Cindy relaxed in a huge marble tub. The place was more luxurious than the Duke’s castle. After she was done soaking, she could go down to the kitchen, which would magically produce whatever meal she wanted. She could stay here as long as she liked—as long as she looked after Lionel.

She frowned. More and more, she was finding she wanted to look after Lionel. She hadn’t planned on that. She had meant only to hide out until things blew over, and then extract it and sell it to some other artifact collector. But now, whenever she thought about doing that, all she could think of was, “But then who will look after Lionel?” And now she thought she was beginning to get an inkling of an idea why the Duke had never used the dragonhome—it was as much a trap for a person as for a dragon.

But was it really so bad, in the end? After all, with a dragon at her command, even such a sad sack as Lionel, robbery would be that much easier.

Cindy put the thought aside; she would have time to consider that after Steakxas.