Page 83 of This Ravenous Fate
35
Layla ran so fast, rain misted around her. Her feet slipped on the soaked ground, but she kept going, not stopping until she made it to her destination. A place she hadn’t been in years, the empty clearing shocked her enough to vanish Elise from Layla’s mind, even if it was just for a few moments.
Layla considered this part of Central Park forbidden. She refused to return to the place where she had died, the place where she watched her parents die. She couldn’t believe how much of it looked the same—the hill sloping down to the Harlem Meer, a river that mirrored Layla’s greatest nightmare right back at her. She still remembered her hand clutching the snow while life trickled out of her, her parents’ blood staining the brilliant white a scarlet so deep, she wondered if it had soaked all the way through to the earth beneath the ice. The moon’s reflection on the water shone back at her, and when Layla opened her eyes one last time, she saw herself,bloody and battered.
Reaper venom already had a hold on her system then, and even through the shimmering reflection she could see the blackness spreading across her eyes while the venom changed her body.
Now, Layla collapsed onto the ground, breathing so hard, her ribs ached. Her fingers dug into the damp earth, and she released a shattering scream. Everything rose to the surface at that moment. Years of unresolved trauma, the feelings she had buried since being betrayed, the grief for her parents and her own lost life that she had never fully processed.
This had been the first place Layla had thought to come to because if there was anything that could snap her out of that damned Saint’s cyclic manipulation, it was the place that shifted her entire existence. But now, Layla feared she was just breaking herself over and over. And just like five years ago, there was no help on the horizon.
Layla dropped her face into her hands and wept.
36
Even in the soft light of early morning, shadows still seemed to encroach on every corner and edge of the Harlem territory. As expected, several reapers were waiting to intercept the Saints before they even made it to the front door of the Clarice.
Mr. Wayne held his hands up. “We are here for Layla Quinn. She has an agreement with Elise Saint,” he said coolly.
Even just hearing her name made a painful shudder pass through Elise. It was over. In an attempt to get Layla to see the truth, Elise had done the one thing she promised herself she would never do. But confessing her forbidden love for her old friend had destroyed her instead. Every part of her felt like a shard of broken glass. Only the sadness that echoed through her gave her any semblance of comfort because of its familiarity.
She swallowed hard and stared ahead. The reapers standing in front of them were not familiar to her, but they nodded along withMr. Wayne’s words. One of them beamed, his fangs peeking out. “Come inside.”
Everything in Elise screamed at her to turn back, to not follow the reapers into their lair, but her feet moved her forward and she walked inside with her father and Sterling by her side. They had been together all morning, but Sterling had yet to speak to her. He would barely even look at her. Elise tried not to let this get to her, but her heart hurt at the thought of being near her best friend, but still far from him.
Once the darkness cleared in the hotel foyer, Elise’s eyes found her first.
Layla stood directly in her line of sight, but she refused to even look at her. Elise wanted to snap at her, she wanted to force her eyes onto her—she would let the reapers attack her if it meant Layla would pay her any attention at all. But she was stuck, a hopelessly yearning soul with nothing to pour her affection into.
“As I’m sure you all are aware, Elise Saint has worked with Layla Quinn for some time to uncover the darkness that’s spreading through this city,” Mr. Wayne began. At the mention of their names, Layla finally stirred, her gaze flickering once to Elise. But then she was focusing on Mr. Wayne again. Elise felt her heart wrench. “I am hopeful that their partnership has shown you all that we can coexist peacefully. And I have come to demonstrate the first part of my plan to unite us as a community.” Mr. Wayne reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial of dark purple fluid. “This is a cure for reaperhood.”
The entire room began to murmur. Reapers shifted, whisperingto each other with wide eyes, some more doubtful than others. Many looked to Layla, who remained stone-faced and scowling while they whispered about her.
“Layla.” Mr. Wayne looked right at her. “If you would do the honors of being the first to receive the dose—”
“No,” Elise said sharply.
Mr. Wayne gave her a strange look. “Elise—”
“I said no.” She glared up at him until he actually backed down. Mr. Wayne muttered something beneath his breath, but before Elise could try to decipher his words, another reaper was stepping forward.
“I’ll do it. I’ll go first.” It was Mei. She tried to move closer, but Layla stopped her, gripping her wrist so hard, Mei grimaced. “What?”
Layla loosened her hold on her and whispered something inaudible. Mei shot her a dirty look. She yanked her arm free and closed the distance between her and Mr. Wayne. “I’m ready.”
A satisfied smile spread across Mr. Wayne’s face. “This is certainly not the outcome I was expecting. But it’s a great first step, nonetheless.” His eyes shifted between Layla and Mei. “One at a time, then. It’s not recommended that another reaper watches the procedure. The sudden surge of fresh human blood might trigger—”
“I can control myself,” Layla said roughly. She stepped closer to Mei. “I’m staying with her.”
Mr. Wayne nodded. “At your risk, I suppose. We will do it upstairs.”
Elise’s skin prickled at his calculating tone. She wanted to saysomething else, but Mr. Saint curved his hand over her shoulder. “I want you to wait outside with Sterling,” he ordered.
“But, Father—”
His fingers dug into her shoulder so hard, all she could do was bite her lip to stifle her wince. “Now, Elise,” he snapped.
Layla’s eyes slid to Elise very briefly. But before Elise could even register it, she was turning and heading out of the hotel. Sterling trailed behind her. Various thoughts crashed through her mind while they waited. The image of her father and Mr. Wayne closing in on the clan would not leave her mind, no matter how many other feelings arose in her. It was already a lot to process the instinctual feeling to protect a reaper who hated her and it was even more to process the instinctual feeling that her own father posed a threat.
