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

She stuck her finger up at him and walked away, finding a sofa in the corner and throwing herself down on it. From here she could see the balcony where her mother would make her entrance. There were others in the room, but she didn’t much feel like acknowledging or making conversation with them. She hadn’t wanted to be here in the first place.

There was the sound of a harp followed by a cello. The doors to the balcony opened and out stepped Queen Gwilliana. Her white blonde hair intricately braided, violet eyes piercing. Her mauve dress flowed around her in waves of fabric. A silver crown of thorns perched on her head. Her entourage, including Raoul, stepped out behind her. The ballroom went deadly silent.

“My beloved subjects, it is an honour to see so many of you gathered this evening,” the queen said.

Candace rolled her eyes. This speech was going to go on forever. Pervinca slipped into the room again, holding a beautifully intricate circlet of silver leaves woven together. She approached Candace.

“May I?” she asked.

Candace nodded, allowing the girl to place it on her head and rearrange her braids around it. The girl smiled, bowed her head and left when she was done. Candace tuned back into the queen’s speech.

“This ball is to commemorate a very special day in our lives. Today is my daughter’s birthday.”

A collective gasp ran through the assembly of fae below.

That’s right, no one knows she has a daughter.

Candace stood up, walking towards the doors where she’d face her people.

“It is my pleasure to introduce to you all Princess Cadmi.”

She strode out and stood next to her mother. Her eyes scanned the crowd. There were looks of shock, but also ones of admiration.

Who’d have thought? I’ve spent half my life scorned by them and now they’re looking at me like I’m royalty. Well, I guess I am now. Officially at least.

She noticed a very familiar figure standing close to the balcony. Shock ran through her. She bit down hard on the side of her cheek, unable to stop staring. Everything about this was wrong. So unbelievably fucking wrong.

What is he doing here?

§

Lucifer leant against a pillar close to the balcony listening to the fae queen drone on. His eyes snapped up to the doors when her name was mentioned.

Princess?

Candace walked out in a skin-tight blue dress. It made his blood pound in his ears.

Fuck. I want her.

Even if she hadn’t been wearing such a revealing outfit, he’d have wanted her all the same.

The moment she saw him, she froze. Her violet eyes widening. He’d known she would be here, Mall had been keeping tabs on Candace, but to discover she was the fae queen’s daughter was unexpected.

This is what she’s been keeping from me. My little witch is a princess of the fae.

Now he could see them standing together, the resemblance was striking. Their eyes were the exact same shade, but Candace’s still maintained an innocence which had long since faded in the queen’s eyes. Gwilliana was centuries old.

“It has been necessary to keep my daughter from you, but now, she joins us in her rightful place by my side. She is the chosen one.”

Chosen one?

He frowned. The fae were always cryptic with their words.

“The prophecy will come to pass.”

And here we go again. More prophetic bullshit.

“She who is born under the two stars. She who belongs to two worlds. She who comes to you in darkness. She who comes to you in light. She will bring the dawn and cast out the night. She will restore you. She will be your sacrifice.”

Just as I thought. Idiotic.

Candace’s eyes were still on him. He wanted to know what she was thinking. It was clear she wasn’t happy he was here. Not when she’d kept all of this from him. If this was what she meant by her duty, then it wasn’t going to stand in the way of the two of them.

“I am honoured to inform you I have chosen her mate. Princess Cadmi will marry Prince Theodus of the Farlane clan. We have long since wished to bind our families together and today marks the first steps towards our happy union.”

A tall fae male with long chestnut brown hair and a small silver crown of ivy woven together stepped out from the room behind the balcony. He stood next to Candace and offered his arm. She placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.

A tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly dashed it away before anyone else noticed. But he’d seen it. Her eyes met his again. The turmoil in those violet depths made his chest ache and anger blaze in his veins. Lucifer wanted to leap up onto the balcony and pull her hand off the prince’s.

Marriage? She is mine. She is not marrying anyone. Did she think I wouldn’t find out about this?

The queen was still droning on, but everything else around him faded away. All their focus was on each other. Why had she kept this from him? She’d told him she was his and yet here she was engaged to be married. Was it merely for convenience, to bind their families together? There were too many questions. He would make her answer them all. She was not getting out of any of it. He was going to make sure she knew who she belonged to.

The sound of people clapping around him brought him back into the room. He glanced at the queen who’d finally finished talking. She was staring at Candace. She followed her daughter’s line of sight to him. The queen’s eyes narrowed. He’d hidden who he really was from everyone bar Candace, but perhaps he should show himself to Gwilliana. Show her that her daughter belonged