VI Dago
“She flew away as fast as if she was chased by a nightmare,” Dorian said as Dago finished reciting the incantation that activated the reparative spells he’d foresightedly placed in all eight corners of the roof. “What are you playing, and why I haven’t been invited?”
Dago glanced briefly at the imp, who currently had the form of a black panther with bat wings and a rattlesnake tail, but soon fixed his gaze on the damaged roof again. Watching the glass melted by the phoenix fire slowly regain its original structure, he said, “We aren’t playing anything.”
At least for now , he added in his mind, reminiscing about the sensual lips of Hera Galenos.
Nyx Nemesis, how had he missed them? He’d known Galenos for years . How could he not notice the smoothness of her skin, the softness of her hair, the curves of her body?
Am I nightmaring? he asked himself.
Probably. It had to be that. Otherwise, how could he explain that even though they’d argued many times, the defiant glint in her keen eyes hadn’t seemed titillating to him until today? And then there was the contrast between her delightful naivety and the pragmatism behind which she hid selfish desires.
Sweet little harpy . A caressive thought sprang out of the depths of his mind, only to horrify him a moment later.
It was about Hera Galenos. The maga with a phoenix daimon and the reputation of a genius. The one who ruined his mood with her attempts to lecture him on ethics she called occupational safety and health and acted as a smart aleck every time the teacher asked them to cast some complicated spell together. The same one that almost led House Nereus—a family of alchemists whose history dated back to the founding of Ilion—to the brink of bankruptcy .
What’s wrong with me?
Dago pressed his fingers to his temple. That must have been his Charm. Until he’d used it, the maga had seemed to him as she always had—snooty and sanctimonious. Actually, she even hadn’t been a woman in his eyes. She’d been like sweetliosis, a plague from the Dreamland stories that converted nightmares to sweet dreams. But then she’d begun to answer his Charm-laced question, telling him about her wants, and hearing the eagerness in her voice, he’d instinctively looked at her lips. That was when he’d been struck by their delectability. He’d tried to push the thought away, but it hadn’t wanted to go away.
After that, it’d only gotten worse. With each passing moment, he’d seen more and more details that had previously escaped his attention, until every cell in his body screamed, “There is a woman here!”
I think we should marry.
Nyx Nemesis and all nightmares… He hadn’t planned that. He hadn’t wanted that.
But that was the only solution. He’d considered the matter through and through, from every possible angle, but each time he’d come to the same conclusion: anything else would be a half measure, the effectiveness of which depended on the mood of the mythical luckbeast. To get what he wanted, he had to outsmart the Archmagus, the queen, and anyone else who might stand in his way. If he persuaded Galenos to cooperate, he would win the game in one move. Hocus pocus and checkmate—power would be his. If he waited a moment before helping her reverse the delicious curse, the gold would be his, too—immeasurable and untaxed.
Then he would need only one thing.
A loyal woman with whom he could nicely spend time.
At first glance, Hera Galenos didn’t fit that description, but though he’d balked at the idea of marrying her an hour ago, he no longer thought it was hopeless. On the contrary, the idea aroused in him a hope so great that it was almost uncontrollable. Galenos understood him on so many levels… It was almost impossible for them not to come to an understanding in this matter. That must have been the reason for her hurried leave. As he did, she’d noticed something attractive in this idea—and him —but she was afraid to admit it.
That was why her lack of enthusiasm for sharing a bed didn’t worry him so much. He was pretty sure she’d chosen her partners reasonably , but they hadn’t really excited her because they hadn’t done—or hadn’t been—what she unconsciously wanted.
The thought that Hera Galenos might have wanted him all these years seemed amusing to him until he remembered that this whole pile of considerations he’d just gone through was the result of his insight into his own desires.
I desire Hera Galenos , he thought experimentally to see how he would feel.
He felt strange. Part of him wanted to deny it, but another part was already factoring the woman to find what he liked about her. Her lips were the most obvious. He needed to pay heed to her temper, but he felt he was going to like her breasts…
“You said you weren’t playing anything,” Dorian said, derailing his train of thought, “but you’re smiling like you’re plotting something fun.”
Indeed, Dago was smiling, like he did as a child who had gotten a new toy.
He forced his face to take on a serious expression and met the imp’s poisonously green eyes. “Even if I’m up to something, you don’t deserve to join in the fun. Why did you let in someone who didn’t have my invitation?”
“Because she looked like someone who could be fun to toy with.” The feline phantom moved his tail left and right with a soft rattling. “You disagree?”
Dago couldn’t hold back any longer. He gave the imp a broad grin. “When she comes again, let her in.”
Dorian bared his teeth. “Only next time, or until you change your mind?”
“Until I change my mind.”
Dago looked at the glass that served as the roof. There wasn’t a single scratch on it.
You will scream my name and beg for mercy, Galenos , he promised the woman, reminiscing the moment she’d agreed to take part in his scheme. Until you run out of breath.