Hell's Consort

Will Lux appear and kill her in the Dream Realm along with Ravin?

She had never imagined Hell could look like it was straight out of a fairy-tale.

Luna had seriously doubted that this was Hell.

Was this an illusion?

Luna glanced up to the sky and saw large stars hanging in the dark red and purple sky as it sparkled like diamond trinkets.

The sizes of the stars were different from the constellations appearing in the Vampire Realm or any other Realms.

Luna was convinced she was in a different world.

There was one yellow star more massive than the others, surrounded by the white-hot stars.

From where she had stepped on the black-purple dahlias, Luna saw a clear body of water in the distance.

There were growing fruit-bearing trees of black and red with few leaves.

Luna looked around the place and saw his dark palace--the grey clouds overshadowing the pinnacles on the east side of Ravin's outdoor luxury bed.

It was ironic how there were lush greenery, flowers and a body of water nearby where the Archdemon of Gluttony had settled compared to where his palace stood.

His obsidian palace stood at the centre of a huge desert where she saw an occasional mini-sandstorm every time the humid, hot air blew a strong breeze.

Luna assumed this garden was probably Ravin's oasis.

When a demon-possessed her because of what Luxen had done at the caves, Luna's consciousness was sent to the Underworld.

Her soul was barely hanging by the cliff while the dark souls clawed at her back and legs, pulling her with them down to the deepest pits of Hell.

Their cries of agony and torture were unbearable.

She pitied their poor souls, but she couldn't deny that they had deserved it because of their own wrongdoing.

They had served the atonement of their sins, and no other creature could prevent their suffering, not even her pity.

The God of the Underworld had weighed their black hearts on a scale, and it didn't pass the test from the Realm of the Dead.

Their hearts hadn't weighed lighter than the feather when their deeds were placed on trial.

The scales weren't balanced, so they were sent to Hell.

The God of the Underworld had kept records, unfortunately.

Anyway, this particular Realm didn't look to spine chilling and blood-curdling.

Where were the tortured souls?

Where were the other Archdemons?

Did the demons live here in this Kingdom?

Was she alone with Ravin and no one else?

What if she screamed for help and no one—not even her husband—could hear her and help her?

This was partly Apollyon's fault.

If he hadn't left her chained to the bed, imprisoning her to the ivory tower, then this shouldn't have happened?

Peering at her body, Luna found out that she had no bruises on her wrists and her ankles anymore.

Her limbs didn't hurt all over, and she wasn't thirsty with her husbands' blood just like how she should be if this were her real physical form.

Luna was weak in the Vampyr Realm, but she was sure she hadn't died yet from too much thirst.

This was a dream, she assured herself, but can she still come back to the Vampire Realm?

Maybe, Luna's soul had astral travelled yet again just like what she had done when she had returned the grimoire to Hecate.

Luna had to figure out quickly if the Archdemon had the power to kill her in this Dream Realm so that she could force herself to go back to Apollyon.

The Archdemon of Gluttony was stripped to the waist except for the robe and silk pyjama pants of such deep wine red.

The silk robes were open, showing his chest and pectoral muscles.

Luna kept her eyes strictly on his face, not staring at them at all even if he was the epitome of carnal temptation she had tried to resist.

"Amare." The Archdemon of Gluttony wore an egg-shaped cap of red and gold, and despite his playful tone, Ravin had that serious expression on his chiselled face. "I missed you."

While Ravin lay leisurely on the bed, he moved his leg sideways, changing  his position as if he was giving Luna some space where she could lie down with him on the bed.

Why would Ravin expected her to drop on the bed and sleep beside him?

Did he know that Luna was already married?

That she already got a husband and she wouldn't dare cheat on Apollyon?

Ravin glanced up at Luna with startling golden eyes which almost appeared like melted amber and honey.

The Archdemon of Gluttony's eyes were beautiful, and it used to haunt her even in her sleep, reminding her of death and the suffering she had dealt with to send them back to Hell.

Instead of asking herself questions that she didn't know the answer, Luna decided that it was time to speak her mind while the Archdemon was still calm about it. "Was this Hell?"

"What the Hell am I doing here?"

Oh, the irony. She didn't mean it to sound that way.

Luna blushed when he heard Ravin chuckle at her query, having  no intention to make the bastard laugh from her tragic puns.

"If you are looking for tortured souls and expecting ugly demons every time you glance left and right, I should probably tell you beforehand that you wouldn't find ugly creatures here. You know for a fact that demons weren't little red men with horns and a tail, although, I do have demon wings and you can find some creatures with horns." The Archdemon of Gluttony explained as if he had sensed her fears. "Those horned demons belong to the lower ranks. As an Archdemon, a Prince of Hell, and a descendant of Lucifer who used to be God's favourite, I was born beautiful. The seven Archdemons are. After all, we used to be angels, and now we have fallen."

Oh, my goddess, there were seven Archdemons?

That would make sense if every Archdemon represented one deadly sin, which could also portray their powers.

Luna's guards went up in a second, suddenly alert, preparing herself for any possible attacks from the Ravin.

She muttered a nullification spell, forgetting that Hecate already took her High Priestess magic because she had given up her virginity to Apollyon.

Closing her eyes, Luna clenched her fists and re-enforced her mind shields to prevent the Archdemon from reading her mind if he ever knew how.

Her husband was good practice for blocking anyone who tried to access her thoughts since Apollyon had tried multiple times when he couldn't understand her emotions.

Luna had to be at least good at it since Ravin didn't need to know that she had lost her powers.

As if Ravin had noticed her attempts of blocking him, Ravin's deep timbre echoed through her ears as he lifted one leg and placed them on top of the other, resting his head with a hand.  "I just wanted to warn you that only demon magic works here. This is my kingdom. This is my territory."

The motion sent his wine-red pants to ride lower, and he flashed her that sinewy vee on his waist.

Ravin murmured huskily."This small paradise I have created in Hell is where we would meet at night in your dreams where I could have you, Amare."

Eyes narrowed, Luna crossed her arms as she stared down at him. "You can't have me because I'm already married."

The Archdemon of Gluttony was shocked at her sudden revelation, sending pillows flying to the side.

Ravin got up quickly as if he was ready to throttle her, "With whom are you married to, Amare?"

Luna fell silent as she stared at the grass beneath her feet.

There was no need to hide the truth from him, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

He paused and from the serious look in his eyes, he had known.

"You married the Vampire King after—"Ravin shook his head in disbelief and continued, "You married the Vampire King after you sent us back to Hell?"

Luna nodded.

"Why?" He asked softly, but it was full of venom and menace. "You couldn't wait for me?"

"It's already done, and there was nothing I can do about it. "Luna shrugged with nonchalance as she shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable at Ravin's reaction.

"It didn't matter to me whether you are married to the Vampire King or not because in my eyes, we are married." Ravin's cold gaze held enough accusation of anger, hurt and betrayal, but despite all that, he had that determined glint in his eye to possess her.

It scared Luna, sending chills running down her spine.

We are tied together with a Blood Bond, and if it weren't, I shouldn't have been able to bring you here to my Kingdom." He said in a final commanding tone if that settled the matter. "It took me a long while to find ways to bring your soul back to me. I couldn't wait to hear your husky moans when I pleasure you."

Luna swore her cheeks had reddened when the word 'pleasure' came out of his moist lips.

Goddess, she should confront him and order him to return her to the Vampire Realm instead of engaging him further.

"I had struck a bargain from one of the Archdemons in Hell." Ravin continued as his starlit eyes gazed mischievously up at her in adoration.

Luna opened her mouth in shock but clamped it with her hand right away to prevent herself from screaming. "What bargain and with whom?"

Ravin smirked as he rested both of his hands behind his head, "The Archdemon of Envy."