Chapter 26
Getting dressed up in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry took Layla back to a time when humanity ran through her veins as surely as her blood did.
Going through Valeriya’s old belongings had been a last-minute decision—as had deciding to take their night at the Nest Club seriously enough to warrant entirely new outfits.
Especially since Sterling claimed they would be in and out in minutes—all they had to do was steal the gang’s stash of karma.
“If I’ve learned anything the past few days, it’s that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Might as well prepare for that,” Elise had grumbled then. The mood after leaving the Saint home had been low, and Layla knew only one way to present them with some excitement, no matter how fleeting.
The look of pure joy on Elise’s face, however, when she saw the massive collection of luxury clothing and rare jewelry had been worth it.
Layla sat on the edge of the bench in the closet and watched as Elise rummaged through the layers of clothes hung up around the room.
A few wardrobes lined the hotel room that had been turned into a walk-in closet, with shoe racks and cabinets serving as extra storage where the external racks could not fit everything else.
Elise had gone straight to the racks of gowns that looked more expensive than anything Layla had ever owned in her life.
Her parents had been fine financially when they had been alive.
Layla had never had to worry about where her next meal would come from, and she had been in dance classes multiple times a week.
She knew back then that her parents had sacrificed a lot to get her into dance and afford her lessons and costumes.
They had worked hard to guarantee her a future that most people would only ever dream of.
It turned out, Layla would soon become most people.
Despite all that her parents had done, their hard work did not prevent her from being forced onto a path of damnation.
Nothing anyone did could ever guarantee the future for anyone else.
Even while Layla was close to Elise and her family, there had been nothing to prevent the direction in which their lives went.
Layla had to wonder if there would always be an expectation of failure and ruin when it came to being Black in America.
If one family got to be successful and ride the riches of their hard work, then another had to pay the debts of escape from bondage to the toxic patriotism of the U.S.
All that made Layla wonder how exactly Valeriya had come into possession of these beautiful items. She knew Valeriya could have paraded around as a socialite if she wanted to and that she had in the past. Some places beyond the United States obsessed over beings who were different from the norm.
Valeriya may not have been kept like a creature in a zoo in those places, but their infatuation with her was enough of the same sentiment.
Abroad, she was put on display for money, and she took enough of it to make a more permanent home in New York.
But perhaps Layla had the story wrong and Valeriya had earned these luxury items through different avenues.
When the Clarice had still been operating as a hotel, her old mentor had haunted the halls until the patrons became too afraid to book and effectively drove the place out of business.
Maybe Valeriya had just kept whatever was left behind.
Maybe she had more discreet means that Layla would never know about because she was dead and the ancient reaper had been far less honest and more of an enigma than Layla had ever realized.
Now Layla shook her head, rubbing at her brow as the thoughts finally dissipated from her mind. Elise stood in front of her holding a long baby-blue gown in one hand and a pearl necklace in the other. “What do you think?”
Layla blinked and sat up straight. “Is that what you’re going to wear?”
“No, silly. It’s for you. I figured you would want something less flashy.” Elise held it up to Layla, eyeing how the gown looked against her skin and frame. “Maybe not this color.”
“Are you a professional stylist and I just never knew?” Layla asked in a teasing tone.
Elise sighed and hung the dress up before pushing around the rest of the garments for another option.
“This is the most normal thing I’ve done in ages.
I’m just happy to be doing something that will not result in pain, distress, or blood.
” She hesitated, her search slowing while she thought.
“Is it not strange, though? Rummaging through her belongings knowing she’s out there… alive, but different?”
Layla nodded slowly. Already the excitement on Elise’s face had dwindled in the few minutes that they had been in the closet.
“We only have a little while until sundown, and this place still might be her nest. Let’s not think about that for now.
” She pursed her lips as Elise’s fingers faltered in the racks.
“I will wear anything you choose for me.”
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 to see 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 similar tonight—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.”