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

the three women turned left and jogged down the street to look for a suitable vehicle and Monroe and I turned right. I had covered most eventualities, but I still had the queasy sensation that I was sending my friends, old and new, into serious danger. I wasn’t going to admit that to Monroe, though.

We jogged in silence, each of us scanning our own side of the street for any vehicle that might be suitable. Unfortunately, in this part of Manchester the majority of the cars tended to be large, glamorous penis extensions rather than ones that would help us navigate torn-up streets. It was only when I spotted an old Jeep with a handy trailer attached parked in front of an evacuee’s abandoned house that we hit pay dirt.

Monroe broke into the house, using his elbow to smash a pane of glass. The departed owners had a white box installed outside their front door, indicating the presence of a burglar alarm. Either it was wired to the mains, and therefore no longer working, or it was for show because he emerged less than a minute later without setting off any ear-piercing screeching. He was also dangling the Jeep’s keys in his fingers.

‘Sorted,’ he said with a satisfied grin. ‘I am driving.’ He paused as if waiting for me to argue. I shrugged. If that was what it took to stop him complaining at every turn, it was fine with me.

He unlocked the Jeep and we both clambered in. I was very relieved when the rust-bucket actually started. ‘Down to the end of the street and turn right,’ I told him.

He grunted in assent and started driving, veering round a section of massive tree roots that had upturned most of the pavement and half of the road. ‘Now we’re on our way,’ he said, securing his seatbelt, ‘you have some questions to answer.’

I had a feeling I knew what he was going to ask, but I waited for him to proceed. Monroe had lost control of every facet of his life; he needed to feel like he was in charge in order to be comfortable. Besides, it would give him something to focus on other than his grief.

‘First of all, what did Jodie mean when she said you were an enchantress?’

So far, so expected. I had no reason to hide what had happened. ‘The magical doodah thing that Madrona planted on me,’ I said. ‘I fell asleep with it. Now I can do … stuff.’

‘What stuff?’

I gestured helplessly. ‘Magic stuff.’ I told him about the way I’d bowled over Max and his henchmen. ‘I feel different too,’ I said. ‘Like there’s an odd buzzing itch running underneath my skin.’ If I concentrated, I could also see an odd blue aura clinging to Monroe. I saw the same with Julie and with Lizzy. It was magic. I just knew it. They had it – and now I did too.

‘And you think it was the sphere that caused this?’

‘Unless you have any better ideas. I’m no werewolf.’

Monroe snorted. ‘I know that,’ he said derisively.

I drummed my fingers on the dashboard. ‘My turn to ask a question. You were half dead when I left for Castlefield. How did you recover so quickly?’

‘Shifting,’ he answered. ‘It helps speed up the healing process.’

‘So you don’t have to wait for the full moon or anything?’

He rolled his eyes.

‘What?’ I tutted. ‘It’s a reasonable question.’

‘It’s a stupid question. Only adolescents require the moon to shapeshift. The rest of us can do it at will.’

At my direction he turned left. ‘Who is Max?’ he asked.

‘A nasty bastard. He has his fingers in a lot of pies and he likes nothing better than to intimidate people. I spend a lot of time gambling and he’s one of the more infamous members of the underground scene. He doesn’t bet much himself, but he takes on others’ debts and terrifies them when they can’t pay up immediately. I owe him money.’

‘Why am I not surprised?’ Monroe muttered. ‘Getting into debt with a dangerous loan shark seems like the sort of stupid thing you would do.’

I bristled. ‘First of all, Maximillian Stone is far more than a mere loan shark. Second of all, it’s not my debt. An acquaintance of mine got into trouble and I took on his debts to help him out. He was never going to manage on his own, and Max was quite prepared to hurt him very badly in return.’

‘Are you fucking him?’

I made a face. ‘Max? Eeew. No way. I have standards.’

‘That I very much doubt. But I meant the acquaintance.’

‘No. He’s just someone who needed help.’

Monroe sniffed. ‘Then you’re even more stupid than I thought. Family matters. Blood matters. My pack mattered. Mere acquaintances who can’t look after themselves are not worth risking yourself for.’

My shoulders tightened. ‘Why not?’

‘Because there’s a line. You can’t mess up your own life for the sake of others who are weaker than yourself and who you owe no loyalty to. What did you have to gain from helping this acquaintance, beyond a sense of moral sanctity?’

‘The knowledge that I was doing the right thing,’ I said shortly.

‘The right thing is looking after you and yours.’ A muscle jerked in Monroe’s jaw. ‘Although I can’t seem to manage that either,’ he half spat.

I bit my lip. ‘It’s not your fault that your pack died.’

‘It’s all my fault.’ He lapsed into brooding silence, which wouldn’t help his psyche or my plans.

‘Cath was with Max,’ I said, unwilling to allow Monroe to feel sorry for himself when there were plenty of other things to worry about. ‘You saw the bruise across her face – well, that’s where it came from. Max. He has a bunch of teenagers and henchmen, and he’s running around the city grabbing all the supplies he can.’

Monroe shook himself. ‘So he’s banking on the British government abandoning the city for good. He wants to control the food and water. When he can do that, he can control everything