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  Zachary left shortly, not saying anything else, but I knew he was concerned about my safety. I doubted very much that he was going to find out anything useful. Humans were unaware of what was going on in the palace. Aside from that, now Zach and I were in a relationship. He didn’t have to tell me what he was thinking, because now we were bound to each other, so I was always aware of his emotions.

  I took a few deep breaths and sat down in the chair.

  “I’m going to break into the palace,” I said, after thinking about this for a while now.

  “Max, this is—”

  “Just listen to me for a second,” I cut Ricky off. “They aren’t expecting me. They want me to panic and hide, because that’s what I had been doing in the past. I need to attack Alexis when she least expects it. She’s just a demon that was healed by the royal blood. She might have a few powerful tricks up her sleeve, but my abilities are enchanted by Lucifer’s DNA. I might be a mongrel, but that bitch has no idea what I’m capable of.”

  Silence fell upon the group. Cyril looked uncertain and I was already buzzing with excitement, thinking that this was the best plan of action. Arthur had saved our daughter and Alexis needed to pay for taking him away from me. I was too angry to think rationally about this. It was time to act.

  “Maxine is right. The palace suspects her, but they are too afraid to act,” Emma backed me, but Ricky looked annoyed.

  “I’m not sure, Max, that this is such a good idea,” Ricky said. “The palace is riddled with security and everyone knows who you are. Alexis’s magic has advanced. What are you going to do once you get there? You need to bring her out to more neutral ground.” He was worried about me, and that was understandable. At the same time he knew that I couldn’t sit around or hide. I had done this too many times.

  “I used to be the head of security there,” I reminded them. “I know that place like the back of my hand and no one is going to expect to see me in there. Besides, some demons are most likely still on my side. The guards won’t believe anything Alexis told them. They knew that Arthur loved me.”

  “I don’t know, Max. Alexis is much more powerful than you think, now after she was reborn. Have you thought what would happen if you get caught?”

  I was annoyed that Ricky doubted me. We had been through a lot together and I truly believed that this was a good plan. I needed to do this. London was the place where I was born, where I built a life. My reputation mattered and Alexis wasn’t planning to back away.

  “Anyway, besides that. Cyril,” I said, turning towards my Asian friend, “what are you even doing here? There were witnesses that saw you helping me escape. Rodriguez must know that you betrayed him.”

  “Rodriguez thinks that you put a spell on me, that you forced me to help you. I had a pretty convincing story when I showed up at work two days ago.”

  “All right, in that case, Cyril can smuggle me into the palace. Once I find the bitch, I’ll open the gates and take care of her in hell,” I said, rubbing my hands together. Maybe I had no chance to fight with her on earth, but I had an advantage in hell. But my voice of reason reminded me that I had to stop being naive. Alexis was smart and she was being protected too. Even if I could get to her, no one could guarantee that I wouldn’t die too.

  “That may work. Rodriguez is desperate to hold on to his position and he still trusts me,” Cyril stated.

  “Then, sorted. I’m getting inside the palace and finishing that bitch. Ricky, I need to get some potions. How are your stocks?”

  We started discussing the new plan in detail, thinking about everything that could go wrong. I was getting a little distracted, with thoughts about Summer tangling my head.

  Cyril laid down the plans of the palace, telling us that Alexis had taken the upper floor. She had Arthur’s blood and that way she could manipulate the Queen, now that Rodriguez had given her an access.

  After a few hours and several empty containers of Chinese food, we decided that I needed to enter the palace officially with Cyril. I had to drink several potions in order to disguise my real appearance. This wasn’t hell and I knew that Alexis could sense me otherwise. Ricky, Zachary and Emma were going to play their part too. I was considering calling Nameless and Zara.

  My eyes were itching when we locked up the office earlier than planned. Several clients had called, informing Emma that they no longer needed our services. I wasn’t surprised when most of the demons had cut us off. No one wanted to be associated with me anymore. Rodriguez and Alexis wanted to make sure that I didn’t have any allies in the city.

  Once Alexis was wiped out and Rodriguez was sent down to the pits, my good name was going to be reinstated. I hadn’t been properly charged yet, and I had to act fast.

  Zach had asked me to meet him in the Broken Shoe later on. Cyril agreed that we needed to execute our plan tomorrow, but he asked me not to get in touch with him again until then. Ricky had brewed new elixirs and potions while I was away and when I showed up in his apartment later on.

  I needed to be ready and well prepared. Lucifer told me that my friends were my biggest assets, so I had organised a meeting with the whole crew later on. I didn’t like getting them involved, but after so many mistakes I thought that I needed all the help that I could get.

  Ricky was officially in a relationship with Emma and he wasn’t shy about it. We didn’t even have a chance to talk about it, but a lot must have happened when I was stuck in hell.

  They were snogging on the sofa when I walked into the room with the millions of flasks in my arms.

  “Oh come on … I’m still here,” I said. I still had no idea how I felt about it. Ricky was a womaniser and Emma was a single mother with a violent ex-husband. This wasn’t a great combination, but this wasn’t my business. I was hoping that they were going to last. My own decisions in the past proved that I was the last person that should give any relationship advice, and I had to admit that Ricky had never looked happier.

  I went home shortly after that, picked up a few things and puttered around my old space for a bit. Paul’s pub wasn’t too far from my flat and I was charged with magic walking through the gloomy streets of Brixton. I had been sober and off liquid magic for weeks now. For some reason I hadn’t missed being hungover at all.

  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,” said someone 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,” said the dark-haired one and then spit on the ground, right at 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 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 with her nails and scratched my face. 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 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,” said the other, 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 wha
t was going on. I pushed her away, glanced around and created a ball of flaming energy.

  “You’ll burn for it,” snarled the dark-haired one and used her magic anyway, not giving a damn about the consequences or the fact that anyone could notice 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 that went for me with her nails. Then my right leg went up in the air and I hit 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 towards 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 the glass. One shot is fine,” I asked, knowing that after that 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 on earth and using human women,” Paul said, shaking his head. “By the way, all the guys are at the back. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  I wanted to agree with him but knew that 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 that I was rubbing his mistakes in his face, but what’s done was done. We both knew that I screwed up as much as he had in the past.

  Nothing was going to change. Lucifer was just a demon that 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 other stepsisters and stepbrothers 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 the word about me being involved in Arthur’s death got to him too.

  At 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 that 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 whole 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 that 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 guess 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 in 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 that 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 friends 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 in 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 to the palace using the staff entrance. That way we were going to eliminate all the 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 a night in 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 much vivid and it was difficult to shut them away. Lucifer had given me his word, and I hoped that 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 that I rushed a thing with you, but in the end of the day we had this 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 that I had been unfair a little. 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.