Page 81 of This Ravenous Fate
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Elise’s father called her to his study hours after her initial confrontation. She stepped into the room cautiously, her eyes landing on her father behind his desk.
Mr. Saint said nothing, just watched her settle in front of him.
His silence frightened her and Elise scrambled to say something before he exploded, “Father, I want to apologize—”
But he lifted his hand and gestured to the door, which swung open. In stepped Mr. Wayne and Dr. Harding. The latter looked exhausted as usual, dark purple smudges beneath his sunk-in eyes. He slumped a bit after Mr. Wayne, whose bright smile dimmed when he noticed the room’s waning atmosphere. “Has our meeting been moved?” he asked.
Mr. Saint shook his head. “No. You’re right on time. It’s been brought to my attention, though, that Dr. Harding here is no real doctor,” he said darkly.
Elise felt the storm of her father’s wrath starting to close around the room. She pressed herself against the wall, lips tight.
Stephen Wayne glanced down at his colleague, astounded. “What is he talking about?”
Dr. Harding’s eyes darkened. “There is something terriblespreading among reapers and humans, and I only wanted a chance to stop it before they could destroy our city—”
“You’re not a real doctor?” Stephen Wayne demanded.
“Listen to me. The poison is still out there—”
“I think the only poison is you.” Mr. Saint gestured to the door and two Saint members walked in, immediately restraining the doctor between them.
“No. Wait!You don’t understand…” The rest of Dr. Harding’s words trailed off as the Saint members dragged him from the room.
Silence cloaked Tobias Saint’s office. Elise stepped away from the wall and faced him, guilt already flooding her upon seeing the sudden exhaustion etched into her father’s face.
“We will not go public with this. It would only humiliate us further,” Mr. Saint said.
Mr. Wayne nodded. “Of course. My deepest apologies, Tobias. He had me completely fooled.”
“He used a fake identity,” Elise whispered.
Mr. Saint stood, sticking a cigar into his mouth. He cleared his throat. “No more mistakes. We must move forward. Do you stand with this empire, Elise?”
Tightness constricted her chest and her breathing faltered, but Elise remained tall, her jaw clenched to keep her panic from exploding. “I do.”
Sighing, her father tore his gaze away from her.
“Perfect.” Mr. Wayne clasped his hands together. “Elise, I need you tomorrow. We will still deliver the cure to the Harlem clan, andLayla will be our first subject to demonstrate to the rest of the reapers that our cure is perfectly safe. There’s bound to be mistrust. But if you offer a bargain first, there will be significantly less tension.” He raised an eyebrow, expectant. “Are you with me, Elise?”
Elise shared a look with her father, who only gave her a firm nod. She looked back at Mr. Wayne and reached forward to shake his hand. “I’m with you.”
34
A miracle was taking place in Jamie’s tiny apartment just past midnight. Layla, being the bigger person, had gotten over Hendricks’s early assault on her. So when Jamie retired for the night and Hendricks did not follow him to his bed, Layla remained on the couch with him. Her blood had barely dried in his fur and he now sat so close to her, his fur brushed her leg whenever he breathed deeply in his sleep.
Now, Hendricks twisted onto his back, belly exposed, fully snuggling against Layla’s leg. Layla stiffened at first. Then when he started to purr, she relaxed.Okay. She thought, setting her book down so her hands were free.Let’s settle this right now.
The second Layla moved into place to pet him, Hendricks’s eyes flew open. They focused on her, the green luminescent in the moonlight coming through the window beside the couch. But he did not move away from her, nor did he hiss.
She reached down to let him sniff her hand. He gave her one sniff. And then the unthinkable happened. Hendricks rubbed his face against her knuckles. He wriggled on the couch to get closer to her, his purrs increasing.
Excitement spread through Layla like a drug. She grinned while Hendricks continued to purr and she returned his affection with gentle pets on his head and scratches behind his ears. Layla laughed to herself. This stupid little cat was the cause of the most joy she had experienced in weeks.
She opened her mouth to say something to the cat, and was interrupted by glass shattering. Hendricks leapt to his feet and hissed, beelining for Jamie’s bedroom. Layla stood, alarmed. She immediately noticed the rock on the rug among the scattered glass and the hole in the window.
Layla stepped over the glass and looked outside, expecting to scold a neighborhood kid for breaking windows. Shock stole her intended insults right from her mouth when she saw Elise Saint standing below the window, in a golden circle of streetlight.
