Hell’s Consort

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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"He had mentioned that he was a shaman before in his past life whose practice later crossed to the Dark Arts." Luna defended as she squeezed Sloth's upper arm, compelling him to support her statement.

  It made Ravin scowl on where her fingers had curled.

She caught herself touching her brother-in-law inappropriately, and she abruptly her hand to the side.

  The open resentment in Ravin's handsome face made it seem like she was touching Sloth's genitals, but she didn't.

Pale cheeks flaming as red as tomatoes, Ravin raised an eyebrow in suspicion. 

"It was just speculation." Luna flinched slightly when the Archdemon of Sloth backtracked with his words, making her a liar.

She knew it was outright deception when he refused to meet her eyes. "I lost my memories, unlike Lilith and others who weren't Pureblood Archdemons."

Frowning, Luna was sure that Sloth was convinced when he told her about his past when they were at his study, and like the idiot she was, she believed him. 

Mayhap, Sloth didn't want Ravin to know about it, or was he confusing her on purpose?

Did he tell her to keep it a secret from everyone, or was Sloth lying from the start and just told her this made-up sob story to gain her sympathy?

Without taking her eyes from Sloth, Luna told Ravin while gaging Sloth's reaction. "He told me he is a Cambion, so it would make sense that he was drawn to Archdemon Magic." 

A strong breeze swept across them that it sent her silver hair and dress flying in all directions.

It was so strong and loud that it brought chills all over her skin.

Sloth was near Luna, so he moved to stand in front of her and raised an arm to block her face from the sand that came along with the wind.

It could probably rip one of her wings if it wasn't made of both muscles and stretched skin.

Luna was also tall and thin as a twig, so the gust might send her back to the Second Circle of Hell if she wasn't careful.

Thin branches, wildflowers, and prickly leaves from the desert trees fell on them like hail and snow as they stood their ground, waiting for it to stop.

She glanced up at Sloth's squinted eyes--lit with an inner glow--before Ravin pulled him away with brutal force. 

"Luna." Her jaw slackened when Sloth was abruptly replaced by Ravin, who was fussing over her as a mother hen would.

Cupping her cheeks in his hand, Ravin asked in a misplaced concern, "Are you alright?"

Giving Sloth a sideways glance, Luna made sure that her brother-in-law was unharmed when Ravin pulled him off her. 

"Nothing, Ravin." Sighing, Luna grasped his wrist and shoved it to his sides. "The wind did not take me back to the Vampire Realm, so rest assured that I am here."

"No." A shake in the head. "Did your eyes hurt from the sand?"

He clasped her chin, tilting it from side to side. "Did Sloth kiss you all of a sudden like Luxen?"

Oh, so this was what the concern was all about. "You can tell me, and I would beat him up."

Luna fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Ah, Ravin, you were standing behind me, so in that angle, it might look like I am kissing her, but I did not." Sloth stared at them in a daze before peeling the blankets off the thing in the basket he had been carrying all this time. "I have not kissed anyone with or without permission in Hell, so rest assured that—"

  "It's good that you are a virgin." Ravin interrupted with a murmur, plucking at the dried leaves stuck on Luna's hair.

Sloth coughed. "Excuse me?"

  She tiptoed to take a peek at the thing, but Ravin kept on blocking her view of Sloth.

What was inside the damned basket?

"There is something strange about Sloth today, Luna." Ravin decided to make everything more awkward, "I have never seen him with a lady before, and I don't like the fact that he is visiting you for no reason."

"I had a reason why I am visiting your wife, brother." Sloth corrected him. "The egg I brought as a gift for Luna when she turned as an Archdemon had hatched."

  "Luna needed to take care of it while it was newly hatched so that it will follow her commands." Sloth gently tugged the velvet quilt and stepped closer to show them what's inside the basket. "You have to train the dragon while it is still young."

Luna and Ravin glanced down at the basket.

"Aww~" Luna squealed in a whisper. "My goddess!"

As she clutched a hand to her cleavage, Luna felt like tearing up in happiness and excitement. "That is the cutest dragon I have ever seen."

The baby dragon was content to its slumber, stirring with slowness and grace.

Its eyes weren't open yet as it lay so still.

The baby dragon's wings were still smaller than its overall size, but it fitted perfectly on Sloth's basket. 

Luna longed to touch the red and black scales with her hands, wondering if they were warm or cold.

She almost did.

  "Don't touch it yet." Sloth swatted her hand away. "It is asleep."

"After all that chaos earlier?" Placing a hand over her mouth, she whispered, "Goddess, the baby dragon is a heavy sleeper."

Luna couldn't take her eyes off it. "What does it eat, Sloth?"

"Good thing, you asked." Exhaling, Sloth rubbed his stomach. "The baby dragon and I are hungry."

"Do you mean the baby dragon also eats---"

"You can fish sinful souls at the obsidian lake, Sloth." Ravin pointed at the dark lake displayed in front of them.

It wasn't that near, but they had to walk half a mile to get there. "I would like to come along with—"

"You can't." Sloth's arms hung limply to the sides when Luna pulled the basket handle, carrying it herself.

"Only two Archdemons can only fit the small canoe." His gaze wandered to Luna before it shifted back to Ravin, "Your wife should come along with me so that I could teach her how to feed the little dragon."

Feeding his little dragon, huh?

  "I trust you to take care of my wife, brother," Ravin said grudgingly. "--and I hope you could help her be at ease with the Grand Torturer's meeting."