City of Magic: The Complete Series by Helen Harper (book club recommendations TXT) 📕

His forehead creased. ‘I still don’t…’

‘When the explosion happened and all the faeries vanished, I saw a cloud of blue appear.’

‘Yes, I saw that too. I was half-unconscious but I registered that. I think just about everyone did, no matter who they are.’

‘But I bet,’ I said, ‘neither you nor they can see that same blue now.’

Monroe stared at me. I tried to explain. ‘It’s everywhere,’ I said. ‘Everything has a blue aura. It clings to the city like,’ I searched for the right word, ‘like a kind of mist. I’m so used to it that I don’t pay it much attention but it’s definitely there. When that furry monster thing wandered past, it was swathed in blue. You have it too. The more magical something is, the more blue I see attached to it. It gives me a headache to focus on it too much when it surrounds people so I don’t try too often, but it’s definitely there.’

‘You never thought to mention this before?’

I shifted uncomfortably. I had mentioned it to Lizzy and Cath once and they’d looked at me like I was mad. I had enough trouble adjusting to my new status without dwelling on all the things that made me … other. ‘It didn’t seem important,’ I mumbled. ‘But it can help us. The Arndale Centre is near here. It’s like a beacon of flashing blue. That’s because…’

‘The faeries directed the worst of the escaped magic into the wishing well there.’ Monroe nodded. ‘I remember.’ He fixed me with a serious look. ‘So you think that you can track Philip the vampire by following the blue ether stuff that you can see?’

‘Yeah.’ I grinned enthusiastically. ‘He’s pumped full of blood. Every magical being, whether it’s a werewolf or vampire or mermaid or canal monster, has more blue hanging over its head than a normal human. I bet Philip has loads of blue. Whether he’s dozing off his feast or not, the magical by-product from what he’s done will be seeping from his pores. I just need to look for the brightest spots of blue in the city and,’ I snapped my fingers, ‘voilà!’

‘Easier said than done,’ Monroe grunted.

‘Ye of little faith.’ My smile grew. ‘We need to find a vantage point then, through a process of elimination, I reckon we can narrow down all the places he could be. We’ll find him before the sun sets.’

Monroe watched me with warmth in his eyes.

‘What?’ I asked.

He leaned down and brushed my lips with his. ‘It’s good to see your sunny side returning.’

‘Then,’ I replied primly, ‘let’s not allow it to disappear again. Let’s get a move on.’

‘As my lady desires.’ He bowed. ‘Lead the way.’

I skipped out of the pharmacy and glanced up and down the street. ‘City Tower,’ I said decisively. ‘It’s closest.’ I beamed at him. ‘Come on. The faster we move, the faster we’ll find him.’

Monroe winked at me – then he exploded in front of my eyes, buttons and scraps of fabric flying in all directions. I took a step back and frowned at the gigantic wolf who had taken his place. ‘Was that really necessary?’

He swung his head round, indicating his back, then he wagged his tail. Since when did wolves wag their tails?

I shook my head. ‘I can walk. Or run.’

He padded forward, opened his mouth and ever so gently snagged my wrist with his teeth and pulled me towards him.

‘Monroe,’ I sighed. ‘I know you’re a big wolf but I’m a fully-grown woman.’

He let out a tiny growl and tugged at my wrist a little harder.

I sighed. We would get there a lot quicker, I supposed. And it was Monroe’s call. I nodded reluctantly and he released me. I walked round and clambered onto his broad, furry back, curling my fingers into his red curls. For a wolf, he actually smelled pretty good. Not that I’d ever been this up close and personal with any other werewolf, not while they were in animal form.

I squeezed my thighs round his large frame and closed my eyes, hoping I could hang on. I felt his muscles bunching underneath me. Taking a deep breath, I held on tight. A second later, we were off.

I don’t suppose you’ve ever given much thought to what it’s like to ride bareback on a werewolf. Funnily enough, neither had I. All the same, I was surprised by how smooth it was. Monroe’s gait was neither juddering nor awkward. Wind whipped past us until it felt like we were actually flying through the streets. Before long, I stopped being terrified that I was going to fall off and started enjoying myself.

I managed to stop gripping his fur quite so tightly and let my arms drop round his neck to hang loosely there for balance. I gave a loud whoop when we swung round a corner without slowing down. Why did Monroe bother taking a car when he could travel like this?

By the time we reached the foot of the massive City Tower building, I was panting – and with pure exhilaration rather than exertion. When I slid off Monroe’s back and checked to make sure my weight hadn’t damaged him in any way, he gave me a wolfy grin. Then he sprang forward and licked my cheek.

‘Ew! Was that necessary?’

In the blink of an eye, his fur melted into skin. He stood there, stark naked, right in front of me, and continued to grin. ‘It seemed appropriate,’ he purred.

‘You’re naked.’ Talk about stating the obvious.

‘It’s not an invitation,’ he told me. He paused and his blue eyes danced. ‘Unless you want it to be.’

All of a sudden my mouth was dry. ‘Let’s find Philip first, shall we?’ But later… I swallowed.

Fortunately, Monroe removed his flirtatious gaze and nodded. ‘Fair enough. It’s a long way up to the top and you know the lifts won’t be working.’

I stretched back my head. This seemed like one of those occasions when it was worth