Page 18 of Sugar & Dragon Act I: Temptation

After a second, Dago smiled. “I have many plans. It’s difficult to think about them all at one moment. But I do intend to be honest with you, I assure you.”

Against her better judgment, Hera smiled back.

“When do you want to fly?” she asked, masking her chaotic feelings with irony.

The corners of his lips tipped up even more. “When will your schedule allow it?”

She considered the question. She had several appointments scheduled with patients and shifts at the hospital…

“In two weeks,” she said eventually.

Dago reached for a tea cup and lifted it as if he was going to make a toast.

“We’ll leave as soon as you arrive.”

XI Dago/Hera

“You’re taking a vacation to help Hera Galenos?!”

Zeno’s indignation wasn’t a surprise. Almost every alchemist saw Hera as a threat, but for House Nereus, the woman was public enemy number one. She and Zeno stood on the opposite side of the business barricade. Considering the centuries-old friendship between their families, Zeno had every right to expect the descendant of the Midais to stand behind him. With this declaration, Dago dealt the man a blow that was not only unexpected but also painful.

“Sokratis is considering retirement,” Dago said, shooting his friend a meaningful look. “It was implied that if I didn’t improve my public image, Galenos would net the Archmagus office.”

Understanding cleared Zeno’s clouded face. He relaxed and lay on the garden couch like a dark sea god on a coral bed.

“Do you intend toborrowher reputation or tarnish it?”

“That depends.” Dago smiled casually, shifting his gaze to the pond, the surface of which sparkled in the sun as brightly as the cloudragon’s lightning bolts. “I think I’ll let her choose.”

The softness and shape of the woman’s body aroused in him more than just a collector’s desire, but the memory of the piercing insight in her eyes irritated his senses, putting them on alert. The idea of becoming Hera Galenos’s husband seemed more and more tempting every day, but he couldn’t afford to get too attached to her. Until the maga signed the contract, they were rivals. He couldn’t forget that.

“What exactlyare you planning?” Zeno asked, watching him with predatory interest.

Dago gave him an amused look. “Judging by your sharky smile, I know you’ve already guessed. Do you reallywant to know the details?”

Zeno snorted and shook his head, as if he couldn’t decide if Dago was brave or crazy. “If your plan comes down to the seduction of Hera Galenos, then the only thing I want to know is your state of matter. I want to inherit your castle in case you become a pile of ash.”

“What if I keep my form and she stops being so tense?”

Zeno shook his head again but grinned. “You’ll get the discount for the whole assortment.”

“Hundred percent off ‘til the end of the year?”

“Fifty. Till the end of the quarter.”

Dago raised an eyebrow. “You want my castle, and at the same time you price something that you couldn’t do yourself so low?”

Zeno narrowed his eyes, ready to answer the challenge. He must have concluded, however, that he not only wasn’t interested in seducing Hera Galenos but indeed couldn’t do even if he wanted because he admitted, “You’re right, that was unfair. How about one elixir of your choice once a month, for the next ten years?”

“One bigbottle, regardless of the price of ingredients and the complexity of production?”

“Onesmallbottle, regardless of the price of ingredients and the complexity of production, orone bignon-premium elixir.”

Dago knew that it wasn’t easy for his friend to say those words, so he did his best not to smile too triumphantly.

“Deal.”

If Hera Galenos became his wife, he would become rich on more than one front.

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