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Archdemon Empress Luna

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"I refuse to talk about it, Amare, but one thing you should know is that the Grand Torturer oozed dangerous powers." Luna's gaze flew on Ravin's large, veiny hands.

The Archdemon clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles whitened, almost crushing the flowers in his grip.

Nostrils flaring, Ravin said, "He wasn't a ruler of the Seven Circles, but he was the most insidious of the First Born."

Ravin had refused to tell her about his appointment with the Grand Torturer, and it scared her, making her shift in her seat in discomfort.

If Ravin had been an Archdemon for a long time, nothing in all of the Realms could faze him, but what did the Grand Torturer do to make him anxious?

What had the First Born done to him in his Torture Chambers?

The Archdemon's golden eyes darkened as he spoke, "He can pull your deepest fears, denial, suppression and the hidden evil in your unconscious, mirroring them back to you. The Grand Torturer would break you and make you lose your mind along with mental, physical and emotional torment."

He picked another pink desert rose, ran his fingers on the soft petals gently before crushing the poor rose in his palms.

Luna gasped, covering a hand over her mouth.

What did the low desert rose did to him to deserve this?

"The Grand Torturer is the embodiment of that saying, 'You are your own worst enemy'. He would give you trauma for the rest of your life as an Archdemon." Ravin's amber eyes were cold, so full of hatred, but Luna wasn't sure if it was directed towards her. "All strong Archdemons learn how to find a creature's weakness and break them down because of him. You will learn from him and thank him someday. The pain and agony inflicted from the Grand Torturer are so ugly that when an Archdemon is released, you would wish to inflict the pain unto others so that you will feel better and the agony inside you decreases if only for a little while."

Luna whispered. "You are scaring me, Ravin."

Ravin shrugged with nonchalance. "Amare, you asked me, and I replied."

Her thick silver mane lifted off her head as a strong gust of southern wind hit her.

"As this pink desert rose, Amare, you wouldn't ever the same after he gets your hands on you."

Luna watched the Archdemon of Gluttony open his palms, and the breeze pushed the crushed rose petals upward, scattering in the wind.

The world seemed to slow down as Luna watched the floating pink petals with an empty stare until they were gone from her sight.

She inhaled the scent of the desert roses lingering in the air around her.

She was that same desert rose in the hands of those who had no intention of keeping her.

Her heart broke.

Things have changed and not for the better.

There was soreness in her throat that made her have difficulty getting her word out.

Luna asked coldly. "Is there any ways to escape punishment?"

Ravin's jaw was a grim line when he replied. "You can't escape Satan's legion, Amare. He will come with the Grand Torturer and surround every corner of my Kingdom, chasing after your beautiful behind."

He paused, and his lips curled up a little in that inside joke of his. "It's one against a hundred Knights."

Giving her a half-shrug, Ravin added, "A fledgeling Archdemon might use her faulty summoning magic, but he/she can't win against an Archdemon's Legion unless you have a Legion of Archangels fighting for your freedom."

"So, are you telling me to sit back and relax in your patio for the rest of my days, waiting for Satan's Legion to capture me?" Luna scowled.

She was always the individual who took action, and assuming a passive role when it came to her life wasn't a cup of tea.

The Amazon in her had immense hatred on waiting and doing nothing.

"You are a useless Archdemon husband, Ravin," Luna told him calmly despite the burning insult.

She was so frustrated that her claws had shoved at the insides of her skin, sinking into her skirts while she rested them on her knees. "You told me it was me against Satan's Legion."

Fighting back a snarl, she gritted her teeth, "Have you no plans of helping me get away?"

"Ah~" Tilting his head, Ravin smirked, licking his lips before biting them. "Now, you are claiming me as your husband as per convenience."

He declared cheekily and watched her underneath his long lashes. "Interesting."

"There is nothing you can do about it. Accept the punishment and get it over with." As he reclined to the back of his chair, Ravin stretched his arms and shrugged his shoulders back, loosening his muscles that had bunched up ever since they had started talking about Satan's punishment.

"If you struggle, the fear against the Grand Torturer will increase, and you are prolonging the inevitable. Controlling the outcome will hurt you more in the long run. Who knows?" Amber eyes twinkling with mischief, Ravin's smug grin intensified as he bent and stretched the finished flower crown in his hands. "It might not hurt that much as you expected it to."

"Here." Ravin's perfect white teeth almost blinded Luna as he grinned from ear-to-ear like a puppy.

He stood slightly from his seat and bent forward, stretching his muscled arm to hand the gorgeous flower crown of pink and blue desert roses.

"This is the first flower crown I made for you, and this was my first time at making them." He informed her and Luna glanced at him in panic before her gaze darted to the female imp, staring at Luna wearing an expectant grin.

Luna didn't know what to do, and the next thing she knew, she accepted it without thinking.

Ravin asked out-of-the-blue, "Do you love me now?"

Brows knitting in confusion, Luna's mouth parted at how ridiculous that her Archdemon 'husband' didn't care at all and gave her the flower crown instead.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"