“I want answers. I want to know what happened to my mother before I agree to anything,” I said, refusing to believe his lies.
There was no doubt that this demon was from Hell, that he was somehow connected to Lucifer.
“You will understand everything when the time comes, but right now I need to know—are you agreeing to the terms of this deal?” he asked, and his eyes gleamed.
His energy was powerful, spreading around like a wildfire. I thought for a split second I saw beyond his charm. It seemed like his eyes weren’t really grey, but green. My vision went slightly blurry, and spots of magic were vibrating around me. I had to blink, and that illusion quickly went away. Maybe this was how Morpheus looked, and I was failing to recognise the past.
I had no choice. Ronan had given up; he was too scared to go after Alexis. Ricky was dying, and I was on my own.
“The dark lord may take my soul,” I finally said, aware that some day I would have to face the consequence of my actions. Summer could live, but not with me.
Morpheus smiled and placed his large hand on my arm. The magic flew through me and my doubts went away in an instant.
“The Forgotten Street, that’s where you have to head next in order to find the Warlock. Alexis will be hunting for her there, too. Your friend Matilda is seeking allies with her own kind,” Morpheus explained. I nodded, reasoning with my choice. I wished that I could go back to Gjöll and change the past, make sure that Alexis hadn’t gotten to Ricky in the first place.
“The Forgotten Street? How do I get there? Can’t you give me more than that?” I asked, unaware that something like that even existed. Matilda had explained many times that Lucifer had slaughtered Warlocks, and there weren’t many of them left on Earth. On top of that, she would have tried to get in touch with me if she thought that others would fail her. Maybe that’s what happened. She sensed Alexis and hid somewhere no one would find her.
“You will find the way, but first you need to prepare yourself to face your enemy,” Morpheus explained.
Great, so as usual, that cunning old bastard was willing to help me, but I had to figure out the rest myself. It looked like my life didn’t mean much to the dark lord. All he wanted was the results.
“Anything else I should know?”
“Don’t trust other Warlocks. They will try to stop you from reaching your goal. Pay attention to people around you and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
I sighed loudly, thinking that finding Alexis would be much more difficult than I expected. Warlock’s magic was powerful, and I certainly wasn’t prepared to test its consequences on me or my daughter. My eyelids became heavy, and I felt very tired. I walked to Ricky’s sofa and sat down, yawning. A second later, I opened my eyes and Morpheus was gone. I noticed a black business card in the palm of my hand.
I, Maxine Brodeur, give my soul away to the dark lord freely and willingly.
I stared at the beautiful writing, and it reality hit me like a brick wall. My future was already painted for me. I could save my child, Ricky, and stop Alexis, but there was always a price for magic.
I had made a deal with the devil himself, knowing that this might have never happened if I’d made a different decision two years ago.
Chapter 4
“Deceit, though, is specifically a human wrong, and hence displeases God the more. Liars are therefore deeper down, and tortured worse.”
―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I didn’t know how long I stayed on Ricky’s sofa, going over and over what happened just a moment ago. Morpheus was most likely a real demon who arrived straight from Hell, although I wished that I had imagined him.
When I finally got up, my balance was off. My thoughts were racing, and more questions were tangling in my head. Once the dizziness passed, and I was standing steadily on my feet, I went back to check the content of my elixir.
I needed to make sure that I hadn’t mixed up any vital ingredients. Many elixirs that were brewed incorrectly could have caused hallucinations. Morpheus was an upper-level demon, and right then I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He couldn’t have been my father. Maybe Ricky was right after all. Keres must have implanted that memory inside my head for a reason. The past few weeks were tough, because I had been convincing myself that I’d finally learnt the identity of my real father. But now I wasn’t so sure.
It was around midnight when I sat down in front of Ricky’s computer. I found it funny that he actually owned one. As a full-blooded demon he didn’t get on with technology, but his apartment was filled with all sorts of gadgets. Tears welled in my eyes. I missed him like crazy, missed the fact that he wasn’t here to tell me off again as usual.
After I figured out how to switch his super fancy machine on, I managed to connect to the network. I started researching stuff about the Forgotten Street and Warlocks. Ricky had a few books based on the demonic world, but there was hardly any information there about Warlocks.
My throat was burning with a sudden craving for magical tequila that left me a little numb and shaky. Last time that damn liquid broke me apart. This wasn’t the time to even consider getting drunk again. Nothing good ever came out of it and now it was time to admit that I had a problem. Deep down I felt for Arthur, because I knew he would never be able to meet his daughter. No demon would ever allow me to tell him the truth.
The information online indicated that the demonic community owned some of the magical portals around the underworld. It took a while to find something that actually made sense. The online portal informed me that there were other Warlocks in London too, living away from any demons. The entrance to the Forgotten Street that Morpheus had mentioned appeared only after midnight, and no demons were allowed to cross it. Matilda would do anything to keep Summer safe, so she wouldn’t risk creating another connection between us.
Ricky had a small bottle of vodka in the bottom drawer. I took one shot and poured the rest down the sink. After that I went to bed. My emotions took over and I cried myself to sleep, maybe for the first time in my life. I cried because it suddenly hit me that I would never have any time with my own daughter. I was going to remain a stranger to her forever. When I returned to London, I thought that maybe some day we could be reunited, but now I knew that this was never going to happen. Hell had me and my future was doomed forever.
It was strange not to wake up in my own bed. Ricky’s bedding smelled clean and fresh. I still could sense his energy everywhere even though he was miles away. I didn’t think that he would mind me staying in his place, but it still felt odd not having him around.
I called Zach and asked him to meet me outside Ricky’s apartment in an hour. It wasn’t safe for me to go back to my own flat. Apparently, Rodriguez was getting his orders directly from Hell, but I knew that he was only using Lucifer’s authority to get what he wanted. The order in Hell was complicated: there were demons out there who were willing to lie, cheat, and steal in order to survive. The bottom line was that I needed to remain hidden.
My head hurt slightly once I stepped outside. The sun was shining for a change, and London was going through a heat wave. It was the end of summer, but the temperatures soared since yesterday.
“Max, hey, Max!”
I heard someone shouting after me and I stopped in my tracks, freezing on the spot. A second later, Emma came rushing through the people on the street. She dropped her arms around me and hugged me unexpectedly.
“Emma, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked her once I was free. I Instantly looked around to make sure no one had followed her here. Ordinary people kept passing by, not paying attention to us at all.
“I have been looking for you, Maxine. Ricky’s sister showed up in the office yesterday. She told me everything. I thought that maybe you were here last night.” She started saying. “Ricky…oh, poor Ricky. Do you think he is going to be all right?”
I felt so incredibly guilty. I didn’t even try to get in touch with her and, since she started wo
rking for me, we were all friends. Ricky’s sister probably had nothing good to say about me. We never actually liked each other. Emma was truly worried.
“He hasn’t got much time. The blade that wounded him was charmed and the reversal spell can only be brought back from Hell,” I explained, thinking about last night. Emma’s face fell, and I felt like someone sent a punch through my stomach.
“I need to see him. Do you know where he is?” she asked, and her eyes flickered with hope. I scratched my head and then felt someone standing behind me. “Oh, hello, Detective.”
Zach appeared out of nowhere. I’d forgotten that I asked him to meet me here.
“Emma,” Zach muttered. “What’s going on?”
After everything that happened, Emma deserved to see Ricky. We all had a job to do, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to reveal that things in my life were out of control. Emma and Zach were ready to stand by me, but they didn’t realise that this whole mission was filled with dangerous traps along the way.
“We could all go to see Ricky. Last night I got a letter from Ronan. He must have known that I would be heading over to Ricky’s apartment,” I said, reminding myself that my old friend was washing his hands of this. And Zach had to understand that Zara wasn’t going to be herself. I actually had no idea what to expect.
“Then what are we waiting for?” the detective asked.
“You must know that your sister has stopped talking. Alexis’s spell damaged her, but I believe that there is a chance she could be completely healed. I’m willing to take you to her, but you have to promise me that you will behave. The fact that you have been hunting Nameless for years cannot cloud your judgment.”
Zach scowled at me, but deep down he knew that he had to rely on me.
“Fine, I can promise that I won’t kill him,” he muttered. That was good enough for me, but I wasn’t certain Zach had accepted that his sister had chosen not to go back six years ago.
“All right, let’s start moving,” I said, and we all headed toward the tube station. The Doomed Cases office hadn’t been open in the past few days. The cases that I had taken before my trip to Gjöll had to wait. I was most likely going to lose a few clients, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. People I loved and cared for were in danger.
“I was going to the office when I didn’t hear from you, just to make sure that everything was in order. I diverted the number to my mobile, so I can take any phone calls.” Emma started saying. It was a relief to hear that, but I couldn’t expect Emma to keep on working.
Shortly after that, we all went down to the underground and took the tube to Victoria. I kept thinking about last night, about the deal that I had made with Morpheus. I was going to end up in Hell either way, but it was a small price that I was willing to pay for my daughter’s and Ricky’s life.
Ronan had left me the address of the clinic in the letter. I was planning to track down Matilda after the visit, ideally tonight. I had some information about the Forgotten Street, so now I just needed to figure out how to get there. Zach was staring blankly at the window. The chemistry that was there before between us was gone. Right now, we were just two people who were forced to work with each other. I didn’t care if this was going to change anytime soon.
Emma was trying very hard to lift up our moods, especially when we got the train to Reading. I was dreaming about a bottle of tequila infused with magic. I hadn’t touched this stuff for days now, and it was going to stay that way. I couldn’t lose my focus.
“How is it going at work, Detective?” Emma asked, with an uneven tone of voice, while I was trying to read the paper I’d found in the seat opposite me. My demonic energy was on alert. So far, no one had been following us. After the visit from Morpheus, I was certain that Rodriguez had his own agenda in mind. He knew that something happened between me and Arthur when I tried to use my magic against him, and he would do anything to track me down.
“Complicated. Now, after I failed to keep Max in prison, the prince is on my back,” Zach said. Crap, I forgot to ask him about his conversation with Arthur. I knew after that statement the other questions would follow. Maybe it was time to break the news to Emma, too, and explain that I had an illegitimate child with Prince Arthur two years ago. After all, she knew everything about me. “He wants me to stay away from this case.”
“Stay away, but I don’t un—”
“Give me your hand, Emma,” I said to her, knowing that she needed to learn the truth. We were in the moving train, in public, and I couldn’t afford to be overheard. On top of that, I had to use my demonic abilities to calm her down, in case she got a bit over excited about my news.
She obeyed me, slightly confused. Her skin was warm and soft. For a split second I thought about my mother. She, too, had beautiful hands and soft skin. A sharp pain shot through my chest.
Get it together, you stupid girl. This is not the time or the place.
“What are you going to do, Maxine?” Emma asked, looking slightly apprehensive. Zach averted his dark eyes, as my energy started to flow through me, connecting with Emma’s nervous system. It was time to share my biggest secret with her. This experience was intimidating but necessary.
A few seconds passed, and Emma’s eyes began to grow. She brought her hands to her lips and, for the first time since I’d known her, she was absolutely speechless. Zachary was running his hand through his hair awkwardly. Within a day, I went from being his potential girlfriend to someone he couldn’t possibly stand. His body was telling me otherwise, but that was not the point.
I tried to connect with Emma’s thoughts, but her emotions were chaotic, and finally after a few minutes of silence she spoke.
“Holy demons, now this whole thing finally makes sense to me,” she whispered, not breathing, probably trying to deal with the shock. My heart vibrated when tears swelled in Emma’s eyes.
“As you can see, Arthur found out. Everything has fallen apart, and I just can’t keep this away from you,” I muttered. She then glanced at Zach, who was trying to keep his stone-cold expression.
“You have a daughter with the future king. This is completely blowing my mind, Maxine. And that other demon, Alexis, she knows about Summer’s location. What are you going to do?”
Emma was asking too many questions already, and I reminded myself that I had to keep on breathing. Luckily for me there weren’t any demons around, but my paranoia reached a new level.
“I have a plan and you need to remember to keep quiet about it. Arthur is willing to do anything to get her back.” I sighed.
Emma’s mouth was still pretty much open, and she was staring at me in utter disbelief. Zach moved slightly, and his thigh touched mine, sending a spark of electricity through our bodies. He narrowed his eyes and licked his lips. God, even after such a mess, he was getting turned on, and he couldn’t help himself.
“A child, a royal baby. When I gave birth to Suzi, I was so scared. I can’t imagine what you had to go through. Where is she now?” Emma continued. I should have been used to it by now. She considered me as a friend, and I felt stupid that I didn’t reveal anything earlier on.
I tried to assure her for the rest of the journey that I had this under control. Zach did add a few things on, but he wasn’t very much linked to the conversation. He was thinking about his little niece, Cornelia, and his sister. We left the station in Reading around midday. My stomach made a funny jolt. There was a demon from Lucifer’s faction close, but I wasn’t quite sure if he was still following us.
Ricky’s sister never liked me. She thought I used her brother, and my business was only wasting his time. We avoided each other as much as we could in the past few years. I had no idea how she was going to react when she saw me.
“I want some time alone with Zara,” Zach announced when we started walking toward the town. “Once this whole thing is over, I’m planning to put Nameless behind bars.”
“Great, good for you, but for now I think we have a bit of a problem,”
I stated, glancing around, sensing that someone was definitely following us. “We are being followed. Come on, let’s keep on moving. Maybe we’ll lose them.”
Chapter 5
“Beauty awakens the soul to act.”
―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I had a feeling that we were going to have a tail. I suspected Rodriguez first, or someone from Arthur’s entourage, but for a long time I wasn’t sensing any demons nearby. Only when we left the crowded street, another person’s emotions hit me hard, and I figured that we were being followed. My sixth sense indicated that someone had been tailing us since we left the train station in Reading. Something was definitely off, but I was willing to let it go for now. Emma was getting anxious and Zach was thinking about his missing sister.
I thought about Arthur for a moment, remembering the way he stared at me when he discovered that he had a daughter. Regret and anger resurfaced, and hot boiling guilt poured inside my stomach. I wished that I had done more in the past. Now it seemed like I was chasing my tail, trying to put together broken pieces from my life.
It was my sacrifice, but maybe I should have done more. Things would have been different if I’d come clean at the start.
“Who is following us? And how … okay, never mind,” Zach said, realising pretty quickly that I wasn’t functioning like any other human being. My demonic abilities often warned me about upcoming danger.
“Do you think it might be someone from the royal guard? You said Arthur was determined to find his daughter no matter what.” Emma said, worrying that I could get arrested again.
The private hospital that Ronan had told me about wasn’t far from the main high street. Ricky’s sister was probably footing the bill. I should have never left him in Gjöll. Now he was in the hospital, alone and vulnerable. Alexis had been searching for my weak spot; she knew I had no family. Ricky had always been like a brother to me.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 52