Chapter 163 Cornered by His Lamb
RAVIAL
I stared up at the piece of human trash that had the audacity, the temerity, to lay his filthy hand on what was mine.
Charles Hale dangled from my grip like the worthless sack of meat he was feet kicking uselessly, face turning purple, eyes bulging with the sudden, delicious realization that he had just signed his own death warrant.
My wife’s cheek was already blooming with his mark.
That single red imprint on her golden skin was enough to make the ancient evil inside me roar to life.
I slammed him backward with brutal force. His skull cracked against the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster and a wet smear of blood. A choked gurgle escaped his mouth as more blood spilled from his split lips and the back of his head.
Leitana screamed.
“Mi Ravial…. stop!”
She rushed forward, small hands grabbing my arm, tugging desperately. “Plis! Plis stop! Yu killing him!”
I barely felt her touch.
I slammed his head against the wall again. Harder. The sound was wet and satisfying, bone meeting plaster, blood spraying.
Everyone in the room screamed.
Leitana fell to her knees between us, tears streaming down her face, eyes wide with horror and desperation. She clutched at my wrist with both hands, sobbing.
“Mi Ravial… mi begging yu… please no kill him… plis… mi no wan blood on yu hands because of mi… plis…”
I looked down at her.
My perfect, soft-hearted lamb on her knees, crying, begging for the life of the man who had just struck her.
Something dark and possessive twisted in my chest.
I loosened my grip just enough for Charles to slump to the floor in a crumpled, unconscious heap, blood pooling beneath his head.
My left hand moved to Leitana’s face. My thumb gently traced the fresh red mark Charles had left on her cheek.
“My lamb,” I murmured, voice low and deceptively calm. “He touched you.”
The words came out flat, almost gentle, but the rage beneath them was volcanic.
Leitana’s tears fell faster. She shook her head, still clutching my wrist.
“Mi know… but plis… no more… mi begging yu… he not worth it… mi no wan yu become monster because of mi…”
I tilted my head, studying her tear-streaked face.
“He touched what is mine,” I said softly, thumb still brushing the bruise. “No one touches what is mine and lives. Not even her father.”
She sobbed harder. “Mi Ravial… plis… for mi… let him live… mi no wan more death… mi no wan yu carry dis darkness…”
I stared at her for a long moment.
Then I released Charles completely. The man collapsed like a broken doll, unconscious and bleeding on the floor.
I turned fully to Leitana, bent down, and lifted her gently to her feet, wiping her tears with my thumbs.
Lucius and several of my men appeared at the doorway, silent and waiting.
“Escort my father-in-law out,” I said calmly.
They moved instantly, dragging Charles’s limp body away.
Leitana watched them go, still crying. “Where are dey taking him…?”
I cut her off smoothly, voice low. “Doesn’t matter.”
Avery’s voice came from behind us, shaky. “The ambulance is here.”
I nodded once and looked down at my wife, her swollen cheek, her tear-filled eyes, her small trembling frame and kept her close against my side as the paramedics rushed in.
A few hours later we were at the nearest hospital. Alyssa had been admitted, unconscious and badly beaten, with cracked ribs and internal bleeding. She lay pale and still in the hospital bed, monitors beeping softly around her.
Leitana sat beside the bed, tears still streaming down her face, refusing to leave her mother’s side.
“My lamb,” I murmured, standing close behind her, one hand resting on her shoulder. “You need to get looked at.”
She shook her head stubbornly, voice thick with tears. “Mi no leave Mama. Mi stay right here.”
I stared at the ugly bruise blooming across her cheek, Charles’s handprint still visible. The sight made something violent and merciless coil tight in my chest. I wanted to go back and finish what I started. I wanted to peel the skin from his bones slowly while he screamed.
But I kept my voice soft, controlled. “Leitana. You are hurt. I need you looked at. Now.”
She turned her tear-streaked face up to me, eyes pleading. “Mi fine, mi Ravial. Mama need mi more. Please…”
I exhaled slowly through my nose, jaw tight. I only cared about her. The rest of them were background and irrelevant. But seeing that mark on her perfect face made me seethe in a way I hadn’t felt in centuries.
Still, I forced the darkness down.
For her.
I crouched beside her chair, cupping her uninjured cheek gently.
“You are not fine,” I said quietly. “And I will not sit here and watch you hurt because you refuse to take care of yourself. The doctors are waiting. I will stay with your mother until you return.”
Leitana bit her lip, fresh tears falling. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
She finally nodded, letting me help her to her feet. But even as she walked toward the door with the nurse, she kept glancing back at her mother, worry etched deep in every line of her face.
I remained standing by the bed, staring down at the unconscious woman who had given birth to my wife.
She meant nothing to me.
But Leitana’s tears did.
And for those tears, I would keep this fragile human alive.
For now.
The mark on my lamb’s face, however… that was a debt Charles Hale would pay for with interest.
Very soon.
“She’s fine. The baby is fine. Everything is looking good.”
The doctor smiled kindly as he moved the ultrasound wand slowly over Leitana’s still-flat stomach. The faint, rapid heartbeat filled the small exam room, strong and steady.
Leitana’s eyes were fixed on the screen, tears still drying on her cheeks. “Really? Mi baby okay?”
“Perfectly okay,” the doctor reassured her. “Heartbeat is strong, growth is right on track for the gestational age. No signs of distress. You’re doing well, considering everything you’ve been through.”
He wiped the gel from her skin and helped her sit up.
“As for your face,” he continued gently, “we’ve cleaned the bruise and applied a strong anti-inflammatory cream with arnica and vitamin K. It should reduce the swelling quickly. Apply it twice more today, once before bed and once in the morning. Ice it for ten minutes every few hours if it still hurts. No heavy pressure on that cheek for the next few days.”
“If the swelling gets worse or you develop any vision changes, come back immediately.”
Leitana nodded, whispering a soft “Tank you, doctor.”
The doctor gave her a warm smile and left the room.
The moment the door closed, Leitana turned to me, eyes narrowing even through the lingering tears.
“Why yu here?” she scolded, voice still hoarse from crying. “Yu supposed to be watching Mama, yu promised!”
I stepped closer, completely unbothered by her scolding. My hand rested lightly on her knee.
“Avery is with her,” I said simply. “You are more important.”
Her expression softened despite herself. She looked down at her stomach and began rubbing slow circles over it, a small, tired smile breaking through the worry.
I leaned down and pressed a slow kiss to the spot just above her belly button.
“Mi Ravial…” she whispered, voice soft and wondering. “Yu no human, right?”
I stiffened.
The question hung in the air between us, innocent, curious, and far too close to the truth.
My hand stayed on her stomach, thumb brushing slow circles, but my mind raced.
She looked up at me, hazel eyes wide and searching, waiting for an answer.
The silence stretched.
And for the first time, the devil found himself… cornered by his own lamb.