Doomed Cases Series Box Set
Joanna Mazurkiewicz
Contents
Newsletter
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Diabolical Quest (Doomed Cases Book 2)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 24
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Infernal Initiation (Doomed Cases Book 3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Author’s note
Other books
Copyright © 2016 by Joanna Mazurkiewicz
First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Joanna Mazurkiewicz. The right of Joanna Mazurkiewicz to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are product of the author’s imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the author/publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, journal or blog.
Demonic Triangle (Doomed Cases Book 1)
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Chapter One
“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 that 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 late morning.
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 that I had mixed up the days of the week. People had been telling me that I had 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 had to get my shit together and at the very least start arriving at the office on time.
There was a 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 a 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 Do
novan 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 for 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.
“We both know that I do care about you and the business so shut your bloody mouth. I’ll be there soon. Just use compulsion to keep the humans there,” I snapped through my gritted teeth and hung up, feeling like my anger was getting out of control, and that was a bad sign. I felt bad about arguing with Ricky. He only looked out for me, and it was my fault for being late. After all we were running a business partnership.
Two bulky men passed the building that I was in, stopped, and glanced in my direction, probably aware of sudden demonic energy, the inhuman power. The problem was that most humans could sense that something was wrong. They might have been weak, but they weren’t stupid.
I closed my eyes quickly and took two deep breaths, swallowing the violent fury and remembering the reasons I’d made that difficult and painful decision twelve months ago. It was never really a choice. It was my only option and I had to do it alone; he didn’t deserve to know the truth.
I shivered with the cold and put my hood over my head. When I came out of the building, I shoved my mobile into my back pocket, picking up my pace. I headed for the office, knowing that it wasn’t wise to keep Ricky pissed for too long. Sometimes he acted more like my overprotective brother than a business partner. I reminded myself that I loved him dearly; he was the closest thing to a family member that I ever had and we both needed each other.
Twenty minutes later I would have made it to the office like I had promised. Yes, after passing a couple more streets I would have been sitting next to Ricky, listening to some chick babbling about working in a team and trying to forget about the fact that my hangover was dragging me down the road to destruction. The problem was that something happened between Green Lane and Parkway Road, something that forced me to use my power.
I chose a shortcut, using the back alley that separated two housing estates. In hindsight it wasn’t my wisest idea. A split second later I felt gut-wrenching fear that literally knocked the breath out of my lungs, and then I heard a loud, petrified scream. The scream resonated within me; after all, half of my DNA was demonic, my mother had hooked up with a full-blooded demon and nine months later she had given birth to me. Because of this I was able to read most human’s minds, but only to some extent—images, feelings, sometimes a few words. Tonight I knew instantly that someone was in trouble, and that was part of the problem of being a mongrel (half demon, half human)—my abilities were always pushing me to do shit that I didn’t want to do.
I breathed in the fear that got attached to my soul and then I tried to exhale, as the energy rushed through my system.
For fuck’s sake, why me and why the hell now? Will I ever be able to just walk through the streets without getting involved in someone else’s shit?
Okay, so maybe I was a little bit harsh, but with this hangover from hell I wasn’t ready to play hero, plus capes were just a bad fashion choice. I wanted to concentrate on my own problems for once. On the other hand I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do something to save this human in trouble.
I shook my head and crept closer to the back of the building, feeling my demonic side being drawn to the crippling fear of death. On top of my oversensitivity to human emotions I also had exceptional vision. It was a drizzly, grey evening, and visibility was poor. The streets looked like they were taken straight from a black-and-white Hitchcock film, and in that gloomy alley humans wouldn’t have seen anything.
I noticed two unfriendly-looking demons surrounding a petrified human woman. They were part of the Asmodeus faction, most likely ready to drain her of any and all lust and innocence. The price for that kind of thing was high and many useful potions could be produced from this human’s innocence. Rage burst to life inside me, setting my blood on fire. Shit like this was not cool in the human world. Being half human gave me empathy, and what they were about to do to this girl was akin to rape. Those two bastards knew it, but they were ready to dismiss the rules just for a few coins of favours in the underworld.
Sometimes certain members of demonic factions liked pushing their luck. These two assholes were clearly far away from their designated district and they were breaking the code, attacking an innocent human. My head was banging like hell, but despite that, I had to get involved. I couldn’t just leave her there on her own. She didn’t deserve to lose all her innocence as well as her passion and lust, then be left to die.
“Such a strong energy … vicious and intense. She will please Asmodeus and we will be rewarded,” rasped the larger and hairier demon, brushing his repulsive gnarled fingers over woman’s neck. He had a lot of tiny scars on his forehead and a tattoo of a skull on his arm. That seemed a bit obvious, but I wasn’t too sure if the tattoo was given to him by the head of the faction or he had it done in one of those fake studios.
The second demon was shorter; he looked like he had spent more time on earth. He wore nicely fitted clothes and his thick black hair was in an approximation of a human style but smeared with too much gel. My exceptional eyesight never let me down, and I knew that these two demons were looking to draw out the episode just for fun.
“Please let me go. I don’t have any money on me,” the woman squeaked, like a dying bird.
The hairy demon laughed and shifted closer. He grabbed the woman’s throat and lifted her a couple of inches above the ground. I’d never seen a demon go to this extreme for something that he could buy on the black market. This woman, whoever she was, had no chance of pulling away. Those two were probably ready to take away her soul too.
The good side of me, the one that wasn’t lazy or selfish, reacted. I moved from my hiding place, releasing the energy that had been brewing inside me for weeks feeding the flames of my fury. I knew that there was always a price to pay for magic, for using my abilities to their absolute demonic extremes, but I couldn’t worry about that right now.
“Oh, boys, I suggest you step away from that lady right away. Don’t you know that no means no? I’m sure it isn’t the first time a girl turned you down. Besides, we both know that breaking the rules topside means Lucifer himself will fry your arses in the pits!” I shouted, creating a wave of protection around me. It was one of the tricks that I was taught by Leviathan’s men, converting human fear into my own energy. By the time the two of them turned around, I had a Sherafine elixir in my right hand. Maybe it wasn’t totally necessary, I could deal with them without it, but I was going to enjoy using it on a member of
the Asmodeus faction. A girl has to get her kicks somewhere, right?
“Ted, look at this. A dirty mongrel is sticking her beaky nose into our business,” the non-hairy one stated, and his eyes gleamed with an unknown energy. Shit, that’s what I thought. These two were running around London getting high on lust, hurting innocent human women for fun. That was why I hated hell. Asmodeus couldn’t even keep an eye on scumbags like them.
“You have two seconds to stop what you’re doing or you will get hurt. Really, really badly. And I don’t have my first aid kit with me,” I said, as sarcastically as I could, letting them know they had a chance to leave. The uglier and wider demon licked his lips greedily and smiled. I had an advantage—my eyesight—I could see better than them, than anyone.
Unfortunately the other demon joined his mate, and for a good few moments both of them laughed loudly, holding their quivering fat bellies. One of them shot a fireball in my direction, trying to scare me, thinking that he was skilled and gifted. I moved my body sinuously to the side, flexed my protection shield and absorbed the ball. My energy escalated, streaming out of my pores. Every single hair on the back of my neck rose.
I jumped in front of the uglier one and threw the Sherafine elixir that disabled him completely, then tossed off a swift roundhouse kick straight into the other’s jaw, knocking him good and proper to the ground. I expected a battle, a true scrappy street fight. What I got was strung-out demons too high to fight me. This was easy, almost too easy, but on the other hand, no other female mongrel had a black belt in Tae kwon do and years of experience in the security industry.
The woman who stood plastered to the wall let out a hysterical whimper when the earth underneath my feet started shaking. I felt the strong rising heat that made my toes curl and caught a whiff of a burning sulfuric smell. The much hairier demon was on the ground moaning in agony holding his neck; the other demon lay where my last uppercut left him, pretty much knocked out—not dead, but close enough. I walked up to the woman, covering her with my body. My lungs contracted against the smell, as the earth opened up and bright yellow and red light spread everywhere. The woman was screaming now and I was sweating like a pig, trying to fight the urge to jump into the pit.