Page 23 of This Ravenous Fate
Elise breathed in, the smoke singeing her nose. “Sterling can help—”
“No. Sterling has his own responsibilities to worry about,” Mr. Saint grumbled.
Just the thought of her home being overrun by reapers again made Elise shudder. She could not lose anyone else to their terror—sherefused. “I do not want the empire to fall, Father. I will get Layla to talk. Whatever it takes,” Elise said, stronger this time.
Mr. Saint nodded slowly, the fire in his eyes finally settling down. “Why are you so willing, Elise?”
Elise paused, considering his words. She didn’t want this at all. Just a couple weeks ago, she had been ready to spend her days in France, playing music. But things had changed. “I want Josi to be safe—”
“Don’t lie,” Mr. Saint said.
Elise’s throat tightened.I want control back over my life. “I’m tired of Layla ruining everything.”
A slow smile spread across Mr. Saint’s face. “Understandably. When you are done uncovering this crime and collecting necessary information on the reapers, you kill her.”
***
Elise stole a glance at her family ring. The sun never left the gold signet alone; it was almost like a taunt when the shine blinded her, reminding Elise to remember exactly where her loyaltiesbelonged.
She stuffed her hands into her pockets and hurried along the street. The end of August neared, but the summer weather remained in full swing. Elise’s curls stuck to the back of her neck, where sweat steadily formed with each passing minute she spent outside, a cool breeze being the only respite from the heat.
Finally, her destination appeared at the end of the block. At the police department, an officer led Elise straight to Layla’s holding cell. The maximum-security bars, made with Saint steel, should have made Layla seem less intimidating, but the malice burning in her sharp eyes still sold her out as the most threatening thing in the room. When Elise first met her searing gaze, she felt a shift, and all those years between them, all their laughter, their happy memories, their betrayals, came rushing forward. Something unrecognizable flickered in Layla’s eyes, but she continued to scowl.
Elise approached the bars and stared down at her old friend turned adversary. “Breaking into my home and threatening me wasn’t enough? You had to kill three innocent people?”
Layla seemed unfazed. She lifted a brow and when she spoke, her words were cool and slow. “Did you make Daddy promise to give you money if you crack me?”
Ire flared in Elise, her skin pricking with heat. Layla seemed to sense it. Her lips pulled back into a snarl and golden light filled her eyes. “I won’t talk to you.”
Layla was the most stubborn person Elise ever had the displeasure of knowing. And getting her to open up was like trying to splitopen a rock with her fist. How Elise had managed to crack that tough exterior years ago and find exactly what made Layla tick, what made her happiest, evaded her now. And while Elise looked into the defiance set deeply in Layla’s eyes, she wondered if she had gotten herself into something impossible.
“Layla,” Elise said calmly.
“No,” Layla said. She sat on the concrete floor of her cell. “And as long as you stand out there, and I’m in here, you will get nothing out of me.”
Elise lifted a brow. “You want to be released? Talk to me.”
She expected Layla to perk up at the deal, but her scowl settled deeper into her face and she turned away from Elise. “No.”
Elise’s throat tightened, frustration threatening to choke her. “You said you wanted to be freed.”
“I’d rather rot in here than work with you on any matter that could benefit your disgusting family,” Layla snapped. “Waltzing out of here on a Saint’s arm would send such abeautifulmessage to my clan.” Her words were dry and clipped with sarcasm.
A frustrated scream rose in Elise’s throat. But she dug her heels into the ground and gritted her teeth instead. “You would not just rot in here. Someone would take you away, whether it be scientists, or government officials from another country, and you would be at their mercy until your immortal body gave out.” After having gone over them with Sterling so many times before arriving, the words sounded stiff to Elise. But the faint flicker of fear in Layla’s eyes told her they were working. “But let it be known, this situation is not justabout my family. This is bigger than all of us.”
An empty smile found Layla’s lips. “Wow. I didn’t know it was possible for you to think of anyone but yourself.”
Elise narrowed her eyes. “If we work together, we will benefit from each other. Isn’t that what your parents wanted? For reapers and humans to be united?”
Layla went still, the only movement being the newly sparked fury in her golden eyes. “Do notspeak about my parents.”
“You leave me no choice. There are people dying, and you’re hissing over a broken friendship that you should’ve gotten over years ago.”
“Toyou, it’s just a broken friendship. It was easy for you. You’re not the one who died.” Layla’s words sent chills down Elise’s spine.
Elise swallowed hard. She held her stare for a long time, watching the clashing emotions Layla contended with. Then she backed away from the bars separating them and sighed. “We don’t have to be friends, we don’t have to like each other, hell, we don’t even have to respect each other. All I’m asking is that you speak to me.”
Layla pondered her words for a moment. “What do I gain?”
