Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy (30 page)

Cade drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.  I tensed up as I waited for his response, which was a bad idea.  What with us being so close together, both physically and emotionally, Cade picked up on every minute detail.

"I'm sorry Meghan, please don't be afraid."  He held me tighter, as if he feared I would bolt.
 
"I don't really know what caused it, but I think your theory might be correct.  At the end of the fight, while the battle fury was leaving me, I saw something that made it flare just a bit before I was myself again.  I think the
riastrad
was trying to stay with me as long as possible and when I saw you after the battle, and when
Drustan
was speaking to you, all I could think of was protecting you.  My battle fury runs on pure instinct when it takes over, so although I was mostly in control, I think that tiny lingering piece of it came out when I felt the need to keep you safe."

I tilted my head back so I could see his eyes.  Worry was etched in their depths, but I couldn't see anything else
other than
the Cade I knew so well.

"What did you see?" I murmured.  "At the end of the battle.  What convinced that little part of your battle fury to linger?"

His eyes darted away from me and I noticed a struggle there.  When his gaze caught mine once again, he took a small breath and whispered, "The Morrigan.  In raven form."

I drew in a quick breath.  So.  He had seen her after all.

"I saw her too," I
admitte
d, burrowing my head back into his shoulder.  "I didn't say anything because I didn't want to worry you."

He
nodded.  "Me too."

Then he
chuckled a little
and
dropped a kiss to the top of my head.  "Look at the anxiety we cause in each other by keeping secrets."

A jolt of panic shot through me and I flinched.

Cade noticed right away.  "Meghan?  Are you alright?"

"Um, yes, just my nerves recalling the fight yesterday," I lied.

In the corner of my mind, I saw a sharp image of the spider, furiously working to gather up all the thoughts that suddenly sprang into my mind.  Cernunnos's gift, the great
s
ecret I had to keep.  Couldn't tell Cade, couldn't tell anyone . . .

The bitter bite of guilt soon followed my flush of
alarm and I had to work really
hard not to start shaking. 
I'm sorry Cade
, I thought, careful not to send the words into the space that I used for
shil-sciar
. 
But I have to keep this secret from you . . .

Eventually, I polished my intense worry down to
nothing more than
a smooth pebble of concern.  I picked the pebble up for a moment,
felt its weight in my imaginary palm,
then tossed it away to consider at some future date.  I was lying in bed with Cade, the two of us blissfully alone and wrapped up in
each other's
arms, and I wasn't about to let my stupid problems ruin the moment.

The gentle caress of Cade's hand down my
spine
quickly brought me back to the present.   When he leaned into me and whispered playfully into my ear, "Are you up for a repeat of last night?", the only thing I was concerned about was answering him fast enough.

I mimicked his attentions and when he gasped against my mouth, I said with a grin, "What do you think?"

* * *

By the time Cade and I were ready to face the Dagda and the rest of his household, it was almost noon.  I gathered up my dress from the night before and scurried over to the door that connected our two rooms, casting Cade a bashful glance over my shoulder.  He was still reclined in bed, his hands folded behind his head.  His auburn hair was unkempt and the sheets were bunched up around his waist, leaving his entire bare chest in plain
sight
.  A few more tattoos, similar to the intricate knot work on his arms, decorated his torso.  One stretched down his side from the bottom of his ribcage to his hip, the ot
her was a circular design just below his
collar bone on the opposite side.  I had noticed them last night, but now that they were on full display in broad daylight, I could see them better.  I must have been gawking because Cade cleared his throat.  My eyes flicked up to his face and I was greeted with a lazy smile.

“Are you going to go get ready, or have you changed your mind?  Because I wouldn’t mind in the least if we spent the whole day up here.”

“No,” I answered quickly, my face warming, “the Dagda will worry if we never come downstairs.”

I smiled and disappeared before I let the appeal of Cade’s comment tempt me into running back to the bed and curling up next to him.  I wouldn’t mind staying upstairs either.

After seeking out the bathroom and teaching myself how to use the shower (luckily, it was very similar to the one at Luathara), I donned some fresh clothes and returned to Cade's suite.  He must have been in the bathroom because he was nowhere in sight.  Shrugging, I closed the door and glanced around the room, noting
the sparse furniture and simple design
.

A moment later Cade stepped around the corner, wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist
, and I
bit my
cheek
to keep from
smil
ing
like an imbecile
.  He strode past me, planting a kiss on my
fore
head, then reached
out for the
pair of pants draped over the back of a chair.  I
tried not to stare, but the image of male perfection standing in front of me was too tempting to resist.  Before I could start drooling,
however,
I forced myself to turn around and study one of the oil paintings on the wall.  A minute later I felt the heavy warmth of Cade's arms as they draped over my shoulders.  Sighing, I fell back into his embrace. 
He pressed his face into my damp hair and took a deep breath before
leaning forward and
kissing me on the cheek.

“Good morning my love,” he murmured, and I felt my nerves melt all over again.

I
savored his touch
, absorbing his heat and breathing in his own unique sent.  I allowed my eyes to drift shut and the memories of last night flooded my mind.  I
sigh
ed, no long
er feeling shy or embarrassed.

"Shall we let my foster father know we are
awake
?" Cade asked, taking me by the hand and pulling me towards the door.

The Dagda's grand hall was empty and quiet except for
a
few servants bustling about their mid
-
day chores
,
and a small pack of wolfhounds snoozing by a crackling fire.  Cade never dropped my hand, even when we made our way into the kitchen.

"There you are!" the Dagda roared, his face bright
with amusement
.

He wore the robe I'd seen him in so many times; a
n
all-purpose garment meant for everyday lounging.

"I'm assuming you two must be hungry," a red-haired woman said.

"Yes Mairin.  Thank you," Cade answered, leading me to an open
seat
.

The woman, Mairin, smiled warmly in my direction, c
urtsie
d,
then
left, claiming she had errands to run.  When I turned around, there was a plate sitting in front of me, heaped with some sort of meat and vegetable pie, the flaky crust golden and already split open.  As soon as the wonderful scent reached my n
ose, my stomach growled loudly.

The Dagda grinned and gestured towards my fork before picking up a steaming mug of tea.  "Please.  Eat!  We've already had our morning and afternoon meals."

He
nodded at
Cade, his blue eyes almost sparkling they were changing color so fast.  Cade grumbled something under his breath in that old language and got busy with his own meal.

A comfortable silence fell, but like all quiet moments in the Dagda's abode, it didn't last long.

"So,"
our host
drawled after taking a long sip from his mug, "I take it you two had a splendid evening?"

My fork froze in midair and I cast Cade a startled look.

He arched a brow at me and then glanced at his
foster father
.  "Of course, Dagda.  Your parties, no matter how large or small, are always enjoyable."

"Oh, I was referring to the after party."

As calmly as possible, I set my fork down and glanced up at the Dagda.  He looked as relaxed as a bear in his den after a huge meal, but his eyes were bright and his mouth was curved in a knowing smile.  Ugh
.  He knew about Cade and me.

"Dagda, I should think that your hospitality has not waned over the years
,
or that you are so desperate for entertainment that you have taken up the practice of spying on your guests."

Cade's voice was formal, but beneath the cool tone was slight irritation.

"Relax my dear boy!  I have never, nor will I ever, spy on my guests. 
Alannah went up earlier
to check on your Meghan and when she didn't find her in her own room, she merely put two and two together.  She came to me this morning, grinning from ear to ear, so I insisted on knowing the reason for her obvious joy."

He huffed out the last part of his sentence, as if Cade's tone had insulted him, and gave me an exasperated look.  "Be warned Meghan, there are no secrets in this household.  Just know that eventually everyone will know what you're up to."

I gave a half smile and got back to my meal.  I wasn't comfortable with the idea that the Dagda's entire household knew Cade and I had spent the night together, but it's not like I was ashamed.  Maybe I just needed to get used to the idea before everyone else did.

Cade's hand found mine under the table and he gave it a gentle squeeze.

I'm sorry
,
h
e said
using
shil-sciar
.

I'm not
, I sent back. 
I mean,
I'm not thrilled your foster father knows, but I don't regret it.

I turned to look at him and he smiled at me.  My stomach did a flip and all the sensations from last night
and this morning
came flooding back to me.

Pressing my lips together to prevent looking like a lovesick fool
, I got back to finishing my lunch. 
Cade, you can't look at me like that.  It's distracting
.

Then you had better get used to walking around with your eyes closed because I simply can't help
myself
.

That only made it harder to keep my composure.  I tried to
focus my thoughts on the Dagda's cheerful voice as he told us the most amusing events from
the Lughnasadh
party the night before.  Cade's hand never left mine, but I made a point not to look directly in
to
his eyes for the rest of the afternoon.  I
honestly
didn't need the distraction.

* * *

Despite the relaxed atmosphere of the Dagda's house, the following week passed by swiftly,
with
Cade and I hardly spen
ding
a
single
moment out of one another's company.  During the daylight hours, we would go for
short
rides on Speirling and Lasair, or Cade would help me practice my magic or teach me how to fight with my dagger.  In the evenings we would join the Dagda and listen to him weave tales of the past.  He was a wonde
rful storyteller and he loved our company (or so he claimed), so it was no trouble to spare a few hours indulging him with our presence.  After the night of the Lughnasadh party, I moved most of my stuff into Cade's room. 
H
aving another body sleep
ing
next to me was a new expe
rience, but the sense of protection and warmth I got from sharing a bed with Cade was worth th
ose
first few awkward nights.
  By the time I got used to our new routine, however, it was once again time for us to go.  The week was up and we would be traveling to meet with my mother and the other Tuatha De.  The night before we left, I was even more grateful to have Cade so close to me.

The next morning the entire household was up early preparing for the journey to Erintara.  Lasair and Meridian met me in the stables and I was glad to see
that
the red horse's injuries from the battle
the week before were finally completely healed up
.

As soon as I stepped into the hay-scented building, Meridian descended from the rafters to come to rest on my shoulder.  I
offered
Lasair
an apple
while my spirit guide nestled up against my neck, then headed back out into the main yard.  The second we left the warm stable behind, Meridian pulled her wings in close.