No one wanted to believe me when I said that it was easier to find the way out than in. Drained and exhausted, I led my friends through the narrow back streets of this mysterious world. I still had a bit of jinx powder left on me. Zachary, yet again, questioned my sanity when I took out the small bag and spread the shiny powder all over the brick wall.
I’d thought that I had time. I’d thought that I could protect her.
I whispered the formula and told everyone that they needed to get themselves ready. Emma looked uncertain, and Zach wasn’t sure if this was safe. The Earth beneath our feet began to shake, and Emma’s fear radiated through my pores. In any other circumstance I would have tried to comfort her, but that old Maxine was gone. The new one was lost and grieving.
Moments later a door appeared in the wall. It was time to go back. My friends had so many questions, and I couldn’t give them answers. Ricky was dying, and Zara was lost in her own world. They wanted to know what was going to happen to them.
The door led us through a narrow tunnel that spread for at least a mile. As we walked back into the real world, I realised that some part of my journey was over. I did give up on Summer when she was born, stupidly thinking that I could keep her away from the ordinary world, from Arthur.
In the end we found ourselves in one of the underground tube stations, underneath the Oxford Circus. I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t reassure my friends that everything was going to be all right, because my head was messed up. Dead or not, I had to have a drink. It took us another hour to get back to Brixton and walk through the familiar streets around my own neighbourhood.
“Maxine, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?” Emma asked, taking my hand and thinking about her own daughter. I didn’t want to break apart in front of them, but the pain was slowly tearing me apart. Alexis would use my daughter in order to heal her soul, and she would need her blood for it, a lot of it. I hoped that Matilda was willing to fight to keep Summer alive.
“There is nothing you can do. Go home to Suzi. You shouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess. I have made my choice, but that doesn’t mean you have to make yours, too,” I said, knowing that this wasn’t fair. Emma wanted to help me all along.
She hugged me and reminded me that she was a friend, after all, not just my co-worker. I couldn’t ask her for more. She was already taking care of the clients in the agency. She had her own problems, too.
When I was left alone with Zachary, I was ready to head straight to the pub, knowing that magical tequila wouldn’t solve anything anyway. I promised myself that I would be responsible for my daughter’s sake.
“We will get that bitch, even if I have to enter Hell,” Zach said, obviously trying to lift my doomed spirit. I couldn’t deal with the emotional baggage that hung on my shoulders. I had to track Alexis, help Ricky, and my only other hope was Morpheus. He had to do more than give me empty instructions.
“Save your speech. I screwed up my life to the full and there is nothing anyone can do to fix it,” I said, wiping the rainwater from my forehead. Zach grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles, and I glanced at him, astonished. Last time I checked, he was ready to toss me into a cell and forget about me. I’d never suspected that he would team up with Arthur.
“There is something about you, Maxine Brodeur, a spark that doesn’t want to leave your side,” he said. I wanted to laugh, knowing that he was trying to make me feel better.
“I’m useless. I don’t regret giving birth to her, but I regret everything else.”
“We regret many things. I wish my mother had been less strict with Zara. Maybe she never would have run away.” He sighed.
Our past several hours were intense, and my energy was almost nonexistent. Part of me wished that I had planned ahead. I took a few potions with me, thinking that it would be enough.
“I’m sorry about Zara. I should have killed Alexis when I had a chance,” I said, bitterly disappointed with myself. I blamed royals for my misfortune. I should have never accepted that job in the palace, but deep down my own voice of reason reminded me that my life had always centred around work.
In the dim night light Zach looked tired, possibly exhausted by everything that happened today. I looked at my damp clothes, dreaming about Ricky’s luxurious bath. In moments like this I wished I were human. A woman who finished a hard day of work and was going to home to her man.
“Come on, let me buy you a drink,” he suggested, then glanced at his watch, looking slightly shocked. “It’s still only nine o’clock here. Is it possible that the time works a different way out there, well, whatever place we travelled to?”
I had to double-check that myself, and yes, indeed, it seemed like I was just meeting them in the Broken Shoe.
“It seems that’s quite a theory,” I muttered. “Drink, yeah, I need one.”
“My car is parked close by, come on,” Zach encouraged me.
The awkward silence descended between us when we got to the car. We were both lost in our thoughts. I kept telling myself that Alexis’s plan to use Summer in a healing ritual wasn’t going to be easy. That bitch would have to keep my daughter alive for as long as physically possible.
Arthur hated me, and for a split second, I wanted to lose myself in Zach’s ripped body. I closed my eyes for a second, resting my head on the window, and then dozed off. Later on, the engine of the car woke me up. I rubbed my eyes and pulled my hair in a ponytail, not recognising the streets around me. Then I remembered that Zach was driving, and I’d agreed to go for a drink with him.
“Where are we?” I asked, staring at the round of nicely finished old Victorian houses. The streets were clean, gardens well maintained.
“It’s the street where I grew up. My mother called when you were sleeping and asked me to come over,” he said, smiling.
“All right, I’ll walk from here. Ricky’s apartment isn’t far,” I said, unsure why he didn’t wake me earlier. I needed to head home.
“No, you’re coming with me. My mother insisted I bring you. Besides, I have to check on Cornelia,” Zachary said, switching off the car engine. Gambling and drinking were my forte, not socialising with the mother of my potential boyfriend.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. We are both tired and I won’t be good company this evening,” I said.
“Nonsense, Flower, you need a warm meal and some encouraging words of wisdom from my ma. We both know that your demonic brain will soon figure out how to capture Alexis, but for now, you need to relax a little. It’s been a hell of a day, trust me.”
There was no point arguing, besides, I was starving. I hadn’t eaten anything since this morning. Maybe Zach was right, I needed some time out.
He jumped out of the car and opened the door for me like a gentleman. His mother lived at the end of a Victorian terrace. It was a large house, undoubtedly with a lot of character. When we walked toward the door, I saw a little girl waving at us. I waved back, seeing that it was Zach’s little niece, Cornelia. He obviously brought me here for a reason, maybe believing that his niece could lift my spirit somehow. I had no idea how I felt about this family gathering so far. Zachary smiled and blew a kiss to her, which she caught. Cornelia was a spitting image of her mother.
Zach walked in without knocking and I followed. Inside, as I suspected, the décor was set in colours from Zach’s heritage. Obviously, his mother had truly embraced her culture.
“Oh, my dear boy, you finally decided to visit. Work, work, always work these days,” the woman said, greeting us in a large open-plan kitchen. Seconds later a mass of black hair was climbing into Zachary’s arms, giggling loudly.
“Uncle, Uncle, look what I made for you!”
“All right, I would love to see it, but I have to put you down first. You weigh a ton now. What have you been eating lately?” Zachary chuckled, winking at me.
Cornelia laughed, dancing around him.
“Oh, Uncle, I only eat a little. You know that,” she admitted.
“We will see at dinner,” Zach responded. “Darling, I want you to meet someone. Mum, Cornelia, this is Maxine, my partner.”
Only Ricky had called me his partner before; for Zach, I was just someone who helped him solve cases. His words warmed my heart, and I smiled maybe for the first time since we left the Forgotten Street.
It took me a moment to realise that I wasn’t the only one suffering. Zachary’s world had turned upside down: his sister wasn’t even human anymore, and everything he had ever believed in was gone.
“Oh, so nice to meet you. Come, come, I made some lamb koftas with special dip. You have to try it,” his mother told me, grabbing my elbow and rushing me to the table.
“Maxine, that’s a strange name. So, are you on the street, killing bad guys like Uncle Zach?” Cornelia asked, situating herself next to me when I sat down and staring at me with her large dark eyes.
“You could say so, but I do have my own detective agency,” I explained, smiling. Cornelia got excited and started telling me about the time when she visited Zach at the station. Her words stopped reaching me after some time. I felt myself drifting away, experiencing the most bizarre daydream of my life. My demonic abilities had taken me back to my daughter. I blinked a few times, finding myself standing in a large open-plan room. Alexis was standing in the other corner, staring straight at me. It was the new reality, maybe another dream, but this time I couldn’t say how it would end.
Chapter 11
“My guide, my dearest master. Seven times– or more by now – you’ve brought me safely through. You’ve drawn me from the face of towering doom.
―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I acted instinctually again and went for her, but yet again, I couldn’t move. It was a dream or another vision. Cornelia must have triggered the connection that I had with Alexis, and now I was seeing everything from her perspective.
“Wake her up, witch! I need her. She has the magic inside her, the only thing that can heal me,” Alexis shouted in my direction, but she wasn’t looking at me. I glanced back, seeing Matilda.
My Warlock friend stood on the other side of the room, with her hands raised. Her energy circulated around, and the strong smell of herbs wafted through the air. What felt like a bunch of heavy bricks cascaded down to my stomach when I saw Summer lying on some blankets in the corner. She was asleep. I couldn’t see any injuries on her body, and she looked peaceful.
“You may have her, but she will never truly belong to you. I cursed her to protect her from your rotten soul!” Matilda screamed, laughing, and in that moment, she looked like she had lost her mind. Alexis narrowed her eyes and her red flames appeared in the centre of her palm. Her eyes were gleaming with demonic rage. Panic struck me like a sharp razor. Matilda couldn’t have hurt Summer. She was supposed to protect her.
“Wake her up or you will die in Hell. Lucifer would love to add a Warlock like you to his collection of skeletons,” Alexis roared, trying to break Matilda’s wards, so far unsuccessfully. I could sense the way her dark energy was rising fast. Although her spells were broken, someone was feeding her with power.
“I do not care for my life. Kill me and the girl remains useless to you,” Matilda responded and looked at Summer with determination and pure love. Only then did I understand what was happening. She’d put a sleeping charm on Summer in order to protect her from Alexis. Summer was only valuable to her when she was awake and alert. Alexis needed her precious soul and blood in order to go through with her twisted healing ritual.
A shot of light disarmed Matilda, a piece of wood landed inches away from where she stood. Summer was fast asleep. Alexis wouldn’t hesitate to kill her, but Matilda was right. Warlocks magic was strong, and the child was useless to her unless awakened.
“Max, hey, Max, are you all right?”
The room disappeared, and I was sitting at the table with Zach and his family. I must have looked so zoned out for a moment, sitting there and not saying anything. I smiled weakly, realising that Matilda must have used her abilities to reassure me that she was still protecting Summer. Warlocks’ magic was powerful, and unpredictable. I had no idea what Matilda was planning. I couldn’t give up just yet; there was still a chance, and I knew I could defeat Alexis and end her once and for all. Matilda’s magic was protecting Summer, but for how long? I had no idea.
“Yes, sorry. What have we been talking about? I got distracted,” I said, feeling silly.
“Don’t worry, dear. Zach mentioned that you had a tough day,” Zach’s mum said smiling.
I shoved some food into my mouth, while Cornelia showed me her colouring books. I was aware that Zach kept glancing back at me. He probably wondered if I was going to lose it soon. Somehow, I managed to carry on a normal conversation for the rest of the evening. In the end Zach’s mother made me a strong cup of coffee, and Cornelia brought me her favourite blanket, just in case I got scared in the night. The girl was caring and sweet, and I felt so incredibly guilty that I didn’t tell Zach about Zara earlier. We both believed that finding Alexis was the solution to all our problems.
“See, there are decent women out there, son. You should hang on to that one,” Zafira muttered to Zachary when he was helping her clean up. I was playing with Cornelia on the floor. I smiled to myself, aware of the tension that kept boiling between Zach and me since we met in Brixton. I didn’t want to think about the future. Zach wanted a relationship, even after everything that happened.
“I’m working on it. Maxine has her own demons, but we both know that no one has ever resisted my charms,” he said, probably aware that I was eavesdropping.
“You’re way too arrogant about it, darling. You will have to work hard for this one. Maxine’s heart is sealed very tightly,” his mother pointed out, giving him a stern look. Well, she was spot on. I always had problems with commitment.
I could see Zach was a family man, but to anyone else, he appeared to be a tough cop with a problematic attitude. I had seen his softer side, the one that he didn’t expose so much. He was extremely patient with Cornelia and showered her with a million kisses when we were leaving. I knew he would bring up my odd moment at the table when we left.
“You went pale all of a sudden…what was that about?”
“Matilda sent me a vision. Don’t ask how or why, but I saw Summer. Matilda has cursed the child, to make sure that Alexis can’t touch her,” I explained, feeling uneasy about this whole thing.
“That should give us a bit more time to track her down,” Zach said when we reached his car. “That drink, I’m going to drop you at Broken Shoe.”
“All right, I think I do need one after all,” I muttered. The craving for magical tequila was most likely going to keep me up all night. I wasn’t planning to drink at all tonight, but I wouldn’t mind having at least a sip of vodka. I didn’t argue with him when he opened the car door for me, playing the gentleman. Apparently, he was off duty for the next couple of days.
Everything was absolutely fine until he stopped the car in the alley behind the train station. Suddenly the atmosphere between us shifted. Heat pooled low in my belly. My thoughts were racing back to Arthur, the father of my child. He was still looking for Summer, and he was threatening to expose me.
I didn’t dare to move. Zach desired me, but there were so many other things to consider. I promised myself that I wouldn’t hurt another man after Arthur.
“Flower, I want to kiss you, and I don’t want you to stop me,” he said in that deep seductive voice that was covering me with smouldering heat. My body had been dreaming about this moment, but my head reminded me that there was no point giving myself away. After all, my soul now belonged to Hell.
I opened my mouth to tell him this wasn’t a very good idea, that the whole world was against us, but he moved so quickly that I lost my bearings. His cologne made me weak. He kissed me hard, until I was out of breath, breaking me up into small different pieces. The sensation of his mouth against mine suddenly came back to me. Hi
s lips were intense, nerve wrecking. For a short moment I forgot about my responsibilities and let my body dictate. His tongue caressed mine, sending snippets of blazing heat right through me. I became wet and needy. This sudden affection awakened something in me, a craving for true human closeness. Zachary’s finger caressed my bare stomach, finding its way to my cleavage, creeping up until he reached my nipple. Then he rolled it around his thumb and I gasped.
I arched my head backwards allowing him access to my neck. His lips were divine, biting me gently. I remembered our steamy moment in my flat, our fights and flirtatious looks.
I moaned, listening to my own voice, but soon enough the image of Summer flashed in front of my eyes, shutting down the flaming heat of desire. Nothing could prepare me for was about to come, but I didn’t want to blind myself with hope that I could experience real happiness in the future.
I pushed him away quickly, breathing hard.
“No, I’m not worth it, Zach. This whole thing is too complicated,” I said, fighting to keep my head above the surface. Zach dragged his hand through his hair, filled with bitter disappointment. That man wanted me, I never doubted it.
“Worth it? Flower, you’re driving me insane. I need a moment with you, to forget that I have a sister who might never be the same again,” he said harshly, squeezing my arm. “I told my mother that you wouldn’t resist me, and you shouldn’t be resisting me.”
“Zach, I can’t. I’m sorry,” I said and then opened the door of his car and stepped outside. I still had a fair walking distance to the pub. He was going to follow me, tell me that he was falling for me. His emotions were out in the open, and I connected with every single one. My voice of reason told me to jump into this opportunity. I glanced at the darkness, feeling like someone was watching me, but there was no one there. Maybe it was my paranoia reaching a new level.
Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 57