Hell’s Consort

*****************************

Vampire King Apollyon

*****************************

"I hate women!" Prince Aspen said out loud as he raised his goblet in the air.

Fae gentlemen from different age groups old enough to drink glanced in their direction in surprise.

When they figure out that it was the Faerie Prince whose deep voice stood out in the noisy ambience, the male aristocrats also lifted their own drinks while giving them a roguish grin as if they approved of that noisy declaration.

Apollyon's gaze ricocheted around each of the cosy circular tables to check if there were many women on the Will O' Wisp's third floor.

Fortunately, there weren't many gentlewomen on the third floor.

It made him sigh with relief when the few ladies who accompanied their husbands only regarded them with detached amusement.

He assumed women weren't insulted.

They could probably understand  Prince Aspen's sentiments.

Reaching for the cask, Apollyon poured the contents of the 'Purple Rose' on Prince Aspen's goblet after he drank the previous ones in huge gulps.

How can a Vampire King like him serve a Faerie Prince like this as his own personal waitress?

This was the fifth time he refilled the Faerie Prince with the liquid, and here he thought, he would be the one getting drunk tonight because of Luna's revelation! 

Apollyon grimaced at that, but he realized it was alright because at  least his head was still clear to rethink his decisions to get wasted.

"You know there is a fine line between love and hate." Apollyon said as he put the 'Purple Rose' down and poured himself the colourless fluid of the White Stag. "These two contrasting emotions are equally consuming passions." 

"Women are challenging to understand! They are so unpredictable and confusing! Our 'left' is 'right' to them, and what's 'up' might be 'down'!" Prince Aspen whined as his head began to sway into a rhythm only he knew. It made the purple fluid slosh in his own goblet. 

"Sometimes, they are difficult to reach! So hard to get! Lady Clarence turned my simple world upside down!" Apollyon could see that the 'Purple Rose' was getting to him as he listened to his every sloppy word. "They always seem to do the opposite of what I thought!"

  Shaking his head at him, Apollyon chuckled. It wouldn't take long for the 'Purple Rose' to take him down before the 'White Stag' run through his bloodstreams. "Yes, my wife can even turn my boredom into excitement with her antics. It was fun while it lasted." 

"Lady Clarence…" Prince Aspen stared blankly at the rim of his goblet before shooting daggers at it with his eyes; he might as well be staring at Lady Clarence. "--she made my life difficult." 

It was the current object of his ire, and Apollyon wondered if he was attempting to use Fae Magic to shatter the glass with only his laser-beam focus.

"The woman doesn't know how to stay still and obey or go along with what I want for us. It's frustrating me!"

Apollyon reflected on what Prince Aspen said because he could relate to it.

Somehow, it made him glad that he wasn't alone in his dilemma.

Aspen took three sips, and the White Stag made his tense muscles relax into both a state of awakening and slumber. "Maybe, nothing worth having comes easy."

Prince Aspen sighed. "Tell me about it."

  "My wife is as stubborn as a mule. If any more unknown entity bestowed her with more power, especially the evil ones--" Apollyon trailed off, savouring the heady sense of pleasure the moment its citrus taste and smoky vanilla along with the scent of woodsmoke exploded in his tongue. When he swallowed, the liquid felt like gasoline burning his oesophagus. Like sex, the faerie spirit felt nasty and euphoric at the same time. "--it would send our lives in peril from all the enemies chasing after her to get her under their control, making her their puppet."

"You are her mate, and you have connected through your souls." Prince Aspen said in a thoughtful nod as his gaze focused on him. "Couldn't you draw enormous power by using her as a source? You said it yourself. There is a reason why these bastards chase her to the ends of the world. So that they could derive this specific magic and strength from her."

"I have speculated that, but I haven't tried doing something about it from all these problems arising left and right. My wife and I couldn't catch a breath." Apollyon muttered to himself in annoyance, "Now I understand why she didn't want me to tell me her secret in the first place."

He squeezed the wrist of his hand, which held the stem of his glass to distract himself.

  Prince Aspen raised a curious eyebrow as his neck bent forward, "What secret?"

Apollyon swallowed the remaining white fluid in his goblet and licked his lips. When he spoke, his voice lowered into a threatening growl, "I might be drinking, but I'm still sober. The secret is between my mate and me."

Prince Aspen understood, and he brought the topic back to his past concubine. "I might hate  Lady Clarence for her decision at this moment, but no matter how hard I try, hating her will not only hurt her but me as well. She is my star, the fire of hope that can warm my heart even the coldest nights—"

He interrupted. "Lady Clarence only warms your heart because she couldn't warm your bed."

Now, Apollyon knew Prince Aspen was officially drunk when he started pouting poetic words as he did before. 

"The human did but only once." Prince Aspen's tone was sad, and it made Apollyon feel awkward because he wasn't in the position to reassure someone when he was unhappy like him.

Prince Aspen added with a whisper of regret. "My fake fiance told me it was a mistake."

Apollyon said in jest, "Maybe, you aren't good in bed like you thought it was."

"I thought it was that." A quick penetrating glance before Prince Aspen squinted at the insult. "But she said she didn't wish to get involved with me anymore. So that things wouldn't get more complicated if our ruse ended."