Elegy (A Watersong Novel) (30 page)

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Do you want a beer or anything?”

“No. I just want you to tell me what’s going on,” she said. Daniel opened his beer, flipping the top in the sink, and he lingered in the kitchen as he took several long drinks. “Come here. Talk to me.”

He exhaled heavily and trudged into the living room. The coffee table was right across from Harper, and he pulled it closer to her and sat on the edge of it. With a beer still in his hand, he bowed his head and let his elbows rest on his knees.

His head rested against Harper’s chest, so she leaned forward and put her arms around him. She kissed the back of his head and rubbed his back, feeling the bumps of his scars under her hand.

“Daniel,” she said softly, almost speaking into his hair. “What happened?”

Finally, he lifted his head and looked at her. He just stared at her for a moment, a sad smile on his lips.

“You do look really beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you,” Harper said, but her heart hadn’t stopped racing since he’d gotten home, and she didn’t want compliments. “Why were you covered in blood? Were you hurt?”

He lowered his eyes again and stared down at the bottle in his hand. “No. I wasn’t hurt. That wasn’t my blood. It was Aiden Crawford’s.”

“
Aiden?
What happened? Is he okay?”

“No.” He took a long drink of his beer before speaking again. “I just dumped his body off my boat—in parts—all over the ocean because Liv tore him up. She killed him.”

Harper shook her head in confusion. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” He laughed, a hollow sound. “Because she’s a demon from hell? I don’t know.”

“Why did you help get rid of his body? Did Gemma call you?” Harper glanced at the table, where her cell phone was sitting. She’d left it on, so if Gemma needed her, she would’ve gotten a call. “Is she okay?”

“Gemma’s fine. She’s good,” he assured her quickly. “No, she didn’t call me.” He paused, and it felt like a long time before he said, “I was with Penn.”

“You were … with Penn?” Harper leaned back, pulling away from him and trying to understand what he was saying to her.

“I went out to her house tonight.” He kept staring down, his words low and thick. “To have sex with her.”

“To…” Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, it was impossible for her speak. “To what?”

“She told me that if I had sex with her, then she wouldn’t kill you or Gemma. And if I said no, then she would kill you and Gemma. So I, uh … I said yes.”

It was like the floor had been pulled out from beneath her. She’d been on solid ground, and all of a sudden it was replaced by empty blackness below her, threatening to swallow her up. Her mind swirled with too many thoughts, making her dizzy, and she had to keep swallowing to stop from crying or throwing up.

“So you had sex with Penn?” Harper asked, hoping she kept the quaver out of her voice. “The horrible monster who is ruining my life and my sister’s life, who murders and takes whatever she wants?
That
Penn?”

“I didn’t have sex with her tonight.”

“But you did another night?” she asked, and if he said yes, she was certain she’d throw up.

“No,” he said quickly. “
No.
I’ve never had sex with her.”

“Why not?”

“We were supposed to tonight, but Liv killed Aiden, and that interrupted us.”

Harper brushed the hair back from her forehead, and she realized her hands were trembling. “If she hadn’t interrupted, you would’ve had sex with her?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“So … did you do anything with her?” Harper asked, but he said nothing. “Daniel. Answer me.”

“Yes.”

“Did you kiss her? Did you take off your clothes?” she asked, and when he didn’t reply, she went on, “Did she get further with you than I have?”

He breathed deeply, then so softly she barely heard him, he said, “Yes.”

And then she couldn’t contain herself. Without even thinking, she reached out and smacked him across the face. It was hard enough to make a loud, cracking sound, and the palm of her hand tingled. Tear welled her eyes.

“I am so sorry, Harper,” Daniel said, and he finally looked up at her.

“How long has this been going on?” she asked, ignoring his apology. “When did she proposition you?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Maybe … two and a half weeks ago.”

“Two and a half
weeks
?” She looked up at the ceiling to keep the tears from spilling over and laughed cynically. “Holy shit, Daniel.”

“I didn’t know what else to do,” he said.

“You didn’t?” She smiled bitterly and wiped at her eyes. “You were kissing me and holding me and telling me you loved me, and I was telling you all my secrets and you were planning to sleep with someone else? I was here, on your birthday, planning to share myself with you fully, and you’re lying and sneaking around…”

“I know it’s wrong,” he insisted. “Sex with Penn is gross and horrible, but I had to protect you.”

A tear slid down her cheek, and she let it. “No, Daniel. I’m not mad because you planned to sleep with her.” She shook her head. “I mean, I am hurt, and I don’t know if I’d ever really be okay with that. Even knowing that you did it for me, and for my sister.

“But what I’m really mad about is that you didn’t tell me.” She looked him right in the eyes. “I trusted you, Daniel, with
everything,
with all of me, and you … You didn’t do the same.”

“No, Harper, it wasn’t about trust. I knew that if I told you, you’d try to talk me out of it, and I couldn’t…” He paused, sighing. “I knew that when you found out, this would be over. But I didn’t know how else to keep you safe.”

“That is bullshit, Daniel!” She got up and walked away from him, too angry even to be near him. Pulling the flannel shirt more tightly around her, Harper glared down at him. “You weren’t gonna tell me until
after
! Were you ever even gonna tell me?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“I can’t believe you.” Harper buried her fingers in her hair, holding her head as she tried to process what he’d just told her. Then she took a deep breath and lowered her arms. “I sat on your couch today, texting you I love you, and you were about to go screw my mortal enemy. And I don’t give a shit how noble or valid your reasons are, you should’ve told me, and you know it.”

Daniel stood up, and she could see the tears in his eyes. “I am so very sorry, Harper.”

“What were you thinking?” she asked, restraining herself from screaming it at him. She wanted to hit him and yell at him and demand to know how he could do this, how he could ruin something that was so amazing and destroy the one thing in her life that was nearly perfect.

“I just had to protect you,” he said simply.

“And how did you protect me? By hurting me in the worst possible way?”

“No, I didn’t…” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean for any of this.”

“All this time, you’ve been pushing to get close to me, and I tried to keep you at arm’s length. But you clawed your way into my life, and you made me fall in love with you, and you promised never to hurt me, and you fought so hard to earn my trust.” She let out a small sob when she realized the horrible truth of what he’d just done. “And now I don’t think I can ever trust you again.”

“You would’ve talked me out of it!” Daniel shouted, as if that would convince her somehow. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to talk to me!” Harper yelled back. “And if it would’ve been so easy for me to talk you out of, then it wasn’t the right thing to do, Daniel! Because if it was the right thing, I would’ve let you do it, even if it hurt.”

With a stricken expression on his face, he said, “I’m sorry.”

“No. Stop. I can’t hear that anymore. I think I’m gonna be sick.” She ran over and grabbed her iPod and book bag from where they sat next to the fireplace. “I have to get out of here.”

“No, Harper, wait.” He moved toward her, like he meant to touch her, and she pulled back away from him.

“I can’t. I can’t talk to you right now. I can’t even look at you.”

“I don’t want to leave things like this.”

She started toward the door, pushing by him. “I don’t care what you want.”

“Harper. I love you,” he said, and she stopped to look back at him.

“I don’t believe you,” she said with tears in her eyes, then she turned away and left.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Impact

Harper arrived at her house just before midnight, and she’d somehow managed not to cry the whole way home. It was completely dark, so she crept up the stairs to her old room, hoping not to disturb anyone. She’d just reached the top of the stairs when Gemma emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair.

“Harper. What are you doing here?” Gemma asked.

“Um, I just…” She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

Harper was still only wearing Daniel’s flannel shirt and her new lingerie. Fortunately, she’d buttoned up the shirt, and it was too big for her, so it covered up a lot. She’d been in such a hurry to leave the island that she hadn’t bothered to put anything else on.

“I think I may have just broken up with Daniel,” Harper said finally, and she started to cry.

“Oh, Harper. Come on.” Gemma put her arm around her and ushered her into Harper’s bedroom. She made sure to close the door behind them so they wouldn’t awaken Brian, and Harper sat down on the bed.

“Did you know that he was sleeping with Penn?” Harper asked her.

Gemma had been standing in front of her, and she sighed before sitting down on the bed next to her.

“No,” Gemma said at length. “I mean, I thought something might be going on, but Daniel insisted he had it under control. Then tonight, he kinda confirmed my worst suspicions, and I told him he that he needed to tell you what was going on.”

Harper laughed to keep from crying. “Well, he did.”

“So did he … actually have sex with her?” Gemma asked carefully.

“He says he didn’t, but I don’t know if I believe him.” She shrugged. “I don’t know if I can believe anything he says.”

“Did he say why he was doing it?”

“For you and me. He didn’t elaborate too much on it, but I guess Penn told him he either sleeps with her, or she kills us.” Harper chewed the inside of her cheek. “So he was doing it to protect me.”

“He loves you, Harper.” Gemma put her hand on her back, rubbing it. “And I’m not saying that you should forgive him or that he was right. But anything he’s done, he’s done for you.”

“He may have done the wrong thing for the right reason, but that doesn’t make it okay. It’s still the
wrong
thing,” Harper said. “As soon as Penn came to him and gave him the ultimatum, he should’ve come to me, and said, ‘This is what’s going on. This is what I need to do.’”

“I know. He should’ve talked to you,” Gemma agreed.

“That’s what hurts me the most. I don’t know if I could ever be okay with his sleeping with another woman, especially one as vile and twisted as Penn. But I understand
why
he wanted to go through with it, and if it was for you, too, not just my own life, and maybe…”

“You don’t need to sacrifice your relationship for me, Harper,” Gemma told her resolutely. “I can take care of myself.”

“If he’d talked to me about it, I honestly don’t know what I would’ve said,” Harper indicated. “If I could really agree to it. Because I love him so much, and I would never want him to be with someone else or whore himself out like that. And I know that sounds selfish, like my sister’s life versus sharing him, so maybe I would’ve said yes.”

Harper shook her head. “But that’s not even the point.”

“What do you mean?” Gemma asked.

“It doesn’t matter if I would’ve agreed with his choices or not,” she explained. “It’s that he made such a drastic choice, one that really affected him and me and our relationship, and he didn’t consult me at all. He snuck around.”

“I think he just didn’t want to worry you,” Gemma said.

Harper scoffed. “You do that, and he does that, and it’s ridiculous. I am eighteen years old. I am your
older
sister, and his girlfriend. You don’t need to treat me like a little kid and keep hiding things from me. Stop trying to spare my feelings. I’m with you in all of this.”

“I know. And I’m trying to include you in everything,” Gemma said, allowing a defensive note in her tone. “I just don’t want to interfere with your life more than I have to.”

“You’re not interfering!” Harper was nearly shouting, and she hurried to lower her voice so as not to wake her dad. “
You
are my life. You and Mom and Dad. And Daniel. You’re the most important things in my life.”

Gemma smiled at her. “I’m sorry, and I’ll do better. I promise.”

“Thank you.” Harper ran a hand through her hair and tried to shake off her feelings. “And I’m sorry for being all teen angst right now.”

When there was so much going on, so many things that were vastly more important than her and her relationships, Harper felt selfish and ridiculous getting so upset over them. Losing Daniel felt immense to her, but there were bigger problems at hand. Like the fact that the sirens had killed someone tonight.

“Liv killed Aiden Crawford,” Harper said, and her sister lowered her eyes.

“I know.” Gemma sounded so weary just then, but when she spoke again, her voice was stronger, more confident. “That’s why it’s so important that I work even harder. I’ve been practicing more, trying to harness the siren powers, and if Penn doesn’t get Liv under control, I think I might have to take care of her myself.”

“You’re planning to kill Liv?” Harper asked, forcing herself to keep her words even.

Gemma nodded. “If I need to, yeah. If we don’t break the curse soon, I can’t let her keep running around like she is now. She’ll kill everybody if she has the chance.”