Elegy

ELEVEN Flirtations

“Hey, Gemma,” Harper said, and Gemma glanced over to see Harper and Daniel approaching her, hand in hand. “Sorry it took so long for us to get here. Daniel had to clean up and get the set ready for tomorrow.”

That’s what Harper said, but she lowered her eyes when she said it, and her dark hair looked a little mussed. Daniel’s shirt was also buttoned crooked. If Gemma had to guess, she would’ve said they’d stayed behind a little longer to get in a quick makeout session.

Not that she blamed them. They were new to this long-distance thing, and as much as they both insisted it was fine, being away from each other had to be hard. So it was good when they could get a moment alone together.

“I understand,” Gemma said, smiling to herself.

“You were great in the play tonight, by the way,” Daniel said. “Or at least you looked that way from backstage.”

“Thanks,” Gemma said. “The set looked amazing.”

“It really did,” Penn chimed in, and Gemma had to fight back a groan as Penn smiled up at Daniel. “You are quite the handyman.”

Daniel had been here for all of a minute before Penn found him. Gemma didn’t completely understand what was going on between the two of them, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. She trusted Daniel not to do anything to hurt Harper, but Penn’s interest in him was definitely getting more intense.

“Hello, Penn,” Harper said, smiling tightly at her. She’d been holding Daniel’s hand, but he let go and moved away from her slightly. “I didn’t know you were coming to this party.”

“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?”

“I’ve already made a new friend, Gemma,” Liv insisted. “And if it’s bothering you so much, maybe we should just get a room.”

Gemma knew what it was like to be new and ravenous—an uncontrollable hunger gnawing just beneath the surface. Romance and fear both stoked the beast within, but really, if Liv hadn’t fed yet, then anything would make her hunger flare and spark the transformation.

The one and only time Gemma had allowed herself to become the monster, it had been terrifying, and it had turned into a bloody mess. She’d actually been unable to stop it, and she couldn’t let Liv get to the point of no return. Because then it wouldn’t be just Aiden that she’d have to worry about—everyone in the ballroom would be in danger.

“We’re in a hotel, so we can just go right upstairs.” Liv bit her lip as she looked at Aiden.

“Yeah, we could have our own room in a matter of minutes.” Aiden smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Then nobody could tell us what to do.”

“No, that’s a horrible idea,” Gemma said firmly. “You can’t do that.”

“Gemma, we’re doing it.” Liv tried to step away, but Gemma moved and blocked her path.

“No, Liv, I don’t think you realize what you’re saying or how dangerous it is. You shouldn’t be up there alone with him or any guy.”

“I don’t think you realize how dangerous I am, Gemma.” Liv ran her tongue along her teeth, so Gemma would notice that her incisors had gotten more pointed.

Her wide eyes had gone dark, and Gemma realized dourly that Liv knew exactly what kind of monster she was. Gemma had never learned how to transform on command because she never wanted to risk even letting a little bit of the monster out, but Liv already seemed to understand and embrace it.

If Liv took Aiden up to that hotel room, Gemma was certain that he wouldn’t come back alive. And if Gemma stood in her way, she wasn’t completely sure that she’d stay alive, but she had to do something.

“You had your chance, and you weren’t into it,” Aiden said. “You don’t need to be a cock block.”

“Aiden may be a huge jerk, but I can’t let you do this,” Gemma said, her eyes fixed on Liv. “I won’t let you hurt him or anybody.”

Liv stepped closer to her. “You think you can stop me?”

“I think you need to get yourself under control, or I won’t need to stop you,” Gemma clarified. “Penn will take care of you the same way she took care of Lexi.”

“Please.” Liv scoffed. “She hates you, not me. And I can get rid of you without lifting a finger.” She smiled, then commanded, “Aiden, get rid of her.”

Aiden grabbed Gemma’s arm, but she instantly got free and glared at him.

“Get your hands off me, Aiden,” she snapped. “I am doing this for your own good, but if you touch me again, I will break your arm.”

“Is everything okay here?” Daniel asked, approaching them.

“Yeah, it’d be great if Gemma could just get out of the way,” Liv said.

“Well, she’s not going to.” Daniel stood behind Gemma and crossed his arms over his chest. “But more importantly, Penn wants to see you over there.”

“She does not,” Liv insisted with a whine in her voice, and Gemma glanced back to where Penn stood on the other side of the room. She had that devious smile, the one she got whenever she seemed to enjoy watching Gemma suffer.

“She does,” Daniel assured her. “And she asked me to come over here to get you, and if she has to come over here herself, well … that wouldn’t be good at all.”

“Ugh.” Liv groaned. “She’s worse than my mother.”

Aiden tried to follow as she walked away, but Daniel put a hand on his chest and stopped him.

“Dude,” Aiden said, giving him a hard look.

“I think it’d be better if you stayed back and cooled off,” Daniel said, and he let his arm drop when he was sure that Aiden wouldn’t follow him.

Gemma glanced back, watching, as Liv pouted to Penn. For her part, Penn looked annoyed and not at all happy to see Liv, then she turned and trudged toward the door, with Liv trailing behind her.

“This is the worst party ever,” Aiden muttered, and walked off in the direction of the bar.

“It totally is,” Gemma agreed, and ran a hand through her hair. Then she turned to Daniel. “Penn didn’t send you over to retrieve Liv, did she?”

“No, she didn’t,” Daniel admitted. “Actually, she told me that Liv was your problem, and she hoped that Liv ate Aiden’s heart in front of everyone.”

“Well, that’s pleasant,” Gemma muttered. “I can’t believe she let you come over.”

“She was too busy exchanging insults with Harper to really notice that I was even leaving until it was too late. If she had, she probably would’ve threatened me with dismemberment or death.”

“Probably,” Gemma agreed, and glanced around. “Do you think I can get out of here now? The sirens are gone, and I made an appearance, right?”

Daniel smirked. “You certainly did.”

“I think I’ll just grab Marcy and get out of here.”

“And I’ll get back to Harper.” Daniel took a deep breath and headed back over to his girlfriend.

Marcy was still standing near the appetizer table, talking with Kirby. He was smiling, so it couldn’t be going that bad.

“How do you feel about turtles?” Marcy was asking Kirby when Gemma walked over, and she was really sorry that she hadn’t heard the beginning of the conversation.

“Like the reptile?” Kirby asked.

“You know they are reptiles.” Marcy nodded her approval. “That’s good. Some people think they’re amphibians.”

“Who thinks that?” Kirby arched his eyebrows in confusion.

“Too many people,” Marcy replied wearily.

“Hey, Marce, sorry to interrupt, but I think we’re heading out now if you wanted to join us,” Gemma said.

“Oh, cool,” Marcy said. “I guess we’re heading out then.”

“Okay,” Kirby said, but when Marcy started to walk away, he stopped her. “Um, did you want to exchange numbers, then? So we could watch the Finding Bigfoot marathon together?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Marcy smiled and pulled out her phone. “That’d be great.” They exchanged numbers, with Kirby fumbling a bit as he tried to type it into his phone.

“Wow. I’m impressed,” Gemma said as they walked away.

“Why?” Marcy asked.

“You got his number and made a date.”

“What can I say? I’ve got mad game,” Marcy said.