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

further away, the place emptier.
    He motioned for me to sit in one of the two chairs. I almost fell into it. “Sorry,” I mumbled, hanging my head down between my knees. “Sorry, really sorry. That shouldn't have been so bad, I think I'm just hungry and tired from traveling.”
    I heard a soft rustling noise from the other side of the room, like Dirk was digging through paper. He nudged me once, then again until I lifted my eyes. That sweet, lined face warmed me. I wonder how old he is? Forties, fifties? The sight of the red lollipop shoved my curiosity aside.
    I saw my fingers trembling as I took the treat, blushed at my own weakness. “Thanks. I'll be fine, really, I just need a minute.”
    “No rush needed on my part, darlin'.” He pulled up the other chair, sitting across from me. “You always had it bad like that?”
    The candy was a burst of flavor, bringing me down and helping me stabilize. “Far as I can remember, yeah.” I'm not about to tell him all of... that. I don't even know him.
    He studied me, reminding me instantly of the visits to my childhood doctor. I had to rub my eyes to convince myself it wasn't the same guy. He has that same comfortable aura around him.
    Lifting my gaze, I scanned the room, narrowing in on the staircase. “Do you live here, alone?” Oh gosh, was that rude to ask?
    “I get a lot of visitors.” When he stood, he groaned ever briefly. It made me think about how late it was, and apparently reminded us both of the reason I was here. “So,” he said, thumbs hooking in his belt loops, “where exactly does your grandmother live?”
    “I'm actually not entirely sure,” I admitted, digging into my pocket for the letter. I didn't pull it out, just touched it. “There was no address on the envelope.” Or I threw it away without noticing, one of those things.
    Amazingly, he didn't appear too shocked. “It's alright, Farra. Place like this, it's small enough that we all know each other to some extent or another.” Moving to the far wall, Dirk squinted at a chart I couldn't make out. “What's her name?”
    “Well, she sort of... her name was Tessa, but she died recently.” I didn't expect much of a reaction. Seeing Dirk twist around, gawking at me with blatant surprise set the hairs on my arms prickling.
    “You're Tessa's kin?” He was standing still, one hand pressed to his chest like he was holding himself together. He fumbled into a pocket, pulling out thin glasses.
    The lollipop felt heavy in my grip. “I'm her granddaughter—I mean, I guess I am, that's still debatable I suppose—yeah. Uh, are you okay? What's wrong?”
    “Nothing, nothing,” he said, smoothing his face into something more calm. It didn't matter, though. I'd seen how he'd looked at me. Something about me, or my grandmother, had scared him. “I didn't know she had a granddaughter.”
    “I didn't know I had family,” I said with a shrug. “That's kind of why I'm here. Just trying to figure out all of this.”
    Dirk sat back in the chair, watching me like an owl. “You didn't know? Oh, Farra...” His sympathy didn't settle my unease. Thin fingers rubbed over his pants, erasing the wrinkles. “You have my condolences.”
    About Tessa passing, or about not knowing about being her kin? I wondered nervously. “Um, thanks. I really do need to go to her house, though.” Grault implied it was very urgent. Thinking about the stranger made me wonder, not for the first time, where he even was. “If you could just show me the way, or even point me in the right direction?”
    He was already shaking his head. “The place you want to go, it's too far out of the way to travel to in the dark.”
    “Too far?”
    “Much too far,” he said, his tone flat and without argument. “But,” he went on, his smile reaching his eyes, “I promise I'll take you there myself in the morning.”
    “What will I do until then?” I asked, frustrated by having to put my journey off further.
    Dirk arched an eyebrow, the