Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy (29 page)

I gaped at him.  "Have you lost your mind?  You hate me, remember?  Practically had a meltdown because you'd touched me."

Drustan
shrugged.  "That was several months ago.  I've grown up a lot since then.  And besides," he trailed his eyes over me, from head to toe, "my tastes have changed."

Suppressing a shudder, I opened my mouth to tell him off, but a hard voice broke through the music and did it for me.

"She's already spoken for."

Drustan
's eyes grew huge and he jumped away from me, almost bumping into Cade.  I froze when I saw the look on his face.  That aggressive vibe was back, and Cade looked like he was ready to tear
Drustan
's
throa
t out.

"Sorry
Drustan
, but my boyfriend's right."  I smiled up at Cade, hoping to diffuse the situation.  "He promised me the first dance."

I walked forward and linked my arm in Cade's.  Holy crap he was tense!

Drustan
swallowed and bobbed his head in a nod.
 
"Uh, yeah, sorry.  Didn't know."

As he scurried away, I placed a hand on Cade's chest and turned my face towards his.

"Thanks, but you don't need to look so fierce.  I could have handl-"

Cade cut off my words as he pulled me into a ferocious kiss.  My nerve endings fired and I lost complete control of my knees.  Luckily,
h
e had me wrapped up pretty tight in his arms, so I didn't collapse to the floor.  The music, the happy chatter, the aromas of spiced apple
s
and roasting pork fled from my mind and all I could sense was Cade.  Man, if
Drustan
had any doubts as to who had a claim
on
my heart, he'd know for sure now.

Slowly, Cade drew back, his lips moving more gently against mine.

"Sorry," he mumbled huskily, "didn't mean to attack you like that."

I smiled up at him, my eyes half-closed.  The tension in him
earlier
had drained and I just made myself comfortable in his arms.

"No need to apologize.  And you got rid of
Drustan
, which just made my whole evening."

Cade smiled back, his eyes flashing from green to brown and back again.

The music, which had been rather upbeat and joyful, transformed into a more languid, smooth tempo.

"Would you care to dance my lady?" Cade asked, still pressed firmly against
me
.

He was already leading me in a slow rhythm when I answered, "Yes, I would like to dance.  I'd like to dance with you all evening long."

* * *

It was well past midnight when I decided I'd had enough of the party.  Cade had stepped away from me for a moment to talk with one of the Dagda's soldiers about the fight with the faelah, and I found myself yearning to head upstairs.  I wasn't ready to go to bed, but the stuffiness of the dance hall was finally getting to me, and I wanted to
move
away from all the people.  If I simply stepped out into the courtyard, I'd only run into more revelers, and maybe
Drustan
and his friends, so casting a look over my shoulder, I headed down the hallway and up the stairs that led to mine and Cade's rooms.

Instead of going into my room, however, I pushed open the heavy wooden doors at the top of the staircase and stepped out into the cold, crisp night.  The wooden balcony was larger and wider than I'd imagined, and a section of it even extended further away from the hill.  I spotted a bench and went to sit down, sighing as my aching feet thanked me.  I sat still and listened to the sounds of the Dagda's guests standing and chatting around a bonfire below me, and the music floating through the open front door
was a soft accompaniment to the still, moon-lit night
.  Now I was alone,
a
nd now my mind returned to the thoughts I'd managed to banish earlier.

Sighing, I leaned forward and sought out my well of glamour.  There, that little blue flame dancing strongly
next to my heart
.  I decided to practice with it, pushing it out until the magic suffused my every cell.  I grinned as I held the power at my fingertips and the small rose next to it remained tightly shut.  I'd come a long way since that first lesson with Enorah in the Weald.

A slight rustle behind me indicated that I was no longer alone.  I stood up and
turned before presenting a wide smile
.  Cade walked towards me, looking resplendent in his simple but elegant clothes.  His face
appeare
d shuttered, uncertain even, as he quietly moved towards me and I wondered if that odd aggressiveness was back.  For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what had caused it.  I wrapped my arms more tightly around myself and shivered.

“Are you cold?” he asked as he moved closer.

Yes and no, but not for the reasons you might think
, I mused
.  I shook my head.

He stepped in behind me and wrapped me in his arms.  Even though I wasn't all that tired, I wanted to fall asleep just standing there like that.  The moon was bright above us, basking the rolling land in silver light.  I took a deep breath, allowing the warmth of the mead from the party and Cade’s closeness to fill my senses.  I wanted to stay in this happy place forever and forget that an impending war was
trying to force itself
upon the Otherworld.

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. 
No more dismal thoughts Meghan.  Now's the time for living, remember?

I turned in Cade's arms and rested my cheek against his broad chest, breathing in his scent and letting it flood over me.

Gently, Cade took a step back and lifted my face so that he could look me in the eye
.

"What's wrong?" he asked, is own eyes dark with concern.

I shrugged, unwilling to burden Cade with all my worries.

"I can sense it Meghan, tell me."

Sighing, I decided to give in a little.  "I hate that your world is facing down a war because of me.  I feel this is my fault, no matter what you or Enorah or the Dagda says.  If I hadn't stepped through that dolmarehn so many months ago, the Morrigan may never have decided to build up her army so that she could get at my glamour.  If I had just accepted my life as it was, then your world might not be in danger now."

"Do you regret coming after me?"

There was no playfulness to his voice, no flirtatious glint to his eyes.  He was dead serious.

"No," I breathed, "I don't regret it one bit.  If I hadn't crossed over into Eile, the course of my life may have taken a different turn and I might not
be standing here with you now."

“Then why can't you see it, Meghan?”  His voice became suddenly quiet and seductive.  “This isn’t
my
world; it is
our
world.  And nothing, in all of Eil
e
, matters more to me than you.”

He kissed me then, one that did not, in any way, hide what he felt.  I returned the kiss with equal fervor, my heart racing and my mind losing control of rational thought as my magic flared to encompass us both.

Cade broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against mine.  His breath was ragged and he was wound so tight I thought he might break.

"Meghan," he said roughly, "I've been so careful for so long, but I don't know how much longer my control will last.  If we keep going like this, I might not be able to stop.  I'm afraid-"

I pressed a finger against his lips and looked him in the eye.  My heart was racing and I was terrified, for many reasons, but I whispered the truth that sang from my heart, "I don't want to stop Cade."

He searched
my eyes then whispered softly, "
Are you sure Meghan?"

I bit my lip and nodded, then admitted my other great fear.  "We could both die when the Morrigan unleashes her fury.  I don't want to miss anything.  I don't want to have any regrets."

"I won't let the Morrigan hurt you Meghan," he whispered desperately against my mouth.

Then, without another word, Cade bent over and put an arm behind my knees.  In one swift movement, he swept me up against his chest and carried me back to his room and for a while the both of us forgot about the Morrigan.  We forgot about the possibility of an unstoppable army of faelah destroying everyone and everything we knew.  That night, we forgot about all our worries and fears and simply lived.

-F
our
teen-

Onward

I woke to the warmth of the morning sun on my face.  Stretching, but not opening my eyes, I basked in the heat of the sun and the glow of my own happiness.  I turned onto my side and cracked my eyes open.  Cade lay next to me, his elbow propped to support his head as he watched me intently.  My eyes met his and he grinned.  I felt my cheeks flush as the memories of the night before bubbled to the surface.

Cade reached out a hand and brushed my cheek
, h
is silen
t words blooming across my mind,
I love this.

What?

Your blush.

Of course, that only made me blush harder.  Guess my great epiphany about an early death had only scared my old self into hiding.  Easily embarrassed Meghan was back in full force.

Cade dipped his head and kissed my arm where the faelah had scratched me.  I had almost forgotten about it.

How are you this morning?  I didn’t hurt you last night, did I?

His words were tinged with the
pale orange color of concern.

I smiled.  I knew he wasn't talking about my arm. 
No, you didn’t hurt me and I couldn't be happier.

Cade’s answering smile melted my heart.  He pulled me close and
pressed his lips to
my temple.

Do you know how long I've dreamed about this moment?

No, tell me.

Since the night you were attacked by the Cumorrig, the first time we met, when you sat in the dirt, your nightgown bunched up around your waist, giving me a wonderful view of your long legs.

I gasped and punched him in mock outrage.  It was a good thing he liked my tendency to blush because I could feel the heat spreading across my face
again
.  Cade caught my hand and kissed my palm.

You were terrified Meghan, but even then I knew you had spirit; that you were made of something more.  That, all the Celtic gods willing, I had finally,
finally
,
found another Faelorehn who could understand me and maybe one day grow to love me.

I bit my cheek as hot tears spilled from my eyes.

I love you Meghan.  I love you so very much
, he sent to me, his thoughts smothered in bliss.

I sighed contentedly and snuggled up against his chest, reveling in how warm his bare skin felt against my own. Last night had been wonderful, scary and nerve-wracking and
absolutely
wonderful.  When we had first entered Cade's room and he'd set me on his bed, I had sensed that uncharacteristic violence in him once again.  As the night progressed, however, that darkness behind his eyes and beneath his skin slowly melted away, our glamour flaring up and mingling together as we let go of everything but each other.  The sensation had taken my breath away and I wondered, what with the fact that
my self-control had been all but absent last night
, how I had managed to keep that other well of magic silent.  A miracle
.  I
t must have been some sort of miracle.

Taking a deep breath, I decided now was as good a time as any to ask Cade about that strange darkness.

"Cade?" I murmured.

"Mhmm?"

"Yesterday, after the fight with the faelah," I paused, not sure how to go on.

A few moments ticked by and I took a deep breath.  If I couldn't have an open conversation with him after what we'd done last night, then I was in trouble.

"You seemed different, like a piece of your battle fury decided to stick around.  The way you kept looking at me all afternoon, and how you reacted to
Drustan
."

"That little
asahl
was trying to abscond with my girl."

He kissed my forehead and I bit back a grin.
 
"What does
asahl
mean?"

Cade cleared his throat.  "Something unpleasant I don't wish to teach you."

"Will you teach me the language of Eile someday?"

"Yes," Cade murmured, "but not the crude words."

I giggled and then took a deep breath.  Alright, where had this conversation started . . . Oh, yes, Cade's strange aggression.

"So, is that what happened then?  Did part of  your
riastrad
linger behind after the battle?"