Page 34 of This Ravenous Fate
“Elise…”
“I’m not saying she didn’t commit the crime. Trust me, I’m the last person who would ever defend her,” Elise said strongly. “But there are details we’ve come across that don’t make sense. Theo Smith was human when he died, but he was a reaper before. He had a bullet from Colm’s gun in his back. A Saint member would never shoot an innocent human, and Layla confirmed that he fed on Thalia and Colm as well as another young girl before he died. That girl, Shirley Redfield, is now a reaper. Layla is convinced Theo turned her.”
Mr. Saint rubbed his chin, his mouth curving downward.
“But…that makes Theo’s humanity at death more confusing,” Elise continued. “Reapers have existed for centuries—since the first enslaved person was brought to this country—and there has never been a cure for reaperhood. This might prove that there is one.”
Elise stepped closer to her father. Her eyes shone with hope, but it faltered when her father’s frown deepened. “You saw Theo atthe clinic when we visited. Maybe Dr. Harding has started running trials on the antidote for reaper venom. We could talk to him, or Mr. Wayne—”
“And ask what?” her father demanded, his voice sharper.
Elise flinched. “Ask if he knows anything about Theo’s reaperhood?”
“You want me to implicate the man that is to be my business partner? Do you even hear yourself, Elise? I saw Theo Smith’s body, and he was human. Yet you question me and want to question our allies,” Mr. Saint spat. He took his cigarette from his mouth and stabbed it in the ashtray so hard, ash flew onto his desk surface.
The room seemed to close in on Elise. Her breathing grew shallow and her chest tightened, making it difficult for enough air to circulate. “Father, I…I do not intend to upset you. I only want to evaluate every piece of information we have. And Thalia… She wanted to cure reaperhood, so if there was a way, I would feel obligated to—”
“Thalia is dead,” Mr. Saint said flatly.
Elise’s heart skipped a beat. She dug her teeth into her lower lip as her father leaned back in his chair, glaring at her.
“Might I remind you that you were the one who insisted on becoming heir to this empire. In this empire, we kill reapers. Yet now you think they should be cured.” Mr. Saint drew closer to Elise now and the fury lighting his eyes scared her. “Without credibility, you might as well be nothing to me. Should you fail at this task you’ve been given, what will come of you next? Back to Paris, whereyou will have to beg to get into that conservatory? They do not accept failures, Elise. You asked me to stay here instead of your sister. You chose to be my heir, to dedicate yourself to learning this business. Will you look me in my eye and tell me you cannot do it?” he seethed.
“No, sir.” Her voice remained strong despite the tears choking her throat.
“Stop crying. Tears won’t solve this crime, Elise. The empire’s legacy is on the line. We have an opportunity to secure more prestige alongside Stephen Wayne; you cannot mess this up. Don’t let Thalia’s death have been for nothing. And most importantly, Charlotte’s death. Remember, it wasyoushe was protecting.”
Elise blinked her tears back. “I won’t.”
At her words, her father finally retreated. His shoulders relaxed and he lit another cigarette. “It sounds to me like there is a bit of manipulation and misinformation coming from Layla Quinn. I thought you were more careful, Elise. More exemplary.”
“I am, Father,” Elise said.
His eyes cut into her. “Then prove it to me.” Mr. Saint pointed to his door. Elise left, her shoulders feeling even heavier than when she had first returned home. Despite all that had happened today—seeing a dead body, watching Layla taste its blood, seeing a new reaper lair, and being attacked by that new reaper—the encounter that left her the most shaken was a conversation with her father.
And today she’d learned that reapers were hidden in places thatshe’d always considered to be only for humans. That meant the reapers she had seen dancing at the Savoy werereal. Yet her father, with his gentle violence, had convinced her otherwise.
She trembled as she made her way up to her bedroom, her hands clammy and cold on the stairway railing. Elise didn’t know what to make of this new revelation. Her thoughts were too scattered and she was far too tired to try and organize them. So she drew herself a bath. The water scorched her skin as she sank into the tub, but she accepted the pain. Anything to distract her from the cold resentment her father’s words stirred in her.
***
Dear my dovey,
I miss you more than my words can express through the page. Please tell me about everything you have done since arriving in France. I am dying to hear about your studies and all the new friends you are making. How was your first ballet class?
I know you’re scared. I was very scared when I first moved there too. But let me tell you a secret. You’re better at making friends than I am. People like you far better than people like me. You will have no trouble making friends and meeting fun people. I promise you. If you’re ever feeling lonely, just know I am there with you always. In your heart.
I love you more than anything,
Lisey
***
Valeriya took a long look at Shirley’s trembling form and allowed her into the lair. “Another mouth to feed,” Valeriya grumbled. She glanced at Layla. “This one is your responsibility.” Then she was gone.
Layla let Shirley sleep in her bed that night. The young girl’s eyes darted around the room, apprehensive. Layla’s bedroom was nothing spectacular. Its purpose was for sleep, so it had just enough to fit a bed and a chest of drawers that had more empty space than clothes. The best part of the room was the large windows that gave view to the hustling nightlife of Harlem. On tense nights when nightmares made her feverish and spiteful, she cracked her windows to cool down, and fell asleep to the live jazz music that drifted down from the nearby clubs. After looking at the fear still etched deeply into Shirley’s face, Layla made her way to the windows and opened them. A cool breeze blew in, bringing with it a soft piano ballad.
“I heard this place is haunted,” Shirley whispered.
