Page 18 of Our Vicious Descent
A shriek tore like shards of glass through the room. Several Saints shouted, and moments later, blood sprayed, coupled with the guttural cries of pain and the sounds of flesh tearing. Bright red eyes flashed in the dark, and Elise found herself aiming her gun right between them as they charged for her.
She felt its breath and another gush of warm liquid on her faceright as Sterling’s hand wrapped around her arm and hauled her out of the hotel. It wasn’t until they were outside, a few more Saints following suit, that Elise felt the pain piercing her chest. She reached up, feeling a lump of metal stuck in her flesh beneath her collarbone. As she pulled it free, the moonlight glinted on the front, revealing a bloodied Saint badge on her palm.
Then, from inside the hotel, the terror unfolded.
***
Death clung to the little spots of darkness that could be found around the city. Layla followed the faint scent of blood down the back alley of a club that was mostly dead during the day. No light shone through its windows, and silence wrapped around it with an eerie chill, but through the ground by its back entrance, Layla felt the pulse of the macabre lurking.
A young reaper woman let her in through the door after a slight roll of her eyes at the mention of Karine. Layla pushed her way through the dingy club basement, passing by curtained rooms where she knew blood spilled and alcohol passed between wanting lips. Finally, she found the largest room and ducked inside, letting the curtain swing shut behind her.
Karine’s eyes slid to her slowly, her fingers tightening around the writhing victim on her lap. A young man twisted in her clutches. Blood smeared over her lips as she pulled away from him, her tongue tracing over the holes her fangs had left in his throat. Theman slumped against the back of the couch they sat on, and Karine untangled him from her legs, moving into her own space. She wiped at the scarlet stain across her mouth and looked at Layla. “Is there a reason why you have interrupted me?”
Ignoring the man proved to be rather hard. The longer Layla looked away from him, the more she sensed his blood—its human heat almost called to her, begging to be noticed. She forced her hunger down, swallowing the pain of the thirst emerging in her throat. “What have you done with the youngest Saint girl?”
The older reaper sat forward, her eyes narrowing. She hesitated on Layla at first, then turned to the human at her side and gestured for him to leave. The man stood and did as he was told. A glassy look overcame him as he walked out of the room, his expression pale and desirous for Karine. Layla knew this ancient reaper remained underground during the day to avoid the sunlight, but the number of bodies she racked up remained a mystery.
“What is this about?” Karine asked slowly.
Layla noted her change in attitude, the softness of her voice. “The attacks. I have reason to believe she might be involved. If I find her, I can—”
Karine laughed. “You’re so far off base, darling. She is a ten-year-old little girl—”
“If there’s a chance she’s been turned, she’s no longer a little girl.” Layla’s voice went hard. “Not quite.”
For a moment there was only silence. Then Karine sighed and shook her head. “I swore on Sena’s grave that I would keep that littlegirl safe from any harm. The reason you have not seen her is not because she’s running around, killing people in the dark. It’s because she’s hidden to stay safe from beings like you who wish to do her harm.”
Being accused of harming innocent individuals more than once in the span of a few hours wounded Layla more than she cared to admit. Her remaining clan mates had only narrowly managed to escape the Clarice because of the bloody distraction that had taken out several Saint members and Harlem reapers. A ruthless beast now claimed their lair after tearing through the two groups. Who knew how much longer it would be before the Saints came back again, this time shooting without asking questions first? Layla reeled back, her lips twitching and eyes shining with hurt. “I would never—”
“Oh, but you’re here, asking for her,” Karine drawled.
Layla took in a shaky breath. “Julius wants to hurt her. If he gets to her first—”
“He won’t. I have my ways to ensure that will never happen.”
Nodding, Layla dropped the topic of Josephine Saint. She spoke in a lower voice this time, offering a less accusatory tone. “Do you have any hand in the new drug that has been going around? Karma, I think it’s called.”
A small smile spread across Karine’s red lips. “A drug that hurts the people I make money off? You’ll have to think harder than that, Layla. And as any wise businesswoman would say, I will not give out information for free. Especially not to someone who is becomingmore and more of an enemy by the day. If you want my knowledge, you will have to work for it.”
Exhaustion settled over Layla’s shoulders, weighing down what little remained of her strength. “Sure.”
“This blood house needs more patrons. If I have learned anything from running this place, it’s that humans love a bloody show. Find me those who are willing to bleed.” Karine’s smile sent sparks of unease down Layla’s spine.
She nodded once more and turned to leave, but the ancient reaper’s voice followed her to the door. “A word of advice, Layla—never turn your back on a reaper. You have shown your weakness in more ways than one this week. Your whole clan might now see you as an opportunity rather than a challenge. If you end up choosing her over them, you might as well welcome death. You must forget your human past.”
Layla hesitated by the door. She turned just enough to catch the older reaper’s silhouette at the edge of her vision. What would have been an easy choice months ago felt impossible now. Layla’s chest tightened at the thought of fully saying goodbye to every human part of her past and the things that remained in the present. Her brows furrowed as she clenched her jaw. “It’s Julius…”
“And are you really so content with kneeling to a man? I would expect a reaper to make a puppet out of a human, not another reaper,” Karine muttered.
Layla clenched her jaw, and a bitter taste filled her mouth. “I want him dead more than you do.”
A low chuckle left Karine. “Take control by whatever means necessary. There is only one thing I am sure of now: this ends in blood.”
No part of Layla wanted to make this choice. Playing in blood was always dangerous, but now that she was starved, it would be disastrous.
11
Another dose of reaper venom from the stolen vial, a larger one this time, nearly brought Elise to her knees. A day after her first taste of it, she had already felt the effects wearing off. Instead of tension and adrenaline powering her muscles, all she sensed was a weakness growing within her. This time, as she sucked a spot of venom from her fingertip, she relished that sweet anticipatory burn before the pain began. Memories of the last time she had felt that familiar pain resurfaced in her mind. A time when Layla’s lips had been pressed to her throat, her fangs triggering overwhelming pleasure in her system while agony chased it into oblivion.
