“I am not running a hotel here. I’m going to start charging rent if you keep bringing more people into my apartment,” Jamie grumbled. He slapped a pillow onto the couch and stalked out of the living room. Hendricks stared up at Elise from the rug, his tail swishing in satisfaction behind him.
Elise gripped the end of Layla’s borrowed shirt. She was not particularly fond of cats, and the way this one stared up at her was starting to make her feel stranger than she had felt when Layla proposed they stay with a gangster for the night.
“I have no idea where Valeriya is, and Sterling is still out there looking for you. You need to hide. It’s just until we figure out what to do,” Layla had insisted as they hurried out of the Clarice and into the storm outside.
Elise had stopped in the downpour, rain pounding against her head so hard, she was certain she had heard Layla wrong. “Are you insane? It could take days to figure out what to do next! You want me to sleep in the same apartment as a criminal?”
Lightning struck, and thunder shook the area around them. Layla grinned at the fear that dashed across Elise’s face. “If you want to stay out in this storm, or return to your father, be my guest.”
Elise had never run harder after Layla. But when Jamie had opened his door for them, Layla had hesitated.
“I need to find Dr. Harding. He can give us more information.” Layla touched Elise’s cheek, her eyes fierce. “Do not leave this apartment and do not open the door for anyone.” Then, before Elise could protest, Layla was gone.
Now, Elise stared down at this gray cat, who had not stopped following her around since she arrived.
“Layla thinks he’s evil,” Jamie said. He nudged Hendricks with his foot and he hissed, then finally trotted out of the room.
“No wonder he likes me, then,” Elise muttered. She hugged her arms around her chest and sat on the couch. She had not been expected to sleep anywhere but a four-poster bed since France, when she went out with friends on weekends and fell asleep wherever there was an available spot.
“The world is full of sin. I’m more surprised when people aren’t evil. You’ll be just fine,” Jamie called as he walked down the hall to his room.
Elise took one more look at the couch, then got up and crept to the first door in the hallway. Layla’s room. The tension in her body eased up as if Layla was beside her right then, gentle hands of assurance guiding her to the bed. When she laid down, Elise pressed her face into the pillow and smiled. It still smelled faintly of Layla.
The lab was something of a haunted spectacle at night. Shadows stretched across the linoleum floors, the white tiles dim and gray in the faint moonlight that filtered through the windows. Layla crept through the clinic first, which felt unnervingly dead at this hour. She made her way to the back rooms, where she hoped to find offices and did.
Layla pushed the door labeled “Dr. Harding” open, then threw herself against the wood as a bullet rushed past her.
“Oh, Christ!” Dr. Harding ducked behind his desk, gun still pointed toward Layla. “I thought you were Stephen!” he whimpered. “Please don’t kill me. I swear, I didn’t want to do any of this. He made me!”
Layla lifted her hands, coming away from the door. Luckily for her, the man only had regular lead bullets loaded into the gun. “I’m not here to hurt you. I just need some information about this poison you mentioned to the Saints. Stephen Wayne gave my friend a cure, and she ended up dead. I still don’t remember what exactly happened.”
Dr. Harding seemed to relax a bit. He lowered the gun and sat up so his face was no longer blocked by the desk. “Small contact with the drug will cause amnesia. Your friend might have killed herself to save you. I’ve seen it happen in trials. When a reaper is given the cure and is unable to destroy someone near them, they destroy themselves instead. The drug creates an insatiable urge to kill.”
Elise thought back to Theo and Mei, who had been infected and still somehow stopped themselves from hurting her.
Dr. Harding continued, “Stephen Wayne is working on controlling the reaper venom market. He was going broke and figured this would be his big chance to make his money back. He probably went to other scientists first, who refused his ideas because they are so destructive. But I guess my failure caught his eye. My license was revoked after I ran a trial on a reaperhood cure without proper permission and my cure turned them into worse monsters. I want to cure reapers. I want to help them. It was never my intention to turn them worse, or kill them. But Stephen told me I made something wonderful. It was my mistake believing him. But by the time I realized his intentions to make weapons out of reapers, he had already begun poisoning me with reaper venom. It made me bone tired and obedient. I swear, I wanted to do good.” Dr. Harding dropped his head.
Layla narrowed her eyes. She vaguely remembered how strangely he had behaved at the fundraiser. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
The doctor moved back behind his desk and pulled open the door to a cabinet where a row of vials sat. “These are actual antidotes that might have the ability to be turned into true cures. Thalia Gray was working on these, developing them from her mother’s work. They should have been given to Mrs. Gray,” Dr. Harding said sadly. “I confiscated them because I knew Stephen would get upset if he saw her working on them, but I believe he already had suspicions…”
Understanding weighed heavily on Layla’s shoulders. She crossed her arms, her glare deepening. “So what are you going to do now?”
“I want to stop Stephen Wayne. I tried to expose him the night of the fundraiser by exposing the real effects of the drug, but the chandelier…I think that was his doing. To stop my demonstration.” Dr. Harding shook his head. “He is planning on presenting these weapons to Hugh Arendale at a rally at the Alhambra tonight. It could be great for Arendale’s platform; people are afraid after the war and they want to make sure they’re protected. The deadlier weapons we have, the safer people will feel. There are many variations of these developing drugs, but none of them are ready. I believe Stephen Wayne originally saw hope in a cure, but grew impatient when so many tests failed. He turned to the darker route of using the monsters to his advantage. Now everyone is in danger.” Dr. Harding shut the door. “Too many people in power choose evil. Stephen wants glory even if it’s in creating destruction. One might say humans are innately malevolent—look at history. It’s not made by great men and great minds, but rather selfish motivations. Great minds can come up with valuable things, but also unfathomable destruction. But regardless, there is always an option. Always a choice to do good. I want to stop him before it’s too late.”
Layla nodded, an idea already popping into her mind. “Can you explain how this poison works?”
The Saint mansion rose up in front of Elise. Just a few more steps, and she would be able to face her family again. It had not been her idea; Layla had been the one to insist that she go home and apologize to get back into her father’s good graces.
“We need you in that house, Saint. It’s the only way we can keep close tabs on him,” Layla had said earlier that morning.
Elise’s throat went tight then. “I’m not even positive my father will let me back in the house.”
“Tell him your behavior was completely out of your control because I entranced you with my reaper venom.” Layla leaned against the kitchen counter, her arms crossed. She had been out all night, and when Elise found her in the living room this morning, she had resisted the urge to fall into her arms like a love-cursed muse. “Saint, I’ve got your back. If your father tries anything, I will be right there—”
“No. You have to stay away. He will have you killed,” Elise said quickly.
Layla’s eyes went soft. “I’ll be fine—”
“Promise me you won’t show up. No matter what,” Elise had commanded.
Now she stopped in front of the gates to the Saint estate, her hands up as Saint guards pointed their guns at her. Despite the time she had spent there since coming home, she still didn’t recognize any faces. It seemed the empire was growing and training new members every day. Her home started to feel less like one and more like a business the longer time passed.
“I’m here to apologize. Please just tell my father. I’m not here to cause chaos,” Elise insisted.
The Saint guard who was nearest her scoffed. But before he could speak, Sterling’s voice rang out from the now-open front door. “Let her in.”
Elise pushed past the guards and stepped into the house. It felt empty, mostly because her mother did not come sweeping in with a hug and stern words. “Where’s my mother?” Elise asked.
“She’s busy.” Instead of Sterling, it was her father who spoke. He stood outside his study, the door shut firmly behind him, his hands shoved into his pockets. “Care to explain yourself, Elise?”
Guilt dampened Elise’s eyes and she looked down. “Layla made me act for her. You were right. She has corrupted me with her venom.” She looked up, forcing tears into her eyes. “I didn’t mean any of it. I’m sorry for the destruction I’ve caused.”
Her father’s stony expression did not change. “Go clean yourself up. Then we will continue this conversation.” He looked at Sterling, nodding slightly. “Get her Stephen’s antidote—whatever you have left of the one he gave you,” Tobias Saint grumbled as he left the room, Sterling following after him.
Smiling to herself, Elise slipped upstairs to her room. She changed out of Layla’s borrowed clothes and into a formal dress, making sure to hide Layla’s shirt and pants beneath her mattress.
“I want my gun back.” Sterling’s voice turned her around. He set a vial on the nightstand—Stephen Wayne’s antidote.
Elise winced. “I lost it. I’m sorry.”
Sterling stared down at her with a strong jaw and steady amber eyes. He pointed to the antidote. “Take that. Don’t come down until you do.” His voice strained.
Elise’s heart fell as she watched him leave her room. Minutes ticked by, the vial glinting in the evening sun. She swept it into her pocket and headed into the hallway.
The second the elevator doors closed, Elise could not hold back anymore. She doubled over, sobs pouring out of her. Was this all she would amount to in her life? Walking away from one person she loved just so she could take a risk on someone who could barely look at her because it felt like it was the right thing to do?
Elise gripped the elevator railing and breathed hard, trying to calm the torrential downpour of tears. Moments passed as she steadied her breathing. By the time the weight on her chest lifted and the pain alleviated the slightest bit, the elevator reached the main floor.
Elise reached forward to open the door, but a hurried whisper stopped her. “Wait.” She looked up to see Layla peeking through the escape hatch at the top of the elevator.
“Christ, Layla. What are you doing here—I told you not to come!” Elise exclaimed, stunned. Her tears had not yet dried and she was already fighting back laughter at the sight of Layla dropping headfirst out of the elevator ceiling.
Layla stopped mid-descent, her legs hooked over the ledge. She threw Elise a nasty look. “Don’t look so surprised. You didn’t notice, so obviously it’s a great hiding spot. And like I said, I. Will. Be. Fine.” Layla gritted out. “Did they hurt you?”
Elise shook her head and removed the vial of antidote from her pocket. “Sterling gave me an antidote. They must believe you’ve infected me.”
“Good.” Layla nodded. Then she grabbed Elise’s sleeve and pulled her closer. “Give me your blood,” she demanded.
“Okay.” Elise began to unbutton the top of her dress, but Layla grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
She gaped. “Are you not going to ask me why?”
Elise shrugged. “I trust you,” she said. Once she was unbuttoned, she stared at Layla, who had gone still in her upside-down position. “How will you drink from me like that? Won’t it be hard to swallow?”
“You underestimate me.” Flashing a wicked grin, Layla reached forward and sank her fangs into Elise’s throat.
Elise certainly did underestimate Layla. Not her skill, but the effect she would have on her. Layla’s teeth in her neck, reaper venom numbing the pain and rousing every pleasure center in her body, made Elise’s skin tingle and eyelids flutter. Warmth rushed through her and she felt light, on the verge of floating. Elise rocked forward, her hand coming up to steady herself against the elevator wall. Layla’s hand fisted in her dress, and Elise closed her eyes, a soft moan leaving her throat. The slight pain in her neck from the bite dissolved into a pleasure so great, her stomach clenched and knees went weak. The heat in her body increased until she was nearly panting, her hand tightening around the elevator railing so hard, her fingers went numb. In this moment, Elise was convinced heaven existed and that she had found it with Layla. She almost opened her mouth to say so, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to get any words out among all of her bliss.
Then, in a split second, the intensity rushed away and faded to an aching pulse in the pit of her stomach. Elise opened her eyes to see Layla staring up at her. Her eyes glowed gold and Elise’s blood stained her lips. She ran her tongue over the blood, her mouth curving into a satisfied smile. “Look at you,” Layla murmured wistfully.
Elise still felt like she was on fire. A new craving arose for that heavenly pain. The blush that heated her face when she remembered just how vocally and physically she had reacted to Layla’s bite only made it worse. She nodded, buttoning the front of her dress. “Holy hell, Layla.”
Layla nodded slowly. If Elise didn’t know any better, she would think the fire in her glowing eyes was more than just an instinctual reaction to her human blood. “If he tries anything against you, he will know you’re under the influence of my venom.” Layla tugged on Elise’s dress when she didn’t say anything. “Hey, Saint?”
Elise looked back at her. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but failed. “Yes?” she barely managed to grit out.
“We’re so close. Don’t go to pieces now,” Layla whispered fiercely.
Elise wanted to shake Layla and tell her that was impossible. It was impossible not to fall apart when it came to her. But she just nodded. “I’m good.” And when Layla retreated back up on top of the elevator, Elise still felt her bite, lingering like a drawn-out kiss against her pulse, her life force forever altered by Layla Quinn.
Back in her father’s study, Elise felt like she was suffocating. She stood before her father’s desk, staring right into his eyes while Mr. Wayne stood beside him and Sterling leaned against the far wall. He watched Elise with doubtful eyes, his gun fully visible on his hip.
The pressure of their attention on her made her chest ache, and her breath became shallower with each second. Layla’s venom only heightened her agitation, her skin prickling and heart yearning to be near her and only her.
“How do I know I can trust you again?” her father demanded.
Elise bit her lip. “I never wanted any of this to happen. I just wanted to figure out who killed Thalia and get rid of Layla. But she outsmarted me at every turn.”
Her father frowned. His eyes were red and his fingers shook as he lifted a glass of wine to his mouth. “You’re not quite apologetic enough. You need to understand that your actions have consequences. Right now, you are no longer my heir. That role has gone to Sterling. He’s proven his loyalty to me time and time again. The only time he fumbled was when he was with you. It seems that you are the poison in this empire, Elise.”
Though his words stung, a weight lifted from her shoulders at the knowledge that she was no longer his heir. As long as she had freed Josi from her father’s clutches, as far as Elise was concerned, she had done exactly what she had set out to do and she had gotten what she wanted.
The sound of the front door opening split their attention and shouting sounded in the hallway outside. Elise turned right in time to see the door fling open, several Saint guards scrambling to speak at once. “Sir, apologies, she threatened to kill him—”
Then Layla Quinn shoved her way between them, Dr. Harding in tow. She held a gun to his head—Sterling’s gun.
Sterling raised his remaining gun when he saw her. “Release him—”
“No, I think we can have a civil conversation first,” Layla snapped.
Mr. Wayne held his hands up, panic slipping through his haughty mask. “What is this about?”
Layla nodded to Dr. Harding. “Go ahead. Explain yourself.”
Dr. Harding stumbled through his words, detailing the things he had told Layla the previous night. Even though Elise had heard everything from Layla this morning, the devastation in his voice still shocked her. She couldn’t understand how anyone could have the desire to create such desolation.
Mr. Wayne rolled his eyes and turned to Elise’s father. “This is bullshit. She could not tell the truth if her life depended on it. I had nothing to do with Dr. Harding’s malpractice. I did not know about it until Elise told us.”
Mr. Saint’s eyes darted from the doctor to Mr. Wayne. His expression looked less stern than before and almost gaunt now. He breathed hard and shook his head. “Dr. Harding, you’ve committed many atrocities since we endorsed your practice. This will only look terrible for our reputations.”
Layla snarled. “So what will it be? Prison? Or I could just kill him and you won’t have to worry about your reputation—”
Stephen Wayne shook his head. “Now, wait a minute. He is still my friend. Nothing has to happen to him.”
Mr. Saint looked at Mr. Wayne oddly. “Are you defending him?”
Layla’s eyes sparked and she grinned.
Mr. Wayne waved his hand around, as if he could physically dismiss the accusations. “No, but we need him. We all do,” he hissed.
Elise’s brows drew together in confusion. She glanced down at the wineglasses on the desk, only then noticing that there was an extra one. “Who else is here?”
As if on cue, the door leading to the sitting room opened, and in stepped Valeriya.
Behind her, Josephine Saint.
Elise’s heart stopped when she saw her little sister. She froze, her pulse skipping several beats. Josi was supposed to be in France—Elise had seen her off at the pier.
Elise’s breath stilled as her chest constricted with realization. Josi had never gotten on that boat. The whole trip had been a lie.
She tried to go toward her, but Layla held her back, her eyes wide and body bristling. “Don’t touch her. She’s infected.”
“It’s true. She’s starting to really enjoy my venom,” Valeriya said. She held her hand out and Josi took it.
Josephine cocked her head to the side and gazed at her sister. “You look sad, Lisey.” The girl seemed distant, her eyes glassy and unfocused. Elise almost couldn’t recognize her. The whole thing felt disturbing—like a mirror held up to all the atrocities and fears Elise had witnessed over the past few weeks.
All air left Elise’s lungs. She strained against Layla’s grasp and screamed at her father and Mr. Wayne, “What did you do?”
“She’s not turned. Not yet. But she’s developed a very strong bond to Valeriya. I suppose separating them will be difficult.” Mr. Saint regarded Valeriya almost wistfully. Something clicked for Elise as she noticed his bloodshot eyes and unsteady frame.
“You too. You’re infected too,” Elise whimpered. Poison was seeping through her family at an alarming rate.
Her father turned back to her. “I can give you one more chance, Elise, to prove your loyalty to this family. Hand over the Quinn girl and the doctor. You need him to fix Josephine anyway. You have no choice.”
“No,” Layla said sharply. “You always have a choice.”
But Elise did not. Each inhalation felt like knives to her chest. She let out a sob as she looked at Josi again. Her sister was in even worse danger than before, and Elise had no idea where her mother was. She did not want to make one more wrong decision that led to disastrous consequences. She was done.
In the end, Saint steel and reaper blood was all it took to rein them in. Sterling handcuffed a stunned Layla and dragged her out of the room.
“We will go to the Alhambra, where Mr. Arendale is awaiting us before he departs on his final tour ahead of the mayoral election. I expect excellent behavior. For now, the Quinn girl is mine. The perfect specimen,” Mr. Wayne had announced.
Now, Elise sat in the back of the car, Josi between her and Valeriya, while Layla was shoved into another car with Sterling and several other Saint guards. Her father and Mr. Wayne headed the entire party in their own car with Dr. Harding.
Despite her anger and defeat, Elise did not cry. She stared ahead, trying not to look at her sister’s new, crass appearance. Josi sat like a statue in her seat, unmoving and eyes locked on the distance. She seemed to be in a trance. The sight of her made Elise’s stomach turn, but more than anything, she felt guilty Josi had been involved in all of this.
Valeriya gave her a smug smile. “To be fair, this was not your father’s idea. He thought an alliance with me would help him figure out a way to turn you and Layla against each other. He despises how well you work with her. But he never even noticed that I slipped my own blood into his wine. That was Stephen’s idea. He wants your empire gone. What he does not know is that I want reapers gone and his work might just be the beginning of that.” She stroked her hand over Josi’s hair. “Now there’s just one more Saint to infect before the entire empire comes crumbling down.”
“You’d work against your own kind?” Elise breathed.
“You don’t understand what it’s like to live so long with so much stacked against you. Life as a reaper is closer to hell on earth. It’s time for it to end.”
Elise said nothing for the rest of the car ride. She was the only one instructed to get out of the car when they arrived at the theater. With a painfully tight grip on her arm, a Saint guard led her to the middle of the ballroom floor. Any other day, Elise might have marveled at the grandeur of the building around her. If she closed her eyes, she could almost hear the music of some of the greatest performers still echoing within the walls. But now, all she could do was stare warily at the glossy floors beneath her and the chandeliers that hung overhead. Above her sat Mr. Wayne and Mr. Saint, who were sharing a glass of dark liquor with the mayoral candidate. It was truly a spectacle to see now—three men, with enough money to shut down a wildly popular theater for a few hours just so they could witness something sinister unfold.
Sterling arrived with Layla in tow, shoving her beside Elise. Dr. Harding followed closely, and when he caught Stephen Wayne’s eye up above, he glared.
“What do you have for me, gentlemen?” Mr. Arendale asked. He was a heavyset man, with wide shoulders and a torso stiff like a tree trunk. His saggy forehead puckered when he saw the blood trickling down Layla’s wrists from the cuffs she wore. “Something better than this, I hope?”
Mr. Wayne nodded, smiling. “My partner here has come up with what could be a weapon to change our world. Any war that occurred would be in our hands.”
Layla breathed so hard, Elise half expected to see steam coming from her nose. She scowled right at her, the vitriol in her eyes nearly as palpable as the blood that dripped from her hands.
“Consider me intrigued,” Mr. Arendale said.
Elise barely paid attention to the activity around her. She was too focused on Layla. So when a Saint associate moved behind her and Layla’s eyes darted up, she could only stare. Until Layla barreled into her, tackling her to the ground.
She gasped, pushing at Layla’s shoulders. And as Layla sat up, rolling off her, Elise saw the needle and syringe poking out of her neck. Her heart dropped. “No,” she whispered. “No, no, no, no, no—”
“Run,” Layla rasped. She looked at Elise, blood already spilling over the whites of her eyes. “Run. And don’t look back.”
Elise hesitated. She watched as Layla’s hands braced against the ground, massive talons tearing from her fingers and sinking into the floor. It wasn’t until she looked up again, eyes bloodshot and fangs dripping blood, that Elise did as she was told.
She ran.