There was something inhuman about it, and it had a prehistoric quality to it. It was a small noise, one that Penn had seemed to make unconsciously, but it was enough to make his skin crawl.
“I still can’t decide what I’m going to do with you,” Penn admitted with a sigh. “One minute, I can’t wait to devour you, and the next, I’d much rather sleep with you.”
“Why do you want to do anything with me?” Daniel asked. He sat down on the seat at the edge of his boat and pulled on his shoes.
“I don’t know,” she said, and that seemed to upset her.
Daniel looked up at her, squinting in the bright sunlight, and she leaned back against the bench across from him. Her legs were stretched out long before her, and she tilted her head back, letting her hair hang over the edge of the boat.
“Are you familiar with Orpheus?” Penn asked.
“No.” He’d finished putting on his shoes and leaned back. “Am I supposed to be?”
“He’s a very popular figure in Greek history,” Penn said. “He’s renowned for musical ability and poetry.”
“Sorry, I don’t read that much poetry,” Daniel replied.
“Neither do I.” She shrugged. “I never read much of his, anyway. But when I was with him, he’d all but stopped writing and he’d given up his music and went by the name Bastian. The ‘mythology’ says that he died after the death of his wife, but the truth is that he only changed his name and gave up his old life.”
“So he’s like you, then?” Daniel asked. “Immortal or whatever?”
Penn nodded. “He is. But unlike sirens, who gained their immortality through a curse, he got his from being blessed. The gods were so pleased with him and his music that they granted him eternal life.”
“Why are you asking me about this guy?” Daniel asked. “What does he have to do with me?”
“Nothing, probably.” Penn crossed and uncrossed her legs. “We were very close for a while, Bastian and I. He was one of a handful of immortals who was immune to siren song. All the gods and goddesses were unaffected by it, but many of the other immortals—humans who gained eternal life from either a curse or blessing—still succumbed to it.
“But not Bastian.” She stared off, something wistful flitting across her expression, but she quickly erased it. “Anyway. I thought maybe you were a relation of his.”
“I’m fairly certain that nobody’s immortal in my family tree.” He stood up. “Listen, Penn, it’s been great, but I really have to get to work. I have—”
Before he could finish his sentence, she was upon him. She pushed him down so hard, his back slammed painfully into the bar. Then she leapt on him, straddling him. She squeezed her thighs tightly against his sides so he couldn’t move.
One of her hands was pressed against his chest, the razor-sharp fingernails poking through his shirt and digging into his flesh. The other was on his neck, but this one was almost caressing him, her touch soft and gentle.
With her face hovering right above his, her lips nearly touching his, her black eyes stared right into him. She leaned in closer, pressing her chest against his, so his shirt would be left damp.
“I could eat your heart right now,” Penn told him in a provocative whisper, and she stroked his cheek gently, her fingers running along his stubble.
“You could,” Daniel agreed, meeting her gaze evenly. “But you’re not.”
“I will, though.” She studied him for a moment. “Eventually.”
“But not today?” Daniel asked.
“No. Not today.”
“Then I need to get to work.” He put his hands on her waist, and when she didn’t react with clawing or yelling, he lifted her up and set her on the seat next to him.
Penn pouted. “Work is so drab.”
Daniel shrugged. “It pays the bills.”
He’d moved away from Penn to the edge of the boat and was about to step off when he felt Penn’s hand clamp onto his wrist. She moved supernaturally fast, and it was hard for him to get used to that.
“Don’t go,” Penn said, and it was the pleading in her words that made him pause. She knelt on the bench next to him with a strange desperation in her eyes. Hurriedly, she blinked any emotion away, trying to recover with an uneasy smile that was probably meant to be flirtatious.
“I have to,” he insisted.
“I can pay you more,” she said, her tone almost comically breezy.
For all her attempts at trying to seem nonchalant, her grip on his wrist had only tightened. It’d gotten rather painful, but Daniel refrained from pulling it free. He didn’t want her to know that she was hurting him.
“What would you need me to do?” Daniel asked.
“I could think of something.” She winked at him.
He rolled his eyes and finally yanked his arm free. “I’ve told them I’d build the sets for the play, and I’m a man of my word. They’re expecting me.”
“A fence,” Penn said hastily as Daniel climbed off his boat. She stayed behind, leaning on the rail so she faced him. “You could build a fence around my house.”
“What do you need a fence for?” he asked, waiting on the dock to see if she had any good reason for it.
“What does it matter to you why I need a fence? I just need one.”
“I have my hands full already.” He turned away from her.
“Ten grand!” Penn called after him as he walked away. “I’ll pay you ten grand to build me a fence.”
Daniel laughed and shook his head. “I’ll see you around, Penn.”
“We’re not done yet, Daniel!” Penn shouted, but he just kept walking.
THREE
Alterations
“Stop that,” Marcy said as Harper began emptying the overnight drop box at the library.
“What?” Harper turned back to face her with a stack of worn Harry Potter novels weighing down her arms.
“Working,” Marcy replied tightly, and Harper rolled her eyes.
“Edie’s been back for weeks. You have to be used to it by now,” Harper said, but she let the door to the drop box slam shut, leaving a small pile of books behind.
Marcy was kneeling on her chair and leaning so far forward on the desk, she was practically lying on it. Her dark eyes stared out from behind her glasses with a manic intensity as she watched the front door of the library.
“I’ll never get used to it,” Marcy insisted.
“I don’t even understand what the big deal is.” Harper set the books down on the desk.
“Move,” Marcy hissed and waved her off, because Harper was apparently blocking her view of the front door.
“You know that’s all glass, right?” Harper asked, motioning to the door that sat in the middle of the large windowed library front. “You can see through all of that. You don’t need your eyes locked on the door like a laser beam.”
“Pfft,” Marcy scoffed.
Harper moved to the side anyway, since it was easier to get out of the way than try to use logic on Marcy. “She won’t be here for another ten minutes, so I don’t understand why you’re so freaked out already.”
“You don’t get it,” Marcy said, sounding gravely serious. “If I’m not busy the entire time she’s here, if I even spend five minutes sitting behind this desk, Edie will immediately launch into some story about her honeymoon, and she won’t stop talking about it.”
“Maybe she’s doing it on purpose,” Harper said. “You’ve worked here for, what? Like, five years? And in all that time combined, you’ve maybe given two honest days of work—until Edie got back from her honeymoon. Now you’re a busy little bee. Maybe she’s finally found a way to motivate you.”
Marcy shot her a look. “I need to watch for her, so the second she comes in I can haul ass and do anything that isn’t being around her,” she said. “I get that she had a really amazing time exploring the world or whatever, but … it’s, like, I don’t care. And I don’t know how she doesn’t get that.”
“Feigning human emoti
on has never been your strong suit,” Harper said and started scanning in the books.
“What are you doing?” Marcy asked.
“Checking these in, so you can run and put them away the second Edie gets in.”
“Awesome.” Marcy gave her a rare smile and looked over at her. “You kinda look like crap. Are you not sleeping again?”
“Thanks,” Harper said sarcastically.
“No, I just meant, did something happen last night?” Marcy asked.
“Nothing more than usual.” Harper let out a deep breath to blow her dark hair out of her face. She stopped scanning the books and turned to Marcy. “Gemma’s seeing some guy.”
“Some guy?” Marcy raised an eyebrow. “I thought she was still in love with Alex or whatever.”
Harper shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, she probably still loves him. That’s why I don’t know why she’s sneaking around with someone else. It just seems ridiculous.”
“Isn’t she still grounded?” Marcy asked.
“Today’s her first official day being ungrounded,” Harper said. “She’s been hooking up with this guy she met at play rehearsal, and then she stays out all night with him doing … I don’t even know what. So I was waiting up for her last night.”
“Well, if she’s grounded, why didn’t you just tell your dad about it?” Marcy asked. “He’d ground her again and make her quit play rehearsal.”
“I don’t want her to quit the play. She needs to be doing something.” She rubbed her temple.
In fact, Harper preferred that Gemma stay in the play. Daniel had taken the job at the play partially because he needed the work, but it also meant that he could keep an eye on her. So every night, for a few hours, Harper knew that Gemma was safe. She just wished that Gemma would start making better choices where boys were concerned.
“I get that she’s going through this totally insane thing, but I don’t know how bringing another person into the mix will make it any better,” Harper said. “She broke up with Alex because she knows how dangerous it is for sirens to be around boys, and now she’s dragging in another boy.”
“I thought the only reason the sirens cared about Alex was because he was in love with her,” Marcy said. “They probably won’t give a crap about some random boy, unless he falls in love with Gemma, too.”
“I don’t know.” Harper’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t even know what the sirens want anymore. They’ve been here for weeks, and nobody’s figured out anything. We still have no clue how to break the curse. They don’t know how Alex is able to love Gemma, or why Daniel is immune.
“I’m supposed to be leaving for college in two weeks, and I have no idea what the hell is happening or how to help Gemma, and I just want to scream or rip my hair out.” Harper groaned in frustration.
With working full-time, getting ready for a college she wasn’t even sure she was going to anymore, worrying about her sister, trying to find a way to battle evil mermaids, all while making time for a new relationship, Harper was nearing her breaking point.
Marcy snapped her fingers suddenly, causing Harper to jump in surprise.
“Duh!” Marcy announced. “You should talk to Lydia.”
“What?” Harper asked.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Marcy said. “But I keep forgetting. This whole Edie thing has my mind all messed up.”
“You really need to get over the Edie thing, Marce,” Harper said. “She’s your boss, and she’s going to be around for a long time.”
Marcy sneered at the thought of dealing with a supervisor again, and then she continued on with her story. “So I was on Facebook the other night—”
“Wait. You’re on Facebook?” Harper interrupted. “Since when? I thought Facebook was the antithesis of everything you stood for.”
“No, I said getting on Facebook and posting pictures of my cat with hilariously misspelled phrases in all caps was the antithesis of everything I stood for,” Marcy corrected her. “And sometimes I use Facebook. I like playing the games where I water plants all the time, and I talk to old friends.”
“There really is just so much I don’t know about you,” Harper said.
“Yeah, there is,” Marcy agreed. “But the point is, I was talking to this old friend of mine. I’d completely lost touch with her, but it turns out she owns a bookstore up in Sundham. She’d definitely have some books that might help you out with the sirens. Plus, she’s pretty knowledgeable on all that kind of stuff.”
“Like what kind of stuff?” Harper asked tentatively.
Marcy shrugged. “Hunting vampires, slaying demons, raising the dead. That kind of thing.”
“She can raise the dead?” Harper was too weary to hide her skepticism.
“No, she can’t,” Marcy said defensively and swiveled in the chair a bit. “But she knows a lot about it, if that was something you were into.”
Harper went back to scanning the books and tried to think of a tactful way to let Marcy down. Whenever Marcy did even the slightest thing for somebody other than herself, Harper tried to reward it.
“Look, Marcy, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. It’s really very considerate. But—”
“But what? You have a better lead to follow?” Marcy asked pointedly. “Or any other leads or ideas? Any clues at all?” Harper pursed her lips but didn’t say anything. “Exactly. My idea may be a little out there, but it’s better than no idea.”
“You’re right,” Harper relented and offered Marcy a grateful smile. “Are you busy this weekend? If the bookstore’s open, maybe we could go then.”
“Yeah.” Marcy nodded. “You should get used to making the trek up to Sundham anyway, since you’re going to college there pretty soon.”
“If I go to college,” Harper reminded her.
“Oh, crap, here she comes,” Marcy said.
She jumped off the chair, grabbed the stack of books that Harper had checked in, then dashed from the desk to put them away. All this happened within the few seconds it took for Edie to open the front door and come inside.
“Hello, girls,” Edie said brightly as she strode inside.
Edie was the kind of woman who somehow managed to be beautiful and dowdy at the same time. She was tall and thin, with blond hair, high cheekbones, and full lips, and considering she was over forty, she’d aged astonishingly well.
But she hid under long flowing skirts, overly drapey tops, and layers of beaded jewelry. Her eyes were a lovely blue, but they were barely visible behind her thick calico glasses.
“Hey, Edie,” Marcy said. Since Marcy was so short, the stack of Harry Potter books went up to her chin, and she was nearly tipping over as she turned back to continue speaking to Edie. “Love to chat. Gotta run. Books to put away and all that.”
“And how are you doing this lovely morning?” Edie asked Harper as she walked behind the desk. She dropped her oversized purse on the desk, and it jingled loudly.
“Fine,” Harper lied and wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Are you feeling okay?” Edie asked, concern filling her voice, and almost absently she touched Harper’s face. “Your skin is cool, so at least you don’t have a fever.”
“I just haven’t been sleeping that well,” Harper said and stepped away from Edie.
She didn’t have a reason to move, except that she didn’t want to be that near Edie’s scrutinizing gaze, so Harper turned away to straighten some forms sitting on the desk.
“Troubles at home?” Edie asked.
“Nope, just good old-fashioned insomnia.”
“You know what will fix that right up?” Edie asked. “Tea. I know it sounds cliché, but it really works! I’d never been much for it, but when we went to England, they had it with every meal. Now Gary drinks it every night. He can’t sleep without it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Harper said.
“You really should.” Edie leaned back against the desk and crossed her arms loosely in front of her. “There are just so many
different things you can learn from other cultures. Gary and I came back from our honeymoon so much healthier and wiser than we were before.” Edie launched into a lengthy list of new facts she had picked up on her travels.
Marcy peered out from behind a bookcase at Harper, as if to say, I told you so. But Harper already knew she was right. She just couldn’t fault Edie for her somewhat incessant prattling. She’d found such intense happiness, and she wanted to hang on to it for as long as possible. Harper couldn’t blame her for that.
“That is true,” Harper said when Edie paused to take a breath, trying to cut off her train of thought. She turned to face her and smiled as brightly as she could. “Hey, Edie, my dad forgot his lunch again, and I was wondering if I could leave a bit early for my break so I could bring it down to him.”
“Of course you can,” Edie said. “But I have no idea what he’ll do when you go away to college. Then again, I have no idea what we’ll do, either.”
Harper didn’t say anything to that. She hurried into the office to get her dad’s sack lunch out of the minifridge before Edie could regale her with more tales of her magical time spent abroad.
When Harper went outside to get into her car, she glanced across the street at Pearl’s Diner. Since the sirens had moved back to town in July, she’d gotten used to spotting Penn, Lexi, and Thea hanging out in the booth by the window, drinking milkshakes. Penn had this awful way of staring at passersby the way a lion stares at a gazelle.
Today the booth was empty, and there was some relief in that. Even though they had come to some type of understanding, Harper didn’t like talking to the sirens or seeing them in any capacity. They were evil, and they made her skin crawl.
Unfortunately, her relief was short-lived. As she walked closer to her car, she saw the long, bare legs draped over her hood, and Harper slowed her steps. She briefly considered going back to the library, but she refused to run from the sirens anymore.
Lexi sat back on the hood of Harper’s Sable. Her head was tilted back, so her long golden hair cascaded down onto the windshield. The short skirt had ridden up high on her thighs, and the hot metal of the car should’ve burned her skin, but Lexi didn’t seem to notice.
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