Protected by Stone (A Paranormal Romance Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

out of sorts, I shook his hand. The skin was almost lacquered. “Farra, just call me Farra.”
    “Farra,” he mused, giving my palm a gentle squeeze. “That's a nice name. Well, if you've got business here, I won't keep you.” He turned away, his hair glinting like frost under his hat. Oddly, it made me think of Grault.
    Reaching out, I resisted the urge to grab his shoulder. The idea of wandering around in a dark village without knowing where I was going didn't appeal to me. “Oh, wait!”
    Dirk did just that, tossing a curious look over his shoulder. We were the only ones left on the platform. “Hm? Something you need, Miss?”
    Hesitating in the face of his question, it only took the distant squeak of some animal in the woods surrounding us to get me talking. “I don't actually know where I'm going. It's my first time to Barrow, so, uh, if you could maybe point me in the right direction...”
    Dirk chuckled, not unkindly. I noticed he was dragging a large suitcase with him, the wheels bumping on the rough wood as he took a few steps. “Not a problem, you only had to ask. Come on, we'll make a stop at my place first, if that's alright?”
    “That's fine,” I said, tightness vanishing from my neck. “Completely fine.” Following him around the station, I was grateful to be away from those dark trees.
    In the light of the lamps hanging around, Barrow Village felt ominous. Yet, as I walked with Dirk across the soft grass or the flat cobble, passing quiet homes with their glowing windows... the feeling changed for the better.
    I've never been to such a small town. Is this where my mother grew up?
    Dirk's suitcase caught against the ground, the rocks grinding. He grunted, yanking it as if it were a stubborn mule. “Here,” I said quickly, bending down to kick the bits of grit free from the wheels.
    That time, when he gave a pull, it rolled forward. “Thanks muchly,” he sighed, looking me up and down. “This suitcase is showing her time, I suppose.”
    “Let me help,” I said, motioning for the handle. Dirk flashed me a quick grin, tugging the luggage back down the walkway. “Nope. No need.” My pride would have been more pricked if he hadn't gestured to a tall building beside us. “We're here, my home sweet home.”
    Lifting my head, I squinted at the two-story house. It was a pretty beige, thick bushes of some kind of yellow flower on either side of the door. The sign hanging over it was small, I almost missed it.
    “Dr. Colton?” I asked, peering at his gentle smile, then the sign, then back again. “You're a doctor?”
    “Indeed,” he nodded, fiddling with the lock. The metal clinked, the door swinging inward. “But please, just keep calling me Dirk.”
    Pushing my dark hair from my eyes, I took careful steps into the building. It was black, a long hallway that crammed around on all sides. Dirk switched on the lights, washing the place into life.
    At the end of the passage, I was relieved to see a room with both a staircase in the corner and another door across the way. Knowing it was bigger inside only helped so much, though. The hallway around me was too tight, my skull started to pound.
    Oh, wow, it's... this is kind of...
    “Are you okay?” he asked, reaching out to touch my elbow. I saw him moving, but I still twitched under the contact. “It's alright,” he whispered soothingly, “I'm a doctor, remember?”
    Licking my lower lip, I wiped my soaked palms on my shirt. “Sorry, sorry. I'm fine, really, I just, you know... tight spaces.”
    “Claustrophobic, I take it.” He didn't ask.
    Wordless, I gave a tiny nod. Dirk set his suitcase down, shutting the front door. The noise of it, gentle as he was, set my blood surging. “Here, Farra, this way.” He guided me forward, making me finish the walk on shaking knees. The inner room was crowded with shelves of books, charts on the mahogany walls.
    Hurrying through, I wasn't entirely comforted by the still low ceiling. But the walls were