“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Penn winked at Daniel, who shifted uncomfortably. “So how are your studies going, Harper?”
“Better, now that you’ve taken my roommate off my hands. It’s much quieter.” Harper kept smiling at her. “So thanks for the favor.”
“You know me.” Penn’s tone got even more seductive than normal. “I love to serve.”
“I think I’m gonna go get a soda,” Daniel said, taking a step away. “Do you want anything, Harper?”
“A bottled water, please,” she said.
“I’d like a glass of wine,” Penn told him before he’d escaped.
He hesitated, glancing between Harper and Penn, then asked, “What kind?”
Penn smiled broadly. “Red. Merlot.”
“I’m not sure if the bartender will serve me without ID, but I’ll see what I can come up with,” Daniel said, and hurried away to the bar.
“Your boyfriend is very eager to please,” Penn told Harper as she stared after Daniel.
“Liv seems eager, too,” Gemma interjected, and pointed to Liv. “She’s coming on pretty strong, actually.”
She was mostly just trying to change the subject because the tension between Penn, Harper, and Daniel was almost painful. But Liv had gone beyond flirting. She and Aiden were all over each other, and they were still standing right in the middle of the room.
Penn glanced over at Liv. “She can handle herself.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be babysitting her?” Gemma asked. “If she hasn’t fed yet, she’s dangerous.”
“Trust me, Gemma—she’s plenty dangerous even when she has fed,” Penn said in a way that made her blood curdle. “If you don’t like what she’s doing, you can stop her.”
“She’s not going to listen to me,” Gemma countered.
“She’s as much your problem now as she is mine,” Penn replied coolly. “Remember that.”
“How is she Gemma’s problem?” Harper asked sharply. She’d probably been trying to bite her tongue, but Penn had gotten to her. “You’re the one that made her. Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?”
“Not really, no.” Penn shook her head. “Liv can kill anyone she wants. She could turn this party into a bloodbath, and I wouldn’t care. You’re the one with a superiority complex. If you don’t like what she’s doing, deal with it.” She smiled widely at Harper’s apparent shock. “Hell, if she wanted to have a feast tonight, I’d probably join in.”
Daniel arrived back, just in time to keep Harper from freaking out on Penn. “Here you go, ladies.” He handed the water and the wine to Harper and Penn. “The bartender wasn’t going to give it to me, but when I told him it was for you, he obliged, so hopefully it’s to your satisfaction.”
Penn took a sip, then moaned. “Mmm. You always know how to keep me satisfied.”
Daniel cleared his throat. “It was more the bartender that’s trying to satisfy you, not me.”
“This is getting gross, and I think Liv is going to mount Aiden, so I’m going over there,” Gemma said. “Mostly so I can be not here.”
She didn’t think Penn would kill Harper right in the middle of the room, and she really didn’t want to be a part of that ridiculous conversation. Besides that, Liv and Aiden were getting out of hand, and since Penn had no plans to intervene, Gemma knew she had to do something before Liv lost control.
“Oh, yeah?” Aiden whispered, his lips hovering just above Liv’s as she pressed her body against his.
“Hey, you two,” Gemma said, loudly and forcefully so they’d pay attention to her. “I don’t know if you realize this, but you’re standing in the middle of a crowded room, practically making out. So maybe you should cool it.”
Aiden slowly turned toward her, and he had that familiar glossy look in his brown eyes. It was the same one she’d seen in Sawyer’s before, and it made her stomach knot up. Sawyer had been so completely under the sirens’ spell, he’d been unable to save himself. Gemma had tried, but it had been too little, too late, and Lexi had murdered him.
“Jealous, Gemma?” Aiden asked with a lazy smile. “You could always join in.”
“No, she most certainly cannot,” Liv hissed with an ugly venom.
“Sorry.” Aiden shook his head. “I don’t know why I said that. You should get lost, Gemma.”
“I wouldn’t have joined in anyway,” Gemma said. “What I’m saying is that you’re drawing a lot of attention when you should probably be keeping a low profile.”
“Why? I’m the star of the play,” Aiden said, and that wasn’t the siren spell talking. That was the kind of thing Aiden would normally say. “Everyone should look at me, and Liv is the hottest girl in the room.”
“Aw.” Liv giggled.
“Liv, you had your fun,” Gemma said. “Come on. You should spend some time with me, so we can get to know each other. You said you wanted to be friends, right?”