I must have lost consciousness for a while because when I opened my eyes there were people all around me. I heard loud steps and sensed fearful thoughts. Rodriguez was leaning over me, narrowing his golden eyes with apparent concern. Arthur was mumbling, but Alexis was gone, so the charms in his system were fading away slowly. Rodriquez released some of his energy and used it to inject some strength into me. I was grateful, but right now I wasn’t the one that needed it the most.
“How bad does it hurt?” he questioned me, as his eyes drifted down over my wounded flesh. The healing warmth rippled away, and I thought that I was still high on adrenaline, because I managed to roll on my side. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and I didn’t need to look at my body to figure out that I was the source of the smell.
“Physically it will take me a while to recover, but mentally I’m fine,” I said, struggling to lift myself up. Rodriguez helped me to sit up and for a split second my vision went slightly blurry. Two Watchers were healing young George. I sensed the deep, very complex charms thickening the air. He had lost a lot of blood, and his organs were poisoned, but I hoped that they were going to seal him back together.
The dull pain in my head reminded me of the pits, and Alexis. I was truly hoping that she was dead, although it wasn’t as simple as that. I let Rodriguez’s healing warmth dance across my skin, sealing some of the worst wounds, but I had a long and very complicated recovery ahead of me.
“What happened here? I was sent to the other side of the city to check on a lead for Prince George.”
This wasn’t the best time for an explanation. The Watchers were still reviving George. I could talk, so instead of moving I did exactly that. Guards, medics and other royal staff were rushing around, Arthur was taken away, and I went through everything that happened over the past few days. For some reason I thought that it was important to include details from my meeting in the Shoreditch hotel, following Ricky’s discovery. Rodriguez paced around whilst I spoke. He was tormented and blissfully furious with the fact that Alexis had been under his nose this entire time.
“She was one of Lucifer’s lovers, and when he exiled her out of hell, she started planning her revenge,” Rodriquez was saying, smoothing his long beard.
“There was something wrong with her demonic soul. It was breaking, dying off. She was trying to use George’s and Arthur’s blood for some sort of healing transformation,” I blurted out, remembering the incident at the cemetery. Alexis needed a fresh corpse to extract some ingredients for the second chance elixir. She must have kept George in Jessica’s apartment.
Alexis was one of Lucifer’s lovers, the person that he must have confided in on many different occasions, so why did he exile her from hell? He must have really gotten under her skin if it took her years to plan something so dramatic. There was no way that she could succeed, even if her transformation had gone through.
“In the underworld, the blood of royals is worshipped. She must have used Arthur to get to George. The ritual that she was trying to recreate is very complicated and it required incredible skills. The humans were only there to help her with the planning and preparations,” Rodriquez stated. He must have known more about potions than he intended to share.
It worried me that Alexis had gained controlled of the A’rea. She must have some sort of access to the underworld through other sources. She’d used Jessica to control George, to experiment with potions. She’d addicted him to charms in order to have full access to the palace.
I suspected that in the early days, she changed her appearance and somehow befriended Princess Layla. This must have happened when I was absent, because I had never seen her around before. She tampered with Arthur’s mind to get control of his blood; she needed both brothers to succeed. I had made many mistakes in the past few weeks. Drowning my emotions in tequila and forgetting about my priorities.
Rodriguez needed to come up with a legitimate story for the Queen Mother and the rest of the family. Something that could explain the extent of the damage all around me.
“The ritual was working. Then the gates opened up, but she wasn’t the one that was able to control it? Why is that?” I asked, trying to get some clarification on the source of power that nearly killed me. Alexis was the only other demon in the palace, and the only one capable of summoning the gates. This was the only thing that didn’t make much sense.
“Another demon must have summoned the gates, Maxine. I don’t know,” he said, staring at me intensely. With every passing minute, I felt less and less sane. The pain was distracting me from thinking clearly. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep for as long as it was possible.
“There wasn’t any other demon around,” I said.
“She had no control over it, Maxine, and from your story, I believe that you might have been responsible for what went down after that,” he said.
“I’m a mongrel, half demon. My abilities aren’t evolved enough to be able to do something like that,” I argued.
He looked like he was ready to disagree with me, but changed his mind when Ricky’s face came into view. Princess Layla and Natalie were at the corridors, and I didn’t want them to see me in the state that I was in.
Ricky leaned over, dragging his hand through his hair. He was pale and most likely ready to hit something. He handed me some potions without a word. I drank whatever I could straight away, hoping that they would numb the pain.
“Where is the detective? I thought he was supposed to look after you?” Ricky asked through his gritted teeth when the red elixirs began flowing through my system, slowly making me feeling sane again. Some humans were staring at us, and I needed to remember to conceal the rush of power. I didn’t need to be questioned again by the head of Lucifer’s faction.
“We got separated, but this isn’t the time for a full story. I have to explain everything on the way to the hospital,” I muttered, concerned about Zach. Alexis must have used some unknown powers to keep most guards and humans out of the palace. She was much stronger than I thought.
I managed to walk out on my own, but then was transported back on the stretchers in the ambulance. Ricky was ready to use his own energy to get me to hospital, so in the end I had no choice, but to agree.
I updated him on everything. We both suspected that Alexis had more cards up her sleeve. I couldn’t tell Ricky that we had connected and she knew what I had been trying to hide from the world. Deep down I was really hoping that she was chained somewhere in hell, with no way out.
“That A’rea messed you up pretty badly, Maxine,” Ricky said, holding his head in his hands several hours later. I was in the hospital bed covered with bandages, and high on human painkillers again. My body felt like it didn’t belong to me anymore.
I kept going over and over the events from last night, wondering if it was ever possible for me to summon the gates to hell. My abilities were developing, but I always thought it was normal.
“I think you should go home. It’s late and you’re tired, mate. I’ll be fine,” I said, closing my eyes for a moment. The problem was that I couldn’t sleep; I was exhausted but unable to switch off my racing mind.
He suddenly took my hand and wrapped his fingers around it. Great, he was getting all emotional on me.
“You fucking scared the shit out of me, Max. I thought I’d bloody lost you,” he whispered.
“God, Ricky, I’m fine. Go and change your tampon, you girl. You know that I’m not good at any of this emotional crap,” I mumbled, telling myself that he was right. I could have died today and that would have been the end of Doomed Cases.
“You’re my partner, but also a friend and I know things have been shitty this last year. I just want you to know that I’m here for you.”
Okay, this was getting weird. Ricky was one of the most important people in my life. Things were tough and my addiction hadn’t made things easy for either of us. The friendship—no matter what, we always had each other and that was never going to change.
; “I know, old man, I know … but this case is over, and hopefully we don’t have to get involved with the royal family ever again,” I said, relieved and yet slightly sad.
“Maxine … shit, are you all right?”
Zachary barged into the room and stopped in his tracks, seeing Ricky holding my hand. He had a black eye and a few scratches on his face, and was still wearing his clothes from earlier on. Ricky pulled away from me instantly and got up.
“Yeah, I’m fine, battered but all right,” I said, discreetly wiping at the tear that sneaked out of my eye. “But it’s going to be a while before I can have sex again.”
I was trying to be funny, but Ricky looked at me like I had lost the plot. Zach walked up to my bed and winked.
“That can be arranged,” he said with an amused tone of voice. “The bomb. Rodriguez said that some crazy chick had an explosive and she was trying to blow up the palace with Prince George and Arthur in the ballroom.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Rodriguez really had surprised me here, but I guess that kind of mess could have only been explained in one way. Zach was going through what happened to him and deep down I wished that for once in my life I could tell him the truth. It wasn’t easy being a mongrel, especially a mongrel filled with secrets that had to lie on a daily basis.
Several hours later Zach left my side convinced that Alexis had kidnapped young George out of spite. She was jealous, filled with a grudge over what happened earlier on with Princess Layla. Apparently she was excluded from any royal official parties, because the princess had caught her sleeping with the King of Monaco’s younger son. Somehow Rodriguez’s story held together, but I wasn’t sure if I was willing to keep up with my lies. Zach was seeking his own closure, and maybe he needed to know the truth.
Alexis’s spell must have affected Zach too. At least a dozen of the other guards that remained in the palace had woken up several hours later, convinced that they were knocked out while searching for the intruder.
I had third degree burns all over my body, a fractured arm and the stitches that were sealing my cheek together had been replaced. Ricky had to smuggle in a lot of elixirs to keep me inside of the hospital for as long as it was necessary.
The next day I woke up feeling like someone had fired a shotgun at me. I told myself that this was the last time that I fought any mythological creatures.
Being in hospital gave me some time to think about everything that had gone on in my life over the last few years. It was something I needed.
When Ricky visited me later he mentioned that George was going to spend some time on the intensive care ward. He lost a lot of blood and needed surgery, so it was going to be a while before he would be back on his feet. I wasn’t worried about Arthur. He was in much better shape than his brother.
The burns from the A’rea’s wings were healing slower than I expected. Ricky had to experiment with certain potions to patch me back together again, because I was slowly losing my shit. I just wasn’t used to lying in bed all day long. I checked out from the hospital after only a few days. Ricky insisted on me staying in his luxury apartment. He liked to keep an eye on me.
I had spent too long sober, and eventually I called Paul. He brought magical tequila when Ricky was out. Yeah, I told myself that I would stop, but I was bored out of my mind and needed something extra to numb the pain. The ex-Watcher nearly broke down when he saw me. I wasn’t used to being around emotional men or demons. I promised him a game of poker soon and that kind of lifted him up.
It took three painful weeks of being stuck at home, but I recovered. The only downside was that I was still hooked on magical tequila. It was the only thing that kept me sane during the entire time.
When I settled back in my flat, I thought that things were fine, that I was alive, had a roof over my head and a job. No one could take that away from me.
Chapter 31
“On march the banners of the King of Hell.” ― Dante Alighieri, Inferno
“Maxine, it’s so good to see you. How are you feeling?” Emma squealed as I walked into the office a couple of days later. I smiled, kind of glad that she was still with us. I heard that she wanted to visit me so many times, but Ricky didn’t want her to see me in the state that I was in. We both needed to spare her any further stress.
“Fine, I’m good, healed and ready to rock the next case,” I said, sending a wink to Ricky, who was talking to a mongrel in his room. Emma came from behind her working station and hugged me. I was still stunned with her sudden affection.
“I’m so glad. Ricky kept saying that you needed time to recover,” she mumbled. “My daughter and I made you biscuits. We were both really worried.”
I smiled, happy that someone cared if I was dead or alive. In some ways, she reminded me of my mum. It was an odd nostalgic feeling, and I really needed to get a grip. The past was the past.
“Cool, well, it’s all good. You don’t have to worry anymore. Have you got any files for me?” I asked, taking a bite of the chocolate biscuit that tasted awesome.
“Of course, a few. Let me get them for you.”
I went to my room and sat in my chair, closing my eyes for a second. I felt good, being back. Rodriguez hadn’t heard anything from hell. Apparently Alexis had never gotten down to the pits and I had no idea how that was even possible. A lot of demons were currently searching for her.
Every day I hoped that she was securely locked up in the underworld. She knew what I was hiding and, since destroying her dream, I became her number one enemy. It’s not like I didn’t piss off people on a regular basis, but this was more serious than anything that I’d ever done. She could easily use her knowledge against me.
“Flower?”
I opened my eyes to see Arthur in front of me. I wanted to smile to myself. He wasn’t real. I was most likely hallucinating, but this time around I was completely sober. I glanced at Emma, who stood behind him, holding a pile of files in her arms. Her mouth was hanging open and she was staring at the prince, completely startled.
“Your Highness!” I shouted, jumping off the chair, like I just realised that this wasn’t a mirage. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s the prince… the real prince,” Emma kept whispering. Ricky walked out of his room and shot Arthur an unfriendly look. Yeah, he didn’t like the fact that Arthur was here. He started pushing Emma back to her desk.
I rubbed my brow, thinking that he looked bloody gorgeous as usual, wearing a casual cream blazer. His hair was longer than a few weeks ago, just the way I liked it.
“I needed to check on you, just to make sure you were all right. Can we talk, Flower? I don’t have much time,” he insisted and then shut the door behind him. The warmth drifted over my skin, reminding me of our times together. I fought hard with myself to keep away from any royal news and him. I thought a lot about the past, and I couldn’t let him ruin the fact that I put everything behind me.
“There is nothing to talk about, Arthur. You’re okay, your brother is going to be fine and you shouldn’t be here,” I told him with my cold tone of voice.
“You saved my life. I came here to thank you. Rodriguez told me everything, Maxine,” he said, squatting down on his knees in front of me. I backed away to the wall, panicking.
“Arthur? What the hell are you doing? Get up!” I hissed, ready to use my abilities to tell him that he was making a big mistake. He smiled wolfishly.
“Don’t worry, I’m not proposing. I’m only thanking you. Give me your hand, Maxine,” he said. I rolled my eyes, annoyed, but my heart was pounding in my chest. I did what he asked, and the warmth scorched over me like a sudden storm. This looked a lot like a marriage proposal. “You saved my skin and nearly died. That was brave and stupid. Now I want you to come back and work for me again.”
I had to go over a few times what he said before his sentence made sense. His eyes turned into a mossy shade of green, drifting down to my lips. God, the images of both of us from two years ago were so real. He was
asking me to come back and continue doing what I loved most. To protect others.
It took me only five seconds to get it together and pull away from him.
“We both know that’s not possible. I can’t work for royals. Nothing has changed,” I said firmly, trying to breathe at the same time.
“Everything has changed, Flower. I want you back. I told Rodriquez that no one could replace you. This is going to work, trust me.”
I sighed, pulling my hair away from my face.
“I’m dating someone now, and I have a full-time business to run, Arthur. Even if I came back, things wouldn’t be the same,” I said, knowing that lies were only making everything worse, but who cared. Arthur was off limits, and I wasn’t going to drag myself down the same road of destruction again.
He looked shocked, angry at first, but he smiled after a moment.
“We both know that you don’t date,” he responded coldly.
“Well, things have changed. I’m dating Zachary Quinton now and I’m happy, Arthur, so please don’t ruin this for me.”
He took a sharp breath, staring at me in complete disbelief. He always broadcasted his emotions so strongly, and I knew that he still loved me, but too much had happened between us. We were from different worlds and it was time for him to let me go.
“You’re dating that arsehole—”
“And you’re engaged to Natalie, Your Highness, so let’s leave it at that,” I cut him off, pissed off that he dared to mock my choices, insulting Zach. That whole thing was beneath him.
“Flower, please. You don’t have any future with that guy. Come back to me.”
“I don’t have any future with you either. This has to stop. Yes, I did save your life, but I was doing my job. Nothing has changed, Arthur, so stop tearing me apart. We are done,” I pressed, raising my voice.
We were so far apart, like we had never been before. Even if I could turn into a human somehow, Arthur couldn’t change a thing. His future was already laid out for him.
Doomed Cases Series Box Set Page 24