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

The Empress Luna

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

"My husband had anticipated this and placed protection spells around me, Lilith," Luna said with false bravado, and she paired it with a playful grin to mask her lies.

Luna waved a dismissive hand as she added in a flippant tone, "Go and try to soak yourself in that cauldron again so that I could laugh at your failure."

The High Priestess had snapped a finger as if she had realized something in that instant.

"The Vampire King—he had placed protective enchantment on that wooden bathtub! Apollyon had placed magical herbs and had performed countless nullification barriers all over her body, marking her with his touch." Lilith's eyes had taken a feverish, over bright sparkle in her eyes that was beyond mad, but Luna kept her calm to convince her of her bluff.

Lilith wrung her hands as she paced, "That's why I couldn't enter it! I can't believe Apollyon was a step ahead of us."

Luna wasn't sure if her husband had actually done it, but it would be advantageous for her to make Lilith assume that just until she could figure out her plan.

"Perhaps, the Vampire King had become paranoid after Ravin had taken Luna the first time at the Dream Realms." The Archdemon of Lust told her.

Lilith's gunmetal grey eyes had appeared wet as she shook her head in denial. "My dream of becoming the Vampire King's lover hadn't been pushed ahead of hope."

"You will never take over me, Lilith."

"AHHH!" Dragging her nails down her cheeks, Lilith sobbed and screamed, and the Archdemon of Lust had moved so fast, blocking Lilith when she got ready to pounce at Luna.

Luxen had held her the High Priestess' wrists to subdue her, but Lilith went wild once again, beating her fists and scratching her claws at Luxen's broad chest.

"If I can't even get what I want right now and you have accomplished your wish, it would be my pleasure to kill that wench, Luxen." Her creepy grey eyes had protruded from the ferocity of her anger. "I would not sit here and pretend everything is alright when I couldn't even achieve my hopes and dreams!"

Her limbs shaking with horror, she saw the High Priestess cried dark blood as it ran down her face.

Breathing hard, Luna gasped.

Luna unconsciously stepped backward and stepped on Ravin's toe.

Losing her balance, the Archdemon of Gluttony had caught her and wrapped a protective arm around her waist.

"You can't torture our wife in our presence, Lilith." Ravin's voice sounded so deep and gruff that Luna also flinched. "Why don't you try again after a couple of days so that you can finally proceed to the Vampire Realm and go satisfy your whims somewhere else?"

She turned towards him and called the Archdemon out. "Ravin!"

The Archdemon of Gluttony's lips flattened unto a grim line, his gaze fixating on Luna as if she was the only person in sight.

"Stay with me, Amare." Ravin watched Luna with a mixture of longing and resignation.

He glanced at Luxen, the other male in front of them, who was also Luna's husband."I am a safer option as a husband compared to my brother, Luxen."

"Since you are already in my territory, you should pick me, Domina." Anger stirred a Ravin's insult, which made Luxen fight back a snarl, making Lilith weakened her attacks on him.

Luxen stepped forward to stare at Luna and waited for her to address him. "I have saved you twice already in case you have forgotten."

"Luxen had too many wines and too many beautiful women visit his castle, including Lilith." Ravin quipped.

Luxen studied both of them intently before he focused on Luna. "What do you expect from the Archdemon of Lust?"

Luna's mouth opened and closed, not knowing how to answer that question.

"No female had ever spent the night in his Castle." The Archdemon of Envy had admitted grudgingly after a few minutes of silence. "Not even me."

"I don't trust any girl to sleep with me while I am vulnerable, so I drive them out of my bedroom after doing the deed." Luxen stepped closer towards her, making Luna's hands tighten on Ravin's arm for protection. "I will only allow you to sleep with me and live in my Castle, Domina."

"Don't listen to him, Luna," Ravin whispered like she was a guilty conscience in her ear. "The Archdemon of Lust is a manwhore."

Luna looked over her shoulder and raised a suspicious eyebrow at Gluttony.

She whispered back, "And you aren't, Ravin?"

Ravin said nothing for a while, but then he murmured, "Luxen had the curse of never sleeping with a woman twice."

Luna grimaced because she knew.

Luxen was fucking his blood sister, for the goddess' sake!

"I am not a manwhore—" Oh, the Archdemon of Lust had certainly heard their conversation.

He continued convincing Luna, "Alright, I am, but to make my 'domina' understand me better, let's just say that I am a musical score who needed too many melodies to make it beautiful--"

Anger burned inside her, but Luna managed to suppress it.

"Pathetic." Lilith sneered.

Luna stared accusingly at the Archdemon of Lust as she muttered, "Asshole."

"--but when I left my 'domina' behind at the Vampire Realm, you should have expected that sooner or later, I would retrace my steps to retrieve you because you are mine," Luxen said calmly, and his confession had made Luna's eyes widened in horror.

Honesty had shown in his eyes, and the truth sounded in his voice.

If she didn't know Luxen was an Archdemon, she would have believed those lies.

"Real smooth, Luxen." Lilith smirked, "Real smooth."

"I am seeking love among many loves, and I have waited and looked around enough." The Archdemon of Lust hesitated as he tried to form his next words carefully.

He added, "Bittersweet love between lovers had will be lost to time until only a few fragments remain."

"You will forget the Vampire King soon, and it will be quick if I can keep you occupied. "