“I’m just an old woman who felt a jolt of power from long ago. Tell me about your family, dear.”
She closed her eyes. “My grandma was really the only family member I ever knew outside of my own household. No aunts, no uncles, no cousins. Just me and my sister and my parents.”
“Was your grandmother maternal or paternal?”
“Maternal. She was one reason my mother always hated me, for lack of a better description. They never got along and avoided each other as much as she possibly could. It bothered Grandma that Mom always treated me differently than she did Randi, my sister.”
“Did your sister get along with your grandmother?”
Bryn shook her head. “No. Randi was always busy with her own stuff and never really spent any time with Grandma. Mom tried to discourage me from seeing her, so we did a lot of sneaking around. Grandma always told me that I was special and someday I’d know how much.”
“Where is your grandmother now?”
Bryn gave Hilda a sad face. “She died when I was younger. She was in a bad car accident and didn’t make it.”
Sven’s sharp intake of breath made her turn. “What?”
“Like Eva’s car accident?”
Hilda nodded. “It’s possible. They are scavengers who go back generations feeding off the power of others. Just because Magnus is the leader of your generation of the degeneratesdoesn’t mean that his predecessors couldn’t have hunted Bryn’s grandmother.”
This was all just a bit too much. “Wait. So you’re telling me that my mother's mother was a dragon whose people were hunted to extinction, and she was assassinated much the same way they tried to kill me, and I just randomly found this ring, probably hers, one day when I walked past a store that probably belonged to my bloodline.”
Hilda thought for a moment. “Pretty much.”
“And what about my sister? Does she need to worry about suddenly, I don’t know…” Bryn searched for the words, “sprouting wings and breathing fire?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she clapped her hand to her face. “I am so sorry. I don’t even know if you do those things.”
Sven and Hilda both burst out laughing. He walked over and kissed her gently. “It’s okay. Most fantasy books are pretty accurate about dragons.”
Hilda shifted on her bed. “I know it’s a lot for you to take in. As far as your sister, I have no way of knowing. It can skip family members, just like maybe your mother didn’t even know her own heritage. Your grandmother probably stayed pretty tight lipped about her secret if she was truly hiding. One wrong word and the news would have spread like wildfire.”
Bryn thought about her father. “Dad was always more laid back than my mother, but he never seemed overly fond of my grandma. I spent the most time with her, but we always met somewhere other than my house. The park, the library, even Walmart. Like I said, we snuck around, so my parents never even knew all the times I hung out with her. I treasured our time together so I never pushed to include Randi and I was worried that Mom would find out if my sister was involved. So, I hogged all of my grandma's time for myself.”
“It could be because Randi didn’t have the secret that she sensed in you. That could be what she meant by saying you'd find out just how special you were.”
When they ended their visit with Hilda, Sven was stopped by a guard. “Lars is looking for you, Sire.”
Bryn urged him away. “I think I’m going to take a nap. It’s been a long day and I could use it.” She could already feel the muscles in her body tightening up from the unusual exertion in the gym.
He kissed her soundly. “I’ll come find you later. We’ll have dinner.”
She cupped his cheek. She loved touching him. “I’ll hold you to that.”
About halfway to her room, Bryn passed a side door that led out to the gardens. As she wandered from flower bed to flower bed, she thought about dinner. She wanted something special to wear, so when she passed an open gate, she headed down the street. Treks wasn’t that far, and a visit with Hannah sounded more fun than taking a nap and waking up stiff and sore.
There weren’t many people in the store when she arrived. Hannah greeted her warmly. “How are you?”
“I’m good. Great, actually. I’m having dinner with Sven tonight and thought something nice would be in order.”
They chatted about the party while they went from rack to rack. A group of women entered and started looking at jackets. Bryn was deep in search mode for the perfect outfit and paid them no mind.
Hannah pulled out a maroon sweater dress that had a sparkly belt and tiny snowflakes on the shoulders. “This would look amazing with your figure.”
“Oooo, I love that.” Bryn felt the soft knit material. “It’s going to feel amazing, too.”
“Well, well, well.” One of the women walked over and Bryn’s heart fell as she took a second look and suddenly recognized her.
“Alitta.”
