Hell's Consort

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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Apollyon's bluntness shocked her, that she released a piercing scream of suffering.

His words, "You should have known better!"  reverberated in her skull,  ringing into her ears on repeat in never-ending torture.

Why couldn't her husband sympathize with her situation?

Something is wrong with Apollyon.

"Why are you silent?" Apollyon tilted his head as he wore a cruel smirk. "Maybe, you couldn't answer me because all my assumptions are true."

Gritting her teeth with exertion, Luna shoved him off her hard, but he remained as still as a huge boulder. "Apollyon. What things don't you understand about rape?!"

"I didn't do it on purpose. He came to me, not the other way around." Luna huffed in frustration, tempted to make him fly to the other side of the mountain. "I might have made a mistake to welcome him inside me when he used your face and your form."

"I'm sorry, but it sounded like a lame excuse to me, wife. I expected you to keep your promise, but you betrayed my trust. You know why? Because I did keep my promise to you despite you questioning my morals. You, of all people, know how shameless I am when it came to pleasures of the flesh—especially when it came to you." Apollyon's eyes heated as if he was already imagining wicked things—hot and erotic images of her that drove him to madness when he thought about other men laying their hands on her. "But since I want to honour you, I was cautious and kept my tool in my pants. I never expose my nakedness with Lilith when she occupied her body as a physical vessel. She seduced me, but I didn't give in. I told you."

"If you want me to be honest, I would tell you that I have kissed her to keep up with our ruse to capture the demonic faeries, and she wouldn't be suspicious of our plans. Lilith accepted the mere breadcrumbs I gave her because she was hungry for my affection. I only did it to pretend. A harmless kiss—no more and no less." He spat. "But you—"

"It's my fault, I know!"

It was partly her fault because, as Apollyon said, she should have known better.

But she had no control over what happened, either.

Luxen tricked her, and she became a willing participant, thinking it was her husband.

"Maybe, you had learned to love your other husbands when you were in Hell. You didn't have the heart to tell me the truth until now. You lied to me, Luna. I consider your half-truths to be lies because you have kept me in the dark." Apollyon said in a whisper-shout.

Apollyon's statements made her think that he thought she was the type of woman who would choose temporary pleasure over the consequences that would last in an entire lifetime.  "You and Luxen must have laughed at me after you did it together, treating me like a fool. Maybe, it was one of your fetishes to make Luxen shapeshift into me…I don't know." Luna's mouth hung wide open at how ridiculous he was, and she wondered if her husband was joking. "I couldn't find any other reason—"

"You're making excuses to not believe in me anymore because you were hurt, Apollyon."

He went silent.

Trembling, Luna couldn't take his hurtful condemnation anymore.

"Your mask had cracks on them. You weren't invincible like you think you are, husband. Do you think I wouldn't notice? In your mind, I betrayed you, and I don't deserve a second chance because you think it was like you are permitting me to hurt you again. This is why you sting me with your venomous claims. I know that your ego is in shambles. You think the only way to restore your pride is to inflict pain on me as I did you. Is your ego more important than me who suffered from the hands of the Archdemons?" Luna's pitch rose with every question as her hands fisted to her sides. "You dare to tell me that my time in Hell was fun--All the torment I suffered to reach the level of Archdemon Magic I have? You think I was opening my legs to every Archdemons I meet?"

Apollyon appeared murderous and she smirked.

Was it because Luna's statements hit the nail right on its head?

"You still cheated on me behind my back! You betrayed me for a quick lay in the sheets! I kept my promise to you even if the time is longer in this Realm was longer compared to yours. " Apollyon released her from the cage of his arms and lifted her chin, "How dare you—"

Luna's vision blurred as everything began to move in slow motion.

As she clutched her aching head,  Apollyon's accusations vanished, and his voice turned louder, grabbing her forearms to keep her upright, but her knees had given up.

It took her a moment to understand what Apollyon was saying, but later, she realized he was desperately calling her name in her ear over to wake her up.

Luna slowly blinked, breathing hard as she heard her husband telling her not to leave him.

Apollyon dropped to the ground along with her.

Too late to notice that she had collapsed, Apollyon caught her just in time before she rolled down the mountains, cradling her back.

"Are you tired of speaking?" Luna gritted her teeth, and her claws went out from the intensity of her fury, seizing Apollyon's arm. "Are you tired of assuming things that happened to me in Hell when you don't even know what I'm going through there?"

"I am fed up with your 'You should have's' and your other hurtful accusations against me, blaming me for being Luxen's victim. Yes, I am a victim, Apollyon." Luna's voice broke at the word 'victim.'  "Your beloved wife became a victim of rape."

"Are you ashamed now? Did it make you less manly to have me as your mate?" She cried sorrowful tears, "I thought you told me not to blame myself for the things I didn't do, but how?! How can I not blame myself for this when you are already blaming me without hearing me out?!"

"I shouldn't have told you, Apollyon," Luna murmured grudgingly. "I should have shown you."1