“Ricky, how did this letter get on my desk? Who delivered it?” I shouted, shaking the envelope in front of his face, like it was cursed. He saw the seal almost instantly and paled.
“Max, I have no idea. The postman left everything on Emma’s desk. No one was in your office,” he replied, and his eyes started to glow. Too late, it was too late. I had to open it. There wasn’t any other way around it.
I took a few steps back, knowing I was going to have to break the rules in front of the human, but that was on Ricky’s head. He took her on, so he needed to deal with the consequences. If she wanted to work here, she needed to get used to weird shit like this.
I threw the envelope up, and I kept it suspended in the air using my abilities. The royals could go to Hell for all I cared. I cut myself off from that life a year ago, but this symbol amplified my pain, reminding me how much I suffered. The plain manila envelope slowly began to glow, and the heat in the room rose until it started to burn with ruby-red flames. I wanted it to turn into ash as quickly as possible. I’d also liked for it to not have shown up on my desk, but that ship had sailed. Twelve months ago, I promised myself that I would never deal with royals ever again. They destroyed me, crushed a part of me that I’d never get back, and made me the person I was today. A shadow of my former self.
“How are you …” Emma was stuttering, standing up, her eyes wide open. Ricky was pacing around nervously. The envelope was burning, but it seemed like the paper wasn’t changing colour at all. This was impossible.
I used my abilities to intensify the magic, so the heat and flames would do their damn job. Small beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, as panic slowed down my heartbeat. Suddenly the world around me was blurry, and I was using all my powers trying to destroy the damn letter.
Several minutes later, I collapsed on the floor and the thick, brown letter landed next to my hand. The edges were intact, and the royal symbol was shining with red colours. I had no other choice but to read the letter that was sent to me.
“Max, are you all right?” Ricky asked, walking up to me. He knew that I didn’t like being touched by anyone, so he didn’t even try to lift me up. My breath was laboured when I lifted myself off the floor. My heart was beating, but there was no blood feeding it through my body. I felt dead from the inside out.
“The flames—it didn’t do anything to the paper. How… how is this possible?” Emma asked, looking from me to Ricky. There was a lot that we needed to discuss with her, but now wasn’t the right time.
“You have to read the letter, Max. It’s probably from the head of the faction,” Ricky said.
“No, it’s been a year. Those bastards have no right to send me anything. I work for myself,” I growled, slowly losing my temper. The memories flooded my mind. I had been used by them, by him. This wasn’t acceptable.
“Max,” Ricky warned me. I knew he was right. The letter was indestructible. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t destroy it. My heart jackhammered between my ribs when I picked it up and opened it. I felt like the past year didn’t mean anything, and as I started reading the letter, I realised that I would never be truly done with them. The deepest part of me knew that the royal family would be part of my life forever, and there was no escape.
To Miss Maxine Brodeur,
I regret to inform you that an incident occurred last evening at the palace. This incident has caused much consternation, and as such, I am working closely with Lord Chamberlain who is keeping me apprised of this situation henceforth. Instruction has been given by the queen herself to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
It is my regret that we have not been formally introduced, and I apologise for this unsolicited letter. I have heard a great many things of you and your loyalty to the Crown. I must impress upon you with the utmost sincerity that the royal family is in urgent need of your services. The Doomed Cases establishment has of course been on my radar for some time now, but I never thought that I would have need of your services.
I am sure you can appreciate that this matter is strictly confidential, and you are under obligation to answer to me, as I am a head of Lucifer’s main faction. The press must not know, and I need to remind you that you must remain professional at all times.
We require you to come to the palace immediately and look into this very sensitive matter. The human police have been notified, but I believe that this issue requires being overseen by someone from “our” world. Someone who can investigate this further and liaise with members of our royal family. Miss Brodeur, I have been advised that you would be the only person for the job, as you know the protocols and exacting standards of the palace. May I also remind you about your demonic responsibilities and serve consequences of noncompliance or disobedience.
Yours
Master Rodriquez
“What does it say?” Ricky asked, placing his hand on my shoulder. My judgment was clouded, and I was breathing, but the oxygen wasn’t getting into my lungs. They were summoning me to the palace. This couldn’t be happening. Not after a year.
“The case, we have a case at the palace, and we have to go now,” I whispered, knowing that this was the price of magic. Last night, I saved Emma, and today, I was going to pay the biggest price of my life. I was going to see him again.
Chapter 4
“The more a thing is perfect, the more it feels pleasure and pain.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
“But… what if a client comes in?” Emma asked, looking apprehensive about being left alone. “I won’t know what to say. I only just started a couple of hours ago.”
I couldn’t think straight. My stomach felt like it was filled with heavy bricks. Ricky looked torn, and that was a first for him, too. My power was on the verge of blowing this whole building up like a firework display. Sometimes my own abilities surprised even me. By the age of eighteen my magic was fully developed, dispelling the belief that there was a difference between mongrel and demon powers. I was able to gather energy from around me and use it to my advantage. I could sense people's emotions and fears, understand other demons.
“Just improvise, take their details and tell them that we’ll get back to them,” Ricky told her, shuffling through the papers on his desk in the other room.
I was balling up the royal letter in my hands, trying to calm down, but my heart hammered in my chest way too fast. I didn’t want to go to the palace and meet the new seer. That part of my life was behind me. I knew what could happen if I ignored the letter. Ricky was in a better position than me. He was a demon with a complicated past, but he didn’t grow up in an orphanage like I had. On top of that, Emma had witnessed the incident with the letter, but she was taking this whole thing better than I expected. Ricky must have used some calming powers to ease her anxiety, but at the end of the day, she was still here, so we had made some sort of progress.
“Ready?” Ricky asked, picking up his coat. I nodded, but deep down I was ready to throw up or enter the underworld of my own accord.
Suddenly, my past and my present collided, and the weight of it sat on me like a ton of bricks. I had tried so hard to keep the two separated as if I were two different people. The old me and the new me. I had forced myself to compartmentalise as much as I could, but to be face to face with my past was going to cripple me. I had spent two years as head of security for the royal family, and last year I ended up on the streets, cursed and completely torn apart.
Ricky’s car was parked in the back. I didn’t own one. I had too many debts, and there was a strong chance that I was going to get evicted from my flat in a week or so.
“Can we stop at the liquor store? I don’t think I can go there completely sober,” I said, my voice trembling as I cracked the bones in my knuckles.
Ricky didn’t say anything at first, just started the engine of his Mercedes. He had to be fucking worried how things were going to pan out. Nothing good could come from this case, nothing at all. My business partner knew my history with
the royals. He was the one who’d attempted to rescue me when I was drowning in pain.
“No, Maxine, you’re going to walk up there with your head held high and deal with everything professionally. Alcohol only clouds your judgement, and that royal bastard has to see that you’re doing just fine without him,” Ricky told me, driving onto the main road. “You have risked your life in order to give someone else a chance, a vulnerable creature who didn't get the choice if she wanted to be brought to this Earth or not. Get it together, Maxine, and stop pretending that you need alcohol to function. You're better than that."
My mouth was dry, palms sweaty, and uneasy energy ran through my body. I couldn’t allow Arthur to see me weak or to see that anything had changed, that I had changed. We hadn’t seen each other for over twelve months. I was hoping that he wasn’t even in the palace. Rodriquez, one of Lucifer’s demons, was obviously new, he must have just been assigned to this post. I had no idea how he managed to get into the royal court in the first place, passing through the Chamberlain’s office. He must have had significant connections in the underworld, or he was more than just an ordinary demon.
The afternoon traffic in London was terrible; it took us over an hour to get to Buckingham Palace. Then we had to wait another half an hour by the gate as the guards were going through our ID’s and getting authorisation to let us pass. My energy was charging down my arms, causing havoc inside my system. Even after a whole year, I still had dreams about him, and sometimes wondered if he ever thought about me at all. I had always been seen as this brash, sarcastic, independent mongrel—the woman who could protect anyone, but inside I felt weak, completely falling apart. My well-guarded past had finally caught up with me.
Finally, at around three o’clock in the afternoon, Ricky and I were sitting on the bench outside Rodriquez’s office. I was breathing harder than I should, glancing around the familiar space, the long corridors and rooms that I used to check when I worked here. It was so familiar to me, so why the hell did I feel so anxious?
A second later, a slender human stepped out of the first room to our right.
“Miss Brodeur? Mr. Donovan?” he asked, like he wanted to be sure that we were who we said we were. Ricky nodded. “Follow me please.”
I noticed that there was also an unmarked police car outside. Whatever happened must have been serious. There were way too many people hanging around the palace for this to be a minor concern. The royal family had plenty of different residences in the country. Deep down, I was hoping that Arthur was stuck somewhere remote, like Balmoral.
We stood up together and walked through the huge entrance that separated the West and East Wings. I had almost forgotten how large and silent this building was. At the time when I worked here, it seemed majestic and regal, but now it felt cold and austere. All the rooms reminded me of what I had lost. Memories flooded my mind, threatening the fragile part of me that was supposed to hold it together.
We finally stopped in the part of the palace where most of the staff worked, in front of a pair of large, highly ornate, gilt-red wooden doors. The slender human knocked and then we all entered.
“Mr. Rodriquez, they are here,” he announced. There was an older demon sitting in a tall wooden chair behind an equally aged and carved desk, writing something down on the paper in front of him. His powerful energy radiated from him, beaming from every part of his body so his status and power were understood. He didn’t react to our presence, not even when his assistant left his chamber. Having been born into the modern world, I was used to technology, but demons were grounded in tradition. They liked it old school. They didn’t use computers and were used to handwriting all their messages.
Standing in front of him was torturous, waiting to be acknowledged—I really needed a goddamned drink. The tension that filled the room quickly became unbearable. I could tell Ricky was becoming impatient and felt disrespected that Rodriguez was ignoring us. My nerves jangled through my body; I was desperately trying to breathe normally, but struggled with the anxiety that I felt.
“Finally we are meeting the Miss Brodeur, the famous Maxine, the mongrel who caused such turmoil in the royal court twelve months ago,” the demon said, lifting his head and resting his eyes on me. He reminded me of a wild lion, with his longish blond hair and brown beard that covered most of his face. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, but his eyes were the most striking feature of his whole appearance. It was difficult not to keep staring at the wide golden pupils that shimmered in the dim light. He must have used charms to make himself look more ordinary for his day-to-day duties around the royal court because his eyes looked inhuman.
An icy shudder crawled over my spine as I shifted my weight to the side, trying to act like I was unaffected by him. I was so glad that I decided to look half decent today. This demon was powerful, linked to Lucifer himself, and he knew my story. He had an advantage over me and that wasn’t helping me with my anxiety at all.
“Yep, that’s me. You summoned us here for a reason, so please get straight to the point. I have plenty of clients who are waiting for me to get back to their cases,” I said, ignoring his comment. This wasn’t the time or the place to get into a discussion about my past.
My own energy rolled over my limbs in warning, momentarily weakening my core. I felt him trying to reach out to my demonic soul; he wanted to assess it. Even if he was higher in the faction, it was bad form to reach out like this without permission. Nosy old bastard! He was curious to see what was so special about me, but I had kept my wards intact, preventing him from discovering my secrets. Some demons could read others, but I learnt from a very young age how to keep my mind closed away from anyone’s business.
He stared at me intensely for a good few moments as if to unnerve me, before he said, “The queen’s grandson disappeared late last night. The family is worried but will not want to involve the police just yet. This needs to be dealt with as swiftly and discreetly as possible,” he said, averting his eyes from me to Ricky. “My name is Rodriquez, by the way. I’m the head of Lucifer’s faction inside the palace. I have been asked to make sure that our royals are looked after, that there is no interference from our world.”
More likely to spy on them, I thought, forcing myself not to snap.
“The queen has a few grandsons. Which one in particular has gone missing?” Ricky asked, sounding inpatient. Arthur was one of the queen’s grandsons, but I had a feeling that he was safe and sound. I had no idea why I still cared. He was the cause of all my problems, partly because I was too weak to say no.
“George, the youngest. There are reports that he had been acting out of character over the past couple of weeks, disappearing for long periods of time, causing arguments with his aunt. Some of the staff reported that he was possibly high on drugs, but I believe that he might have been under the influence of potions or strong elixirs. The Metropolitan Police have sent a detective who is going to work with you on this case. Her Majesty has insisted that you adhere to the old-school rules. I’m sure you understand that means we have to be careful not to be exposed.”
“It sounds like you have your own agenda. If humans are involved, then why do you need us? Surely your staff or the queen’s guard can work with the police, just as well as we can,” I pointed out, knowing that humans were restricted by rules and procedures and that they would delay everything. I had to have a free hand. There were plenty of people in the palace who I didn’t want to face again. Arthur was one of them.
Rodriquez frowned and pinned me down with his stunning eyes.
“The demons in the palace are tied up with other things. I heard that you’re the expert, your reputation has preceded you,” Rodriquez explained, sounding irritated, probably because he couldn’t read me; my wards were that strong. “Besides, this isn’t just an ordinary kidnapping. A very powerful demon is involved…possibly even a few demons. There are some traces of potions, elixirs in Prince George’s room. In addition, he was taken when all the guards were in the pala
ce. Some of the staff raised the alarm when traces of his blood were found on the floor this morning.”
“Maybe you should call someone else. We are pretty swamped as it is, Mr. Rodriguez, and I would think that the royal family would rather stay away from me. Our recent history is such that we are not on the best of terms last time I checked,” I said, as everything was slowly overwhelming me.
That precious secret had been burning my soul day by day. I had vanished from the face of the Earth for a good eight months, and only Ricky knew where I had been. When I returned to London, I wasn’t the same person. Part of me died, so I used any distraction possible to hide my pain. Mostly, I turned my love of cards into a nightly ritual, poker and magical tequila that numbed everything, the excruciating pain that I had to live with from then on.
“No, Miss Brodeur, unfortunately there isn’t anyone else that will do. We have to find Prince George quickly, before word in Hell spreads. His aunt—Princess Layla asked for you specifically. Lucifer requires your services, and you must do it discreetly,” Rodriguez explained sharply.
He was right: I couldn’t say no. I was only a mongrel, and I answered directly to the head of the faction. Ricky was cast out, and I couldn’t let them summon him back to the underworld. His life was in London, amongst humans. This was the price that I was now paying for screwing up, for believing that I could be happy, too.
I chewed my bottom lip nervously, thinking about my options. The problem was that I didn’t have many. Ricky seemed pissed off, too, probably thinking about other pending cases that we were working on. We had both been cornered, and I couldn’t risk arguing with Rodriguez. If he wanted to, he could make my life very difficult.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 7