My mouth was dry, palms sweaty, and uneasy energy ran through body. I couldn’t allow Arthur to see me weak or to see that anything had changed, that I had changed. We hadn’t seen each other for over twelve months. I was hoping that he wasn’t even in the palace. Rodriquez, one of Lucifer’s demons, was obviously new, he must have just been assigned to this post. I had no idea how he managed to get into the royal court in the first place, passing through the Chamberlain’s office. He must have had significant connections in the underworld or he was more than just an ordinary demon.
The afternoon traffic in London was terrible, it took us over an hour to get to Buckingham Palace. Then we had to wait another half an hour by the gate as the guards were going through our ID’s and getting authorisation to let us pass. My energy was charging down my arms, causing havoc inside my system. Even after a whole year I still had dreams about him and sometimes wondered if he ever thought about me at all. I had always been seen as this brash, sarcastic, independent mongrel—the woman who could protect anyone, but inside I felt weak, completely falling apart. My well-guarded past had finally caught up with me.
Finally at around three o’clock in the afternoon Ricky and I were sitting on the bench outside Rodriquez’s office. I was breathing harder than I should, glancing around the familiar space, the long corridors and rooms that I used to check when I worked here. It was so familiar to me, so why the hell did I feel so anxious?
A second later, a slender human stepped out of the first room to our right.
“Miss Brodeur? Mr. Donovan?” he asked, like he wanted to be sure that we were who we said we were. Ricky nodded. “Follow me please.”
I noticed that there was also an unmarked police car outside. Whatever happened must have been serious. There were way too many people hanging around the palace for this to be a minor concern. The royal family had plenty of different residences in the country. Deep down I was hoping that Arthur was stuck somewhere remote, like Balmoral.
We stood up together and walked through the huge entrance that separated the West and East Wings. I had almost forgotten how large and silent this building was. At the time when I worked here it seemed majestic and regal, but now it felt cold and austere. All the rooms reminded me of what I had lost. Memories flooded my mind, threatening that fragile part of me that was supposed to hold it together.
We finally stopped in the part of the palace where most of the staff worked, in front of a pair of large, highly ornate, gilt red wooden doors. The slender human knocked and then we all entered.
“Mr. Rodriquez, they are here,” he announced. There was an older demon sitting in a tall wooden chair behind an equally aged and carved desk, writing something down on the paper in front of him. His powerful energy radiated from him beaming from every part of his body so his status and power were understood. He didn’t react to our presence, not even when his assistant left his chamber. Having been born into the modern world, I was used to technology, but demons were grounded in tradition. They liked it old school. They didn’t use computers and got used to handwriting all their messages.
Standing in front of him was torturous, waiting to be acknowledged—I really needed a goddamned drink. The tension that filled the room quickly became unbearable. I could tell that Ricky was becoming impatient and felt disrespected that Rodriguez was ignoring us. My nerves jangled through my body; I was desperately trying to breathe normally, but struggled with the anxiety that I felt.
“Finally we are meeting the Miss Brodeur, the famous Maxine, the mongrel that caused such turmoil in the royal court twelve months ago,” the demon said, lifting his head and resting his eyes on me. He reminded me of a wild lion, with his longish blond hair and brown beard that covered most of his face. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, but his eyes were the most striking feature of his whole appearance. It was difficult not to keep staring at the wide golden pupils that shimmered in the dim light. He must use charms to make himself look more ordinary for his day-to-day duties around the royal court because his eyes looked inhuman.
An icy shudder crawled over my spine as I shifted my weight to the side, trying to act like I was unaffected by him. I was so glad that I decided to look half decent today. This demon was powerful, linked to Lucifer himself, and he knew my story. He had an advantage over me and that wasn’t helping me with my anxiety at all.
“Yep, that’s me. You summoned us here for a reason, so please get straight to the point. I have plenty of clients that are waiting for me to get back to their cases,” I said, ignoring his comment. This wasn’t the time or a place to get into a discussion about my past.
My own energy rolled over my limbs in warning, momentarily weakening my core. I felt him trying to reach out to my demonic soul; he wanted to assess it. Even if he was higher in the faction, it was bad form to reach out like this without permission. Nosey old bastard! He was curious to see what was so special about me, but I had kept my wards intact, preventing him from discovering my secrets. Some demons could read others, but I learnt from a very young age how to keep my mind closed away from anyone’s business.
He stared at me intensely for good few moments as if to unnerve me, before he said, “The queen’s grandson disappeared late last night. The family is worried, but will not want to involve the police just yet. This needs to be dealt with as swiftly and discreetly as possible,” he said, averting his eyes from me to Ricky. “My name is Rodriquez, by the way. I’m the head of Lucifer’s faction inside the palace. I have been asked to make sure that our royals are looked after, that there is no interference from our world.”
More likely to spy on them, I thought, forcing myself not to snap.
“The queen has a few grandsons. Which one in particular has gone missing?” Ricky asked, sounding inpatient. Arthur was one of the queen’s grandsons, but I had a feeling that he was safe and sound. I had no idea why I still cared. He was the cause of all my problems, partly because I was too weak to say no.
“George, the youngest. There are reports that he had been acting out of character over the past couple of weeks, disappearing for long periods of time, causing arguments with his aunt. Some staff reported that he was possibly high on drugs, but I believe that he might have been under the influence of potions or strong elixirs. The Metropolitan Police have sent a detective who is going to work with you on this case. Her Majesty has insisted that you adhere to the old school rules. I’m sure you understand that means we have to be careful not to be exposed.”
“It sounds like you have your own agenda. If humans are involved, then why do you need us? Surely your staff or the queen’s guard can work with the police, just as well as we can,” I pointed out, knowing that humans were restricted by rules and procedures and that they would delay everything. I had to have a free hand. There were plenty of people in the palace that I didn’t want to face again. Arthur was one of them.
Rodriquez frowned and pinned me down with his stunning eyes.
“The demons in the palace are tied up with other things. I heard that you’re the expert, your reputation has preceded you,” Rodriquez explained, sounding irritated, probably because he couldn’t read me, my wards were that strong. “Besides, this isn’t just an ordinary kidnapping. A very powerful demon is involved…possibly even a few demons. There are some traces of potions, elixirs in Prince George’s room. In addition, he was taken when all the guards were in the palace. Some of the staff raised the alarm when traces of his blood were found on the floor this morning.”
“Maybe you should call someone else. We are pretty swamped as it is, Mr. Rodriguez, and I would think that the royal family would rather stay away from me. Our recent history is such that we are not on the best of terms last time I checked,” I said, as everything was slowly overwhelming me.
That precious secret had been burning my soul day by day. I had vanished from the face of the earth for a good six months, and only Ricky knew where I had been. When I returned back to London, I wasn’t the same person. Part of m
e died, so I used any distraction possible to hide my pain. Mostly I turned my love of cards into a nightly ritual, poker and magical tequila that numbed everything, the excruciating pain that I had to live with from then on.
“No, Miss Brodeur, unfortunately there isn’t anyone else that will do. We have to find Prince George quickly, before word in hell spreads. His aunt—Princess Layla asked specifically for you. Lucifer requires your services, and you must do it discreetly,” Rodriguez explained sharply.
He was right, I couldn’t say no. I was only a mongrel, and I answered directly to the head of the faction. Ricky was cast out and I couldn’t let them summon him back to the underworld. His life was in London, amongst humans. This was the price that I was now paying for screwing up, for believing that I could be happy too.
I chewed my bottom lip nervously, thinking about my options. The problem was that I didn’t have many. Ricky seemed pissed off too, probably thinking about other pending cases that we were working on. We both had been cornered and I couldn’t risk arguing with Rodriguez. If he wanted to, he could make my life very difficult.
“Fine, we’ll need three thousand pounds as a down payment, weekly stipends of an additional thousand pounds to be paid directly into our account and the rest can be settled once we find little Georgie. That’s the standard rate. That way we will dedicate all our precious time to this case,” I said, certain that we couldn’t back away now. The deal was done. Lucifer wanted me to take care of the problem, and we needed to get paid.
Rodriquez’s left eye twitched, but he didn’t say anything. He simply opened the drawer and then started putting bundles of cash on the table. A moment later I was holding an envelope full of money in my hand. Maybe I wasn’t going to get evicted after all.
“If the formalities are settled then let me take you both to George’s room. Detective Zachary Quinton has been put in charge of the human investigation. Princess Layla has already spoken with him, so he’s aware that he will be working closely with you,” Rodriquez explained, getting up. His demonic power filled the room, knocking some air out of my lungs. Ricky was slightly pale. Obviously he felt it too. It was easy to be affected by his domineering energy that stuck to ours like glue. Part of me always wished that I was born a full demon, just so I had more control over what was going on in my life.
“I work alone, Mr. Rodriguez,” I said, reminding him that humans were only going to slow this whole process.
“Detective Zachary is one of the best. He cannot be ignored, so you must compromise, Miss Brodeur,” Rodriquez stated, and I bit my tongue forcing myself not to come back with some snarky comment. As far as my experience went, the human police were useless. They did very patchy work, using old school methods that didn’t work anymore. At least I had contacts, people that I could rely on. I didn’t need some arrogant human to follow me around.
Ricky was surprisingly quiet. I could tell he wasn’t too keen either on us fully committing to this case, but the money was a motivating factor.
The walk to the other side of the palace was long and exhausting, mainly because every room reminded me about my time with Arthur. The prince’s quarters were on the third floor. I didn’t need a tour. I had been in George’s room a few times before, mainly to check if he was all right. He must have been staying in Buckingham Palace quite a lot lately. I didn’t understand why, as he had other apartments around London. This just didn’t seem right.
Princess Layla was standing outside the door. She was talking to a tall dark-haired human. She glanced at me, pursed her lips in a thin line and gave me a courtly nod. It was obvious that she hadn’t forgotten my illicit affair with her nephew; that ice-cold look reminded me that I wasn’t particularly welcome here.
“I’ll take you straight to George’s room. You can get acquainted with Detective Quinton in a moment. We can’t waste any time right now,” Rodriquez said when I was ready to stop and speak to the woman that I used to work for.
“That won’t be necessary, Bill. Maxine knows the palace like the back of her hand. I’ll take it from here,” said the voice behind me that I instantly recognised.
Suddenly that tough, harsh Maxine that kicked ass turned into a scared little mouse, a creature that couldn’t even turn around to face the man that broke her heart.
Chapter Five
“The devil is not as black as he is painted.” ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
Prince Arthur, the son of tragically dead Princess Catherine had cleaved my heart in two. Our affair was enchanting and intense. I never believed that I could be stupid enough to actually fall for him. Maxine Brodeur, half demon and half human was never planning to commit herself to a relationship that broke her soul. In her code of conduct, she promised herself to never get involved with her clients, but Arthur became an exception.
“Arthur, I’ve got this. Your aunt asked for Maxine, and she has a lot on her hands. All the evidence needs to be processed thoroughly right away,” Rodriquez said, kind of getting between me and the prince. I didn’t want to turn around; I wasn’t ready to face him after such a long time.
Two years ago I was a different person. I had a life that was full, a job I adored and people whose company I enjoyed. Then Arthur came and used his charms to sweep me off my feet. Two years later and I am the antithesis of that girl.
Right then, the same warmth that I felt when we met for the first time overshadowed the fact that I had a job to do in the palace. Nothing seemed important enough when he was around.
“Actually my aunt wants to have a chat with you, Billy man,” Arthur said, more forcefully. “I can deal with Maxine. We have so much to catch up on.”
Rodriguez exhaled, looking from me to Arthur, probably calculating if it was wise for him to leave us alone.
“All right, I’ll be right back,” Rodriquez said, giving me a sharp look that probably meant not to forget that I was here for a reason, not because of the prince.
Ricky was taking notes, probably nosing for some sort of clues. He was in my head too, telling me to take it easy, to calm down. I wasn’t listening. All the promises and the wall that I had built up over the past year were razed to the ground the second I heard Arthur’s voice.
I took a deep breath and slowly turned around and faced him. My heart stopped functioning. All the people in the background, the voices in my head were insignificant. My human side was compelled to melt, to feel that same warmth around my heart.
For a human, Arthur was exceptionally good looking, tall with a wide jaw and lips that I had acquainted myself with thoroughly on many different occasions. His eyes were pale green, almost grey. His hair was longer than it had been; a dark shade of blond, it had that just-fucked quality to it that made you want to run your fingers through it. I remembered the texture of it in my hands. It looked like he stopped cutting his hair around the time that I stopped working for the royals. At times when I had a chance to use the internet I stalked him online. It was sad really, but somehow this kept me sane during the most miserable time of my life.
I swallowed hard as his eyes took in my appearance. The tiny sparks of my demonic power zoomed between us. The heat rolled over me, igniting the fire in my stomach. There was no point pretending: I wasn’t over him. The past twelve months, the time that had passed meant nothing.
“Hello, Arthur,” I said, putting on that strong and confident tone of voice. “Please show me what happened here last night.”
I don’t even know why I said it. We hadn’t seen each other for over a year and I should have at least asked him if he was all right. That awkwardness between two people that used to love each other was still very apparent.
He smiled and winked at me, stepping closer. The door to George’s main room was open, but I wasn’t able to move. My feet were glued to the wooden floor, heart beating frantically in my chest.
“Your wish is my command, Flower,” he whispered, leaning closer, as if no time had passed. That nickname brought back all the intense feelings tha
t we had shared with each other over and over again. When we started spending more time together and our connection became stronger, Arthur gave me a silver ring that was supposed to always remind me of him. The ring wasn't special; he said that he found it in the cemetery when he was visiting his mother. I still wore it—even now I was moving it over my finger, remembering all the days when I felt like I couldn't carry on without him. Arthur said on many occasions that the ring wasn’t worth anything, but for me it was the most special gift I’d ever received.
I needed to regain my focus and assess the crime scene. There was no way I was going to focus with him following me around, asking awkward questions about the past twelve months.
Ricky appeared at my side, pulling me away from Arthur.
“A demon was in this room, but I can’t detect to which faction it belongs. Some of the blood was already swabbed off the floor and sheets. I will collect what I can.” Ricky spoke in a hushed tone, his voice tight.
Arthur was watching us. I had no idea what to expect, but the prince didn’t seem angry or resentful. After all, I had just vanished and never said goodbye. I always assumed that he knew why I did it. “Are you all right?”
“Fine, I’ll be fine,” I answered with a lie.
A familiar enigmatic energy began sliding inside, connecting with the demonic part of my soul. That and the intense wave of lust scorching through my entire body was a very bad combination. Ricky nodded and began moving around, collecting the evidence that we could analyse later.
George’s room covered the square footage of a small apartment. The high ceilings gave the room a feeling of grandeur and made it look larger. The old sash windows overlooked the main courtyard outside, and a stream of sunshine flooded into the room. There was a modern kitchen and a bathroom on the other side. A large antique mahogany bed stood in the middle of this majestic space. The bed was rumpled, the sheets were tangled, and all around a burning, acrid smell infused the air. The stench burned the inside of my nostrils and made me slightly dizzy.