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

  “You dare try to take anything from me, I won’t hesitate to use everything at my disposal to ensure you never come near me again,” she hissed.

  “Your magic won’t save you from me. Nothing will. Don’t forget who you’re dealing with.”

  She could never forget who he was. The anger coursing through her was tangled up with lust.

  Fuck my life. Lucifer, you’re fucking killing me. I need you. I need everything about you.

  “Do your fucking worst. I dare you.”

  The smirk which appeared on his lips enraged her further.

  “If you want me, you know how to tell me.”

  Fuck you.

  “Not happening.”

  “Then why is your mouth within an inch of mine? Do you want me to kiss you?”

  She didn’t have an answer for that.

  I do. I want you to drown me.

  “Fuck you,” she whispered.

  She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and strode away, slamming the door behind her. That man made her lose all sense of control. Why did he have to push her buttons? Her heart raced out of control. Her breathing was erratic.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, you drive me nuts.”

  She wanted to scream. Frustration tore at her. Her entire body craved him and yet she wanted to punch his lights out.

  What the fuck is wrong with me?

  The door behind her slammed back on its hinges. She barely had a chance to turn around before he was backing her up against the bookcase by the wall.

  “Tell me no,” he said, his tone harsh. “Say it, Candace.”

  She stared up into his dark, mesmerising eyes. The ones which burnt holes into her soul. Fury, desire and lust emanated from him in waves.

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  His mouth crashed down on hers with fierce brutality. His hands fisted in her hair, holding her in place whilst he devoured her whole.

  Holy fuck.

  She was kissing him back with as much ferocity. She gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. She really was drowning. His kiss, electrifying. All rational thought flew from her head.

  I want you. I want you so much it hurts.

  “Let me have you. Give in to me.”

  The sudden intrusion of his thoughts into her head made her freeze. She shoved him back, breaking off their kiss.

  “What the fuck?” she said.

  He looked just as bewildered as she did. How had he heard her and she him? This was the last thing she needed. Him reading her mind. Yet did it really matter when he was staring at her like that? He was panting as hard as she was. And that kiss. That kiss just lit a fuse which set the whole damn world on fire.

  She launched herself at him, hands tangling in his hair. If she had any willpower left to hold back, she would’ve, but it was shot to pieces the moment his mouth landed on hers.

  Their second kiss was just as brutal as the first. She pushed him until he was backed up against his desk. He gripped her behind, pressing her into him. She could feel him everywhere and it was more than she could cope with. Everything felt like it was centred on their bodies fused together.

  How the hell can you hear me?

  “I don’t know. He took that ability from me when he cast me from Heaven.”

  Have you heard me before?

  “No. Only now.”

  She was rendered incapable of asking any further questions. He bit down on her bottom lip so hard, he drew blood. She cried out, wrenching away from him.

  “What the hell? Where the fuck do you get off biting me?”

  His eyes were like pools of never-ending darkness. The smile on his face made her blood pound in her ears. He tugged her back towards him and shoved his tongue in her mouth. She pushed at his chest, trying to get away from him, but he wouldn’t budge. She could taste her own blood. It coated both of their mouths.

  Stop. Stop it. Let me go.

  He released her mouth, but his arms were still around her, keeping her body pressed to his.

  “That was for making me wait,” he said, his eyes glittering.

  He was absolutely maddening.

  “I fucking hate you,” she hissed.

  “Hate is such a strong word, don’t you think?”

  “Let me go. Now.”

  He dropped his arms. She took a step back, panting. Anger and desire coursed through her veins like wildfire. Letting him kiss her was a huge mistake. Kissing him back an even bigger one.

  What the fuck am I doing?

  The amusement in his expression made her rage burn hotter.

  “I hope you’re fucking happy now because that’s never happening again.”

  His smile turned deadly. He pushed off the desk.

  “You can deny it all you want, but I heard you. I know what you really want. There’s no going back now.”

  He stepped around her. She thought he was going to leave, but instead, he shoved her against the desk. He pressed himself against her, his front flush with her back. One hand wrapped around her neck, the other curled over her waist. His breath hot against her ear.

  “You think you’re going to win this, don’t you?”

  She couldn’t answer him. Fear, anger and desire clashed inside her.

  “You feel that. You feel what you do to me every time I look at you.”

  He ground himself against her behind. It left no room for doubt.

  “Yes,” she whimpered.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to fuck you right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t believe a word that’s coming out of your mouth. You see, I can feel how much you want me. How much you crave me. How much you need me to bend you over and fuck you on my desk until you’re begging me for a release.”

  Holy fucking hell. Why is he doing this to me?

  He ground into her again. She whimpered. She was so wet, it was practically running down her thighs.

  “Say yes, Candace. Say yes for me.”

  “No.”

  “Wrong answer.”

  He hadn’t even trapped her arms, but she felt frozen on the spot. He’d shattered her resolve. Broken her will. All she wanted was for him to do exactly what he pleased with her. His fingers trailed down her stomach.

  “Don’t,” she whispered.

  He ignored her, flipping open the button of her jeans. The zip came next, but he didn’t move to try to take them off her. His fingers brushed over her. She trembled, jolts running up her spine. She knew what was coming next, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. His fingers dipped below her underwear. He growled when he felt her.

  “Is this what I do to you?” he whispered hoarsely.

  His fingers circled her core. She shuddered, whimpering.

  “Answer me.”

  “You fucking know the answer,” she replied.

  “I want to hear you say it.”

  She didn’t want to admit anything to him at all. Every time she gave him an inch, he took a mile.

  “Yes, for fuck’s sake, yes. Every single fucking time you’re near me. Damn you. I fucking hate you and yet you’re consuming me with every damn breath I take. Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you just leave me be?”

  “I want you.”

  He says it like it’s that fucking simple.

  “And I know you want me.”

  His fingers became more insistent. Everything was on fire. She was done trying to resist him at that moment. He pressed hot kisses to her neck, just below her ear. The heat between them was too much. She ground against him. He hissed, pressing her closer. She could feel him pulsating against her rear. It only heightened her need.

  “Please,” she whispered.

  “What are you asking for?”

  “I can’t take it, please.”

  “Do you want to come all over my fingers?”

  “Yes,” she whimpered, utterly unable to lie to him.

  “All you had to do was ask.”

  His fingers increased th
eir pace. She moved against him, needing so much to end this sinfully delicious torture at his hands.

  “Fuck, don’t stop,” he grunted.

  She ground against him harder. She could feel him everywhere. It was as though his hands were running across every part of her body. So close. She was so close. His breath was hot and heavy. She panted.

  I can’t take it. I need him. I need him. How can I ever turn back now?

  The tightly wound cord inside her snapped. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she could’ve sworn she saw stars in her vision. It rushed through her at an alarming pace. The intense pleasure was unlike anything else. Crying out as her legs began to buckle underneath her. Her hands slammed down on the desk, but he kept her anchored to him. She trembled and bucked against him.

  “Fuck,” he growled.

  She felt him shuddering against her back and she knew he’d come right along with her.

  Shit. Shit. Fuck. Holy fucking hell.

  His hand fell away from her neck, dropping down on the table beside hers. He removed his other hand, placing it on the desk. She was still caught between him and it. They were both out of breath. Nothing could have ever prepared her for that and they hadn’t even fucked each other.

  “I think I want to argue with you again,” he said.

  “Why the hell would you want that?”

  “Because it turned you on and you couldn’t deny me any longer.”

  She shut her mouth, absolutely hating that he was right. Fighting with him had turned her on to the point where she thought she was going to combust on the spot. And his brutal kiss had only made it worse.

  “Are you happy now you’ve broken through my resolve?” she asked.

  “No. That wasn’t enough. It’ll never be enough until I’ve had all of you. Perhaps not even then.”

  His forefinger on his left hand curled over her pinkie finger. The gesture was almost her complete undoing. She turned her face towards where his was resting on her shoulder. His dark eyes glittered in the light.

  “Lucifer…”

  “Yes?”

  “Is this just about breaking me or is there more to it?”

  “Who said anything about breaking?”

  “Answer the question.”

  He grinned, running the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip. It made her want to kiss him. She shifted, turning around in his embrace. She was still stuck between him and the desk. He stared down at her, eyes questioning.

  She reached up, curling her hand around the back of his neck before pulling him towards her. The kiss was soft, tentative and almost gentle. It was a far cry from the brutal way they’d kissed each other before. One hand curled around her back, the other was in her hair, cradling her face.

  How can he be so tender now after what happened between us?

  It made her heart ache. She hadn’t expected Lucifer to be gentle at all. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

  “Do you think me incapable of treating you with care?”

  “You heard that?”

  “Hmm, I think kissing you allows me to.”

  Well, that’s just great. How am I going to control my thoughts when he kisses me? Fuck. Why am I even thinking about kissing him again?

  It was a mistake. She knew it was, but she couldn’t bring herself to deny she wanted him kissing her. She wanted that gentleness and yet she wanted all his brutality too.

  “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  “Question?”

  “Don’t try and play coy with me now. You know what I asked you.”

  He smiled. It was deadly. His thumb ran over her swollen bottom lip. It was still a little sensitive from when he’d bitten her. She hadn’t forgiven him for doing that.

  He punished me and fuck, do I want him to continue to do so, again and again.

  “I’m not just going to break you,” he whispered. “I’m going to ruin you completely.”

  Chapter Six

  The words played over and over in her head.

  I’m going to ruin you completely.

  They’d been on a loop for days. It wasn’t like time passed here in the same way, but she still tried to count the number of days she’d been in Hell. Two and a half weeks almost.

  Despite their strained relationship, she was sure her father would be concerned she’d disappeared without a trace. Would Jax have told him? Surely her best friend wouldn’t keep her father in the dark. She didn’t really know whether or not Jax had known he’d sent her to Hell. She didn’t want to doubt her best friend, but something had been off that night.

  When he’d created the portal, he’d grabbed hold of her, his eyes wild with fear, concern. He was almost frantic.

  “Go, Cadmi. Go. You know as well as I do what will happen if you don’t leave.”

  He’d thrown her head first without giving her a chance to respond. And she’d ended up here, on top of the man who haunted her every waking moment.

  And everything seems to always come back to him. Damn it.

  He hadn’t come near her since that day, yet again keeping his distance. He was toying with her. She knew it. And she was falling headlong into his trap regardless.

  Cursing herself, she rolled out of bed and got dressed. She was going to do something productive today. She’d managed to convince Mall to allow her to help with their research into how to get around Hell’s new rules. She grabbed breakfast before following the directions the succubus had given her.

  “Down the hall, through the last door on the right,” she muttered to herself.

  Knowing she would be in for a heck of a talking to if she took a wrong turn, she carefully turned the handle on the door. Mall sat behind a desk, tapping away on a laptop. The room was decorated in varying shades of purple. She looked up when Candace stepped in.

  “Did you sleep well?” she asked.

  “Um, yes, thanks,” Candace replied.

  Mall stood, coming around her desk. She pointed to the other desk in the room.

  “You can work with me here. Perhaps a fresh set of eyes will help.”

  Candace sat down at the desk she indicated. Mall walked over and leant towards her, pointing at the laptop.

  “I’ve provided you with my notes. You’ll see I have marked several books as being relevant, but I have not yet had a chance to ask my Lord for them. They are in his private collection.”

  “You mean in his bedroom?”

  “Yes, which you have access to.”

  Candace almost choked. It brought back memories of what Lucifer had done to her only days ago against his desk.

  I’m going to ruin you completely.

  Her face felt like it was on fire.

  “So, um, you want me to go through them?”

  “After you’ve made yourself familiar with where we are, yes. This is not an easy task. We have been working for quite a while and yet we are still no further forward.”

  “I see.”

  “Please let me know if you have questions.”

  Mall turned away and went back to her desk. Candace stared at the screen for a moment.

  I’m going to ruin you completely.

  She had to damn well stop thinking about that. Had to stop thinking about how much she wanted to march into his throne room, get down on her knees and beg him. Beg him to end her suffering. The suffering he’d brought on after that damn day he’d kissed her. After their explosive argument had boiled over. After he’d touched her in ways she’d swore she’d never let him.

  And still it wasn’t enough.

  She wanted more.

  She wanted everything.

  She shook herself. Thinking about him was a bad idea. She settled down to read over Mall’s notes. They had a lot of ideas, but too many dead ends.

  After a couple of hours, her head hurt, and she felt like her mind was about to explode. She sat back, kneading her eyes with her palms.

  “It’s a lot to take in.”

  She jumped at the sound
of Mall’s voice.

  “Um, yes… There’s a lot of things I don’t really understand. I guess you want me for my knowledge of magic rather than the more technical stuff?”

  “Yes, a solution using magic could work if we knew the right way to go about it.”

  Candace nodded slowly, slumping in the chair. She couldn’t really think of a solution at that moment. She was incapable of creating portals, but she understood how the process worked. Perhaps similar principals could be applied to the situation with Hell. If you could use a portal to get in, then getting out should be simple. Right?

  “Perhaps you should take a break. See if you can find those books for me? I put the list on that tablet next to you,” Mall said.

  Candace stood up, stretching before giving Mall a nod. She picked up the tablet next to the laptop and strode out of the room. She made a beeline straight for Lucifer’s bedroom. It was empty. A stab of disappointment ran through her, but she shook it off.

  What else did I expect? He’s busy.

  She looked down at the list on the tablet. There were at least twenty titles. She wondered how Lucifer had categorised the ones on his bookshelves. She placed the tablet on the desk, memorising the first one on the list before starting on the far side, looking over each of the spines.

  “Why am I not surprised Mall asked you to go through my library?”

  She jumped, stumbling backwards into his chest. His hands gripped her arms, steadying her. She craned her head back, staring up at Lucifer with wide eyes. She’d been completely distracted by all the books, she hadn’t even realised he’d come in.

  “You scared me.”

  “Anything to get you in my arms.”

  She scowled, turning around and facing him properly.

  “Funny that. You’re the one who’s stayed away from me since…”

  She couldn’t finish the sentence. Her face grew hot.

  I’m going to ruin you completely.

  He looked her up and down, eyes darkening. A sly smile appeared on his lips. He damn well knew exactly what she was referring to.

  “Did you want me near you?”

  “I… That… You… That’s not the point.”

  “No? Should we not talk about how much you enjoyed it when I had you up against my desk?”

  She spluttered, taking a step back. No. She didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want to remember how it had felt to have his hands on her.