He laughed darkly. “No, I don’t, Gemma. There are some things in my life that you don’t need to know about that don’t involve you. Not everything is always about you. ”
“I know that! But if you do something to hurt my sister, so help me, Daniel—”
“You really think I want to do anything to hurt Harper?” Daniel asked, his voice tightening with pain. “Everything I do is to keep her safe and happy. Do you understand that?”
“Yeah, I do,” she admitted.
“Anything that I do, I’m doing it for her. ”
“Daniel…” She had a knowing look in her eyes, and that scared him. “I think you need to talk to her. About whatever’s going on here. It doesn’t matter what it is. She loves you, and she’ll understand. ”
Before, when Penn had first propositioned him, Daniel had planned on telling Harper about it. He knew she’d try to talk him out of it, but that didn’t matter. Daniel would do whatever it took to protect Harper.
But after the attack with Lexi, Daniel had realized a fatal flaw in his plan. Sleeping with Penn wouldn’t be enough. If it was only one night, then he’d only prolong Harper’s life by a day. Once he had sex with Penn, he had no more bargaining chips to keep Harper and Gemma safe.
That meant that he’d have to begin an affair with Penn. Once he went ahead and actually got involved with her, he’d have to do everything in his power to keep her happy and satisfied. The second she got tired of him and lost interest, Harper was as good as dead.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d been hoping that Harper would be able to forgive a solitary transgression, and maybe she could. If she truly believed he loved her and was repentant.
But there would be no way that she could tolerate an affair, with Daniel constantly going out behind her back and sleeping with Penn.
So once Daniel consummated his relationship with Penn, everything with Harper was gone. Forever. There’s no way she’d ever be able to trust him or look at him the same way again.
And that’s why he didn’t tell her. If he told Harper now, it would only lead to fights as she tried to talk him out of it. But his mind couldn’t be changed. He knew that he’d do whatever he had to do to protect her, even if it meant selling his soul to the devil.
He didn’t want to spend his last few days with Harper arguing. He’d never ask Harper to endure his liaisons with Penn, but all he wanted was a few more days before he lost her forever.
Since his date with Penn was set for Wednesday, Daniel planned on going up to Sundham on Friday and telling Harper in person about everything that was transpiring. They’d break up then, and in the meantime, he’d have a few more days of text messages and phone calls. A few more chances to hear her laughter, to tell her he loved her.
That’s why he’d shut Harper down when things had gotten heated on Sunday night. He’d wanted to be with her more than anything in the world. But that wouldn’t be fair to her. He couldn’t sleep with her only to break up with her a few days later.
Daniel shook his head. “Not this time. I just need you to trust me and let me handle this myself,” he begged Gemma.
“Okay,” she said reluctantly. “But if you need help … I’m here. ”
TWENTY
Bastian
After the incident, Penn refused to reply to any of Gemma’s text messages or phone calls. Gemma considered going out to the sirens’ house, and she’d even started talking to her dad about borrowing his truck to go up there.
Then Thea texted her, Penn & Liv getting into it. Better if you stay away for the night.
Is she getting rid of Liv? Gemma replied.
Unlikely, Thea sent back, and Gemma groaned inwardly.
I still want to talk to Penn.
She does not want to talk to you, Thea texted.
Can I talk to you? Will you call me? Gemma asked.
Liv & Penn going out to feed tomorrow. Come by in the afternoon. I’ll be alone.
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That left Gemma impatiently waiting until the next afternoon.
Harper texted her to tell her about the newest developments with the scroll, and while Harper used lots of excited exclamation points, they didn’t seem that big to Gemma, who had already seen the words glow a bit with water. It sounded like the ink reacted even more strongly when mixed with Red Bull, so Harper had taken the scroll back to her room and tried spilling a few different liquids on it.
So far, Red Bull seemed to have the strongest effect, but water and orange juice both seemed to make it glow a bit. Milk apparently did nothing.
But other than glowing, nothing else happened. Harper concluded that further research was needed, but she was determined to get to the bottom of it. She asked if she could keep the scroll for a few more days, but Gemma didn’t like having it out of her sight for that long. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Harper, but she wanted to experiment with the scroll herself. Marcy offered to go pick the scroll up for her, and Harper agreed to return it.
She hadn’t told Harper of her suspicions about Daniel, mostly because she’d told him that she wouldn’t. That, and she wasn’t exactly sure what he was up to. She didn’t want to ruin his and Harper’s relationship over nothing.
Besides, Daniel was a good guy. He was Gemma’s friend, too. She decided that she just had to trust him.
When Gemma went to the sirens’ house the next day, she had to ride her bike. Her car was still sitting dead in the driveway, like an especially large paperweight. The trek up there wasn’t pleasant. The sirens lived on the other side of town at the top of a cliff, and Gemma had to ride her bike up a long, winding road through the loblolly pines.
Even with her extra siren strength, the ride uphill wasn’t exactly easy, and it probably didn’t help that she needed to feed soon. By the time she reached the chic cabin, Gemma was winded.
“You’re all sweaty,” Thea greeted when she opened the door.
“Thanks,” Gemma said dryly. “I rode my bike. ”
Gemma surveyed the house as she came inside, and she was surprised to see that not much had changed since the big battle nearly two weeks ago. They’d done basic cleanup, like righting the fridge and furniture, but they hadn’t fixed or replaced anything. Even the windows were still broken out, with plastic taped over them.
“Don’t you have a car or something?” Thea asked her.
“It needs a new starter,” Gemma said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Do you have any water or something?”
“There’s bottled water in the fridge. ” Thea motioned to the kitchen, but she walked over to the living room. “I’d let you use my car, but Penn doesn’t think I need one. ”
Gemma got the water and guzzled it down before going into the living room to join Thea. Thea had sprawled out, taking up most of the couch, so Gemma sat in a chair with its stuffing gone.
“What’s that about?” Gemma asked as she tried to get comfortable on the uneven cushion. “How come Penn is the only one allowed to drive?”
“I don’t know. ” Thea let out an exasperated sigh. “She comes up with bullshit reasons, but the truth is that Penn just wants to have control all the time. She doesn’t want me driving away. ”
“Where would a car take you that your wings and fins already couldn’t?” Gemma asked.
Thea laughed a little at that. “I didn’t say it was logical. It’s just a power play. Everything’s a power play with her. ”
“I don’t understand how she can tolerate Liv,” Gemma said, bringing up her reason for today’s visit. “Liv’s the most out-of-control thing I’ve ever seen. ”
“I don’t completely get it. I’ve tried reasoning with her, but…” Thea shook her head. “Penn doesn’t want to admit she was wrong about Liv, but more than that, I think she just can’t have two ‘bad’ sirens. ”
“She’s already trying to find a replacement for me,” Gemma filled in what Thea hadn’t said. “She can’t be
troubled to find one for Liv on top of that. ”
“Pretty much. ”
“I get that Penn hates me, and she’s planning to kill me, but objectively, I’m a lot less trouble than Liv. ”
“You’re a different kind of trouble than Liv,” Thea said. “You undermine Penn in a different way. Liv may be extreme, but she’s an extreme version of Penn. They have a similar moral compass. So in Penn’s mind, if Liv could just tone her act down, they’d be totally simpatico. ”
“And I may not terrorize the village or throw tantrums all the time, but Penn and I will never be on the same page,” Gemma surmised.
Thea slid back on the couch, so she was lying down. “And, secretly, I think she considers you my ally, and that pisses her off. ”
“Why?” Gemma asked. “She doesn’t like you either?”
“No, I think Penn likes me about as much as Penn is capable of liking anyone. But she’s never really been close to anyone, not even when we were young. She always resented that I was close with Aggie and Gia. ”
“Gia?”
“Ligea. Our other sister. The one before Lexi. ”
“Lexi and Penn seemed kinda close for a while. ” Gemma had thought that Penn and Lexi were the closest, especially when Gemma first became involved with the sirens, but obviously, they couldn’t have been that tight.
“Well, Penn tore off Lexi’s wing before she murdered her,” Thea said. “They were allies, maybe, but they weren’t close. I don’t think they ever really enjoyed each other’s company. ”
“So you’re saying that Penn has never had any friends?” Gemma asked.
“Not really. Well…” Thea seemed to think, and it was a minute before she went on, almost hesitantly. “There was someone, once. Bastian. ”
“Bastian?” Gemma asked.
“Well, Orpheus was his given name. ”
A few months ago, that name would’ve meant next to nothing to Gemma, but after she’d spent so much time researching Greek mythology, she instantly knew it. He hadn’t exactly been a god, but he’d been an important figure, renowned for his musical abilities and poetry.
“The musical guy?” Gemma asked. “Didn’t he play like a harp or something?”
“A lyre,” Thea corrected her. “You haven’t heard anything until you’ve heard him play. It was said his songs would make the heavens weep, and it wasn’t an exaggeration. The gods were so pleased with his musical abilities, they granted him eternal life. ”
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“If he was immortal like you guys, did that mean your siren song worked on him?” Gemma asked.
“No, it didn’t. Penn couldn’t manipulate him. And as much as she loves control, she’s always been the most drawn to the people she has no power over. ”
“That’s bizarre,” Gemma said, but it did explain Penn’s infatuation with Daniel.
“Usually, I’d say yes, but there was something about Bastian that you couldn’t ignore. He was gorgeous, but it was beyond that. Charismatic, intelligent, funny, and he had these eyes…” Thea stared off wistfully. “They were blue, but not any shade I’ve ever seen in nature. ”
“So you were into him?” Gemma asked.
“He was Penn’s lover,” Thea deflected the question.
“But did she actually love him?”
“I’ve thought about it a lot since then, and I can’t honestly tell you. She believed she loved him, and maybe that’s close enough. ”
“What happened with Bastian?” Gemma asked. “If he’s immortal, why isn’t she still with him?”
“Like I said, she couldn’t control him. And one night, he was just…” Thea lowered her eyes, and there was a long pause before she finished her sentence. “… gone. ”
“I can’t imagine Penn taking that well. ”
Thea snorted. “Hardly. This was nearly three hundred years ago now, and she’s mellowed since then. But at the time, Penn went absolutely insane. I know you think she’s bad now, but you have no idea. ”
“What do you mean?”
“She was inconsolable, and for Penn, that means she went on a rampage. ” Thea pushed herself up, so she was sitting. “The first hundred years after he was gone, it was a bloodbath. Penn killed anything and everything without remorse. In a fit of rage, she murdered our sister Gia. ”
“She just murdered your sister Gia? For like no reason?” Gemma asked.
Thea ran her hand through her hair and looked away from Gemma. “She had her reasons, not that they completely made sense to the rest of us. ”
“So why didn’t you stop her?”
“The only way I could’ve stopped her would have been to kill her, and I just…” Thea shrugged. “I couldn’t bring myself to do it. She’s my little sister. ” Then she shook her head, as if that’s not what she wanted to say at all. “And I felt responsible. ”
“Why?” Gemma asked.
“It’s hard to explain. Aggie kept hoping that with enough time and encouragement, Penn would stop. Aggie believed that if we just loved Penn and tried to show her kindness, eventually Penn would come around. But nothing we said or did mattered to her. I think that was actually the beginning of the end for Aggie. ”
“What do you mean?”
“Aggie’d never been as cruel as Penn, or even me,” Thea elaborated. “She really wasn’t cut out for the siren life. But she made do with it, killing only when she needed to and making it as merciful as she could. But Penn became relentless, and Aggie couldn’t live with it anymore. ”
“But you could?” Gemma asked her pointedly. “All that senseless murder didn’t mean anything to you?”
“It’s not the same. You see the world in terms of one human lifetime, and you don’t understand the fragility of everything. You’re all going to die. Everyone will die quickly and easily. Illness, accidents, wars. It’s amazing humans live as long as they do. But I will be here for another millennium. I won’t turn my back on my sister for something that will be gone in the blink of an eye. ”
“But Aggie did,” Gemma said.
“She’d always cared for human life. ” Thea’s voice softened, the way it did whenever she spoke of Aggie. “Too much really. You’ll disagree, but when you’ve seen as much death as we have—not even from our hands, but by the hands of time—it begins to wear on you. So Aggie began looking for a way out, which Penn was angry about. It finally came to a head this summer. ”
“Penn started going off the rails three hundred years ago, and it just finally got to be too much this summer?” Gemma asked skeptically.
“Aggie tried to change Penn at first, and when she realized that wasn’t working, she tried to look for a more peaceable solution. Like breaking the curse. ” Thea motioned to Gemma then. “When she couldn’t do that, she finally said that’s enough. ”
“You mean she told Penn to stop?” Gemma asked.
“Yes. She actually suggested that we all swim out to sea and starve ourselves until we died. Naturally, Penn disagreed, so Aggie threatened to run off right before a full moon, so we wouldn’t have a chance to replace her, and we’d all die that way.
“But I don’t think she really meant it. She was just provoking Penn, so she’d kill her. Aggie wanted her life as a siren to be over, and death was the only way she knew out of it. ”
“If you both hated the way Penn was running your lives, why didn’t you and Aggie just stand up to her and stop her?” Gemma asked. “I mean, if it had gotten to the point where you had to choose between Aggie and Penn, why wouldn’t you choose Aggie?”
“They’re both my sisters,” Thea reminded her. “Our parents basically abandoned us. I’m eight years older than Penn. ”
This admission surprised Gemma. She knew that Thea was the eldest, but she hadn’t thought it was by that much, since both Thea and Penn appeared to be around eighteen or twenty years old.
But then she remembered Penn saying that she’d only been four
teen when she became a siren. The curse apparently just made them appear to be in their sexual prime, and Gemma supposed that she looked around the same age, too.
“Eight years doesn’t sound like that much, but when we were young, it was a lot, especially when our mothers weren’t around,” Thea said. “So I raised them both as my own. It’s like asking to choose which one of my children to save. I couldn’t do it. ” She shook her head. “I didn’t choose. ”
“But you did,” Gemma persisted. “You turned your back on Aggie. You let Penn kill her. ”
Thea didn’t disagree. For a moment she said nothing and just stared down at the floor. She wiped quickly at her eyes, but not fast enough to stop a solitary tear from falling down her cheek.
When she did finally speak, her voice was thick. “I never thought she’d actually go through with it. They’d been fighting for a while, but I never thought that Penn could really do it. Not to Aggie. ”
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“When she did, when you realized what Penn was capable of, why didn’t you kill her then? Penn has killed two of your sisters,” Gemma said. “Three if you’re counting Lexi. ”
“I never counted Lexi as my sister,” Thea muttered.
“You know Penn will just keep killing,” Gemma went on. “If I don’t stop her, she’s going to eventually kill me, and Liv, and … you. ”
“If she does, I would deserve it,” Thea replied softly. Then she shook her head and took a deep breath, erasing the sadness from her expression. “Anyway … that’s how we ended up here. ”
“You mean, with me?” Gemma asked.
“No, here in Capri. ” Thea gestured around her. “It’s all part of Penn’s scheme for revenge. ”
Gemma furrowed her brow. “I don’t follow. ”
“She blamed Bastian’s absence on Demeter,” Thea explained. “It was because of the curse that he couldn’t love her, and that was Demeter’s fault. ”
“Why didn’t she just try going after Bastian?” Gemma asked.
“She did, at first,” Thea said. “But the longer she went without finding him, the more enraged she became. And while some of that rage would splatter on the humans around her, she focused most of it on Demeter. ”
“She’d been a siren for what?” Gemma tried to remember what they’d told her. “Like over two thousand years, right? And Penn just suddenly decides to get revenge on the woman who cursed her?”
“No, of course not,” Thea said. “Penn’s always hated Demeter, from the very moment she appointed us handmaidens to her daughter Persephone. But initially, Penn and Demeter and the other gods lived in peace. It wasn’t until hundreds of years later, after we’d been exiled from Greece along with the other immortals at the end of the Dark Ages, that Penn even considered killing Demeter. ”
“Why were you exiled?” Gemma asked.
“‘Exiled’ isn’t exactly the right term, but that’s how it felt,” Thea clarified. “Humans just started getting wise to us. They were fearful or jealous, and they began killing gods and immortals. So it was just safer for all of us to start living underground, hiding our true selves. ”
“And that pissed Penn off,” Gemma guessed.