Weres and Witchery (Star-Crossed Chronicles #1)

Before

Senior Year, High School

Jena nursed her warm beer, trying to melt into the shifting shadows at the edge of the bonfire’s flickering light.

These stupid parties were totally not her scene.

She leaned back against a tumbled stone wall, roots digging into her backside and sighed.

Around her, the majority of Havers High and its recent alumni mobbed the late autumn field and stood in clusters beneath the trees surrounding it.

Everyone was either having a great time in their cliques, making out with someone, or standing around the kegs waiting to fill up their red plastic cups.

The next crappy song started up, and Jena frowned into her beer, all by her lonesome. Not that she wasn’t used to that, but why she let Felix talk her into these things…Okay, she knew why, but the off chance she’d see Chase Montgomery here—

Ugh. What was the point? He was four years older and didn’t even know she existed.

He probably had a girlfriend at college, and if he did, she definitely wasn’t five-two and chubby.

Jena raised her cup, chugged half of it, then grimaced.

You’re not drinking it for the taste, Jena.

And so what if he’d smiled at her—okay, more like had smiled in her general direction, like, twice, maybe.

God, she was an idiot, but those frickin’ dimples of his…

Coming here was just asking for trouble. Too bad town was a good five-mile hike, and she was stuck here for the duration. Still, if she’d been smart, she’d have started walking back as soon as she saw Felix talking to Liam. That boy seriously scrambled Felix’s brain.

Jena finished her beer, scowling. He probably didn’t even remember she was here, which didn’t bode well for her catching a ride back into town.

Damn it. The last thing she wanted to do was call Aggie.

Her aunt had practically thrown her out the door.

She had a very clear vision of what she thought almost eighteen-year-olds should be doing with their weekends, and it was not studying for advanced economics placement.

Which Jena really needed to get if she wanted that scholarship.

She set the cup aside and pulled a flask from her bag. If she was forced to be here, she might as well drink something worth the hangover.

She glanced at her phone. Come on, Felix…How long could it possibly take to hook-up?

Nope. Never mind. The reminder of her own inexperience didn’t improve her mood.

Chase wasn’t the only one who didn’t know she existed.

She was a frickin’ pariah, and Felix saying he’d date her if he were straight didn’t help.

She’d seen the dudes he’d hooked up with, and most of them were a far cry from Liam. No wonder he was taking his time.

Jena sighed and tipped back her flask, downed a hefty mouthful, then buzzed her lips at the burn. Whatever. Being abandoned by Felix was actually preferable to listening to Aggie complain about her staying home every Friday night. He’d be what? Another hour? Then they could leave.

A nearby gaggle of jocks and their dates laughed, and Jena’s hackles rose at Crystal’s saccharine giggle cutting through it.

Jena didn’t doubt that whatever the bitch had said was about her, given the way Becky and Sue glanced in her direction.

Stupid Westside weres. It was like they’d made it their goal to make Jena’s life hell.

Mission accomplished. She couldn’t wait to get out of this stupid town.

Which meant she really needed to study.

The group laughed again, and Jena looked away, slouching down behind her bent knees as she tried to ignore them.

She picked at her frayed jeans. God, the way the three of them stood around in their slutty little cheerleading outfits with the boys in varsity jackets drooling over them—Jena flicked a leaf off her concert tee. Whatever. It wasn’t like she cared.

Much.

Crystal swept her long blonde hair over her shoulder, everything about her too perfect. Like she and the rest of them were better than anyone else. Jena’s fingers started to tingle, and she shook the influx of magic away, getting a hold on her temper.

Deep breath, Jena. I will not hex…I will not hex…

But damn, a gnarly zit right on the tip of Crystal’s nose would go a long way to making Jena feel better.

She smiled imagining it, then swallowed it quick as she felt someone’s gaze on her.

Her eyes flicked around the field, the skunky reek of pot and clove cigarettes riding heavy on the wind. Ugh, this was so not her thing.

Just past Crystal’s gaggle, a bunch of Haver’s alumni sat in a line of folding chairs with a cooler, back from college for Thanksgiving break.

Nope, no piss-warm swill for them. Their bottles clinked as they played cards and laughed, popular girls hanging over their shoulders or on their laps.

Must be nice. Drink up guys, because this is the best your pathetic lives are gonna get, Jena thought uncharitably, raising her flask again—

Her roaming gaze stalled on Chase Montgomery sitting at the far end of their group, his ball cap pulled low over his eyes as he played his hand.

Oh God, he was here. Her stomach gave a little flip, and her palms started sweating.

Damn it. Felix had told her to wear the shirt that showed off her boobs—wait.

Was Chase looking in this direction? You never could tell with that stupid hat of his…

Jena snorted. Stop it. If he was, it wasn’t at her.

She pressed her knees together, shrinking in on herself.

It was probably to check out Crystal flashing her ass.

That’s what was holding everyone else’s attention.

Jena took another swallow of liquor, trying not to drool over him and failing miserably.

Of all the boys in Havers-by-the-Sea to have a hopeless crush on—but God, he was hot, with those caramel waves spilling out around his hat and stubbly square jaw—and he’d definitely bulked up while he was away.

Weres had a tendency to do that, but damn, the boy was stacked.

Was it weird that he had sexy forearms? Because they were definitely sexy.

Too bad he was the heir presumptive to a pack of assholes that hated her guts.

Yeah, that kind of killed it. It was never gonna happen. Jena sighed. Right, she’d gotten her glimpse, and the last thing she needed to do was to get caught checking him out. The rest of the pack would have a fit.

She glanced at her phone again. Come on, Felix…no, you know what? Fuck it. She’d wait by the car—oh God. Unless Felix and Liam were in the car. She’d get the play-by-play later, but it was not something she needed to see IRL.

The crowd around Crystal laughed again, and the mood around the fire changed from laid back to anticipatory. Shit. Jena capped her flask and stood, gritting her teeth as she started cutting through the crowd toward the cars. Whatever was about to happen she didn’t want any part of—

“Jena!” Becky called. “You’re not leaving already, are you?”

Double shit. Everyone in the immediate vicinity stopped yapping to watch what was about to go down. That it was going to be something to humiliate her, Jena had no doubt. Damn it. “Yeah. My ride’s ready to go,” she lied.

“That’s so weird, Mark was just telling us he saw Felix and Liam in the woods, and they seemed pretty busy.” The group laughed again, and Jena’s temper spiked at their sniggers.

“Well, then I guess Liam’s a minute man,” Jena gritted out, pushing past—

Her foot caught on something, and she went down hard, her chin clipping a stone and a sharp pain at her throat.

Her teeth clashed together, and stars burst across her vision.

She cried out, the air knocked from her lungs and a weird warmth blooming from her chin to her collar bone.

Jena groaned, struggling to get up, and her body not cooperating.

“Shit, is that blood?” one of the jocks asked.

The group edged away from her. Jena tried to push herself up—her vision grayed, and someone screamed. Why couldn’t she—tears burned her eyes. Oh God, it hurt…

“The fuck did you do?” someone growled, the sound of running feet around her as people fled the scene.

“I didn’t—she just fell, man, it wasn’t me, I swear!”

Strong hands were on her, gently turning her over—“Damn,” Chase murmured, pushing her hair back.

“Shhh…it’s okay, I got you. Lemme see…” He pulled Jena into his lap, and tilted her head back, growling, his palm pressed to throat.

She whimpered, her pulse against it wrong. “I’m gonna fucking kill him.”

Her thoughts fuzzed in and out. Of course. Of course it would be Chase, that he would see her like this—she couldn’t catch a frickin’ break. But she supposed there were worse things than dying in his arms. Her head lolled, and he steadied it, cupping the back of her head.

“Hey, relax. I’ll take care of you.”

Jena bit back a sob, and he frowned, then lowered his face to hers, and put his mouth over the wound.

She froze as his lips touched her skin, the tingle of his saliva immediate as it worked to heal her.

Over his broad shoulder, Felix stared at them wide-eyed, his face white, and the rest of the party running for their cars, engines starting in the distance.

“Assholes,” Chase murmured, running his tongue down the line of her throat, trailing over the wound. The musk of his cologne rolled over her. Jena bit back a gasp, her fingers curling in his hair, and her body heating in response. He shifted her in his lap, his body definitely doing something, too.

“Okay. Umm…I-I’m gonna pull up the car,” Felix said, darting away.

Jena moved to get up, and Chase’s arms tightened around her. “Not yet,” he murmured. “I’m not done.”

Oh God. Jena’s eyes closed as he lapped around her chin, a rumble growing in his chest. She swallowed, her breath shallow.

The long swipes of his tongue changed to soft kisses peppering her jawline, and her breath caught.

He was kissing her. Chase Montgomery was kissing her, taking care of her like she mattered—

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” he rumbled, sweeping his hand over her.

Yes. No—damn it. Bad, Jena. That throbbing definitely did not count. “I’m-I’m okay.”

“You’re not. That’s gonna leave a scar,” he frowned, holding her closer as she went to get up again.

His lap! She was sitting in his lap—He brushed her hair back again, his gaze roaming over her face.

“Give it a minute. Felix still has to bring up the car. You need to go easy, or that gash will open back up. I stopped the bleeding, but it was really deep. It’s gonna take time to knit together. You should probably get stitches.”

She raised her eyes to the shadows beneath the brim of his cap. “Um. Okay, thanks, but I-I really should—”

“No, you shouldn’t. Let me take care of you, Jena,” he murmured, dipping his head to lap at her throat again.

He knew her name. Holy crap, Chase Montgomery knew her name, and he was licking her! Fireworks went off in her brain, blowing rational thought out of the water—

He started to pull away, and she kissed him.

A pleased rumble went through his chest as he returned it, open frickin’ mouth, his tongue sliding between her lips to tangle with hers.

Jena moaned into his mouth. He was kissing her! French frickin’ kissing her. God, she should’ve almost died sooner, because this was heaven—

“You’re so damned beautiful.” His fingers tightened in her hair as he teased his lips over hers. “I knew you’d taste sweet.”

And she was officially dead. She must be. Was this real?

His lips were back on hers, and they parted again with a gasp. He groaned, sweeping his tongue through her mouth. His other hand kneaded her hip, then slowly traveling upwards to cup her breast—

“Ew! Are you freaking kidding me?” Crystal’s squeal shattered the moment, and Chase pulled away, dumping Jena on the ground. Crystal stood there gawking with Becky and Sue. Jesus, when had they come back? “Were you seriously making out with her?”

“What?” Chase forced a laugh, pulling the brim of his hat low as he stood.

He ran the back of his hand over his mouth.

“No. We would’ve been screwed if someone got hurt out here, and Boyd dared me to see how far I could get with her.

Two birds, one stone. I probably could’ve bent her over if you hadn’t showed up,” he said, adjusting himself.

Jena’s heart shattered into a million pieces as she rolled to sit, vomit searing the back of her throat. She fought back tears. It’d been a dare?

Headlights bumped across the field, and Felix pulled up. He left the car running and jumped out of the driver’s seat. He froze at Crystal and her friends laughing and stupid Chase standing there looking like the piece of shit he was with his hands shoved into his pockets.

“You should take her home,” he muttered at Felix. “She doesn’t belong here.”

The tattered remains of Jena’s self-worth crashed and burned. She ducked her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. Felix opened his mouth then closed it with a frown, going to Jena’s side to help her up. She meekly let him guide her to the car, shaking. A joke. Kissing her had been—she—was a joke.

Chase was right. She didn’t belong here at all.