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

He tutted. He did, however, follow me to the wall of the building. Atta boy.

Using the same trick as before, I flicked up the magic I needed, coiling it round the guttering and grabbing hold of Monroe. He put his arms round me then we were off, zipping upwards through the night air. This time I avoided going near the windows; there was no point in flirting with danger unnecessarily and announcing our arrival. Instead, we reached the edge of the roof and placed our toes on the few undamaged tiles at the bottom of it before I released the magic.

Monroe didn’t stop holding me, though. He kept a tight grip as we shimmied up to the gaping hole in the uppermost part of the roof. The edges were charred and brittle so I stepped carefully. Only when I was sure I had a decent enough foothold did I lean over and peer inside.

As expected, most of the floor below was badly damaged. Evidence of the fire was everywhere, from the ragged, blackened wallpaper to the twisted metal of old office furniture. I wondered whether Barrett had deliberately selected this place as an ambush because he thought that the scene of a fire might gnaw at my guilt and throw me off my game. I wasn’t quite so sensitive.

I glanced at Monroe. His eyes were focused and his body was unnaturally still. I waited a beat and then spoke. ‘Anything?’

He shook his head and released his hold on me. ‘Not on this level. I can hear something from further down but this floor is clear.’

I didn’t waste any further time. Holding my breath, I crouched and started to lower myself carefully inside. The floorboards would no doubt be unsafe, not to mention creaky, so it was imperative that I was both careful and quiet. I only dropped down when I was sure of my landing spot; even so, a cloud of black dust rose up as soon as my feet touched the floor. I clamped one hand over my mouth to avoid coughing and motioned to Monroe to wait until I’d worked out a path. I was considerably lighter than him; I’d have a better shot at this than he would.

Shifting my weight, I found the joists and shuffled, leaving a trail in the soot behind me. I grew more confident and picked up speed until, in no time at all, I’d reached the other side of the room. Beyond was a short corridor and a drop into what had to be a stairwell. Bingo. I caught my breath then nodded at Monroe who followed in my footsteps. When he reached me, I raised an eyebrow. ‘Who’s a marauding rhino now?’ I whispered.

Monroe smiled grimly. I was turning, ready to advance upon the staircase, when he grabbed my hand and squeezed it in warning. I froze as voices drifted up from below.

‘How will they find this place?’

‘The ginger fucker is a werewolf. He’ll be able to scent his furry friend.’

‘Are you sure about that?’

There wasn’t a pause. ‘Positive.’

‘I’m not sure that this is a good idea. Do you—?’

The response was explosive. ‘Shut the fuck up. You don’t want the boss to hear you saying that. You know what happened when Boyce spoke up.’

There was a brief lull in the conversation.

‘Where’s the boss now?’

I heard the thudding of steps followed by the sound of Fabian Barrett’s voice. It chilled me to my very bones. ‘I’m here.’

I exchanged a tense glance with Monroe. How on earth had that bastard got here? There was no way he could have passed Nero and the others so quickly, either with or without a fight. My fear trebled. He was beating us at every turn. Still.

‘Are we all clear on what’s to happen here?’ Barrett continued.

There were murmurs of agreement. ‘None of them are to leave alive,’ someone said.

Monroe hissed through his teeth.

‘Exactly.’ It was Barrett again. ‘All three of them are held in high regard. Once they’ve gone, the others will be easier to control. If anyone else in the enclave puts up a fight, we can put a bullet in them and be done with it. There are several I’ve got my eye on, but let’s see how they react once their esteemed leaders have abandoned them.’ There was a ripple of amusement in his words that made me nauseous. ‘We need the community here to generate more magic into the air. Once we have our own people in place with their own skills, we can sort out the others for good. We don’t need more blood on our hands than is absolutely necessary. Not yet, anyway.’

I clenched my fists. I’d suspected Barrett of many things over the past few days but hearing him speak so coldly about murder was beyond the pale. To my side, Monroe’s skin was breaking out in patches of dark red fur. I could feel his body trembling with rage.

‘They should be here any second now,’ Barrett said. ‘Kill the other one.’

There was a muffled grunt. Somehow I knew it belonged to Julian. ‘You might have managed to get me out here with your promises of peaceful negotiation,’ he said in a strained voice, ‘but you won’t do the same to Charley or Monroe. They’re smarter than you think.’

‘What did I say?’ Barrett said calmly. ‘Kill him already.’

Monroe threw himself forward. I had just enough time to raise my hands and send a blast of magic towards the already weakened floor before he crashed through it, shifting in mid-air before falling onto the floor below.

Soot and dust and debris blotting out everything. I couldn’t see a fucking thing so I did the only thing I could: I jumped down through the hole after him.

As soon as I landed I lashed out with magic. I heard someone yelp in pain, followed by a thud as they fell to the ground. I spun round and did the same