harper said. Her voice was trembling, and it sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “And I just know it. Something’s happened, and I don’t think I’ll make it there in time. ”
“Are you driving right now?” Daniel asked. “Harper, you need to pull over until you calm down. You’re bordering on hysterics, it’s torrential rain, and you’re on the phone. You’re gonna get in an accident. ”
“No, I’m fine, Daniel,” Harper insisted. “I just need you to find Gemma. ”
“Yeah, I get that, and I’ll go look for her as soon as you pull over,” Daniel said.
“Daniel, please!” Harper sobbed. “She’s hurt! I can feel it, and she’s hurt!”
“Okay, calm down,” Daniel said, keeping his voice as even as he could. “I’ll go look for her. Do you have any idea where she’s at?”
“No, but she’s probably with the sirens,” Harper said, and that sounded like a safe bet to Daniel, too.
“I’m going out to their house now. ” Daniel pulled away from the stop sign. “You need to take a deep breath and slow down. I’ll find Gemma and make sure she’s safe. As soon as I do, one of us will call you, okay?”
“Okay. ” Harper exhaled, and she did sound a bit calmer. “Thank you. And I’m sorry for calling you. I just didn’t know who else to turn to. ”
“No, it’s no problem,” Daniel assured her. “I’ll take care of it. ”
“Thank you,” Harper repeated. “And be careful, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt, either. ”
“I will, and drive safe. I’ll talk to you soon. ”
Daniel tossed the phone on the passenger seat and sped up. Harper’s worst fear was coming true, and she hadn’t even been gone for a day.
He briefly considered that this might just be her paranoia flaring up, but he immediately dismissed it. Harper and Gemma had that weird psychic bond, and if she said that Gemma was in trouble, then Gemma probably was.
Whether or not the sirens were involved with what was happening with Gemma was another story. Daniel didn’t think Penn would go back on their deal, not when it was so close to happening. But she’d only promised that she wouldn’t hurt Gemma or Harper. That didn’t mean the other sirens wouldn’t.
He raced across town, ignoring speed limits and red lights whenever he could. When he started up the hill, things got a bit trickier. It was raining so hard the streets were flooded, and the wind had picked up. The car couldn’t get traction, and the storm nearly blew him off the road several times.
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When he finally made it to the driveway of the sirens’ house, the car skidded in the mud and ended up getting stuck in the waterslogged grass under a tree. Daniel didn’t care, though. He just jumped out of the car and ran toward the house.
Before he even stepped inside, Daniel knew things weren’t good. One of the front windows had been smashed out, letting the rain pour inside, and he heard an unearthly roar—a sound he’d only heard once before, when Penn had been trying to kill him as the bird-monster.
“Gemma!” Daniel shouted and threw open the front door.
He’d never been inside the house before, so he had no real frame of reference, but it was obviously demolished. A couch had been upended, a coffee table snapped in half. Even the fridge had been pulled away from the wall and tipped on its side, with the food and beverages spilling out, looking like an eviscerated appliance.
Marcy was lying on her stomach, half hidden by the couch, and Daniel couldn’t tell if she was dead or merely unconscious. He didn’t have time to check on her or even to think about it, though, because there was a much bigger problem at hand.
Gemma was crouched down underneath the stairs, using them to shield her. She had a fire poker in one hand and held it pointed at the awful monster standing in front of her.
Lexi had her back to Daniel, her massive golden wings completely unfurled, so a large part of his view was obstructed. Her legs had grown much longer, so Lexi stood at least two feet taller than she had been before.
The smooth bronze skin of her legs had changed into blue-gray scales, and the knee jutted out backward. Her feet had clearly become those of a bird, her five toes converging into three, with long, sharp claws at the end of each one.
Her head had expanded and elongated as well, so her blond hair no longer covered her scalp evenly. It had become stringier and mangier, billowing out in thin wisps when the wind blew through the room.
The Lexi creature had heard him come inside, so she turned back to face him. Her large eyes were the yellow of a bird’s, and her mouth was overflowing with rows of jagged, pointy teeth. Her lips had peeled back around them to make room, and her jaw extended out farther than it had before.
Instead of saying anything, Lexi just threw back her head and laughed when she saw him. The sound came out more like a crow cawing than a human laugh, with a demonic undertone reverberating through it, and Daniel knew that that definitely could not be a good sign.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Reticence
Gemma had been holding off Lexi as best she could. That was hard to do when she refused to let herself shift into the monster, and Lexi had become a much larger, much stronger creature on a murderous rampage. Lexi had gotten a few good kicks in to Gemma’s stomach, and if she didn’t have siren healing powers, Gemma’d have been worried about internal bleeding. That’s why Gemma had hidden under the stairs—she clearly couldn’t fight her head-on.
“Just who I was hoping to see today,” Lexi told Daniel in her awful monster voice.
With Lexi’s back to her, Gemma stood up and drove the poker right into her shoulder. She wasn’t really sure where else would be a better place to stab her, since Alex had already proven that stabbing her through the heart did nothing.
Lexi roared in anger and grabbed the poker with her long, skinny fingers. Gemma slid out past her, running low to the floor to avoid Lexi’s wings as they flapped in rage.
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“Daniel, run!” Gemma shouted, and she started to charge toward him.
Then she remembered Marcy, turned, and doubled back toward her. By the time she had turned around, Lexi had already gotten the poker free, and she threw it across the room. Daniel ducked, and it narrowly missed his head before it clattered against the wall.
Lexi stood between Gemma and Marcy, so Gemma swallowed hard and took a step back toward Daniel. Lexi lowered her head, her eyes narrowed, and when she stepped forward, her head made a bobbing movement that reminded Gemma of a robin looking for worms. It wasn’t nearly as cheerful an image, since Gemma and Daniel had become the worms.
“What’s the plan?” Daniel asked as Gemma moved toward him.
“I don’t really have one,” Gemma admitted.
“I have a plan for you,” Lexi said, her lips stretching in a distorted smile. “I plan on killing and eating both of you, and then getting the hell away from this town. The two of you are the reason I’ve been stuck here for so long, and once I get rid of you, I’ll be free of this godforsaken shithole. ”
“Penn won’t like that,” Daniel said.
“Yeah, well, there won’t be much she can do about it once you’re dead,” Lexi shot back, and she ran at them.
Her legs were long and frighteningly fast. She looked clumsy and oversized, but she was agile and quick.
Gemma grabbed Daniel’s hand and bolted out of the way just in time to get out of Lexi’s grasp. They’d been standing by the broken window, and Lexi’s feet slipped in the water from the rain, so she skidded across the floor and crashed unceremoniously into the wall.
It would only be a matter of seconds before she was back on her feet again, which didn’t leave Gemma enough time to grab Marcy and get out of there.
They needed to come up with a game plan. Gemma ran to the only place she could think of where she and Daniel could at least grab a few seconds to gather their thoughts.
She led Daniel into the pantry and slammed the door behind them. It wasn’t a huge space, and it was totally dark, but both of them could fit in there easily. The door wasn’t the strongest, but at least it was something standing between them and Lexi.
“This is your plan?” Daniel panted as they leaned against the door.
“This is more like my plan before a plan,” Gemma said.
“Let me in, let me in,” Lexi cajoled in the silkiest voice she could manage. The tone wasn’t quite up to her usual standards. Something about being the bird-monster made it impossible for her to sound sweet.
Her talons ran up and down the door, making a scraping sound that gave Gemma the chills, but she wasn’t really trying to get in. At least not yet. The eerie clawing at the door was for effect.
“Not by the hair of my chin,” Daniel shot back, and that made Lexi cackle loudly again.
There was complete and total silence for a few seconds, which Gemma didn’t like. She didn’t know what Lexi was doing out there, but it probably wasn’t good.
“You’re supposed to let me know before you do shit like this,” Daniel reminded Gemma.
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“Sorry. ” She grimaced as she pressed her weight against the door. “I thought I could handle it. ”
“Why don’t you turn into the monster?” Daniel asked, keeping his voice low in case Lexi was listening.
Gemma shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her in the darkness. “I can’t. ”
“Sure you can. ”
“No, maybe I can, but I can’t control it once I do. I might hurt somebody,” she insisted.
“That’s kinda the point, though, isn’t it?” Daniel asked.
Ever since Lexi had started attacking her, Gemma had actually been fighting to keep the monster down. It was her body’s natural instinct to transform into it, to try to defend herself, but she was afraid that if she let it out, it would completely take over again.
Lydia had even given her the instructions on how to kill the sirens, but Gemma wasn’t sure she could do it. Well, she knew for certain she wouldn’t be strong enough to do it in her human form, and as a monster, she wasn’t convinced she’d be able to control herself enough to do it.
“I did it once before and I don’t even remember it,” Gemma told him. “I wasn’t in my mind at all. I was a complete monster, and I killed someone. ”
Suddenly Lexi slammed into the door. Gemma and Daniel had simply been leaning against it, but now they pushed back on it with all their might, trying to hold it shut.
“Again, that doesn’t sound so bad, given the situation,” Daniel said through gritted teeth as Lexi ran into it again.
“Yeah, if I hurt Lexi, but what if I hurt you or Marcy?” Gemma countered. “No. I can’t risk it. ”
“Well, we’ve got to do something or Lexi is going to kill us pretty quickly,” Daniel said as the door began to crack. “Can you at least do a partial change? I’ve seen the other sirens do that. ”
“I don’t know how. ” Gemma pushed against the door, but she knew it was going to give soon. “I’ve tried, but so far it’s been all or nothing. ”
Lexi’s hand smashed through the door. It was a small hole, just enough room to fit her slender wrist, and wood poked up at Gemma with jagged edges and splinters. Lexi’s long taloned fingers reached out, feeling around for either Gemma or Daniel.
“Open the door!” Daniel commanded, and when Gemma didn’t do it immediately, he shouted again, “Open the door, Gemma!”
She was on the side by the door handle, while he’d been holding the side with the hinges, and Lexi’s hand was right in the middle, grasping for them.
While Gemma didn’t understand what Daniel’s plan was, she pulled open the door. Lexi’s wrist was caught in the wood, so when Gemma pulled it, she took Lexi with her.
Lexi stumbled into the pantry, knocking canned foods and spices off the shelves as she did. There was hardly enough room for her, and one of her wings was actually stuck outside. As Lexi screeched and struggled to pull free from the door, Gemma dropped to the floor and crawled between Lexi’s legs, barely avoiding getting stepped on.
Daniel followed Gemma, but he was less lucky. Lexi’s legs lashed out, and she kicked him in the ribs. He cried out, but he kept moving.
Gemma was running toward Marcy, hoping to reach her before Lexi freed herself, but Daniel was moving slower, thanks to Lexi’s kick. Gemma didn’t see him, but she heard him yell, followed by the sound of shattering glass.
When she turned back around, she saw one of the large back windows had been broken out, and Daniel was gone. Lexi stood in the center of the room, smiling pleasantly at Gemma. She’d grabbed Daniel and thrown him through a window toward the edge of the cliff.
“Lexi, you bitch!” Gemma growled and charged at her.
But Lexi was lightning-quick. She swung her arm out, hitting Gemma painfully in the chest. She fell back to the floor, and while Lexi towered over her, cackling like a bird, Gemma reached out and grabbed one of her legs.
Pulling as hard as she could, Gemma managed to throw Lexi off balance. She stumbled backward, flapping her arms and wings like mad and sending papers billowing around the room, until she finally fell backward.
Gemma scrambled to her knees and crawled over to her. Remembering the picture that Lydia had given her, Gemma climbed onto Lexi. She sat on her bare stomach, straddling Lexi.
As soon as she did, Lexi reached out and grabbed Gemma. Her long fingers wrapped tightly around Gemma’s throat, cutting off her air supply. Gemma balled up her hand and punched Lexi as hard as she could in the stomach, hoping her fist could break through Lexi’s soft flesh.
Lexi squawked and threw Gemma off her, causing Gemma to crash painfully against the fireplace.
Gemma coughed and gasped for breath, and she knew she had to come up with a better plan. There was no way she could stop Lexi with her bare hands. She needed to find a weapon, unless she
turned into the monster.
Unfortunately, Gemma didn’t have time to do either before Lexi was on her. Lexi reached out for her, and Gemma narrowly slid underneath her grasp. The golden wings were outstretched behind her, and Gemma grabbed one, yanking on it as hard as she could.
But Lexi was stronger. She flapped her wings and sent Gemma flying back on the floor. Lexi ran back over to her, running as quickly as her long bird legs could carry her, and when she reached Gemma, she kicked out at her.
Her clawed foot connected with Gemma’s stomach, tearing into the tender flesh, but that wasn’t the worst part. Lexi kicked her so hard that when Gemma flew backward and collided with the wall, everything went black for a moment.
She had no idea how long she was out, but when she opened her eyes, her head throbbing painfully and her vision blurred, she saw Lexi standing over her, cackling at her pain. Gemma tried to move, but she wasn’t getting up so easy this time.
“I’m going to go outside and finish Daniel off,” Lexi said as she stepped back. “But don’t worry. I’ll be back for you in a few seconds, after I eat his heart. ”
THIRTY-NINE
Massacre
Daniel had landed facedown in the mud among shards of broken glass. He rolled over onto his back—slowly, because he had a feeling that Lexi had cracked one of his ribs. The rain was pouring down on him so hard, it felt like needles stabbing his skin.
He squinted up and saw Lexi climbing out the window. She had to fold her wings against her back to make it through.
Daniel tried pushing himself up, but flying through a glass window had knocked a lot out of him.
Lexi walked over to him, her legs taking long, rather elegant strides. When she stood over him, her outstretched wings worked as a partial umbrella. She cocked her head, staring down at him.
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“I cannot wait to eat your heart,” Lexi said, and flicked out an odd, serpentine tongue.
“Well, you’re gonna have to. ”
Daniel rolled back and pulled his legs up to his chest, then he pushed them out as hard as he could, kicking her in the chest with both his feet. Lexi stumbled backward, barely managing to keep her balance in the mud, and she flapped her wings to steady herself.
He got to his feet just as Gemma came out the back door. She stumbled a bit as she walked, and one arm cradled her stomach, where he could see the blood seeping through her shirt. Gemma stood in between Daniel and Lexi, glaring up at her.
“That’s enough, Lexi!” Gemma shouted.
Daniel was standing behind Gemma, but he saw it start to happen. Her fingers were stretching out, and her nails were shifting into long black talons. Her mouth began to twitch, and he knew it was going to become filled with those awful teeth.
But before Gemma completed the transformation, Lexi flapped her wings. She leaned forward, deliberately hitting Gemma with her wing, and sent her flying over the edge of the cliff.