Page 9 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Dragon

“Right.”

“I’ll help you. Just not the way you want me to.”

She reached for a nearby box, pulling out one of the T-shirts stacked inside and holding it up before her. A frown creased her forehead.

“I see the problem,” she muttered.

“What is it?”

“You havezerobranding skills.” Nora shook her head, turning the T-shirt to face him. “What the hell is this?”

The shirt was a bright green, the words GREEN ANIMAL RESCUE SANCTUARY printed across it in bold, dark-green lettering.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s an ugly T-shirt, Henry. No one wants to buy an ugly T-shirt.”

“But it—”

“I worked at a fast-food restaurant for three years. I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about. Here, let me fix it for you...”

She closed her eyes, muttering a spell. As Henry watched, the words on the T-shirt shrank a little. The top turned yellow, remaining green only at the hem and neck, and images appeared just above the lettering: a cartoonish dog, cat and rabbit, all huddled together.

She set the T-shirt down and muttered another spell. This time, Henry felt a gust of wind blow through the tent. He narrowed his eyes, unable to help feeling a bit of distrust as he watched her.

“There,” she said, pulling out a couple of other T-shirts from the pile and tossing them at him. “Check these out.”

He examined the first T-shirt. It was bright pink now, with a cartoonish rabbit hopping over the small lettering on the top. The second had a Triceratops streaking across its front.

“We don’t rescue dinosaurs,” Henry said, frowning. “They don’t even exist.”

“It’s part of advertising.” She shook her head at him like he’d said something dumb. “Kids love cartoons, rabbits, even dinosaurs. And just who do you think therealtarget customers are at most of these fairs? Adults with demanding jobs and bills to pay?”

She made a good point. Henry looked around and immediately realized the T-shirts weren’t the only things she’d changed. The tent was a brighter shade of green, and he thought he could make out more cartoonish animal shapes printed across it. He picked up a nearby flyer. Sure enough, even that had changed, its colors brighter, a few words bigger.

She’d done all that without so much as breaking a sweat. Looking at her, Henry had no doubt she was a powerful witch. What could possibly have her so uneasy, then? Just how dangerous was this hunter she was running from?

Just his luck, he was now a party to her problems.

“Thank you,” he said finally.

“Consider it my payment for your protection.”

She smiled at him, and Henry felt a warm tug in his gut. She really was beautiful, even with the unease in her eyes. Those golden eyes of hers alone were a mesmerizing sight.

It dawned on him that he was staring. She gazed back into his eyes, and he felt his pulse quicken a little.

“I...” he began. “I guess—”

Before he could complete his statement, the sound of heavy approaching footsteps reached his ears, and a large figure filled the tent’s opening.

“Found you!” growled a voice.

Chapter Four

A Meeting in the Woods

The voice reverberated through Nora’s insides, jolting her to her feet. She and Henry rose as one, facing the large newcomer, and she braced herself; her mind worked rapidly to come up with a defensive spell, but could only come up with the same three words:I’m done for.