Page 31 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Dragon

She rushed forward, trying to stop him with whatever spell she could come up with, but tripped over her own foot and went sprawling to the ground. The throbbing grew louder, settling in the base of her skull. With a grunt, she picked herself up, determined to stop Ergog from delivering the death blow.

But he’d already stepped back from the dragon shifter. He’d turned to face her. Both he and Henry had looks of mild confusion on their faces.

“You cannot stop me,” the hunter said, raising his blades menacingly. “Neither of you can. I’ve faced far worse than you. Attempting to kill me will only end in your deaths.”

“So takeme,” she panted, drawing closer. She saw Henry’s eyes widen at her words but ignored the flicker of emotion that immediately arose in her belly. Cuts marked his body from his shoulder to his thigh. The sight sent a shudder through her. “Leave Henry out of this. He’s done nothing wrong. Take me instead.”

“Nora, what are you—?”

The hunter gestured with his blade at Henry. “I warned him not to get in my way. He had his chance to leave and save his skin, but he attacked me instead. He’s lucky to have lived this long.”

She shook her head. “He was only trying to protect me.”

“Nora.” Henry’s expression was one of disbelief. “What the hell is—?”

She cut him off with a wave of her hand. The last thing she needed right now was him trying to talk her out of her resolve. As good as it had felt to know that she wasn’t alone in this, she couldn’t bear the thought of Henry losing his life because of her.

“I know you’re all about justice,” she said to the hunter, “but Henry hadn’t done anything wrong. He was just trying to keep me safe. He’s a good man. It’smeyou really want to kill.”

The hunter cocked his head to one side. He was silent, and for a moment she thought he might ignore her plea and strike Henry down. She thought hard, debating between casting a protective spell on the dragon shifter and striking at Ergog. Before she could come to a decision, however, the hunter took another step away from Henry.

“Fine. I will spare him,” he said. He leveled one of his blades at her. “But you...you must die, witch. You will pay for what you did.”

“No!” Henry started to climb to his feet. “Nora, you can’t—”

“Yes, I can,” she told him. She felt a tear slide down her cheek. “Someone already died because of me, Henry. I can’t let the same thing happen to you. Thank you. For everything. We’ve barely known each other for a day, and you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time.”

She tried for a smile as she spoke. Henry’s eyes were wide with horror and disbelief. He glanced between her and the hunter, as though considering attacking Ergog again.

The hunter stepped toward her. “What I’m about to do...I take no pleasure from it. I am simply following the orders of the eleven witches who summoned me.”

He drew nearer, and she sucked in a breath, bracing herself for her demise. This was it. This was what she’d been running from for so long. Isobel had been right. Running had madeno difference. All it had done was delay the inevitable. She should’ve known she was at the end of her life when she saw the eleven witches chanting.

Wait a minute.

“Did you...did you sayelevenwitches?” she asked to Ergog.

The hunter slowed in his tracks. “I did. Eleven witches summoned me to kill you.”

That didn’t sound quite right. She shook her head. Hadn’t there been only ten other witches chanting just before Ergog arrived? Theeleventhhad been lying dead a few feet away from her.

“That doesn’t make sense,” she said. “The Circle of Moonshade had twelve members. One coven member was killed, and I was blamed for it. That should leavetenmembers, right?”

Ergog said nothing. She couldn’t read his expression, but she could tell he was thinking about it, too. Something wasn’t right. How could there have been eleven witches summoning him?

“Unless...” She blinked, a thought suddenly occurring to her. “There was never a dead witch.”

The hunter’s head tilted slightly. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that Isobel set me up.” Annoyance had already begun bubbling inside her as the realization of her situation dawned on her. It was all starting to make perfect sense now, why she couldn’t remember having killed anyone, why she’d shifted all of a sudden in the middle of the spell. “I think I’ve been framed.”

“By Isobel.” Ergog’s tone was one of disbelief, but he lowered his weapons, his shoulders sagging a little.

“You said you were summoned by eleven witches.Icertainly didn’t summon you. It can only mean that the dead witchwasn’treally dead. It was all a set-up. The whole thing was a set-up. The ritual was never to augment the coven’s powers. It was to forceme to shift and knock me out so when I regained consciousness I’d think I lost control and killed one of our own.”

She was seething now, only a small part of her relieved to know that shehadn’tkilled anyone. The rest of her was filled with rage and disbelief. How could Isobel have gone so far to do something so cruel? Nora had been on the run for over a month, nearly losing her life more times than she could count. And all because of a trick?

The hunter neared her again. “And why would Isobel want to set you up?”