Page 73 of Our Vicious Descent
“Don’t touch them!” Her voice, breathless and exhausted, was tinged with panic.
By the time Layla made it to Elise, the undead had already surfaced. Gangsters fired into them, managing to down the ones closest to the Saint. But as Sena continued to move and Elise struggled to get a clear shot at her, the undead only continued their rise. Layla shoved a human gangster—one of Jamie’s men—out of the way of one’s swiping hand. Its head popped out of the earth and sank its fangs into her calf instead. Layla cried out and stomped her foot intoits face hard enough to cave its bones in. She limped away, her blood bubbling and thick from where it poured out of the fresh wound. The gangster she had shoved away struggled back to his feet, and as he looked to give her a nod of thanks, another undead emerged behind him. Layla opened her mouth to warn him, but the beast was already lunging. It yanked him back to the ground with impressive speed and tore into his throat until blood sprayed. Within seconds, black veins spread across this man’s face and neck. His skin grayed and withered away, necrotizing with the undead’s venom.
Layla’s own leg tingled as she watched the brutal death. She limped closer to Elise, who was gesturing for Josi to come back. “We have to go. It’s too dangerous.” Layla winced.
Elise didn’t even spare her a look. She was too focused on her sister’s retreat, which led Sena back toward the grave. “I’ve almost got her.”
All Layla could do was wait. Even as the dead closed in around them and the smaller Saint faltered in her run, Layla waited. She chose to have faith in Elise because there was nothing else she wanted to devote her beliefs to. So, when Josi stumbled by the grave and lost momentum, sending her careening toward the edge, Layla was there when Elise hesitated. She was there when Elise ran for her sister as Sena gained on her at the opposite edge of the grave. When Elise dropped her gun to help her sister back to her feet and when Layla was the only one closest to it, she picked it up and screamed Elise’s name.
Elise held her hand out, and Layla tossed the gun to her. Shewatched with bated breath as Elise slid to one knee and caught the gun, then fired a single round into Sena right when she launched herself over the grave. The beast jerked in midair and slammed into the earth. “Now!” Elise called.
Jamie and Sterling jumped into the grave and pulled a Saint chain around her throat. Once secured, they climbed out and began replacing the dirt in the hole. The remaining gangsters and rogues helped shovel. They did not stop until Sena’s heaving, bleeding body was completely covered. And when they leaned back, breathing hard, dirt caking their nails and smudging their faces, they realized the dead had fallen back to their graves.
***
In the quiet of the dawn, she rose. Layla sensed it between Josephine’s tearful wails, which penetrated the walls of the cathedral, and Elise’s hushed whispers intended to calm her. It was a miracle the girl had not descended into something worse, given Sena’s lengthy comatose state. Layla sat on the cathedral steps, waiting. Just before sunrise, a shadow emerged across the courtyard, taking with it the final darkness of the night. A woman covered in dirt and mud crept toward the stairs.
The gangsters who had been guarding her grave walked behind her, weapons out and ready in case she tried to flee. But the woman was weak in her new state—Layla could tell just by the sound of her slow, labored breathing that increased as she neared.
Layla stood to greet her and almost smiled when she saw herfamiliar face.
Albeit battered and decrepit, Sena’s human form stepped up to Layla. The Saint chain dragged behind her, filling the air with the eerie sound of metal grating over stone. Blood dripped from the burns in her throat, where the chain had dug into her flesh, soaking her black hair. She gave Layla a cruel smile as she stopped just inches from her. “It worked. Reversing my monstrous state only to bring me back to suffering. Tell me, was it your idea to make me walk the streets barefoot and choking half to death to get to you?” she gritted out.
“It was hers,” Elise said. She moved into the cathedral entryway, leaving space for Josi to fill in beside her. Together, they stood by Layla, expressions stern and determined. “I’ve heard you did worse to my sister. It seemed only right to give her retribution for your abuse of her.”
Sena smiled at Josi, but instead of malice, there was only sadness in her eyes. “The bond between us is fraying; otherwise I would have taken you down with me. If you do not learn to bear suffering early on, it will only crush you when you’re least expecting it.” She raised her gaze to Elise. “I suppose I can expect my death again. This time final. Since come next sundown, I will return to my worst form and you will be no match against me. I will make sure of it this time.”
Elise narrowed her eyes. “No. We have something much worse in store for you.”
37
It had been days since Elise had gotten a proper night’s sleep, and the last thing she wanted to do was confront her father early in the morning. The only thing keeping her from turning back and leaving his new house was Josi’s hand intertwined with hers and Sterling’s red-rimmed eyes. As much as this was her responsibility, it was also their burden to bear. She was not the only one who had been impacted by Analia’s death, and she refused to leave her sister alone in her misery again.
The moment Tobias opened the doors to this study, Josi ran into his arms. He kneeled for her and pulled her into him. Tears fell between both of them, and Elise could not help the pang of jealousy that rocked through her system at the sight. For so long, she had hoped she would have such a bond with her father. Perhaps it was better for Josi to have it than her. She would grow up knowing he was good to her and that he loved her. Elise had survived his wrathand the cold knowledge that she was nothing more than a project for him. As long as Josi never felt the burden of his expectations, Elise would shoulder the pain of being less wanted.
“I’ve missed you, my angel,” Tobias said in a shaky voice. He touched Josi’s chin and regarded her with tear-filled eyes and a weepy smile. “You look so much like your mother. You know she loved you so much.”
Sterling and Elise shared a look.
Tobias spoke before either of them could. “I want to have a proper funeral for her. It will be intimate, so you do not have to worry about performing.” Her father stood with Josi still in his arms and looked at Elise. “Your mother—the most magnificent woman I’ve ever known—will now remain in a box for eternity.” His gaze flicked up to Josi, whose expression only further wilted at the knowledge of her mother’s homecoming. “I fear what I want to do will only further wake the beast feeding on the heart of this city. I might not have the power I once did before, but I still love our neighborhood. I do not want things to be destroyed. My family…” His sharp intake of air cut his words off. Tobias’s jaw clenched, and he looked at the floor in silence for a moment before continuing. “I can no longer protect any of you. And now you are too far gone.”
“We’re here now, Daddy,” Josi said softly. She touched his cheek and gave him a gentle smile, but Tobias only took her hand from his face and set her back on the floor. The devastating fall of her expression sparked a hot rage in Elise’s chest. But instead of letting her most vile insults fly at her father, she pulled Josi against her legs.
“You aren’t. Not quite. You are…” Tobias pinched his brow and sighed before settling a dark gaze on his youngest daughter. “You are hardly my little girl.”
Josi’s eyes filled with tears. “I am.”
“Father,” Elise warned. “We had a deal.”
“And you said you would fix her,” Tobias shot back. “I have nothing else going for me now. No more children to carry on my legacy. All my heirs have been traitorous to me. A monster lurks, and I have no means to destroy it—”
“We already caught her. And we got your Saint compound back,” Elise said sharply. She fought past the blow his words dealt to her heart. Even as her chest felt like it was caving in at her father’s admission of not seeing her as his daughter any longer, she pressed on, voice strong. “Karine will come looking for her and Josi soon. With them as leverage, she will have to give us Dr. Gray’s location. I have no doubt that she can help Josi and all of Harlem. Things are so much worse than we ever could have anticipated. But there is still something you can do to help.”
***
Elise could not ignore the glare of disgust Layla dealt the mayor and her father as they entered the cathedral. She shot the reaper a stern look and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Will you behave just for a few minutes? We need them to listen to us.”
Layla’s glare deepened. “I’m not sure why. We caught Sena ourselves. We can deal with Karine ourselves.”
