by Helen Harper
Monroe and I stayed where we were for several moments after the beast disappeared, thumping its way down the main street to wherever it was going. I didn’t try to pull away until Monroe’s head dipped down and he murmured, ‘You see? You do want my protection after all.’
I hissed under my breath. ‘We’re alone now, you know. You don’t have to play the tough guy.’
‘It’s in my DNA,’ he responded calmly.
I stepped back and examined his face. ‘No, it’s not.’
‘I’m not lying to you, Charlotte,’ he said. ‘And I’m not playing. You might think I’m being an overbearing male who’s never heard of equal rights, but I am an alpha wolf. I can’t always help myself.’ He put his hands in his pockets and looked away. ‘Old habits die hard, no matter what else is going on.’
I softened my tone. ‘I’m saying that you don’t have to put on a show for my sake. I can look after myself and I see you more clearly than you think.’
‘Do you?’ His mouth tightened. ‘A couple of days ago you seemed to think I was coercing you into sleeping with me.’
‘I didn’t think that!’ I protested. ‘Not really anyway. I just…’ Damn it. I grimaced. ‘I was tired. I wasn’t thinking straight.’
‘I’m the guy who let his entire pack die, Charlotte. I’m the guy who lets himself get beaten up for fun. I’m also the guy who will pull you to safety when a furry white monster happens by.’
I crossed my arms. ‘I’m the woman who ended up with magic by default, not design,’ I told him. ‘I’m the woman who is barely holding it together and who has taken on so much more than she can handle that she needs a werewolf to tell her when to have a break before she bites off someone’s head or collapses into a puddle of melty stress. And, yes, I’m also the woman who sometimes mistakes intentions and desires. None of us is perfect, Monroe!’
He gazed at me and I gazed back at him, frustration reflecting like a mirror. ‘You didn’t mistake my desire, Charlotte,’ he said eventually. ‘It wasn’t the time to act on it. That’s all.’
I blinked. Did he mean…?
‘But please,’ he added, ‘explain to me. What on earth is melty stress?’
I laughed suddenly, a brief release of tension that did us both good. We smiled at each other, the flare-up already forgotten and our shaky emotions pushed beneath the surface again. At least for now.
‘We’re a mess,’ I whispered. ‘Both of us.’
‘You got that right,’ he replied.
We exchanged a look of mutual understanding – and perhaps something more. In the end I dropped my eyes. ‘Do you think we’ll find him?’ I asked quietly. ‘Philip, I mean? Trawling through abandoned pharmacies seems like a waste of time.’
Monroe raised his shoulders. ‘Maybe it is. But yes, we’ll find him before anyone else is hurt.’ He grinned. ‘I’m Monroe the werewolf and you’re the enchantress. How can we not find him?’
Sometimes, just sometimes, a bit of overconfidence was needed. Besides, Monroe was right. We were powerful beings in our own right, despite whatever else was going on in our psyche. I thought about that for a second, then I threw out my arms in sudden, exasperated realisation.
‘What?’ he asked.
I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. ‘I’m the enchantress,’ I said. ‘I know exactly how we can find him.’
Chapter Twelve
‘I can sense magic,’ I told Monroe, with the air of someone who was both superior and knowledgeable. Yeah; I’d have been annoyed with me, too.
‘What on earth do you mean?’
I waved a hand around. ‘Magic is blue,’ I informed him. ‘I can see it.’
His forehead creased. ‘I still don’t…’
‘When the explosion happened and all the faeries vanished, I saw a cloud of blue appear.’
‘Yes, I saw that too. I was half-unconscious but I registered that. I think just about everyone did, no matter who they are.’
‘But I bet,’ I said, ‘neither you nor they can see that same blue now.’
Monroe stared at me. I tried to explain. ‘It’s everywhere,’ I said. ‘Everything has a blue aura. It clings to the city like,’ I searched for the right word, ‘like a kind of mist. I’m so used to it that I don’t pay it much attention but it’s definitely there. When that furry monster thing wandered past, it was swathed in blue. You have it too. The more magical something is, the more blue I see attached to it. It gives me a headache to focus on it too much when it surrounds people so I don’t try too often, but it’s definitely there.’
‘You never thought to mention this before?’
I shifted uncomfortably. I had mentioned it to Lizzy and Cath once and they’d looked at me like I was mad. I had enough trouble adjusting to my new status without dwelling on all the things that made me … other. ‘It didn’t seem important,’ I mumbled. ‘But it can help us. The Arndale Centre is near here. It’s like a beacon of flashing blue. That’s because…’
‘The faeries directed the worst of the escaped magic into the wishing well there.’ Monroe nodded. ‘I remember.’ He fixed me with a serious look. ‘So you think that you can track Philip the vampire by following the blue ether stuff that you can see?’
‘Yeah.’ I grinned enthusiastically. ‘He’s pumped full of blood. Every magical being, whether it’s a werewolf or vampire or mermaid or canal monster, has more blue hanging over its head than a normal human. I bet Philip has loads of blue. Whether he’s dozing off his feast or not, the magical by-product from what he’s done will be seeping from his pores. I just need to look for the brightest spots of blue in the city and,’ I snapped my fingers, ‘voilà!’
‘Easier said than done,’ Monroe grunted.
‘Ye of little faith.’ My smile grew. ‘We need to find a vantage point then, through a process of elimination, I reckon we can narrow down all the places he could be. We’ll find him before the sun sets.’
Monroe watched me with warmth in his eyes.
‘What?’ I asked.
He leaned down and brushed my lips with his. ‘It’s good to see your sunny side returning.’
‘Then,’ I replied primly, ‘let’s not allow it to disappear again. Let’s get a move on.’
‘As my lady desires.’ He bowed. ‘Lead the way.’
I skipped out of the pharmacy and glanced up and down the street. ‘City Tower,’ I said decisively. ‘It’s closest.’ I beamed at him. ‘Come on. The faster we move, the faster we’ll find him.’
Monroe winked at me – then he exploded in front of my eyes, buttons and scraps of fabric flying in all directions. I took a step back and frowned at the gigantic wolf who had taken his place. ‘Was that really necessary?’
He swung his head round, indicating his back, then he wagged his tail. Since when did wolves wag their tails?
I shook my head. ‘I can walk. Or run.’
He padded forward, opened his mouth and ever so gently snagged my wrist with his teeth and pulled me towards him.
‘Monroe,’ I sighed. ‘I know you’re a big wolf but I’m a fully-grown woman.’
He let out a tiny growl and tugged at my wrist a little harder.
I sighed. We would get there a lot quicker, I supposed. And it was Monroe’s call. I nodded reluctantly and he released me. I walked round and clambered onto his broad, furry back, curling my fingers into his red curls. For a wolf, he actually smelled pretty good. Not that I’d ever been this up close and personal with any other werewolf, not while they were in animal form.
I squeezed my thighs round his large frame and closed my eyes, hoping I could hang on. I felt his muscles bunching underneath me. Taking a deep breath, I held on tight. A second later, we were off.
I don’t suppose you’ve ever given much thought to what it’s like to ride bareback on a werewolf. Funnily enough, neither had I. All the same, I was surprised by how smooth it was. Monroe’s gait was neither juddering nor awkward. Wind whipped past us until it felt like we were actually flying t
hrough the streets. Before long, I stopped being terrified that I was going to fall off and started enjoying myself.
I managed to stop gripping his fur quite so tightly and let my arms drop round his neck to hang loosely there for balance. I gave a loud whoop when we swung round a corner without slowing down. Why did Monroe bother taking a car when he could travel like this?
By the time we reached the foot of the massive City Tower building, I was panting – and with pure exhilaration rather than exertion. When I slid off Monroe’s back and checked to make sure my weight hadn’t damaged him in any way, he gave me a wolfy grin. Then he sprang forward and licked my cheek.
‘Ew! Was that necessary?’
In the blink of an eye, his fur melted into skin. He stood there, stark naked, right in front of me, and continued to grin. ‘It seemed appropriate,’ he purred.
‘You’re naked.’ Talk about stating the obvious.
‘It’s not an invitation,’ he told me. He paused and his blue eyes danced. ‘Unless you want it to be.’
All of a sudden my mouth was dry. ‘Let’s find Philip first, shall we?’ But later… I swallowed.
Fortunately, Monroe removed his flirtatious gaze and nodded. ‘Fair enough. It’s a long way up to the top and you know the lifts won’t be working.’
I stretched back my head. This seemed like one of those occasions when it was worth expending a bit of not-entirely-necessary magic. The faster we found our psycho vampire killer, the better. ‘In that case,’ I said, ‘it’s your turn to hold on.’ If he could do it, so could I.
Monroe took less persuading than me and he moved closer. ‘Like this?’ he asked, putting one arm tightly round my waist.
‘I’d use both arms if I were you.’ The last thing I wanted was to lose him halfway up.
‘If you insist, Charlotte,’ he murmured as he wrapped his other arm round me.
I breathed out. It was probably just as well this part of the city was almost deserted. I couldn’t imagine what anyone would think if they saw me with a naked man with more sex appeal than should be legal clinging onto me.
‘Are you comfortable?’ I asked. ‘You still have a lot of bruises.’
‘I wouldn’t call this comfortable.’ Monroe’s voice was a low husk. ‘But it’s not the bruises that are making it difficult to relax.’
I should have called him out again for continuing with his alpha-wolf mask but I was enjoying every sexy insinuation. Business, Charley, I reminded myself; we were here on business.
‘Hang on,’ I told him. I tilted my head to focus on the roof of the tower and visualised the path upwards and the thread of magic I would need to get us there in one piece. I let my fingers tingle and the magic surge forth.
A heartbeat later, we were flying through the air. I caught glimpses of office furniture and abandoned coffee mugs and family pictures sitting on desks before they blurred and we sped up, zipping straight up as if in an invisible lift. I thought that Monroe’s weight might slow me down but we moved at a terrific speed. In seconds, we were stumbling onto the flat roof, thirty storeys above the ground.
Monroe released his grip and staggered to the side. I lost my footing but the adrenaline surging through me helped me to spring up again. With sparkling eyes, I spun round and flashed him a brilliant smile.
‘That was amazing!’ I tossed my hair. ‘I wasn’t sure it would work but it did. From sea level to above the city in less than thirty seconds! Maybe I really can fly!’ I flapped my arms in a bird-like manner. ‘Next time, I’ll aim to go further. What do you think, Monroe?’
He raised his head and looked at me blearily. ‘You weren’t sure it was going to work?’ He turned away and promptly threw up. Uh oh.
I grimaced. ‘Heights aren’t your thing, then,’ I said.
‘Flying isn’t my thing,’ he muttered. A gust of wind blew and he shivered. I yanked off my jacket and handed it to him.
‘I’m not wearing that. I’m not a damsel in distress.’
‘Save us all the arrogance, Monroe, and put it on.’
He shivered again and gave in. First he attempted to squeeze his arms into the sleeves; when that didn’t work, he shrugged it round his shoulders. It looked ridiculous but it was better than nothing.
‘If you were anyone else…’ he murmured.
I smiled then I mentally slapped myself. Business. Find Valerie’s killer, Charley. You can play with Monroe later.
I walked to the eastern edge of the building and narrowed my eyes. It was good that it was a clear day because visibility from up here was excellent. For a brief moment, I gazed out beyond the city limits to the normal world. I didn’t honestly wish to be there. I loved my city and, despite the stresses of my life now, I was glad I’d made the decision to stay. But it would certainly have been a far easier choice to leave. I shook myself and turned slowly. It was time to find the blue.
From this angle, I couldn’t see the Arndale Centre, although the area where it was located definitely had a stream of blue light surrounding it. I ignored it and scanned the horizon. To the left there was an area where the blue light seemed more concentrated. I squinted, realising what it was. I spun round and looked in the opposite direction.
‘What is it?’ Monroe called from the centre of the tower’s roof, as far away from any of the edges as he was likely to get.
‘It doesn’t make sense,’ I muttered to myself.
‘What is it?’
I registered the urgency in his tone and explained. ‘The magic hanging over your community to the north is not that much stronger than the magic hanging over my community to the south.’ Monroe’s enclave included all types of magical beings. It should have emitted a far brighter hue than the humans from my place did. I scratched my head. It was weird – but it wasn’t why we were here.
I kept peering. When I concentrated like this, the cloud of blue that clung to every part of Manchester was unmissable. There were patches and flares where the magic was stronger, from the canal to the odd building here and there. One or two of the spots were moving as magical beasts moved from one street to another. I walked round the edge of the building, ignoring the strong breeze that whipped at my exposed face and bare arms. There were more pockets of strong magic than I’d anticipated.
‘Do you see anything that might show where our man is holed up?’ Monroe asked.
I frowned. ‘I’m not sure. I’m looking for anything out of place.’ I had a good database locked inside my brain from all the reports that people had given me. I knew that the suburbs to the west housed all manner of shadowy monsters. I’d been told that the pink mammoth elephant, which still roamed the streets from time to time, tended to hang around the university, and that there were ghostly beings clumped together in the vicinity of the Lowry. I ignored those spots and focused on what was close by. It stood to reason that Philip would have been feeling too unwell after drinking every ounce of Valerie’s blood to travel far, so I scanned the buildings nearby. A patch of blue was moving just to my right – but that was heading in the same direction as the white furry thing that had passed the pharmacy. I reckoned I was looking for something static.
Then I saw it. When I did, I let out a crow of delight.
‘Winner winner chicken dinner!’ I beamed. ‘Come look!’
Monroe was very reluctant but clearly he didn’t want to look like a scaredy-wolf. He slunk in my direction but kept away from the edge.
I pointed. ‘That building there. There’s a strong pulse of blue. That’s the place. I know it.’
‘You seem very sure.’
I fixed my gaze on the stone building. It looked abandoned but I knew deep down that it wasn’t. Not entirely. ‘I’ve been there before,’ I told him. ‘Many times. In fact, it’s where I first met Valerie.’ I smiled; it wasn’t an expression of pleasure or glee but satisfaction that I’d found my mark. ‘It’s the oldest casino in the city.’
‘The poker nights she set up,’ Monroe murmured.
I nodde
d. ‘You can bet your sweet naked arse that she held a lot of them there. Maybe she met Philip there and he’s returned to the scene not only to recover but to relive those times. The magic is certainly strong enough over that building.’ I swivelled round and looked at Monroe. ‘That’s where the bastard is.’
Chapter Thirteen
I’d have headed down to the ground in the same manner in which we’d left it but Monroe was still looking green around the gills so I took pity on him and agreed to take the stairs. Shame though. Now that I’d discovered I could fly – sort of – I wanted to try it again.
I reckon Monroe sensed my mild dismay at using a normal method to get down to ground floor and mistook it for haste. He offered to shift into wolf form again but it seemed prudent to conserve his strength for whatever lay ahead. Instead we jogged down, pausing only for him to grab a navy-blue boiler suit from a janitor’s cupboard. I shouldn’t have been surprised that it looked good on him. Everything looked good on him.
There was something very eerie about tripping down the stairs of an empty high-rise building. Our footsteps echoed, clattering in a way that made me think no one had been inside City Tower since the first days of the apocalypse. Here and there plant roots had broken through the plaster and there were a few gaping holes through which I could have stuck my hand and waved it around in the cool air outside. The wind whistled through these gaps and did nothing to detract from the ghostly atmosphere.
I was certain that the building was also groaning in the wind and shifting slightly from side to side. I wondered how long it would remain standing. Even now, mere months since Manchester had been abandoned to magic, it felt like it already had an expiration date. Perhaps everything in the city did. Oddly, that thought didn’t make me feel melancholy or nostalgic. This was the natural order of things – just like bringing Valerie’s killer to justice was part of the natural order.