The Pucca and the Shifter

By A.C. Ellas

V-Tach, the victorious co-winner of the Kentucky Derby, is set to face his rival Taifu in the rematch called the Preakness Stakes. V-Tach hates the track surface at Pimlico; it doesn’t feel right to him. His rival seems to relish it. Both colts are keen to compete in the second jewel of racing’s Triple Crown, but events outside their control may shape the outcome of the race.

Magical horses continue to disappear, and both the shifter V-Tach and his púcca lover, Pat, are definitely at risk, so much so that they dare not transform and reveal their magical natures. At the same time, the mafia is still trying to kill Brenden, all of which combines to leave their dreams downright endangered.

Will the O’Peleon men prevail against the long odds facing them? Will V-Tach prove able to overcome his dislike of the track and the other challengers who seek to steal the race from him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Jul 5, 2014
• ISBN: 9781771119429

Book preview

As the danger increases, so do the rewards.

V-Tach, the victorious co-winner of the Kentucky Derby, is set to face his rival Taifu in the rematch called the Preakness Stakes. V-Tach hates the track surface at Pimlico; it doesn’t feel right to him. His rival seems to relish it. Both colts are keen to compete in the second jewel of racing’s Triple Crown, but events outside their control may shape the outcome of the race.

Magical horses continue to disappear, and both the shifter V-Tach and his púcca lover, Pat, are definitely at risk, so much so that they dare not transform and reveal their magical natures. At the same time, the mafia is still trying to kill Brenden, all of which combines to leave their dreams downright endangered.

Will the O’Peleon men prevail against the long odds facing them? Will V-Tach prove able to overcome his dislike of the track and the other challengers who seek to steal the race from him?

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The Púcca and the Shifter

Copyright © 2014 A.C. Ellas

ISBN: 978-1-77111-942-9

Cover art by Carmen Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Devine Destinies

An imprint of eXtasy Books

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Smashwords Edition

The Púcca and the Shifter

Son of the Wind Book 3

By

A.C. Ellas

Chapter One

Mr. O’Peleon, this is Chuck Thomas, the president of the Maryland Jockey Club. Also on the line are Bill Dodge, the Maryland Racing Secretary, and Georgette Hailey, the Director of Racing for Pimlico Race Course. First of all, let us congratulate you on your horse’s incredible dead-heat win in the Kentucky Derby.

Thank you, Chuck. Brenden refrained from grinning ear to ear—barely. He knew exactly what this call was about, and receiving it was every trainer’s dream. Every year, Preakness officials called the Derby winner and extended the traditional, formal invitation to come to Baltimore to race in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

On behalf of Pimlico Race Course and Maryland Racing, we wish to extend an invitation for you to bring V-Tach to Pimlico Race Course for the running of the Preakness Stakes.

We’ll be there.

* * * *

The early morning fog shrouded the track in a blanket of soft white. The rail slid along on Achilles Pat O’Peleon’s right side as V-Tach galloped, appearing from the mists and vanishing again almost immediately. They weren’t working hard, just having a bit of a run before heading to the transport van for the trip to the airport and the flight to New York. The fog lent a surreal quality to Churchill Downs, insulating them in visual isolation, as if he and Vee were the only creatures moving in the world.

Twice around the mile oval of sandy dirt, moving easily at a slow gallop the entire time, Pat never asked Vee to run faster, and Vee never tried to slow down. Pat was relieved—Vee had almost put his nose in the dirt in the Kentucky Derby two days ago but had somehow emerged from that near disaster unscathed or mostly so. Vee’d complained of mild soreness yesterday, but after a good rubdown with liniment and some rest, he was much improved.

I feel good, Vee confirmed, speaking directly into Pat’s mind, an ability that they’d only recently discovered. Can I run?

Not today, me boyo, Pat replied. This is just to take the edge off before we fly out. Left unsaid was that his father, Brenden, would kill him if he went against his carefully laid out training schedule. Brenden O’Peleon—mage, breeder and trainer of racehorses—didn’t accept excuses when it came to his horses. Vee would get one fast work before the Preakness Stakes, no more, and it would be at Pimlico racecourse where the race would be held in just under two weeks.

After Vee’s shared win in the Kentucky Derby, all eyes pointed now to the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. Taifu, the other horse who’d tied Vee for the Derby win in an unprecedented dead heat, had left Churchill Downs yesterday, flying back to his home track, Santa Anita, in California. Word was Taifu wouldn’t arrive in Pimlico until a few days before the race and wouldn’t have any works over the track.

The rail beside them vanished as they reached the gap in the fence that was only open during training hours. The second mile done, Pat eased Vee to a walk and turned him through the gap, heading back to the barn. Vee snorted; the sound of it ridiculously loud in the thinning fog, like a shot echoing off walls. Pat stroked Vee’s neck. Just think, in a few hours, you’ll be romping in a pasture.

Home Farm?

Pat swore he could hear wistful hope in Vee’s voice. He swung out of Vee’s saddle at the barn entrance. "No, just the training farm, but a few days of R’n’R will do us