Page 11 of A Fable of Riddles and Redemption

—and in rushed the young red panda.

“Stop him!” Jurian shouted as he slammed the door closed. “Catch him!”

Both Zorina and Herrick rushed after the recalcitrant animal, trying in vain to grab it before it began smashing pots and claiming coins.

As the chaos ensued, Zorina observed, “I think it’s a girl.”

“What makes you think that?” Herrick shot back as he nearly crashed into a pot himself in an effort to catch the animal.

Arching her eyebrow, she said saucily, “Well, I don’t see anything to indicate otherwise…”

Herrick turned bright red and coughed as he quickly averted his gaze. “Oh. I see.”

“Or rather, you don’t.”

He shot her a baleful glare, and she grinned innocently in return.

“I don’t care what gender it is! Just catch it!” Jurian yelled.

Turning her attention back to the red panda, Zorina chased it toward a shelved corner of the room, flanked on either side by Herrick and Jurian. The wild animal climbed up the shelves, reaching for more pots to destroy as it clambered up toward the top shelf. Just before it escaped out of her reach, Zorina snagged it under its front legs and pulled the creature against her. “Caught you at last.”

The red panda whimpered, sending a jolt of regret down Zorina’s spine. Gently, she cradled the animal in her arms. Deep amber eyes peered up at her, seeming to beg for either affection or release. “You’re a beautiful little thing, aren’t you?”

Vaguely, she heard both Jurian and Herrick protesting that statement in the background.

But her focus was on the red panda and the sweet little chirps it made. She leaned down to kiss the adorable animal on the top of its head. In return, the young female red panda licked her nose.

A few more chirps followed, and the red panda held up a gold coin in her tiny paws. Zorina reached over to take it.

Suddenly, the door opened to admit another customer, and the red panda leapt out of Zorina’s arms and bolted out the door. The would-be customer shrieked and ran off in the opposite direction.

Blinking, Zorina turned to Herrick, who smirked at her and asked, “Not exactly love at first kiss, is it?”

“Better than kissing you,” she shot back.

“You may be surprised,” he replied with a wink.

She shook her head. “Never going to happen.” Zorina reached for the broom and began to sweep up. “Watch out for panda scat,” she said, pointing to a spot just in front of Herrick’s boot. She noted, with a surprising amount of satisfaction, that he quickly jumped backwards.

Too bad there isn’t another pile just behind him…

Jurian frowned as he closed the door again. “Clean that mess up, and keep that creature out of here.”

“I’m not sure keeping her away will be possible,” Zorina said slowly.

With a nod, Herrick added, “It will continue coming back if it thinks it can find gold here—and human affection.”

“She,” Zorina corrected. “It’s a girl, remember?”

Both Herrick and Jurian snorted at that.

“I really don’t care what it is, just as long as it stays out of my shop,” Jurian said. “Now, I’ve got a commission to fulfill.” With that, he marched into the workshop, leaving Zorina alone with the guard again.

Once she gathered some wet rags, she shoved them into Herrick’s arms. “If you’re going to stand around here all day, the least you can do is help clean up.”

The obstinate man shook his head and pushed the rags back to Zorina. “No. It’s your job, not mine.”

She glared at him as he leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his muscular chest. A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth, and he arched an eyebrow at her. “Well? Are you going to do your job or what?”