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THE TREES COWERED when the rain fell, stubborn evergreens shaking in the downpour that pummelled the branches and bounced off the roads. Deep puddles collected in the potholes that hacked into the tarmac like the mark of an angry fist, dirt and grit swirling together in the grey sludge of melting snow. The sky was pitch black, the roads deserted: there were no streetlamps to light the path that wended its way back to the destitute hamlet of Buck Pines.
The headlights carved through the night, illuminating the road ahead beyond the blur of the rain. The wipers were on full blaster, darting across the windscreen to clear the tenacious droplets that wouldn't let up. Adele slowed down to forty-five despite the road being a sixty and she kept both hands firmly on the wheel, her eyes straight ahead. Her stomach growled, begging her to eat, but she couldn't afford the distraction.
Next to her, Ainslie sucked salt off her fingers as she polished off her fries and started on her chicken nuggets with a satisfied groan. In the back, Caleb wolfed down his cheeseburger with ease.
"Muthaidean," he muttered with a low growl.
"Is that a good thing?" Ainslie asked. Adele laughed and nodded.
"Considering that's what he said the first time he had hot chocolate, I think it's a good thing. I figure it just means wow or something like that. Don't get hooked though, Caleb. We're not driving ninety minutes every time you want a cheeseburger."
"It's so good," he said. "It's so good."
"You'll see," Ainslie said, nodding at the bag that held Adele's food. "Though yours is gonna be frozen by the time we get back. It'll taste rubbish."
"Is there more?" Caleb asked.
"I got you two burgers!"
He pouted. "They're small. And very tasty. Very good."
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Turning Point ✓
Werewolf[BOOK ONE] When hunter-gatherer Adele Shepherd comes across an injured werewolf in the woods, it's up to her to take him in and save his life: in a remote town dedicated to killing the creatures, she's the only one left who wants to help no matter t...