Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy Read Free Page A

water pour over me, imaging it was washing away all of my worries.  After the shower I brushed my teeth, combed out my unruly hair and threw on a pair of old jeans, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt.
    It was still foggy out and I planned to go down in to the swamp to get some more practice in with my longbow.  I wasn’t about to slack off, despite the fact that I’d found only the one faelah creature the day before.  I located the torque and mistletoe charm Cade had given me on my desk, placing them around my neck as if they were pieces of armor.  Ever since the day I’d returned from Eile in late spring, I’d been wearing them almost constantly.  I had been questioned by Robyn almost immediately about the torque (let's face it, the piece of jewelry kind of stood out and Robyn knew her Celtic stuff), but I had merely brushed her off and told her that Cade had given it to me.  She was still the only one of my friends who had actually met him.  Of course, she thought he was human, a conviction I wasn’t about to correct.  Soon I'd have to tell them the truth, or at least some version of the truth, but for now I'd let them go on believing the lies as long as possible.
    I sighed and placed my hands loosely on my hips, scanning the room for my spirit guide.  Meridian, another gift from Cade, snoozed in the corner, making soft chirruping sounds as she slept.  I grinned.  I hated to wake her, but she was my bodyguard on mornings like these.
    Meridian , I sent to her.
    She snoozed on.  I smiled and tried again.
    Meridian!
    She woke with a snort, well, her version of a mental snort.  Up! she sent as she ruffled her feathers and tried to act as if she had been alert the whole time.
    I laughed, threw my quiver over my shoulder, grabbed my bow with my left hand and held out my forearm to her.
    Ready for practice? I asked
    Yes.  Hungry.
    She landed on my sleeve, then crawled up my arm to settle herself on my shoulder, tucking her head back under her wing.
    I turned towards my sliding glass door, expecting to see the fog-dimmed vista of our backyard and the eucalyptus trees that trailed down into the swamp.  But something else was waiting for me and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.  There, standing on the concrete slab that served as a small patio stood a huge, white wolfhound.
    My bow thlunked to my carpeted floor as I dropped it, my eyes wide and my jaw hanging open in shock.  The dog panted and scratched at the door, his tail wagging.  But all I could do was stand there, frozen.  The memories of the month before flashed through my mind: the Morrigan, the faelah, Cade dying, Fergus nowhere to be found.  He had fallen somewhere during the battle, dying when his master had, and we’d been forced to leave him.  But if he was here now, alive and eager to get my attention . . .
    “Cade!” I cried out, barely even a whisper.
    My senses returned to me in a rush and I bent down to scoop up my bow, nearly tripping over its length in my rush to get to the door.  Meridian dug in with her claws as she got jostled about on my shoulder.  I dove for the handle of my door, flipped the latch, slid it open and tumbled out.  Fergus took a few steps to avoid me, but he wasn’t fast enough to escape the hug I threw around his great neck.
    “I’m so glad to see you!” I proclaimed as he panted next to my ear.
    I let go and he gave me a quick canine grin before trotting towards the horse trail.  I didn’t even hesitate to follow him, my heart lurching once again when he didn’t stop at the oak tree to indicate Cade had left me a note.  Could Cade really be here?  I shook that thought from my mind before I tripped over myself in a jumble of nerves, but the idea wouldn’t leave me alone.  My heart sped up even more.  The last time I’d seen Cade, he’d been lying in bed in one of the Dagda’s rooms, barely alive.  Would he be glad to see me?  Would he regret what he had done?  I bit my lip and tried to move faster