The estate was silent that night, yet the silence carried weight. Enzo's test had left blood on the streets, and the council gathered once more to assess what Dominic's next move might be.
Ravenna sat apart from the others, polishing her twin daggers with slow, almost loving strokes. Her eyes gleamed with hunger as she replayed Lucius's every word from earlier, savoring them like holy scripture.
Silvio studied her with a wary gaze. "He will come for one of us next. The boy was only bait. Dominic wants to see how we react when he strikes deeper."
Victor Draemont nodded, his fingers tapping against the polished table. "He is methodical. If he wishes to weaken us, he will target where we are most unpredictable. That means…" His gaze slid toward Ravenna.
Her lips curved into a smile, sharp and dangerous. "Let him try. I will paint the walls with his blood and gift it to Lucius as proof of my devotion."
Darius scoffed. "Your devotion will not matter if you are dead. Do not underestimate him, woman. Dominic knows where to cut."
Cain Mortalis sat in silence, his axe leaning against his shoulder. But even his quiet presence seemed heavier than usual, as if the thought of losing a council member stirred something primal.
Adrian Crowe adjusted his tie, his eyes sharp. "If Dominic touches one strand of the web we have built, he will unravel more than a life. He will test the loyalty of the rest of us. That is his aim."
Lucius finally spoke, his voice calm yet suffocating. "Then let him come. If he wishes to toy with the Black Widow, he toys with me. And no one plays with the Devil without paying the price."
That night, Ravenna wandered into the city streets, her daggers hidden beneath her cloak. She was reckless, but she thrived on the thrill of being hunted. Every shadow seemed alive, every whisper of wind like a challenge.
From the rooftops, Dominic watched her. His eyes studied her movements, her habits, her flaws. A predator watching another predator, calculating when to strike.
She paused in an alley, tilting her head. "I know you are there," she purred into the darkness. "Come out, coward. I want to taste and hear your screams."
Instead of answering, Dominic sent one of his men forward. A brute with scars covering his arms lunged at Ravenna, knife raised. She sidestepped smoothly, slit his throat, and let his blood spray across the wall like paint.
Her laughter echoed down the alley, wild and delighted. "Is this the best you can do? Send me more!"
But even as she taunted, more figures emerged, surrounding her. Ten men, twenty, all armed, all trained. Dominic's voice carried from above. "You call yourself Lucius's Black Widow, but every web can be torn apart."
Ravenna's eyes burned with mania. "You think numbers frighten me? I only see more bodies for my altar."
The alley erupted into chaos. Blades clashed, screams tore the night, and Ravenna moved like a dancer through death. Every cut she made was precise, every strike a song of devotion to Lucius.
Blood stained her cloak, but still she laughed, her eyes shining with madness. "This is nothing! You cannot touch me!"
Then, as she spun to kill another, a rope snapped around her wrist. Another coiled around her throat, yanking her back. For the first time, her balance faltered.
Dominic dropped from the rooftop, his boots hitting the ground with a thud. His presence was cold, suffocating, and his eyes locked onto hers with something deeper than hatred.
"You bleed like anyone else," he whispered. "And when you fall, Lucius will know what weakness looks like."
Ravenna hissed, thrashing against the ropes, daggers slipping from her grasp. "You cannot break me. I belong to him!"
Dominic leaned closer, his smile cruel. "That is exactly why you must be the first to fall."
At that moment, a shadow split the night. Darius crashed into the alley with a roar, knives flashing as he cut down two of Dominic's men in a heartbeat.
Cain followed, his axe cleaving through the ropes that bound Ravenna. His silence was a thunder louder than any war cry.
Dominic stepped back, his smile unfazed. "So the Butcher and the Executioner come to protect the Devil's pet. Interesting."
Ravenna staggered to her feet, blood dripping down her arms, her eyes wild. "I am no pet. I am his blade, and I will carve your name into my skin when you die!"
Darius growled. "He is not ready to face us head on. That is why he runs."
And indeed, Dominic was already moving, fading back into the shadows with his surviving men, leaving behind only corpses and the stench of blood.
Ravenna stood panting, fury and humiliation burning her veins. For the first time in years, she had been caught off guard, made vulnerable.
Lucius's presence lingered in her mind, his words echoing. She clenched her fists, trembling. "I will not fail him again. I will make Dominic regret ever touching me."
But Dominic's laughter carried from far away, mocking, promising more to come. "This is only the beginning."
The council gathered around Ravenna, their eyes heavy with anger and unease. Dominic had tested them again, and though they survived, the cracks in their unity had been revealed.
And somewhere high above, in the city's tallest spire, Lucius watched with burning crimson eyes. His lips curved into a slow smile, one that promised the storm had only begun.