Charles' Choice (Penny's Choice) Read Online Free Page B

straight through the wall without waiting for Lorelei. “Holy crap…”
    “Thomas, Thomas,” Penny said, panicked, “What’s wrong?” Lorelei walked through the stone wall and Penny quickly followed her. “Wow.”
    Penny stood on the edge of a large precipice overlooking a land flowing with waterfalls and light producing glimmering rocks. In the middle of the waterfalls was a small city made mostly out of coral. She could see the Nixen wandering the streets. Some were walking on legs on dry land and others were swimming in water channels. The whole cavern was brightly colored and glimmering.
    Charli and Charles walked through and were immediately struck with the same amazement as Thomas and Penny.
    “Wow is right,” Charles said looking over the beautiful vista.
    “Welcome to my home,” Lorelei said, sweeping her hand over the city and surrounding area.
    “Are you sure that we will be welcome here?” Thomas asked with his eyes still glued to the sparkling coral city.
    “Well, I just had to come back with human sperm,” Lorelei said, smiling. She patted Charles on the shoulder. “And I got the best I could find!”
    “I’m not going to be kept here, am I?” Charles said, looking suspiciously at the Nixie.
    “Oh goodness,” Lorelei giggled, “no. You will be free to go. I think you have a mutual enemy to destroy .”
    “But, he needs to ‘donate’ first?” Thomas said between laughs.
    Charles slugged Thomas in the shoulder, but immediately regretted it. “ Ow ,” Charles said, massaging his hand.
    “Really, little brother,” Thomas said, “you should know better by now.”
    “Well, I would hope you would be willing to help us out,” Lorelei said, looking into Charles eyes. “We might be willing to trade services.”
    “Um, well, I’ll see what I can do,” Charles said. Penny thought he looked rather embarrassed at the whole thing.
    I wonder if Charles has ever been pursued by a woman before , Penny thought. Or if he’s always been the instigator.
    “Follow me this way,” Lorelei said, waving her hand. She led Penny and the siblings down a path of sparkling rock that had been carved out of the rock face. No one said another word the rest of the way down. Penny was sure that it was equal parts sorrow at the loss of Mr. Wolf a nd amazement at the beautiful Nix en homeworld . The gates to the city were made of thick, black obsidian carved into delicate curls. Penny wasn’t sure how the merpeople were able to perform such craftsmanship.
    The city was surrounded by a deep moat of pure blue water. Penny didn’t see any type of bridge for people with legs to cross over the moat, but she guessed that not many humans passed through the gates. Two merman guarded the gate with Poseidon like tridents.
    “ Eine Minute,” Lorelei said, telling them to wait. “Oh and boys, plug your ears.” The group stopped at the edge of the water , while Lorelei sang. Charles and Thomas both looked like idiots while they hummed and yelled with their fingers in their ears. To Penny, Lorelei’s song sounded like nothing more than the voice of a well-trained opera singer, but she knew that to the boys, Lorelei’s song would basically make them zombies.
    A narrow bridge in matching obsidian rose from the water.
    “Lorelei, does your song only affect men?” Penny asked as she playful slapped Thomas.
    “No,” Lorelei said as she stepped on to the bridge. “I can sing a different song that will affect women too. But it is hard for me to sing.”
    “Can we unplug our ears yet ? ” Thomas yelled.
    “Yes,” Lorelei said.
    “What?” Thomas said , still shouting. He smiled as P enny poked him the arm pit. Thomas jerked his fingers away from his ears to protect his ticklish spot.
    Penny shook her head. “You are the worst vampire that I have ever met,” she said, poking him in the stomach.
    “I agree,” Lorelei said, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t even know vampires were ticklish.”
    “They aren’t,”