"Are you showing all of these delicious women to us but you never intended to give them away?"

Panterra gave no signs of backing down.

He had taken up residence behind Luna and gripped her shoulders to hold her towards him.

Luna yelped at the Vampire King's claws digging under her back to pull her against him, to hold her in place.

She didn't protest, but Luna would never forget what the Vampire King had told Panterra earlier.

Luna was so angry that she desired to scream her lungs out when Apollyon said that she was a fledgeling who couldn't provide any pleasure to a man.

She would rather be deaf than hear Apollyon say it in front of her face that she was useless as a wife because she couldn't provide him with what he needed.

It was the most humiliating thing she had ever heard in her entire existence, and the insult came from her husband, himself.

Luna refused to accept it.

It was hard to live with that fact that her husband had considered her as a woman of low value even if it was a means to an end—to save her from the clutches of the Feline King.

It was a poisoned arrow straight to her heart.

The tension in the atmosphere had risen up to fever pitch.

It was merely nothing compared to the tension which had arisen between the Sea King and the Feline King.

Both Kings stared at each other's eyes with hostility, never breaking their gaze or else they might lose.

Luna wanted to get this situation over and done with.

She opened her mouth to speak up--hoping her sweet, submissive words could douse the heavy flames of their masculine pride instead of adding fuel to the fire--but she heard Apollyon's whisper in her mind like a soft breeze filled with chocolate scent.

The Vampire King calmly said, 'Don't interfere, wife.'

When she heard Apollyon say that she must not do it, Luna had the sudden urge to disobey him and interfere just for the sake of it.

Luna wanted to see what will happen if she executed her revenge with her disrespectful husband this way, but her conscience told her not to.

She didn't have the power to turn back time, and Luna might have regretted the consequences.

There were so many people involved in this.

Luna didn't want to be selfish just to teach her husband a painful lesson.

"This Escort is close to my heart, Panterra," Apollyon told the Feline King calmly, but his smouldering blue eyes had said otherwise.

The Vampire King raised a finger under her chin, forcing her to glance up into his eyes.

"This Escort got mixed up with them even if I told the lady to stay in her room so that she will be exempted from this." Apollyon's tone was a poisonous blade pointed on her ribcage.

It sounded like a threat, and he wouldn't hesitate to finish her if Luna said one wrong word that would set him off.

Apollyon's anger was so close to the edge.

"I like this particular silver-haired female, Vampire King. You already have a wife so why would you need a lowly Escort?" Panterra said with an evil grin. "Isn't this the point of the Acquaintance Affairs? So that we could have a pick because you don't have any need for them anymore?"

"I want this female, Panterra," Apollyon said in an imperious tone, his deep timbre echoing off the Salon. "Remember that you are in my territory. You could already be dead before you could even ask for your pack since your Envoy is camped outside."

"Vampire King. Now you are making me really suspicious." Panterra said darkly as he brought his face on top of Luna's head, sniffing her hair and familiarizing himself with her scent, "Didn't you say that you only have one silver-haired female in this Entire Realm and that is your Queen?"

The Feline King wanted to see her husband lose control.

It was obvious the Panterra was doing this to provoke murder in her husband.

It wasn't about owning her, but she guessed Apollyon was too blinded by jealousy to figure that out.

Panterra arched a curious eyebrow. "I just figured out that anything that involved her will excite me."

The Vampire King's grip on her tightened as if he couldn't bear the thought of letting her go. "Do you want to bid for this Escort then?"

Panterra demanded as his claws clasped around her hips. "Let's bid for this particular female."

They had a bidding war for her.

Luna saw that knowledge in Apollyon's blue eyes now glowing red in anger. "I own the female, Panterra."

Luna didn't panic when she heard her husband's words.

"Just name your price." Panterra's fingers parted and spread her cloak until they encountered her bare skin. It was a possessive claim, a show of ownership. "I might surprise you with what resources from the Feline Kingdom we could provide for you in our future agreements in exchange for this Escort."

Her husband snarled low in his throat—and Luna didn't think it was mere pretence. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fun and exciting." The King of the Feline Realm gloated, "We are friends, Apollyon, I had never seen you so worked up over a female before."

Panterra appeared relaxed and totally calm in front of the Vampire King despite him emitting a savage aura.

The Feline King acted like he knew exactly what to do, what buttons to push.

If Luna watched them as an outsider, she would think that they were close friends.

Luna expected the Vampire King to kill Panterra for touching her, but maybe he didn't want to risk the fragile alliances he had made from the other Realms.

"Why are you willing to go this far?" Apollyon hissed in a breath.

The vampire King's skin became paler, and his blue eyes became more vivid.

His husband's perfect face and wide shoulders showed intimidation and dominance.

Apollyon's thick body was built for war compared to the Feline King who had the tall, lean and graceful form of a snow panther.

Luna knew her husband would win if there would be a fight.

This time, the Vampire King's fangs had grown so long, protruding over his bottom lip.

"Back at you, Apollyon." Panterra inclined his head in acknowledgement. "What are you willing to give up for this mere Escort unless she was a Queen in disguise?"

There was a deadly silence which filled the Salon, slithering along the walls like it was a snake ready to strike.

"You used to share the women with me on the orgies you host every time I visit." Panterra continued with his rough, gravelly voice, "Whatever your price, I'll pay."

When Luna lifted her chin to look at his husband, Apollyon had chuckled at the Feline King's statement.

She couldn't believe that Panterra would still insist on owning her, doing everything in his power to win Luna.

"This woman is priceless." The Vampire King's said as his gaze travelled to hers as if that settled the entire matter.

Power hummed from him in great waves, as though it was barely leashed.

This time, Panterra laughed nervously and assumed a feigned casual pose, legs stretched, hands linked over the lapels of his white robe. "You can have her when I'm done with her."

Apollyon's left arm shot out beside her head, hitting Panterra's neck without warning.

The Vampire King had swung around with a silver blade in his hand which appeared out of nowhere and struck at Panterra.

It happened so fast that the Feline King had no time to react.

He dropped to the ground like he was a puppet that was suddenly cut off his strings.

Apollyon wasn't amused at what Panterra had said.

First night of the Marriage Market and there was already an attack.

This was all Luna's fault.

She had started all of this even if it was the Feline King who had provoked Apollyon to do this.

Oh my goddess, was the Feline King dead?

Luna tried to turn her head to look at Panterra's lifeless body, but Apollyon beat her to it.

He had snapped a finger, and the manacles on her wrists disintegrated by magic.

Her relief died when she caught a glimpse of his burning eyes, the only hint of life in a face as still as death.

Open fury would have been preferable to his icy composure.

Fear seized her as he searched her features.

She took an involuntary step backwards, backing away from him driven by some primitive instinct to escape and to survive.

The Vampire King's silence terrified her more than any bellow of rage.

Luna was finally free from the Bride Auction, but she was directly sent into the prison of Apollyon's arms.

She realized that she and the Vampire King lacked trust in their relationship, fully and completely.

Their marriage was built on shaky foundations, and any wrong move could destroy it, crashing down in shambles where it couldn't be repaired.

By then, it would be all too late.

They had to build from the ground up again.

The Vampire King pulled her towards him.

His tight hug had squeezed her as he wrapped her cloak to cover her naked body, never giving other Kings who watched the entire debacle to take a good look at her.

"You have been a bad little girl, Luna." Apollyon whispered in her ear before he moved them out of the Salon, "You need to be punished."