Page 10 of This Ravenous Fate
Scoffing, Sterling moved his jacket back, revealing two guns at his waist. “I’m not the only one who has come prepared tonight, Lise. You should see the grounds; I don’t even think a squirrel could make it inside this place without ending up full of bullets.” He squeezed her hand and smiled. “Everything will be fine.”
***
The anniversary party began with a bang that seemed to resound throughout all of New York. In the Saint mansion, the polished floors glittered with confetti and gold licked over every surface. The ballroom chandelier had been replaced just for the party. Instead of brass and glass, gold and crystals hung from the ceiling, goldfoiled streamers spiraling out from the center and cascading down the walls.
Elise wore a shimmery jade dress that draped over her body like water over stones. Her eye makeup glittered in the light and she couldn’t resist smiling at herself in the mirror, lips as red as the ruby polish coating her nails. Pearls hung around her throat, yet as beautiful as they were, she could only focus on her family ring.
Saint guards stood near every entrance and window, their focus sharp and unflinching on the growing crowd in the ballroom. Elise would never get used to having these strangers around, but Sterling nodded to them as he walked by. For the first time since being home, Elise noticed the tension in his shoulders and a crease between his brows.
A dark-haired woman approached them. Elise, not keen on interacting with a stranger, braced herself until the woman’s eyes met hers, and recognition struck. “Thalia?” Elise stuttered out.
Thalia Gray still had the same deep brown eyes that seemed to hold the answer to every problem in the world. She wore not a dress, but a tailored suit with satin gloves. Elise stared at her old friend, taking in every inch of her.
“Thalia, you have a lot of explaining to do,” Sterling said sharply.
Thalia flicked her wrist at Sterling, waving him off. “Step aside, Walker. Let me greet my old friend.” Thalia pulled Elise into her arms.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” Elise exclaimed.
Sterling scoffed by her side. “Neither did I. No one did.”
“Some people knew. The important people.” Thalia laughedand Elise couldn’t help but laugh along with her. Sterling, however, remained stiff.
“Is your mother here?” Elise asked, looking around the crowded room.
Thalia rolled her eyes. “No. The bad blood persists.”
Mrs. Gray had once been a part of the Saints’ inner circle. It was a miracle Thalia’s mother let her spend time in the Saint household when they were younger, even when Tobias Saint no longer found use for her scientific endeavors. After Mrs. Gray’s working antidote for reaper bites had failed on Charlotte, Tobias Saint dismissed the Grays. But Thalia refused to give up on being Elise’s friend.
Elise tugged on Sterling’s sleeve. “You wrote to me saying you two were finally getting along.” She could still remember their squabbles. The only thing Thalia and Sterling had in common was Elise. She had worried they would kill each other when she was in France.
“I’d call what we did ‘stress relief,’” Thalia said.
Sterling’s eyes went wide and a dark flush filled his ears. “You cannot be serious.”
Thalia flagged down a waiter and plucked a champagne flute from his tray. She held her finger up, sipping the bubbly liquid while Sterling watched her with increasing irritation. Once finished, Thalia lowered her glass and clicked her tongue. “Indeed, I am serious.”
Elise exhaled. “I cannot believe this.”
“Sterling got too attached. It started taking time away from my research, so I ended it. Whatever our little ‘tryst’ was.”
Sterling clenched his fists. “You leaving for Switzerland for amonth without notice was not ending anything. It was disrespectful,” he snapped.
“Oh, Switzerland had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me furthering my research. As long as I’m here, I must make up for where my mother fell short. Now, please.” Thalia leaned in to kiss Elise’s cheek. “It’s been lovely seeing you. Good luck tonight.” In a matter of moments, Thalia was gone, having disappeared into the crowd.
Sterling sighed. “Elise. I’m going to sound absolutely mad, but I swear, the more hostile she is toward me, the more attracted I am to her.”
Elise laughed. “I don’t understand you.”
“I told you. Madness.” Sterling threw a longing look over the crowd. “I’m going to check on the guards. Shout if you need me.”
Elise nodded. And with one final squeeze of her hand, Sterling was gone.
She glanced around the room, looking for Josi, but came face-to-face with her mother instead. Analia Saint, dressed in a white dress and layered pearl necklaces, silver comb placed perfectly on her black finger waves, looked like a picture of pure grandeur.
“That’s not the dress we decided on, Elise,” she said sharply, before she moved on to speak to a guest.
Elise’s stomach turned. Being around so many people always made her nervous, but tonight, knowing her family was on the brink of forging a new future for everyone, made her feel especially ill.
