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

There was no point in denying I now possessed magic at my very fingertips since I’d thrown Max and several of his gang to the ground and knocked them unconscious with little more than a flick of my wrist. I also knew exactly what he wanted from me but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of saying it aloud. Looking bored, I raised my hand and examined my fingernails. ‘So?’

‘You come and work for me. In return I let your Australian friend go.’ He shrugged. ‘Win-win.’ He leaned forward. ‘I’ll even forget about you assaulting me and the money you owe me.’

‘I’m not going to work for you, Max. Besides, you don’t know what I’m capable of. For all you know, all I have to do is click my fingers and you’ll drop down dead.’

He tutted. ‘Such violence. I’ve always thought of you as a lady, Charley, despite your terrible hair. Threats don’t suit you.’

‘I’ve not threatened you yet.’ I bared my teeth. ‘But you’ll know when I do.’

‘Then perhaps you and I are more alike than you realise.’

My voice was flat. ‘We’re not at all alike.’

He smirked. ‘We’ll see. Come and work for me, Charley. Together we can make Manchester great. The government has abandoned us. You and I can transform this place into somewhere new, somewhere amazing. Maybe I’ll even learn some … compassion,’ he rolled the word around his mouth, ‘from you.’ He licked his lips. ‘Of course, if you don’t come willingly I’ll kill your friend. And I’ll force you.’

As he spoke, he tilted his body back slightly and jerked his chin. People emerged from all sides holding weapons, all of them pointed at me.

I raised my hand towards the nearest one, a young woman who was probably barely out of her teens. ‘Abracadabra,’ I said. She flinched. So did half the group.

Max threw his head back and laughed. ‘I’m going to enjoy having you around.’

‘You know,’ I said conversationally, ‘I could kill the lot of you with one flick of my finger.’

Max grinned widely. ‘Go on then.’

I shrugged. ‘I didn’t say I was going to do it, just that I could do it.’ I tapped my mouth thoughtfully as if I were seriously considering his abhorrent proposition. ‘You’ll let Lizzy go if I promise to stay with you?’

‘I will.’ Max put his hand over his heart. ‘Scout’s honour.’

I found it very hard to believe that Maximillian Strong had ever been a Boy Scout. ‘How long do I have to stay with you? Because I’m not sure that forever is going to cut it.’

‘Three months,’ he said smoothly, giving me the impression that he’d anticipated the question. ‘Then we’ll review.’

‘And what if the army re-enter Manchester in that time and take back control?’

‘We both know that’s unlikely to happen.’ He pursed his lips. ‘In that event, you will remain by my side.’

I looked over Max’s motley crew. There really were a lot of them; I wondered what he’d done to get them all to flock to his side. Were they here willingly or had he coerced them? ‘I want my own house,’ I said finally. ‘I’m not living with you or with any of your goons.’

‘No problem.’

‘I won’t hurt or kill anyone.’

Max looked amused. ‘You don’t have to kill anyone but you might need to hurt people from time to time. When the carrot doesn’t work, Charley, you’ve got to use the stick.’

Being in his presence was starting to make me feel ill. I glared. He didn’t care.

‘Your friend won’t make it otherwise,’ he said.

I sighed. ‘Fine,’ I snapped.

Max beamed. ‘Atta girl.’

I hopped off the levitating motorbike. Almost immediately, two of Max’s followers leapt forward and grabbed my arms. ‘Ouch!’ I complained, although I didn’t resist. ‘I don’t want any bruises.’

Max gave them a small nod and they loosened their grip. Slightly. ‘We can’t have the merchandise damaged,’ he purred.

‘I want to see Lizzy before you release her,’ I told him.

‘Oh, Charley,’ he tutted. ‘You’ll have plenty of time to catch up with her. She’ll be released at the end of the three-month period. I promised to let her go. I didn’t promise when that would be.’

My face contorted in a spasm of anger; hopefully it masked my relief. I’d have felt a teeny bit guilty if he’d been honest in his negotiations and then I’d scarpered with Lizzy in tow less than hour later. I didn’t tend to renege on my deals. ‘You bastard,’ I hissed.

Max was unconcerned. ‘I’ve heard worse.’ He walked up to me. ‘From now on, it’s Lord Max to you.’ He bent his head and planted a kiss on my cheek, in the exact same spot as Monroe had done earlier. Funnily enough, Max’s version didn’t do anything to tighten my loins.

Then he pulled his back his fist and smashed it into the side of my head. I felt a jarring shriek of pain shudder through me before everything went black.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The nausea swirling up in my stomach made me want to keep my eyes closed for several more hours. When conscious, rational thought finally penetrated my brain, however, I forced my eyes open and struggled against my physical woes in order to sit up.

Lizzy, who was sitting on a chair on the other side of the room with her head in her hands, sprang up as soon as she hear my involuntary groan. ‘Charley, I’m so sorry! Shit, I’m so sorry. Mate, this is all my fault and I’m…’

‘So sorry?’ I croaked.

She nodded. ‘I really am. I could have gotten away from him. When Max’s freaks grabbed me, I knew I could transform again. But I didn’t because I was scared of what else might happen if I did. And,’ she hung her head, ‘I didn’t want everyone else to see me like that. I’m…’

‘So sorry. I get you.’ I gave her a tired smile. ‘It’s fine.’

‘It’s bloody not! We’re prisoners! You’re half dead and