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

was on me and he ignored Lizzy. Although he’d not been at the supermarket when I’d taken out Max and his gang, he’d obviously heard about what I’d done and was wary – as he should have been.

I got down onto my knees as he ordered. My heart was thudding against my ribcage, adrenalin and anticipation ripping through my veins. I stretched out my hands, as if to suggest that I wasn’t any sort of threat, and continued to lower myself. At the last moment, however, I flung my right hand forward. A shot of brutal magic, designed to bring the guard down, flew from my fingers.

He was faster than I’d given him credit for. He leapt to the side; the magic missed him and slammed into several of his colleagues. He didn’t waste any time checking on them but pressed the trigger. An explosive crack filled the room.

I didn’t feel any pain. I waited for the soul-crunching agony to pierce through me and for my heart to give way. It took a long, dull moment before I realised that I wasn’t the one who’d been shot.

It was only when I heard a ragged gasp from Lizzy that I glanced in her direction and saw her pull her hands away from her side. They were stained red with blood.

‘She’ll live,’ the man said. He actually smiled as he said it. ‘But try anything again and I’ll shoot her in the head.’

A red mist descended over my eyes. Nobody hurt me or mine. Nobody. I straightened up, got back to my feet and faced him. ‘Say that again,’ I hissed.

His smile widened. ‘Next time,’ he promised, ‘I’ll put a bullet through her pretty skull.’ He moved the gun slightly and glanced at Lizzy. Then his mouth dropped open.

I spun towards her. Her body shape hadn’t altered but her skin was covered in the golden down of her bunyip form. She held her hands up again, gazing at the blood that was matting the fur. Her mouth opened in a silent snarl and her head jerked up to meet his. A moment later she exploded and every physical trace of what had been Lizzy vanished.

She was on him before I could draw breath. With a twist of her massive head, she used her tusks to rip open his stomach in almost the same place where the bullet had ripped into her. This time, there was a lot more blood.

The idiots who were still standing turned to flee but Anna was already there. She zapped the first one with her Taser, sending him slamming to the ground. I swallowed my renewed surge of nausea and flicked my wrist again. Max’s other henchmen collapsed in a heap. Anna pulled out her baton, which she must have retrieved from Jodie, and held it towards Lizzy.

‘Don’t,’ I croaked.

‘I know she’s your friend,’ Anna said, the tremor in her voice betraying her emotions, ‘but right now she’s capable of anything.’

Lizzy raised her head and stared at her. Anna flinched. I sucked in a breath and edged over, placing one hand on Lizzy’s golden haunches. Her fur was surprisingly smooth and silky. I swallowed and stroked. ‘It’s alright,’ I said. ‘You can come back now. You’re alright.’

I felt her muscles shudder beneath my hand. She swung around, blinking at me, then she let out a soft whine and bent down slightly. She didn’t shift back to her human self, but I was certain that I detected a flicker of the real Lizzy deep in her eyes. She had much more control over herself compared to the last occasion when she’d shifted.

I ran my fingers under her belly, searching for the bullet wound. She emitted a tiny growl from her throat as I grazed it. ‘It hurts, doesn’t it?’ I murmured.

She hung her head in response.

There was very little blood leaking from the wound now. I grimaced. I knew from Monroe that Lilly probably possessed superior self-healing skills, but I didn’t know if those skills would be strong enough for her to move properly without further injury. Better safe than sorry.

‘You have to stay here,’ I said. ‘We can’t risk you doing yourself further harm. We’re all here and we’ve got this. We’ll come and fetch you when it’s over.’

Lizzy growled again, making her opinion clear.

I sighed. ‘I need to know that you’re safe. I can’t worry about you and deal with Max at the same time. Stay here and stay safe.’ I kissed the top of her furry head while Anna frowned. Then I headed for the door.

Thankfully, Lizzy didn’t follow; she simply lay down next to the bloody entrails of the man who’d tried to kill her and closed her eyes. It wouldn’t have been my choice for a resting place – I couldn’t even look at his body – but we’d deal with what she’d done later. This wasn’t the time for hand-wringing or guilt.

I checked the other bodies. As far as I could tell, they were all out for the count. I’d certainly thrown everything I could muster at them, and with far more power than I’d managed previously. I’d felt the surge as the magic had left my body. As I stepped over the prone figures, I reminded myself of Timmons’ warning not to over-use magic unless it was necessary.

Anna followed me. ‘I’m not sure why she needs any sort of rescue effort at all,’ she said in a low voice. ‘Your … friend seemed perfectly capable of defending herself.’ She paused. ‘And then some. She killed that man.’ She swallowed.

I bit my lip. ‘I don’t think she was fully aware of what she was doing. And he did attack her first. He shot her. The next bullet would have gone through her head. What Lizzy did was self-defence.’

Anna raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything. I resisted the urge to continue defending Lizzy, knowing that babbling would only make my reasoning appear weaker. ‘Anyway,’ I added, ‘we’re not here to get Lizzy, we’re