by Sarah Bailey
“What do you mean?”
“I have never seen him have consideration for anyone other than himself, but he always makes sure you are taken care of. Between you and me, you’re good for him.”
Candace was silent, unable to form a suitable response.
She thinks I’m good for him? How can I be? I drive him crazy.
Mall was right about one thing. 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 you’d end up, but the Devil, Cadmi? Have you been okay?”
“I’ve been fine or as fine as you can be when you’re stuck in Hell with no way home because your best friend took it upon himself to save you from your own miserable fate.”
She hadn’t meant to sound so sullen, but she wasn’t exactly best pleased with Jax. Even though it was her fault he was now here.
“Where will he be, Mall?” she asked the succubus who was a few steps ahead of them.
“I will check the throne room for you,” Mall replied.
When they reached the door, Mall left them outside. Jax turned to Candace.
“Cadmi, have you really been okay?”
“Yes. I promise. I know you probably won’t believe this, but he’s fine, mostly.”
“Are you really telling me the Devil has been treating you well?”
She didn’t want to explain too much about what had really gone on between her and Lucifer, but the truth was, he had been taking care of her.
“Yes, why would I have any reason to lie to you?”
“You wouldn’t, but I just… I’m still sorry. I should never have sent you here.”
He gripped her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. She put her hand on his chest, sighing. Even though he’d done it for the wrong reasons, she couldn’t stay mad at Jax. His hazel eyes were sad. It tore at her heart.
“Honestly, Jax, it’s okay.”
“Are you sure? This can’t have been easy for you.”
“I won’t deny I’m kind of pissed off with why you did it.”
The doors to the throne room slammed open, startling them. She turned her head. Lucifer stood in the doorway. His eyes fell on where her hand was pressed to Jax’s chest. His expr
ession turned dark. She immediately dropped her hand, stepping away.
No. No. No. I hope he doesn’t think anything of this.
Mall walked out, her eyebrows raised before she strolled down the hallway and went into her office.
Lucifer strode towards her. She knew immediately she was in trouble. Big fucking trouble. He grabbed her arm and tugged her back towards the throne room.
“Cadmi?” Jax called.
She looked back at him, shaking her head.
“Just stay there,” she said.
Lucifer dragged her into the throne room, slamming the doors behind them. He pressed her up against one of them, caging her in with his arms.
“What are you doing?” she asked, staring up at him with wide eyes.
“Have you forgotten what you said to me?”
“About what?”
“You are mine, Candace. Mine and only mine.”
Chapter Ten
If she’d known he’d decide to be completely unreasonable when she brought Jax to meet him, she might have run in the other direction.
“I haven’t forgotten that, Lucifer. It doesn’t mean you get to drag me off for no apparent reason,” she replied.
“I don’t care who he is. He doesn’t get to touch you.”
“What the fuck?” She tried to shove him away, but he wouldn’t budge. “Jax is my friend and you don’t get to dictate shit like that to me. Honestly, are you jealous or something?”
His dark eyes flashed with anger.
“Jealous? I’ll show you fucking jealous.”
His mouth was on hers, kissing her with ferocity she’d never experienced from him before. His fingers were at her shirt buttons, undoing them one by one, exposing her skin to the air.
When he was done, his hands roamed over her stomach and up to her chest. He cupped one of her breasts, running his thumb over the nub through her bra. It didn’t occur to her to push him away. Not when she burnt with longing and need the moment he’d kissed her. Arching up against him, her hands curled around his waist, tugging him closer.
Fuck. I don’t want you to stop.
“And yet you’re going to tell me to.”
She didn’t answer him. Her whole body craved his with a desperation that threatened to break her in half. If she didn’t have him soon, she would lose her mind. Having never felt this level of need for another person, she was completely out of her depth. No one would ever compare to how he felt against her, his hands on her skin. She wanted Lucifer. She wanted him to ruin her for anyone else. She wanted to be his entirely for now and always. And it was that knowledge which made her turn her face from his.
“I can’t do this,” she whimpered. “No matter how much I want you.”
“You can and you will.”
His tongue ran down her neck and lower. Pushing aside her shirt, his dark eyes roamed over her chest. He deftly tugged down her bra on one side, growling when he exposed her breast to the air.
“You are perfect,” he whispered. “And all this perfection is mine.”
His tongue swept over her nipple, causing her to dig her fingers into his back.
Holy fuck.
“Lucifer… please.”
“Only I get to touch you like this.”
He bit down. It set all her nerve endings on fire.
“Only you. No one else. You. Always.” The words fell out of her mouth against her will. What the hell am I saying?
“Say yes and I’ll end your torture, Candace. End this torment for both of us.”
She wanted to. Every bit of her was screaming out for him. Yet the rational part of her mind told her no.
Not now.
Not ever.
“No.”
He tore away from her, running his hand through his hair. There was clear frustration on his face.
“Why do you keep doing this? Explain. Just fucking explain it.”
She tugged her shirt closed, suddenly feeling very exposed.
“What if I can’t explain it? What if I can’t tell you because it fucking kills me that I have absolutely no choice? My life isn’t my own, Lucifer. It never has been. Why do you think Jax sent me here? He wanted to save me from my fate.”
His hand came up, cupping her face. There was a wild look in his eyes and yet a tenderness in his expression.
“Then let me save you from it.”
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
What? He can’t. No one can.
“I can’t stay here. You know that. You said it yourself. Hell is no place for a living soul.”
She reached out, pulling him to her. She curled her arms around his back, pressing her face into his chest. If she could stay like this forever with him, she would do it in a heartbeat.
“When I told you, I can’t walk away from you, I meant it, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have to leave you,” she continued. “Because I will. The thought of it makes me want to cry. I didn’t want to feel things for you, but I do. It hurts so fucking much. I can’t afford to want you. To need you. And yet I do. All I can think about is you. Do you understand why I can’t give you what you want? If I do, it’ll break me entirely.”
He kissed the top of her head before burying his face in her hair.
“Candace…”
“You don’t need to say anything. Just stop pushing me. I don’t want to go home broken.”
She pushed him away, her hands going to her buttons. She quickly adjusted her clothes.
I just lied to him. I’m already broken. He broke me the moment we kissed each other. Nothing has been the same since.
“Don’t give Jax any shit, okay? There’s nothing between us. Besides, he’s with someone, so you know, I kind of have to get him back home to his girlfriend in one piece.”
“Girlfriend?”
She looked up at him.
“Yes, girlfriend. There was never any need for you to get all possessive over me.”
“I did not get possessive.”
“No? What do you call dragging me into the throne room and telling me I’m yours, then?”
He folded his arms across his chest, expression dark.
“You are mine.”
She rolled her eyes. It was as if her confession hadn’t happened. It had though. She felt things for the angel in front of her. Things she should never feel. It didn’t even matter to her anymore that he was the Devil. He was the man she wanted in her bed, in her life and worst of all, in her heart.
“Are you going to behave?”
He looked sullen for a moment but nodded. She pulled away from the door and adjusted his shirt so it wasn’t bunched up where she’d tugged at it. She stopped short of taking his hand even though a part of her wanted to.
She opened the door, taking a breath before striding towards Jax. He was still standing in the same place.
“Cadmi… what’s going on?”
“We just needed to have a conversation. It’s fine. Come with me.”
She took his arm and pulled him along before opening the door to the living room. She made Jax sit down on the sofa. Lucifer had followed along behind. He stood a way off with his hands folded behind his back, his expression neutral. She sat down next to Jax.
“Does he know why I sent you here?” Jax asked.
“Not entirely no. I shouldn’t have even told you.”
“Keeping a secret like that can’t have been easy.”
She glanced back at Lucifer. His posture was stiff, eyes dark with repressed emotion. There was no doubt in her mind, he did not like her being close to Jax despite her assurance that there was nothing between them. Then again, she doubted Lucifer would be happy seeing her near any other man.
“It doesn’t matter. What we need to discuss is how we’re going to get home.”
“Because no one is getting out of Hell right now.”
“How did you even know about that?”
Jax shrugged, adjusting his t-shirt. He was in pyjamas. She looked down at her watch. It w
as midnight back on Earth.
“Rumours.”
“And how did you even send me here in the first place? You don’t have that type of power.”
“Alistair.”
“You involved him in this? Are you crazy? You know that could’ve got back to my father.”
Jax is a fucking idiot.
This was turning into the biggest mess. How was she ever going to explain any of this to her father when she returned home? He was going to be mad. Mad and disappointed yet again.
“I didn’t involve him. It wasn’t as if I was opening the gates. It didn’t involve blood magic. Alistair knows more about portals than anyone else. All he did was tell me how. No questions asked.”
“Portal magic is dangerous if misused, you know that more than anyone.”
“You managed to bring me here.”
She put her head in her hands.
“It wasn’t a portal. That was more like a summoning, which by the way, was not my intention. I was trying to create a gateway to Earth.”
“A gateway?”
She stood up, staring down at Jax. This conversation was exhausting and learning he’d involved someone else made it all the more frustrating.
“Yes, it’s all in this book. I’ll show you when we’ve both got some sleep. You must be tired.”
Mall came in and spoke softly to Lucifer for a moment. He nodded. She made her way over to Jax and Candace.
“If you’d like to come with me, I have a room prepared for you,” she said.
Jax looked up at Candace, his eyes questioning. She nodded her head. He was perfectly safe with Mall.
“Right,” he said, standing. “Sleep is wise, you did kind of wake me up. Sam is going to be pissed.”
“You can deal with that when we get home or blame me. Whatever works,” Candace said.
Jax left with Mall, leaving her alone with Lucifer. She wanted to collapse. The spellcasting had taken it out of her, not to mention suddenly having to deal with Jax being here.
She made her way around the sofa, coming to a halt in front of him. Lucifer stared down at her with an unreadable expression. She took his hand.
“Bed?”
He frowned.
“You want me to come with you?”
“If you’re not busy. Do I have to ask nicely?”