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

‘We’re not the United States of America. This isn’t new territory, it’s a new way of living that none of us have ever experienced before. Maybe once things are settled we can take another look at how we manage things but, until we have a proper new society set up, we shouldn’t take on more than we can handle. My pack died because I tried to do that. I won’t make the mistake again.’

I was silent for a moment. ‘What happens when a werewolf steps out of line?’ I asked finally. ‘Do you kill them? Banish them? Lock them up?’

‘Wolves don’t step out of line,’ he answered instantly. ‘We respect the hierarchy.’ A muscle ticked in his jaw. ‘And before you say it, it’s not about running a dictatorship or whipping people into place. We have centuries’ old ways of doing things. It’s part of our DNA to fall into place.’

‘If I didn’t have magical powers,’ I asked him, ‘would you be trying to kick me out of Manchester?’

‘It’s not like that and you know it. You’re boiling down a complicated argument to its basest form. I’m talking about the safety of those who have chosen to remain, whether they are human or wolf or magically inclined.’

‘Sometimes breaking down an argument into its basest form is the best way to make sense of things,’ I shot back.

‘It’s not as easy as that and you know it. Just because you couldn’t save your brother doesn’t mean you have to spend your life saving everyone else.’

I wasn’t going to answer that. I couldn’t answer that.

Monroe drew in a breath and his eyes travelled over my face as he examined me. ‘You’re not going to let them all find their corners of the city, are you, Charlotte? You’re going to invite them to yours. All those people who marched to Max’s command, you’re going to open your door wide and give them tea and biscuits and your comfiest chairs.’

‘Lizzy destroyed my comfiest chairs when she changed into a bunyip,’ I said.

He growled. ‘Stop trying to deflect me. I know you well enough by now to know what you’re planning.’

‘We need to build a community,’ I told him. ‘Not a competition where only the strongest survive. It’s the only way forward.’

‘I’m not disagreeing with you,’ he said gently. ‘But these are uncharted waters. Like I said, we can’t take on more than we can deal with. We can’t have people who are going to do nothing but cause serious problems. If we hadn’t stopped Max when we did—’

‘He’s a bastard,’ I interrupted. ‘But that’s no reason to tar everyone else with the same brush. And there is such a thing as free will.’

Monroe’s jaw tightened and he turned away. ‘There will be more like him in the future. More who want to exercise their free will and hurt others.’

‘Then we’ll deal with them if and when that happens,’ I said. ‘You don’t have to be so pessimistic all the time.’

‘I’m not being pessimistic. I’m being realistic.’

I moved away. Monroe’s inability to see what we needed to do to make a success of this new, magical Manchester was making me angry. I was prepared to roll the dice; he should be too.

I gave him a single, hard-eyed glare then focused on the forlorn group who’d come to witness Max’s ejection. There was no point addressing the werewolves; they were already Monroe’s, regardless of what he said.

‘What Max wanted to do wasn’t right,’ I said. Unfortunately my voice came out as less of an authoritative declaration and more as a squeak. I cleared my throat and tried again. ‘Maximillian Strong wanted to claim this city for himself and smack down anyone who got in his way or didn’t fall into line. Manchester is on its own now. We don’t have the government to help us out. We don’t have any real infrastructure any more. We have the constant threat of what the magic surrounding us is going to do next.’

I tilted up my chin. ‘And yet we’re all still here for a reason. We’re all gambling that remaining in our city is the best thing to do. And make no mistake – this is our city. I am establishing a community over on the south side. This is our chance to make it right and live and work together. Nobody has to come. You can hide out on your own if you wish. There will be consequences if you threaten us but we would far prefer it if you join us instead. We’re stronger together than we are apart. We can make something of this new world if we pull together.’

I lifted my eyes to Monroe’s. His face was expressionless, but he kept quiet and let me continue. ‘All are welcome. Spread the word and tell whoever you can that the slate is wiped clean and this is our opportunity to start anew. I’m not saying there won’t be challenges or disagreements or problems, but if we work together we can work through them. There’s more than enough space for everyone.’

Monroe rolled his eyes. Before he could say anything, however, one of the white-faced women spoke up. ‘So you’re going to be in charge, are you? Your place, your rules? What if we do something you don’t like? What then?’

I met her eyes. I felt like I was making this up as I went along, but I had to do something. ‘We’ll form a council. I don’t have to be on it but there should be different representatives from different groups. If that doesn’t work, we’ll come up with a better plan. It’s not about me being in charge. It’s about us surviving. Properly.’

I thought about the supplies squirrelled away across the city. I’d been thinking of myself when I’d done that. Really, I should have been thinking about everyone. There was enough left in the abandoned supermarkets and warehouses to cover us for months, especially if