“None survived.”
“Yes, but how long did they manage to live?”
Balthazar glanced at his brother. “About one hundred and fifty years.”
“And Ti knows this, right?”
“Yeah.”
Eva leaned forward in her seat. “Does your brother have a human name as well? Ti isn’t a guy’s name.”
“You had guessed correctly that it was Timothy, but he doesn’t use it.” Balthazar remembered Ti’s sneering reaction when Dad had asked him to use the name while in human form. “Ti’s much more dragon than human. He’ll shift when he needs to, but refuses to use his human name. He thinks it’s degrading.”
She frowned. “I guess your brother thinks you’ll be weak enough to kill during the Equinox, even with Lancelot helping you.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. She voiced his greatest worry, but it sure as hell didn’t make it easier to digest. “Not a very happy thought, Eva.”
“No, it’s not. But now you might stand a chance.”
“I don’t get what you’re saying.”
Eva smiled, but there was something in her expression that made him twitch with apprehension. “You’ve got me in your corner.”
Chapter 4
“Hey.”
Eva almost dropped the book she was reading, but managed to scoop her hand underneath it before it hit the ground. “Hi.”
“May I join you?” Balthazar asked.
“Please.” She scooted over, making room.
He sat down and tilted his chin at the book in her hands. “Enjoying the read?”
“Yeah.” She had found the old book on Viking myths and legends in the small library behind the living room. The books were a treasure find of valuable and little-known information. Finding the small conservatory adjoining the library was a bonus. “I hope it’s okay for me to read it? I should have asked for your permission first before charging into your library.”
“How did you manage to open the door?”
“Thorsson. He brought a bottle of oil he uses for his sword and poured it over the hinges. Then it was a lot of pushing and swearing before the door gave way.”
“I’m glad you figured it out. Books are meant for reading.” He traced the title with a finger. “And you don’t have to ask for permission, either. I’d have thought you would know that by now.”
“I didn’t.” She had a habit of doing things first and thinking of the consequences later. “And I should know better, being in a home that belongs to a dragon. I could get my head bitten off.”
Balthazar chuckled. “I won’t bite your head off.” He leaned forward. “But I do bite, if you want me to.”
She turned the book over in her hands, not sure what to say. His flirting had been a wonderful distraction, but it only worked so much. Knowing that he could die had her on pins and needles.
“Are you all right?”
“No, I’m not.” She placed the book carefully on a wrought-iron table.
“Out with it, then.” He placed his arm around her shoulders. “What’s going on?”
“You’re taking all of this a little too well, don’t you think? Aren’t you scared?”
He shrugged. “A little.”
“I’d be terrified.”
He grasped her hand and stroked a thumb over her fingers. “It’s possible that Ti has changed over the years. I might be able to reason with him…”
“I don’t care about your brother. I’m worried about you.” She squeezed his fingers. “You just told us that you could be dead in forty years.”
“Or I could live for another two hundred. I don’t know what may happen, Eva.”
“Do you really want to take that chance? I sure as hell don’t.”
He frowned. “Eva, I haven’t found my scale.”
“Not yet, and like I said, you didn’t have me to help you.” She looked down at their intertwined fingers. “There might be something in the artifacts Papa and I dug up. If you let me go to the museum, I can look.”
“No.” He placed his hand over hers. “It’s too dangerous.”
“So you’re going to hide here until your brother shows up?”
His anger flared at her accusation. “I’m not hiding. Ti knows where I am.”
“And when he gets here, then what? You can’t fight him. Is Lancelot going to fight on your behalf?”
He stood up, bristling. “I can take care of myself.”
“You’ve been looking over your shoulder for a very long time.” She rose as well. “There may be a chance to regain your full strength, but you refuse to go after it.”