Lullaby (Watersong Series #2)

FOURTEEN - Cravings

Gemma spent the whole morning in the ocean, swimming with Thea, Penn, and Lexi. Penn told Sawyer to stay behind, because she wanted to swim out farther and faster than he could go. And though she hated to admit it, Gemma was glad for that.

Penn led her out farther than she’d ventured on her own before. Gemma had set limits, afraid of enjoying herself too much, but with her new vow to heed Penn’s advice, Gemma let herself enjoy the exploration.

The four of them swam together, flitting between one another like they were performing an underwater ballet. Penn swam quickly, driving them forward, and now they had to be miles from shore. Not only that, but they went deeper down than Gemma had gone before.

The sunlight barely broke through the water, and it was so dark Gemma  could  hardly  see.  Fortunately,  the  iridescent scales of the sirens’ tails managed to shimmer in what little light made it down here, so Gemma could keep track of them.

When they finally surfaced after darting around the ocean, chasing each other and whatever sea life crossed their path, Gemma was relieved. The deeper they went, the colder the water got, until Gemma was nearly shivering. Now the sun warmed her skin as she stared out at the waves around her.

“I told you it was a great day for a swim,” Lexi said, grinning broadly as she floated next to Gemma.

“Everything’s so much easier when you play along,” Penn said, her voice an odd mixture of silk and contempt. “Isn’t it, Gemma?”

“It is,” she admitted, and wiped the salt water from her eyes. “But I think I’m going to head back to shore.”

“You’re such a party pooper.” Lexi pretended to pout, but Gemma couldn’t imagine that she actually cared all that much if Gemma stayed or not.

“Sorry, guys. I’ve had enough swimming for today.”

Penn narrowed her eyes at her, as if trying to decipher something. “You aren’t getting tired, are you?”

“No.” Gemma forced a smile at her. “I’m just getting a little cold. I think I want to go lie out on the beach.”

Penn didn’t seem convinced, but she shrugged noncommittally. “Suit yourself. Thea, head back with her.”

Thea sighed and didn’t argue with Penn, but Gemma thought she looked disappointed. Thea had seemed to be enjoying herself. She’d chased a sea turtle for a while, and Gemma didn’t want to make Thea leave if she was still having fun.

“No, that’s okay,” Gemma said. “Thea can stay with you guys. I know my way back to the shore.”

Thea and Gemma both turned to Penn, waiting for her response, and at length Penn nodded.

“Fine,” Penn said. “We’ll see you when we get back.”

Gemma turned and headed back toward the beach house, a little surprised that Penn had let her go. Apparently Gemma had proven herself enough that Penn had begun to trust her. That was probably a good thing.

She stayed close to the surface of the water as she swam, letting the sun warm her back as she headed toward the land.

When she’d said she was getting cold it hadn’t been a lie, but that wasn’t the only reason she’d wanted to go back. She was getting tired. It was hard for her to keep up with the other sirens, and she had a feeling that it had to do with the awful gnawing hunger in the pit of her stomach.

Her fins were slow to transform back to legs when she reached the sand, and her stomach lurched. Thea had told her that the daily swims would only hold off her need to feed for so long, but Gemma was determined to put it off as long as she could.