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eBook Category: Dark Fantasy/Fantasy
eBook Description: Some people just get under your skin.

eBook Publisher: Mystic Moon Press, Published: 2008
Fictionwise Release Date: February 2008

This eBook is part of the following series:

• Kate Smith's Wolf Hollow Series

8 Reader Ratings: Great Good OK Poor

Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [209 KB], eReader (PDB) [22 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [7 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [8 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [70 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [79 KB], hiebook (KML) [58 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [70 KB], iSilo (PDB) [6 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [8 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [52 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [15 KB]
Words: 2056
Reading time: 5-8 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED

Kelly staggers into the kitchen, a jaw-cracking yawn distorting his angular face. He falls onto a stool beside the mobile butcher's block by luck and gathers his hair into a ponytail, slipping the elastic band off his left wrist to hold the mass of reddish-gold stuff back. "How'd the day go?"

"Your sister called," Josh says, reducing cherry tomatoes to halves with slashing strokes of his favourite knife.

"Argh." Kelly stretches arms above his head, lengthening his spine and rotating his neck.

Josh palms a tomato, bites. The thin skin breaks and pulp explodes across his palate. "Couldn't get a word in, but the gist is she's sending you an advance copy of her latest book. And there will be a quiz."

Kelly rests his head on the butcher's block and thunks his forehead once, twice. "Ouch."

"That bad?" Finn asks, emerging from the pantry, gold eyes bright with curiosity.

Kelly groans. "Generations of preternatural experience and does she write fantasy or romances? No. She has to go out and get a PhD and compose bloody great tomes about the nature of dark matter."

Awe moves across Finn's face. "Astrophysics?"

"It's all quantum to me." Kelly lifts his head. "Damn, you're still here."

"You going to explain that to me now?" Josh requests. "I'm hardly curiosity's chief cat but having to wait forty-seven hours while you're doing your burn and crash sleep thing is turning me inquisitive."

"Packs are hierarchical and there's a strict protocol to be followed anytime a new wolf is introduced, especially one like Finn." Kelly props his chin in his hand. "But this isn't a good time to be dealing with the pack, not this close to Halloween when the first change is due to hit one of their own, and especially not when they're bringing newborn twin cubs home. They're all hyper-sensitive and tense, and at the best of times werewolves are a bit nasty."

Josh raises a brow.

"Okay, understatement," Kelly admits.

"What's so special about Finn?" Josh tumbles the chopped tomatoes with cubes of feta, adds pinenuts and a grinding of pepper then spreads the mix over the puff pastry shell.

Kelly snitches a chunk of cheese and looks at the werewolf.

Finn's spinning his stool. The diamond on his collar sparkles. It's a leather dog collar and it goes well with the casually spiky hair, the smears of blue paint on one slightly pointy ear, and the rebel grin. He's fifteen, and more paint stains his jeans, forearms and t-shirt.

Kelly shakes his head. "Aside from the fast reflexes, supernatural strength, accelerated healing, and being furry under the skin? He's a born Aristos, an alpha. Or will be."

Josh reaches for a bottle and drizzles olive oil over the tart. "Why the doubts?" He wipes his hands on the back of his shirt and slides the tart into the oven.

"Aristoi can be born or they can be made, usually through need or trials." Kelly shrugs. "The best are a combination of both but it comes down to control over the inner wolf. Finn's wolf is powerful. He needs a dominant Aristos to help him harness the power so that he controls the wolf instincts rather than the other way round."

There's a faint click as the stereo selects another disc and Finn's ears twitch. He keeps time to the beat of The Proclaimer's 500 Miles with his palms on the edge of the butcher's block.

"Which is a bit of a problem," Kelly says softly. "There aren't many pack leaders with the patience and strength to help Finn through without breaking his spirit. You never want to meet a twisted Aristos in thrall to his beast."

Josh winces. He leans on a lemon beneath his palm and rolls it over the chopping board.

Kelly shakes off the gloom. "And Finn doesn't exactly help himself, being the cocky, arrogant, much-indulged golden boy." He flicks the kid's hair, mostly teasing. "What did you do to keep out of mischief today?"

Finn rolls a shoulder, the picture of teen nonchalance. "Painted Scarlet."