Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  “What? Are you serious? There must be a demon in Hell who can answer for what’s happened here. This guy was perfectly fine just a second ago, then he started burning. What the fuck is going on here?” Zach was throwing questions at me, but I had no answers. I was green just like him.

  “I have no idea. I have never seen or spoken to him before,” I said, again thinking of getting in touch with Morpheus. He showed up in my life out of the blue, and he expected me to get on with things without any questions. I just couldn’t do this anymore.

  “Seriously? Is that all you have to say?”

  “I’m in shock, exactly like you are. I have no answers. We should be going before we freeze to death,” I said, thinking that I was too exhausted to speculate on why this demon had followed us all the way here. The answers were in Hell, and it seemed to me that my father was a high-ranking demon. Whatever, that didn’t matter right now. Summer was waiting for me, and I couldn’t get distracted by stuff that I couldn’t control. Two months ago, someone had hinted that I should have looked into the death of my mother. I had, and I found nothing.

  Zach only shook his head, secured his gun, and went ahead of me convinced that I was hiding stuff from him. He had no idea what was really going on, and maybe it was better that way. My primary concern was Alexis.

  By the time we reached the village it was midnight. The local pub was still open, but we didn’t go inside. There were hardly any humans around, so we decided to head straight to Ronan’s cottage. We stood outside for a while. All the lights were off, and I suspected that he wasn’t home. I walked around and got inside through the back door. It turned out that Ronan hadn’t been in his home for months. Dust covered the old furniture, and I could hardly sense his energy.

  “He didn’t come back,” I said, standing in the room where I’d revealed to him that I was pregnant.

  “Come back from where?” Zach questioned.

  “From London. I thought he left the capital after Gjöll and came straight here, but it looks like I was wrong.” I scratched my head in confusion. I could only hope that he was all right and safe. “There is a guest room on the first floor. I’ll be in my old room. We can talk about strategy tomorrow.”

  Zach looked around slightly apprehensive about staying here, but we had nowhere else to go. My heartbeat was unsteady when I went upstairs to my old bedroom. Nothing had changed in there; Ronan hadn’t removed any of my stuff. Everything remained as it was two years ago. My connection with Alexis allowed me to sense her if she was nearby. I would have a pretty good idea when she would decide to make her appearance.

  Tears welled in my eyes as memories about my time in the cottage resurfaced. Zach was moving around in his room, still confused about the demon who died in front of me without a reason. I took off all my clothes, covered the bed with a blanket and fell asleep instantly, not even realising when.

  I woke up earlier than planned. It was around eight o’clock in the morning. After tossing and turning for some time, I went down to the kitchen, searching for coffee. My head was banging, and I hadn’t even drunk the night before. For a minute I stood by the window, contemplating everything that happened. How long was Morpheus planning to hide things from me? A deal was a deal, but I deserved to know the truth.

  The fridge stunk, and the food in the cupboards was outdated by months, although I managed to find the coffee that smelled all right. Matilda lived a few miles away from here, and I had to let Zach know that we needed to be ready at any moment.

  After my coffee I went to Ronan’s storage to see if he had left any useful elixirs behind or at least ingredients to brew them. In the basement, I quickly realised that someone else had been in here. Most of the shelves were empty. The flasks and small bottles were on the floor. I went down on my knees, seeing a tiny blue liquid in a small bottle that someone must have missed. Maybe it was time to call Nameless and find out what the hell happened to his father. When he left me a letter, he didn’t mention anything about leaving Langston.

  “That’s a view I could wake up to every morning,” a familiar voice said behind me. I turned around, seeing Zach in the door. From that angle, he had a perfect view of my arse. I was wearing a short sleeve top and black knickers. I only just noticed him, but I bet he stood here watching me bending over for a while now.

  “You shouldn’t be focusing on me. Someone has broken in here a few weeks back. Half of his elixirs and potions are gone,” I pointed out, smoothing the long shirt. Heat rushed into my veins, converting my energy into a raw lust. It happened instantly, and the soaring heat that I’d always felt in his presence turned on full force. And then that moment when we stared at each other felt like hours. Hell, I had no idea why, but I just couldn’t turn around this time and pretend that I didn’t want him. Maybe it was the stupidest decision that I ever made, but after so many disappointments, I was done overthinking this.

  I ran to him and there was no time for hesitation. Our mouths connected in a deep, passionate kiss that left me drenched. His hands began exploring my almost naked body, his firm lips driving the tempo, stealing my breath and sending a buzz to my sex. Zachary tasted like a wild forest and single malt whiskey. His scent went right through me, soaking me like pouring rain.

  I pulled away from him just for a second, just so I could catch my breath and he smiled, holding me close.

  “Oh no, miss, not this time,” he growled, sounding like a real wolf. When he picked me up, I wrapped my legs around his waist and felt his hard erection pressing against my abdomen. The wild, untamed fire began spreading everywhere. I couldn’t fight him and gave myself away to him in every way he desired.

  He was kissing me, biting my neck gently as we climbed up the stairs of the basement. His hands were on my arse, digging inside my skin. The sparks showered both of us and I moaned loudly, wanting more. We barged through the basement door, until we were on the floor, tangled and lost in overwhelming sensations of lust.

  Before I knew it, Zach had gotten rid of his clothes, and his T-shirt went flying across the room. I giggled running my hands over his muscular, hairy chest. I sucked in a breath as his eyes penetrated me.

  “Let’s get rid of that, Flower, shall we?” he asked, but his question was rhetorical. I had nothing beneath the long blousy shirt, and his eyes almost popped out.

  He kissed me, moving his skilled finger down my thigh, slowly touching my drenched sex, rolling his thumb over it. I arched my head backwards, closing my eyes and letting go of the tension that rode me for so long. My body was charged with rippling power, the spark; purple flames appeared on the surface of my skin. I tried to undo his jeans, stroking his hard erection with my fingers.

  His breathing sped up as he got me naked, exploring the parts of my body that hadn’t been in use for some time. His fingers were driving me insane and I moaned, thinking that he had to be inside me now. The smart mouth, the soaring tension, then desire. Maybe I was going to regret this later on, but it didn’t matter. I had to satisfy the pulsing fire that rushed through my veins.

  “Oh, don’t stop, for Lucifer,” I hissed, when his fingers were rolling over my sex. He did stop, flipped me over on my knees and said, “Lucifer won’t fuck your brains out the way I will.”

  I laughed, suddenly filled with anticipation. My legs began to tremble. I was on the edge, ready, when he thrust himself inside me. I screamed, holding my breath for a good few seconds.

  “Are you all right in there?” he asked, and I laughed.

  “Just keep going and don’t dare stop.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Zach wrapped his fingers over my hips, moving inside me faster. He rocked through me, and everything intensified, bringing me to the edge of orgasm. My demonic energy connected with his humanity, and he rasped some incoherent words. He kept thrusting his erection in and out, faster, and I was coming before I realised what was happening.

  This quick injection of ecstasy left me paralysed. Blood rushed into my ears as I collapsed on the
floor. Zach brought me to his chest, breathing hard. For a moment we just lay on top of each other, listening to nature outside. The birds were singing, and this moment felt perfect.

  I didn’t want to think about the consequences. My affair with the prince was behind me. Arthur loved me, but he wouldn’t touch me again. This short intense moment between me and Zach was one off. There wasn’t going to be a repeat, not today, tomorrow or ever.

  “I think we should get dressed. I’m dreading Ronan seeing us like this,” I said, breaking the silence. My future was doomed. Zach was hoping that we would become an item one day, but I hated to disappoint him.

  “I’m perfectly happy the way I am, Flower, and you’re hot.” He chuckled when I got up and rolled my eyes. He was a fine human, and of course, there was no doubt that I wished we could have sex again and again. What happened between us was spur of the moment.

  “We have to head to Matilda’s home. Alexis won’t be wasting any time.” I quickly changed the subject, not wanting to discuss the logistics of our relationship from here on. We jumped each other’s bones; it was great. Well, more than great, but that didn’t mean anything would change.

  Zach’s eyes were filled with heat. I had to look away when he put his T-shirt on.

  “Are we going to talk about this? Or are you going to pretend that this was an impulsive, good plain fucking.”

  “We will at some point, Detective, but right now I’m going to get changed,” I said, disappearing upstairs quicker than I intended. The burning guilt reminded me that I should have known better. Zachary was already disappointed. His sister wasn’t talking; she didn’t even recognise him and now, assuming everything went according to plan, he would never see me again.

  I hid my knife in my boots, picked up some potions that I had on me, and ran downstairs. Zachary was smoking outside, dragging the toxins into his lungs. My energy settled all around me, my demonic scent was all over him. Yeah, I wanted him; my emotions spoke louder than words. The sun was coming out, but I knew that I had to focus now.

  “Give me one, I think I’m going to need it,” I asked, and he handed me the pack.

  “I want to make love to you, Flower. Fucking is good, but I want to take my time with you,” he said unexpectedly, throwing me completely off guard. I started coughing, like I was suffocating.

  “This isn’t the time. We need to go,” I said, when my lungs began working again. He laughed, eyeing me like we were back in the basement.

  “Fine, I’ll cut the crap and stop pretending that you’re not sexy,” he said, winking at me. Was I going to get used to it? Probably not. We set off, hoping that this time around I would capture that rotten bitch and get my child back.

  Chapter 21

  “The next flame blazes out from Gratian’s smile. He’s loved in Paradise for having served both civil and ecclesial courts so well.”

  ―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  We left the cottage and started moving through the forest. The sun was gently caressing my cheeks, beaming through the trees. We walked in silence, but Zach’s dirty thoughts were very distracting. He kept thinking about our steamy morning together, already planning to seduce me in his house once we were back in London. Two years ago, I handed Matilda the baby and went back home with a heavy burden on my shoulders. My Warlock friend owned a small pottery business, away from nosy humans. It was protected by magical wards that Alexis would have tried to break.

  Guilt hit me again, and I licked my lips, imagining that I was in Broken Shoe, drinking Paul’s liquid magic. That image helped a little.

  There was a strong possibility that today I would be holding my child in my arms. Alexis wouldn’t show up here without her. She wanted to remove Matilda’s spell as soon as she could.

  “It seems to me that you have no idea where you’re going,” Zach pointed out, probably because we had been walking for at least forty minutes, reaching the same spot yet again. The weather was good; it was the end of summer. Last night the temperature dropped significantly, but today it was sunny and warm.

  “I’m trying to connect with her wards. The cottage is protected by complicated spells. She had given me directions when I was still in contact with her,” I explained, trying to focus on the striking source of power that I had been aware of since we left Ronan’s place. Sometimes my abilities connected with energy that surfaced in the soil, around the trees, and in the air. I refused to believe that we were going around in a circle.

  Zach didn’t say anything. Besides, he was too distracted with what happened earlier on and he was currently thinking about the shape of my arse. I continued moving between the trees, feeling slightly more relaxed than yesterday.

  Half an hour later, we stopped, and I created a magical fire. I used elixirs that I brought with me and threw some green powder into the flames. It was an old-school spell, and after a few minutes, the smoke that rose from the fire showed me the direction I had to take. Zach folded his arms over his chest and kept staring at me in total ignorance. He didn’t think using magic and exposing ourselves like that was necessary.

  We stood listening to the crackling flames. I shut my eyes for a second, tapping into my source.

  “What the hell is going on, Max? It’s suddenly gone dark?” His panicked voice stirred me back to being alert. A sudden raw, demonic energy began vibrating around us. My breath became shallow and I felt tingling in my hands. Zach was right: thick dark clouds covered the sun. It had suddenly gone very dark. That could mean only one thing—Alexis was close.

  I stood up, sensing discomfort in my left eye. Someone else was here, too. Another demon. I took a few deep breaths and nodded for Zach to start walking again. After moving around the circle for another twenty minutes, in the distance, I saw a cottage built from grey brick. I smiled to myself glad that my elixirs had worked better than I expected. Morpheus was right: my abilities were pretty special.

  “She lived here for years,” I said when Zach noticed the cottage. He followed me, still unsure about the magic. My throat tightened as I sensed my daughter’s scent everywhere. Alexis wasn’t going to waste anytime. She was heading here, and I had to be ready.

  Zach placed his palm on my arm sending warmth instantly to every cell in my body. Yep, we were already connected.

  “Are you ready to go in there? Maybe I shou—”

  “No, she’s my child and I want to see if she has a good home,” I said, cutting him off. We approached the front porch. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. Matilda’s magic could mislead humans, and I knew that there weren’t any demons in the village. Matilda must have left her home charmed because she didn’t care about the locks. The forest was always was relatively safe, but she had been moving around a lot in the past year. She wanted to make sure that the girl was always safe.

  All the windows were shaded with shutters, the smell of rosemary and other herbs drifted around. Zach found the light switch and I relaxed a little. A moment later I saw some photographs on the fireplace.

  My chest cracked open and my knees turned to jelly as I approached it. There she was, my little girl smiling in the photograph, waving, and making silly faces. She had a mass of blond curly hair and large blue eyes. Matilda must have taken some pictures when Summer was only a few months old, then a year, and so on. Grief numbed me, and I swallowed the tears, not wanting to break apart in front of Zachary.

  I sensed him behind me when I touched the photographs, running my finger over the dusty frames. I spotted her toys on the sofa, and there were small jars of baby food in the kitchen. Summer was a living soul in this home. She seemed happy with the life that Matilda had created for her. I should have been more involved. Arthur was a royal, so he couldn’t make his own choices, but I had a real chance to start over somewhere else.

  “She’s stunning and you will get her back today,” Zachary said. The tears came anyway, and I dropped my head on my chest, telling myself that I had to be strong for her. It was my choice to keep her a secret.


  “I know that bitch is already nearby. We are somehow connected. In Gjöll, I gave her part of my memory,” I said, my voice trembling.

  “Have you thought about your life after you get her back?” he asked. I sighed and used my hands to wipe the tears away. My life ended the moment she was free. There was nothing beyond that.

  “No, I haven’t thought about that. Let’s check the rest of the rooms. There is a pottery workshop at the back,” I responded, not wanting to get into this subject. Zach sighed, aware that I was avoiding eye contact. He couldn’t know I had made a deal that pushed all my dreams and aspirations away. It was difficult to see what was beyond the afterlife.

  I found the nursery upstairs and then more tears came. I was touching her things, her tiny clothes. It was surreal knowing that she’d been living here the entire time. After some time, we went outside, and I inhaled the fresh air. Seeing her things around was much harder than I’d anticipated.

  “We have company,” I said, aware that there was a demon very close by, walking through the forest.

  Zach took out his weapon and lowered it down. He ought to realise that this kind of thing wouldn’t work when there were supernatural beings involved.

  “I’m going to check the pottery shed,” he announced.

  “All right, just be quick. I have a feeling that we are being watched,” I said, smelling sulphur in the air, then smoke. It was getting darker and gloomier as the minutes went by. I walked with him until he disappeared inside. It was going to start raining soon. I felt the moisture in the air.

  The silence was unnerving. I noticed that the birds stopped tweeting, too.

  “Are you all right in there?” I shouted, as goosebumps broke on the surface of my skin. There was no answer for a long time, and I wondered what the hell he was doing inside the pottery shed for so long.