Elise woke up wincing. Sharp, pinching pain traveled through her body as she got ready for the day. Every muscle ached, stiffness locking her joints together with each movement. She could not tell if it was from the chaos of last night’s events, or if it had to do with Layla’s venom still circulating in her body. Elise wanted to blame the latter. But even while her muscles creaked and groaned in pain, agony screaming down her nerves, she craved the feeling of Layla’s fangs in her again and the steady eye contact between them—
“Elise?” Her mother asked.
Elise glanced down. Lost in thought, she had poured her apple juice over her cup and spilled it all over the table. She set the pitcher down, cheeks flaring with an embarrassed heat. “Apologies. I got distracted.” Elise began mopping up the mess with her napkins.
“I’ll say,” her mother muttered. She went back to staring over the Sunday newspaper, eyebrows knitted together. “You certainly seem better today. No longer ill, though a little absent-minded.”
“Mother…” Elise sighed.
“I am so glad I chose to go to the theater last night instead of the fundraiser. The papers are already talking about what a disaster it was. The police are searching for the gunman, who is allegedly Nellie’s ex. The incident has people requesting another formal demonstration of the cure and they’ve called your father and Mr. Wayne ‘rich idiots who should act with their money and nothing else.’ Now your father is upset. I swear to God, if I have to hear one more time about this being a stain on his perfect record, I might…” Analia Saint set the newspaper down and sighed. “He was right to not tell you about this event.”
Elise blinked. “Why? Because I would have made things worse? Because I cause him stress?”
Mrs. Saint’s lips pursed, and her eyes went dark with disappointment. “Well, no. I would have been worried if you were there last night.” She reached for Elise’s hand. “Are you sure you’re all right? You can tell me anything, Elise. I wish you would. You’ve always been so attached to your father. I feel like an outsider when it comes to you two—”
“Excuse me.” Elise pushed away from the table and started for the door at the end of the dining room. She could not be the one to spill the sordid secrets of this house. She would not be the one to cause problems again.
Analia Saint gasped. “Elise Claire Saint, you return to this table right now. I am speaking to you!”
Elise ignored her mother’s orders. A sinking feeling had broken open in her chest at the first mention of her father and Sterling. Elise felt like her world went sideways. She could not understand how her mother remained oblivious to the searing pressure her father loved her with. It was not at all pretty, and nothing to be envious of. Elise wasn’t sure how long it would be like this, her nerves flaring with panic whenever her family made inquiries. There was no hope for her as an heir if her nerves could not handle the responsibilities. And even though Elise knew how her dark thoughts liked to lie to her and ruin her, she still clung on to the small idea that Layla’s venom had her in an inescapable clutch; she was not her faults.
But none of it felt real. A lie was a lie, no matter how convincing it became, no matter how much it comforted the soul it spoke to. Elise’s only reassurance crumbled. Her hands trembled by her sides and she longed for the comfort of piano keys while her heart raced, searching for a tune to synchronize with.
But instead of going up to her music room to play out her emotions, Elise grabbed her coat and left the house. She went to the one constant in her life—the place that roused in her cursed complexities and feelings that hurt so much, she confused them for pleasure. Elise Saint walked straight into the heart of Harlem reaper territory for Layla Quinn.
Elise felt reaper eyes on her while she approached the Hotel Clarice. She regretted having left so early and impulsively now. She did not have a weapon on her, and no one knew where she was. Should the reapers decide to strike, her life was forfeit.
“Bold of you to show up here.” A soft feminine voice sounded in the courtyard around Elise. She turned to see a young woman approaching. The shadows shrouding the hotel seemed to cling to her as she crept forward. Her red lips spread into a smile that looked more sinister than friendly. “Are you looking for your little reaper friend?”
Shivers spread up Elise’s spine at the reaper’s taunting tone. “I need to speak to Layla Quinn.”
The woman stopped suddenly, her nose flaring and the corners of her lips turning down as if she smelled something foul. “She’s not here. I suggest you leave. Most reapers here crave Saint blood. And I won’t stop them when they come for you.”
“Then my father would destroy your entire clan. I might die, but the city will feel the echoes of my death after I go. And I’m not sure you and your little reaper friends could handle that,” Elise said coldly.
It had been the wrong thing to say. The woman bared her fangs and sprinted toward Elise. Bracing herself against the inevitable blow, Elise raised her arms.
But the impact never came. Instead, a figure darted in front of Elise and, with a swift swipe of her arm, slammed the reaper down.
“Back off, Mei. You know she’s with me,” Layla snapped, shooting the woman a poisonous glare.
Goose bumps spread down Elise’s arms as she stepped closer to Layla, eyes shifting between her and Mei.
Mei scrambled to her feet. Her eyes had gone almost black and her fangs dug into her lower lip so hard, blood began to leak down her chin. “She’s on our territory. As far as I’m concerned, she’s fair game—”
“She’s not fair game, she’s mine,” Layla seethed. She stepped in front of Elise, her hand clamping over Elise’s hip to move her farther back. “You touch her, I kill you.”
Heat jolted through Elise at those words. She almost smiled.
Mei’s lip curled in a sneer. “I knew it. I knew I recognized her scent.”
Layla went still. Her body tensed, and Elise’s expression shifted when she heard Mei’s accusation.
“You drank from a Saint.” Mei’s voice shook. With hysteria, anger, or disbelief, Elise couldn’t tell.
“You don’t know the situation,” Layla grumbled.
Mei scowled. “Then tell me. Because it sure as hell doesn’t look like you’ve been trying to kill her.” Elise’s throat tightened as Mei’s gaze traveled over her. “You finally fell victim to Saint manipulation, is that it? You’re choosing her over me? Choosing a Saint over your clan?”
Layla narrowed her eyes, but she said nothing.
“You are an idiot. Fuck reaper-human boundaries, you’ve desecrated Saint property. Valeriya will banish you if she finds out. And she will annul every agreement we’ve ever had with the Saints. No one in this clan will trust you. All this time you’ve been trying to reject your reaperhood, but you are the worst of us all. You want a cure, but all you’ve gotten yourself is a death wish,” Mei spat. Her shoulders trembled with rage as she retreated to the hotel.
Elise crossed her arms as Layla turned to her. Her face was still drawn, darkened by the heated exchange between her and Mei. But when she spoke, her voice was steady. “You should not have come here—”
“I can take care of myself,” Elise said roughly.
“Is that why you showed up with no weapons and smelling like I marked you?” Layla laughed dryly. “I thought you were smart, but you’re clueless. Or is it my venom that has you acting like a damn fool?”
Both. Elise wanted to say. Her brain was twisted and her thoughts were as complex as her feelings all because of Layla and this stupid ordeal she had gotten herself into. Elise clenched her jaw and shot back, “You’re one to talk. I saw how you looked at Nellie last night. You almost exposed yourself as a reaper just to get to her.”
Layla’s lips twitched, but she said nothing.
“Valeriya doesn’t have to know. About the bite, I mean,” Elise said softly.
Something flickered in Layla’s eyes. “If Mei knows, then Valeriya certainly does too. Her senses are far stronger than any other reaper’s I know.”
Frustration bit through Elise as she ground her teeth.
Finally, Layla’s gaze snapped back to Elise. “Why are you really here, Saint?” she demanded.
Elise sighed, defeated. “You want a cure. By now, the whole city knows about Dr. Harding’s research and Mr. Wayne’s plans, and soon enough the whole country will, if not the whole world. Yet no one has ever seen a cured reaper survive. There’s been a pattern between Theo and the dancers being infected and them all having gone to the clinic and the Cotton Club at some point. Mr. Wayne is the common name beneath all of this. You were right earlier when you said we shouldn’t trust him. Ever since Mr. Wayne became involved, things have gone wrong. He doesn’t want to help reapers, or even people. He’s probably funding illegal trials and I think Theo was his first victim,” Elise said.
“Well, his trials are working. Nellie became human—” Layla started. But Elise didn’t let her finish.
“She died. And no one, not the papers, not even Mr. Wayne seems to care—”
“What about your father?” Layla challenged.
Elise blinked. “What about him?”
“Why can’t you see any wrong in your father’s actions?” Layla asked, voice trembling with wild anger.
Elise blanched and stammered, “What? I’m talking about Mr. Wayne—”
“Your father is still involved in this too. Just admit it. Your father isn’t perfect. He isn’t some flawless person that makes everything better just because of who he is.”
“He’s my father—”
“You sure do love saying that. As if that proves anything. Did he even react to the chandelier falling? Tell me—did he seem distressed at all that his party got someone killed? Or was he just upset that his image was tainted?” Layla demanded.
Her father had been drunk last night. But he didn’t seem upset because of the party. His focus had been almost entirely on Elise. Which she had to admit was unlike him, especially when it came to the empire.
If the empire was a tangible thing in her mind, one brick might have crumbled while she considered Layla’s words. The foundation of the empire would crack and cleave while Layla poked holes in its image. Elise didn’t like the direction this conversation was going in.
“It wasn’t his fault, Layla. He knows what he’s doing, he always does. He hates reapers more than anyone—”
“Exactly,” Layla snapped. “He wants them gone. He doesn’t want to cure the monsters that killed his child.”
Elise stopped breathing at the mention of Charlotte.
“At least Stephen Wayne wants to fix things. There is not an ounce of goodness in your father. I know that’s how you see me, so you should see it in him too.” Layla swallowed. “I know what it’s like to be blinded by vengeance and to only want the blood of the ones who hurt you. There is no room for hope, or anything light. Your father doesn’t love…” Layla paused, her eyes flashing while Elise flinched. “If you’re going to accuse Stephen Wayne, then accuse your father, as well. Tobias Saint doesn’t care about anything besides his empire and what it stands for.”
Silence filled the space between them. For a long moment, Elise only watched Layla, her eyes searching her expression. She stumbled through her next words as she shifted the topic, “You want the cure so badly, you are willing to ignore the terrible things Mr. Wayne might be doing to get it?”
“I’m a reaper, Saint. You already know what I want. The whole world does,” Layla breathed.
Months ago, Elise might have agreed; she might have answered with “carnage,” because that was what rogue reapers wanted. But Layla was not a rogue reaper. Elise stepped closer to Layla. “Why are you changing your mind so suddenly? I told you I believed you were innocent.”
A defeated sigh left Layla. “Maybe you shouldn’t have.” She lowered her gaze, fingers clenching into fists against her sides. “I don’t want to do this with you anymore. It’s clear our endgames are nowhere near aligned,” she muttered.
Elise’s heart fell. “Layla, wait—” Layla started to walk away, but Elise caught up with her, grabbing her sleeve. “We’re close. I can…I know we are…please—”
But Layla was already shaking her head. “I don’t know why I ever assumed this would work. We don’t work. And if our past is any indication of how we will end up, then I would rather not go through this again.”
Layla’s voice was soft, and she spoke without malice. But it cut straight into Elise’s heart. Elise stood and watched Layla walk away until she disappeared into an alleyway. Then she was all alone.