Lucifer's Cage (After Dark Book 6) Page 9

  “I want to watch you pleasure yourself at my expense.”

  A flush rose up her neck. There was a faint pink tinge to her cheeks. She looked away, almost hiding her face in her hair.

  “Lucifer…”

  His smile widened at her embarrassment.

  Oh, she’s not getting out of this that easily.

  He pulled her towards him by her hand, only letting go so he could cup her breast. They were perfect handfuls. He ran a thumb over her nipple before replacing it with his mouth. She cried out, wriggling on him. He gripped her hip, encouraging her to rise and fall. He growled against her skin. Her heat was intoxicating. She arched her back, her hand falling on his chest to steady herself. He released her when she moved faster. She bit her lip, looking down at him with lust filled eyes.

  She has no idea how sexy that is. I want to bite that lip.

  “That’s right fuck me just like you’ve longed to do all this time.”

  She said nothing, closing her eyes and tipping her head back. She really was something else. Now he’d felt her, there was no going back between them. He shifted, sitting up with her still in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him closer.

  “I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered. “Despite all our fights and arguments, I’m happiest with you.”

  She rose and fell faster, her breath coming harder.

  “Neither of us belong in each other’s worlds,” he said, running his fingers down her back.

  “And yet, I’m still yours.”

  She kissed him. His hand fell in between them, encouraging her to let go again. And they held each other for the longest time when the aftershocks had faded. Their short time together almost at an end. Lucifer decided then and there, he would find a way to have her here again.

  He wasn’t ready to let the woman in his arms go.

  Not now.

  Not ever.

  §

  Lucifer didn’t like Candace’s friend. Despite her reassurances there was nothing between them, he saw the way Jaxon looked at her.

  She’s blind to his adoration. Girlfriend or not, that boy’s affection is not platonic by any stretch of the imagination.

  He watched the two of them in deep conversation. They’d almost finished preparing what they needed to, in order to open the gateway. He couldn’t deny they needed the boy’s magic ability. Candace’s heritage made her magic unique, but as she’d told him, it was not necessarily a good thing.

  She looked up at him, smiling. It gave him a strange feeling inside.

  Why do I care for her this way? Why does one single look make me want to get on my knees and plead with her to stay?

  She made him weak, but he couldn’t hate her for it. He only felt affection for the woman who was leaving him behind.

  She left Jaxon’s side and came over to him, placing a hand on his arm. The memory of her naked body curled around his as she slept assaulted his senses. She’d looked so peaceful. Her touch made him harden instantly.

  Fuck. I want her again. I want her all the time.

  “Jax is ready.”

  “Are you?”

  She looked up at him with wide eyes.

  “You know I’ll never be ready,” she replied, her voice low. “Last night was more than I could’ve ever asked for.”

  She dropped her hand, glancing at Jaxon, but he wasn’t looking over at them. He narrowed his eyes. She was keeping their relationship a secret from that boy.

  “Are you really concerned about him knowing?”

  “It isn’t any of his business.”

  He reached up, gripped her face and forced her to look at him. Why would she keep something like this from someone she shared everything with? He knew very well they’d known each other since they were children and Candace had confided all of her secrets to him.

  “No?”

  “Lucifer…”

  She tried to look at Jaxon again, but he held her still. She wasn’t getting away from him that easily. He’d make her tell him the truth.

  “Are you ashamed?”

  Her eyes snapped back to his, confusion and anger in her expression.

  “What? No, of course not.”

  His eyes narrowed further. Tugging her closer, he stared down at those violet eyes which haunted his every moment.

  She drives me crazy with her stubborn nature.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  She grabbed his hand, trying to tug it away from her face. His temper flared. She was walking on thin ice with him.

  “Lying to me only ends one way.”

  “Stop it,” she hissed.

  “The truth, Candace. I want the truth.”

  She glared at him, clamping her mouth shut. If she was going to play this game with him, then so be it.

  She only has herself to blame.

  He dropped her face, gripping her arm instead.

  “Excuse me, Candace and I need a word in private.”

  He didn’t wait for a response from either of them. He dragged her from the room despite her protests.

  “Lucifer, get off!”

  “You know the rules. You’re being disobedient.”

  “I am not.”

  When they reached his bedroom, he tugged her over to the desk.

  “Kneel.”

  “What the fuck? No. Let go of me.”

  Her refusal made the leash he had on his temper snap completely. He pressed her back against the desk, pinning her body to it with his own. He took both her arms, twisting them behind her back. He used his power to keep them tied behind her. She stared up at him, eyes wide with shock and confusion.

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  She struggled against the invisible bonds.

  “Teaching you a lesson. One you’ll not likely forget.”

  “Lucifer, stop this.”

  “You only had to tell me the truth, but no, that’s too hard for you to manage.”

  He clicked his fingers and she was naked before him the next moment. She looked down at herself. When her eyes met his again, they were blazing with anger.

  “The truth? The fucking truth? I don’t want people’s judgement, especially not his. Do you know what he’ll say? What anyone will say if they find out I’ve been with the Devil? Do you imagine they will look at me with anything but disgust for allowing you to touch me? Do you? No, because you don’t fucking care. You take what you want without consequence.”

  Her words only fuelled his rage. Did their night together mean nothing to her? Hadn’t he shown her how he felt?

  I asked her to stay for fuck’s sake. Surely she should know I want her, need her.

  Why did she even care what people thought? Humans were like sheep. They’d been led to believe he was evil. Is this how she really felt about the two of them?

  “I should leave you here, tied up and naked because it’s no less than you deserve. Is that what you think? Does it disgust you that we’ve fucked? That I’ve touched every inch of your body and given you exactly what you craved?”

  “No! Don’t you understand? I fucking care about you. All I want is you. I must be crazy for needing everything about you like I need fucking air. I swear if you don’t fuck me right now, I might lose my mind completely.”

  Fuck. She doesn’t half make me so crazy for her.

  She’d never been disgusted by him. He knew that, but he still didn’t understand why other people’s opinions mattered. All that mattered was what was between them.

  He wasn’t going to hold back. She demanded he fuck her.

  He kissed her, his hands tangled in her hair which she’d changed to blue before she’d left his room yesterday. She kissed him back with just as much ferocity.

  He sat her on the desk, tearing open his trousers and freeing his cock. He pressed into her heated sex, groaning. She was so wet. He gripped her hips, pounding into her with no mercy.

  She makes me so fucking angry. I want t
o punish her. To make her understand she is mine. My little witch. Mine.

  “Fuck, Lucifer, fuck me harder,” she groaned.

  Her words sent him into a frenzy. Her arms were still bound, but he didn’t care at that moment. All he could think about was sending them both into oblivion. Perhaps they’d never come back from it. It occurred to him he didn’t want to. He wanted to drown in her intoxicating scent. Drown in his need for her.

  “Please, fuck, more,” she whispered

  Slamming into her with so much force, he was sure she’d end up with bruises, she cried out. Her climax raced through her body like wildfire. He could feel it everywhere. And he couldn’t hold back, grunting as his own end tore through him.

  They were both panting when their trembling subsided. He released the hold on her arms. She wrapped them around him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

  “Screw you,” she whispered. “Why do you do this to me?”

  “You know why.”

  “Why do I want you so much?”

  “Only you can answer that.” Her arms around him tightened. “You can hate me all you want, Candace, it changes nothing. You are mine.”

  “I don’t hate you.”

  She pulled away, cupping his cheek with one hand. It took a concerted effort on his part not to lean into her touch.

  “You mean more to me then you know, but I need to go home.”

  He pulled away, clicking his fingers. She was dressed again and his clothing was no longer in disarray. She shoved off the desk, taking his hand and entwining her fingers in his. He raised an eyebrow.

  “Just let me hold your hand,” she said.

  It made him smile just a little. He tugged her along until they reached the room where they were going to create the gateway. She stopped him from going in. Pressing him up against the wall, she kissed him like she was drowning in him. He held her close. When she pulled away, her face was flushed.

  “I couldn’t leave without doing that one last time,” she said.

  “A goodbye kiss?”

  “I think you just gave me a goodbye fuck.”

  He chuckled, kissing her again. This wasn’t goodbye, but he refrained from saying so. He was going to get her back no matter what.

  They walked back into the room. Jaxon raised his eyebrows at Candace, but she shook her head.

  “It’s time,” she said.

  He nodded. The two of them got to work drawing an intricate pentagram within a circle. When they were done, she beckoned him over. He stood just outside the circle next to her. Jaxon began to speak in Latin. It was a low chant.

  Lucifer put his hand out, a soft glowing ball of power appeared in his palm. He sent it towards the bowl by Jaxon’s feet when the witch nodded to him.

  The circle began to shimmer with a purple light. It swirled for several long minutes before clearing. They could all see the streets of London reflected back at them.

  “It worked,” Jaxon said.

  Lucifer looked at Candace. Her eyes were brimming with tears. He brushed his fingers against hers. Her head snapped up, violet eyes full of turmoil.

  “I don’t want to go,” she whispered. “I don’t want my fate.”

  The sight of her and her words almost broke him. She’d said all she wanted was him. All he wanted was her. And there was nothing he could do right now which would make the situation any easier.

  “Come on, Cadmi, it’s time,” Jaxon said.

  “Okay,” she said, her voice cracking on the word.

  She turned away, reaching out and taking Jaxon’s hand. The two of them stepped up to the newly created portal. Before she stepped in, she looked back at him. Tears fell down her cheeks unheeded.

  “Goodbye,” she whispered.

  Then the woman who’d stolen everything from him walked through the portal and out of his life.

  And he couldn’t understand why it made his heart ache so much.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Candace stepped out onto the dark street with Jax. Her cheeks were wet with tears. She brushed them away with her sleeve, but her eyes were still streaming.

  What have I done?

  “Cadmi?”

  “Yes?” she sniffled.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She didn’t look at him. She wanted to curl up in bed and shut out the world.

  “Nothing.”

  He grabbed her by the arms, turning her to face him.

  “Why are you crying?”

  “Just leave it, Jax. I’m going home.”

  She tried to pull away, but he held fast.

  “Is it about him? What happened between the two of you?”

  Lucifer.

  Her heart ached with an intensity that almost crippled her.

  “Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She tore away from him, walking quickly down the street.

  “Cadmi!”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  She didn’t turn back to look at him. In the next street over, she realised they’d landed not far from her flat. It was the one small mercy in all of this.

  Letting herself in a few minutes later, she locked the door and went straight into her bedroom. She ripped off her clothes and crawled into bed, sobbing for all she was worth.

  Fuck. Damn it. Why? Why? Why do I feel like this? Why is leaving him so fucking heartbreaking?

  She knew the answers to those questions. Admitting it to herself was a whole different ball game. The weight of her feelings crashed down on her. Burrowing deeper in the covers, she clutched her knees to her chest. The ache she felt there was unending.

  Fuck. I love him. I’m in love with the Devil.

  And nothing she could say or do would change that fact.

  It was her own stupid fault for sleeping with him. For allowing herself to indulge in her feelings for him. How would she face anyone now? She was in love with someone the world considered evil. He wasn’t evil to her. Brutal maybe, but Lucifer had been gentle with her too. She’d seen a side of him she knew no one else got to witness.

  She cried harder, her sobs echoing in her ears.

  Why didn’t I just stay with him like he asked me to?

  She could’ve. No one but Jax would’ve known. Running away and staying with Lucifer was cowardly. Duty came first. Duty to her family.

  She awoke with a jolt, the sunlight streaming in through the open curtains. She groaned, pulling the covers over her eyes. Reaching out, she found the bed empty. She sat up. Lucifer wasn’t there.

  This isn’t Hell. This is home. Shit.

  She hadn’t seen daylight in two months, having got used to living in perpetual darkness down in Hell. They had electric lights, but it wasn’t the same.

  She hauled herself out of bed and jumped in the shower. A wave of pain shot through her heart. She couldn’t help dissolving into another fit of sobs.

  She got out when they finally abated, dressing and going through into her open plan living room. Her mail was piled up by the front door along with her purse. Jax must’ve posted it through the front door. She rifled through it, finding her phone. It was dead.

  She picked up the mail, dumping it on the kitchen counter and stuck her phone on charge. Next, she threw out all the out of date food from her fridge, freezer and then the cupboards just for something to do.

  When she turned her phone back on, it was flooded with texts and voicemails.

  She listened to the voicemails, grimacing when she realised most of them were from her father.

  “Candace, where are you? Why did I have to hear it from Jax that you’ve not been home in days?”

  Because I was in Hell, Dad.

  “Are you acting up again? Is this your idea of punishing me? I’ve told you a thousand times I did not want to make such a deal with your life. You are my only child, but I had no choice. Is this why you’ve run away? Is facing your duty so abhorrent to you?”

  She deleted the rest of the messages without liste
ning to them. There was no point. It was time she faced the music. She pulled on a coat, sticking her phone in her bag. She dropped by a cafe on the way for brunch before jumping on the Underground and making her way to Marylebone. Stuffing her headphones in her ears, she boarded a train to Oxford.

  An hour and one taxi ride later, she stood outside her father’s house. Gallian Highmore lived in an expensive townhouse. She’d grown up here but moved to London at eighteen to get away from the Grand Coven and their insufferable rules.

  She let herself in, hung her coat up in the hall cupboard and kicked off her trainers. Her slippers were still sitting by the door. She stuffed her feet into them and trudged through into the kitchen. Her father would be in his study, but she might as well bring him a cup of tea.

  When she’d made a teapot, complete with a little jug of milk, two teacups on saucers and the sugar bowl, she carried the tray upstairs and didn’t bother knocking. Her father turned around at the sound of her barging into his study.

  She put the tray down on a side table and poured two cups with sugar, setting them on his desk. She was about to sit down when her father moved and wrapped his arms around her. He held her whilst she stood stiffly in his embrace.

  Um, what? He never offers me affection.

  “Where have you been for two months, Candace?” he said, his voice a little tense.

  “It’s a long story, Dad.”

  “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? You disappeared without a trace.”

  She patted his back, unsure why he was still holding her.

  “I know. I didn’t have any way of contacting anyone. I’m sorry.”

  He released her, putting his hands on her shoulders and staring down at her. His brown hair was greying at the sides and his rust brown eyes were full of concern. He was at least half a head taller than her.

  “Why did you leave?”

  “It’s not my fault. It’s Jax… he sent me to Hell.”

  “He what?” Gallian stepped back, running a hand through his hair. “Does he have any idea how dangerous that is? Why on earth would he do such a thing?”

  “Because he knows.”

  Her father gave her a sharp look.

  “You told him?”