“Mongrels are Lucifer’s creatures too. We all should be treated equally,” I said, knowing that this would never happen.
“Who knows what can be achieved if the priorities in hell are shifted?”
I didn’t understand what Morpheus meant by that, and I didn’t want to discuss this anymore. He bowed to me and vanished on the corner of the street moments later. It was a hell of an experience, but he must have realised that I didn’t want him to hold my hand any longer.
By the time I returned back to Ricky’s swanky place it was after two in the morning. I always thought that I knew what to expect in hell, but I had been wrong. Maybe it was unlimited death, suffering and pain. Now I couldn’t change what I promised to Morpheus. Lucifer wanted to have me down there, but for what purpose? That was still unknown.
I woke up early in the morning and went straight away to Ricky’s cupboard with magical potions. I tried to renew my connection with Matilda. Her magic would allow me to see what was happening with Summer, but yet again the spell failed to work. Filled with disappointment, I used the rest of the ingredients that I had left over to brew a few simple potions.
I had a lot of planning to do before I could head up north.
There were some leftovers in the fridge, so I stuffed my face thinking about my next move. After yesterday and my adventure with vodka on the rooftop, I was going to avoid alcohol for a while. When I drank I turned into a different person. Being sober meant being more focused.
I put some clothes on, fuelled my body with some potions, and went out. I had to show my face in the office. Emma was still going into work and Ricky had his pending cases that needed to be taken care of. The business was important, and I had to make sure that everything was in order before I set off on my trip up north.
I was scared to go back to Doomed Cases. The thought of empty rooms without Ricky turned my stomach upside down and I had to keep it together today. I couldn’t afford to break apart before my trip up north.
The ride in the tube was difficult. After last night my energy was more receptive to human emotions. The images of Conrad’s family were still pretty vivid. That little mongrel boy was innocent, and I wished that I could have done more—rather than standing around and accepting Bianca’s cruelty.
I didn’t spot any suspicious-looking demons near the building, so I went inside. The door to the agency was ajar, so I tapped into my energy. I was ready to strike someone with a spell, when strong arms embraced me from behind. I didn’t think this time, and using my strength I flipped the body down to the ground, wrapping my fingers around the man’s throat.
“Hm, Flower, such powerful foreplay. Maybe we should kiss first,” Zach said, winking at me.
“What are you doing here and why the hell are you sneaking up on me like that?” I asked, pissed off that he caught me off guard. I helped him get up, ignoring my sparkling fingers. This had been happening a lot lately.
He didn’t answer. He simply walked up to me, grabbed my face and then kissed me. A moment passed, and I considered pulling away, but the heat was staggering. Desire fuelled my body, riding through me like a storm. Zach was intense, hot, and he was turning the blood into my veins into boiling lava.
“Well, well, well. Maxine and her lover,” said a voice we both recognised.
I pulled away from Zach and noticed Arthur in the doorway, staring at us with a stoic look on his face.
Chapter 18
“My eyes were now so fixedly intent to free themselves from that decade-long thirst that every sense but sight had been eclipsed.” ―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
“Hi, Arthur,” I said, and pulled away from Zach’s strong chest. Gee, that was awkward. Zach took me by surprise and now I had Arthur here, looking uncomfortable and apprehensive. Zach wasn’t too happy either that we had been interrupted yet again. The prince was jealous, but he refused to show any emotions. He didn’t have to. I sensed everything that was going on inside his heart. I couldn’t keep playing this game with him. The last twenty-four hours convinced me that he deserved to know at least some of the truth.
“I see that you have your priorities straightened out, Max,” Arthur said coldly, and then walked through the door. I had no idea where Emma was. She was supposed to be guarding the desks.
The two men glared at each other for several seconds. I hated that things between us were so messed up and now Zach was here complicating my situation even more.
“Zach, would you mind giving us some space?” I asked, knowing that I owed Arthur at least an apology. Zach was marking his territory again, claiming me as his girlfriend. He obviously wasn’t going to give up, even after what happened between us the other day. At first I thought he was sticking with me because of his sister, but there was also that scorching attraction between us.
“Oh, don’t bother. The detective can stay. I’m planning to make it short,” Arthur barked, looking around. He was angry and hurt. I hadn’t even considered his help when it came to Summer. Yesterday I promised myself that I would at least tell him part of the truth. Now he was standing in front of me, and I wasn’t sure what exactly I was able to reveal.
“I’ll be outside,” Zach told me, and quickly disappeared behind the doors. Arthur most likely had already figured out that the detective had developed feelings for me. He ought to understand that none of this was planned.
I took a deep breath, and met Arthur’s eyes. He wanted to hate me, but he couldn’t. His pain was unbearable, drifting inside me like a parasite. Over time his anger must have shifted into depression. Someone from the staff must have leaked information about the prince to the press. I regretted for months that I lied, but there was no point beating myself over it right now. I could keep going, but not after what I saw in his residence.
“Before you say anything, I need to say something first,” I began, putting aside my own feelings. The love between us was burned out, but that didn’t matter anymore.
“Fine, go ahead,” he snapped.
“I get that you want to find her, Arthur, and you do have every right to her, but you have to give me some time. This whole thing is very complicated.”
Arthur lifted his eyebrows, looking surprised probably because I finally said something other than lies. There were some aspects of the truth that needed to stay hidden. Rodriguez was stepping on my toes and provoking him could get me into even more trouble.
“What are you saying, Maxine?”
I dragged my hand through my hair, thinking about an explanation that he could understand.
“Summer is your daughter too and I want you to meet her, but she isn’t in London.”
Maybe I was giving him false promises, but once I disappeared down in hell, Matilda could take Summer to him. Arthur could never admit that she was his, but it was some sort of start.
“You lied to me about adoption. I know that you wouldn’t have given her away,” he said.
“Please don’t ask for anymore information. Right now I’m making you a promise that you will see her, but you have to let me do this my way,” I explained, probably not making myself clear. We both knew that my word was unbreakable. Arthur knew from the past that I always kept my word, no matter what.
He dragged his hand through his hair, like he wasn’t quite believing my words. He was conflicted about me, about what happened between us in the past.
“I wish you would have told me sooner. You made this decision for me,” he said, shaking his head. Even after so many days, he didn’t want to believe that I kept such a secret for two long years.
“I can’t change the past. It was tough and I was convinced that I was doing the right thing. I’m sorry,” I said. I should have apologised to him sooner, maybe asked him to put himself in my shoes.
He wanted to shout and scream that he hated me, but deep down he was still in love with me.
“Fine, I came here to tell you that I had enough of waiting,” he admitted. “But I respect your wish. I will give you time.”
<
br /> There was nothing else to say. This issue was settled for now. I kept wishing that I could reveal more, but I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle more obscure facts.
Arthur nodded and then left without another word.
Several minutes later I looked out the window, seeing him getting into the car. Jon was in front, and so was the rest of his entourage. My heart skipped a beat, when Zachary walked into the room.
“You gave him a false promise,” he pointed out.
“No, I didn’t. My word is good. Now, he understands that he has to sit tight and wait,” I said, hoping that Arthur would be able to keep his word too and stop getting in my way. Zachary must have realised that the truth was always limited. I had made a deal with the devil and now I needed to live with the consequences. “But I have some news.”
“News?”
“Alexis is heading up north. She’s after something that’s located in Matilda’s home,” I explained. “You can head over there with me. I’m planning to surprise her.”
“You don’t even have to ask, Flower,” he said, with that cheeky smile. “And we are not done with that kiss. We both know that you want me, so maybe we should just get it over and done with already.”
I laughed, knowing that he was serious. Sex, yeah, one of the eternal luxuries that people enjoyed on earth. I wanted to jump to his bones, but we had other pressing matters that we had to take care of first.
“Zach I’m sorry about the oth—”
“Save it, Flower, I get it,” he replied. “You are under pressure, so it’s understandable.”
“So do you think that Arthur will believe me?”
“He should, and now I do understand why you did it. You hid a kid from the future king. You sacrificed yourself because you wanted to protect him.”
“I wouldn’t have done it again. Now everything has fallen apart,” I admitted, thinking about Arthur’s pain.
“Maybe, but that was a hell of a thing, Flower. I admire you,” he told me, and he meant that. After all that, he still wanted to have a relationship with me. Things had gotten out of control many times before, and even though I’d fallen for him, committing to him would be a mistake.
“Thank you, but you don’t have to come. It’s my issue. I get it that you want to help me, but Alexis is dangerous. She nearly killed Ricky. Maybe you should consider staying in London this time around.”
“Don’t try to talk me out of it. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not. Actually I took some time off work to concentrate fully on helping Zara. My mother doesn’t know, but I want to bring Cornelia to her.”
“Hey, guys, it’s good to see you here. So is there a new plan? I have to admit that I enjoyed our trip to that strange street the other day,” Emma suddenly interrupted us, walking into the office. She was very cheerful and happy. Well, normally she liked talking a lot, but today she seemed overjoyed about something.
“No plan at all. Zach and I are going away up north. You should stay here and take care of the clients that might want to speak to me,” I said, hoping that she would get the hint that this whole trip was too dangerous for her. She was a mother and a human.
As her thoughts reached me I finally got why she appeared so happy. She went to visit Ricky yet again in the hospital. For a brief second I thought that he had woken up, but it was a wishful thinking.
“No, I want to help. Ricky must make some progress. You have to take me with you, Maxine. I’m part of the team and the detective here only wants to get in your pants,” she exclaimed, sounding quite serious. Zach started laughing really loudly, and I rolled my eyes.
“Someone has to stay in the agency and keep an eye on Ricky, darling. Apart from that, no one is getting into anyone else’s pants,” I mumbled, shaking my head.
Emma had liked Ricky from the beginning, but I must have missed something in the past few days. I told myself that she couldn’t have fallen for him, but her emotions were overwhelming. I wasn’t planning to say anything in front of Zach, but the two of us were going to have a chat. Emma was sweet and kind. She deserved the best man that was out there, but Ricky was a demon. He wasn’t a guy that could commit and I didn’t want to see her heartbroken. How was I going to tell her that the relationship between a human and a demon could never work?
“You just want me to stay out of trouble, that’s okay. I’ll visit Ricky and tell him about my day. He would appreciate it, and I think it will be better if someone keeps an eye on him here,” she chuckled, thinking about his body. God, I really needed to stop getting into her head like that.
Zach raised his eyebrows, signalling to me that he had noticed Emma’s good mood too. This wasn’t the time to bring this up. We were going for a trip and I didn’t know how long we would be away. Well, I wasn’t planning to show up in London until Summer was with me. The plan was shaky at best, but it had to do for now.
“All right, yes. You should stay here and deal with any clients. If they ask, tell them that the owner is fighting for his life in the hospital,” I told her, and then went to my own room to check for anything that could be useful there. Potion ingredients, herbs, some knives and a fresh bottle of liquid magic. I had to retract that, and opened the drawer again. Yeah, someone had left it in there, and it wasn’t me. There was a note too.
I have to apologise. Don’t cross me off yet.
Paul.
So the retired Watcher, or angel—who the hell knew who he was now—broke into my office and that wasn’t cool. I couldn’t believe that he dared to leave this shit in my personal drawer. Didn’t he realise that I was an addict?
I stared at the golden liquid and my throat began to burn. I wanted to taste it, knowing that everything would suddenly be better, but as far as I was concerned, Paul couldn’t be trusted anymore.
I had too many other things on my mind to worry about and I couldn’t afford to become the drunk, unpredictable Maxine again.
I picked out what I could and charmed the lock, making sure that this bottle wouldn’t temp me another time. The tiny voice in my head reminded me that I was done being an addict.
“Right, let’s get going. I have to pop over to my flat and pick up a few things,” I announced. Zach was standing by the window. He was lost in his own thoughts. The striking heat rolled over my stomach, letting me know that he was still available. That night in the car, he stripped me down and looked into my soul.
“Where are we going?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
“North of England. Meet me in Victoria in two hours,” I requested, telling myself that I had to get it together. In any other circumstances I would have gone with the flow, but my priorities had shifted.
He nodded and then left. Emma sat on her usual spot, sorting out her stationary. I placed my hand on her arm, sensing that she was unsure about what the future held for her and all of us.
“Don’t worry, he’s going to make it,” I said, thinking about hugging her, but then I changed my mind. She jumped off her seat and a second later she was squeezing me hard.
“Oh, I hope so. I just want everything to go back to the way it was,” she cried, with her sweet tone of voice. My body stiffened, but I kept breathing, telling myself that friends showed each other affection.
Several minutes later when I left the agency and started walking through the streets, I wiped the tears away. I never cried, well, I kept telling myself that I was too tough for this shit, but friends meant everything to me. Ricky had to get better, but his vitals were decreasing each day. That curse was deadly and his time was running out. This trip had to be successful, and with magic or without, I was planning to kill Alexis with my bare hands.
Chapter 19
“These beings, full of happiness to see the face of God from which there is none who hide, at no point turned their eyes away from that.” ―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I hadn’t been up in my flat for a little while, well, since things went wrong in Gjöll. Rodriguez was looki
ng for me, using his position to get me under his control. He knew that I lived around here since he caught me by surprise in my local pub. I had a feeling that Lucifer himself was on my side and Rodriguez was going to abuse his position for as long as that was possible.
After relying on Ricky’s demonic books I needed to stock up my collection of potions. Fighting with Alexis wasn’t going to be easy and in the past several days my stocks had been running on empty.
I walked towards my street, staying vigilant and using my demonic energy to detect if there were any suspicious-looking demons nearby. I dared to wonder what was happening with Mrs. Patel. She liked checking on her tenants from time to time, and I had been late with my rent for several weeks now. My savings from the office were mostly gone, and I had kept some cash in the floorboards. It wasn’t much, but this money would have to tide me over for the next few months.
Ten minutes later after I made sure that it was safe for me to enter the car park, I sneaked into the building. I suspected that Rodriguez had someone watching my place, but it’d been weeks since I had been here.
When I got to the second floor and approached my door, my senses indicated that my flat had been broken into. The door was ajar, and I felt burning magic in the air. Walking in on my tiptoes, I discovered the whole place trashed—furniture was either broken or upside down, drawers had been emptied out, my dishes had been smashed to pieces. The contents of almost every item in the kitchen cupboard were spread on the floor. The burning smell of magic wafted around. I stood in the threshold, clenching my fists and cursing the old demon. He was the only one that could have done this. Rodriguez most likely sent his pit-bull Watchers to make sure that I wasn’t hiding anything. There was no point crying over my clothes or collection of DVDs, so I went straight to the bedroom.
Doomed Cases Series Box Set Page 59