Doomed Cases Series (1-3) Demonic Triangle Diabolical Quest Infernal Initiation

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  His eyes were zooming over my body, gleaming with lust and excitement. I told myself that tequila was letting me see what wasn’t really there. Arthur couldn’t expect that I would let him stay with me tonight.

  “Well, I was fed up with waiting around, so here I am. I want to take you out,” he said, glancing around with curiosity.

  “No, no. This is my flat, my shithole, and you’re not taking me anywhere,” I said, when he passed by me and made himself comfortable on the sofa. There were other things that I needed to consider, like for example the fact that I was standing in front of him wearing a thong and very sexy bra. A set that he gave me when we were sleeping together. Why the hell did I have to be so aroused all of the sudden? Yesterday I was ready to jump into a relationship with Zach. He wanted to take care of me, to smooth my pain with his domineering personality.

  Arthur put his hands behind his head and smiled wolfishly. My usual sharp judgment was clouded. I’d drunk way too much earlier on. Tequila weakened me, and suddenly all I could think about was sex, nothing else.

  “Oh, Maxine, you can’t even imagine how sexy you look right now,” he pointed out. “All I can think about is fucking you here.”

  “This isn’t the place for you, so please don’t embarrass me like that. I know that my flat is a shithole,” I said, scratching my head, trying to distract myself from the way he was staring at me right now. I wished that I’d cleaned up a bit. I’d never had anyone over. Ricky only came in because he had to get me some clothes.

  Arthur got up and then he was beside me. I was streaming with liquid heat. He pushed the strap from my bra down, his eyes filled with so much lust that I was scared it might burst.

  “I came here because I wanted to take you out, but now you’re looking so delicious that I instantly changed my mind. I need to be inside you like before. There is nothing stopping us from enjoying ourselves. And as to your flat, we both know that I don’t care if you’re poor or rich, if you live in the palace or in the shed. All I want is you right in this moment,” he said.

  “Okay, let me put some clothes on and then we will talk.”

  My response was pathetic and I knew it. The problem was that I felt the music of love drifting between us, and those unresolved feelings were tangling my head, whispering that it was okay to forget about the rules for one night. I was drunk enough to tell him the truth, to reveal why I didn’t want him to find out where I lived.

  He caught me, just before I took a step forward, and his other hand moved up my thigh. When his fingers pushed through the hem of my knickers, the fire deep inside my stomach was hot and burning. All of a sudden I wanted to forget that there was something in the air, that my damn secret separated us.

  Deep down I knew that there was no one here, nothing that could stop me from enjoying this moment. He was Arthur, the future king that didn’t care about the rules or the fact that I was no one.

  “No, Flower, you don’t need to put any clothes on. You’re the most beautiful woman that I ever laid eyes on,” he whispered, leaning down, caressing my ear gently with his hot mouth. The shivers broke out all over my body, shooting sparks down between my legs.

  This was tequila leading me on now, pushing boundaries. My own sober self would never let him stay or touch me, but that other person wasn’t in the room. I was intoxicated enough to forget that I was supposed to behave, follow strict demonic protocol. My head swam when he pulled me to his body abruptly, holding me gently at the same time. Heavy lust settled and washed me down like the rain on a summer day.

  “Oh, Arthur … we can’t, this is—”

  “Shhhh, Flower, just enjoy the moment,” he said, and then he grabbed me. The gentle, loving Arthur was gone. The man that I had in front of me was rough. He lifted me up and ordered me to move my legs around his waist.

  Then he kissed me and once his lips touched mine, I forgot about the world around us.

  Everything about this moment was right, and once he intensified the pressure of his mouth on mine I lost control of my body and soul. His hands were squeezing me hard, his erection pressing against my burning sex.

  That was all I needed to lose whatever reservations I had. It was all or nothing, and I chose all.

  Chapter 15

  “Remember tonight … for it is the beginning of always.” Dante Alighieri

  We were like a sudden storm that came unexpectedly, trashing everything in its way, bumping into things, rubbing against each other. I pulled his belt, hoping to get rid of his jeans, lost in the wave of passionate and drunken surge. His kisses were warm and arousing. In the end I ripped his shirt off, all the buttons fell on the floor and then our long-lasting hunger took over. I felt his desire pumping in my veins, running down as his hands zoomed over my stomach, moving further, deeper. My energy rippled down to my neck and arms, bursting through me like a firecracker.

  Arthur unhooked my bra and pushed me down to the bed, grinning in the darkness. I didn’t even know how we got into my bedroom. For a moment I was worried that he would notice my dirty laundry lying around, but his full attention was on me. His eyes were gleaming with fiery heat, and once his mouth started caressing my naked flesh, the old insecurities stopped being important. His lips took my nipple, his hand moulded my breast and I moaned loudly, tangling my fingers in his soft hair, remembering our past moments together.

  He sucked it hard and the liquid heat flooded through me like a waterfall. His other hand smoothed my chest, then stomach, moving under the hem of my knickers. My breathing sped up, my heart began jackhammering loudly in my chest once his fingers reached my drenched sex. It was a sweet torture, the zing of adrenaline sweeping me out of this atmosphere. Arthur’s fingers sunk over my clit and he caressed it roughly until sweat started breaking out all over my body.

  My demonic energy was buzzing all around me and I kept telling myself not to lose my shit just yet. We’d never had this kind of foreplay. Our sex was always spontaneous and wild. Now we were enjoying each other more than we ever had in the past.

  “You smell incredible, Flower,” he rasped, pushing me down to the bed, and covering me with his hard chest. I inhaled his scent, trying to actually think about what I was doing. My head was still swimming from tequila, and I giggled to myself, then grabbed his arms, flopping us around. Once I was sitting on top of him, I knew that there was no going back. We both could sense the anticipation, the smell of our naked bodies and the thrill of what was about to happen.

  I didn’t remember ever being that turned on. My mind buzzed, body shaking as he got rid of my knickers. A moment later he slid himself inside me and I groaned loudly.

  I had to shut my eyes for a second, as my mind slowly convinced me that this wasn’t happening for real. Yet again, my head filled with magical tequila had created that mirage for me. Arthur couldn’t have known where I lived. Magic had protected me and my wards were strong, but I wanted to enjoy this moment even if it wasn’t real.

  Then he started moving on top of me, pumping into me. I was breathing and living with fire that consumed me. I started laughing hysterically, pushing him into me, so our flesh became one. My breath was laboured as he started pounding into me fast, then slow, then fast again. It was bliss.

  “You’re incredible. I can’t believe you let me deny your heart for so long,” he said, lifting me up so we could get even closer. His lips were on my neck, caressing and nibbling the sensitive skin. I lifted my heavy lids, seeing sparks around his head, in his gleaming eyes. Demonic magic kept moving through my body, filling me with Arthur’s energy.

  He felt better than I remembered, stronger and rougher. He grabbed my arse cheeks again and then pounded into me until I was screaming how much I enjoyed his tortures. A moment later I was coming, digging my nails into his back, releasing part of my demonic power into him.

  Then it was nothing else but his warm human body embracing me, his hand caressing my naked back. He whispered words to me that were touching and meaningful. My heartbeat pounded
in my ears as I lay on top of him, listening and imaging a better future. It was a dream, but it felt too real.

  “I love you, Flower. I have never stopped loving you.”

  Slowly, after some time passed, I fell asleep on top of him with a smile on my face, still drunk and still very much in love.

  My body was pleasantly numb, sticking to another skin, another human being. I didn’t want to open my eyes, but I was feeling too hot. Strange heat cushioned me and I exhaled loudly, suddenly feeling the soft kisses on my cheek.

  It was a good, pleasant dream and I didn’t want to wake up just yet. That scent, the cologne, the soft vanilla soap. God, Arthur always used to drive me insane whenever he sprayed himself with that scent in the morning. We had an agreement: it was the cologne that he wore especially for me. I liked to think that I had a man in my life that cared more about me than anyone else. Yeah, maybe this whole thing was pathetic, but in the end it made me feel special.

  “Hmmm, I need to be inside you again, Flower,” said the voice that sent a shiver down my spine. I was suddenly awake and ready to scream. The sunlight was beaming into the room and Prince fucking Arthur was in my bed, his arms around my body. We were both naked, tangled together between the white sheets. I retraced my thoughts to several hours before and then gasped.

  A sharp unexpected pain shot over my limbs, and my head felt like someone had slit it in half.

  No, no, no, this didn’t just happen. I haven’t slept with him. This was supposed to be a dream, like the last time.

  As it turned out, Arthur didn’t magically turn himself into another man. He must have shown up in my apartment late at night when I was still under the influence of magical tequila. How could I not remember this?

  My heart was suddenly pounding in my ears. This was a mistake, a fatal error that I didn’t want to think about right now.

  “Sunshine, you don’t have to pretend that you’re sleeping. I’m not prepared to leave just yet,” he whispered, pushing my hair away, so my neck was exposed and ready to be caressed by his lips. I had no idea what was happening to me right now, but I let him torture me further. Soon doomed realisation filled my stomach. His thoughts were very transparent. Arthur wanted to have me again, he wanted to make sweet tender love to me like last night.

  I had completely lost my brain or maybe it had been carved away. Either way I was in so much trouble right now. In the past few months there was only Zachary, and I let him down. Now Arthur was fully convinced that we had just rekindled our lost relationship.

  “I was wasted last night and you should go before anyone notices your guards outside,” I said, getting up and rubbing my forehead. I was very much hungover, but that wasn’t an issue. Arthur had spent the night with me and I couldn’t let him jump to bad conclusions just yet. This was so wrong on many different levels, and that incredible guilt hung over me. Our past was raw and nothing would ever change the fact that I betrayed him.

  He frowned and popped himself over his elbow.

  “Don’t start, Maxine. We fucked each other’s brains out last night and you loved every second of it,” he pointed out, trying to pull me down to him, but I backed away. The effects of heavy drinking and magical withdrawal symptoms hadn’t started hitting me hard just yet, because I was probably in shock. My heart pounded loudly, reminding me that I was still in love with him. He wasn’t damaged or broken. In the past he was just himself.

  “If I had been sober last night then this would never have happened,” I said more firmly, jumping off the bed. His eyes gleamed with a fresh dose of lust. Yeah, yeah, I was still naked, completely exposed, and my skin had this familiar demonic glow. Arthur had always had this strange effect on my magic and soul. He fuelled me with his humanity, increasing the strength of my protecting charms.

  “Stop fighting with me. If you want me too. Then I can announce it today. People would want to know that you are the one that I lost my head for.” He chuckled.

  I was beside him before he could take another breath, panic grasping me tightly. There was no way on this earth that I would let him do this.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It was one night. We have never been together and we never will be. This whole thing ends now,” I shouted, pulling my long, stinky T-shirt over my body. I knew that my flat was a mess, but now I was even more embarrassed looking around and noticing the empty take-away containers, my dirty underwear, bits of newspaper and piles of books everywhere.

  “Whatever, I love you, and I don’t get why this is so hard for you to understand.”

  I laughed, shaking my head, knowing truly that I felt the same way, but that was not relevant. Arthur’s future was already planned for him and mine was uncertain. We were never a good match.

  “Love has nothing to do with it. Besides, you’re not listening to what I’m telling you. You‘re going to leave my flat and go back to Natalie. You will tell her that you made a mistake,” I said, letting my energy flow through the room, hoping that these words would stick into his thick skull somehow. “I’m working with Zach, trying to track down the damn letters. We both know that your mother’s reputation will be trashed once they get published.”

  Arthur shook his head, but didn’t say anything. For a long moment he kept staring at me, and I was wondering if my magic was finally beginning to work on him. I never dared to tamper with his mind before. Our connection was too strong and I was risking too much. There was a study in one of the elixir books; the scholar believed that if a demon shared a deep connection with another human being, the magic wouldn’t necessarily work.

  “I told you in the palace. I don’t want anyone else. I don’t want Natalie. We are meant to be, Maxine,” he insisted, sounding more and more like a broken record. I couldn’t let him in again. We might’ve had the most incredible sex in my past history, but still. His and my future was at stake.

  “Oh, just shut up and listen to yourself. We are done. I’m done. It’s been over a year and there is nothing that is going to change the fact that you’re a royal. Right now you need to put your clothes on and leave. I have a job to do and you can’t afford to lose your head.”

  Maybe it was a shot below the belt, but Arthur was stubborn and he lived in kukuland. I had been drinking myself to death, trying to forget, erase him from my memory, and he was bulldogging his way back in, messing everything up again.

  He narrowed his blue eyes at me, and got out of bed, while I attempted to forget about that nagging pain, trying to push old feelings away, like it didn’t matter.

  “You told me you loved me, Maxine,” he said, sounding angry. I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. I hurt him, he felt that he owed me something, but running after me wasn’t going to change the fact that I shouldn’t have slept with him in the first place.

  “Arthur, you can’t ruin your family for me. I have a business, people that rely on me, and your case on my head. We both know that this would never work and I don’t want you to risk sneaking down here every day. Just go back to Natalie and apologise. She will understand,” I said, swallowing the tears and the fresh dose of pain that kept stabbing me in my chest. I had to hold on.

  “Why, because of the detective? He will never make you happy. I told you before, I don’t care about the crown or my reputation. I want to be happy with you. This doesn’t have to be complicated.”

  I started pacing around, feeling lost and shattered at the same time. The damn tequila again; this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone to see Paul yesterday.

  “I don’t need to explain myself to you. Don’t come here again. Think about your mother. She wouldn’t have wanted this for you, this other life. Our lives are too different, and you’re risking too much for the sake of something that happened in the past.”

  He walked up to me and grabbed my face. Arthur forced me to look at him. He had no idea what I’d done in order to protect him, in order to keep myself on this world.

  “I’m not giving up on us, and I’ll ruin every opportunity tha
t you have with that arsehole. My proposition still stands. Come and work for me. The relationship will fix itself once we we’re close again.”

  I opened my mouth to disagree, but he was leaving. He grabbed all his clothes and marched away. A moment later I heard the door. Luckily the neighbour next door had moved out a couple of weeks ago and Mrs. Patel hadn’t brought in any new tenant yet. I tangled my hair, wondering why I was so stupid, so weak.

  A couple of months ago I slept with a complete stranger, convinced that he was the prince. I had tried to stay sober, to keep away from tequila, but so far with miserable results. It was like I didn’t want to move forward. Zach was there for me and I promised to give him a chance. Now I didn’t think this was such a good idea.

  I couldn’t look him in the eye and pretend that I was over the prince. Every day I was burying myself further and further, unable to stand up to my own misery. It was time to get it together and tell Arthur the truth, but deep down I knew that the truth would only ruin him and I couldn’t let that happen.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter 16

  “O human race, born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou so fall?” Dante Alighieri

  My day from then on didn’t improve in any way. There was no sign of Arthur’s entourage outside on the car park, so I let go a sigh of relief. After I made sure that all the doors were locked, I went back to bed. I shut my eyes, hoping to get some sleep, but old memories flooded my head. It was like I was experiencing the past all over again, hearing the same screams, experiencing the same exaggerated emotions. I covered my face with the pillow and kept breathing until those images faded away. Arthur would hate me once he knew the truth and it wasn’t easy to digest the fact that his undying love could easily turn into hatred. People used to say that there was a thin line between love and hate, and I completely agreed with that statement.