Page 27 of Sugar & Dragon Act I: Temptation

And then he heard it.

“Please.”

He went still.

The woman’s fingers around her wrist seemed to tighten their grip. Her cheeks were covered with a dark pink, and her shapely lips quivered slightly. In her eyes, the request was mixed with shame…

Dago swallowed. Koralion suddenly seemed to him like a meaningless piece of sea snot, but he couldn’t change his mind so quickly in public. Galenos was too honest to consider her current behavior a game, but he couldn’t let her evensuspectthat he could be manipulated. He had his pride, and even the fact that she stripped herself of hers to defend the shells couldn’t make him disown it.

If he gave in to a chaotic impulse, he would look like a besotted fool, even though he was neither stupid nor in love. That would be a lie… and he couldn’t say it. If Galenos deserved anything, it was honesty.

“You turn a few bags of sugar into gold and we’ll be even,” he said, adopting the most neutral tone he could muster.

As the full meaning of his words dawned on her, her eyes widened and then flashed with angry sparks. “You’ve planned it from the beginning!”

This accusation puzzled him, but he kept quiet just in case, hoping that a blaze of words would spark after the outburst of emotions…

“You knew I would be reluctant to catch clams and you planned to use that to your advantage!”

That wasn’t true, which Dago genuinely regretted—why didn’t he think of that?—but this time he decided not to overdo honesty. No one would suffer if Galenos thought he was a brilliant strategist… which he was. A tiny befuddlement didn’t detract from his value.

It was truly unfortunate that reputation was everything in business.

“You guessed that I might want to persuade you to produce gold, and you agreed to this trip anyway,” he remarked. “If you want to get angry at someone, look in the mirror… or take a sea bath to cool down your emotions.”

To encourage her to do the latter, he walked to the edge of the island, took off his tunic, and jumped into the water, from which he soon emerged as a white dragon.

“We’ll be gone for some time,” he said, noting with satisfaction that her anger had turned back to embarrassment. “Apart from Dorian, I’ve never entrusted anyone with the care of the castle, so I hope you will appreciate this gesture and will not abuse my trust. If you get tired of sunbathing, you can go sightseeing, but please do not enter the room opposite the library.”

He swung his tail and splashed her, enjoying her squeal and the sight of her cornflower blue dress, which was now completely soaked and clinging to her appetizing curves.

“Have fun, sweetpearl,” he added because he couldn’t stop himself. He dove, feeling a new energy spreading through him.

It was playtime.

For the next three hours, Dago did what the technical limitations of his private pool didn’t allow—he indulged his daimon’s instincts. He chased fish with Dorian. He chased Dorian. He was chased by Dorian. He floated lazily. He explored the colorful corners of the reef. He chased a shark. He floated lazily again. He rescued Dorian from a shark. They chased fish again…

When they both blew off steam, he sent the imp to spy on Hera.

“The seal is unbroken,” a gray pigeon informed him, landing on his tail.

This news gave him a peculiar pleasure. Until now, he wasn’t sure whether Galenos would be able to curb her boundless curiosity and refrain from entering his bedroom. He thought that she would use the opportunity to find out something about her rival… and future husband, who would have the full right to take revenge in the event of her wrongdoing. But not only had she not broken his trust, she’d also decided to trust him herself, allowing herself to see only what he showed her. That was… stimulating.

“Go play somewhere for an hour more,” he said to the imp. “And don’t spy on us.”

The pigeon cocked his head, watching him curiously with his poisonously green eyes. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to have nightmares.”

XVI Hera

Hera couldn’t find herself a place. After Dago and Dorian disappeared into the sea abyss, she tried to meditate, contemplating the beautiful landscape, but her thoughts clung to her consciousness like her wet dress to her body. Neither drying her clothes with the phoenix heat nor snacks could help. She finally gave in and cleaned up after breakfast, washing the dishes without magic. But when she was done, she found herself in a den of temptation.

If you get tired of sunbathing, you can go sightseeing, but please do not enter the room opposite the library.

These words clashed with the memory of what he’d said earlier, and the volcano of her conscience released another batch of sharp debris. If Dago was telling the truth, she was the first human he entrusted with the care of his castle. Not only did he let her into his home, but he left her therealone, which meant that if he didn’t trust her yet, he at least wanted to.

Dago Midais wanted to trust her.

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