Hell’s Consort

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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"You will be punished for that." Tilting his head at her, Ravin moved his chair forward so he could lean his arm on the outdoor table and cradle his head with a hand.

He might have assumed easy, relaxed mannerisms but Ravin was a predator deep down.

Archdemons moved with languid grace.

Luna knew that they only do it so that their prey would get comfortable, put their walls down, and then they would pounce for the kill.

As if on cue, Luna's eyes widened as she put a hand over her mouth to feign a mock surprise.

"That's shocking. Boo-hoo!" She even made airy motions of rubbing her eyes out as if she had been crying.

"I'm so afraid of Satan." Luna's voice had fake-trembled in sarcasm.

She paused to look at Ravin's reaction and he  wasn't laughing at her jests as he should. 

His brain must have been slow to catch up with her humor!

Exhaling, Luna had given up messing with Ravin.

She rested her palms on her crossed legs like a prim and proper lady. "You told me when we were at the bathtub that it was Satan's rules for fledgling Archdemons not to use the magic without proper training, blah, blah, blah." Luna waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing new there."

  "So, I'm getting punished." She deadpanned, putting on a show for Ravin so that he could see how calm she was. "Not today, Satan, not today."

Ravin cleared his throat and focused his gaze on her, "You only have three days before I hand you over to the Grand Torturer."

Chills ran down her spine as the hands resting on her knees trembled in fear.

There was a pregnant pause. 

"The Grand Torturer? Hmm," Luna pursed her lips as she smoothed the skirts of her gown coolly. "That's the first time I have heard of that." 

  "The name alone is pretty much self-explanatory."

'Of course, it was, smartass.' Luna bit her cheek to curb her annoyance.

Hands balled into fists, Luna asked, "What do you think would he do to me, Ravin?"

  "I think he will just want to see you face-to-face, be in your presence for half an hour, bid you farewell, and tell you to have a nice day!" Ravin turned slightly as his lips curved, covering his mouth with a fist as if it would hide his smirk.

Slack-jawed, Luna called him out. "Come on, Ravin!" 

Glaring at him, she pointed an accusing finger at him for having fun at her expense. "You aren't taking me seriously." 

"Luna from the name alone, you know the man tortures demons that break the Rules of Hell." Ravin lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.

His gaze shifted to the female imp whom he had tasked to bring some green bushes, pink and red desert roses along with baby blue blossoms from the garden.

The female imp came back, placing the things she had painstakingly gathered on the table between them.

Ravin ignored her and proceeded to make flower crowns while the demon servant taught the prince how to weave them together without talking.

Luna assumed they were having a mental conversation.

  "I don't understand why Hell had rules, Ravin! " Luna scratched her head in frustration. "Hell is chaos. I would never expect Hell to have ordered so torturing me for using Archdemon Magic didn't make any sense."

As she tapped her fingers on the table, she watched how Ravin murdered the flowers in a poor attempt to create whatever it was he desired.

For what purpose?

Luna didn't know.

She had nothing to do so her hands flew grudgingly on the desert roses and the bushes right away as she followed their example because Luna had nothing better to do. 

"It's not about doing it for the right or wrong reasons. All of the Archdemons and the fledglings need to learn discipline and recognize authority from the First Born Archdemon Monarchs." Ravin's Archdemon wing rose slightly and accidentally brushed the imp. He jolted from the touch and lowered them so it wouldn't rub against the servant. "That is why that rule was made." 

He continued, "Fledglings like you need to learn respect so that the future Archdemon rulers could also earn the respect of their Legion if they replace a ruler from the Seven Circles through challenging them." 

"Satan didn't like to kill the new fledgling Archdemons right away, no questions asked, for their disobedience," Ravin explained, glancing at her for a second before he returned to weaving the desert roses together.

"Some fledglings were powerful than the others that is why they have easy access to Archdemon magic. It would be a shame to kill the potential. " The imp assisted him like she was his fairy godmother which was ironic since she appeared like a goblin. "The Archdemon King could use them against the Creator in the Final Judgment to lead armies against the Archangels."

Luna was stunned from the onslaught of information bombarding her brain in such a short period. "How do you think will I be tortured, Ravin?"

"It's up to the Grand Torturer." Ravin smiled and his dark beauty stood out when a tiny dimple materialized on his left chin. 

With her eyes on his face, Luna watched, mesmerized, because she couldn't believe she just noticed it.  "I'm not one. How could I possibly know?"

Clearing her throat, Luna focused on the conversation once again. "You are a pureblood Archdemon, right?"

She squinted at him warily. "Don't you have any knowledge about him?"

Leaning forward to the table, Luna whispered. "Weren't you tortured even once in your life when you are a fledgling?"

She doubted Ravin would answer but she still hoped she would.

Males, whether they are Archdemons or not, whether they are Kings or lowly servants, they would never show and tell their moments of weaknesses.

Her theory was proven right when Ravin replied in a neutral tone as if he was downplaying something. "I refuse to talk about it, Amare, but one thing you should know is that the Grand Torturer oozed dangerous powers."