Wish List (How To Be The Best Damn Faery Godmother In The World (Or Die Trying) Book 2)

by Helen Harper

  It appeared that Ethan wasn’t going to give me a choice, however. He stepped out and moved until we were standing inches from each other. Pumpkin continued to snarl until I shushed him. His body quivered but he fell silent. Progress of sorts, then.

  ‘Faery godmother prerogative,’ I said. ‘I’m sure trolls are equally able to accelerate their healing. Right?’

  ‘I could tell you,’ he murmured, ‘but then I’d have to kill you.’

  That wasn’t even remotely funny. ‘Is that why you’re here?’ I asked loudly. ‘To kill me?’

  ‘No.’ His jaw tightened. ‘Contrary to recent events, I don’t actually want to kill anyone, no matter who they are. What happened with the old lady,’ his voice faltered briefly and he sighed before continuing, ‘what happened with her was not intentional.’

  ‘You murdered her. You shot her.’

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I did.’ He watched me through the darkness. ‘I won’t make excuses for it either. I was at fault. If you can tell me who she was, I will approach her family and offer compensation.’

  My tongue darted out and I wetted my lips. ‘Would compensation make a difference to you and the other trolls for what the faery godmothers did to your kind?’ It wasn’t a gibe. I was asking a serious question.

  ‘Honestly?’ he asked. ‘I don’t know. I suppose it would depend on the compensation offered and the integrity and authenticity behind it. The fact that nobody cared to offer us anything until we started fighting back is a strike against you.’

  I met his eyes. ‘Most of us didn’t know anything about what happened until very recently.’

  Ethan hesitated before answering. ‘That’s not exactly a point in your favour.’

  I nodded. ‘I know.’ I fiddled with my wand. ‘She doesn’t have a family,’ I said. ‘The woman you shot. She was alone.’ I raised my eyebrows. ‘But I was helping her. I was on her side. When we take on clients, we do everything that we possibly can for them. We help people. That’s not a bad thing.’

  ‘You help a small, select few,’ Ethan said. ‘How is that fair? And who really cares what humans do? They should take responsibility for their own lives.’

  I knew that we could stand here for hours and argue about it. Neither of us would give way. ‘Why are you here, Ethan?’ I asked instead. ‘I don’t imagine you’re planning to turn yourself in.’

  He laughed slightly, his eyes crinkling. ‘No. That’s not on my agenda. I came to tell you that we heard your apology. We are … retreating for now to consider matters further. Our wish list is temporarily on hold. The fact that Director herself admitted what was done to our people has actually made a small difference.’ He sounded surprised. ‘I didn’t think it would but I was wrong.’

  I wondered whether I’d ever believe that they were ceasing hostilities, even if only temporarily.

  ‘We have lived in the darkness of ignorance and been forgotten by the world for a long time,’ Ethan told me. ‘We still thirst for vengeance but we will hold back for a time. We may make demands in the future – or we may decide that nothing is more important than revenge.’ His expression was frank and honest. ‘To be truthful, it could go either way.’ His hand reached up and tugged on his earlobe and I thought of Delilah.

  I gazed at him. ‘And will I receive another visit like this, once you have decided?’

  He raised his chin. ‘Yes. Fury has been a part of our psyche for many years but we are not without honour.’

  ‘Kidnapping isn’t honourable. Cutting off faery toes and ears isn’t honourable. Breaking into our building to destroy centuries’ worth of work isn’t honourable.’

  Ethan smiled sadly. ‘We had to get your attention somehow.’ He moved, preparing to melt back into the darkness.

  ‘It wasn’t a sting operation,’ I blurted out. ‘You did almost achieve your goal. You were a whisker away from ruining everything. They lied about how close you came to preserve their reputation and because they didn’t want everyone to hate you so much that there would be all-out war. They want to find a way past this.’

  ‘They?’ he questioned softly.

  I bit my lip. ‘We.’

  Ethan was silent for a long moment. ‘Thank you for that,’ he said finally. Then he slipped away.

  I remained where I was for several seconds. Pumpkin was still shaking. I reached down and stroked him gently. ‘You’re alright,’ I whispered. ‘It’s alright. Part of me wants to kill him still too.’ I stood up and turned my head. ‘Was that good enough?’ I asked more loudly.

  After a beat or two, a strange crackle filled the air followed by a gasp of dark smoke and Jasper appeared on the pavement in front of me. ‘I should have known we wouldn’t fool you for long,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t about manipulating you, though, Saffron.’

  ‘You needed me to believe in the message,’ I said. ‘You needed me to pass it on to Ethan because I believed it was the truth.’ I paused. ‘Is it?’

  Jasper answered instantly. ‘It is. We don’t want war. We need the trolls to realise that too. The only thing that will prevent more deaths now is carefully wrought diplomacy. We suspected they would approach you again and we were right.’

  ‘I’m not going to always let you use me like that,’ I told him.

  He held my gaze. ‘I appreciate that.’

  I exhaled. ‘Is anything between us real?’

  He bent his head until his face was hovering over mine. ‘More real than anyone else will ever know.’ He smiled at me, the corners of his lips crooking up. ‘Goodnight, Saffron.’

  I managed a small smile back. ‘Goodnight, Jasper.’

  Thank you so much for reading Wish List. I truly hope that you’ve enjoyed it. If you can, please take the opportunity to review it – it makes a huge difference to small indie authors like me!

  The third book in the How To Be The Best Damn Faery Godmother In The World (Or Die Trying), As You Wish, is available for pre-order now and will be released on December 3rd. You can order your copy right here to make sure you don’t miss out on the next instalment of Saffron’s adventures.

  Helen x

  Other titles by Helen Harper

  The complete Blood Destiny series

  "A spectacular and addictive series."

  Mackenzie Smith has always known that she was different. Growing up as the only human in a pack of rural shapeshifters will do that to you, but then couple it with some mean fighting skills and a fiery temper and you end up with a woman that few will dare to cross. However, when the only father figure in her life is brutally murdered, and the dangerous Brethren with their predatory Lord Alpha come to investigate, Mack has to not only ensure the physical safety of her adopted family by hiding her apparent humanity, she also has to seek the blood-soaked vengeance that she craves.

  Book One - Bloodfire

  Book Two - Bloodmagic

  Book Three - Bloodrage

  Book Four - Blood Politics

  Book Five - Bloodlust

  Also

  - Corrigan Fire

  - Corrigan Magic

  - Corrigan Rage

  -Corrigan Politics

  -Corrigan Lust

  The complete Bo Blackman series

  A half-dead daemon, a massacre at her London based PI firm and evidence that suggests she's the main suspect for both ... Bo Blackman is having a very bad week.

  She might be naive and inexperienced but she's determined to get to the bottom of the crimes, even if it means involving herself with one of London's most powerful vampire Families and their enigmatic leader.

  It's pretty much going to be impossible for Bo to ever escape unscathed.

  Book One - Dire Straits

  Book Two - New Order

  Book Three - High Stakes

  Book Four - Red Angel

  Book Five - Vigilante Vampire

  Book Six - Dark Tomorrow

  The complete Highland Magic series

  Integrity Taylor walked away from the Sidhe when she was a child.
Orphaned and bullied, she simply had no reason to stay, especially not when the sins of her father were going to remain on her shoulders. She found a new family - a group of thieves who proved that blood was less important than loyalty and love.

  But the Sidhe aren't going to let Integrity stay away forever. They need her more than anyone realises - besides, there are prophecies to be fulfilled, people to be saved and hearts to be won over. If anyone can do it, Integrity can.

  Book One - Gifted Thief

  Book Two - Honour Bound

  Book Three - Veiled Threat

  Book Four - Last Wish

  The complete Dreamweaver series

  "I have special coping mechanisms for the times I need to open the front door. They’re even often successful..."

  Zoe Lydon knows there's often nothing logical or rational about fear. It doesn't change the fact that she's too terrified to step outside her own house, however.

  What Zoe doesn't realise is that she's also a dreamweaver - able to access other people's subconscious minds. When she finds herself in the Dreamlands and up against its sinister Mayor, she'll need to use all of her wits - and overcome all of her fears - if she's ever going to come out alive.

  Book One - Night Shade

  Book Two - Night Terrors

  Book Three - Night Lights

  Stand alone novels

  Eros

  William Shakespeare once wrote that, “Cupid is a knavish lad, thus to make poor females mad.” The trouble is that Cupid himself would probably agree…

  As probably the last person in the world who’d appreciate hearts, flowers and romance, Coop is convinced that true love doesn’t exist – which is rather unfortunate considering he’s also known as Cupid, the God of Love. He’d rather spend his days drinking, womanising and generally having as much fun as he possible can. As far as he’s concerned, shooting people with bolts of pure love is a waste of his time…but then his path crosses with that of shy and retiring Skye Sawyer and nothing will ever be quite the same again.

  Wraith

  Magic. Shadows. Adventure. Romance.

  Saiya Buchanan is a wraith, able to detach her shadow from her body and send it off to do her bidding. But, unlike most of her kin, Saiya doesn't deal in death. Instead, she trades secrets - and in the goblin besieged city of Stirling in Scotland, they're a highly prized commodity. It might just be, however, that the goblins have been hiding the greatest secret of them all. When Gabriel de Florinville, a Dark Elf, is sent as royal envoy into Stirling and takes her prisoner, Saiya is not only going to uncover the sinister truth. She's also going to realise that sometimes the deepest secrets are the ones locked within your own heart.

  The complete Lazy Girl’s Guide To Magic series

  Hard Work Will Pay Off Later. Laziness Pays Off Now.

  Let's get one thing straight - Ivy Wilde is not a heroine. In fact, she's probably the last witch in the world who you'd call if you needed a magical helping hand. If it were down to Ivy, she'd spend all day every day on her sofa where she could watch TV, munch junk food and talk to her feline familiar to her heart's content.

  However, when a bureaucratic disaster ends up with Ivy as the victim of a case of mistaken identity, she's yanked very unwillingly into Arcane Branch, the investigative department of the Hallowed Order of Magical Enlightenment. Her problems are quadrupled when a valuable object is stolen right from under the Order's noses.

  It doesn't exactly help that she's been magically bound to Adeptus Exemptus Raphael Winter. He might have piercing sapphire eyes and a body which a cover model would be proud of but, as far as Ivy's concerned, he's a walking advertisement for the joyless perils of too much witch-work.

  And if he makes her go to the gym again, she's definitely going to turn him into a frog.

  Book One - Slouch Witch

  Book Two - Star Witch

  Book Three - Spirit Witch

  Sparkle Witch (Christmas short story)

  The complete Fractured Faery series

  One corpse. Several bizarre looking attackers. Some very strange magical powers. And a severe bout of amnesia.

  It’s one thing to wake up outside in the middle of the night with a decapitated man for company. It’s another to have no memory of how you got there - or who you are.

  She might not know her own name but she knows that several people are out to get her. It could be because she has strange magical powers seemingly at her fingertips and is some kind of fabulous hero. But then why does she appear to inspire fear in so many? And who on earth is the sexy, green-eyed barman who apparently despises her? So many questions ... and so few answers.

  At least one thing is for sure - the streets of Manchester have never met someone quite as mad as Madrona…

  Book One - Box of Frogs

  SHORTLISTED FOR THE KINDLE STORYTELLER AWARD 2018

  Book Two - Quiver of Cobras

  Book Three - Skulk of Foxes

  The complete City Of Magic series

  Charley is a cleaner by day and a professional gambler by night. She might be haunted by her tragic past but she's never thought of herself as anything or anyone special. Until, that is, things start to go terribly wrong all across the city of Manchester. Between plagues of rats, firestorms and the gleaming blue eyes of a sexy Scottish werewolf, she might just have landed herself in the middle of a magical apocalypse. She might also be the only person who has the ability to bring order to an utterly chaotic new world.

  Book One - Shrill Dusk

  Book Two - Brittle Midnight

  Book Three - Furtive Dawn

  About the author

  After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time, thanking her lucky stars every day that's she lucky enough to do so!

  Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.

  She currently lives in Devon in the UK with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.