Terra Firma: The Teen Witch Chronicles, #4

By Laura Marie

Two bloodlines are set to converge, and an ominous shiver rattles through Safety Beach. The Shadow Pack, a new breed of werewolves, has settled among us, bringing a bitter chill and a tangible menace in their wake. It's clear to me - they didn't come here for peace.
 

Reece, the ascendant Alpha of the respected Onyx Pack, dismisses my ominous warnings. But as the bodies of innocent werewolves emerge, marred by ruthless attacks, even Reece might have to face the chilling truth.
 

Meanwhile, my powers surge and evolve, bolstered even further by an unexpected boon from the usually reticent coven. I can only hope that my growing abilities can withstand the feral onslaught of a rogue werewolf.
 

Plunge into a world teetering on the brink, where ancient bloodlines, unfathomable power, and burgeoning witchcraft collide.

If you're a fan of 'Teen Wolf' and 'The Vampire Diaries,' you won't be able to put down 'The Teen Witch Chronicles.' This young adult urban fantasy series dives headlong into a maelstrom of magic, mystery, and loyalty tested to the limits. In this adrenaline-fueled installment, the stakes have never been higher. Be a part of this thrilling saga - pick up your copy today, and lose yourself in the magic.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Marie
• Release date: Oct 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393219514

Book preview

Prologue

What are you doing tonight?" Chloe asked me on Saturday morning. I had still been sleeping when my phone vibrated all the way off my nightstand .

I haven’t even gotten around to starting the day yet, I said. I was groggy. I had stayed up last night watching television after my mom had gone to bed. I had turned the volume down so far, I’d had to sit on top of the television to hear it.

But it had been worth it. Scary movies were becoming my thing, now that everything else in my life was one step away from being a real-life horror movie.

Come to a party with me.

I sat up and rubbed my left eye with my free hand.

Should we really be going to a party?

You don’t have to say ‘we’ when you mean me, Chloe said.

I sighed. Yeah, okay. But, I mean, it hasn’t been very long since… and a party is, you know.

Chloe groaned. Stop treating me like I’m fragile.

She had been framed by a master vampire for murder because she hadn’t been able to control her bloodlust. It had been a while ago, but Chloe had had a long road to walk, and I worried that being around people wasn’t going to do her any good. It seemed like a mistake to go from not being around people at all to getting into the middle of a party.

Reece is going, Chloe said. He’ll help me if something goes wrong.

I knew he would. Thanks to him, she had been saved on the mountain that night, when she hadn’t even known who she was, other than a feral predator.

And I’m so tired of this solitary confinement routine.

Don’t be melodramatic, I laughed. Therapy, vampire lessons, and your normal school routine is hardly solitary confinement.

Have you ever been to therapy? Chloe asked.

I didn’t have to answer that. When my life had gotten weird, my mom had packed me up and brought me here.

Does being a part of the coven count?

Chloe laughed. No, it doesn’t.

Where is this party? I asked.

Romberg Beach.

I had been there once before, for a Halloween party. And it had been awesome. Scary as hell, but awesome.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to get out and enjoy ourselves. Maybe this was exactly what Chloe needed.

Okay, I said. We’ll tell my mom I’m coming to you, then.

As usual, Chloe said and hung up.

I rolled out of bed and went in search of my mom. I found a note on the counter saying she was out with Victor.

Great. Rather that than him being here, I guess.

I grabbed the sandwich she had left me in the fridge and walked back to my room, chewing. After eating, I hopped in the shower and started packing my bag. I packed everything I could think I would possibly want to wear to the party.

By the time I was ready to go, it looked like I was going to stay at Chloe’s for a month. I scribbled a note for my mom, sticking it over hers on the counter, and headed out of the house.

Chloe was waiting for me, and she skipped toward me when I arrived. I didn’t get a hug, but that was normal. She was smiling, though. She looked happy. Excited.

Much better than the Chloe she had been a few months ago.

We have to look great, she said when we were in her room. I’ll do your makeup, of course. What are you wearing?

I dumped the contents of my bag on the bed and Chloe rummaged through it.

Wear something of mine, she said, and I laughed.

By the time we were ready to go, it was well after dark and Chloe had dressed in something that showed a lot more skin than she usually did. It was still modest enough, but she was a vampire, and the sun was not her friend. During the day she often wore long pants and sleeves.

I wore a pair of shorts and a tank top that my mom hated me wearing out, and we snuck out of the house after Chloe’s mom went to bed.

By the time we arrived at Romberg Beach, the party was in full swing. Someone had brought a portable speaker that thumped loud music across the beach, the werewolves had built a large bonfire, and everyone was dancing. I even spotted one or two fae a little closer to the surf where they could disappear if they wanted to.

Hello, ladies, Reece said, coming to us. He was a little drunk. It wasn’t hard to tell. His speech was a little shabby around the edges, and his eyes glowed emerald in the near-darkness, his wolf sliding behind them.

Hey, Chloe said, and she offered Reece a smile I never got from her. I looked at the two of them. After what he had done for her, Chloe saw Reece as her knight in shining armor, or something. They were so into each other.

But that was a hunch. They would forever deny it.

You seem happy, I joked.

Why wouldn’t I be, my mom is away for the week. Pack business and all. Her ass of a husband hasn’t got the stones to tell me what I can or can’t do. So I may have started hitting the drink early today.

Classy, Chloe rolled her eyes. For some reason I don’t think she preferred drunk Reece over sober, responsible, and dreamy Reece.

I’m going to get you ladies a drink, Reece said.

I nodded. Chloe watched him walk away.

He shouldn’t drink so much, I said. His wolf was too close to the surface, and he could lose control.

He’ll be fine, Chloe said. We’re not here to worry, we’re here to party! She grabbed my hand and started dancing, getting me to dance with her. We kept a safe distance away from the fire, and Reece brought us alcohol.

And I started to relax a little, worrying less about what could go wrong.

The music wasn’t too loud, but it was good, and Chloe and I danced. The surf came in with the tide, and it washed around our feet, almost touching the fire, but not quite. But we carried on dancing.

The drink Reece had offered me made me feel lightheaded. But it didn't taste like alcohol. Maybe I was on a natural high.

I felt eyes on me, and looked around. The whole beach was filled with students, but someone was watching me.

Finally, I saw him, eyes like pools of black between the writhing bodies.

Who’s that? I asked Chloe, pointing.

She frowned and moved to see through the crowd.

You’re going to have to be a little more specific, there are a million people where you’re pointing.

Don’t you see him? With the dark eyes? As I spoke, a redhead walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He turned his face away, and they melted into the crowd the moment we weren’t making eye contact anymore.

I don’t see anyone, Chloe said.

Right, I said, and we continued dancing. I tried to focus on the music again, on my feet in the water and the heat on my skin. I tried to shake those eyes, but they clung to me.

What are we drinking? I asked.

Reece brought it.

Yeah, I knew that. I looked for Reece. He was hanging out somewhere with his football buddies. When I found him, I realized the redhead was a little farther away, watching him the way she had watched me.

Over there, the redhead, I said, pointing.

Who cares, Em? Chloe asked and didn’t even bother looking.

And maybe she was right. It didn’t matter. The beach was filled with students, many of the students I didn’t even know. And Chloe was out here with me. We were partying for the first time since her vampire issues had started.

This was great. This was what we needed.

I closed my eyes, felt the music, and lost myself in the airy feeling that bubbled through my veins. I felt like I was floating. The water around my ankles made it even more surreal, somehow.

But something was wrong. I frowned and opened my eyes. This reminded me of a time when I’d had no control over what was happening to me. But it was so vague, I wasn’t sure if it was real.

The earth started trembling. At first, it was a shiver; enough to make the logs on the fire slip and crumble a little, to make the waves around me dance a little.

But that was all.

Something is wrong, Chloe, I said. I put my hand on her arm.

Chloe yanked her arm out of my grip. What are you doing?

Sorry, I said.

Why are you shaking me?

I frowned. I didn’t.

Chloe didn’t have a chance to respond. The ground beneath my feet started shaking, the shivers turning into a tremble. It was enough for some of the students around us to lose their balance and fall into the waves. They cried out.

A loud crack was heard, and the Earth split open. It wasn’t a big crack, three feet long and leading to the fire. One of the logs sank halfway into it.

And then it all stopped.

The students who sat in the shallow water laughed and started splashing each other. Some of the others cheered.

The party continued as if everything was normal.

But it wasn’t normal. I had lost control of magic I didn’t know. I had no doubt it was me. It hadn’t been caused by something I’d been drinking, I hadn’t imagined it. In fact, I felt perfectly normal now. The airy, floating feeling was gone.

Let’s get out of here, I said to Chloe.

Not yet, Chloe said. The party is only getting started!

Didn’t you feel that? I asked, pointing to the crack without looking at it.

Chloe shrugged. If I had to go home every time you lost control…

Chloe rolled her eyes, letting her expression complete the sentence.

I sighed and nodded. I guess I had no choice; I would stay. But I wasn’t having fun anymore.

I’m going to sit down for a bit, I said. Are you going to be fine?

I’m not a baby vampire anymore, Em, Chloe said.

I wasn’t so sure, but I nodded and turned around to sit against the dunes that shielded Romberg Beach from the parking lot and the rest of Safety Beach. I watched the students dancing and partying. Some of them I knew from school. Some of them were strangers.

Reece and his football buddies were on one end, talking and laughing.

I look around, trying to find the redhead and the dark-eyed wolf.

But they were gone.

Chapter One

The sun was hot, beating down on my shoulders and arms when I sat on the sand at Pebble Beach. The sand was strewn with pebbles, the characteristic that had given Pebble Beach its name. The patch we sat on was sandy, the spot I had claimed for myself since I had arrived .

Pebble Beach was my hiding spot. Reece and Chloe, and sometimes even Calder, came here with me. It was the kind of place adults never came to, so we could sit here all day and gossip or practice magic or do whatever else we felt like doing without being judged for one reason or another.

Let’s go to the movies tonight, Chloe said, looking at Reece and me.

I can’t, Reece said. I have pack stuff I need to do. My stepdad is being a real ass about it.

Reece often complained about his stepdad. I didn’t get along with the guy, and I sort of understood it. Since my mom had started dating Victor, I hadn’t exactly been happy about the arrangement, either. But wolves were totally different from humans. Mason was a real grumpy guy, from what I heard.

And Victor wasn’t my stepdad, anyway. He was my mom’s boyfriend, and when you looked past his annoying jokes and the fact that he was a human, I guess he wasn’t awful.

What about you? Chloe asked.

I have to go to the coven tonight, I said.

I forgot you’re doing that again, Chloe answered, disappointed.

I nodded. I had started spending more time with the coven again. I was a witch,