He let out a long breath, then lifted his eyes to meet Harper’s. “She’s extended the agreement.”

And she actually felt her heart drop, like it slipped free from her chest and plummeted into some deep, dark cavern below.

“What do you mean?” Harper asked.

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck and took a moment to answer. “After we have sex—if she likes it—she wants to turn me into a siren.”

“But…” She shook her head. “You’re a guy.”

“That’s what I said. But Penn seems to think it’ll be possible.”

“Is she sure?”

“She thinks she is.” He nodded. “I don’t know if she’s delusional or insane or what, but she believes that it’ll work. That I could become a siren and join her for the rest of eternity.”

Harper clasped her hands together, pushing them hard against her stomach, to keep from them trembling. “And you’ve agreed to that?”

“The deal is that she would kill Liv, and I would replace her,” Daniel explained. “We’d leave as soon as I became a siren, and I’d go with Gemma. I’d be able to stay with her and protect her, and we’d be far away from you and everyone in Capri. I would be alive, and everyone I care about would live.”

“But you’d be a weird sex slave to a monster for … forever. You’d give up your entire life, your soul. And that’s if it works. If it doesn’t work, then you’re just dead, which is almost the better option.”

“I know. But it might not be forever.” Daniel stepped toward her like he meant to offer her comfort, but he stopped himself. “We still might be able to break the curse, and this will just give us more time.”

“Just because you’re a siren doesn’t mean that Penn won’t kill you. Or Gemma. She’s killed sirens plenty of times before,” she reminded him.

“But I’ll be stronger. I’ll have the siren power. I can help Gemma, and we could kill Penn together. Even if we can’t break the curse or it takes another thousand years to do it, it’ll be better for everyone on the entire planet if Penn is gone.”

It was all too much for her. She sat back on a kitchen chair out of fear that her legs would give out beneath her. If killing Penn would break the curse, and Daniel would survive becoming a siren, then he was right. He needed to do this, but the thought of it was more than she could bear.

“When is this supposed to take place?” Harper asked finally.

“After the next full moon.” Daniel stood next to her, his hand on the table beside her. “Monday.”

“So in like three days, you’ll be with Penn, then you’ll be gone?” She looked up at him.

“That’s the plan.”

“Does Gemma know?”

“No. I haven’t told her. I hadn’t told anyone yet.”

She exhaled shakily. “Are you gonna do it?”

“I don’t have much of a choice.”

“Of course you have a choice, Daniel!” she shouted, and stood up. He was right in front of her, and she’d never been so tempted to slap someone and kiss them at the same time. “You always have a choice!”

“Then I’ve made my choice,” he said. “I chose the thing that keeps you safe and alive. I chose the thing that can help me stop the evil that’s destroying all our lives. I chose the only thing I can do to protect the people I love.”

“So on Tuesday, you’ll either be dead, or a siren?” Harper asked, since she didn’t know how to argue with that.

“Yes,” he said, and she let out a small sob.

“What if you die, Daniel? What then? You can’t help Gemma or me or anyone. You’ll just be dead.”

“I know, but at least I died trying.”

“No. That’s not okay.” She shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I love you.”

He wiped a tear from her face. “And I love you.”

“Daniel. I can’t let you do this.”

He dropped his hand and shook his head resolutely. “Harper, you can’t stop me. And if I don’t do this, she will kill you. She will kill me, and she will kill Gemma. Is that what you want?”

“No. Of course I don’t want that, but…”

“Then I have to do this.”

“What am I supposed to do? Just let you go? Stand by and do nothing?”

“Just this once.”

“No, I can’t do that. I can’t just … I have to do something.” She stepped away from him, wiping her eyes. “I should call Lydia and Pine.” As she dug in her pocket for her phone, Daniel sighed.

“You don’t need to call them this second.”

“The hell I don’t,” she snapped, but she decided to text Pine instead since she’d already bothered him once today.

Does the scroll say anything about males? Harper sent him.

It says some things about men. Can you be more specific? Pine replied a few seconds later.

Can men be sirens? Harper elaborated.

I don’t know. Is that important?

VERY, Harper replied in all caps.

I’ll check. Give me some time, Pine texted back.

Her eyes were nearly dry now, but Harper wiped at them again and shoved her phone back in her pocket.

“Good news?” Daniel asked.

“More like no news. Not right now.”