Request from Uniqueness_12 (sort of)

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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"No need." Apollyon's hands were like iron manacles on her hips when she turned to face him, keeping her in place. She could hear him gritting his teeth from suppressed anger. "Do what you want."

Biting her lip, Luna fought back a whimper from that cool response.

She could tell Apollyon was pissed off, but he didn't say anything.

It was obvious from how he sent those rolling waves of ire from his rigid muscles to her through physical contact.

She was akin to a cactus or the thorns on an exquisite red rose determined to keep everyone around her at bay through her hard, tough and prickling exterior.

Luna was as sensitive as a mimosa leaf, shying away from people who wanted more from her, desiring to get to know her more.

It wasn't a surprise that her beloved would find her hard to reach, which can be annoying when it came to marriage.

Still, Apollyon believed he could handle her through patience.

He didn't give up on his goal to be closer to her as his lifelong mate despite him being the impatient one.

He was the Vampire King, after all—a pureblood vampire who owned a Consortium--who can get anyone if he wanted, but he still chose her despite the warning signs.

Looking back, Apollyon never made her feel like he was forced to be with her because of the blood bond. Unlike her, who was in constant denial of what she felt for Apollyon.

Apollyon showed interest that he liked to be with her and waited for things to settle so that they could strengthen their bond.

Luna loved Apollyon to be close to her at all times after their separation. But now it was her fault that he abruptly shifted into something which was so detached and cold in the blink of an eye.

It was the kind of frost that was deep-seated in her bones.

Apollyon did it so easily that it felt like he could just easily switch his emotions on and off.

He was both her beloved mate and a shrewd killing machine.

His rough, calloused palms didn't stop their slow caresses on her stomach, and that's when she knew that her husband's anger hadn't reached the boiling point.

Yet.

Apollyon's muscled forearm was under hers while her back cuddled against his chest in a spooning hug.

His chest hairs felt like rough silk against her skin.

It was the most beautiful thing.

But that abruptly changed due to her unconscious behaviour, ingrained deep in her brain as she placed her mental shields back up when fear began to kick in.

Thick dark clouds over her thoughts, and it was too late for her to realize that she had hurt her husband by this imprudence.

She desired for her husband to trust her.

She shut her eyes and bit her cheek as she berated herself for all the stupid things she had done to Apollyon because of how dense she was when it came to love.

Why was she doing the glaring opposite?

Sometimes, Luna just wanted to kick her own ass, which was directly shoved to Apollyon's groin.

A brilliant thought crossed her mind, and she opened her eyes, smiling in amusement.

"Are you angry, husband?" Luna faced him with sliding her arms around his torso, but he still wouldn't budge.

When she felt that Apollyon wouldn't remove his grip on the underside of her breast anytime soon, she allowed her limbs to relax until he let her guard down.

Their battle of wills took long minutes of playing dead in the Master's bedroom as their pliant forms laid in peaches and cream pillows and golden coverlets made of lace.

She swallowed hard when she felt Apollyon combed her thick mane of hair as he attempted to untangle them with his fingers.

The pool she dipped after opening the portal should take responsibility for this mess!

But at least, it gave her husband something to do—something to distract himself with—instead of sulking like a child--behind her.

Apollyon ignored her question.

He grabbed a fistful of her silver hair, and she inferred that this scenario could either go both ways…

Her stomach fluttered in anticipation.

Luna could imagine her husband inhaling the sweet summer scent of the sun and morning dew in every strand, or he would scoff at how it smelled like a rotten flesh of an animal.

Luna waited for her husband's complaints, but Apollyon did none of those things.

It was safe to assume that her husband still adored her despite her unwashed hair.

The mating bond did its purpose to shackle two creatures into a soul marriage, forcing them to accept their lover's imperfection.

After that, Apollyon set her silver hair down gently to the bed, letting it fan on the pillows.

"Do you think our Leo would have silver hair like this, beloved?" Apollyon murmured behind her that she could feel her husband breathing down her neck. "I still couldn't forget about the child who visited your room once while you were sleeping for years…"

Clawing the tendrils of her hair on the mattress with his fingers, Apollyon trailed off as if recalling the same scenario in his mind's eye.

I can vividly remember how she looked like." He continued in a dream-like drawl, "The silver hair and midnight-blue eyes suited the child."

"The lass also had a knack for mischief like you." There was a hint of amusement in the deep timbre of his voice, which made her sigh in relief.

Now that Apollyon's hands couldn't stop her from turning around because they were riveted on playing with her hair, Luna took that chance to face him to his side of the bed and slid her arms around his torso, hugging him so tight as if she wouldn't see him again.

She buried her face against the shoulder where she had bitten him hard due to her manic blood lust.

"You really don't listen to your husband, huh?" Apollyon rumbled, and the hot, firm muscle of his chest sent delicious vibrations on her lips when she planted a soft kiss where his heart was, loving the dark scent of his ivory skin.

"No." Luna glanced up as she searched his Prussian Blue eyes, assessing if he was still angry at her. "I don't listen to my husband if he is busy sulking."

Giving in, Apollyon cleared his throat awkwardly and proceeded to kiss the top of her head, but it was more of her husband inhaling her hair.

"I want Leo to have this silver hair like that ghost."Apollyon continued as he picked a couple of strands, rubbing them between his thumb and forefinger. "I just had this strange inkling you know? That she is our precious Leo. She kept calling you Mama during her astral travel."

He released the lock of hair to trace her nose bridge with his fingertip.

"I assumed the lass definitely had your ability to open portals with another Realm." Luna closed her eyes, marvelling at his caresses because it made her feel how much he cherished her. "Maybe, the ghost was an older spirit of our heiress."

When her lids lifted, Luna's face scrunched into a frown as she regarded her husband. "That theory of yours make me confused, Apollyon. I remember you told me that she didn't recognize you as her father." Luna's tone was sceptical, and that made Apollyon defensive.

"—but she have the same eye color as me!"

Eyes widening in alarm, Luna backtracked so that her husband wouldn't get upset because deep inside, she knew how much that piece of information troubled him. "Maybe it was a coincidence. The silver-haired blue eyed lass can just be a mere visitor because her spirit got lost with her portals. She must have wandered too far."

"You know how children are." Luna patted his bare chest to soothe him.

She knew that, like her, her husband didn't like to be proved wrong when it came to things like this.

"Or maybe—" Hopefully, Apollyon wouldn't get upset from her implication. "—maybe, it was a hallucination of yours."

Luna was relieved that Apollyon regained his composure after scowling at her for a good five seconds.

"I don't even know if you were pregnant with our baby at that moment."

"She said you are not her father." Luna reasoned out as she clawed at his back in frustration. It wasn't hard enough to hurt and make him bleed—just enough to catch his attention. "Who else would be my husband if not you?"

Her husband must be excited for their baby that he was claiming this ghost child as his just for her silver hair.

He was too possessive for his own good!

This is what I'm afraid of, wife." Apollyon growled, and the sound sent electric sparks all over her skin because of the underlying threat around it.

"What do you mean by that, husband?"

"Wife. I think I finally knew why that Archdemon did what he did to you--pretending to be me." He asked, and there was a dangerous aura around him which made Luna's heart skip a beat. "Did he know that you were pregnant with our child, Luna?"

Her mouth hung open in shock, and she wrenched herself away from him. "I don't know, Apollyon." She shook her head in denial. "As much as possible, I didn't engage with the bastard to a conversation unless it was important—such as potential information to escape Hell."

Eyes of Prussian Blue bore into hers. "I think he wanted to own you by trapping you into pregnancy. And that silver-haired child could either be my daughter or his."