Doomed Cases Box Set: The Complete Collection Books 1- 4 & Prequel Page 3

  My head hurt as memories about Arthur resurfaced. Now I had to come up with a new plan. After all, I wanted to keep this child, not even knowing if I was capable of raising it.

  I had to get out of here and speak to Ricky. There was no way I could get back to London, unless …

  “Just a word of advice,” Sonia interrupted my train of thought.

  “Yes?” I asked, realising that either way, I needed to stay with Ronan for another eight months and a bit.

  “Stop thinking that it might work out with a human. They are the weak link within demonic society. You’re on your own. The sooner you realise that, the stronger you will become.”

  “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” I added, then turned around, ready to disappear. I didn’t wait for Ronan. He had to respect my decision and let me get on with it. We were friends, and he was ready to help me earlier on. I left the cave, moving through the rocky shore, petrified that now everything could turn against me.

  Was I weak?

  Maybe, but I couldn’t go through with the abortion.

  I couldn’t become a woman who was too scared to face the consequences of unprotected sex. It was then or never, and I chose to risk everything for someone who wasn’t even born yet.

  When I returned to the cottage, it was just after one in the morning. Ronan had chosen to stay with Sonia. They obviously had other matters to discuss, and their relationship was none of my business. I went over everything, and I told myself that I had made my choice. I had options, but instead of thinking about what to do next, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialled Ricky’s number.

  “Wow, Maxine, I thought you said that you wouldn’t be in touch? Is everything okay?” he asked as soon as he answered the phone.

  I took a deep breath and squeezed my phone, cutting the blood circulation to my fingers. My throat felt tight, but I had to tell him everything. He was the only one who would understand what I was thinking.

  “I tried to have an abortion, Rick. Ronan took me to this female demon, but I couldn’t do it,” I said, getting straight to the point. There was silence on the other end of the phone.

  “He talked you into it, didn’t he?” Ricky asked, throwing accusations straight away. My voice was lost, but I had to keep going and tell him exactly what I was planning.

  “No. Ronan only did what I asked for. I was stupid, thought it would solve everything, but eventually, I backed out,” I told him. “That demon female mentioned that I might figure out who the father is later, when the baby becomes more active.”

  “I’ve heard about it, but that won’t change the fact that you’re going to be a mother, Maxine. What if Arthur is the father of your child?”

  I rubbed my forehead, wanting to stick to everything I planned to tell him. Yeah, I was following my emotions earlier on, made a rushed decision, but in the end, the child had to have a good start in life.

  “I will find someone who will take care of it, Ricky, possibly adoption. We both know that I’m not mother material. I can barely take care of myself.”

  “It’s different now, but once you hold this creature in your arms, your perspective will change. Don’t jump hoop yet, Maxine; think about it,” he muttered, and I sensed that he wanted to say more, but he was hesitating.

  “What’s wrong, Ricky? Is it the business?” I pressed, really missing him and the agency. After I got fired from the palace, we lost a lot of clients, but Ricky was smart. He could get everything back up and running in no time.

  “Arthur came to my place a few times before he left for Afghanistan.”

  My heart made a happy dance in my chest, covering the fact that earlier on, I was slowly dying, thinking that I would never see him again. The sudden pain came back like an arrow, piercing through my heart.

  I didn’t say anything, waiting for him to continue. There was probably more. Well, it looked like he cared a little.

  “He wanted to know what happened to you. He got violent a few times,” Ricky continued, sounding normal. He would never betray me or reveal my location. We had an understanding, and I knew that I had to dismiss Arthur’s efforts. He was far away right now, thousands of miles away in a foreign country. “The guy still loves you, and I don’t know, maybe you should have tried talking to him.”

  I hated when Ricky got emotional.

  “Don’t try to make me feel better. We are done. My whole career is ruined. It’s better this way,” I insisted, remembering how humiliated I was, standing in front of the Queen and her entourage.

  “He showed up drunk and hurt. For the first time, I felt bad for the guy. He genuinely had no idea what happened.”

  My mind was spinning, but I kept telling myself that Ricky was wrong. Arthur knew that I got fired from my post. We were done fooling around and I had risked enough. It was time to stop thinking about that and concentrate on my unborn child.

  “I don’t care. It would never work, anyway. Ricky, I’m staying here until I give birth. No one can know, do you understand?”

  “Don’t treat me like an idiot. You’re like my family, Max, and I’m behind you a hundred percent,” he added, as if to say that he would help me take care of this child, but that was highly unlikely.

  “I know that, but I’m scared and lost.”

  “Don’t be. You’re Maxine, the toughest and most unbreakable woman I’ve ever known. You will be fine,” Ricky said, pumping me with positivity. I smiled into the phone, thinking that this was what I needed. I hung up several minutes later, realising that he was right. I could do this. I could be a mother, despite the odds.

  Several weeks had passed since my conversation with Ricky, and I stayed hidden, not doing much at all. After some time, I told myself that I had to show Ronan a bit more gratitude. He took me into his home while he tried carrying on with his own life, at the same time, looking after all my needs. It was a big task, especially for someone who didn’t like people very much.

  It was odd being pregnant. I was sick all the time until the first trimester had finally passed. Every day, I kept staring at my stomach, wondering what I would do when my due date arrived. My demonic energy shifted, and I had been lighting stuff up randomly, pretty much all the time.

  Being a half demon, I couldn’t go with a standard adoption, and on top of that, I was stuck in this small village with no way of getting out. I was afraid of being recognised, even being as far away from London as possible.

  Ronan kept shaking his head every time he looked at me. I was getting heavier, and the months began disappearing, but my pain remained.

  I still remembered when I felt the baby’s movement for the first time. I was overjoyed with the fact that I didn’t drink that potion.

  My days were filled mostly with reading and staring out the window. Ronan asked me not to hang around in the village any longer, especially when I started showing. Everyone knew Ronan; he had quite a reputation in the village, and he just didn’t want people to talk.

  It was two weeks later when I woke up late at night with the awareness that Watchers were close by. This had never happened to me before, and I never thought that they could find me in a place like this, but five seconds later, I was standing on my feet ready to run.

  The baby was kicking continuously, and the fear instantly scorched through me. It was clear that they had tracked me down, and it was time for me to disappear.

  Suddenly, images of a man from my past assaulted my mind. In that moment, I finally suspected the true identity of the baby’s father.

  Chapter 4

  I shot out of the bed and ran downstairs, knowing that my time was limited. The Watchers couldn’t have known that I was hiding here. They must have been patrolling this area off chance, hoping to find a demon who wasn’t supposed to be living amongst humans.

  I paced around the kitchen for a moment, thinking about what to do. I didn’t have the time or strength to use any charms, so I had to disappear. Panic pulsed through my legs. The baby was very active, moving swiftly inside m
y stomach.

  Ronan was out; his bed was empty. There must have been a reason that Watchers showed up here in the middle of the night. Maybe I had made a mistake trusting him, but at the same time, I didn’t want to believe he would sell me out like that.

  No one apart from Ricky and Ronan knew I was here.

  I shivered with cold when I opened the front door and stepped on the grass barefoot, glancing around. In the past few months, I tried to stay on form, and running was the only exercise that allowed me to feel free. Now I could only rely on my legs. I started moving through the forest, thinking about Ricky and the agency.

  The Watchers’ intense energy collided with mine. They were aware that I was close, and they were summoning me over to them. There was a possibility that they were working for someone who wanted to find me. No one apart from Berith himself had any power over them, but these days, anything was possible.

  They were aggravated that I wasn’t responding, most likely already aware that I was trying to get away. My heart was jackhammering in my chest. I was slow and vulnerable.

  My feet were moving, and that tiny voice in my head kept telling me to stop running and try to reason with them. Maybe in any other circumstance I would have tried that, but right then, I didn’t want to take any chances. The Watchers would have sensed I was carrying a mongrel baby inside my womb. Then the uncomfortable questions would follow, and I wasn’t ready to reveal anything about my past.

  I was moving fast through the bushes, circulating between the trees, my breath laboured. The energy surfaced all over, making me slightly dizzy.

  Where was Ronan when I needed him the most?

  After so many years, he was still the only person, apart from Ricky, who I trusted with all my heart. I didn’t believe he had anything to do with them. There had to be a traitor, someone who wanted to see me in Hell.

  Sweat dripped down my face. I stopped for a second and listened in. I heard voices behind me. My lungs were burning, and the forest seemed to be getting darker and wilder.

  A year ago, I probably would have escaped easily, but right then, I was eight months pregnant and already exhausted. My demonic energy boosted my strength a little, but my body indicated that I had to stop and rest.

  The Watchers wanted to use their energy against my will. I was most likely the only other mongrel in the area, and by running, I had given them a reason to chase after me.

  Moments later I stumbled, missing a protruding rock, and falling facedown on the ground. Burning pain shot through my leg, but I ignored it. I instantly touched my stomach, making sure the baby was all right. I thought that the chase was over, the Watchers were too close, when something else, or rather someone else, caught my attention.

  There was a woman standing by the tree, staring back at me. She had a basket in her right hand. I pushed myself back on my knees, breathing hard. Her dark eyes moved over my silhouette, stopping on my stomach. The Watchers were closing in on me.

  She must have sensed them, too, because suddenly, I felt her energy circulating around me. Hell, I had no idea what she was, but I knew she wasn’t a demon. Even in the darkness, her features were extraordinary, her magic reviving.

  “We need to get close to each other. They won’t be able to sense you this way,” she told me. I hesitated for a second, wondering if I could trust her. In the end, I had no other option, so I obeyed her. I couldn’t carry on running.

  I dragged myself up off the ground, and then she came closer. I didn’t know what happened after that, but she covered us both with her dark cloak, whispered some words, and leaned down to me.

  “Don’t move; they won’t be able to notice us. My magic will protect us.”

  I wanted to argue, but the Watchers’ energy surrounded the place all of a sudden. Paralysing fear spread through me quickly, tightening my throat. A moment later, two Watchers emerged from the trees in their true forms. Their snow-white wings were impressive, shining in the darkness.

  One of them was tall and slender, and his blue eyes moved over the space, stopping right on me.

  This was it. I was going down. There was no way that this woman could make me suddenly invisible, but I forced myself to stop breathing for a few long moments.

  “I lost her demonic soul,” he stated. I nearly screamed, holding my stomach when the baby kicked hard. It obviously didn’t like me in any sort of distress.

  The other Watcher looked around; he was disoriented.

  “She must be close. She’s just a mongrel,” he said, dragging his hand through his hair. “Let’s move. We can’t lose her.”

  The taller one shook his head, and a moment later, they carried on walking through the forest.

  I couldn’t believe it. Somehow, they weren’t able to see me. This was impossible. The woman’s arm was on my back, and her magic felt unbelievable. The Watchers had disappeared, but we stayed under her cloak for a few more minutes until I could breathe normally again.

  “Thank you … I can’t understand—”

  “I’m a warlock. My magic is different than the magic of any ordinary demon,” she said, smiling. Only then did I realise that she must have been right. I had heard about warlocks, but I never believed that they still lived on Earth. It was dark, but I could still see that she had long red hair and wide green eyes.

  “Thank you. If they had found me, I would have been as good as dead,” I explained, wondering what she wanted in exchange. There weren’t many warlocks left on Earth because it was populated by so many demons. Ricky once told me that Lucifer began hunting them down years ago when they were powerful.

  “I sensed your fear miles away and your child’s fear, too,” she said. “I was picking up some herbs, hoping to keep away from any demons and humans.”

  I stood up and felt like my legs were going to give out at any second. She caught my arms, sending me a sharp wave of energy. It was a spike that I needed, but at the same time, I hated being so weak and exposed.

  “I will walk you back to a safe place,” she informed me.

  “They weren’t supposed to know that I was here, and my friend wouldn’t betray me like this,” I explained, feeling confused. I had no idea if it was safe for me to go back to Ronan. What if there were more Watchers waiting for me there?

  “You’re trying to protect your baby, that’s understandable,” she said, and her eyes gleamed with joy.

  “It’s complicated. I’ve left my whole life behind, and in the end, I’m still a coward,” I said, thinking about the cave and Sonia. I had wanted to kill my baby, just because I was willing to protect someone who wasn’t in my life anymore.

  “I’ll walk with you. The Watchers are trying their chances. Sometimes they patrol these remote areas. I messed around with their sense of direction, so they won’t be able to track us down.”

  I called up my demonic power, and her words instantly calmed the baby down. Every part of me indicated that I should start running, but on the other hand, this creature had just saved my life. Maybe I was simply paranoid. The Watchers weren’t here for me; they were just passing through this area, and then they must have sensed me. Everything was suddenly very clear.

  “All right, you’re right. I should go back to the cottage. My name is Maxine, by the way,” I said. She gave me a warm smile and took my arm.

  “Matilda. I was married to a demon once, and when I’m around others, I tend to conceal my true nature,” she explained. “I live in this area, alone.”

  “So you’re truly a warlock?” I asked, just to be sure that my own senses weren’t misleading me.

  “A widowed warlock, yes,” she admitted with another smile. “Your baby is going to be due soon, and you’re scared, confused about its future,” she pointed out like she was reading my mind.

  We started walking through the woodlands. It was probably very late, and Ronan was most likely looking for me.

  “Isn’t that obvious? This pregnancy wasn’t planned, for sure,” I said, thinking about Arthur again. God, I re
ally needed to get a grip and stop believing that we ever had a real shot.

  “I always wanted to be a mother, but sadly, warlocks aren’t able to reproduce,” she said unexpectedly. “I don’t want to be insensitive, but what’s your story? Why are you hiding here?”

  I wiped the sweat off my forehead. We were alone, and I wasn’t sure if it was safe for me to talk about my past, but she seemed genuinely interested. After all, Matilda helped me get rid of the Watchers, so there was no point being secretive. Eventually they would have figured out who I was, and then I would’ve had no other choice but to leave with them.

  I started talking then. I didn’t know why, but I started telling her about my stupid decisions, about what happened when I got the job in the palace. The past nine months were tough. I was isolated and lonely. Maybe from Ronan’s perspective, I was putting myself in danger, trusting a stranger, a warlock, but this felt natural.

  Then I told her about Doomed Cases, about Ricky and Arthur. The baby was moving, but in a calm manner while I was telling her about getting dumped by the royals.

  “Well, that’s a hell of a story, Maxine,” she concluded as we reached Ronan’s cottage. She was right: there was no sign of Watchers anywhere near, but Ronan himself was waiting outside.

  “Where the hell have you been? I came back an hour ago and your bed was empty,” Ronan shouted when he saw me. A moment later, he saw Matilda and he released some of his energy.

  “Calm down, this is Matilda, she’s hidden me from two Watchers who were snooping in the area. I woke up sensing them, and panicked,” I explained.

  “A warlock, well, that’s unexpected. Please, come in before Maxine goes into labour at my front door,” Ronan muttered, shaking his head. It was dawn when the three of us sat down at the table with a warm cup of tea.

  “I work for myself these days, run a pottery business in the middle of the forest,” Matilda explained after Ronan warmed up to her a bit more and explained that he had been out hunting earlier on. “Maxine is lucky that you’re helping her. Her situation sounds complicated.”