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

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  I stopped and took out a cigarette outside near the traffic light. I had bought a pack earlier on, telling myself that I needed one. It was a nasty habit, and I knew that smoking in front of a child wasn’t a good idea, but I had to settle my nerves somehow before tomorrow.

  “That’s you,” someone said behind me. I turned around, seeing two female demons from Astaroth faction. That was one of the circles of Hell I didn’t get to visit.

  “Move along, ladies. I don’t need this tonight,” I said, before I could think about any other way to handle this new attention.

  “You killed him. I heard about you, mongrel girl,” the dark-haired one said and then spit on the ground, right on my shoe. I inhaled the smoke deep into my lungs, trying to stay calm.

  “Don’t believe everything you hear,” I muttered. The other female demon was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. She had short red hair and something in her hand.

  I continued to ignore them, but the dark-haired one suddenly launched herself at me, and scratched my face with her nails. I grabbed her wrists, dropping the cigarette and attracting the attention of other humans. This wasn’t the best place to use my demonic energy, but I had to do something.

  “I’ll give you one second to walk away, or you’ll be truly regretting this,” I hissed, digging my nails into her skin. My cheek was bleeding, and I really wanted to have a drink now.

  “Murderer. He tossed you away and you killed him. Mongrels should be wiped off the Earth completely,” the other demon said, backing away. “You’re scum, worse than humans.”

  The dark-haired demon was already tapping into her source, and I was getting fed up with being the target. The Watchers weren’t around, and that was so typical. I really needed them to see what was going on. I pushed her away, glanced around, and created a ball of flaming energy.

  “You’ll burn for it,” the dark-haired one snarled, and used her magic anyway, not giving a damn about the consequences, or the fact that anyone could see her on the street. Both of them wanted to hurt me; I could see that in their eyes. I didn’t have the time to think about logistics or check if they were under some kind of spell.

  I dodged to the side when the wave of magic nearly hit me, burning the ends of my hair. I was bloody done playing by the rules. I tossed the ball toward the girl who’d went for me with her nails. Then my right leg went up in the air and I kicked the first one in the stomach.

  Both of them slammed on the ground at the same time. Flames appeared on the side of my neck and I exhaled sharply. Some humans started screaming, running away.

  I started walking away then, running toward the pub, as the adrenaline raced through my veins.

  Moments later I barged inside the Broken Shoe breathing hard and probably still bleeding pretty badly. Paul was polishing glasses behind the bar but stopped the second he saw me. A few customers started whispering to each other, looking at me.

  “Pour me some magic into a glass. One shot is fine,” I said, knowing that after this, there was no going back.

  Paul stared at me intensely, like he was weighing if this was such a good idea. After all, I had gone through so much.

  Finally, he unscrewed the bottle and poured the yellow liquid into a shot glass.

  “One. I know you need it.”

  Chapter 16

  “Reader, imagine! I grew faint at heart, to hear these cursed phrases ringing out.

  I truly thought I’d never make it back.”

  ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  The moment that liquid streamed down my throat, I knew that I wasn’t dependent on magical tequila anymore. Maybe that wasn’t the proper way to come to terms with my addiction, but I didn’t miss the taste of it at all.

  “Two demons just attacked me on the street because Alexis has accused me of killing Arthur,” I said, still pretty much shaking with anger.

  Rodriguez was setting up demons against me. It was a smart move. Maybe he was hoping that someone would finish me off, so he could save himself a lot of hassle.

  “Yes, I’ve heard. Lucifer should have seen it coming. Your father really needs to sort this shit out rather than hanging out on Earth and using human women,” Paul said, shaking his head. “By the way, all the guys are in the back. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  I wanted to agree with him but knew I wouldn’t have a clue how to run the underworld myself. Paul was still pissed off about the past, about the fact that he had failed to stop my mother from getting close to the dark lord. The Earth was a tempting place, and I suspected that Lucifer was just bored of living his eternal life in Hell.

  “The Earth is too tempting for him to give it up. You should know something about that,” I said, knowing I was rubbing his mistakes in his face, but what was done was done. We both knew I screwed up as much as he had in the past.

  Nothing was going to change. Lucifer was just a demon who I had to accept as my father. I didn’t think that we were ever going to bond in any human way. I still couldn’t comprehend that I had half siblings scattered around the world.

  Paul looked at me for several moments and told me again that the guys were waiting for me.

  There were a few demons in the pub, and they were all staring at me when I headed to the back. I heard some old mongrel; he was talking about me to Devlin. The old demon didn’t ask me to stop and join him for a game of poker. It looked like word about me being involved in Arthur’s death got to him, too.

  In the back, Nameless and Zara had joined the group. I told Cyril not to show his face in the pub, in case he was being followed. I had discussed the whole plan with him earlier on, so he knew all the details.

  Zach’s sister looked so much better than the last time I saw her. Her skin had a healthy glow and she looked happier than ever. Zach mentioned that she reunited with Cornelia. I realised that this must have been a huge shock for the entire family.

  “Max, what the hell happened to your face?” Ricky asked. I waved my hand releasing some charms and removing the stains of blood from my skin. The cut stung a little, but it was nothing serious. Those demons had no idea that I was able to defend myself well.

  “Don’t worry about it. I had a disagreement with two demons on the street,” I muttered, waving it off. This wasn’t the time to lose my shit, not in front of all my friends who’d showed up to help me. “I’m not very good at this, but I want to thank everyone for being here tonight. Zara and Thomas. This means a hell of a lot.”

  They both nodded at me, and Zach looked like he finally accepted Nameless. I guessed it was about time.

  “Thanks to Ricky I have all the necessary potions and enough power to deal with Alexis on my own,” I said. I was never good at speeches. This was always Ricky’s job, but some things needed to be clarified before tomorrow.

  “The royal family is running all sorts of background checks on you,” Zachary said. “I managed to get access to some files, but not others. My boss cut me off. There is a third-party officer involved and the whole system is on lockdown.”

  Royals would believe anything Alexis told them, thanks to her power. But my own abilities had evolved too, and I felt stronger than ever.

  “Getting inside should be pretty straightforward, but have you thought about the moment when you will be standing face-to-face with Alexis?” he asked. “What’s going to happened then?”

  “I’ll drag her down to Hell. Lucifer will back me up if necessary,” I said, knowing, maybe that was just wishful thinking. My father didn’t come to my rescue when Hades was trying to rape me.

  “The royals will be out of the palace tomorrow,” Zachary said. “Maxine, I do have absolute faith in your abilities, but we still us have to be vigilant. She’s strong, more than any other demon, I’ve heard.” He must have gathered some information at work.

  “I have read up on a few charms and more complicated spells. My abilities are much stronger in Hell. Trust me, guys, I can do this,” I said, aware that it was going to be difficult to talk my fr
iends out of helping me. Paul had sealed this room with certain spells, so no one could eavesdrop.

  Hell had my back, well, that’s what I believed. I knew that I had better chances to end her life around the pits than on the ground of the royal palace. Humans weren’t meant to be involved. This final battle was between me and her.

  “You want to go back to Hell?” Zach asked.

  I didn’t know why they were surprised. I had been talking about this from the very beginning. It was a necessary move.

  “Alexis has proven to us many times that she’s able to feed on anyone’s power. You cannot underestimate her,” Nameless said. “Maxine’s plan is wise. She will have an advantage over Alexis in Hell.”

  Paul showed up moments later, and Ricky started splitting everyone into groups. Paul, Emma, and Zara insisted on being involved. The security in the palace was tight when I worked there. There were demons and mongrels amongst the guards, but I knew some secret passages from the outside. Hopefully I wouldn't have to use them.

  Rodriguez was losing the election in Hell, but now Alexis was standing beside him. Apparently, the old demon was ready to do anything, just so he could keep his position, even if he had to betray his great master.

  I didn’t like the fact that Ricky, Nameless, and even Paul were so eager to risk their necks for me. In the end we all agreed that those three were going to get into the palace using the staff entrance. That way, we could eliminate all unexpected risks tomorrow. Emma and Zach had their own agenda. They were going to focus on the situation from the outside.

  Ricky had dug up an ancient recipe that would allow me to change my appearance. This was really happening, and we were all ready.

  I shut down the meeting around ten p.m. Zachary took me home with him that night. I wanted to spend the night at his place for a change. Energy flew through me, and I practised some light magic in the car, trying to accumulate as much of my demonic power as I could.

  “What’s your plan after this whole thing is over?” Zachary asked, as he drove through the busy roads of central London. We were stuck in traffic for a moment, and we hadn’t spoken since we left the pub.

  I just came back from Hell, and tomorrow I was heading back there voluntarily. My memories from what I had been through were still pretty vivid, and it was difficult to shut them off. Lucifer had given me his word, and I hoped he intended on keeping it. Alexis was his problem, not mine. I just wanted to avenge Arthur.

  “A plan?” I asked, knowing exactly what he was talking about, but it was too soon for me to start thinking about that kind of discussion.

  “Max, don’t ask me to say it. I know I rushed this thing with you, but at the end of the day, we had an incredible connection the moment we met. What happened was inevitable anyway.”

  “It’s up to you, Zach. I have a daughter to look after. I just want to feel normal for a change, spend some time with her. I’ll understand if you feel that it’s too big a commitment for you,” I said, knowing I had been a little unfair. Throughout this whole time, Zach had been very supportive. He was a human and he wanted us to become a couple. I had a lot of baggage, and Arthur was going to remain Summer’s father forever.

  He sighed loudly, tensing his shoulders, and I already knew that I most likely offended him.

  “Don’t push me away, don’t do this. I want to be involved. We could make a family together if you wanted to,” he suggested, clearing his throat.

  Family. That sounded so surreal. I wanted to believe that this was possible.

  “You’re right, my daughter will need a proper family unit,” I agreed.

  “You’re still dodging the answer, Flower. This, whatever it is between us, means a fucking lot to me,” he said. “Tomorrow everything will go according to plan. Alexis will be taken care of, so start thinking about yourself.”

  “Let’s talk about this again once everything is over,” I told him, sounding negative, but in my head, we needed to be realistic about the future.

  “Fine, I can deal with it for now,” he agreed, and I felt stupid, because he wanted me to say something else. I couldn’t, not just yet, not like that.

  There was something really wrong with me. Zachary wasn’t Arthur; he was available, and no one was standing in our way.

  When we got back to his house, we had a drink in his manly living room and then went to bed.

  I felt good when he wrapped himself around me and we spooned. I reminded myself this was what it was—that huge, scary and rewarding thing called being in a relationship with a man. Two people who shared their lives together; a life that wasn’t always hearts and flowers. Soon Summer would join me and then we would need to find a new place. I wanted to bring her up the best I could. The royals had no idea she even existed, and it was better if it stayed that way.

  We fell asleep earlier than we planned. I kept waking up a few times, feeling on edge. Around eight a.m., I was downstairs, drinking coffee. Cyril needed to report to Rodriguez early around ten a.m., and I had to drive over to Ricky’s. We needed to make sure the potion would work beforehand. I was a little uncertain about this part of the plan.

  Everyone apart from Cyril was already at Ricky’s place when I walked through the door along with Zach. Paul had large dark circles under his eyes and he looked rough, not in any angelic kind of way.

  “Lead on, Ricky,” I muttered to him, once we were done with all the small talk. Nameless looked nervous, and I knew he was probably slightly apprehensive about today. I filled him in with the details and then he left with Zara, assuring me everything was going to work just fine. He’d been under Alexis’s influence in the past. That bitch had tortured him, and she managed to defeat his father, Ronan, too.

  I had no idea what happened with Ronan. The old demon had vanished from the face of the Earth. I needed to find him once Alexis had been taken care of.

  “You need to drink the pink, the blue, and the black liquid one after the other. Cyril’s assistant is a human,” Ricky told me, pointing at the picture of a medium height, blond-haired woman, with rosy cheeks. She had short hair, cut in a bob, and to me she looked like a school teacher. Emma had brought me the right clothes, and I was going to change after my transformation.

  “What about the rest of you guys?” I asked.

  “I have plenty for everyone,” Ricky assured me. Potions and elixirs didn’t work on humans, and it was safer for Emma and Zach if they were keeping tabs on everything that was going on outside the palace, using some super human technology that Zach had taken from work.

  I took a deep breath and drank whatever I had to. The liquid tasted like sour milk. A quick bout of nausea nearly made me spill the contents, but I forced myself to keep it down, staring intensely at the picture of Cyril’s assistant. My head went spinning for at least a minute after that.

  Moments later I felt like I started to shrink. My hands were suddenly shorter, and my stomach was getting wider and wider. Instead of being tall and skinny, I became short and overweight. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror not recognising the person in front of me. I touched my face and felt a little sick.

  “Wow, that’s unbelievable. I never thought that this was possible,” Paul said, staring at me with his eyes wide open.

  “Dorothy is on holiday, but she only reports to me, so no one in the palace knows how she really looks,” Cyril said when I walked into the living room.

  It was official—I was going to the palace as someone else, but I would face my enemy as the real Maxine Brodeur, the daughter of Satan.

  Chapter 17

  “She by her nature is cruel, so vicious she never can sate her voracious will, but, feasting well, is hungrier than before.”

  ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  “Rodriguez has never met her, so act the best you can. Just don’t talk like the real Maxine, because he will sense that there is something wrong.” Cyril had told me, and I nodded, letting him know I understood.

  He was driving a brand-new Mercedes
that had been sent to him from the palace. My stomach was in knots, but I told myself that it wasn’t unusual that I felt on edge. I was imagining sending Rodriguez down to the pits, and then beheading Alexis. All right, maybe I was getting ahead of myself, but she had to die or suffer greatly. Mammon and other demons from Hell were also on my black list.

  My magic stirred inside me, and my breathing sped up when we approached the palace gate. The guards greeted us with their usual coolness, although still acting professional. I had personally trained a few of them, but today they had no idea who I was.

  Cyril was personally involved with the faction business and he had many connections in London. Rodriguez trusted him. He was an asset and I was still surprised we became friends, remembering that day when he showed up at Doomed Cases to go over every single file in the storage room.

  After about twenty minutes of going through our paperwork, the guards finally let us through.

  Memories started piling up when we reached the car park. I had spent many great months inside those walls. I remembered the first time I met Arthur; even then there was an instant spark between us. My heart remembered every kiss and fight that we had. I wasn’t going to forget him.

  It drove me crazy that Alexis dared to lie through her teeth to Princess Layla after she took Arthur’s life. My hands curled into fists, and my blood boiled with anger when I thought about her.

  I told myself that I had to calm down. We were now walking toward the main entrance and I couldn’t look odd. That would just bring unnecessary suspicion. The black flag was still waving on the mast. It’d been over a month, but Arthur hadn’t been forgotten. The royals were looking to bring the person responsible to justice, believing everything Rodriguez told them.