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“Any will do.”
“Any?” Finch frowned. “Sir, there are twenty wines listed here…”
“I trust your judgment. Why don’t you make the final selection? That way it will be a
collaboration.”
Finch’s expression failed to lighten. “Sir, with all due respect, this isn’t my ball, and while I
appreciate the faith you have in me, it’s not my place to make these kinds of decisions for you.
If you need guidance, I’d be glad to provide it, but the rest will be up to you.”
Hugh worried a gold coin between his fingers. Unlike the one he’d found outside Drake Manor,
this one was of recent mint and shiny enough to bewitch even an adult dragon. For the last
week, Hugh had been slipping coins just like it into Finch’s pockets in an attempt to integrate
him into his hoard. Unlike before, when he’d showered Finch with gifts in the hopes that Finch
wouldn’t abandon him, these gifts were meant to mark him. Eventually Finch would become
so used to finding them that he’d come to accept that being around treasure was a normal part
of life, that it belonged to him, and he belonged to it, and that Hugh would care for them both.
“Well…” Hugh tapped a finger on the wine list, prompting Finch to look at where he was
pointing. Once the manservant was distracted, Hugh slid the coin into his pocket. “I choose
this one.”
“Sir, did you even look before making your selection?”
“Of course I did. What kind of a man do you take me for, Finch?”
Finch’s lips pressed into a thin, exasperated line. “You’re pointing at the subheader denoting
French Merlots.”
Hugh lifted his finger and discovered that Finch was right.
The room became awfully quiet. Hugh, too anxious to sit still, fished another coin out of his
pocket and smoothed his thumb over it. Finch was mad at him. He had to be. He’d worked
exceptionally hard to put the list together, and Hugh couldn’t even be bothered to look at it long
enough not to make a fool out of himself.
But how could he with Finch standing so close?
Part of the reason dragons kept their most cherished possessions out of sight was to keep
them out of mind. Treasure was distracting. Hugh had spent the better part of a month in pursuit
of a single coin, and while quite a few hundred years had passed since then, he was still, at
