Page 43 of Our Vicious Descent
Gasps filled the room. Their clan mates whispered as they conferred among themselves. Some met the declaration with pure shock and apprehension, while others claimed to have had an idea of Julius’s crooked tendencies. Disruption quickly spread through the cathedral, and Layla was glad for it. Whether they were on her side or not, she didn’t care. So long as there was enough chaos to feed her urge for violence.
Even Celie shifted on her feet and crossed her arms, unsettled beyond words.
Layla expected Julius to defend himself. With lies or sympathetic truths—whatever he took on, it didn’t matter. What she had not anticipated was his cool and collected attitude, his eyes roaming lazily until they got to Elise.
Julius’s fingers fiddled by his sides while he watched her. “Do her animalistic tendencies not bother you?”
It wasn’t until Layla’s gaze settled on Elise that she realized the scent of her blood permeated the room. Several puncture wounds lined her throat, still leaking from their freshness. Layla’s body stilled at the sight. If darkness could become an emotion, it would have then, covering her nerves until every part of her had been consumed by its depths. Layla tore her gaze from Elise and leveled an icy stare on Julius. She hardly registered Celie and other reapers moving away from them. Layla’s attention latched onto the older reaper before her, a red rage covering her vision until all she could properly think about was tearing into Julius’s chest.
Elise shrugged at Julius’s words. “She does only what she needs to do. No part of herbothersme.”
Julius chuckled. He touched his chin, the usual brown of his eyes lighting up with a gold sheen as he studied her. “And what about me? Did offering yourself to me not make you feel as if you were betraying her?”
Layla didn’t have to look at Elise to sense her discomfort. A rush of blood heated her cheeks and flowed quickly around her chest as her heart rate increased. That alone was enough to make Layla take a threatening step toward Julius. She held herself back only to ensure that Elise did not panic over her advancements.
Julius remained unfazed, his eyes glowing as he nodded to Layla. “I get why you’re so obsessed with her. Her blood is delectable.” He lifted his fingers to his lips, where he sucked the remainder of Elise’sblood from the tips. A slight look of disgust emerged on his face, but he hid it with a smirk.
At this, Layla allowed her fangs to emerge. She stepped in front of Elise and hissed, taking satisfaction in the tension that arose in Julius. “Touch her again and I’ll kill you. I’ll break every bone in your body and let everyone watch while I drain you.” Already, she could sense Elise’s toxic blood weakening his body.
The male reaper lifted a hand, but his movement was slow and his eyes glazed over. Time seemed to lag for a moment. Layla felt Elise’s hand on her back, a small whisper beginning to emerge from her lips.
Julius gave Layla a cruel grin and said, “Try me.”
All Layla could do was return his smile. Then she pounced.
Julius turned out to be much less agile and prepared than Layla had anticipated. She had Elise’s tainted blood to thank for that. After dodging a strong swipe of his arm, Layla took him down, pinning him to the bottom of the staircase behind them. He strained against her foot in his chest, but even with him tearing at her leg, she still overpowered him. Layla started first with the hand that had touched Elise. Just the idea of his grimy fingers digging into her throat and spilling her blood made every rational thought vanish from Layla’s mind.
Her rage had turned cold by now, no longer spurred by a passionate feeling for someone else. Instead, she longed for the isolating feeling that pure monstrosity bred in her. Reminders of her time under the influence of Stephen’s poison infiltrated her thoughts, andshe imagined herself in that position again, impossibly strong and willed only by ire. Julius might have been pleading with her, but all Layla could hear was the rush of blood in her ears as she positioned his arm on the edge of one stair, then slammed her foot onto the bone. It gave way like a stick snapping in half. The feeling of his body crumpling beneath her coupled with his tormented screams only encouraged her. Layla bit back a bitter smile as she dug the heel of her boot into his other hand. Bones shattered under her pressure until his hand felt like a mass of swollen flesh beneath her. By now, Layla was certain he was panicking and begging for her mercy. To her benefit and his demise, her anger blocked him out easily as she grabbed him by his hair and dragged him to the top of the staircase. The carpet grew soaked with his blood from each one of her steps and his futile struggles. Below them, reapers watched, turning the landing she’d stopped on into a stage of frightening violence.
Layla could have stared into Julius’s eyes as she ended his life and given him one final glance into her own version of humanity. But he didn’t deserve a familiar face, even if it was worn by the devil. In that moment, Layla focused only on the rush of her own adrenaline and blood. She gripped his jaw and the back of his head, then pulled. It was as if all that held Julius together was treachery and lies. His skin tore into fleshy ribbons as his head came free from his shoulders. Blood and muscles spilled out of the gaping holes, his spine following after his head.
Covered in blood, Layla approached the edge of the stairs and lifted Julius’s head above the crowd below. “From now on, you allanswer to me. If anyone crosses me, you’re fucking next,” Layla snapped. She tossed the head down the steps, watching it thump along the velvet and leave crimson spots behind.
Despite all the bloodshed and self-indulgent violence, Layla still could not calm down. Her body shook with the aftermath of the adrenaline spike, and the traitorous blood covering her body only made her crave a sweeter taste. She almost didn’t care what her clan mates thought of her show of dominance. Whether they accepted her as clan leader would only matter if she failed to settle the tensions ruining Harlem. Layla caught their expectant gazes switching from her to Elise.
The Saint heiress had not budged during the entire altercation, and now the reapers waited, watching for Layla’s next move. Elise’s own watchful expression was unwavering as the reaper descended the stairs and reached for her. Layla moved Elise through the silently deliberating crowd and out of the cathedral. They walked over Julius’s leftover blood like it was nothing more than a wine stain on the carpet. Once outside in the fresh air, free from all blood besides the mess that covered them, Layla pulled Elise in to face her, examining her in the fading sunlight. She didn’t realize how frantic she must have appeared until Elise grabbed her shaking hands and smiled softly.
“I’m okay,” she whispered. “He didn’t bite me.”
A sigh of relief left Layla. Her body finally began to settle, tension and rage leaving her system with a cool sensation that made her want to move closer to Elise’s warmth. This time, seeing the wounds alongher neck made Layla’s throat tighten with guilt. She should have been there, making sure Elise was safe.
Layla was so lost in the scent and feeling of Elise, she almost didn’t notice the arrival of a new being. She pulled back the moment she recognized the essence. Elise startled a bit as Layla stepped in front of her again, this time keeping a firm grip on her waist.
Celie regarded Layla with pity. The corners of her lips turned down and pressed into a flat line. “The rest of them won’t like that you’re with her.”
Layla wiped the smeared blood from her mouth and frowned at the young reaper. “They won’t know. Because you will not tell them. Not until we have a proper plan,” she said.
Celie nodded slowly. “If you cannot win them over, they will join the rogues, and they’re close to siding with Karine. It’s already not good having a mortal grow attached to your immortal soul. But now is the worst time. A reaper leader with a human lover. They will never fully trust you.”
Layla’s hand tightened on Elise. “Let me worry about that.”
“I only want the best for us all.” The smaller reaper sighed as she turned back to the cathedral entrance. Though the words were mostly harmless, Layla heard what she really meant. The unspoken roared just as loudly as the claims that had been spoken aloud.You cannot run from your fate, Layla. A Saint and a reaper will never last…
Elise touched Layla’s chin, forcing her to look away from her injuries and into her eyes. “I know what you’re thinking, and none ofthis is your responsibility. I chose to come here against your advice and wishes. I never would have been able to kill Julius on my own, but I owed it to myself and to Josi to do something. Even if that meant luring you here to get the job done. I cannot feel like I serve no purpose, especially when it comes to taking care of the ones I love. At the end of the day…” She sighed, and her throat bobbed with the effort of holding back her emotions. “I’m the reason we’re in this mess.”
“Karine knows you killed Valeriya. I think she sent you here to die. So as far as anyone is concerned, you’re my prisoner now,” Layla said. She could have told Elise that none of this was entirely her fault. That there were greater systems at play neither of them could even dream of defeating. But for now, all she wanted to do was drink in Elise’s presence and the fact she was still standing despite facing an older reaper.
“Better yours than anyone else’s.” Elise’s gaze dipped to the blood soaking Layla’s shirt front and painting her face. “Do you feel better now?” She smiled, her teeth digging into her lower lip.
