Page 49 of This Ravenous Fate
Layla dropped the five-hundred-page book on medical evolution. It hit the desk so hard, the wood creaked and dust billowed up around the room. The only thing these books were good for was collecting dust and potentially being a deadly weapon. Layla lifted her brow, considering.
“What are you looking for?” Mei’s voice turned Layla around.
Mei leaned against the door, hip popped out and arms crossed. Her black hair was plated beautifully and the red qipao she wore was so striking on her, Layla’s breath nearly caught in her throat at the sight. She swallowed. “Nothing.”
“Really? That is the only thing you could come up with?” Mei walked into the room and shut the door behind her, the ruined lock dangling against the wood. “I see you broke the lock. Valeriya toldme to tell you to stay out of her study while she’s away. The entire clan is whispering about you.”
Layla rolled her eyes. “Of course. ‘Reapers stick together’?” she scoffed. “We should rethink that.”
Mei sighed and went silent for a long moment. Her lips pursed, brows going flat as she watched Layla. “Are you finished?”
“Why are you suddenly wanting to interact with me again? Has my case gone stale enough that it’s now appealing, rather than disturbing?” Annoyed, Layla couldn’t help the bitterness that soured her tone. “I’m busy, Mei. Go bother someone else.”
“So, youarelooking for something.” Mei placed her hand over the massive book sitting on the desk between them. “Whatever it is, it can wait. And it should wait. The entire clan is on your ass about working for a Saint. Word got out about the Cotton Club incident and how you are at the center of it.”
Layla gaped. “I am not—”
“The papers have reported on the incident. Thepapersare what people believe.Youare in danger,” Mei said through gritted teeth.
Layla huffed out a breath. “First of all, I am not workingfora Saint. I am workingwitha Saint. I would never stoop so low, and I am highly offended that you think I would—”
Mei sighed. “Layla—”
“Second of all, I don’t exactly have a choice here,” Layla snapped.
Mei’s biting expression fell into confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I was offered immunity to solve the crimewiththe Saint heir.”She gestured to the books surrounding them. “Believe it or not, research is heavily involved in solving crime. Anyone could have asked me what was going on, but no. For such bloodthirsty menaces to the world, these reapers are pretty cowardly.”
Mei snorted. “It’s not cowardice. It’s leverage. It’s easier to stay away from a bomb that will inevitably explode. But we will remain in the ashes to sift for the valuables left behind. No one cares about what you’redoing, Layla; that’s my whole point. They care about the precedent you’re setting.”
As logical as Mei’s words were, Layla couldn’t bring herself to latch on to them with any sincerity. “I don’t care, Mei. And as far as I’m concerned, we are not friends. So whatever ‘word of advice’ you have for me, you can keep to yourself,” Layla said coldly.
She expected pushback from Mei. But the determination that seemed to always be aflame in her eyes was damp around the edges, duller than usual. Mei sank away from the desk and walked to the door. Her hand rested on the handle while she turned to look back at Layla. “You’re relying on a Saint’s word. You of all people should know their word is as good as shit. Remember the ones who have been there for you since you became damned. It was not the Saints. And it never will be.” Mei left, slamming the door behind her.
Her words echoed in Layla’s mind until the dust, stirred from the slammed door, filled her throat as she inhaled. After a violent fit of coughing, Layla gave up. She reached for one of the stationery sets on the desk, intending to write her mentor a note, but paused whenshe saw the name scrawled across every envelope in the set:Sena.
Layla’s heart stopped. These were the letters her mentor wrote endlessly. She was tempted to look, craving a glimpse into Valeriya’s life. But Layla snatched her hand back, remembering whose study she stood in and the grace she had been offered. She would not spoil that trust to satisfy her own curiosities. With one last glance at the stack of letters, Layla left the room, her mind spinning and her throat burning.
22
Layla was still coughing out bits of dust when she went out to the street outside the Clarice. For the first time since becoming a reaper, she considered ripping her own throat out to relieve the irritation, but that would only—
“I thought you said your allergies were gone?” Elise’s voice startled the remnants of dust right from Layla’s system. She turned to see her waiting on the sidewalk.
“Why are you here?” Layla demanded.
“What a beautiful welcome,” she said sarcastically.
Layla ignored her tone. “You said we were meeting in a few days. I haven’t found anything yet.”
Elise shrugged. “Fine.”
Something was off. Elise seemed less rigid than usual, her shoulders relaxed into a gentle curve rather than the harsh edges they typically formed. And there was a softer presence in her eyes. Foronce, her body didn’t bend to bear the weight of her responsibilities, her jaw was not clenched so tightly.
Layla sighed. “I’m assuming you have information to share, otherwise you wouldn’t be here—”
“Can I not justbehere?” Elise quipped.
