Bite the Big Heartache (Monstrana Paranormal Romance 2)

They stared at each other for a long moment, an unsaid challenge in their eyes. Billy’s lips twitched in an amused grin. As much as Stasia had tried when they were kids, she had never quite fit in with the rough and wild werewolves of Monstrana. It was time to remind her of that fact. If she wanted some fun, he was going to give it to her.

And chase that princess right back to the tower she came from.

?

Billy hadn’t been kidding about rough and wild werewolves. Everywhere Stasia looked, it seemed that someone was either starting a fight, telling loud and crude jokes, or dancing crazily to a song blaring over car speakers. The wild hare party had been set deep in the woods near a deep and gaping quarry filled with dark, murky water.

Fully shifted werewolves prowled the edges of the clearing, their dark eyes reflecting the light of the campfire. The occasional eerie howl pierced the night. Altogether, it made for a rather ominous scene.

Stasia adored everything about it.

She hopped from one group of people to the next, gathering stories and meeting new people, all of whom seemed to take her over-eagerness in stride. It wasn’t until around midnight that she found Billy leaning against a tree all by himself, half hidden by the shadows. She had felt his eyes on her all night, watching and waiting.

“This is great,” she said, the headlights of a giant pickup reflecting off her teeth. “I can’t believe I was nervous about coming here.”

“Me, neither,” Billy grumbled, taking a sip of the can of pop in his hand.

She leaned on the tree next to him, grinning and biting her bottom lip. “Makes me think about that house party you took me to when we were seventeen. That was my first, you know?”

His eyebrows raised. “The one that Deputy Frank busted?”

“That’s the one.” She threw her head back and laughed. “I’ll never forget the way his stomach jiggled as he chased after us kids. Didn’t catch a single one. But he did manage to call all the parents the next day and get everyone in trouble. Weren’t you grounded for a week?”

“Maybe.” His lips twitched. “But it was totally worth it.”

“Definitely.”

She studied Billy’s face as the campfire flared and illuminated him fully. Nothing in the pleasant set of his mouth or the honest glint in his eyes would’ve told her that he was untrustworthy. In fact, the last few days had begun to wash away the old memories of betrayal.

For some strange reason, she long

ed to reach out and run her fingertips along the sharp angles of his face down to the corner of his mouth. To press her lips against his and feel his disapproval melt. She had the distinct feeling that he was feeling the same. Warmth spread in her stomach as he gazed down at her, desire burning in his eyes.

Nerves began to bounce around uncomfortably in her stomach. She yanked a notebook from the pocket of her sweater and held it in her shaky hands. “I guess we’d better get some work done...”

“Why’d you do it?” Billy closed the few inches left between them, until Stasia could practically feel the heat radiating off his body. “Why’d you let what we had die?”

She looked up into his feverish gaze and felt the blood rush to her cheeks. It was all she could do not to concentrate on his hard abdomen pressed up against hers. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“My letter.” Pain crossed his face. “I spilled my heart and you stomped on it. It didn’t have to be that way. We could’ve still remained friends.”

Her stomach roiled with anger and confusion. She splayed a hand on his chest and pushed him back a few inches. “Did you really think we could remain friends after what you did?”

He gritted his teeth and huffed. “And why not?”

She threw her hands up in defeat. There was no getting through to him. She’d come to Molodoy that summer to escape palace life. To clear her head and get a new perspective on life before her own biting ceremony. She’d taken every precaution to avoid her parents finding her. Using cloaking charms from a witch she’d befriended and relying on the small amount of cash she had in her pocket. Four weeks hadn’t been long enough. She wasn’t ready to go back.

But she’d made one giant mistake. On a hot summer afternoon, she’d confided in Billy. Spilled everything — about her royal birth, her problems, and even the reward her parents had put out to have her returned safely home.

They’d been the best of friends. Maybe, even something more. She never thought he would be the one to betray her for the reward money. But the next morning, half of the Monstrana palace guard had descended on the town, along with her parents. And when she’d confronted him about it, he hadn’t even tried to deny it. Of course they couldn’t go back to being friends.

“Listen, I don’t want to talk about this.” She tucked a piece of hair angrily behind her ear. “We made an agreement that we weren’t going to let our history get in the way and I have a job to do. Let’s just focus on that.”

He blinked in surprise and then stepped back into the shadows. She could hear him breathing heavily, but his voice was as calm and steady as it had been two minutes ago. “You’re right. This is just a business transaction. Let’s focus on that.”

“Very good.” Her hands shook as she flipped through the pages of her notebook. “I think we should start with...”

A cheer went through the party-goers. Stasia looked up to see them rushing the edge of the quarry, articles of clothing flying behind them. She watched with concern as the first few flung themselves off the cliff, into the waters below.