Or at least he tried to. He swung, but Penn grabbed his fist. She squeezed it hard, beginning to crush it with her hand. He grimaced, and started to crouch down. Then he kicked out with one foot, swiping Penn’s legs out from underneath her. She let go of his hand and fell back.

“Daniel?” Harper said, flinching when one of the fireworks exploded loudly in the sky.

She was watching Daniel and Penn, and she wanted to do something. In her heart, it felt like she should, but it was as if her feet were locked in place, and her mind was still so foggy.

Daniel kicked Penn in the side, but she grabbed his leg and pulled him down. Once he was on the ground, she jumped on top of him, straddling him between her legs. Her eyes had shifted back to bird-yellow, and her teeth were razor-sharp and couldn’t seem to fit inside her mouth anymore.

He punched her again, and she laughed, an odd cackling that sounded as if it belonged more to a raven than to a person. She grabbed his wrist and pinned it to the dirt so he couldn’t hit her again, and with her other hand she gripped his throat, her fingers elongating around his neck.

“You would be a lot of fun,” Penn said, cocking her head at him. “But you’re probably not worth the trouble. I think I’ll just kill you now.”

“Harper!” Daniel managed to yell as Penn tightened her grip around his throat. He was pulling at her arm with his free hand, but she wasn’t moving. “Harper!”

Something about the panic in his voice broke through the fog in her mind, and when she blinked, it was as if she were seeing the scene for the first time. She remembered watching it all, but that had been like a dream. This was real, and Daniel was in trouble.

Acting quickly, Harper grabbed a huge stick from the side of the path. Penn was too focused on Daniel, opening her mouth wider as if she meant to swallow him, so she didn’t notice Harper coming up behind her.

Using all her might, Harper swung, and the stick cracked hard against the back of Penn’s skull. She howled in rage and pain, the monster roar mixing with her voice and sounding totally inhuman.

Daniel arched his back and threw Penn off, and she landed in the brush nearby. Before Harper could ask Daniel if he was all right, he’d sprung back to his feet. Penn was back up, too, seething as she stepped toward Daniel and Harper.

“Penn!” Thea snapped, and Penn jerked her head back to look at her sister. “What are you doing? Why are you messing with those two?”

“I was looking for Gemma, and things got out of hand.” Slowly, Penn’s face shifted back, looking more human again.