Hell's Consort

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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Luna wanted to let Apollyon see every single thing as revenge, to make him suffer through prolonging the vision but that might act as a lightning blast that could send him to a downward spiral, shocking him into anguish and despair.

It wasn't only her husband who was devastated by this sharp truth.

No, she wouldn't do that.

He might think that she was proud of what she did with the other Archdemon when it was actually the opposite.

This would be the first and the last time that she would recall this vision, pull it from the darkest recesses of her mind and then she would bury it afterwards, pretending it never happened.

She didn't want Apollyon to hate her even more from what she committed with Luxen.

Despite being wounded from Apollyon's allegations earlier, she still has a conscience left even if he entirely passed the blame on her.

Now, they will see if Apollyon would still think the same after this.

Luna snapped a finger in front of Apollyon's face and he broke from the trance she made and Apollyon got up in a sitting position.

"I'm sorry for cavorting with the enemies just because I want to learn what I can do so that I could hurry up and return to you. I'm sorry for not being careful. Everything is my fault. Are you happy now?" She whispered haughtily in a challenge.

"You didn't show me what happened before that, Luna." Apollyon's hand shot on her forearm as his unfocused eyes zeroed on her.

He scowled. "What else are you hiding from me?"

To sacrifice the present in order to secure the future or to sacrifice the future to endure a better present?

Either choice held a bitter taste in her mouth but Luna chose to sacrifice the present by revealing one of her secrets and that wasn't all of it yet.

Would he still love her if he found out that not only did she have sexual congress with Luxen when there was also a possibility that she would be carrying an Archdemon baby?

It was an unnecessary thing to do.

She shouldn't tell him that information yet when it came to an unreliable source such as the Archdemon of Sloth.

Luna would choose what to believe from the words coming out of his lazy mouth, making sure that what she picked out from his speculations were facts.

There was still a chance that it wasn't true and if she told that secret to Apollyon, it would be the end.

"I thought you told me to stop showing it to you." Luna taunted him.

Luna decided to tell Apollyon bit by bit so that her husband wouldn't get a heart attack from the problems and conflicts clinging into her life like demonic parasites sucking her energy and her life force.

The concealment of her secrets was giving her constant headaches every day, urging her to dump all of the burdens on her poor husband.

"No. No. No." His head made a vigorous shake as if making sure he had woken from his nightmare. "I changed my mind. I don't want to see them again. " Apollyon looked haunted as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair.  "I'm so angry right now."

"I wished you haven't shown me." He bared his teeth and his fingers were flexing as if he had the urge to choke someone to death—hopefully, not her. "I want to get rid of that memory."

She knew.

Luna knew deep in her gut that Apollyon would react like this—deeply hurt, angry and heartbroken.

His suppressed rage was like a ticking time bomb as she waited for him to explode and lash out at her.

Luna would have expected him to set the fields of golden wheat on fire but maybe, she hadn't pushed him enough to get to that point.

"You were so angry you sounded like you want to kill the nearest, breathing creature nearby. Who else was that creature?" She gave him a sarcastic grin to disconcert him. "Is it me?"

At that moment, Luna realized her eyes were empty wells.

She didn't enjoy gracing her husband with a cutting wit but she was determined to make him reflect back on his actions. "Are you sure you don't want to see it again? Do you want to kill me for being so weak—for being the victim, Apollyon?"

His nostrils flared. "Don't joke about killing you, Luna, because even if that happened, I couldn't leave you because of the blood bond unless I want to kill myself."

"You have to witness it yourself, Apollyon because you were blinded by your pride and your ego. " Luna said and Apollyon tensed. "You have to be aware that this bastard has used your face and I mistook him for you because I wanted to be with you!"

"You keep asking me if I have cheated with Lilith and Princess Alisabethe at Ostara. I have explained everything in a clear and concise manner without hiding anything from you while you keep dodging my interrogations pertaining to your Archdemon Husbands.  I deserved the truth, wife, and it took you a long time to tell me, making it fester into your psyche." Apollyon said in a growl. "You might not notice it but I think it damaged you one way or another. You can't blame me for being angry at you—for hurting yourself as well as me, your husband, for taking too long to get it off your chest."

"I took too long, husband because I wanted to enjoy my time with you because I missed you so much when I got back from Hell. I don't want to ruin you—ruin us." Luna explained. "I was waiting for the right time to tell you but the shapes shifting demons got in the way and I didn't have the chance."

"Now, I want you to remember the feeling of happiness and longing when you saw me wide awake for the first time—when you haven't found out that she was Lilith. You told me you kissed her because you were ecstatic. But from what I have caught from your thoughts earlier, Cederic and Prince Aspen were able to pull you back from that haze of hunger from meeting your beloved. Nobody else stopped me, Apollyon, because I was weak and alone." Luna's eyes stung when she was reminded of her struggles.

How could Apollyon minimize her suffering earlier? "I didn't think twice because I was giddy, believing that you acquired a stronger magic to break into Hell alone. I was hoping that you would find a way while I tried my best to do what I can, fending those Archdemons. I fell for Luxen's trap of seduction at once when he morphed himself into your image."

"You were right. When I saw his back, I thought it was me. I almost mistook what you have shown me as my memory except for the fact that I couldn't recognize that place."

What if it was the other way around—seeing Apollyon fucking Lilith in a vision just because he believed right away that it was her?

Luna would probably destroy half of the Realm.

She wouldn't be harsh in his judgment with Apollyon, admitting to herself that she might also blame him if Apollyon slept with Lilith.

"He—" Apollyon's fingers squeezed her arm in desperation as he moved closer to her.

Luna took one look at his face and she knew he needed her. "I don't want to remember what I have seen."

"I hate it, Luna." She opened her arms and Apollyon went into her embrace. "I have heard your moans and that bastard… It makes me upset! I feel anxious that it's clawing me to pieces! I want to kill the bastard." He swore as his skin bunched around his eyes. "This is the sole reason why I want to be an Archdemon…so that I could kill those bastards who did this to you!"

Thinking that she already spent all of her tears, Luna cried in silence once again as she stroked Apollyon's back to comfort him.

"I can't place paper over cracks and simply pretend that everything is alright. Tell you that everything will be alright."  Hearing that from Apollyon crushed her hopes of reconciliation. It made her feel like she was bleeding inside. "I need more time to process this. Alone."