Page 19 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Dragon

The spell was working.

She held her breath, trying to contain the sudden sensation growing inside her. It felt like excitement—no, desire. Or was it hunger? Whatever it was, it was powerful and getting stronger by the second. The tingle spread from her extremities to her center, making its way through every inch of her body, and only then did she begin to wonder whether something might be wrong.

Between the fireworks and Isobel’s chanting, she could barely make sense of what was going on anymore, but she couldfeelit. A gentle prickle filled her mouth, followed immediately by a sharp pain as her teeth began to grow.

What in the—?

Nora’s bones crackled, taking new shape, and she was instantly forced onto all fours. An itch spread across her skin as dark fur sprouted from her pores, covering her limbs, torso and face.

I’m shifting. Why am I shifting?

The other witches didn’t seem to have noticed what was going on. Nora tried to shift back to human, but she seemed to have lost all control of her body. Was this part of the spell? It didn’t feel quite right. Her face elongated into a snout, her eyes adjusting better to the darkness, and her sense of smell sharpened, multiple scents hitting her nostrils all at once.

No,she thought.No. This isn’t supposed to happen.

She’d always had control over her ability to shift, even during full moons. This was new. Why the hell was it happening?

Her teeth filled her mouth, claws extending from her fingertips. She opened her mouth with a snarl, and her world faded into blackness.

Chapter Eight

Ergog

The hunter and possible murder aside, Henry was glad he’d brought Nora with him to the fair.

He’d never have been able to score five grand on his own.

The next few hours went by like a breeze, the kind that made you want to kick back on your porch with a beer in hand. For some reason—whether it was the cartoon-themed T-shirts on display or the flyers they’d distributed to passersby that had attracted them, Henry wasn’t entirely sure—more customers had flocked to the animal rescue tent, and Henry had spent at least a couple of hours on his feet, educating kids and adults alike on animal rescuing, selling T-shirts or letting some of the animals be petted. A cat and a couple of dogs had even been adopted by one rather pleasant family, much to his delight. By the time the crowd gathered right outside the tent began to disperse, the donation jar was half full.

“Five thousand bucks and a couple of hundreds,” he declared with a chuckle as he counted their earnings for the third time. He shook his head. “That’s higher than today’s goal, and it’s not even four o’clock yet.”

Seated at the table, Nora brushed her hair out of her face, those lovely golden eyes fixed on him. “I told you, all you needed was a bit of branding. I’m sure you’ll have made well over ten grand by the time the day ends.”

“Wouldn’t that be amazing.” He grinned down at her, feeling his chest swell with gratitude. “Thank you, really. I couldn’t have done this without your help.”

She folded her arms across her breasts. “Hey, you scratch my back, I scratch yours.”

Henry thought that he would like to do a lot more than justscratchher back right now, but he refrained from mentioningthat. He also held back from pointing out that he wasn’t entirely sold on the matter of her innocence just yet. Right now, all he wanted was a break. It had been a long day, between the customers and this stunning woman who’d tumbled into his life just this morning. Besides, he’d already hit today’s goal. A break was in order.

So he said, “I could use a drink or a bite to eat. What do you say we check out a couple of the other stalls in this park?”

The look she gave him made him wonder whether she thought he was crazy. “Are you sure? What about the...?” She gestured around them at the tent and everything in it.

“It’ll be within sight at all times,” he assured her. “We’re not going far away. Besides, the odds of anyone stealing with so many eyes around are pretty slim.”

In all honesty, all he wanted was that whiskey from Angelica’s, and the Rubicon Valleystand wasn’t further than a couple of tents away. Thankfully, Nora didn’t object any further. Without another word, she got up, exiting the tent with him. He brought down the tarp, covering the animals on display and shielding the tent’s contents from view of anyone who walked by, and then he and Nora turned to leave. A man was pushing a hot dog cart through the crowd, and Henry bought a couple, handing one to Nora.

“Thanks,” she said, her eyes lighting up as she bit into it. “It’s the first thing I’ve had to eat in a while. I didn’t even realize how hungry I was.”

Henry suspecteda whilecould mean anything from twelve hours to a couple of days. Maybe getting whiskey shots wasn’t such a great idea right now. He took her hand in his, leading the way through the crowd, his eyes surveying their surroundings until they landed on a stall with more food. By the time they turned back, she’d wolfed down the hot dog and was eyeing the shawarma in her hand with even more interest.

They came across a vendor selling smoothies, and Henry was grateful for the opportunity to properly sit down and eat. He and Nora sat across from each other at one of the two tables, sipping and eating silently for a moment.

It was Nora who finally spoke.

“This feels a little like a date,” she remarked. A teasing grin tugged at her lips. “Need I remind you that you and I only just met this morning?”

“You didn’t seem to have that objection when I kissed you earlier,” Henry shot back.