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

Soho. He landed outside the steps of the bar, not bothering to hide his actions nor himself from prying eyes.

Let them see the Devil is in their midst for all I care.

He felt her now. She was close. Taking the steps two by two, he shoved the door open and strode past the coat check. The bar wasn’t busy. He surveyed it for a moment. The bartender looked up, her eyes going wide the next moment.

“Is that…?” the dark haired vampire whispered.

Ignoring her, he spied Jaxon in the corner, looking sorry for himself.

Where is she?

He strode over, stopping next to the table with Candace’s friend. Jaxon almost jumped out of his chair.

“Tell me where she is, now,” Lucifer said.

“She ran in the loos,” Jaxon said, pointing towards the door. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t bother answering the boy’s question, walking away and shoving open the door to the ladies toilets. In one of the cubicles, huddled by the wall was Candace, her head in her hands, sobbing quietly. The sight of it broke him.

What the fuck did that boy say to her?

He knelt down at her feet, putting a hand on her leg. He didn’t want to startle her.

“Candace?”

She raised her head slowly. Her eyes were watery and bloodshot.

“You came,” she whispered.

“I would’ve been here sooner if you’d told me where you were.”

“I… sorry, I didn’t think. Shit.”

More tears fell down her cheeks as she hiccupped on a sob. The smell of sick assaulted his nose. He stood, flushing the toilet and grabbing some paper from the holder. He leant down, dabbing her mouth and cheeks. He chucked it away before putting his arms out to her.

“Come here.”

He helped her to her feet and bundled her up in his arms, kissing the top of her head. For once, he really did want to be gentle with her. Seeing her so upset made his heart ache.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“No,” she sobbed. “I just want to leave. Take me back to the flat, please.”

He hooked his arm under her legs and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest.

I’ll take you wherever you want, my little witch, as long as it makes you happy again. That boy’s days are numbered.

All eyes fell on the two of them when he carried her out of the toilets. Jaxon stood up.

“Candace,” he said.

Lucifer glared at the boy, striding away. Candace didn’t even look up, she just clutched him tighter.

“Well I never,” the bartender said quietly. “She was serious about getting with the Devil. Go Candace.”

What? Does Candace know this vampire? Did she mention their involvement with each other?

He could ask her about it later. They were out the door the next moment and up on the street. He took to the skies and it wasn’t long before they landed outside her flat.

She gave him her keys from her bag, which was slung across her chest. He set her down on her bed when he’d let them both in. She put a hand over her mouth and dashed into the bathroom. The sounds of her hurling her guts up made him follow her.

She looked pale as she sat back after flushing, breathing heavily. He picked up a face cloth from her bathroom sink and wet it. He rang it out before kneeling beside her and wiping her brow.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “You shouldn’t have to take care of me.”

“Why not?”

“I feel like you’re always rescuing me.”

“You told me I wasn’t a knight in shining armour.”

“Perhaps I spoke too soon.”

He smiled, stroking her hair. She reached up, cupping his face.

“Te amo.”

He never wanted her to stop saying ‘I love you’ for as long as they were together. He couldn’t imagine her not looking at him as if he was her everything.

“Let me brush my teeth,” she said, dropping her hand from his face.

He helped her to her feet and went into her kitchen, pouring her a glass of water. There was a strange envelope on her counter. He stared down at it. It gave him an ill sense of foreboding.

A moment later, he felt two arms band around his waist and a forehead pressed into his back. He closed his eyes, running his fingers over the backs of her hands.

“I don’t care if you don’t agree with me,” she murmured. “You’re mine.”

Her possessive tone made him smile.

I’ll always be yours, little witch. You stole my heart and you own my soul.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes.” One of her hands ran down his stomach, coming to rest just above his belt. “If no one else can touch me, those same rules apply to you.”

He felt the tingling sensation of her magic. Looking down, he spied pink smoke curling around his belt buckle and tugging it open. There was no doubt in his mind what she was after now.

“I’ll hurt anyone who tries,” she continued. “They’ll wish they never laid eyes on the Devil when I’m done.”

“Is that so? A rather bold claim.”

She tugged his shirt out of his trousers, tucking her hands underneath and trailing them along the bare skin of his stomach. His muscles tensed.

“You might be able to stop me using magic, but that doesn’t apply to others.”

Her assertiveness was too much of a turn on. He was rock hard and wanted to fuck her against the counter.

As much as I adore her hands on me, I should make her talk about what that boy said.

“Mmm, you’re welcome to use it on me for pleasure, little witch.”

Those were not the words he meant to say. Pink smoke trailed up his torso before his shirt was