Lucifer's Cage (After Dark Book 6) Read online

  Lucifer’s Cage

  After Dark

  Book 6

  Sarah Bailey

  Lucifer’s Cage Copyright © 2019 by Sarah Bailey

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Please note the spelling throughout is British English.

  Cover Art by Christian Bentulan

  Published by Twisted Tree Publications

  www.twistedtreepublications.com

  [email protected]

  After Dark Series

  Demon’s Destiny

  Vampire’s Kiss

  Witching Night

  Cursed Heart

  Death’s Angel

  Lucifer’s Cage

  Blood Magic – Coming Soon

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  For Sean

  The most wonderous time traveller I know

  Your unwavering support is a gift

  Thank you for being you

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Playlist

  Acknowledgements

  Blood Magic

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  The King of Hell decided he was having a bad morning. Scrap that. He was having a bad day. No. He was having a bad fucking year. Lucifer was done with all the bullshit. Screw my brothers and screw my Father. What was the point in him being down here any longer? Surely there were enough demons to take care of business. It was a joke. God was a fucking joke. All that prophetic shit he’d spouted was just part of his ridiculous plan to punish his son. To teach Azrael a lesson for siding with Lucifer in the war in Heaven.

  Typical. It was just typical of his father. Always plotting. Always taking things too far. Just like when he cast Lucifer from Heaven. Forcing him to punish those souls who had sinned. Given the name: The Devil. Lucifer was no devil. He would always be an Archangel. The light bringer. The Morningstar. His father’s favourite son. Humanity believed he was evil. He supposed he lived up to the name to an extent. Played his part. He was the king. The Lord of Hell.

  He lay on his bed, cursing his father. He was sick to death of idiotic demon squabbles and his dukes constantly demanding things of him. Lucifer wanted out of Hell. He wanted out of his duties. Yet ever since he’d arrived back after his last jaunt on Earth, he’d been unable to leave. He knew it was his father’s doing. He clearly didn’t want his son causing trouble.

  Cursing again, he rolled on his side. One day he’d teach his father a lesson.

  One damn day!

  There was something shimmering in the periphery of his vision. He turned, sitting up. A purple light which looked distinctly like a portal appeared in the ceiling of his bedroom.

  What the fuck?

  The next moment a girl with bright pink hair dropped out of it and crashed down on top of him. He grunted at the impact. Their limbs were a tangled mess on the bed.

  “Ouch, what the hell?” she said, the tone of her voice having a singsong lilt to it.

  She shifted on top of him, propping herself up by her hands. The girl stared down at him with wide violet eyes. There was confusion, fear and curiosity in her expression. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish. He eyed her with suspicion. What the fuck was this girl doing in Hell? More to the point, why was she lying on top of him on his bed?

  “Excuse me,” he said.

  “Oh shit, I’m sorry!”

  She was slow to get off him. He deftly caught her around the waist and reversed their positions, pinning her down with his body. He wanted answers. Girls didn’t fall out of the ceiling from portals into Hell. Especially not in his private chambers.

  “Who are you and what are you doing here?” he demanded.

  “Who are you?” she retorted, staring up at him with those inscrutable violet eyes.

  Her bright pink hair shimmered in the light, falling back on the bed. He noticed the slight curve of the tips of her ears. The girl below him was most definitely fae, but not full blooded. No, there was something else about her.

  “The Devil, girl. Now, answer me.”

  Her mouth fell open on a gasp. His eyes were drawn to her full lips. Her body beneath his was warm. Her curves soft and delectable.

  She did just fall into my bed. It has been a long time since I’ve touched a woman.

  He’d been too busy to engage in such activities. His mind raced with dark thoughts about what lay beneath her clothes. There was no reason for him to be thinking these things. He shook himself internally.

  Quit being the rogue everyone thinks you are, Lucifer.

  “Candace… My name is Candace,” she squeaked.

  “And what are you doing in my bed, Candace?”

  “I didn’t mean to. Someone pushed me. I didn’t know.”

  She was telling him the truth. He was sure of it. He wished his father hadn’t taken away his ability to hear the thoughts of humans, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. She wasn’t all human as it was.

  “Where am I?” she asked.

  “Hell. In my private chambers.”

  “Are you really… Lucifer?”

  His lips curved up at the sides.

  “Yes.”

  §

  Candace couldn't believe her eyes nor her ears. Lying on top of her, his body flush with hers, was the original fallen angel himself. She hadn’t bargained on this when Jax had thrown her head first into a portal. How had she wound up in Hell of all places?

  She stared up at the angel. His dark hair fell into his eyes. He was devastating on so many levels. He exuded power and danger. His dark, mesmerising eyes burnt holes into hers. Her skin thrummed with electricity from where he was pinning her hands down to the bed.

  Holy fucking shit. The Devil himself is on top of me and all I can do is stare at him.

  She needed to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth. Getting herself out of this awkward situation and back to Earth were her priorities. She was going to hunt down Jax and give him a piece of her mind.

  Where the fuck does he get off pushing me into a portal to Hell?

  “Can you maybe let me go?” she asked.

  “You have not yet given me an adequate explanation for your presence.
”

  She supposed she owed him something. I did land on top of him. Yet she didn’t quite appreciate him holding her down. His body against hers was distracting in ways she didn’t like to think about. Her heart thundered in her chest.

  There was one way she could extract herself from this thoroughly compromising position. Pink smoke trickled from her fingertips. His eyes were drawn to it.

  “Oh, dear girl, none of that,” he said, freezing the smoke in place. “You have more than just fae magic. Interesting.”

  She almost cursed. She should’ve known he would be able to stop her from using her inheritance from her father. He was an angel. A devastatingly attractive angel, but an angel nonetheless.

  “What are you?”

  How could she explain such a thing?

  “Well, you obviously know I’m half fae,” she said.

  “What else, girl?”

  Not getting out of this one so easily I guess.

  “Human…”

  His eyebrow arched up. There was no point trying to lie to him.

  “Witch. My father is a witch.”

  “That explains your little magic trick.”

  The smoke at her fingertips disappeared.

  “Are you satisfied now?”

  “Perhaps. Are you not enjoying this little interlude between us?”

  The sultry look in his eyes sent a jolt down her spine. She wasn’t about to admit anything of the sort to him. No matter that her body was responding to his in ways she was very uncomfortable with. She fought against the instinct to hook a leg around his and draw him closer.

  “No.”

  He let go of one of her hands only to run his down her bare arm. He caught her face by her chin. Staring down at her with an intensity which made her tremble with anticipation, Lucifer was sure not one to hold anything back. She wasn’t sure what else she’d expected.

  “Your accelerated pulse speaks volumes, girl. I can see it in your eyes. Desire is a potent drug. One you should be careful not to get lost in. Did no one ever tell you it’s dangerous to play games with the Devil?”

  The words he’d said weren’t the most distracting thing about the last thirty seconds. No. His soft skin on hers. That set everything on fire.

  Desire doesn’t quite cut it. What I’m feeling is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. Holy fuck. I need to get a grip.

  She needed him off. Right now. Before she did something she regretted.

  “I have no interest in playing any sort of game with you.”

  He smiled, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. It almost made her melt into a pool of jelly on the spot. He was right. Lusting after the Devil was the last thing she should be doing. There was only one other course of action she could resort to.

  She gave him her brightest smile. His eyes narrowed. She delivered a swift knee to the groin which had him grunting and rolling off her. She scrambled off his bed, retreating behind the desk on the other side of his room.

  He sat up a moment later, eyes blazing with unconcealed fury.

  He left me with no choice, but shit, he looks so mad.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, putting her hands up. “I shouldn’t have done that, but you wouldn’t get off me.”

  He jumped up, stalking towards her. His hands slammed down on the desk as he reached it.

  “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

  “Ask next time.”

  She dropped her hands, scowling. He was the one who hadn’t moved even when she’d asked him the first time.

  “I did. You were the one who insisted on pinning me down on your bed.”

  His expression turned devious, eyes roaming down the length of her in a distinctly predatory way. She swallowed, trying not to choke on her own breath.

  “Mmm, yes, well… I haven’t quite decided whether or not I want to do that again.”

  Excuse me? Did he just say what I think he did?

  Her cheeks grew hot. This was not where she envisioned this conversation going.

  Time to change the subject.

  “So, um… this is Hell.” She looked around at his room. “Not quite what I expected.”

  He arched a perfect black eyebrow.

  “Did you think we lived in squalor down here?”

  “No, of course not. I just thought it’d be more… you know… fiery.”

  He snorted, rolling his eyes.

  “You forget, these are my private rooms. No fires. No punishment. I have no interest in dealing with that side of things. That doesn’t change the fact that you should not be here.”

  There was no question about that. She hadn’t wanted to be dropped into Hell, especially not right on top of Lucifer. She wondered what the rest of Hell looked like.

  Lucifer’s bedroom was relatively modern. His bed, which was huge, took up most of the back wall. His desk was black with chrome legs. The walls were midnight blue and there were several bookshelves lining them. His bedroom was more suited to an expensive penthouse in London than Hell.

  She eyed him again. His hands were still flat on the desk, his dark eyes roaming across her. There was something about the angel which set her hair on end. Goose pimples rose on her arms. She wished he’d stop looking at her like that. As if he wanted to devour her whole. There was no way she would ever let him get near enough to her again to do such a thing. Absolutely no way. Not even the memory of his skin on hers would shake her resolve. She shivered at the thought.

  Nope. I don’t want him touching me again. Nope. Not at all. Even if it felt deliciously wonderful. Nope. Get a damn grip! He is dangerous.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I know I shouldn’t be here. It’s just I can’t create portals, so you know, I might need some help returning to Earth.”

  She didn’t want to ask him for anything, but she had little choice in the matter. The Devil was her only way out of here as far as she could tell. She wasn’t about to go wandering around Hell to find another way.

  He was silent for several long moments, staring at her with an unreadable expression.

  “There’s one little issue with that,” he said, straightening and looking down at his nails.

  “And what would that be?”

  Wasn’t he going to help her? She wasn’t sure why she was surprised. He was the Devil after all. He didn’t seem like the type to offer his assistance to anyone.

  “You see, someone changed the rules in Hell after a little incident on Earth last year.”

  “The rules? What incident?”

  What is he talking about?

  She hadn’t heard of anything happening recently, but she tended to stay out of supernatural politics. It was bad enough being dragged into witch business given who her father was.

  “Not up to date with the end of the world news? Hmm, well, never mind. It is hardly relevant now. No, you see, our ever-illustrious creator decided no one gets out of Hell any more. I’m afraid you bagged yourself a one-way ticket here.”

  Chapter Two

  Candace stared at Lucifer for what seemed like eternity. What did he mean she couldn’t return to Earth? Demons had free reign up there. She’d met more than enough in her short twenty-four years.

  “Are you seriously telling me I’m stuck here?”

  “For the time being, yes.”

  Her legs almost buckled. She slumped down in his desk chair, putting her head in her hands.

  “Fuck.”

  Stuck in Hell. How had this happened? She really was going to kill Jax. How could he do this to her? Unless he hadn’t known. But it was Jax. He always knew what he was doing.

  She raised her head, looking up at Lucifer with wide eyes. His expression was neutral.

  “But I’m not supposed to be here,” she said.

  “That can’t be helped now. No one is leaving any time soon.”

  “Not even you?”

  He rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue.

  “No, not even me. I might be an angel but even I have to answer to God’s Will
.”

  “You’re telling me the only person who can fix this is God himself?”

  “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

  Cryptic much?

  How was she going to get out of here? When she’d gone to deal with a feud between a witch and a fae, she did not expect to encounter her best friend there. It had escalated way beyond her control. She supposed that’s what she got when her father insisted she be an emissary to the fae. Being half witch made her relationship with them difficult.

  “Well, fine. What are you going to do with me then?”

  It was a pertinent question. She didn’t fancy seeing more of Hell than she had to. Would he hand her off into the care of one of his demons?

  “It would not do to have you roaming around getting into trouble.”

  “Who said I would get into trouble?”

  “Would you like me to toss you into the viper’s nest, so you can find out?”

  “No, but what are you going to do?”

  He grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief.

  “The options are endless, but I imagine you don’t wish your stay here to involve any sort of punishment.”

  Punishment from demons? No way. But the thought of punishment from him sent her pulse into overdrive.

  Nope. Nope. Nope. Not going there.

  “No.”

  “You’ll just have to stay right here.” His eyes raked across her chest. “With me.”

  She spluttered. With him? Was he for real right now? There was no way she wanted to spend her time in Hell with the sinfully attractive Devil.

  Absolutely not. Under no circumstances can I be in the same room as him for the foreseeable future. How can I when he looks at me like that?

  His dark eyes were magnetic, roaming across her with unconcealed admiration.

  “You’re not serious.”

  “Where else would you like me to put you?”

  He walked around the desk with slow, measured steps. If she had any willpower, she would’ve got up and moved as far away from him as possible. He tucked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.