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

He did take care of her no matter how busy he was. She wanted to sigh. She was only meant to be in his life for a fleeting moment and yet the more time she spent down here, the less she wanted to return home. The problem was she had responsibilities back on Earth. Ones she couldn’t run away from.

“I don’t know about that, but I better get on with this before he comes in here and drags me out by my hair.”

She smiled at Mall. Staying here with the Devil was not something she could afford to want.

She picked up the tablet from the floor before lighting each candle with a click of her fingers in the right order. She was still trying to get the words right, which didn’t help matters. She’d been testing them, so the results were never guaranteed.

“You’re welcome to watch,” she said to Mall. “I’m not sure what will happen this time.”

Mall took a step back, her expression wary. Candace couldn’t blame her. There was no telling what would happen if she got this wrong.

She spoke the first few lines before tossing the last plant in the bowl. It crackled, the bowl lighting up with flame. Continuing the words, she noticed black smoke curling around the bottom of the candles. That hadn’t happened before. It concerned her a little.

She uttered the last word. A huge plume of black smoke shot upwards through the ceiling. Candace took several steps back, grabbing Mall and shoving her towards the door.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Mall asked.

“No, definitely not.”

The smoke swirled around in the circle like a tornado. When it finally cleared, a man was standing in the centre of it. A man Candace knew very well. His hazel eyes blinked rapidly, his brown hair mussed as if he’d been asleep. He looked down at himself, confusion on his face.

“J… Jax?”

His eyes snapped up to hers, widening in shock.

“Cadmi?”

He took a step towards her, but he bumped into an invisible barrier when he tried to step out of the circle. She remembered she’d put a containment spell around it, just in case something went wrong. This had gone very wrong but not for that reason. How had she managed to bring Jax to Hell?

“What… what have you done?” he asked, looking over the barrier with a frown.

She couldn’t speak, the words sticking in her throat. Jax was here. The man who’d sent her to Hell in the first place. She had so many questions.

“Who is this, Candace?” Mall asked.

She turned to the succubus. How would she explain any of this?

“Jaxon. My best friend and the reason I’m here.”

And he was stuck here too now because she’d made a mistake with her spell. It hit her. What the hell was Lucifer going to think about this? And how was she going to keep her feelings for Lucifer from Jax?

Fuck. I’m absolutely one hundred percent fucked.

There was nothing she could do about it now.

“Cadmi?” Jax said.

She muttered some words under her breath and the containment field fell. She closed the distance in a few short strides and wrapped her arms around her best friend, bursting into tears immediately.

Jax was the only one she allowed to call her by her middle name. Her fae name her father had told her was chosen by her mother.

He held her close, tucking her head under his chin as he ran a hand down her back.

“Did you bring me to Hell?” he asked.

“You knew you sent me here?”

“Yes.”

She pulled away, staring up at him with irritation.

“Why the fuck would you think this was okay, Jax?”

He looked over at where Mall was standing, his hazel eyes narrowing.

“You should know why.”

Why was he being so cryptic? Was it because Mall was here? Did he want to speak to her alone?

“But I don’t… unless it’s because of my birthday.”

“Who is that?”

“Mallmomoz, Mall. She’s… um, well, this is really complicated.”

She stepped away from him, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. There were a lot of things she had to explain.

“She’s Lucifer’s assistant. I’ve been staying with them and the reason you’re here is because we’ve been trying to work out how to send me back home. No one can leave Hell right now, which you must know because you sent me here.”

Jax was silent for several moments before he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it, but you understand why, don’t you? I know you don’t want to go through with all of that even though you never complain about it.”

“It was never for you to decide. I’ve known my whole life. I’ve accepted it.”

Except now she’d met Lucifer. Now she felt things for him that she never wanted to feel. And it made her heart ache knowing she’d have to leave him. She’d told him she’d never be able to walk away from him. To her, leaving and walking away weren’t the same thing. Leaving him here when she returned home, that was a given. Walking away from what was between them. Never.

“Can I interject for one moment?” Mall said.

Candace turned to her nodding.

“As much as this is a touching reunion, I have work to attend to and you need to inform my Lord of this new development.”

“Right. You’re right,” Candace replied.

Mall opened the door and indicated that the two of them should follow. Candace grabbed Jax’s hand, tugging him along with her.

“Cadmi, who is she talking about?”

“We need to speak to Lucifer.”

“What?”

“Lucifer. The Devil. King of Hell. Who else do you think I’ve been with all this time?”

They left the room and followed Mall down the hallway. Candace wasn’t quite sure where Lucifer was.

“I worried about where