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

  It hadn’t mattered before.

  It mattered now.

  Now her heart was otherwise engaged.

  The thought of submitting to anyone else but Lucifer made her skin crawl.

  It would be her duty to provide an heir. She would never be queen, but her child would inherit the crown when Gwilliana passed. The fae thought their queen was barren. She had conceived Candace in secret. Only the royal courts knew of her existence.

  I don’t want to sleep with Theodus. I don’t want him touching me in the places Lucifer has. All I want is the angel behind that door.

  She shook herself, striding away back into the ballroom. She could only hope no one had noticed her absence. Now, she just had to work out how to slip away entirely so she could have it out with Lucifer. There was no question it was going to be tumultuous.

  A hand darted out and wrapped around her wrist. She was tugged into an alcove. Looking up, she found her betrothed staring down at her.

  “Where have you been?” he asked in a low voice.

  “I needed a moment. All of this has been very overwhelming.” The lie rolled off her tongue with ease.

  “I saw you leave with him.”

  The blood froze in her veins. Theodus couldn’t know about Lucifer.

  “With who?”

  “A fae with dark hair. You and he were dancing rather close to one another.”

  He wasn’t fae. Had Lucifer hidden his identity from everyone but her? It was the only logical explanation.

  “Just someone from my past, but they don’t matter.”

  The more lies she told, the worse she felt. This man was to be her husband. And yet, he could never have her in the way the man who haunted her every second could. She was already owned by another. A man who made her molten with desire, drove her crazy with anger, lust, fear and who’s gentleness threatened to break her entirely. He’d almost won. If she let him in any further, he would ruin her completely.

  “If it doesn’t matter then why are you so jittery?”

  Fuck. He’s seen right through me. I’ve just been fucked by someone else who I can’t afford to love.

  She was fucked up for loving the Devil. There was no question about that.

  “Can I ask you to do something for me?”

  “What?”

  “I need to leave. I have unfinished business and it can’t wait. I hate to ask this of you, but can you tell her I had too much wine or something, anything?”

  He stared at her for the longest time, his expression blank. Hating that she knew very little about the man she was meant to marry, she waited.

  He’d said they were alike, but what did that really mean? Was he caged too? Caged by duty?

  I was caged by it, but now I’m caged by something entirely different.

  Lucifer.

  Her heart was caged by him. He owned her body, her heart and her soul.

  “Fine, go. Promise me one thing.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll come see me tomorrow. We have a lot to discuss about our future.”

  It wasn’t a difficult request.

  “Okay. I can do that.”

  He gave her a soft smile. She slipped from the alcove and disappeared back through the door she’d dragged Lucifer through earlier. He was leaning up against the wall. Dark, mesmerising eyes glinting with barely controlled anger and frustration.

  She took his hand, feeling the tension radiating off his skin. It made her flinch. There was none of the affection, lust, desire from before. Only the dark angel she’d come to fear yet who’s brutality made her blood pound in her ears with uncontrolled need remained.

  “Come,” she said.

  They walked down the long hallway together. She opened a door at the end. It was a dark room, but the moonlight shone through the large patio doors.

  Opening one, they slipped out into the night.

  “Where do you live?” he asked.

  “Hasn’t Mall been feeding you information about me?”

  His dark eyes flashed. He’d found out she was going to be here because of his assistant. She cursed Mall in her head for being so loyal to her lord and master. As much as she liked the succubus, Mall still answered to the angel in front of her.

  “Do not test my patience.”

  She told him, not wanting the punishment he’d dish out if she refused. Large white wings unfurled from his back and a halo of golden light appeared above his head. Her mouth fell open. Heat pooled between her thighs at the sight of him.

  Holy fuck. I thought he was stunning before, but shit, this is who he truly is behind all that darkness.

  A perfect angel.

  His hand snapped over her wrist, pulling her to him.

  “Hold on, my little witch,” he said.

  The term of endearment sent her pulse into overdrive. He’d never called her anything but Candace or girl before.

  His little witch. Why does that make me love him all the more?

  He picked her up. Her arms curled around his neck. White wings flared out before they beat once, twice and then they shot into the sky.

  “How come you never showed me this before?” she called over the rushing sound of the wind.

  “The Devil cannot show himself in his true form in Hell. It would ruin his image.”

  “Why me then? You didn’t need to show me all of it.”

  His mouth was close to her ear, breath tickling her neck.

  “It made you ache for me, didn’t it? The longing in your eyes would’ve been enough, but I feel your desire pulsating in you like wildfire. Don’t you understand by now? I want to see you burn for me whilst I ruin every inch of you. You. Are. Mine.”

  Potent lust punctuated every word he spoke. The possessiveness of his tone made her core ache and pulsate. The wild, passionate fuck against the door was nothing compared to what she knew he was capable of. He’d not given her all his brutality yet. A part of her wondered if she could take it. If Lucifer well and truly ruined her, could she ever perform her duty to her family? Could she marry Theodus and provide her mother with an heir?

  The darkness in his eyes glittered in the moonlight. It sent a tingle down her spine and she trembled.

  What will he do to me when we get to my place? Will it involve punishment for keeping the truth from him?

  Chapter Seventeen

  After they’d landed and she’d let him into her flat, he stood near the door, eying her open plan living area with an inscrutable gaze. She kicked off her high heels and walked over to the window, staring out into the gloom.

  “Explain.”

  That one word stabbed at her heart. His tone was deadly, broking no objections. This was the moment she never wanted to come. The one where she told the man she loved why she had to perform her duty which was now abhorrent to her.

  “My father had an affair with her which spanned five years until she fell pregnant with me. They kept it hidden from all but the royal courts. I was only two days old when she gave me to my father in exchange for a promise that when I turned twenty-five, I would return to the fae as their princess. She thinks I’m their saviour because of that ridiculous prophecy, but no one even understands it or knows whether it is really related to the fae.”

  Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she turned to him. His eyes betrayed nothing.

  “My father never lied to me about my duty. I’m under no illusions about what’s expected of me. She wants me to provide her with an heir. That is my purpose to her, nothing more.”

  And I was okay with it until I met you. Until I fell in love with you.

  Those were the words she couldn’t say.

  “That’s it?” he asked.

  “What else can I say? I’ve waited my entire life for this day. I’ve known for five years who she’d chosen for me. I’d accepted it, but now, it’s all fucked up because you’re here and in my life. Don’t you see I had to leave for my own sake?”

  He advanced on her with slow, calculated steps. His han
d shot out, curling around her arm in an almost painful grip.

  “Do you not want me here?”

  “Of course, I fucking do. Haven’t I made that clear? All I want is you but I can’t have you. I’m yours, but you are not mine. None of this is mine. I have to do what I was born to do.”

  His eyes darkened, his expression turning feral. It should’ve scared the living daylights out of her, but she wasn’t scared by his darkness any longer. A part of her craved it, wanted him to be ruthless with her.

  “Do you want that prince to fuck you? Use you as his broodmare for your mother’s sake?”

  What the fuck? Does he think I actually want to be fucked by someone else other than him? Is he insane?

  Whatever hold she had on her temper shattered. She was done with accusations.

  “As if you wouldn’t fucking do the same. Use me until you get bored then toss me aside like I mean nothing to you.”

  His grip tightened causing her to yelp. The look in his eyes made her heart ache. There was rage, fury but there was also a tiny flicker of pain. Like her words actually hurt him.

  “Let go!”

  “Is that what you really think of me? Do you think I care nothing for you? Do you?”

  “How the fuck should I know how you feel about me? I don’t even know why the hell you’re here, tormenting me with things I can’t possibly have.”

  Wanting to slam all of her words back in her mouth, she glared at him. Why did he have to make her so angry? Why did he have to say such provoking things? She hated it. All of it. Most of all she hated herself for being too weak to push him away. To tell him to leave and never come back because she wasn’t strong enough to walk away.

  Her heart bled for him. Behind the façade she saw the tortured angel who’d been twisted by ruling over Hell. All she wanted was to be his solace. The person he needed because she needed him like he was the very air she breathed. But that angel was hidden from her now. In his place stood the Devil. The man who’d take everything from her. Who’d ruin her with his brutality and flay her heart alive with his cruel words.

  “If that’s the man you think I am, then that’s the man you’ll get, my little witch.”

  That term of endearment shattered everything inside her. It was said with malice, not affection. He dragged her over to the dining room table, shoving her onto it. Her stomach connected with the edge, winding her. He folded himself over her, flattening her palms on the wood.

  “I told you that first day, you shouldn’t play games with the Devil. You’ll only get burnt.”

  His breath tickled her ear. Her pulse pounded erratically. He was entirely unpredictable in his moods.

  “Lucifer, this isn’t funny.”

  He moved off her, but when she tried to move, she found her hands stuck like glue.

  Does he think this is okay with me?

  “What the fuck? Stop this, let me go.”

  He said nothing, trailing his fingers down her back. He gripped her thighs, spreading her legs wide. Her feet got stuck to the floor. She was rendered utterly immobile by his power. A cold sweat beaded at the back of her neck. Never before had she been so vulnerable in front of another person.

  “Don’t do this, please, Lucifer, please. I don’t want this.”

  His laugh was haunted.

  “My little witch. You said you want me, but you don’t even understand what that really means. I won’t hold back any more. You’ve asked for the Devil and he is who you’re getting.”

  Her limbs shook. The dangerous note in his voice flooded her with heat.

  Why the fuck am I getting turned on by him right now? I’m so fucked up. I don’t even want to be in this position.

  “Stop.”

  His fingers trailed up her inner thighs. A small growl left his lips when he found her wet and wanting, fingers brushing over her sex through her underwear.

  “Your mouth lies, but this does not. You like this. You want me to punish you.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  She struggled against her invisible bonds. This was the second time he’d restrained her, but last time she’d wanted it. Now she was half terrified of what he’d do next.

  She heard him click his fingers. She felt the wood on her bare skin, grazing against her nipples. He’d done it again. Stripped her without a second thought.

  Pain radiated up her behind when his palm came down, hard.

  “Do you think I wanted to watch you with other men? Your body pressed against them whilst you danced?”

  Another smack. She flinched, whimpering. His hands weren’t gentle.

  This is his punishment. Fuck. He’s going to hurt me because I left him.

  “The thought of that prince with his paws on your skin fills me with uncontrollable rage, my little witch. You are not his to touch. Your body doesn’t belong to him nor does any other part of you.”

  No. I belong to you. I love you, Lucifer, even if I hate you for what you’re doing to me right now.

  Four more strikes, each one harder than the next. Her entire behind radiated with heat and pain.

  “Mmm, your skin is blossoming red, but it’s not enough. I want more. I want to brand myself on you. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

  She lost count of the times he hit her. All she could hear was the sound of his palm smacking against her skin and his exhale with each strike.

  “Please, stop, it hurts,” she whispered.

  What she didn’t say was her entire body felt tight, needing a release from the pain, from the pulsating in her core. Her arousal trickled down her inner thighs.

  “You can beg me, Candace. Beg me to stop, but I know you want this. I can feel it.”

  As if to prove it, his fingers ran up the seam of her sex. She whimpered in response, wanting him to fuck her with them. Desperately needing him to give her something more. She wriggled, trying to gain purchase, to encourage him.

  “Tell me what you want,” he said, his voice seductive and low.

  “You. I want you.”

  There was no room left for lies.

  “Do you want Lucifer or the Devil?”

  “Both. I want both. Fuck. I want all of you. Every part. You have no idea how much I burn for you. Every night I dream of you and wake up hot and wet with need.”

  “Do you want that prince? Do you crave his skin against yours?”

  She whimpered when he smacked her again.

  “No. Shit. Lucifer, no. My body is yours. My fucking everything is yours. Take it all. I’m giving you everything. Just please stop torturing me like this.”

  His fingers danced down her back, trailing circles across her skin. She arched up against him as much as she could with her limbs stuck to the table and the floor.

  “Come back to Hell with me.”

  His demand made her heart crack. It was already shattered, but he was breaking it further.

  How is it even possible for my heart to take this much pain?

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  Another smack came. This one stung like nothing else. She cried out, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

  “Please, I told you why. It’s my duty. Don’t you understand? I thought this was my prison sentence, but I didn’t know anything. Not until you turned up and placed me in your gilded cage. I’m not free. She put me in chains, but you… you’ve caged me. And fuck… you’re ruining everything just like you wanted. You’ve ruined me for everyone else.”

  It was like something snapped between them. One minute his hand was resting on her behind, the next he pressed up against her entrance and slammed into her up to the hilt in one thrust. His fingers dug into her hips, pounding into her with absolutely no mercy. It hurt, but it felt incredible all the same.

  Holy fucking hell.

  He leant over her, his breath harsh against her face.

  “Have I really broken you, my little witch?”

  “Yes,” she whimpered.
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  His skin pressed against her heated behind burnt and stung, each thrust dragging his flesh against hers.

  “Mmm, I don’t think I have. You’re still denying me. You’re still going to marry that boy. He won’t make you happy. He won’t fuck you like you need. Punish you when you disobey him. He’ll use you until you’ve given your mother what she desires. He won’t care for you. You need me. Need me to fuck you and care for you afterwards like you’re the most precious person in the world. Because that’s what you are to me, my little witch. Precious. You still think I don’t care for you? Haven’t I shown you how much I want you? I left Hell to retrieve you. To bring you home.”

  The weight of his words threatened to suffocate her.

  He cares about me? How the fuck did this happen? I want to give in. I want to go home with him. I belong to him.

  Tears fell down, darkening the wood below her. He thrust harder. The table dug into her hips, but she didn’t care any longer. All she could feel was Lucifer, his heart racing against her back, his power washing over her, inching her towards an earth-shattering orgasm. His fingers curled over hers.

  “Tell me you're mine,” he whispered, his voice soft.

  “I’m yours.”

  “Do you want to know a secret?”

  She nodded, unable to speak any longer.

  “I wasn’t lying when I told you I’ve never held a woman in the way I hold you. I’ve never wanted a woman in the way I want you. I crave your skin against mine. I crave every part of you. I want to hear your voice even when you say such cruel words. Tell me you hate me when I know it’s the opposite. My little witch, you’ve ensnared me with all that you are.”

  I’m ruined. Utterly ruined. Lucifer, I love you. Every inch of you. You’re cruel and brutal, but you’re everything I need because you care for me too.

  “But there’s more, Candace… It was Mall who told me to be gentle with you. She told me you were fragile inside and that if I wanted you to come willingly, I should show you I could be gentle.”

  Mall. The succubus had seen right through her. How did Mall know that? How did she see that they needed each other? Lucifer had etched himself on her heart.