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

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  I wished that I could see Arthur one more time. I never had a chance to tell him how proud I was that he was the father of my child. Over time, I’d regretted that I got involved with him, my time in the palace, but all of that made me stronger and a better person. Arthur had given me the most precious gift—my daughter, Summer.

  “She’s gone forever, and I have taken her life away,” I said, when Lucifer approached me. He seemed satisfied with the outcome.

  “I’m proud of you, Maxine. Alexis had shown tremendous strength, but you have defeated her,” he said.

  I didn’t feel any pain anywhere. The dried blood and my wounds were gone. There were so many other things I needed to ask him, but I had no idea where to start.

  “I hope she’s dead, truly dead? She won’t be able to reincarnate or something like that?” I asked, just to be sure.

  “She’s dead, but her sinful soul always belonged to me. She has caused too much pain, and she’s gone back to the place where she was born,” Lucifer explained.

  “So what happens now? Can I go back upstairs?” I asked, remembering the agreement I made with him.

  “Alexis made your life a little bit difficult, so we need to fix that, I suppose,” Lucifer said with a smile. “But are you a hundred percent sure that you want to get back? You could stay in Hell. Things aren’t bad here. My offer still stands.”

  My father—I still wasn’t quite used to calling him that—was offering me a place by his side. I was baffled and amused by his proposition.

  “No, thank you. I don’t want to stay in Hell. My life is back in London. My daughter and my friends are there. It’s time to start over. Besides, what would I do in here?” I asked.

  “Help me run the underworld, change the lives of mongrels and campaign for equality. As my daughter, you would be fully respected here,” he explained.

  I still couldn’t believe that he was offering me such power. I knew that I could do so much for mongrels in Hell rather than back on Earth, but there was my other life that I left behind.

  “It’s a very tempting offer, but this isn’t me. I’m not interested in ruling the underworld; it’s your job. Alexis’s charms must have stopped working, and I can make everyone believe that she was the one who murdered Arthur,” I said, knowing this was going to require a lot of effort, but I was ready to clear my name.

  “That’s a shame, because you would have been great,” he said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

  I smiled to myself, thinking that from now on everything was going to change. My life, Zach’s, Emma’s, Ricky’s, Paul’s, and even Cyril’s. Of course, I couldn’t forget about Zara and Matilda. All of these people I’d met on my complicated journey were now part of a new era.

  “I’ll still campaign for equality on Earth, if you let me. It’s a real challenge, but it’s time to shift things around there,” I said.

  “How about you take the role of head of the faction in the palace? Now that Rodriguez is gone, I think for a change, I have to have someone in there I can fully trust.”

  My jaw dropped, and for a moment, I just stared at him, baffled he was even suggesting something like that.

  “What about my business, the agency, and royals? They wouldn’t accept me there.”

  “You can still have your beloved agency, and I will give you an assistant for your work in the palace. I’m sure you would be able to handle all your duties,” he said. “And as soon as you return, demons will know I have nominated you to that position. The royals won’t interfere.”

  I took a deep breath, imagining myself being back in the palace. Ricky had handled things in Doomed, and I was still his partner. Maybe Lucifer was right, maybe I needed a change. If I was the head of the faction, no one would be above me, no one would tell me what to do.

  “Send me back, and I’ll accept it.”

  Chapter 30

  “I am the way into the city of woe,

  I am the way into eternal pain,

  I am the way to go among the lost.

  Justice caused my high architect to move,

  Divine omnipotence created me,

  The highest wisdom, and the primal love.

  Before me there were no created things

  But those that last forever—as do I.

  Abandon all hope you who enter here.”

  ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  “Hey, let me out of here!” I shouted, punching the trapdoor in Paul’s basement.

  I heard several nervous steps and then someone finally pushed the flap door up. Several pairs of eyes stared down at me. I had never been happier to see my friends.

  “Max, what the hell are you doing down there? Are you all right? We all thought that you were dead.”

  It was Ricky who asked the question, and I instantly wanted to laugh. They obviously didn’t have much confidence in me if they thought that Alexis had managed to finish me off so quickly. Zachary was holding his little niece in his arms. He looked a little better, but he was still awfully pale. Even Emma came from upstairs and now she was smiling at me. Paul was standing behind Ricky, beaming too.

  “Alexis is dead. We fought in the pits and, to be honest, I thought I wasn’t going to last long, but thanks to Paul, she has been defeated,” I said when Ricky offered his arm, and I managed to squeeze back out. The small storage under the door-trap was only deep enough for one person. I couldn’t believe Paul came up with something so silly, and yet his plan worked out for the best.

  I went down on my knees and picked up Paul’s sword and then handed it to its owner. It shined, but the tip was slightly burned. The evidence of Alexis’s energy had died with her.

  Ricky smiled, and Paul patted him on the back.

  “So what happened after? How did you get back?” Emma asked.

  “Lucifer showed up when Alexis’s corpse turned into dust,” I explained. “We had a little chat. Alexis and Rodriguez’s spells are fading away as we speak. Oh, and you are all looking at the new head of Lucifer’s faction.”

  Everyone around me looked as confused as I was when I heard his offer.

  “You’re joking, right?” Ricky asked.

  “No, my father wants me to be his eyes in the palace. I’ll have an assistant, so don’t worry. I won’t abandon the business,” I assured him.

  “Oh, my Lord, Maxine, that’s so exiting. I hope I’m not fired or anything? Alexis caught me by surprise. I’m sorry,” Emma said, jumping up and down. She was obviously feeling a lot better, too.

  Paul, Ricky, and Ronan, they all looked baffled and a little unsure, as if I was not able to handle that kind of responsibility.

  “Let’s get out of here and celebrate. Paul, pick up some champagne,” Zach shouted, finally breaking the silence.

  We all went upstairs, and I started going over what happened in the pits. We sat down in the empty pub. Zachary held Cornelia on his knees, stroking her hair gently, when Paul opened his best bottle of champagne. This whole thing felt surreal, and I still couldn’t quite believe Alexis was no longer a threat.

  We all talked and laughed, and when Cornelia had fallen asleep in Zach’s arms, he carried her upstairs. We weren’t in a hurry to leave and we didn’t care about the time.

  Later on, probably in the early hours of the morning, Paul switched on his old TV and I was stunned to see I had been cleared of all charges. Lucifer must have still had a certain influence on Earth, because he didn’t waste any time fulfilling his promise.

  “Let’s toast to Prince Arthur. He was a loving and caring man, who will always stay in our hearts!” I said, lifting my glass, knowing that Arthur was a great man.

  Everyone around me shouted cheers, and I knew that from now on, nothing would stop me from being happy again. I had my ups and downs, made mistakes in the past, but now I was staring over.

  “To a new era, for changes that are about to come!” Paul added, and we all toasted to the words I was too afraid to say.

  “She’s fallen asleep, bless her
,” I whispered to Zachary, gently stroking Summer’s blond locks.

  She was lying on my lap, looking so peaceful. We were in the park for the past hour, and she had been playing around with Zachary’s niece and other kids. It must have exhausted her.

  She was with me and I still couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t the time to get emotional, but the past few weeks were filled with joy, happiness, and tears. I just felt incredible.

  After we all celebrated in the pub and morning had arrived, the news broke around the city. I had been officially cleared from all the charges, and the royal family released a statement blaming Alexis Brown for Prince Arthur’s death. Lucifer acted quickly, sending a few demons to fix the mess that Alexis had created in the palace. After all, she was no longer a threat, and I needed to start putting my life back in order.

  Emma went home to see her daughter and Ricky insisted on going with her. Paul told me that he needed a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

  Zachary had to take Cornelia home and speak to Zara. And Ronan decided to stay in the city for a few more days. He had lived alone for years, but I didn’t question his choice. He probably just needed to be surrounded by people again.

  The next day, I used my magic to renew my connection with Matilda. I couldn’t wait to see my daughter. It’d been a long time coming.

  “Cornelia is a high-maintenance little madam and she must have exhausted her. We should head out. Both girls are probably starving,” Zachary suggested, squeezing my arm harder, and then he kissed me.

  I lifted Summer off the bench and started carrying her toward the road. Zach called Cornelia, who didn’t look too pleased with the fact that we were leaving.

  I remembered the moment when I saw my daughter again. It was almost two weeks ago now and a lot of things changed. I arrived at my flat and Matilda was already waiting for me there. For some reason I was nervous and still a little exhausted from my battle in Hell. It had been two long years, but I was finally relieved that I could have some time with her.

  I opened the door and Matilda was sitting on the sofa, holding Summer in her arms. I refused to break then, but emotions shattered me instantly. Suddenly tears were streaming down my cheeks.

  My own daughter was staring back at me with her blue eyes—she was the spitting image of her father. She was unsure of what to do at first, but then gave me a wide, bright smile. I didn’t expect it. I wasn’t able to figure out how she knew who I was.

  “That’s your mummy, Summer. I think you should go to her. She would like to hold you for a bit,” Matilda whispered.

  I reached out for her, falling apart all over again, and my heart pounded like crazy as my gaze stayed on her little face.

  She ran to me and I squeezed her tightly, unable to stop sobbing. I never wanted to let her go.

  “You smell funny, Mummy, but I like it,” she said, and I smiled, meeting Matilda’s eyes.

  “Don’t worry. Soon I’ll smell only of beautiful things,” I told her, and then mouthed a thank you to my warlock friend. Raw emotions were climbing up my throat. Matilda knew that things were just about to change, and I was grateful for everything she had done for me.

  “They are staring again at us. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” Zachary said, pulling me back to reality. I needed to stop going over what happened in the past. Everything was fine, and my friends were alive. It took Summer a while to get used to me. The little girl was bound to be confused. She suddenly had a new mum.

  I glanced back at a few demons who were staring at us from the other side of the road. One of them waved at me, and before I had a chance to react, Cornelia waved back giggling to herself. Both demons looked slightly confused and I couldn’t hide a smile. Lucifer had stuck to his promise. I was officially his daughter and at times this new attention was overwhelming, but I dealt with it the best I could.

  Summer and I had several days together, and I wasn’t planning to go back to work straight away. Matilda stayed with us, teaching me the basics, as I tried to renew the bond with Summer.

  “The news is still fresh. They will forget soon enough,” I assured Zach, and Summer stirred in my arms, then mumbled something in her sleep.

  “Have you looked at that brochure I showed you the other day?” he asked, changing the subject.

  After things settled between us, we both agreed that I couldn’t keep on living in Brixton. The flat was too small, and Zach wanted to rent a house for us. We were officially together, and I was in love with him. We both knew that Matilda was planning to be around, too. She bonded with Summer, and she still wanted to be part of her life.

  On top of that, things in the agency were hectic. We had a stream of new clients, and with my new position in the palace, Ricky had to hire additional staff. I was reporting directly to Lucifer, but my business was still important to me.

  “Hackney sounds fine. We should just put a deposit on that house,” I said, and Zach’s eyes flickered with excitement.

  “Great, I’ll call the estate agent tomorrow,” he said.

  “Uncle, Uncle, why is Summer sleeping? I want to play with her,” Cornelia said, pulling Zach’s shirt.

  “She is still little, and you wore her out in the park,” Zach told her. “I’m taking you home. Your mum is waiting for you with lunch.”

  “All right, I’m hungry a bit,” Cornelia admitted and took Zach’s hand.

  It was a crazy ride, and I knew that things were only going to get more hectic in the future. I still had to establish a dialog with other members of the faction. The life of mongrels needed to improve, but this was going to be a long road. Some demons were stubborn and close-minded.

  Zara had recovered, but she was still getting used to having supernatural abilities. Alexis must have altered her human DNA. She wasn’t a demon, but she wasn’t a human either. Nameless had broken her heart and she was grieving after him. Ronan’s son showed her a different life, but after so many years, she had numerous regrets. I understood and believed that she was much stronger now.

  Eventually, Ronan decided to go back up north. He told me that he was done with the past and he was looking forward to enjoying his retirement. We didn’t discuss what happened with Nameless. Ronan made his choice and now he was forced to live with it. It wasn’t my place to judge him.

  As soon as I took over my new position, I promoted Cyril, and he was now my deputy. Paul reopened the pub, and when I visited him the other day, he said that he was happy with his life on Earth, that he didn’t even want to hear about returning to Watcher’s ranks. He’d hidden his wings and sword. That part of his life was over.

  Zach wrapped his arm around me as we crossed the road. I smiled to myself, and still couldn’t quite believe how blessed I truly was. Zachary had managed to return to his work as a homicide detective, and the incident in the psych ward was long forgotten. He accepted me as a mongrel girl, and as the woman of his dreams.

  Deep down I wanted to remain true to myself and to my human background. Lucifer was my father, and maybe one day, I would be allowed to visit him again, but for now I was happy to stay away from Hell.

  I had finally found peace with my nature and accepted myself for who I was. A human man loved me, and he didn’t care that our life was never going to be truly normal.

  The end

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