When Luna heard the Archdemon of Lust's voice reverberating, bouncing off the dome-shaped barriers of the Devil's trap, she didn't waste time.

She hacked her arm with the knife in her hand and cut deeper, her vampire blood gushing out on the Vampire King's side profile and his entire back.

When the wound sealed off its own accord, she sliced her pale elbows three times to hasten the process.

She gritted her teeth in pain, still grimacing.

Even if she was already a vampire, Luna couldn't keep a straight face.

She whimpered every time the sharp blade touches her skin then slash--

Luna couldn't pretend that it didn't hurt.

"What are you doing?" Luxen observed her carefully as he stood inside the circle of the Devil's Trap, crossing his arms over his chest.

The Archemon of Lust waited for her response but she did no such thing.

Together they watched how swirls of intricate tattoos of black and red, streaked the Archdemon of Gluttony's broad back as he laid on the ground in his stomach, his head tilted to the side.

The longer her vampire blood soaked his white shirt, the more prominent the symbols became.

Luna noticed the outline his tattoos glowing in blue and purple, realizing they were the same shape as the runes she drew on the ground to create the Devil's Trap.

She continued on her endeavors, and the runes on the Vampire King's pale skin connected with each other, spreading like blackthorns in his body, too similar on how grapevines move in fast forward.

Goddess, the glyphs were working and now she had to test them properly.

The first sacrifice was from the strongest animal blood the Archdemon of Lust he had found from the Arctic tundras' surface in a hurry.

The second was hers, Hecate's magic and the Vampire King's blood running through her veins stained with the ichor of two Archdemons.

It had to work.

Luna bet their combined essence was strong enough not to sacrifice the lives of innocent creatures like what the first High Priestess did to bind Ravin with the Vampire King as a punishment.

As a High Priestess, she would not do anything of the sort.

Striving to create the balance between light and dark, Luna promised to herself that she will not dance with dark magic which concerned any kind of living sacrifice unless she had no choice.

Blood sacrifice will be enough.

Taking a life wasn't necessary.

Luxen didn't interrupt.

He simply tilted his head in curiosity, facing her. "Are you done, Domina?"

When she was satisfied with the results, Luna stepped back from the Archdemon of Gluttony's unconscious form.

"Where are you going?" The Archdemon of Lust watched her warily and when he noticed her moving backward, he attempted to grab her but it was too late.

Luna was careful not to touch any part of Luxen and he caught nothing but air in his grasp.

Two steps back and Luna was out of the Devil's Trap.

The Archdemon of Lust didn't expect what she had done--escaping from the Devil's Trap and left them there along with Ravin--so he hadn't move fast as expected.

He trusted his Domina enough.

The High Priestess wouldn't abandon him because they were mates.

Now, Luxen was trapped inside the Pentagram along with his blood brother.

"Domina." The Archdemon of Lust said casually as if there wasn't a storm of rage ascending inside him. "You are not leaving me here, aren't you?"

His tone was calm, cool, and collected that it scared Luna.

Luxen's silver eyes darkened like the night sky and he smirked knowingly.

Did he know what she was planning?

Luxen was unpredictable and she wasn't sure what he would do next.

She needed to assure him.

Lying was the safest option.

Luna looked him in the eye and said, "No."

Luxen tensed and summoned his blazing sword made of Hellfire. He adopted a fighting stance by spreading his feet apart and ready to strike, as if any second by now he will destroy Luna's Devil's Trap by any means necessary if he didn't like her responses.

By the evil twinkle in his eye and the muscle ticking in his jaw, Luna knew that Luxen had figured her out but she had to keep up with this charade.

Still, she had to act to earn Luxen--her mate's trust.

"So, you are setting me free after this?" He countered.

"Hmm," Luna replied as she twirled her hair playfully. It was a poor attempt to convince him of her innocence. She was a bit disgusted by her actions because Luna didn't do 'coy' even as a consort. "I only wish to get rid of the curse from the Vampire King so you can relax."

For the meantime.

"What are you planning to do, Domina?" Luxen asked quietly, his eyes were eerie blank now—lifeless and murderous.

Luna exhaled by her mouth as if trying to calm herself down, ignoring the cold rage coming off like waves from where Luxen stood in the Devil's Trap. Lust was a strong Archdemon, she couldn't underestimate him. "I can see it very clearly now."

Danger.

Warning.

There was a need to tread carefully from this moment on.

"What can you see, Domina?" He asked, his silver eyes continuously searching hers, trying to determine her lies from the truth.

"The big picture." Luna shrugged nonchalantly. "The first High Priestess was very clever."

"Explain, Domina." The Archdemon of Lust prompted as he walked towards the edge of the barrier grimly, approaching her and she jerked backward without thinking. Wrong move. Now, Luxen was even more suspicious of her. "What have you figured out?"

Dread suddenly curled in her stomach.

"I told you that I was going to get rid of the Blood Beast from the Vampire King. I need to perform a successful exorcism. The runes that Lilith had marked in the Vampire King's body are showing."

Luna explained as she pressed her lips together in a harsh line. "I recognized them from Hecate's grimoires. Those runes are anti-exorcism tattoos drawn on the Vampire King to prevent the Archdemon of Gluttony from slipping away and looking for other bodies to possess. The First High Priestess basically locked Ravin into the Vampire King's body."

She exhaled heavily and started to massage the back of her neck. "It was his prison, his cage. He needed to be let out. We need to erase the tattoos and I need your help."