Lucifer's Cage (After Dark Book 6) by Sarah Bailey (short story to read .txt) 📗

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.