Chapter 223: It Ends Tonight

"Ravial, yu sure this is a good idea?" Leitana asked softly as she stepped into the black SUV, her voice laced with nervousness. She clutched the edge of the door before sliding into the passenger seat.

Ravial didn’t answer immediately. He simply reached over, buckled her seatbelt with careful hands, then started the engine. The powerful car purred to life in the dead of night.

In the back seat, Marita climbed in, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning. Lucius sat beside her, quiet and alert, already dressed in dark clothes.

It was well past 3 a.m. The villa had been silent when Ravial had turned to her in bed and asked the simple question: “Can you close your eyes and forget what you saw in that girl?”

Leitana had shaken her head, tears in her eyes. “Mi can’t, mi Ravial. It’s hurting her. Mi can feel it.”

His response had been calm, dark, and final.

“Then we go deal with it tonight. So my lamb can sleep.”

Now they were on the road, the city lights sparse and the streets almost empty.

Leitana turned in her seat to look at Marita. “Yu bring them all?”

Marita nodded, still half-asleep but determined. She lifted a small black nylon bag onto her lap and unzipped it. “Everything yu asked for, Lei.”

Inside the bag were the items they had gathered quickly before leaving:

\- Three blessed rosaries (one of them Leitana’s spare, the others Marita's)

\- A small bottle of holy water Marita had brought from Vanuatu

\- Two large crucifixes, one wooden and one silver

\- A brand-new Bible with highlighted protection verses

\- A container of blessed salt

\- A small vial of anointing oil

\- Dried sage and a lighter (Marita had insisted, even if Leitana was unsure about it)

\- Leitana’s own worn prayer book filled with handwritten notes and psalms

Lucius glanced at the bag and raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He simply checked the gun hidden under his jacket, a more practical kind of protection.

Leitana reached back and squeezed Marita’s hand. “Thank you. Mi know it’s crazy… waking yu up in the middle of the night like this.”

Marita gave her a tired but loyal smile. “Yu my sister. If yu say something evil dey inside that girl, then we go handle it together. No matter what time.”

Ravial drove in silence, one hand on the wheel, the other occasionally resting on Leitana’s thigh, a silent reminder that she was safe. His presence filled the car like a storm waiting to break. He had not asked questions or doubted her. He had simply dressed, called his men, and decided they were ending this tonight.

Leitana stared out at the passing dark streets, heart beating fast. She kept replaying that ember-red glow in Arabella’s eyes and the cruel voice that had spoken through her.

“Mi Ravial,” she whispered, turning to him. “What if… what if we can’t help her?”

Ravial’s grip on her thigh tightened possessively. His voice was low, calm, and terrifyingly certain.

“Then I will rip whatever is inside her out with my own hands.”

The car continued speeding through the night toward Arabella’s family home, the bag of holy items rattling softly on Marita’s lap like quiet ammunition.

Leitana placed her hand over Ravial’s on her thigh and closed her eyes, whispering a quick Hail Mary under her breath.

Whatever waited for them at Arabella’s house, they were walking in together.

The drive stretched nearly two hours. The city lights gradually faded behind them as they left the bustling outskirts of New York and headed toward the quieter, wealthier residential area where Arabella’s family lived. The roads were empty, the night deep and still.

In the passenger seat, Leitana had drifted off, her head resting against the window, one hand still loosely holding Ravial’s on her thigh. In the back, Marita had curled up against Lucius, snoring softly, completely exhausted from being woken in the middle of the night.

Lucius waited until he was certain both girls were deeply asleep. He glanced at Leitana first, making sure her breathing was slow and even, then leaned forward slightly and spoke directly into Ravial’s mind.

My lord… may I speak?

Ravial’s grip on the steering wheel remained steady. His voice answered inside Lucius’s head, calm and cold.

Go ahead.

Lucius hesitated for half a second before continuing.

My lord, this demon… it is one of us. A lower entity, yes, but still of our kind. How are we meant to return it back to hell without your lamb harming it? She carries your child. If she tries to use those holy items against it, the backlash could…

Ravial’s power flared suddenly inside the car, a silent, suffocating wave of darkness that made the air feel heavier. Even Lucius felt the pressure against his chest.

It dared to speak to my wife, Ravial replied, his mental voice low, and terrifyingly composed. It called her pathetic. It threatened her. It looked at what belongs to me and thought it could take or use her.

He glanced at Leitana’s sleeping face, his expression softening for the briefest moment before turning ice-cold again.

One of us or not, it made a fatal mistake the second it came near my lamb. I do not care if it crawls out of the deepest pit of Hell wearing my own seal. Nothing touches her. Nothing threatens her. Nothing calls her names and lives to speak again.

Lucius sat back slowly, eyes wide with quiet awe. He had served Ravial for centuries. He had seen his master conquer empires, crush angels, and devour souls without blinking. But this… this level of obsession and protectiveness over one small, mortal woman was something new. Something deeper. Something almost… human.

As you wish, my lord, Lucius replied carefully. I only worry for her safety.

Ravial’s response was simple and final.

Then you worry for nothing. I am here.

The rest of the drive passed in heavy silence. Leitana stirred once, murmuring something soft in her sleep, and Ravial immediately adjusted the air conditioning and brushed his thumb over her knuckles until she settled again.

When the grand, modern mansion belonging to the Rousseau family finally came into view at the end of a long private driveway, Ravial slowed the car but did not stop. He parked a short distance away, hidden in the shadows of tall trees.

He turned off the engine and looked at his sleeping wife for a long moment, drinking in the sight of her peaceful face.

Then his voice cut through the quiet like a blade.

“Wake up, little lamb.”

Leitana’s eyes fluttered open. Marita stirred in the back, rubbing her face.

“We are here,” Ravial said, already unbuckling her seatbelt with careful hands. “Whatever is inside that house… it ends tonight.”

He leaned in and pressed a slow, possessive kiss to her forehead.

“For you.”