Page 29 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Dragon

“Ready whenever you are,” Henry said. “Draw him to us. Or summon him...however that works. Just use your magic and let him track you.” He gave her a reassuring grin. “I’ll face him with you.”

“Okay.” She nodded, smiling at him, although fear had begun creeping into her heart. Their last encounter with Ergog hadn’t gone so well. What were the odds that this one wouldn’t be just as terrible? What if they both lost their lives? They were both powerful, but so was Ergog.

He didn’t fight you together,she reminded herself.This time will be different.

She sucked in a few breaths then and muttered a spell. Immediately, a bright light shot into the air from her fingers, exploding and dissipating just above the treetops. She turned to Henry and nodded again.

“Ergog will be with us soon.”

Chapter Twelve

“I Want the Dragon Shifter”

“Isobel...please.”

If the coven leader had heard her, she didn’t show it. She and the nine other living witches had been chanting in unison for the past minute or so. Whatever they were trying to do, whatever punishment they had in store for her, she had no idea, but it had to be far from pleasant. The mere thought of it sent a shudder down Nora’s spine.

You’ll pay for what you’ve done tonight,Isobel had said.

“Please,” Nora begged. “You have to believe me. I’d never do something like this. I know what you saw—I mean, I don’t know what you saw, but whatever it was, it wasn’t me. I don’t kill. I don’t—”

She broke off, staring at the witch still lying on the forest floor in a pool of her own blood. Horror gripped Nora’s insides like a vice. How could she possibly have done something so grave and not remembered a second of it? It didn’t make sense. But if all these witches claimed she’d done it, it must be true, right?

Even then, even if her wolf had attacked them, there had to be some reasonable explanation for it. Something else must have happened. But what?

She remained where she stood, her heart in her throat, as the witches continued to chant. Their voices grew louder, and the air hummed with magical energy. Nora felt her insides clench as the humming grew louder, and she raised her hands to shield her ears. Before her fingers could touch her head, however, there was an explosion of light to her left, knocking her backward.

She staggered and fell onto her butt. With a grunt, she pulled herself back to her feet, lifting a hand to cover her eyesas the light faded. When she lowered her arm, the glare had completely disappeared. In its place stood a man wearing a tunic.

He had a hood pulled over his face, but it wasn’t low enough to cover his eyes—or at least, the part of his face where eyesshouldbe. The man had no eyes, only a nose and mouth, blond hair creeping out from the sides of his hood.

“What...?”

As she watched, the man moved, his head turning first toward the body on the ground, then toward Nora, and finally, toward Isobel and the others. The witches had stopped chanting. Isobel had a slight grin on her face.

“Ergog the hunter,” she said calmly, as though he was no stranger to her. “Thank you for coming.”

“Why have you summoned me?” came the man’s reply.

“To right a wrong.” She pointed in Nora’s direction. “Thishybridis responsible for the death of one of our own. I want you to make her pay for what she’s done.”

Ergog turned his eyeless face toward Nora. He reached for his hip, where a pair of blades were tucked in a belt, and drew them. He took a step toward her, and then another.

“I’d start running if I were you, Nora,” she heard Isobel say. “Although I doubt that would make much of a difference.”

***

The hunter approached, marching across the grassy plain toward them. Even in the distance, nearly a hundred feet away, he was a disturbing sight. He advanced quickly, closing the distance between them in long, rapid strides, blades drawn and at the ready.

Henry stepped forward, Nora behind him, moving away from the truck. He swallowed, watching Ergog draw nearer. This was it. There would be no running this time. He and Nora wouldface the hunter. Hopefully, they would make it out of this in one piece.

And if not... Henry brushed the thought out of his mind.

He and Ergog were barely twenty feet away from each other when the hunter stopped in his tracks. Henry stopped, too, bracing himself for the inevitable attack. Nora came to stand next to him, and for the briefest moment, Henry thought he could hear her heart pounding. Or was it his?

“It was only a matter of time before I found you again,” Ergog said, and his lips curved in a grin. “Did you really think you could escape from me?”

Henry shifted on the spot. “The only reason you found us is because we wanted you to come.”