Page 53 of Our Vicious Descent
Elise’s smile returned. She thrust a white dress with lace and a stacked pearl necklace at Layla. “Try this. I’ll go put mine on.”
Layla could only smile after her as she disappeared behind the changing screen to dress. Her own dress was thankfully made of a light material that hardly weighed down her shoulders and fit her well enough to make her wonder if Valeriya chose clothes with little regard for how they framed her. Layla had been far from her mentor’s size, with Valeriya being several inches taller than her. But this dress fit her as if it were made for her, and after piling the stacked pearls onto her throat and admiring herself in the mirror, Layla felt fit to dine with the divine.
“Oh my god, Layla, it’s perfect. You’re perfect.” Elise spoke almost breathlessly.
Layla had to agree. She had never been one for fancy dresses, but seeing the way this dress fit her and hearing the way Elise reacted to it made her want to wear one all the time. Layla turned, expecting tosee Elise poking her head out of the side of the changing screen, but instead, she was stopped in her tracks at the sight of Elise in a shorter golden flapper dress. A rope of pearls hung around her neck and a shimmering headdress sat on her head, keeping her fluffy curls away from her face. In an instant, Layla forgot all about her own dress and how good it made her feel. She could only stare at Elise. The way that even though her dress sparkled with impressive intensity in low lighting, her bare legs still outshone it. Layla didn’t realize just how moved she was until Elise came up to her and touched her jaw with a gloved hand.
“You’re going to swallow a fly,” Elise murmured, giggling slightly.
Layla shut her mouth and swallowed, her eyes roaming the gentle way the fabric hugged Elise’s body. The Saint girl had always been magnificent, but tonight, knowing they would be out together, with Elise by her side…the thought was enough to make Layla’s mouth go dry. The only other times they’d had to dress up and put on a show with their appearance had been as children, when they were expected to act as children. Layla had never appreciated the beauty then, but she had always admired how carefully Elise did herself up, as if trying to make the gods of beauty jealous of her own. Even back at the fundraising gala hosted by Tobias and Stephen all those weeks ago, Layla had not been allowed to properly acknowledge Elise. It was a miracle she didn’t lose her mind in the alley afterward, when her fangs sank into her throat and she finally got a taste of Elise’s sweet, sweet blood. All night had been torture, just craving her second after second. Layla wondered if it would be similartonight—or if she would be calmer if only because she was allowed to touch Elise now.
“Remind me of our plans at the Nest Club tonight. What roles must we assume so we do not stick out unpleasantly?” Elise asked.
Though she spoke clearly, Layla struggled to hold on to each of her words. If she could, she would just watch Elise and listen to her talk every day, even if it meant getting lost in her eyes and the sound of her voice without retaining any information. Layla turned away, trying to ignore Elise’s surprised expression. “They have dancers who perform every night because it’s a cabaret. I think one of us will have to go as a dancer and the other a musician. That way we will get the full experience and maximum visibility to find Josi and whoever is producing and spreading karma. Jamie and Sterling will go as gangsters,” Layla said. When she turned back to Elise, she was happy to find her leaning over the vanity chair to adjust the strap of her heel. Staring straight at her might have sent Layla into a distracted spiral once again, and now was the worst time for that.
Elise sat up again and tugged at the headdress she wore. “You will be the dancer, of course. Unless…do you not know cabaret?”
Layla tilted her head to the side. “Well, I do not have to actually do it. I just have to get backstage. But I’ve had some training.” She narrowed her eyes. “What would you say if I did not know cabaret?”
“Nothing. I would just be shocked. You danced everything. At least that’s how I remembered it,” Elise said.
“Mostly ballet. But there is already less of that in Harlem,unfortunately,” Layla said.
Elise nodded. “Just like Josi. You know…differences and circumstances aside, I think she would really like you. I hope she doesn’t remember too much of this time of her life when she gets older.”
Layla could have told her that five years would not make her remember less pain. Both of them knew that. Their lives had been changed irrevocably when they were only a few years older than Josi was now, and both of them still wore scars that bled whenever their minds decided to punish them. But Layla just nodded. “You played beautifully earlier, by the way. I know you were nervous, but you were exquisite.”
A tender hope mixed with sadness filled Elise’s eyes. “It’s been so long… Thank you, Layla.” She lowered her gaze. “I feel awful for leaving her. She’s been alone this whole time, taken care of by God knows what kind of deranged ancient reaper traditions… Now she’s different, and I wasn’t there to help her through any of it.”
Layla touched Elise’s arm and spoke softly. “When I was turned and I came here, I couldn’t sleep alone in my own bed because I was so scared. I kept bothering Valeriya for comfort even though she was the least warm reaper I’ve ever met. She raised me as a reaper, and I turned out okay. All that to say, I believe Josi will be all right.”
Tears rose in Elise’s eyes. “What if everyone else is right and she’s too far gone?”
“You cannot give up now. Not when we’ve come this far. We have to hope.” Layla drew closer to Elise, pressing her palms to her cheeks before any tears could fall. “We will bring her home. And then, wheneverything is calmer here, we can run off to Paris together. We will get Josi back into ballet and you back into piano. We will do whatever we want.”
Elise nodded and breathed through her tears. “Oh mon Dieu. S’il te plaît, laisse-moi mourir en premier.”
Layla smiled at her shaky French. It had been ages since she’d heard Elise speak it. Even before Elise’s last-minute move to France, she had studied it with a private tutor at the Saint estate per her father’s request. Layla remembered her own parents trying to encourage her to join Elise’s lessons. Tobias Saint had constantly insisted that one should always know more than one language.Better to know what other people are saying, especially your enemies, he’d say. As a child, Layla had assumed she had no enemies. But now…
“What does that mean?” Layla asked.
Elise only pulled away, wiping at her face. Before Layla could ask if she had overstepped somehow, Elise was reaching for a pin in her updo. She pulled it free, allowing her curls to tumble down her shoulders. A delicate arrangement of diamonds made up the end of the silver pin. Elise slipped the pretty thing into Layla’s bundle of curls at the back of her head. As she finished and moved away, Layla grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm first, then her knuckles.
“You’re beautiful,” she murmured.
Elise could only smile in return, and the answering joy that chased away the previous darkness in her eyes was enough for Layla.
***
A hundred feet east of Seventh Avenue, any screams were drowned out by the sound of live music and exhilarated dancers. Layla understood now why some rogue reapers preferred to hunt around Lenox Avenue and Jungle Alley. There people were too busy choking down liquor and heading to the dance floor to even consider the dangers that lurked in the shadows just beyond a club’s front doors.
A couple of women stumbled out of another nearby club, narrowly avoiding bumping into Layla and Jamie while they laughed. Smoke flowed from the ladies’ mouths, and they held cigarettes between their gloved fingers as they waved back to the men who called after them. The scent of liquor followed them down the street, and Layla wrinkled her nose, wondering how they were still standing.
“How much money do you think gangs make from the speakeasies here?” Sterling asked. He looked particularly scandalized seeing the number of people smoking out in the open, the women in their revealing dresses, the men leaning heavily against the walls from their inebriation. He kept turning his nose up and rolling his eyes whenever they came across such a scene.
“Will you somehow turn this into a legal thing and get everyone arrested?” Jamie replied as he walked beside Layla.
Behind them, Elise laughed. She had her hands tucked away beneath her large fur shrug, and though the mass of white fluff covered a significant portion of her dress, she still shone in a way thatoutdid the light of the stars above. It was a shame Layla walked in front of her; she wished she could stare at Elise all night long.
