by Helen Harper
I raised my head and looked at Monroe. ‘He is a werewolf,’ I said. ‘There are others like him in this city.’
I twisted towards Lizzy, who raised herself proudly onto her haunches. ‘She is a bunyip and there are probably others like her, too. We don’t know. None of us do. The person you’re standing next to could be capable of things you’ve never imagined.’
I spotted people glancing nervously from side to side. Good: they were thinking about what I was saying. They believed me. ‘Manchester is magic now but that doesn’t mean we’re not free.’
I returned my gaze to Max. ‘No one can enslave or hurt another person. These might be difficult times, but we don’t have to make them harder for ourselves. Hurt another person and expect consequences.’ I crossed my arms and glared. ‘Here endeth the lesson.’
Nobody moved. I glared harder. ‘Now get the fuck out of here. No shoving. No trampling. Leave.’
They got the message. One by one, the crowd turned and slowly dispersed, making their way calmly through the few gaps in the trees. When most of them had gone, I went to Max. Even with Anna standing over him, gun in hand, he continued to sneer at me with a curled lip.
‘You still don’t get it, do you, Max?’ I asked softly. ‘I’ve been in control all along. It wasn’t enough to simply smack you down, we had to smack you down in public. I knew that your arrogance meant you’d want an audience to witness your triumph.’ I leaned towards him. ‘Call this the triple bluff. It’s not enough to know the rules of the game, you have to know your fellow players too. And sadly, Max, I know you.’
His face twisted into an ugly snarl. ‘You sacrificed one of your own to prove a point?’
Julie appeared from behind a tree. She was holding a glass in one hand; goodness only knew where she’d managed to find ice and lemon. ‘You mean me, darling? I’m not dead. Not even close.’ She bared her fangs. ‘I’m a vampire. A little slit to my throat is not enough to kill me. Not now. Not with all this wonderful magic to work with.’
‘Nice of you to finally show up,’ Jodie muttered under her breath.
Julie took a sip of her drink and smiled. ‘I was a bit hungry along the way, otherwise I’d have been here sooner.’ At my look she shrugged. ‘I didn’t kill anyone, darling. I swear it on my Bafta. Besides, everything has worked out.’
Julie and I were going to have words later but for the time being I focused back on Max. ‘No one is going to follow you now,’ I told him. ‘No one will dare. Find yourself a corner of the city and stay there. Or worse will happen.’
‘You’re a stone-cold bitch, Charley,’ he spat. Next to him, Monroe started to growl. Max hissed. ‘Fine. I’ll do what you want.’
I smiled as if I’d expected nothing less. ‘Great.’
I half-turned to go. In one swift movement, he lunged forward, producing the same knife with which he’d tried to kill Julie. Before I could blink, one arm had me by the ribs and the other held the knife to my throat.
‘Any of you come one step closer and I’ll fucking kill her.’
I sighed. Then I concentrated on the swirl of magic in my belly and pushed it backwards. Max was thrown back against a tree with a loud thump.
I straightened my shoulders, shook myself off and picked up the knife. It was rather pretty; the blade was sharp and the handle was made from intricately carved bone. I nodded approvingly. I’d keep this.
Max groaned. ‘I think I’ve broken my leg. And my arm.’
I tutted. ‘Shame.’ I glanced briefly at Monroe, who was already shifting back into human and gazing at me with an amused glint in his blue eyes. ‘I might be soft-hearted,’ I said. ‘And I might have a penchant for helping others. But don’t ever mistake me for being a pushover. I am still the enchantress, after all.’ Then I smiled again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Monroe moved next to me, casting me a long look with his blue eyes. I felt his hand brush against mine, the briefest of touches. The hairs on the back on my arm stood up, but he didn’t seem to notice. ‘You know this is for the best,’ he told me.
I raised an eyebrow. ‘Ejecting the undesirables?’
Monroe shrugged lazily. ‘You gave him a chance to slink away and he blew it. Killing him would send the wrong message to everyone else. And we don’t have the capacity to lock him up. Who would watch him? How long could we shove him in a cell for? Manchester no longer has the infrastructure to deal with his sort. We do what we have to do. It’s as well we have this one exit route left to us and that Anna knew about it but, from now on, we’ll have to control it from this end because the British government controls all the other roads from their end. Not to mention the damned wall they’re building.’
He watched a group of werewolves as they busied themselves building our barrier. It wouldn’t be long before Manchester was sealed off completely, us from them and them from us.
‘I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you,’ I said. ‘I’m just saying that we can’t chuck people out whenever we feel like it. There have to be proper rules. Proper laws.’
His fingertips touched mine again before he moved away. ‘There are. Screw around and get banished. Simple.’ At my look, his eyes hardened. ‘Even you can’t think there’s a place for the likes of Maximillian Strong in our city, especially at the moment. We need time and space to adapt to our new situation. We have enough problems with all this magic shit to worry about.’
He paused. ‘We should round up everyone who chose to work for him and do the same to them as we’ve done to him. They won’t do well in Manchester anyway – none of them have power or magic. They don’t belong.’ His voice was soft but there was an underlying edge to his words.
‘If they want to stay, they should be allowed to.’
Monroe sighed. ‘I knew that’s what you’d say. There’s a lot of them, though, a lot of people who wasted no time in flocking to Max’s side even though it was clear he was up to no good. Not to mention that there’s likely to be several more Max Strongs in amongst that bunch to cause us more problems in the future.’
I pulled back my shoulders. ‘Then we’ll deal with them in the future.’
‘It’s far better to be proactive than reactive, Charlotte.’
This time I didn’t bother correcting his use of my full name. Oddly, I had decided I quite liked it when he used it. But that didn’t mean that I was ever going to agree with him. ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…’
‘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 h
is 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 we worked together and weren’t selfish about it.
‘Charlotte can have the south of the city,’ Monroe said loudly. ‘You can join her if you want to and I wish her the best of luck. I’m going to settle in the north. Anyone who wishes to join me there will have to prove themselves. They’ll have to toe the line.’ His eyes gleamed. ‘My line. I will, however, make a pledge that they will be kept as safe as I can manage. If all and sundry are bedding down with Charlotte, then no one’s safety will be guaranteed in the south.’
I watched as the still-busy werewolves paused for a moment and exchanged glances. They shrugged in unison, turned to Monroe and nodded. Jeez. At least he wasn’t forcing the other people out of the city straight away. Then I noticed the flash of vulnerability and pain in Monroe’s eyes, which was so brief I almost could have imagined it. He was grieving; he was in pain. In truth, he likely would be for some time yet. Max’s shenanigans and the closure of the city had given him something else to focus on – now he only had his own hurt to think about. He needed people around him just as much as I did. Monroe simply didn’t realise it yet.
The little group of humans drew closer, some of them starting to murmur to each other. I could tell from their expressions that most would side with me. Werewolves like Monroe might be pack animals, but humans were social creatures too. We needed each other.
‘So,’ I murmured to Monroe, ‘the lines are drawn.’
‘Apparently.’ He paused. ‘Look at me, Charlotte.’
I raised my eyes to his with some reluctance. ‘Your way isn’t wrong,’ I told him. ‘It’s different. I understand why you want to do this.’
‘Survival is the name of the game,’ he replied.
I nodded. ‘Exactly. We just have different definitions of the word.’
Sadness tugged down the corners of his mouth. ‘When you get into trouble with all your waifs and strays – and you will get into trouble – I won’t be at your beck and call. I won’t be able to come running whenever you need me.’
Something tightened deep inside my stomach. ‘I wouldn’t expect you to. Besides, it will be fine. We’ll work it out. And,’ I added, ‘when you need to talk or to yell or to have a good cry, I’ll be here. I will come running, even if you won’t.’
‘I don’t want that from you.’ A muscle ticked in his jaw and he suddenly refused to meet my gaze.
‘I know. But I’ll be here all the same. Not dying but surviving,’ I added pointedly. ‘Surviving successfully.’
‘I hope so,’ Monroe said seriously. ‘For your sake.’ His eyes flicked back to mine. ‘We should still arrange those fighting lessons,’ he muttered.
Yeah, I supposed we should. I shoved my hands into my pockets and nodded. ‘I have to go. The others will be waiting for me to come back.’
I raised my eyebrows at the huddle of people. Several of them stared back then peeled off, trudging towards me as if they had no choice. I glanced at Monroe one last time and gave him a small smile before I turned away.
‘For what it’s worth,’ he said behind me in a barely audible voice, ‘I’d never kick you out of the city. No matter what happens or what you are.’ He paused and spoke even more quietly. ‘Sunshine.’
I hesitated for a fraction of a second then I kept on moving. There were houses to allocate and supplies to sort out. We’d make this brave new world work for us no matter what happened. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that life was going to be easy but, magic or no magic, Manchester was worth it.
‘See you around, Monroe,’ I whispered.
This time, I didn’t wait for a reply.
BRITTLE MIDNIGHT
BOOK TWO
Prologue
The punch, when it came, broke his nose. Monroe heard the sickening crack almost before he felt the flash of pain. The onlookers didn’t bother to mask their shocked gasps. Whatever. They could think what they wanted. He ignored the spray of blood that splattered onto the ground in front of him and turned to face the young werewolf once again.
Fo
r all his swagger and bravado, Nero suddenly looked rather nonplussed. From the expression on his face, the last thing he’d expected was to land such a blow. Monroe bared his teeth. The boy’s alpha should be doing more to teach him to guard against displaying his emotions too obviously. But then again, Julian had always been something of a soft touch.
Monroe shook his head slightly, his dark-red curls damp with sweat. He could see with the easy clarity of experience that Nero’s left side was vulnerable. Not only did the kid hold himself stiffly, favouring that side as if bothered by an old injury, but he also had his fists lowered. A simple jab to his kidneys and he’d be floored. Then it would all be over.
Monroe let the kid hit him again, a teeth-knocking blow to the side of his head which was followed up by a sharp kick to his ribs. That was better. Nero was pressing his advantage. It was about time. As Monroe spun from the force of the first hit, more blood from his wounds arced out, spraying at least three of the watching crowd. One of them, an older-looking vampire, appeared delighted and used the tip of his finger to smear Monroe’s blood onto his tongue. He smacked his lips, ignoring the glares from the werewolves next to him.
Monroe ignored the lot of them. He wasn’t there for them. He pivoted onto his toes, exposing his right flank just enough for Nero to notice. The shock and dismay that the younger werewolf had displayed at managing to beat the older maestro was being replaced by the heady combination of bloodlust and power. This time he was going to go in for kill. Monroe was going to let him.
‘Enough.’
There was a collective groan from the crowd. Julian’s eyes narrowed, his bristling anger forcing them all to slink away into the shadows from where they’d come. Monroe’s glare matched Julian’s, spark for furious spark.
‘What did you do that for?’ Nero burst out, barely able to contain himself. ‘I had him! I was beating him! It was a fair fight and I was better! You—’