THIRTY
Lyrical
“They’re here,” Harper said, doing her best to keep the panic from her voice, as she locked eyes with Penn.
“What?” Daniel leaned down to hear her better.
“They’re here!” Harper repeated, shouting this time.
Daniel looked up, and then he saw Penn, too. “Oh, shit.”
A person walked in front of Penn, and then she was gone, disappearing into the crowd.
“What do you wanna do?” Daniel asked. “We can try to follow Penn, maybe stop her before she finds Gemma, or we go try to protect Gemma.”
“We go get Gemma,” Harper said. “Penn knows where we live, so she’ll go there eventually. If she isn’t already on her way, or the other sirens aren’t already there.”
“All right. Let’s go.”
Daniel took her hand, but all the earlier flutterings had dissolved. The only thing Harper felt was panic.
And all the people didn’t make it easier. They were all going toward the beach, since the fireworks were about to start, and Harper and Daniel were pushing against them. It felt a bit like they were salmon swimming upstream, and it made it hard for them to hurry.
“Go towards the trees!” Harper advised.
“What? Why?” Daniel asked, pushing past a guy who wouldn’t get out of his way.
“Nobody’s going to be there because they block the view of the fireworks,” Harper said. “We’ll be able to get to my house quicker!”
Daniel did as he was told, leading the way and pushing through the crowd. Harper was dimly aware that she’d just told Daniel to go to the forest where she’d found Luke’s body. That was where the sirens disposed of their kills, so they were familiar with it.
But it was the quickest way home. And that was all that mattered to Harper. Getting home and making sure that Gemma was safe.
They’d just started on the path through the trees when Penn appeared in front of them. She hadn’t materialized, exactly, but she stepped out from behind a tree and blocked their path. Her eyes glowed yellow in the dim light.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Penn asked, her voice a soft purr that nearly made Harper forget how much she hated and feared her. “The fireworks are the other direction. And you don’t want to miss the show, do you?”
“No, I don’t want to…” Harper’s brow furrowed, because for a second she couldn’t remember exactly what she wanted to do. “I’m leaving, and you can’t stop me.”
Still hanging on to Daniel’s hand, Harper walked forward, but Penn moved to block her path.
“Let me get by,” Harper said as firmly as she could.
“Or what?” Penn smirked. “What are you going to do?”
“Harper, let’s just go back the way we came,” Daniel suggested.
Penn’s eyes flashed when she heard Daniel speak, and she tilted her head toward him. Harper let go of his hand and moved in front of him, standing between him and Penn.
“I don’t know what I’ll do,” Harper admitted. “But we won’t let you go after my sister.”
She glanced back at him, checking to make sure it was okay she’d said “we.” Daniel had repeatedly told her he wanted to help her, and he had in the past. So Harper had decided to include him, instead of sending him away the way she normally would. If he was going to be her boyfriend, then they should be equals standing up against the enemy together.
“No, we won’t,” Daniel agreed, and stepped forward so he stood next to Harper, both of them staring Penn down. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“Look at the two of you.” Penn laughed. “You really think you have a say in anything that’s going to happen?” She stepped closer to them, smiling wider. “You’ll let me do whatever I want.”
Penn began to sing, low and soft, so as not to enchant all the people crowded around the bay. But the song was just as tempting as the last time Harper had heard the sirens sing.
Her panic melted away, and her whole body relaxed. A haze filled her mind, and she couldn’t remember why she’d been so worried. She knew she had been, but Penn was so beautiful, and the song was so wonderful. Harper wanted nothing more than to stand there and listen to Penn sing for all eternity.
“Harper, you’re going to do whatever I say,” Penn said in her lyrical way.
Harper nodded dazedly and said, “Okay.”
“Harper?” Daniel said, but she didn’t respond. She just stared dreamily at Penn.
“As for you…” Penn turned her attention to Daniel.
“She might do whatever you say,” Daniel allowed. “But I sure as hell won’t.”
Penn’s eyes widened when Daniel talked back to her; her eyes were like those of an animal surprised to be caught in a snare. She opened her mouth to command Daniel to do something, but then he punched her.