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“You wish to nap inside your hoard?”
“Yes!” exclaimed Hugh cheerfully. “It’s my favorite place to nap. All the gold is very soothing,
you know.”
“I… well… I’ve heard that, yes.” Finch felt his ears burn with the thought of what else dragons
liked to do in their hoards.
Hugh smiled, and it lit up his entire face. “Have you? Brilliant. I’m very much looking forward
to a nice snooze amongst my treasures.”
“With… uh… me?” It came out as a question rather than a statement.
“Of course with you, silly boy. Now. Let’s see here.” He placed his palm on the touch screen
mounted to the wall to the right of the door. A moment later, a panel on the wall opened and
out came a retinal scanner, to which Hugh presented his right eye. A light flashed.
“Scan complete,” said a disembodied robotic voice. “You may now enter.”
“I do love technology, don’t you, Finch? How clever of Reynard to have these installed.”
“Indeed, sir.”
Hugh gave Finch a sideways glance. “He told me it would be possible to add another retinal
signature to its database. If you like it inside, maybe I can have you added. It would be nice, I
think, to have some company in my favorite place, especially if that company is you.”
“I have a suite of my own, sir.” The heat gathering in the tips of Finch’s ears was starting to
become uncomfortable. It was an utterly ridiculous idea to have him added to the database,
but Hugh was being so insistent. “I appreciate the sentiment, but since I’m not involved with
the hoard’s maintenance, wouldn’t your mate be cross were she to discover me on the list? Or
worse, in there when you two, ah… well…”
Hugh narrowed his eyes at Finch. “Yes, perhaps, but who’s to say how long it will be until I find
her? I can have you put on the security system in the meantime.” The concentration on his
face broke, giving way to another cheery smile. “Won’t that be nice?”
Finch was starting to sweat. “The ball is in two months, sir.”
“Details, details! Two months is an eternity from now. Besides, this is no time to discuss serious
matters—this is time to nap. Dragons like to nap. Did you know that? The best place is here,
but the conservatory is also good. Harrison once asked me if I had a giant heat lamp, and I
had to confess I did not. On sunny days, the conservatory does get quite warm, though.”
