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

believe that Fab’s team had carried it with them. Their backpacks had been large – but they hadn’t been that large. This thing was a monstrosity.

Felicity stomped up to me. ‘It’s blocking our entire view!’ she snapped. ‘How are we supposed to tell who or what is approaching the enclave with that thing in the way?’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘on the plus side, if we’re attacked by shadow beasts then Fab and his friends will be the first ones to be eaten.’

Fab appeared from the front of the tent. His white hazmat suit blended with the white of the tent. If it weren’t for the orange tape marking him out, I might not have noticed him.

He caught sight of me and raised his hand before ambling over. ‘Charley! You disappeared very suddenly. I was hoping we’d get the chance to talk again before we called it a night.’

‘Called it a night?’ Felicity blinked. ‘It’s not yet eight o’clock.’

‘Well,’ he said, ‘we have things to do. Reports to write. That sort of thing.’ He smiled at her disarmingly from behind his visor. ‘I’m Fab.’

Her lip curled. ‘And I’m wonderful. I’d be even better if your … thing wasn’t blocking my sight line. Barricade management is my responsibility. I can’t manage anything if I can’t fucking see anything.’

I expected Fab to take umbrage at her sneering attack but her words slid off him. He offered her a brilliant smile and gave a bow. ‘I can see why you would be concerned. We will have two men on guard outside at all times. If there are any problems, we’ll raise the alarm immediately. You should take the opportunity to have a night off.’

She stared incredulously. ‘I’m a werewolf,’ she spat. ‘I don’t take nights off.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I said awkwardly. ‘She takes her role very seriously.’

Fab nodded. ‘I can see that. And so she should.’ He smiled at Felicity. ‘I can see why you’re the ideal person to man these barricades. I bet nothing gets past you. Sharp eyes like yours must be invaluable.’

To my surprise, Fab’s compliment about her sharp eyes made Felicity’s sharp tongue disappear. She coughed, genuinely embarrassed. ‘I try,’ she muttered.

‘I’m sure you do more than that,’ he said warmly. ‘And I can assure you there is no need to worry about our presence. My men are highly trained – even without their weapons.’

I raised an eyebrow at the pointed remark.

‘We have been persuaded to hand them over to your man Julian for safe-keeping,’ he said. ‘I don’t mind doing so if it puts your minds at rest, especially considering they won’t work against the monsters. My men don’t need them anyway. They’re trained in many forms of combat. Not everything needs a gun.’

Indeed. The man was being incredibly amenable. I pushed away a fleeting thought that I’d have expected more of an argument and focused on the fact that he’d handed the guns over without a fight. There was no point seeking problems where there were none. ‘Your tent is rather … large,’ I said, treading cautiously.

‘Yes.’ He grimaced. ‘If there were anywhere else nearby where we could pitch it, we’d have set up there but all the available land appears to be used for crops.’

True. He’d certainly win himself zero admirers if he squashed any of our hard-earned plants. ‘Did you carry that thing with you all the way here?’

‘It’s surprisingly light,’ he told me. ‘And really very compact when it’s not in use. I developed it myself. It was easy to carry.’

Except he hadn’t been the one carrying it. Fabian Barrett hadn’t been carrying anything. I reminded myself that just because he was used to other people doing his bidding didn’t mean he was a bad person. It only meant that he enjoyed a different standard of living to the rest of us.

‘It’s incredible technology,’ Fab continued, ‘even if I say so myself. There are two inner walls, which are sealed against all possible contamination. We are free to take off our suits once we’re inside without fear of anything.’

‘Apart from a strong wind?’ I suggested.

He let out a bark of sharp laughter. ‘Or a giant Lucy monster.’ He seemed genuinely entertained. ‘Or another Cuddles. I thought I’d considered every eventuality but I can already see that I missed several things.’ He winked. ‘You live and learn.’ He gestured towards the tent. ‘I’d invite you inside but…’

‘But I’m already infected.’

Fab winced. ‘Sorry. We have some tests to run in the next day or two. When I know more about how the magic works, maybe I can be less cautious. I’m not trying to give offence.’

I patted him on the shoulder. ‘I’m not taking any. You do what you have to.’

He seemed relieved. ‘Julian is going to give us a tour of your enclave tomorrow morning. It would be lovely if you could join us.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ I told him.

‘Thank you.’ He reached out and took my hand in his, bending over to kiss it. It didn’t have much of an effect when he was wearing a bulky hazmat suit but I appreciated the effort. ‘Adieu, sweet Charlotte.’

‘Charley.’ I frowned.

Fab straightened up. ‘Charley it is then.’ He gave me a mock salute and turned away.

Felicity and I watched him go. ‘He’s quite nice,’ she said, once he was out of earshot. ‘Who’d have thought it?’ She allowed herself a small smile. ‘Hurray for Fab Barrett.’

I smiled back. ‘Hurray indeed.’

Chapter Thirteen

Monroe nuzzled the back of my neck, one arm looped round my waist and his long legs entangled with mine. ‘Morning, sleepy head.’

I smiled. ‘Morning.’

‘I thought I’d do some patrolling today,’ he said. ‘Given all the recent beastie incursions, it would be a good idea to get an idea of where they all are right now and how close they’re getting to us. The last thing we need is stampedes of monsters trying to break down our barricades. And we want to show Fabian Barrett that we’re capable of managing our own safety.’ He paused. ‘You should come