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

more. I know our farmland is limited but we’re still not using magic to the best effect for our continued survival. Every person in Manchester has their own magic and we could do more with it. Yes, it’s a worry that we’ll use too much and trigger another apocalypse but it’s also a worry that we’re going to run out of supplies. We need to come up with some kind of plan before we reach breaking point.’

Julian looked at me. ‘What are you suggesting?’

I shrugged. ‘Some sort of magic-monitoring task force that will show how much magic can be used in a confined area before disaster occurs.’

Julian frowned. ‘You’d need to be very sure such an experiment won’t affect the rest of the city.’

‘We’ll come up with something,’ I said firmly. ‘We won’t take any unnecessary risks.’

‘Such as bringing monsters into our very own neighbourhood?’ he asked.

Monroe smirked. He knew the truth – we were all monsters in our own ways.

‘I’ll take care of Lucy,’ I promised. ‘By the end of the week, she’ll be gone.’

Julian clearly didn’t believe me. He glanced at Monroe, who gave a brief nod. ‘The baby beast will be gone,’ he said. ‘Without a doubt.’

Chapter Three

The next morning, Monroe was up before me. I woke to find his side of the bed empty and cold, with only the indentation on the pillow to suggest he’d been there at all.

I rolled off the mattress and stretched, before pulling on a dressing gown and padding into the next room in search of a coffee. Our resident engineering boffins had managed to get some electricity pumping through our homes – a feat that had been made easier by the fact that we now all lived in the same place. Despite their best efforts, however, it rarely remained on for more than a couple of hours. Magic and technology didn’t tend to mix well but a few hours were better than nothing.

I didn’t see Monroe at first. I went straight to the kettle to turn it on; when the light didn’t appear, I frowned. Maybe I’d already missed today’s burst of electrical power. I was unwilling to waste our rationed gas cylinder on boiling some water – not these days. Murky cold tea it was, then.

I turned on the tap and waited for some water to gurgle out, then mixed it with a small teaspoon of leaves. Yes, tea was rationed too but I had enough for now. I wasn’t about to forego every pleasure in life.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ Monroe said, from the high-backed chair by the window, ‘about the magic-monitoring situation. I might have a few ideas.’

‘Bloody hell! You almost gave me a heart attack!’

‘Sorry,’ he said, sounding anything but.

I was about to tell him off for being so sneaky but my mouth dropped open when I saw what he was doing. A shaft of sunlight came through the window and gave a golden glint to his dark-red curls. Normally that would be enough to give me pause, let alone his bare-chested, relaxed posture. But that wasn’t what stopped me in my tracks.

Monroe had Lucy cradled in the nook of one arm and was holding a bottle with his free hand. She was suckling on the rubber teat with her eyes half closed in utter pleasure.

‘What?’ Monroe asked. ‘The hell monster was hungry. You needed to sleep. The Wilkos next door swapped me some milk for some baked beans. It seemed like a reasonable trade.’

I put down my mug of cold tea and smiled. ‘You,’ I said, ‘are adorable.’

‘Piss off.’

‘I mean it,’ I told him. ‘I think my ovaries just exploded.’

Monroe snorted. ‘Don’t get any ideas,’ he said. ‘She’s still going by the end of the week.’

‘Of course.’ I walked slowly towards him, licking my lips in an obvious fashion. It might have been melodramatic but it still got my point across.

Monroe watched my every move. ‘Let me get this bottle finished first,’ he said huskily.

‘Sure thing, Daddy.’ I wandered round to the back of the chair and dropped my hand, trailing it lightly across Monroe’s collar bone. He sucked in a breath.

‘I’m not this little beast’s father,’ he said in a strained voice. ‘I feel no protective urge towards it whatsoever.’

I let my fingers brush his nipples. ‘Mmhmm.’

‘I still don’t find Lucy cute in the slightest.’

I bent over and blew gently onto his bare neck. ‘Of course you don’t.’

‘She probably doesn’t even like milk,’ he said. ‘For all we know, shadow beasts are lactose intolerant and any second now I’ll be dealing with the very unsexy issue of projectile diarrhoea.’

‘Well,’ I murmured, ‘we do have a shower. The water might be cold but, if I join you and soap you down, I can help you to stay warm.’ I planted a brief kiss on the edge of his lips.

Monroe groaned. Then he sprang up, so fast that Lucy let out a squeak of protest. He tossed the now-empty bottle to one side and carefully placed her inside her cage before turning back to me. I let my eyes drift down his naked torso. He was wearing loose fitting boxers. He looked unbearably sexy.

‘Monroe,’ I whispered.

He growled again. In a heartbeat, he was next to me, pushing me against the wall, his hands in my hair. His mouth pressed against mine and I could feel his heart hammering. His fingers twisted my hair. ‘Did I ever tell you,’ he murmured, ‘that I love your blue hair?’

I smiled. Once upon a time, he had despised my aquamarine locks.

‘Or that the way your earlobe curves into your neck is quite possibly the most seductive thing I’ve ever seen?’

‘The most seductive?’ I purred.

From the cage, Lucy started to moan and squeak. We both ignored her.

‘Well,’ Monroe demurred, ‘there is the birthmark right here.’ His fingers caressed the top of my thigh. He knelt down and kissed it. ‘This is pretty damned seductive.’

Lucy was getting louder.

‘I’ve always thought,’ I said, ‘that actions are the sexiest. Like,’ I paused, ‘this.’ I pulled