Hell's Consort

"No."

Luna awoke to a cold, unyielding voice of a familiar man— it was her husband!

Despite her fuzzy, unclear brain, the last statement her ears caught when she blinked her eyes open was, "My wife didn't need to try the dress herself."

She didn't notice that Apollyon had shifted her while she was asleep as she wiped the tiny drool at the corner of her mouth that had long been dried.

Luna remembered earlier that she was facing the sky and lying on the wolf with her back to it.

Now her cheek was against the wolf's fur, clinging to the animal, while her stomach rested against the wolf's back.

She was vaguely aware that it was similar to sleeping on a velvet pillow.

Her fingers dug into this large predator's flesh and got up to glance around.

Lips parting in disbelief, her eyes widened in shock at the crowd around them.

They have arrived at the village, and she was a little upset that Apollyon didn't wake her up as he promised.

She could understand her husband's decision, though.

Apollyon didn't want her to exhaust herself for no reason because he cared about her and their baby, Leo.

She was zapped of strength from creating the portal, making her crave Apollyon's blood.

Her nerve endings stirred and tingled in anticipation.

She couldn't wait to quench her thirst when she finally got the chance to be alone with Apollyon without his young sister trailing after them.

Luna fought back a grin.

Her young, innocent mind shouldn't witness what adults do behind closed doors, or she might be scarred for life.

They were gone from the Summer Woods, where all of them landed on a waterfall.

The trees with a couple of hundred feet tall were replaced by the hustle and bustle in this part of the village.

They were currently in the village market surrounded by the Summer Fairfolk of young and old wearing bright, joyful smiles.

The Fae in the Summer Court was considered more polite or mannered but still capable of cruelty.

Apollyon had mentioned before that Faes from the Summer Court could be frivolous, venereal, hot-headed.

Of course, many of them may have good intentions, but they ultimately have their own ulterior agenda and stretch the truth to fit their motives.

They were the kind of entities that would stab someone in the back but with a smile and warm food at the same time.

Luna guessed they were better to handle than Archdemons.

Luna noticed that the Summer Faeries came on too strong with their appearance.

They were full of bright and intense colors tattooed on their skin, making it shimmer with veins of pure gold.

Most of the Faeries from the Summer Courts had elven ears and long, chiseled faces with otherworldly features.

Some of their hairs were dyed in different hues and tones, with emerald leaves covering them.

Dryads and nymphs with golden features and root-like hands roamed around the marketplace while some of the fire spirits and sylphs hovering above them.

The way they dressed was too flamboyant for her liking.

All Luna can see was color so intense to the point of being warlike and aggressive—a little mismatched but still put together.

It made her temples throb from their vibrant clothes sparkling under the blinding light and scorching heat of the sun.

She was a mere drop in the sea of upright bodies as the buyers haggled with the goods while the sellers tried to match them so that they would still gain a profit.

The rest of the people around them were catching up with each other while keeping their families close.

Luna still couldn't believe that she had been asleep through this entire ordeal despite the cacophony of the Summer Faeries who have gangly limbs and long silky hair.

"You're awake. You're Highness." Apollyon's sister must be tired of flying since she saw her standing as she stroked her wolves nuzzle.

Luna raised an eyebrow, surprised that the beast can keep this cool in front of these strangers.

It must be a domesticated animal since it was acting like it had been here a hundred times, and the crowd didn't freak out on the animal's presence.

"You're Highness?" The seller—who was a middle-aged faerie with skin that appeared velvet-smooth and have dark green wings--looked over her shoulder to get a clearer view of her while her hands clutched the hanger from the clothing rank. "Is that a princess you brought here in the Summer Courts, Princess Sapphire?"

Ah. So Princess Sapphire was the name of Apollyon's sister.

Their minds were too occupied from escaping the Spring Realm that both of them didn't bother asking for his sister's name.

She was a unique princess who her family didn't shelter.

It was odd that her husband's young sibling was sent on dangerous missions like what she did at the Spring Realms, going to the cabin alone with no other companion except the wolf carrying her.

She was trusted as a messenger despite her age.

The crowd appeared like they were washed over by sea waves moving this and that, side to side, while their eyes were pulled away from one stall to another.

Luna could feel them throwing her a sideways glance.

"Wife. You're awake." Apollyon turned towards her and held her hand to rub his thumb against it. "I'm trying to buy you a new dress, but this lady insisted  that you have to try it on first to see if it would look good on you."

"If she insisted, then…"

"But you need to be whisked in the inn." Apollyon's deep voice rumbled in his chest. "You need to get proper rest in a comfortable mattress. Sleeping on the wolf might make your back sore."

Luna exhaled a sharp breath. "Alright. Lady, I think that would do. We could return it if it didn't fit."

"I don't accept returns, Your Highness, because you might destroy my dresses even if it wasn't on purpose."

"Alright." She nodded. "We wouldn't return it."

"Lady. Don't waste my time." Apollyon's tone was as cold as ice. "Just give me that fine emerald dress for my wife so that she could change her rumpled clothes."

"Brother." Princess Sapphire raised a hand to get noticed. "I didn't bring money with me to buy that expensive dress you want for the Empress."

Panic overwhelmed her chest when the Summer Faeries' ears perked up when they heard the word, 'Empress.'

The hot summer weather Luna felt intensified when she felt them closing in on her, their warm bodies pressing in, which made her feel claustrophobic.

Princess Sapphire added. "Empress Ourania wouldn't give me money unless I ask for it."

"You are a poor princess, then."

"I have money in my belt, but it is from the Spring Courts," Luna spoke up.

"Currencies in the Spring Courts was different in the Summer Courts, so that money on your pockets has no value here."

"Then, take this, Summer Lady." Apollyon threw a golden ring with a large ruby gem and the seller caught them mid-air. "I want all those clothes in the Vinca Inn whether they fit my wife or not."