When I barged through the door of Doomed Cases, my own supernatural detective agency, I was exhausted and cold. Ricky slammed his fists on the desk as soon as he saw me. His normally perfectly symmetrical face was twisted in a rage, his tie was on the table, and two buttons of his shirt were open.
“Two freaking hours, Maxine. You said that you were just around the corner. All the candidates left. Are you fu—”
“Oh, hello, my name is Emma. I’m so sorry for being so late. I came across some difficulties on the street when this lovely lady rescued me out of what seemed a mugging.” Emma cut Ricky off, shoving me to the side and shaking his hand enthusiastically. Ricky was a full demon, born to the Beelzebub faction. He was cast out from the underworld when he was caught sneaking out to the world outside and doing some dodgy business with other mongrels. He was bloody handsome, always well presented with an immaculate dress sense, but tonight he looked like he was just about to explode.
I held my hand up to him to stop any further rant he was about to vomit at me and scratched my head thinking how I could explain in front of Emma, eyeing her with confusion. For a split second, I wanted to tell Ricky that he could shove this whole business up his arse, that I was done, but somehow, I restrained myself.
“Emma? As in Emma Carter? The five o’clock slot?” Ricky questioned my newly acquainted crazy human, suddenly forgetting that just a second ago he was ready to whoop my arse for being two hours late.
“Ricky, I got held up in the back street, when two freaks—”
“Maxine, shut the hell up for a second,” he snapped at me. “And meet our new assistant, Miss Emma Carter.”
His sudden anger vanished, and his eyes gleamed with amused curiosity. My clothes were sticking to my body, and I was dreaming of a hot bath. I seriously didn’t care who Emma was right now.
Emma had streaky black mascara marks under her eyes, but she looked ecstatic. Ricky couldn’t be serious; this random woman wasn’t here for an interview. I didn’t believe in that kind of coincidence.
“New assistant… but… but I haven’t been interviewed yet, and I was late … so very late,” Emma stuttered, staring at Ricky in utter disbelief. I needed to sit down. This was too much for me to handle, even for one crazy evening like this.
“It’s all right, Miss Carter, you’re hired. I don’t have to introduce you to my business partner, Maxine Brodeur, as you have already met. Please come in tomorrow at twelve with all your paperwork, so we can add you to the payroll,” Ricky shot away.
“Man, can I have a word with you?” I said, finding my voice. My business partner was acting crazy. He knew well enough that we couldn’t hire a human.
“Oh, thank you, Miss Brodeur, I’m so happy. This couldn’t have turned out any better. I have been searching for a job for weeks. Thank you so much for rescuing me from those nasty men and the fire … yes, there was a fire. I saw something strange, like lava—”
“No, there wasn’t any fire, Emma. You’re still confused,” I cut her off abruptly. “Come back tomorrow like Ricky said. You hit your head pretty hard, so I suggest you have yourself checked out at the hospital.”
She should never have remembered the pits. I’d cleared her thoughts, implanted a different memory.
There was no way on Earth that she could handle our supernatural cases, our caliber of clients. This was against our code of practise. Ricky was playing with me, and promising this woman a job was cruel.
“You’re both so lovely, and did I tell you that you have beautiful eyes? This one time I went to a beauty salon to do my nails, and I swear to god, the woman was special, she changed the col—”
“Emma, thank you so much, but we would like to see you tomorrow. Just go home and rest, all right?” Ricky interrupted her this time around with his forceful tone of voice. “Let me walk you down.”
“Oh, of course, silly me. I’m sorry to blab so much when I’m nervous, but you really are beautiful, Maxine, with those purple irises,” she added again, beaming.
I waved my goodbyes and slumped down behind my desk, rubbing my face with my palms. The human was right—I was a freak of nature. My eyes were bizarre: at times they were brown, other times almost purple. To anyone from the outside, I wasn’t just an ordinary human being with a pale complexion and dark colourful highlights.
Before when I had a stable career working in security, I used to make an effort, wore proper clothes, and even put on makeup most days. Now after a year from hell (no seriously, real Hell, fire, and brimstone, and all that bollocks) I tended to wear the same hoodie and old jeans for days before I even considered doing the laundry. If my client didn’t like my appearance, then they could get lost. There were plenty of mongrels and demons in this shitty city who needed my help.
Ricky showed up several minutes later, looking perfectly happy.
“Right, now you can tell me what that shitshow was really about. You can’t be serious. We both know that we can’t take her on,” I said, putting my legs on the table. The water from my soaked jeans began dripping on the paperwork.
“It’s a done deal, Maxine. I already gave her the job. Emma is going to be our new assistant, and if you’d gotten here earlier on, then maybe we could have picked someone else,” Ricky said, folding his arms over his chest. The bastard was good looking, well groomed for a man and a demon. He knew that he was an asset to the agency, always bringing in new clients.
“Well, two demons from Asmodeus’s faction cornered her on my way here. They were planning to drain her lust and innocence. I had no other choice but to help her,” I explained. I seriously needed a drink and nothing else would cut it but tequila. I most likely looked terrible but felt even worse. My clothes were soaked and singed, and that crappy taste in my mouth wasn’t going away anytime soon. “Besides, we both know that we can’t take on a human. She already witnessed enough tonight. Clients won’t like this, and on top of that, she is—”
“Cute,” Ricky finished for me, smiling wolfishly. “She is the sweetest human creature I’ve ever met, and she will do just fine. Besides, you already messed around with her mind. We need her. The cases are a mess, and we might have an audit next week. Lucifer is sending his people to find out if we are following the protocol.”
I sighed, feeling a dull pain in my head. I was completely broke, and I was late with my rent. Last night, I blew all my available cash, so now I wasn’t in any position to argue with Ricky. I had to let this one go.
The odd thing was that, although she chattered away, I kind of liked the human I just saved. It was hard for me to like anyone these days, but she was so happy and genuinely excited about a job. My mind was now sober enough to be aware of the images and feelings I wanted to hide so that they danced right in front of my eyes, and I desperately needed a distraction. Someone who could help me pull myself back from the torturous misery. The world around me was changing, and I had been slipping down in the past six months. I had to get my shit together.
Emma was like a small weak candlelight in a moonless night. She seemed to have no idea the world that she had grown up in wasn’t real, that there were other creatures walking amongst normal human beings. Maybe that was the reason I felt connected with her—she had the purity and innocence of a happy mind that I lacked.
Two years ago, I was the happiest half demon in the world. Everything was working well for me, until it all fell apart.
“Stop overthinking this, Maxine. You will be working with the human. It’s time to shift things around here. You know I’ve tried to help you, to push you forward, but it seems to me that you want to stay unhappy, broken, and sad. You have a business to take care of, bills to pay, and people who rely on you. Tomorrow you will be here at two o’clock in the afternoon, and if that means I have to come to your crummy flat myself and throw you out of bed, then so be it. Now go home, cure your hangover, eat something, and don’t even dare go out drinking tonight,” Ricky said, getting into my head. God, I hated when he was so insensitive. “I mea
n it, girl, pull through, or I’ll personally make your life difficult.”
After his speech, I opened my mouth to argue. I wanted to remain my stubborn, difficult self, but honestly, I couldn’t raise the energy to give a shit. I jumped off the table and walked toward the door not saying anything at all. Maybe for once, I was willing to admit that he was right. I’d never fucking tell him, the vain demon bastard.
Chapter 3
“There is no greater sorrow
Than to recall a happy time
When miserable.”
― Dante Alighieri
I woke up the next day feeling fresh and well rested. For the first time in a long time my head was clear, my body didn’t ache from a restless night, and there was no eyeball-shattering hangover. It was strange to see this fucked up world in its true colours rather than hidden by my Ray-bans. I may have woken with my body straight, but I still had my mind and spirit to get right. I wasn’t one of those women who could hand myself over to fate or faith. I usually found my mind in the bottom of my spirit. Tequila won’t solve your problems, but it’s worth a shot. Yeah, I had a logo T-shirt; don’t judge me.
I had spent my entire night watching trash TV. Even though my mouth was dry, and nothing seemed to slake my thirst, and despite the fact that I was desperate for a drink, somehow, I managed to stay in my flat. The darkness came as usual, torturing me with the whys and the what-ifs, but I had to remember that life wasn’t easy in general, and my melancholy and sadness wouldn’t last forever. I could have made a different choice in the past, but then I would have to deal with the consequences of my actions.
I lived in the worst part of Brixton, because it was the only place I could afford these days. From a very young age, I had been left to take care of myself, so money had never been an issue for me. Only about eighteen months ago, I got myself into a lot of debt with unpaid rent and utilities. Things were complicated. Ricky had tried helping me out a few times, but eventually, he couldn’t keep settling my debts for me. Most of the time, I acted like I didn’t give a shit about anything anymore. I was a shadow of my former self. I was just a sad drunken creature. The work was still important, but not like before. Now it just helped pass the day rather than being my raison d’etre.
“Get it together, bitch. No one will ever take care of you but you,” I said to my own reflection in the mirror.
The pep talk helped a little, not much, but it was time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with life. The gambling, well, I kept telling myself that I had it under control. I’d played cards since I was fifteen years old. I used to be really good; however, over the past twelve months I had lost more money than I had coming in and that wasn’t good. Ricky didn’t get it. I needed poker to fulfil my empty nights; I needed to be around people to take my mind off life, socialise without actually being involved with people I may have to pretend to give a shit about. Just so I could push through the dark cloud that hung over me. Money didn’t matter to me anymore; I didn’t want to live to work rather than work to live.
After this silent and stupid contemplation, I took a shower. First one this week by the smell of me. It was a new day today and I was going to make an effort. I had no one in my life to impress so usually I didn’t bother to make myself look decent, but I had to start somewhere with this mind, body, and spirit shit. I brushed my hair and put a bit of makeup on. Shockingly, I started to recognise the old me in the mirror.
My rent was overdue by two days, but my money box in the drawer was empty. I couldn’t ask Ricky for a loan. I didn’t need another lecture from him about responsibilities and shit like that. I had to figure this out myself, and fast. Mrs. Patel was going to have to wait. I was hoping to meet a new client today, the one that Ricky had told me about a few days ago. A quick injection of cash would be helpful, and everyone in the city knew that I always took a deposit on accepting a case. I dreaded to think who they were and what they wanted from me.
In my line of work, I mainly dealt with demons. Vain arseholes who thought they were the centre of the universe, and because of my being only a half demon or a mongrel, I had to be at their beck and call. It was a complicated system that they lived by when trying to decipher the underworld. Seven head demons represented seven factions that were responsible for keeping order on Earth and in the underworld. Lucifer was still the master of Hell and he was the most powerful. There was also Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Astroth, and Berith. Each one took care of their own affairs, yet still answered to the government in the capital.
Humans had no bloody idea that there was another world out there, that Heaven and Hell truly existed. Demons had been living amongst the general populous for generations, a lot of the time breaking rules and mating with humans. Lucifer hated the fact that there were so many mongrels on Earth, orphans like me born with demonic DNA. We’d always been treated like second-class citizens, with very few rights, but a lot of responsibilities. Although no one really cared when we got romantically involved with humans. Our protocol was less strict in comparison to full-blooded demons. Below demons, there were other creatures, too: dark and twisted souls who lived in the pits. Berith, the demon in charge of all the entrances to the underworld, and the Watchers hadn’t been doing their job in keeping order in the ranks. Berith’s faction had always been weak, and most of his demons liked sneaking up to Earth to seduce women. They enjoyed partying hard. That was why there were so many other beings walking on the streets, attacking innocents and causing havoc amongst humans.
Two years ago, when I was getting tired of my job in security, I discovered a gap in the market. Many mongrels battled to remain anonymous, struggling to fit in since we didn’t really belong here on Earth or in the fires of Hell. We were innocents with tainted souls. If a crime occurred, it usually brought out our demonic nature, or if there was an issue involving another demon, human police couldn’t help us. Most mongrels didn’t get a very good start in life. We weren’t important, and the factions we belonged to had no interest whatsoever in getting us out of trouble. So that was where I fit in.
It was an easy decision: I had skills and resources, so I applied for a loan. Two months later, the office of Doomed Cases officially opened up. Ricky was one of my first clients. His ex-wife rinsed him from all his money and disappeared. He wanted me to go after her and didn’t care to mention that she owned a pet: a chimera that nearly ripped my face off. It wasn’t like you could distract a fire-breathing ten-foot mix of lion, eagle, and snake with a chew toy, unless of course his name was George. It was a difficult case, but I had gotten his money back—all of it. We became friends after that and, soon enough, he wanted to invest in the business. I was skeptical at first, unsure if I wanted a partner, but he managed to convince me. It was difficult to run a business when I had a full-time job, so I chose him to take over the management.
I felt odd leaving my apartment at one in the afternoon completely sober and well rested. I pulled my tangled hair away from my face into a bun and pulled the sides of my leather jacket closer together. The freezing cold weather wasn’t helping my mood, and I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere, like I was just an outsider. Part of my demonic soul craved an escape, but mongrels weren’t allowed to enter the underworld, unless they were summoned by the head of a faction or the Watchers.
I ended up running to the office, hoping to improve my mood. Two years ago, I used to run every day; now my form wasn’t that great judging from my impression of an asthma attack. When I got to the office, I saw that a new desk had been delivered and Emma was sitting behind it. Suddenly events from last night hit all at once. After two weeks of drinking magical tequila, my memory recall was in pieces.
“There she is, our bad arse Maxine. Surprises just keep on coming today,” Ricky shouted, clapping when I looked around the room. The rent in this part of London was expensive, so we didn’t have much space. There were two other small rooms in the back, separated by the kitchen. Ricky was the paperwork guy. I had never spent that
much time in the office. Most of the time, I was out on the streets.
“Hey,” I said, greeting them both.
“Maxine, it’s good to see you. Ricky has explained everything, and the job sounds perfect. I can’t wait to get stuck in.” Emma beamed, knocking the pen pot all over her desk, and then instantly going red. She wore a bright pink dress, with a thick black jumper thrown on top of it. I had never paid attention to other women, but her style was loud and flashy.
“Really? Already?”
“Yes, Maxine. Emma is very keen. I just gave her a general overview of all the cases that we have worked on in the past, and she seemed very open-minded about the whole ‘not everything is as it seems’ thing,” Ricky said, looking positively elated at this. He must have gotten Emma up to speed with the world around her. I had no idea how he was going to deal with telling her about the other world, but she needed to know what she was getting herself into, even if it was against the rules.
“All right, I’ll be in my office making some phone calls,” I said, not quite sure what to make of this whole thing. Everything was going to be fine, as long as he didn’t shag our new assistant. It was against office policy to fraternise with fellow employees, a policy that I had just made up.
“Take your time, darling,” Ricky muttered after I opened the door to my office. My eyes instantly fell on the large and thick brown envelope that was on my desk. Shock froze the air in my lungs when I recognised the bright red wax seal on top of it. I would recognise that crest anywhere: a lion with the crown. A tendril of panic seized me, and my blood thudded in my ears so loudly, I thought I was going to throw up at any second.
The pain from last year, the emotion, and that deep fear rippled through my entire body. I grabbed the envelope and flew back to the front office, ready to tear it apart. The royal seal felt like it was almost burning my hands. There was no reason for them to get in contact with me again. I was done with them, with him. Someone must have made a mistake sending it to me, to this address. Everyone had paid the price for what happened, and I was forced to do something unforgivable, something that drained me of my ideals, my hope, and everything that I ever believed in.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 6