A female colleague stood up and grabbed Mr. Fuentes’ arm. “Emilio, let him go.”
He reached behind him and slapped at her. Her eyes opened wide with surprise as blood gushed from a gaping wound in her neck.
Eva screamed and scrambled out of her chair as Mr. Fuentes picked up the professor and tossed him several feet. Dr. Jimenez crashed into a table and rolled once before he stopped beneath the debris.
Balthazar growled and stepped in front of Eva as guests ran around fleeing for the exits. “You dare?” he shouted, his voice deep and gravelly. He leaped over the table, his arms outstretched to tackle the man, but Fuentes avoided the attack, bounding to one side and grabbed Eva’s arm.
Fear for her safety shot adrenaline through his body as Balthazar slowly approached him.
“That’s close enough.” Mr. Fuentes jerked her arm, and Eva screamed. “I don’t think you want to see your new friend hurt.”
***
She fought to catch her breath. “What the fuck is going on? Let go of me!”
Mr. Fuentes tsked. “Your language is most unbecoming.”
“Like I give a shit!”
“Release her, and I’ll let you live,” Balthazar commanded.
Mr. Fuentes laughed. “So, the mighty Bal Anda shows compassion? How quaint.”
Eva flinched when his hand rested on her collarbone.
Balthazar glanced at her. “What the hell do you want?”
“Your brother sends his regards.”
Eva’s mind whirled. Bal? She stared at Mr. Andal—no wait, Anda? “What’s going on?” Her voice squeaked on the last word, and she resented that. She struggled against Mr. Fuentes’ hold. “Will you let me go?”
“You are my assurance that I leave this place alive.” His grip tightened on her arm as his other hand brushed up against her neck. “Bal Anda would tear me to pieces otherwise.”
“I’ll kill you no matter what, and send your head back to my brother.” Mr. Andal took a step forward, and the grip on her neck tightened.
“Don’t!” she screamed.
“The female is smart.” Eva shrank within herself as he slowly traced a finger across her collarbone. “She has good survival instincts. Now back away.”
Mr. Andal looked at her again, and Eva felt her hope slip away as he took a step back. “I won’t let him hurt you, Eva.”
“Oh, how romantic.” Mr. Fuentes held his hand out for her to see, and terror tightened around her heart as his fingers extended into black, needle-sharp talons. She looked back at Balthazar. “What’s going on?” she whispered.
He shook his head.
“Oh, go ahead and tell her, Bal Anda. She was the only one in this motley group of humanity who believed in dragons,” Mr. Fuentes said. She cringed when something sharp tapped her cheek. “Then I’ll deal with you.”
“I think not.”
Eva couldn’t turn to see who spoke but saw a flash of metal slice through Mr. Fuentes’ upraised arm. He screamed in pain, and she was thrown through the air.
“Eva!”
An upturned table filled her vision. She curled into a ball and waited for the impact, but something else happened. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her, and she fought against their hold.
“Eva, it’s me. It’s Balthazar.”
She saw his golden, concerned eyes. Her instincts told her to fight and escape him, and she kicked out, scoring a hit on his thigh. She whimpered when his grip tightened.
“Eva, I won’t hurt you. Please stop fighting.”
She heard his words, but the urge to get away was too strong. “Let go!”
Eva suddenly found herself sitting on the floor alone as Mr. Andal stood above her. She took a deep breath and winced as pain flashed through her arm and neck. She touched her neck carefully, discovering sore spots. She checked her arm. A large bruise discolored her skin, and it would take weeks before it faded.
She looked up. Mr. Andal stood impossibly tall above her, and his eyes were bright gold against his skin. He didn’t look at her—his attention was elsewhere. She followed his gaze and saw Mr. Fuentes’ sprawled body. His severed arm lay above his head, and a gaping chest wound oozed dark blood.
She slowly rose. “Is he dead?”
“I certainly hope so.”
Sirens screamed in the distance. Some of the guests cried and shouted in the dining room. Eva saw Professor Jimenez lying in a corner and stumbled towards him. Her arm hung uselessly at her side, numb from Mr. Fuentes’ fierce grip.
He lay unmoving on the floor. She fell to her knees and shook him gently. “Professor, wake up.” She slapped him a couple of times, then shook him. “Professor!”