Hell’s Consort

Why did the Goddess desire to connect with her again?

Caving her shoulders in, Luna fought back a groan when the mark of the Triple Moon Goddess burned in her chest.

As her hand flew to the tattoos, Luna rubbed her palms against the embroidered texture of her top in a poor attempt to soothe it.

The ache was almost unbearable on her skin, as if someone pressed a fireplace poker on her skin. 

Despite her sudden loss of sight inside the black dome made of demons, Luna still heard the roars and snarls of the tainted faeries in her ears, along with the sharp cries and bellows of their victims before they got killed.

With her hands outstretched, Luna remained untouchable because of her power.

No evil spirit dared to possess her body because she was an Archdemon herself in a vampire bodysuit.

These diabolical wraith-like creatures knew—the Archdemon who controlled them knew—who was untouchable or not, and that included her.

They might not be able to make one of the Spring Monarchs a vessel; that's why they were demolishing them from the inside, using their own kind to attack one another. 

The brain behind this demonic ambush was a clever one. 

Since her husband had successfully banished Lilith from her body through the demonic faeries' blood sacrifice, Luna had a theory that Lilith's conjurer caused this.

Who else had access to Archdemon magic aside from her?

Luna's pulse sped up as her heart pounded in angst.

She must have found a way to counter Prince Aspen's Fae Magic.

Didn't he completely wipe out the conjurer's memory from the day she was born until the present?

Luna's body tensed as cold sweat trickled down her back.

...or did the Archdemon of Envy found a way to stay in the Faerie Realm outside Luna's body?

Shaking her head, Luna dismissed the idea. 

It can't be done. 

She refused even to consider it.

It was just impossible.

Nevertheless, it wasn't only fear fed these shape-shifting demons every time they jumped from one spring faerie to another.

They also ate their host's soul to make them stronger and consume the rest of the pure souls in their vicinity.

This mayhem finally made sense to her!

It wasn't just about creating destruction like what these demons were born to do, such as wiping out the existence of the Spring Courts; they also do this to secure a Kingdom of their own, powerful enough to take over the rest of the Faerie Realm—attacking the nearby Faerie Courts (Winter, Summer, and Fall) including the Shadow Realm. 

Her head spun as she felt her legs weaken from that realization.

Luna's fears were the real demons to slay at this moment.

She had to do something about the unknown Legion who arrived in Ostara unannounced. 

It was time to trust the Goddess.

'Fear is an illusion, child.' Hecate whispered. 'It's time to break free.'

Willingness and drive can guarantee success. 

Luna slowly purged the crippling anxiety from her mind, body, and soul.

As she forced her eyes open, Luna froze at what she witnessed.

Luna can finally see the night sky without the presence of the barriers of the demonic legion.

She heard her pulse pounding in her temples.

When she let those negative emotions creep back into the dark recesses of her thoughts, eating her from the inside out, the black dome trapping them inside took shape. 

Goddess Hecate was right.

Fear was an illusion...but she couldn't break this wall down by herself.

All of the Ostara guests had to help, but it would be hard passing down the information to help the collective.

Not everyone can remain calm under duress--especially the less brave.

A cold hand settled on her left shoulder.

Before Luna could draw her sword and shield back to kill the possessed creature, Apollyon's husky baritone came out in the dark. "Love."

Butterflies fluttering her stomach in that single word, she said, breathless. "Apollyon."

Even if she couldn't make out his shape when Luna made no conscious effort to get rid of her fear, Luna could feel him as she held unto her husband in a hug.

Apollyon wrapped her arms around her waist and brought him closer to him, raising her feet off the ground.

"How did you find me?"

"You can't hide from me, wife." She could imagine him grinning with masculine arrogance as he murmured in her ear. "These shape-shifting demons were mere illusions, but only a selected few will know."

Her husband was a smart Vampire King. "You figured it out."

"Luna, don't do it." He said urgently as he gripped her shoulders tight. "I know what you are planning to do."

"You do?" Luna asked, a bit alarmed.

She couldn't let him have access to her memories in Hell.

"I can hear your thoughts now," Apollyon said, and it came out like a snap.

Luna flinched, but she recovered immediately when her husband added, "You don't have to worry about me sticking my nose into your memories in this crucial moment." Apollyon reassured her as he pulled her in his arms.

"Whatever you are thinking in the present."Concern was evident in his voice. "Don't do it."

Her stomach churned, but he didn't let her fear overwhelm her. "If I don't, we might not be able to escape." 

"No, we can escape. I found the weakest point on the edge of this and made a small hole on the ground to the other side." Apollyon bent his head, and Luna could feel his moist lips touching the shell of her ear. "It is similar to the barriers I created for the Vampire Kingdom, but the magic didn't work so well on the barrier itself because of these demons. I had to work hard to destroy a small portion of it and create a hole on the ground."

"Some parts of this dark barrier are thinning, shifting, changing, so it made sense that some of its coverage are weak." Luna nodded in agreement. "They were hundreds of apparitions... but their forms are too stretched over a wide area to contain all of the guests."

"Let's go before they notice the hole I made, and I have to find another weak spot all over again." Apollyon's said quietly as his hands lowered to her hips, squeezing each side in a pressing need. 

"But the others—'

"Let them figure it out on their own. Everyone will be dead in this cage, and only the strongest will come out alive. If we wait for them to figure it out---" He trailed off, and his next statement came out jerky."--the creatures around us would not listen anyway."

Luna considered herself a strong Archdemon, so she might have to make a sacrifice.

"I'm sorry, husband, but I have to do it." The prerequisite for Archdemon magic—all kinds of magic--is thought. Once put into action, the idea will turn to reality. "For the greater good."

Even if it felt as if all of Luna's bones had no strength and her limbs had lost their power, she allowed the Archdemon magic to consume her.

She would stick to the original plan.

Luna will eat the demons herself.