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

dodgy gambles as a result.’ I was aware that I was starting to babble but I felt an overwhelming urge to explain myself. ‘There was this one horse that—’

The woman held up her hand. ‘Perhaps another time.’ She pointed at Lizzy. ‘What’s it saying?’

‘She. Not it,’ I snapped. Then I remembered that I didn’t want to piss her off or come across as too crazy and I softened my words. ‘I think,’ I leaned over and whispered in her ear, ‘she’s saying Vegemite. We’ve run out.’

‘What’s Vegemite?’

At the mention of her favourite food, Lizzy’s eyes narrowed to slits. Her jaws opened wide and she began to shriek again. She lunged forward, her head down so that her lethal-looking horns were in prime slashing position.

I didn’t wait; I grabbed the woman and hauled her back, slamming the door shut so there was a barrier between Lizzy and us. ‘Don’t say it aloud in front of her!’ I warned.

‘What? Vegemite?’

Lizzy heard her through the door. She barrelled against her side of it, splintering the wood. I winced. I’d been fortunate that she’d not forced her way through so far but such illusory luck always ran out.

I glared. ‘You’re supposed to be helping.’

‘Sorry,’ the woman muttered. ‘This is my first time with an Australian monster.’

‘Lizzy’s not a monster. She’s just having a bad day.’

Her expression flickered. I watched her for a moment, despairing realisation eventually dawning on me. ‘You’re not with the police,’ I said. ‘I’m usually good at reading people and your air of self-importance suggested you were a copper – but you’re not.’ I sighed. ‘Great. Who are you and what do you want?’

I didn’t have time for any other problems beyond the ones I already had.

‘Okay, Charlotte,’ she agreed after a brief pause. ‘I’m not with the police.’

I grimaced. I should have trusted my initial instincts. I hoped this wasn’t about to turn sour. In a fight, I reckoned she’d take me down before I could so much as raise my fists, but I’d still try my darned best.

Her next words, however, surprised me. ‘But I reckon I can probably help. Or I know someone who can.’

There was an earnestness about her that strangely encouraged trust, not that I had much of a choice at this point. I took a deep breath of air into my lungs. ‘Charley,’ I said.

‘Pardon?’

‘Call me Charley.’ I folded my arms. ‘How long will it take to get hold of this someone?’

She smiled. ‘Give me a minute.’

Chapter Six

When the strange woman said she would only be a minute, she wasn’t kidding. A mere forty seconds later, she strolled back into my house. This time she wasn’t alone. Directly behind her was a tall man with short, dark-red curls framing his face and the sort of swagger that instantly put me in mind of Max. He wasn’t overly large but his presence seemed to fill my hallway.

Considering he must have been loitering outside in order to have arrived so quickly, I was suspicious. Despite his light, dancing-blue eyes and good looks – and the sudden, unexpected kick of lust that I immediately quashed – his resemblance to my current nemesis put me on edge. And that was before he spoke.

Lifting his nose and sniffing the air, an expression of disgust flitted across his face. ‘What is that?’ he sneered in a strong Scottish brogue. Then he spotted me. ‘What are you?’

I resisted the temptation to kick him out. Whoever he was and however he acted, if he could help Lizzy I could deal with his ego. That didn’t mean I was going to roll over or simper like a helpless damsel in distress, though. I knew his type: give him an inch and he’d walk all over me.

‘The woman whose house you’re in,’ I answered coldly. I flicked a look at the woman. ‘Is this the best you can do? This guy with the ego the size of a blimp?’

She had the grace to look embarrassed on his behalf. ‘Give him a minute. He has, uh, a sensitive nose. It’s probably affecting him adversely.’

The man pushed past her and walked towards me, his expression glinting with a predatorial glare that made me want to turn and flee. I resisted the urge to step back and held my ground.

‘Sunshine,’ he muttered. ‘You smell of sunshine.’ He smiled slowly, his eyes crinkling. ‘Despite your hair, you’re rather pretty,’ he purred. ‘I like the freckles.’

His words were probably designed to make me want to drop my knickers right then and there, but his arrogant manner did little more than rankle. ‘Be still my beating heart,’ I said irritably. ‘What a wondrous compliment.’

He moved back a few inches, providing me with the breathing space I needed. ‘Sarcasm doesn’t impress me.’

The first thing I’d learnt when I’d started gambling properly was never to tell anyone what irked me because it only encouraged them to do it even more. So, of course, that’s what I did. I raised my eyebrows as if bored. ‘Oh no. I’m devastated.’

He watched me for a moment then inclined his head slightly. Maybe he wasn’t used to people standing up to him. ‘I apologise,’ he said, surprising me further. ‘The magic in the air is causing my … animalistic side to gain dominance.’ He grinned. ‘Next time I’m rude, feel free to slap me around.’ He bowed. ‘Thank you for inviting me in. I’m only here to help.’

Now I was even more suspicious; I’d have preferred it if he’d continued with the machismo. All the same, it was his words rather than his attitude that truly struck me. ‘Magic? Is that what you’re calling this spooky shit?’ Had Lizzy and I been right? Was all this apocalyptic crap actually magic?

The man waved a hand as if to dismiss what he’d said. I wasn’t stupid; I caught the brief flare in his eyes. ‘It’s what I call it.’

He’d been far too quick to answer. The feeling that he knew more about what was going on in my