AN:
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Ravenna bids Cedric goodnight with a forced smile, her mind still tangled in the strange encounter from earlier. The evening breeze is cool against her skin as she exits the restaurant, the city’s noise muffled by the darkness that has fully settled over the streets. She walks toward the car park, her heels clicking softly on the pavement. The glow of streetlights reflects off the polished metal of the few cars still parked, but the place is eerily empty. Above, the stars blink down at her, reminding her that it's well past midnight.

Her body aches with exhaustion, the kind that seeps into her bones and makes her limbs heavy. Tomorrow promises another grueling day at work, and she briefly considers taking a break. Just a day off to sleep, to forget about everything and everyone. She fumbles for her keys, yawning as she reaches her car. The sight of it feels like salvation. A few hours of sleep, that’s all she needs. Maybe—

A voice from behind freezes her in place.

"I wish to speak to you."

The sound is deep, resonant, and impossibly close. Her breath catches in her throat, and she spins around, her heart lurching in her chest. There he is— the man from the restaurant. The same intense, steel-blue eyes that had unsettled her earlier now fix her with a gaze that seems to pierce right through her.

"Bloody hell, mate!" she gasps, one hand flying to her chest as if to steady her racing heart. "You nearly scared me out of my wits!"

He doesn’t respond to her outburst, doesn’t even blink. "I wish to speak to you," he repeats, stepping closer, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his dark jacket.

Ravenna instinctively takes a step back, pressing herself against the cold metal of her car. "Wish shall not be granted," she snaps, trying to keep her voice steady, but the tremor betrays her fear. There’s something deeply unsettling about him, something that doesn’t quite belong in the ordinary world. Her mind scrambles for a logical explanation, but all she can think about is how empty the car park is, how utterly alone she is.

The man’s expression darkens, a deep frown etching itself across his features. His eyes soften momentarily, almost as if in pain, and she’s caught off guard by the sudden tenderness there. It’s as though he wants to reach out, to touch her, to—what? Hold her? Comfort her? The thought is as absurd as it is terrifying. She forces herself to stay alert, ready to flee if he makes a move.

"Ravenna," he says, his voice softer now, almost a plea.

She chokes on her breath, her heart hammering in her chest. "How do you know my name?" Her voice wavers, the fear now unmistakable. She’s trapped, cornered against her car by a stranger who knows her name. The panic rises in her throat, and she looks around desperately, hoping someone, anyone, might come to her rescue. But there’s no one. Just the empty night and this man who seems to hold her fate in his hands.

Her thoughts spiral, imagining the worst where she pictures her mother mourning her only daughter's grave. Even how Cedric will react to her death. Will he even mourn for her? He probably will for three days and continue his fancy life, long forgetting her for alcohol. She will make her only goal to rise from death to hunt him down if he does forget her that soon. The absurdity of the scenario nearly makes her laugh, but the reality of the situation clamps down on her throat like a vice.

She forces herself to focus, to stay present. The man’s gaze is unyielding, but there’s something else there now—an emotion she can’t quite name, something that stirs a memory just out of reach. But before she can grasp it, a sudden movement catches her eye. Two police officers approach, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Anything wrong here?" one of them asks, his hand already hovering near his holster.

The stranger doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even look away from her. "Nothing to be concerned of," he says calmly, but his voice is laced with something dark, something that makes her skin crawl.

"Yes, yes," Ravenna blurts out, her voice trembling. She nods frantically, practically pleading with the officers to intervene. "Please help me. He’s been stalking me all night."

"Stand away from the lady and put your hands in the air," one of the officers commands, his tone firm as he draws his gun, pointing it directly at the man.

The stranger slowly steps back, finally breaking his gaze away from Ravenna to face the officers. But he doesn’t raise his hands. Instead, he seems almost bored, as if this whole situation is a minor inconvenience. His calmness is unnerving, sending a fresh wave of fear through her.

The other officer looks at Ravenna. "Miss, stay in your car. Lock the doors."

She doesn’t need to be told twice. She scrambles into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut and locking it with shaking hands. Her breath comes in short, panicked gasps as she watches the scene unfold from the safety of her car.

"Hands in the air," the officer demands again, his finger twitching on the trigger.

The stranger doesn’t comply. Instead, he reaches into his jacket, pulling out a small, black pouch. Before the officers can react, he pours a handful of sand into his palm and blows it gently toward them. The sand swirls in the air, glittering like stardust, before enveloping the officers. They collapse to the ground in a heap, their eyes rolling back as unconsciousness claims them.

"Bloody hell," Ravenna breathes, her mind reeling. Her body reacts before her thoughts catch up, her hands turning the key in the ignition with desperate speed. The engine roars to life, and she slams her foot on the gas pedal, tires screeching as she speeds out of the car park.

Her heart pounds in her ears, her vision blurring with the tears she refuses to let fall. She risks a glance in the rearview mirror and sees him standing there, watching her flee. A raven lands on his shoulder, and for a moment, the world around him seems to blur, to twist and fold in on itself. Then he and the bird are gone, swallowed by a whirlwind of sand that dissipates as quickly as it appeared.

Fear constricts her chest, making it hard to breathe. She’s shaken, her thoughts chaotic as she races through the streets. The world outside the car feels unreal, distant, like she’s caught in a nightmare she can’t wake up from.

What just happened? Her mind struggles to comprehend the events of the past few minutes. The man—no, the entity—he isn’t human. The way he moved, the way he manipulated the sand, it’s beyond anything she’s ever known. The realization hits her like a blow. He’s a demon. She’s been marked by a demon, and now there’s no escaping whatever fate he has planned for her.

Her hands grip the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turn white. She feels the sweat on her skin, the trembling in her limbs. Her heart is racing, and her mind is spinning, but she forces herself to focus on the road. She can’t afford to crash, not now. Not when she’s being hunted.

But she can’t outrun him forever. She knows that much. Whatever he is, whatever he wants, he won’t stop until he gets it. Panic claws at her throat, threatening to overwhelm her, but she pushes it down, burying it deep. There has to be a way out of this. There has to be someone who can help her.

Her thoughts turn to Johanna Constantine. The name echoes in her mind, bringing with it a rush of memories she’s tried so hard to forget. Johanna, with her sharp eyes and sharper wit. A person she once trusted, a person she’s been avoiding for years. They have history, complicated and tangled, but Johanna is the only one with the knowledge and power to stand against something like this.

Ravenna swallows hard, the decision settling like a stone in her gut. She has no other choice. If she wants to survive, she’ll have to confront her past and seek out the one person who might be able to save her.