Page 69 of This Ravenous Fate
“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 astainon 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. Elisefelt 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 thereapers 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 andher 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’smine,” 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. “Iknewit. 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. Hershoulders 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—”
