Page 16 of This Ravenous Fate
The boy shuddered. “No…”
“I know it’s a lot to take in. But you are in a highly volatile state and area, what with being newly turned and police patrolling nearby, so I suggest you come with me into the lair so you can calm down in a safe environment.”
The boy said nothing, but he did stop hissing. He finally closed his mouth, and his eyes settled from the feral gold to a more mutedbrown. “I can hear your heart beating… It’s so slow. Like mine… Am I dead?” he asked.
“Not quite,” she sighed. “What’s your name?”
“Theo.” His voice was rough, but Layla still heard the youth in it. No more than fifteen years old. Sweat covered his brown skin, and he trembled so hard, Layla thought he might collapse.
For a moment, Layla’s tough exterior cracked, and a flood of sympathy overwhelmed her. “I’m Layla. Do you remember what happened?”
“I-I don’t know why I can’t stop. I don’t… I swear I didn’t mean to hurt her.” Theo’s voice broke as he eyed the remains scattered around the room.
Layla clenched her jaw. No matter how many times she tried to help new reapers, it never got easier. Their desperation and guilt cut right through to her own, bringing her back to her first days as a damned soul. She tried so hard to avoid those feelings; it wasn’t her fault she was changed, it wasn’t her fault she had these uncontrollable urges. But it still hurt. It hurt to walk around with a heart that no longer felt like her own and instincts that appalled her, but were as necessary as breathing air.
“I understand what you’re going through,” Layla said softly. “Were you attacked?”
Theo shrugged. “I don’t even remember. I just remember feeling the most pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.” Frantic light suddenly filled his eyes, and Theo trembled harder as he stepped toward Layla. “I haven’t even gone home. My parents are probably worried—”
“We can help you figure that out,” Layla assured him.
Confusion crossed his face. “‘We’?”
“My lair,” Layla said. “It’s the Hotel Clarice—”
“I need to go home,” Theo said quickly. “I need my mother.”
Layla pursed her lips. “It’s best if they don’t see you like this. Trust me.”
“What do you know?” Theo said in a low voice. “I thought most reapers just killed—” He gestured to the bloody mess around him. “I’m sure you and your reapers will jump me the second I walk in.”
“Watch yourself—”
“I don’t need a lecture,” Theo snapped.
The sun was starting to set, and Layla was too tired to argue this boy down. He would have to come to his senses on his own. Layla clicked her tongue and retreated toward the door. “Fine. Valeriya probably wouldn’t appreciate a newcomer now anyway,” she muttered under her breath. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” In a second, her hard shell had re-formed, all the guilt she had felt evaporating with her vulnerabilities.
She could offer a hand as much as she wanted, but she couldn’t force anyone to take it. Theo was on his own.
7
“I can already tell so much success will be achieved within these walls.” Mr. Saint trailed his hand over an examination table, his Saint ring scraping along the polished metal.
Elise’s ears grated at the noise. No one else seemed to notice. Her mother surveyed the lab with curious, albeit judgmental, eyes, and Josi stood on her tiptoes to see over every countertop. Thalia Gray and Sterling stood on either side of Elise, Thalia standing tall in a pristine white coat, while Sterling’s eyes roamed the room.
The laboratory walls were white, and the yellow and green tinted ceiling lights reflected off the white linoleum floor beneath them. Elise, standing against one of the counters, felt claustrophobic with the scent of antiseptic pressing into her from all sides. She shifted uncomfortably, her gloves creasing while she pressed her hands together.
“Pardon my ignorance, but why have you decided to fund a lab,Mr. Wayne?” Elise’s mother asked. “As long as Tobias and I have known you, you’ve given most of your financial support to political causes…”
Mr. Saint’s jaw clenched and he whispered something into his wife’s ear. Analia Saint nodded reluctantly and fell silent.
“That’s an excellent question, Mrs. Saint,” Stephen Wayne began. Elise noticed the expensive watch on his wrist, and it took no genius to know that his suit was of top quality. He wasn’t just rich; he was made of money. Elise knew that was what had drawn her father to him when they had moved to New York. Tobias Saint had been just a man with a small metalworks business, hoping for a break. To him, Stephen Wayne must have been a beacon of possibility.
“If I aspire to be anything,” Mr. Wayne continued, “it’s a man in politics, not a scientist. But scientific research is necessary for ending reaperhood, which, as you know, is my current cause. I do hope the lab meets your expectations. Dr. Harding is a somewhat reserved man, so he is not joining us today, but he’s hard at work in the research lab.”
Mr. Wayne had been acquainted with the Saint family since before Elise was born; later, it had been Mr. Wayne’s money that finally pushed Mr. Saint’s business from a modest factory to an empire. Elise understood why he was so important to the Saints; she just wished her father was as interested in making up for lost time with her as he was in touring laboratories.
“From what I’ve seen so far, I’m impressed,” Mr. Saint said.
