“Unfortunately, you got caught in between a family disagreement.”
“You mean a feud.”
Balthazar sighed. “Something like that.”
She crossed her arms. “Look, I’m not stupid. Balthazar Andal—Bal Anda. Bal Anda was a relative of yours, right? An ancestor?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You could say that.”
“And the talk about dragons represents your family’s insignia?”
She noticed his hesitation. “Your reasoning makes sense, but not quite.”
“Not quite? Did the insignia belong to the king during your ancestor’s time?”
“No.”
He wasn’t very forthcoming with his answers. She stared at her mug, trying to decide what to ask next.
“What do you know of dragons?”
She looked up, surprised that he actually asked the question. He had leaned forward with his hands clasped together, his golden eyes watching her. “You’re kidding, right?” He remained silent. “This is a serious question?” she asked.
“Very.”
“Before I answer that, I want to know something.” She hesitated.
“Yes?”
“So,” she started, then decided to blurt it out. “What the fuck happened at the hotel? Why was I attacked by Mr. Fuentes who had—” She felt the prick of the Spaniard’s sharp nails even now and shuddered. “Strange hands? I could swear he didn’t have those nails.”
“They were hidden.” Balthazar wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“You can’t hide nails like that!”
“Mr. Fuentes kept them retracted until he killed that poor woman.”
“What do you mean, retracted? Like a cat’s?”
“Precisely.”
The hot chocolate felt sour in her stomach. “That’s not possible.”
“Unless you’re a cat.” He shrugged. “Or a dragon.”
“Oh, come on.” Eva tried to laugh, but it didn’t sound convincing. “There’s no such thing as dragons. Not the kind in the fairy tales I’ve read.”
“Tell me what you know of them,” he repeated.
She decided to play along, if only to get off the subject. “Not much. Only what my father’s told me.”
“What has he said?”
She folded her arms across her chest, thinking about a bedtime story Papa once told her. “Dragons were real to the Vikings. They had power, wealth and intelligence. Their knowledge was vast, and they were fiercely protective of their territory.”
“Anything else?”
She took a deep breath. “They can live for centuries. They’re loyal to friends, and they can’t lie. He also said…” She stopped.
“Yes?”
“They can shift to human form and live amongst people.” Her gaze went past him. “Mr. Fuentes said the same thing.”
“Your father’s right. Has he talked to you about whether his ancestors worshipped dragons?”
“Yes, but I admit to not believing any of it.”
“It’s not your original culture, so I’m not surprised. Dragons—the belief in dragons—played an integral part in Icelandic culture.”
“It may not be my original culture, as you call it, Mr. Andal, but it’s more a part of me than anything else.” Her anger flared at his assumption.
“My apologies, I meant no offense. I presumed that your beliefs in the Icelandic culture weren’t strong.”
“Make no mistake, I’m as Icelandic as Papa or you.”
Balthazar nodded, the hint of a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “My family goes back generations. We were rich, powerful and ruled Iceland—that’s the short version. What I’m about to tell you will be harder to believe. My brothers and I—” He stopped. “We are the original Anda family.”
Eva sat still for several moments, concerned the man might be losing his mind. “So you’re telling me that you’re the descendants of Viking royalty.”
“You’re missing the point.”
“I’m not missing anything. You expect me to believe that you and your brothers are a family of dragons.”
Balthazar didn’t move, and despite watching him for any signs of lying, she couldn’t read him. “Yes.”
“Do you take me for a fool?” She pushed her chair back. “Believing in a myth is one thing. Asking me to believe that the myth actually exists?” She shook her head. “Unless I can actually see and touch it, I won’t believe it.”
“Fair enough. But what if it was true?” He smiled. “What if you saw a real, fire-breathing dragon? Would you change your mind?”