by Sarah Bailey
“You think your words cut me, Beleth. It is you who is nothing. Worthless. Your daughter hates you. You thought you could use her, but she is more than you’ll ever be. She is my kin too, you know. You’ve forgotten who your master is. I was made by the Divine. I hold His power in the palm of my hands. I can end you with a click of my fingers.”
He wasn’t going to kill Beleth. There were far worse things than death and his demon would suffer them all. He’d make sure of it.
“I will see you in Hell.”
His grip on the whip tightened as he pulled. It dug into Beleth’s neck, slicing through flesh. The demon flailed, dropping Candace who collapsed onto her knees, unable to hold herself up. Both Beleth’s hands went to his neck as he fell to his knees too. He stared up at Lucifer, his eyes wide with hatred but also fear.
A final tug sawed through bone, disconnecting his head from his body. It dropped to the floor. Black blood sprayed out of his neck coating both Candace and Lucifer. Then his body keeled over and fell to the floor.
Lucifer may have killed his mortal form on Earth, but Beleth would return to Hell. And there, he would be punished.
He turned, finding Dantalion still on his knees, his head bowed.
“Return to Hell if you know what’s good for you.”
The demon scrambled to his feet, looking up at his lord with fear. His eyes fell on Beleth’s decapitated body and he blanched.
“Of course, my Lord. Sorry, my Lord.”
Dantalion ran down the street, not looking back.
Lucifer closed the distance between himself and Candace, dropping to his knees. He tucked his fingers under her chin. She stared at him, tears streaming down her face. She looked so broken and it tore at his soul.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I left and they did this to you.”
She reached out a shaky hand, cupping his cheek. Her thumb traced a line along his bottom lip. She tugged him towards her. Her lips met his with the gentlest of touches.
“I can’t talk. He strangled me when I refused to go with them. They waited until you left before they came in and woke me up. They put a cuff on my wrist. It prevented me from using my magic. They wanted to torture me. Both of them. Don’t believe the other one, he was just as bad.”
He’d known Dantalion was lying to him but chose to allow the demon to think he had gotten away with it. He would suffer just as much as Beleth for their transgressions against Candace.
He pulled away from her, cupping her face. He’d heal every last one of her bruises. His power washed over her, soothing away all of her pain and cleaning away Beleth’s black blood. She blinked rapidly, both eyes open. The cuff fell to the ground, he scooped it up.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving me.”
She practically threw herself into his arms, clutching him tightly, quiet sobs emitting from her lips. Her fingers trailed over his wings, sending shivers down his spine.
“I’ll always protect you, my little witch. You’re mine to hurt and ruin, not theirs.”
“Yours. I’ll always be yours.”
He picked her up, cradling her to his chest. She didn’t seem to mind his armour. Her head rested on his shoulder, her fingers tracing lines along the curve of his wing.
“That’s very distracting.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’re not safe here. I’m going to take you home. You need to sleep, but I’ll return you in the morning. I promise.”
He took to the skies without waiting for her response. They soared across London, the lights twinkling below.
“You know, you’re stunning even when you’re all dark like this. It’s like there’s two sides of you and only I get to see both of them,” she said.
“You’re not scared of it?”
“No. I want to see everything. I thought perhaps when you ruined me I might never recover from it, but you see, even when you punish me and hurt me, you still care for me. You aren’t disappointed in me like my father. You don’t want to use me like my mother. You just want me to be yours because I mean everything to you. I see that now.”
He landed in a clearing in Hyde Park. He clicked his fingers and the portal which he’d left by appeared. He carried her through it, back to Hell. When they arrived, he took her straight into his bedroom and gently placed her down on the bed, under the covers. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Sleep. I need to take care of some things,” he said.
She put a hand on his arm.
“Lucifer, I… I know what you’re going to do, but please come back and hold me afterwards, even if I’m asleep.”
The look in her violet eyes made him want to promise her the world. He wanted to get down on his hands and knees and beg her to stay here with him. Beg her for her love and affection.
The past two weeks had proven he couldn’t be without her. All he wanted was to drown himself in her citrus and violet scent, in her body. Claim her heart. Her soul.
It was only now he understood the pull Azrael had felt towards Alice. The need to possess and consume her with every moment. He didn’t regret what he’d said, but a part of him wished he’d known then how a single person could affect him in this way.
“I will, my little witch.”
She smiled at him, letting her hand fall.
That fucking beautiful smile. I want her to only smile like that for me. No one else.
He tucked her hand back in the covers, brushing his fingers over her hair. She looked at him with complete trust. He wanted to be worthy of her even though he knew he wasn’t. All the things he wanted to say to her threatened to spill out.
I love you, Candace. I’ll give you everything. You are etched on my soul. You have my heart. I can’t live in a world where you don’t exist.
She closed her eyes, long eyelashes fluttering over her cheeks. It broke the spell between them and he turned away, striding out of the room. Mall was startled when he threw open the doors to the throne room.
“My Lord.”
He threw the cuff they’d slapped on Candace at her. She caught it, frowning.
“Return that to Finn. Are they in the pit?” he asked.
“Yes. Is… is she okay?”
Her eyes betrayed her worry for Candace. He hadn’t quite realised how much the succubus liked her. Cared for her.
“Yes. She’s asleep. Don’t go disturbing her. You can see her when she wakes up.”
Mall bowed her head.
“Of course.”
He nodded at her before striding out into the hallway beyond. The next instant, he was in the pit. Demons who stepped out of line were sent here. He wanted to see to Beleth and Dantalion’s punishment himself. The two demons were sitting on a bench, both their hands in chains.
“My Lord,” Turnor said, bowing to him.
Turnor ruled the pit with an iron fist. Lucifer didn’t often come down here. He wasn’t one for watching punishments such as this. This was different. They had hurt Candace. It was time they both learnt their place.
“String them both up,” Lucifer said, pointing at Beleth and Dantalion.
“Of course, my Lord,” Turnor replied, clicking his fingers at two of his jailors.
They strode forward and dragged Beleth and Dantalion up, tying them both to posts in the corner. Lucifer wandered over to a table. Various implements were draped across it. He picked up a long cat o’nine tails with sharpened silver tips. There were several similar whips. He indicated to Turnor which ones he wanted brought over. The demon signalled the jailors again.
Lucifer walked over to Dantalion with slow, measured steps. Lashing out at the demon’s back, the whip left several raised marks on his skin. Dantalion cried out as Lucifer continued to whip him until his back was bloody.
“Continue with this one,” he said to Turnor.
He next selected a long, silver tipped whip and moved over to Beleth.
“Now, how many lashes should I give you? How many do yo
u think is fitting for your transgressions? It is not just that you hurt her, Beleth. For the longest time you’ve tried to punch well above your weight.”
The whip cracked. A long red mark appeared on the demon’s back. Beleth grunted.
“Trying to overthrow the king. Was that some kind of joke?”
Another crack and two more marks appeared.
“You see, I’m not going to stop until your back is a bloody mess and you’re screaming. Then Turnor is going to take over and you’ll never see the light of day again. Not only are you stripped of your titles, you are consigned to spend the rest of eternity in servitude to Turnor and his jailors. How does that sound?”
Beleth didn’t speak. Lucifer struck again and again. All of his pent-up rage echoed by the crack of the whip and the blood running down Beleth’s back. He thought of all the bruises on Candace’s skin with each strike. The pain in her eyes. He would never let anyone touch her again.
Crack.
Never again would she be subjected to a demon.
Grunt. Crack.
He’d protect her.
Crack.
He’d save her from her fate.
Crack. Grunt.
Nothing would keep her from him.
Beleth howled under the strain of the pain radiating from his back. Lucifer smiled.
You deserve every last one of these lashes. Each and every one.
The demon slumped on the post, his back ruined beyond repair. Lucifer handed Turnor the whip.
“Don’t show him any mercy and make sure they’re displayed to the others as a warning to anyone else who wishes to step out of line.”
“My Lord,” Turnor said, bowing.
Lucifer strode away, listening to the howls of pain from Dantalion and Beleth echoing around the room until the door slammed shut behind him. He’d shown them exactly who he was. The King of Hell. No one would take his place. Even if he hated his father for sending him here, he relished his position all the same.
When he entered his bedroom, Candace was fast asleep, her blonde hair spread out across the pillows.
Fuck, she is so beautiful.
He clicked his fingers, his armour disappeared and was replaced by a t-shirt and boxers. He crawled under the covers next to her. He’d keep his promise. His hand curled around her stomach, pulling her back flush with his front. She stirred a little.
“Is it done?” she whispered, groggily.
“Yes, I’m sorry I woke you.”
She turned in his embrace, staring up at him with hazy violet eyes. She cupped his cheek.
“Lucifer… I love you.”
She buried her face in his chest, her arm curled around his back. Her breathing dipped into a slow, steady rhythm. He stared down at her, his heart thudding like a drum in his chest.
She… loves me?
Chapter Twenty
Candace paced her living room, wanting to tear her hair out.
Why the fuck did I tell him that? I’m an idiot.
She’d been out of it when he woke her up after he’d punished Beleth and that other demon. He’d saved her, proving he cared more than she realised. And then she’d gone and told him she loved him. It being the truth didn’t matter. She shouldn’t have said it.
When she’d woken up, he’d still been there, holding her close. He kissed the top of her forehead, murmuring good morning. She’d rolled away to get up, but he’d pulled her against his chest, her back flush with it, his hand splayed out across her stomach.
“Don’t go,” he whispered in her ear. “Stay with me a little while longer.”
Not knowing what to say, she lay there stiffly, unable to speak. The memory of telling him she loved him clashed with her overriding urge to run away because he hadn’t said anything about it.
“You’re not in any pain, are you?” he asked.
“No, you healed me so I’m okay.”
“Mmm, then let me help you relax. You’re all tense.”
His fingers trailed down her bare arm, the soft touch turning her limbs to jelly.
Damn him. I feel so stupid and yet he’s acting like nothing happened. But it did.
She couldn’t unsay it. She felt too vulnerable. His distracting touch made it worse. He pressed kisses to her neck and shoulder. And she was lost. They tugged at each other’s clothes. It was gentle and unhurried. Him coaxing her into an earth-shattering orgasm as she trembled and bucked against him. The more time they spent together, the deeper and harder she fell. And now he knew.
She shot out of the bed not long after they were finished, needing distance between them.
“I need to get back. I promised I’d see him today to talk about stuff.”
Lucifer hadn’t been remotely happy with her pronouncement, but he’d begrudgingly taken her back to her flat after she’d had a brief chat with Mall.
I’m certifiable. I told a man I love him whilst engaged to another. No, not a fucking man. An angel. The original fallen angel.
Her heart felt tight. Could she forsake her entire life, her duty for him? Deep down, she knew the answer to that question and it terrified her.
Her phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. She scooped it up.
“Hello Dad,” she said.
“Candace, where are you?”
“Why?”
“Your mother said you left the ball early.”
She slapped a hand over her head. Despite asking Theodus to cover for her, she should’ve known Gwilliana wouldn’t let it rest so easily.
“I didn’t feel well and I had to deal with something.”
“She’s here. She expected you to stay with me.”
“I promised to see Theodus today. I don’t have time for this.”
“Candace.”
She didn’t want to see or speak to her mother.
“Fine, come get me. We wouldn’t want to keep the queen waiting.”
She heard him sigh.
“You know, she only has your best interests at heart.”
“Seriously, Dad? She doesn’t care what I want. If she did, she wouldn’t be forcing me to marry someone I don’t want. She doesn’t know anything about me or my life. My wants. My needs.”
A purple shimmering light appeared in her living room and her father stepped through. Her mother followed behind him.
“Then why don’t you tell her that yourself,” Gallian said.
She put the phone down on the counter.
“Thanks for the ambush, Dad,” she muttered under her breath.
“Cadmi,” her mother said.
“My name is Candace. It has always been regardless of what you named me.”
Her father gave her a sharp look. She no longer cared to be civil and polite. The events of last night had left her emotions in a mess. She didn’t want to deal with her parents.
“Candace, please explain why you left the ball with a man who was not Theodus.”
I should’ve known someone would tell her about that.
“Why would that be any of your business? I’ve done everything you asked of me.”
“Did you think how it would look to the court?”
Nothing would make her happier than to piss off the fae court. They’d never shown her any respect or courtesy until they discovered she was their princess. It was all so false.
“Do you think I care what the court thinks of me? Honestly, you don’t know a single thing about me. So what if I left with someone? I have things I have to take care of before I am forced to be your broodmare.”
The words Lucifer said echoed in her mind. Her father flinched. Her mother’s face remained impassive.
“I don’t want to marry Theodus. I don’t want to be part of the fae court. I don’t want anything to do with you either. If you cared anything about me, you wouldn’t force any of that on me.”
Her pronouncement hung in the air between the three of them for several long moments. There was a small part of her which regretted saying those things, but she squashed it. They needed
to hear the truth.
“What happened to you in Hell? You weren’t like this before,” her father asked.
“Nothing.”
“The man you left with. He has something to do with this, doesn’t he?” her mother asked. “Who is he?”
There was no way she was giving up Lucifer’s name.
“None of your business.”
“Candace, are you in love with someone else?”
She turned away from them, her fists clenched. She wanted to kick them both out. Her heart contracted.
I love Lucifer. He knows and he said nothing.
But he’d made love to her earlier. He’d kissed and touched her with such tender care. If that didn’t show he wanted her still, then she wasn’t sure what else would. He’d asked her to stay with him more than once. There could be no doubt in her mind.
“So what if I am?” she whispered. “It wouldn’t make you change your mind.”
Neither of them said anything, but she knew they’d heard her. Typical. She turned back to them.
“Are we done? I need to see Theodus if you’re going to continue to insist I marry him.”
Gwilliana looked as though she would say more, but she turned to Gallian.
“I must return to my court.”
She stepped through the portal, but her father didn’t follow. He closed the portal.
“Candace, did you meet someone? Is this why you’re upset?”
“Who said anything about me being upset?”
Her father sighed, taking a step towards her.
“I can’t help you if you won’t tell me.”
“How can you help? You’re the one who bargained with my life in the first place.”
“Please, Candace, don’t. I know and I’m sorry. All I want is for you to be happy.”
“You’ve got a funny way of showing it.”
Fighting with her father was normal, but this felt different.
“Do you really not wish to marry who she picked for you?”
“It’s not about that. Theodus is fine, but he’s not… he’s just not him.”
She’d almost said Lucifer’s name. Almost. Her father closed the distance between them, tucking a finger under her chin, forcing her face up.