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

again. I stared longingly after Alora and sighed. ‘Okay.’ I pushed my hair out of my eyes. ‘But we’ll try again when we come back.’ I met his gaze. ‘We will come back.’

‘Naturally,’ he said lightly. ‘We promised.’

Chapter Five

I’d hoped that Monroe would give me a lift to my neighbourhood or, at the very least, drop me at the reservoir so I could retrieve the bike. Instead he made a beeline for the centre of the city.

There was only one place that he could be aiming for. The last thing I wanted was another confrontation with Mike Timmons, the sole remaining faery in the city.

‘Is this necessary?’ I asked. ‘What’s there to say that’s not been said already?’

‘We’re not going to the Travotel to pick a fight,’ Monroe replied calmly. ‘That time with the faery wanker has been and gone.’

‘He’s not really a wanker, you know. He’s an alright guy.’ I meant it, despite some of Timmons’ more questionable actions. He had told Max, my human nemesis, where to find me. He’d only done it to avoid bloodshed on his own turf but he knew he’d erred and he’d made up for it since, dropping in to help out with all manner of projects and encouraging his long-term hotel guests to do the same.

‘He’s a faery,’ Monroe answered. ‘He’ll always be a wanker.’

I sighed. Monroe could be obstructively stubborn when the mood took him. ‘If you’re not cruising for a faery bruising, then what?’ I asked. ‘Even if he’s got further insights into mermaids, I think we’ve got Nimue covered for the time being. I don’t think she’ll be any more trouble.’ I mentally crossed my fingers; I hoped she wasn’t going to be any more trouble.

‘That’s the optimistic Charlotte I know and love,’ Monroe grinned. He pulled the car into the Travotel car park and turned off the engine.

‘Love?’ I enquired.

He leaned across and gave me a light peck on the cheek. ‘Of course,’ he said easily. There was a dancing gleam in his blue eyes. ‘Everyone loves the enchantress.’ Then something darker and deeper flickered in his expression and he pulled back.

Feeling awkward, I got out of the car and shoved my hands in my pockets. ‘If you cause any trouble, Monroe, I will have to intervene.’

‘I won’t cause any trouble.’ He began striding towards the front door. ‘Trust me.’

Hell, these days I couldn’t trust myself. With a deep sense of foreboding, I trailed after him. All I wanted to do was put my feet up. Please, I whispered to myself, no more blood. I’d had enough of that today, even if it had only been of the magical variety.

Timmons was rearranging flowers on a small side table. Goodness only knows where he managed to get them at this time of year. I prided myself on my local knowledge but I’d be hard-pressed to come up with much more than a straggly, half-dead daffodil. Timmons had conjured up a bouquet of roses and lilies.

He straightened up as we entered, smiling until he registered who we were. There was a flash of taut fear in his face before his smooth, hotel-manager persona took over. ‘Good day! And how are you two on this fine afternoon?’

‘Fabulous,’ Monroe murmured, sounding anything but.

Timmons looked at us and we looked at him, a moment’s silence descending into something far more awkward. I had to give it to the faery, though – he stood his ground.

‘What do you want?’ he said finally, yielding to the inevitable and querying our intrusion. ‘I don’t want any trouble.’ This last statement was addressed to Monroe. I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed to me that it wasn’t just old history that was making Timmons concerned. There seemed to be something fresh about his anxiety.

‘I don’t know why you think I’m here to cause havoc. There’s only one reason we are here. It’s obvious really. Why else would we come to a hotel?’ Monroe said, almost purring. ‘We want a room. Your best room.’

My mouth dropped open. I turned to Monroe, more surprised than Timmons was. ‘Excuse me?’

‘We need chocolate,’ Monroe continued. ‘And wine.’ He pointed at the floral display. ‘Some fresh flowers wouldn’t go amiss either.’

I found my voice. ‘What exactly do you think is going to happen here?’ My eyes shot daggers at him. ‘How dare you? If you want to get into my knickers, the least you could do is ask me first.’

Timmons coughed awkwardly. ‘I’ll go and check our availability,’ he said. He skedaddled out of the way and into his back office as fast as his legs could carry him.

‘I mean, seriously, Monroe?’ I put my hands on my hips. ‘Yes, sex is a great stress reliever. Yes, a screaming orgasm might help me put all the other shit out of my mind for a while. But you’re assuming a great deal, a great fucking deal. I suppose you think I should be grateful that you’re booking a room by the hour instead of leading me down some dreary back alley.’ I drew in a sharp breath. ‘And if you’re about to suggest that you make use of my back alley, then I’ll have more than harsh words for you. I thought by now that we’d worked out a decent working relationship, that we had respect for each other. Instead, you seem to think that you can crook your little finger and I’ll throw myself backwards and spread my legs. You bastard of a werewolf.’ I scrunched up my face in disgust. ‘Just when I was starting to like you. You think that because you’ve got sexy blue eyes and a gorgeous body you can do what you want. Well, I’m here to tell that you can’t. Not with this woman. No way.’

Monroe didn’t react once during my tirade; he merely watched me without expression. Only when I paused to gather myself did he actually speak. ‘Are you finished?’ he asked.

‘Oh, I’m only just getting going,’ I told him in no uncertain