Bound by Blood: Two Novellas of Paranormal Romance Read Online Free

one here cares."She pulled him toward the door, tugging insistently on his hand. "Come on, you'll see."
    Drake followed her lead, but stepped in front of her to open the door. "Such a gentleman."She smiled, "Your mama raised you right."
    "That she did."
    They walked in and sat in a dilapidated booth in the corner. There were terrible paintings of ducks on the walls and the furniture was clearly original from the '60s. "The usual, times two."Penny called her order over the counter, at the waitress coming out to greet them.
    "I got it, Pen. You brought a friend."A snow-white brow arched in amusement.
    "A friend, right. Coffee."Penny breezed over the old woman's inquisitions, waving a delicate hand in the air.
    "And orange juice. Please." Drake couldn't help the mannerism – it was too deeply ingrained.
    The woman grinned. "I'll bring you a large."She winked. "Healthy young man like you needs his vitamins, know what I mean."
    Penny laughed openly at Drake's discomfort and the woman disappeared behind the counter. "She's awful, isn't she?I adore her."
    "She's not that bad."He shook his head. "Why am I defending her?She's one of those blue-haired ladies who get off on making other people uncomfortable. The kind who can't wait to get old so they can say whatever they want and no one can be mad about it. Am I right?"
    "You're completely right. And I would know – she's my grandmother."
    Drake backpedaled. "I didn't mean anything–"
    "You did too. But she deserves it. She's awful and she knows it. You're completely right, but more importantly, she's my grandmother on my father's side."
    "Uh," Drake tipped his head, waiting for Penny to finish her thought. "On your father's side…"He motioned for her to continue.
    "The side I get my Sidhe blood from. There's a reason I knew about you. I can sense it." She drummed her fingers on the tabletop. "Say something?"
    "I didn't know how much you knew – about either of us – this makes things easier, you already knowing."He sighed heavily. "How far back is the Sidhe?"
    "My great-grandfather was Sidhe."
    "Was?"
    Penny nodded. "Died in a car accident when I was six."
    "Unfortunate."
    "It was."The waitress had returned with a tray of drinks and ketchup. "He was a great man. Lost count of how old he was sometime around the turn of the twentieth century. The last he could remember was turning 285."
    "Penny is one-eighth Sidhe?"
    The old woman nodded. "And seven-eighths human."
    "Thanks, I actually did that math myself."
    "Feisty," the old woman laughed to Penny. "I like 'em like that. I'm Marlene."She held out her hand for Drake. "Okay, food's up and then I'll leave you two alone. Seems you have a bit to talk about."She returned a second later with plates heaped full of bacon, eggs and hash browns.
    Penny smeared ketchup over her food and dug in.
    "So, twenty questions, or what?"He raised a forkful of hash browns to his mouth, chewing while he waited for her response.
    "Not so much. I've known about Sidhe my whole life. I mean, the basics, how old are you, that kind of thing. But in general, no. No questions."She stabbed her bacon into the yolk of her egg and stuffed the dripping mess into her mouth. "I like food." she chewed her mouthful of food.
    "Then we have more in common than our heritage. How did I not sense the Sidhe in you?"
    "Gram thinks it's mostly dormant, since it's a few generations back."Penny shrugged, "I don't really know."
    They made small talk and ate. Drake complimented Marlene on the food and insisted on paying the bill. As they walked out the door, Penny snaked her hand inside his, interlacing their fingers.
    "Can I see you in the morning?"
    "I'll pick you up at eleven."She smiled and unlocked the passenger door of the car. "Uh, which hotel are you at?"
    "The EZ Stop Inn – right across from your work."
    Penny hopped back on the freeway and minutes later, pulled into the parking lot. "I'll see you at eleven?"
    "I'll be here, mo chiall ."He watched, bereft, as she drove