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

  “She should have gotten rid of that child when she had a chance. It’s a grave risk. If the child has royal blood, then her time on Earth is truly going to be over.”

  Ronan didn’t have to repeat that. I already knew the consequences, but in the end, I couldn’t kill this little human inside me. Soon, I needed to make a decision.

  “This child grows inside her womb for a reason. Maxine made the right choice. You can’t condemn it. Mongrel or a human, it doesn’t matter. It’s a blessing,” Matilda stated quite fiercely.

  “You’re a warlock, and you have no idea what will happen to her or this child if it turns out that the royal is the father.”

  “Ronan, please, now is not the time. Matilda saved me and that’s the bottom line. Let’s talk about something else,” I warned him, getting tired of his arguments. I made a commitment to myself, and now he needed to accept it.

  “We both know that you won’t be able to keep it, Max. Adoption is the only way forward, and you haven’t found anyone suitable. This child will bring you down to Hell!”

  Suddenly my hormones were raging, and I wanted to cry, but Ronan was right. I had been isolating myself in the past few months. Soon I was going to be holding this child in my arms, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to look after it.

  An awkward silence stretched for a moment. Matilda was staring back at me. It was strange that I couldn’t sense her emotions. I had never met a warlock, but it was clear that they weren’t at all like humans. I was suddenly curious about her powers.

  “I will take care of it,” I mumbled, feeling less and less like myself, the tough and strong mongrel.

  “Maxine, we just met, but I believe in destiny. I would be willing to look after your child. Once you give it away for adoption, you will never see it again. Deep down we both know that you are not ready to give it away to strangers.”

  Ronan and I looked at Matilda with sudden disbelief. What felt like a bunch of ice cubes, cascaded down to my stomach, because in that moment, I realised that she was right. I wasn’t willing to give my child away, despite everything that happened in the past.

  Chapter 5

  This whole thing seemed completely surreal. She wanted to take care of my child. I was sitting at the table staring at the woman I had just met, thinking that she couldn’t have been serious. From the very beginning, I knew that arranging a legal adoption was going to be tough. Giving away my child to complete strangers was something that I never thought I’d actually go through with.

  “Don’t be absurd, woman. Maxine will know who fathered her child at birth, possibly later. She needs to get ready to forget about the infant as soon as possible,” Ronan said, shaking his head.

  I opened my mouth to say something, but then changed my mind. Matilda kept staring at me intensely, and even though I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, I knew that she wanted to help me.

  “Maxine doesn’t want to give her child away, Ronan. She’s tormented. My own life is empty, and I would be honoured to look after it until Maxine figures out what to do. I don’t expect you to make a rush decision.”

  Ronan pursed his lips and one of the flasks sitting on the windowsill exploded. Okay, so he was determined to get his point across, being a stubborn old man. Seconds later his thoughts came through. He was telling me that I was risking too much. I needed to remind myself that he was only trying to look after me.

  This woman was a warlock and trusting her like that was a mistake. Most demons didn’t even realise that warlocks existed. Ricky had told me that a few of them lived in London, but I never had a chance to face any of them. Their past was filled with mystery, but I wanted to trust Matilda.

  I had thought about adoption long and hard, but deep down, I still wasn’t sure. Humans wouldn’t know that the baby was special, but later, the magic would interrupt their lives.

  “Matilda is right, Ronan. I don’t know what to do, and this new option sounds reasonable,” I finally said, playing with the ring on my finger, the ring that was supposed to symbolise my love for Arthur.

  Matilda tossed her red hair behind her and touched my hand. I wanted to pull it away, but that didn’t happen. Somehow, the warmth that spread through me suddenly eased the tension inside my body.

  Ronan and I felt the Warlock’s magic circulating around, and maybe I was crazy to even consider this, but after all, I didn’t know what else to do.

  “Adoption is the way forward, Maxine, and no offence, but we don’t know anything about this woman,” Ronan pointed out, making a face.

  “None taken. I understand that you’re both reluctant, but I’m happy to spend some time with Maxine until the baby is born. This way, maybe you can get to know me and trust me.”

  “Do what you want, Maxine, but don’t run crying to me when this doesn’t work out. I’m washing my hands of it,” Ronan said, finally getting up from the table. The sun was rising on the horizon, and I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to pull my thoughts together.

  This child was a blessing, but it was also a curse if it turned out that Arthur was the father.

  “Stay with me a few weeks before my due date. I’m not saying yes just yet, but this is the best solution of them all, Matilda,” I told her, pushing images of Ricky out of my head.

  He could easily talk me out of it, but I had at least six more weeks to fully commit myself to this plan.

  “I have been living alone for the past five years, putting a lot of hours into my business. It would be an honour for me to take care of your child. All my family is dead, and my husband is in Hell. It’s a new purpose, something that would make me happy,” Matilda said and then got up, too.

  I didn’t say anything else, thinking that maybe this whole thing was unbelievably stupid, but deep down, I trusted her already. Warlock or not, I knew that she had a good soul.

  We exchanged some details, and I walked her to the edge of the forest. We talked a bit more, trying to get to know each other better. Matilda left an hour later, assuring me that she would be back.

  I went inside the cottage feeling conflicted and lost. The child was kicking, and my internal voice was telling me that I couldn’t take it back to London, and I wasn’t willing to give it up for adoption.

  Matilda was my solution, possibly a miracle sent from Hell. It was either that or leaving everything behind and disappearing. The problem was, that I wasn’t ready to vanish just yet.

  No one else visited me, and the Watchers didn’t show up again. Matilda’s magic must have worked, and I was suddenly very glad that our paths had crossed. A few weeks before my due date, I was planning to relocate, but now, it was almost impossible.

  Ronan believed that I was too vulnerable to move around, and he wanted me to stay put, as far away from the demonic community as possible.

  Matilda came back four weeks later, and after some gentle persuasion, Ronan agreed to let her stay over in the cottage. I was lucky that my and Ronan’s paths had crossed years ago. Deep down I knew that he had a kind soul.

  I had never had any friends. Ricky had been part of my life for as long as I could remember, so it was going to take me a while to get used to having someone around me all the time.

  Matilda talked about her life, slowly letting me into her world. She was taking her time. She probably sensed that I didn’t trust many people. I wasn’t sleeping well, with thoughts about the past and Arthur keeping me up most of the time.

  In the last two weeks, I learnt from Matilda that warlocks were able to produce extraordinary power: they could manipulate fire and human thoughts. Matilda was particularly good with potions and remedies. Demons had been afraid of them, only because they were afraid of their powers. Matilda had married her husband for love, but his family betrayed him.

  He was taken down to Hell when he tried to protect her from other demons, and she had been hiding ever since.

  I didn’t know how, but we connected emotionally and spiritually. Matilda was kind, caring, and she taught me to stay positiv
e.

  As the due date approached, I grew more conscious about what my life would be like after the birth. I spoke to Ricky again, and some of the news from London caused me further aggravation. Arthur had gotten engaged to Natalie Morgan. Ricky didn’t want to talk about him, but eventually, he had to tell me that the future king was finally over me.

  Then, during one evening, at least ten days before my due date, my water broke. I went into labour two hours later, completely unprepared and petrified. Ronan was out sorting some business in the village, so I had to rely on Matilda. My energy went berserk, igniting various things in the cottage. Ronan had to use special potions to keep my powers under control. I couldn’t touch anything; my fingertips were inflamed. The contractions were getting stronger. Everything changed an hour later.

  Around five a.m., I started screaming at the top of my lungs, experiencing the worst pain in my life. I thought that labour wasn’t going to be that hard. Millions of women went through it, often more than once, but I couldn’t stand the agonising pain.

  “Maxine, I’ll use a little magic to help you relax.” I heard Matilda’s voice close to me.

  It didn’t work, because the pain was unbelievable. Sweat was dripping down my face, and I was ready to rip that child apart. I just prayed for it to stop hurting. I didn’t know how long I was in labour, but at some point, Matilda told me to start pushing. Then I heard Ronan in the room, too. He must have sensed my distress, so he came back.

  Images of every man who I’d ever been with started moving in front of my eyes. Matilda was talking to me, and I kept screaming until the pain pushed me to release some violent vibes.

  Tears mixed with sweat, and then more rippling pain. This whole thing lasted for what felt like hours, but somewhere in between my screams, pain, and sweat, I finally heard the baby cry.

  Everything suddenly stopped, and I experienced an explosion of colours, warmth, and joy. Time ceased and nothing else mattered anymore.

  Matilda had tears in her eyes, and suddenly there was this tiny creature on my chest, covered with sticky white stuff. It was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen, and it was mine.

  “There she is—your daughter,” Matilda whispered, wiping her tears away. I was exhausted, ready to shut down my energy, but I couldn’t physically move. The world stopped as I stared down at something so special and so precious.

  My mind was spinning out of control, and I swallowed hard, wondering why on Earth I ever wanted to get rid of this beautiful tiny little girl.

  God, the pain didn’t matter then, well, nothing mattered.

  Then she stared at me and images from the past began assaulting my mind.

  I felt her heartbeat, her tiny limbs on me. She was sending me images, revealing the identity of the father. This wasn’t something that I ever expected or prepared myself for.

  I opened my mouth and kept touching her, making sure that she was still real.

  This little mongrel baby informed me that the future king, Prince Arthur, was her real father. This was beyond amazing and scary at the same time. In that moment, I knew my life was never going to be the same again.

  “It’s true, then. My dear lord, Maxine. She’s connecting with you, right?” Ronan asked, appearing next to me.

  The sudden joy shifted into disappointment and anger. Either way, with or without this new knowledge, I still had to give her away. I loved her instantly and unconditionally. She was stunning, but there was royal blood in her veins, and that turned her into a cursed child. She needed someone who could give her all the love and devotion, something I wasn’t able to provide myself.

  I wiped my tears and pushed myself to look away. This was the worst feeling in my life. Sudden despair filled my lungs and I couldn’t catch my breath. The pain was suddenly unbearable, worse than I could have ever imagined.

  “Take her, Matilda. You were right. I want you to look after her for me. I don’t know if I will ever be capable of being her parent, but for now, she’s your daughter.”

  Matilda understood. She touched my face and lifted the baby. She was going to be her guardian from now on. I was broken, knowing that she would be away from me, possibly forever.

  I looked away, knowing that there was only one thing left for me to do. I had to go back to London and try to start over—without her. Ricky was running my business and he needed all the help he could get. There was no point in me hiding anymore.

  I would go back, carrying the burden of the most dangerous secret on my shoulders—a secret that could drag me back to Hell if ever discovered.

  Demonic Triangle (Doomed Cases Book 1)

  Chapter 1

  “Do not be afraid; our fate

  Cannot be taken from us; it is a gift.”

  ― Dante Alighieri, Inferno

  My phone kept vibrating annoyingly in my pocket; it hadn’t stopped ringing since I left my tiny flat half an hour earlier. I tried to ignore it for as long as I could, but I knew it was Ricky subtly reminding me that I was yet again running late. I was going to work, making my way through the cold and wet, gloomy streets of Brixton. Keeping my eyes open to my less-than-safe surroundings, I was careful of the people around me, sometimes passing busy-looking humans on the streets who were definitely up to no good, but I was still smiling through my sleep-deprived state. Last night, people kept pouring me drinks, and my cards were awesome, so I didn’t want to leave early and lose the chance to win some cash back. I didn’t regret anything, even when I woke up with the biggest hangover in the history of mankind this afternoon.

  Around halfway through my journey, the heavens ripped open and rain started pouring from the sky. It wasn’t a light drizzle. In a matter of seconds, my good mood disappeared, and I was completely soaked and even more pissed off by the fact that I didn’t own a fucking umbrella.

  It was around half past four in the afternoon, and the fact that February had been dragging for God knew how long, was making me feel even shittier about myself.

  I was glad that I didn’t put any makeup on today; otherwise the rain would have made me look like a tribute act for the band Kiss. I had another couple of streets to walk through before I would reach the office, so when my phone began vibrating for the tenth time, I turned to the left and walked inside an old townhouse with a broken lock. Ricky was relentless, so I had no choice but to call him back. I’d given Ricky dozens of reasons to be worried about me in the past, and now he was most likely just checking to see if I was still alive.

  The building stunk of mould and mildew. There was no way that I could afford to buy a new mobile just yet, so I had to keep it away from the rain. Ricky had his ways to track me down, and I didn’t want to put myself further in the shit with him.

  “What?” I snarked when he answered his phone.

  “Where the hell are you, Maxine? Three candidates already left. You were meant to be here at three thirty, dammit!” Ricky said—well, more accurately, roared into the phone. Great, I didn’t need to have him on my back tonight.

  I bit on my lower lip and forced myself not to roll my eyes. I’d completely forgotten that tonight I was supposed to help him interview our first full-time assistant. Over the past couple of weeks, Ricky had been telling me that we needed to expand, that we weren’t coping, but it appeared that my very own dark inner demons had screwed with my head. So much so, that I had mixed up the days of the week. People had been telling me that I needed to start writing things down. Yeah, really? Like I was going to run around with a notepad in my hand.

  “I’m on my way. Chill, and please stop yelling at me,” I said, wondering why I’d agreed to this in the first place. He could easily interview people himself; he didn’t need me to hold his hand. Besides, I really wasn’t too keen on spending money on an assistant. The bottom line was, that I needed to get my shit together, and at the very least, start arriving at the office on time.

  There was silence on the other side of the phone. Ricky was breathing loudly, and I knew he was pretty pissed off. />
  “Max, I’m worried about you. You promised to be on time today,” he said, and hot boiling guilt filled my stomach. I hated when Ricky was so caring; he knew that I was trying hard to climb above the surface of pain.

  “I’m on my way,” I mumbled into the phone.

  “You played poker last night, didn’t you? Are you hungover much?” he asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer, anyway.

  Ricky Donovan was the biggest womaniser amongst his own faction, so it surprised me that he had time to give a damn about me. Then the tiny voice in my head reminded me that we had been friends and business partners for many years, and we’d always looked out for each other, even during our toughest times.

  When I was battling a hangover, I was more sensitive to human emotions, and tonight, every couple of meters, the stench of pain, the caress of happiness, and waves of sadness, kept invading my body, hitting me hard. I couldn’t block these intense vibes, taking it all in and suffering the consequences. On the other hand, I had to numb the pain, forget about her screams for at least a few hours. Last night was one of those times.

  “Ricky, stop nagging me. I’ll be in the office. It’s bloody raining, and I’m soaked and you’re not helping,” I complained, running my fingers over my forehead. My skin was burning, and that wasn’t a very good sign. There was the possibility that another demon was nearby, and not a very friendly demon.

  Ricky swore loudly, most likely to himself, and I heard him shuffling paperwork all over his desk. “Maxine, this is getting ridiculous. It’s been a year—longer than a year. Gambling and drinking won’t erase your shit. Get it fucking together and act like you’re actually a fully fledged grown up for once. We are a team!”

  That comment struck me like a bullet, and I had to hold myself steady for a good few seconds. Ricky could be insensitive at times, although deep down, he was just damaged like I was. He shouldn’t have reminded me that I was still broken, that my soul had been nearly ripped away from my body, that I’d nearly lost everything.