“You want me to kill Liv?” Penn nearly squealed in her delight, and she licked her full lips. “You’re so deliciously wicked, Daniel. I thought for sure you’d have some kind of moral argument about it.”

“I’m fairly certain that Liv has already killed a lot of people, and if she hasn’t yet, then she will soon,” he reasoned. “She’s much more of a monster than Gemma or Thea, and maybe even you. I don’t have any qualms with getting rid of evil.”

Penn had been sitting on her knees, but she moved so she was leaning back on the bed, propping herself up with her elbows. One of her long legs dangled over the edge, but her other foot was still on the bed, so when she moved her knee, Daniel would get a peek up her dress if he was looking.

“I’ve never seen this side of you before, and I like it,” she purred. “So as your reward, I’ll do it. I’ll kill Liv because you asked me to. And you can replace her.”

“When?”

“Assuming all goes well tonight, then tomorrow. The next full moon is on Monday, so we should get started with the process, just in case you don’t take.”

“Tomorrow? Like, in twenty-four hours?” Daniel asked. The thought of becoming an immortal monster in a day didn’t seem like enough time to prepare.

“Yes. I’ll kill Liv in the afternoon, you come over, drink some blood, and by the next morning, we should be all set to go,” Penn said.

“Unless I die, of course,” he reminded her. “You’re not even sure this will work on me, since I’m a guy, and I know that it nearly killed Gemma.”

“Well, yes, that is a possibility.”

“What then?”

“What if you die?” Penn shrugged. “You’ll be dead.”

“And you’re fine with that? You’re so obsessed with me, but you’re cool with my being dead and gone in a day or two?” he asked.

“I’m not ‘cool’ with it, but it’s the price I have to pay. And if you say no, I’ll kill you anyway.”

“You know that doesn’t make any sense, right? You are a sociopath,” he told her as reasonably as he could. “You cannot love something and then just kill it. That’s not love.”

“I never said it was love, Daniel,” Penn corrected him. “It’s something, and I’m being very generous with you, so take it for what it is. I’m giving you the most I can give, and this is it.”

It was true, and he knew it. This was the best he would get from her, and this would be his best chance at protecting Harper and Gemma and everyone else in Capri. He’d have to become a monster and kill strangers to survive, but that had to be better than letting everyone he loved die.

And if he was one of them, it would be easier to try to figure out the curse or at least how to stop the sirens. He’d have their superstrength, so he’d be evenly matched in a fight against Penn. This could be the way out.

“So this is it then?” he asked finally.

“What?”

“I sleep with you now, and tomorrow I become a siren.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and hoped he didn’t look as nauseated as he felt. “And then I’ll leave this life forever and run away with you.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Penn said, pretending to be hurt.

“No, it’s not,” he agreed, and forced a smile at her. “This is the best option I have.”

“It is. So maybe you ought to come thank me for being so nice.”

He walked over to her, almost hurrying to get to her and get this over with. He kissed her, and they seemed to be picking up right where they left off. Only Penn was more insistent now. She began unbuttoning his shirt, but it must’ve been taking too long, because she ripped at it, sending buttons flying across the room.

“Much better,” she said as she ran her fingers over the smooth skin of his abdomen.

His skin trembled under her touch, and that must’ve pleased her, because she laughed. She kissed him again, then, in an inhumanly fast move, she flipped him over. Daniel was lying on his back, and she sat on top of him.

Her dress was hiked up to her waist, exposing the thin straps of her lace thong. He put his hands on her waist, letting his hands slide up under her dress. She smiled, but she grabbed his hands and pinned his arms on either side of him.

“You’re mine now,” she purred.

“I know.”

When she kissed him again, her mouth was hungry and eager. He could feel her teeth scraping against his lips, but there was something pleasurable in it, too. She rocked against him, and when she leaned forward, he could feel the soft flesh of her stomach press against his.

His mind instantly flashed to Harper. When they’d been making out in his bed, her tank top had slid up, and he’d felt her skin against his. It had excited him, and not just because things were so heated. The thought of being with Harper like that, as close as two people could be …

But he had to push her from his thoughts because as soon as he thought of her, he felt sick to his stomach. He’d thought that if he couldn’t get going with Penn, he could try pretending that Harper was Penn, but that would only make it worse.

To keep her safe, Daniel had to forget about Harper and focus on the way it felt when Penn ran her fingers down his chest.

Penn sat up suddenly, and for a second, Daniel was afraid that she somehow knew he’d been thinking of Harper. But then she smiled and slid farther down his legs. Penn leaned down, letting her lips travel down the treasure trail on his stomach, while her hands undid his pants.

Daniel closed his eyes and wished for the moment to be over.

A phone started ringing, a loud, plaintive sound, and Penn growled.

“That’s not mine,” Daniel said, in case she planned on punishing him for it.

Penn glared at the phone on the nightstand. “It’s my damn sister.” She leaned over and grabbed the phone, then threw it so hard against the wall it shattered. “That’s better.”

“You could’ve just turned it off,” Daniel pointed out.

“That was more fun.” She climbed back on top of him. “Now where were we?”

“About here.” He sat up a little so he could kiss her. If they were kissing, then she wasn’t unbuttoning his jeans, and he wasn’t quite ready for that yet.

She pushed him back down, but he tried to hold her to him. He slid one hand up her dress, pressing against her back, and the other one wandered below the string of her panties.