Faery Worlds - Six Complete Novels (137 page)

I must have dozed off, because all of a sudden I was staring at my alarm clock and it was two hours later than it had been a few minutes ago. I dragged myself off of my bed, feeling grumpy and rumpled and wondering why I felt so forlorn. Then it came back to me: staying home the day before, walking around in a daze all day long at school, realizing I had fallen for the strange guy who claimed to be from the Otherworld . . . I groaned and scrubbed my face with my hands.

“Meg! Mom says dinner’s ready!” one of my brothers called from upstairs.

I sighed, did a quick check in my bathroom mirror, and plastered a smile on my face. The last thing I wanted was for my family to know I was pining after some guy. Giving myself one more power talk, I climbed the stairs to join them for dinner.

* * *

That entire week consisted of me gradually convincing myself that learning about Cade’s girlfriend was a good thing and that my broken heart would mend within the month. But as each day passed, I yearned to see him, or simply get a note from him. I wanted an explanation of who the woman was, even though I already knew. I wanted to hear it from Cade. And besides, I had taken off that day without ever letting him know I had been there in the clearing. Surely he was just as curious as I. Didn’t he want to know why I never showed up? I squashed that thought right away.
He doesn’t feel the same way about you Meghan. After that fight with his girlfriend, he probably forgot all about you.

“What’s been up with you lately? You’re not sick again, are you?” Tully asked around a mouthful of tuna salad sandwich.

“Huh?” I blurted, snapping out of my daze. I sighed, twirling my cold spaghetti salad with my fork. “Oh. Nothing. I’m fine.” I tried a smile, but it felt very foreign to me.

Robyn stared at me. “Nothing? Are you serious? You’ve been walking around as if you are living in a different dimension all week!”

I cringed. If she only knew how accurate she was . . .

“Just ready for summer, that’s all.”

“Most people who are ready for summer are antsy. Hyped up and talking about the beach and the lake,” Will commented as he polished off a soda.

“You’re acting as if . . .” Robyn trailed off and her eyes grew wide. “Meghan, you’re acting as if you’ve got it bad for some guy! Is it Clay again?”

The blush that flooded my face responded automatically and completely without my permission.

“Who’s Clay?” Thomas asked.

“Meghan? Is this why you’ve been acting so distant for the past month?” Tully asked gently.

I had totally forgotten about the fabricated Clay, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk about any guy, invented or real.

“No!” I said in response to my friends’ questions. I scooped up the remains of my lunch and headed towards the closest trash can. “There’s no one!”

After getting rid of my lunch, I merely walked away, leaving my four friends to gawk after me in shock. I didn’t want to talk to them about Cade. How would I explain everything to them without sounding like I’d finally gone off the deep end? I was so glad that I wouldn’t be seeing them for the rest of the day and that it was a Friday. I could use the weekend to recover my bearings and maybe come up with some excuse or story to tell them.

I had been avoiding the swamp all week, but today I decided it was best if I take the back way home and take my chances. If Tully and Robyn couldn’t find me in the parking lot after school, then they couldn’t force me to talk about Cade.

* * *

Walking through the swamp and the surrounding woods had been a bad idea. Hadn’t I been trying to forget about Cade? So why did I decide to take a nice little stroll through the place that reminded me of him the most? A wave of emotion swept over me: anger, mostly at myself for falling for someone so utterly unattainable, regret and fear that I might not ever see him again, and a bone-deep sorrow for the whole entire, stupid, messy situation.

As I plodded down the road, slipping a little on the gravel as the steep asphalt became a wide dirt path, my roiling emotions came to a breaking point and a sudden anger surfaced above them all. How dare Cade lead me on like that, treating me with more kindness and caring than any guy had ever done before him? Even Thomas and Will considered me to be just one of the guys, not that I’d ever consider dating either of them. Thomas for obvious reasons and Will just wasn’t my type. But Cade?

I wrapped my arms tightly around myself as the dirt path brought me to the outskirts of the swamp. I could see the small bridge of land that crossed its shallowest point just a few yards ahead. Cade
had
been interested in me, hadn’t he? My anger at him soon turned into anger at myself. Perhaps I had read too much into his actions and words. Perhaps things were done differently in the Otherworld.

“Hello Meghan.”

I screamed at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and only because my thoughts were so lost elsewhere. Turning with wide eyes, I found someone standing in the clearing that had become such a familiar meeting ground for me. As soon as I saw who it was, I gaped in shock. It was the beautiful Faelorehn woman, this time wearing a summer dress and heels. Really? Heels? In the swamp? I snorted. Why was that the thought that came to my mind? This was Cade’s girlfriend; shouldn’t I be more concerned with why she was here, talking to me?

The woman crossed her arms and smiled, her crimson lips and violet eyes making her white skin seem even paler. I shivered, despite the warm spring air. She simply gave me the heebie-jeebies.

After some time, she released a sigh and started examining the fingernails on her right hand.

“So . . .”

She let that word hang in the air for a while. “Cade has told me all about you.”

My stomach dropped. Oh no, was I to be one of those girls who gets attacked by a jealous girlfriend? Would I end up on one of those daytime reality talk shows? I fought the urge to run, though I wanted to do nothing other than bolt up the horse trail and head for my room. But I had the uncomfortable feeling that this woman would be able to catch me, heels or not.

“Um, he did?” I finally managed, my voice feeling raspy.

The woman looked at me and although she smiled, that smile didn’t reach her unusual eyes. She blinked and they went from violet to a different color; chestnut? It was hard to tell from where I was standing.

“Oh yes. He informed me that he had found a lost Faelorehn, and that he was determined to teach you all about the Otherworld so that you could be returned home someday.”

I felt myself relax, but only a tiny bit. What did she want?

“You’re his girlfriend, right?” I blurted. Then I bit my lip.
Stupid.

The woman threw her head back and laughed, a genuine laugh this time, and her black, curly hair bounced with the movement. When she recovered and looked back at me, her eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Oh yes, we do have quite an
intimate
relationship.”

I blushed and tried not to think about just how intimate. Ugh, could my situation get any worse? As if on cue, my eyes started to prick. No! I would not cry in front of her! I managed to resist breaking down, but just barely.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, but I really should get home. My family will be wondering where I am.”

I turned to walk away, clutching the straps of my backpack to keep a hold of my emotions.

“Wouldn’t you like to come see the Otherworld, though? I can take you now if you’d like. Would only take a few minutes.”

I froze. Why did she want to take me to the Otherworld? I turned and arched a brow.

She shrugged sheepishly. “Cade asked me to do him a favor. Said he couldn’t cross over for a while and asked me to bring you to him on the other side. He spoke so fondly of you, like you were a sister to him.”

I winced and felt terrible all over again. He thought of me like a sister? That was worse than him having a girlfriend. But . . . it was tempting. To see Cade again, even if just for a few minutes, and even if he already had a girlfriend. Maybe I could bring closure to my pointless feelings. Maybe if I saw them together as a couple, I could finally move on. It still hurt worse than anything in the world, but at least I would never be left to remain wondering . . .

“Okay,” I sighed.

I began to step towards the woman, but at that second Fergus came trotting out of the willows. I expected him to come stand by me or maybe run up to the woman with his tail wagging. Surely the hound would be familiar with her. Instead, he did something that surprised me, and frightened me a little. He came to stop just in front of me and took on a defensive stance. With hackles raised, he released a low warning growl and locked eyes with the Faelorehn fashion model standing only fifteen feet in front of me.

Blinking in surprise, I took my eyes off of Fergus and looked up at the woman. She looked . . . nervous? Annoyed? Both maybe? I couldn’t tell, but it was obvious she wasn’t going to get anywhere near Fergus. That was odd.

“It’s okay Fergus,” I said, “she’s going to take me to Cade.”

Had Cade somehow asked his spirit guide not to let me go to the Otherworld? So he wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore? No, that didn’t seem right. He may have broken my heart, but Cade had always been a gentleman. Then what was wrong?

“Oh, silly Fergus. He does that sometimes,” the woman trilled. “I think he’s jealous of me.”

Giving that cool smile, she strode forward, her gate as smooth as a swan’s. Fergus lunged and snapped, barking and snarling.

I stepped back in shock. The only time I had ever seen him act out in aggression was when those Cumorrig attacked, and when the goat-man came after me.

I looked up at Cade’s girlfriend. Yep. She was definitely irritated. Her eyes flashed dangerously and her beautiful mouth curved down in a frown. But she didn’t try to move any closer.

I placed my hand on Fergus’s neck, shushing him and speaking quietly. “Calm down Fergus, don’t you recognize her?”

The hound glanced back at me and something crossed over his eyes. A memory came to mind, a memory of a conversation with Cade. And then I could have sworn I heard his voice in my head.

“Don’t trust anyone who claims to be Faelorehn.”

I glanced back up at the woman standing before me. Sure, she hadn’t claimed to be Faelorehn, but it was pretty obvious. And if she was Cade’s girlfriend, shouldn’t she be trustworthy?

Fergus’s sudden growl told me no. But could I just walk away nonchalantly after agreeing to go to the Otherworld with her?
Time to think fast Meghan.

“You know what, maybe I should wait on going to the Otherworld. Fergus seems a bit upset and I don’t want him to attack either of us. Besides, my parents expect me to check in after school before I go out. Can I take a rain check?”

I put on my best smile, all the while clinging to Fergus’s rough fur. It made me think of the little girl I’d been on the streets of L.A., using the white hound as my anchor.

At first, the woman looked as if she was seconds away from throwing a major tantrum, but then she closed her eyes slowly and took a few deep breaths. When she opened them, they were once again a cool violet color. She put on a smile, this one looking genuine, and shrugged her shoulders.

“Very well. I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble. However,” she paused. Suddenly the light in her eyes faded and she choked back a sob.

I blinked in surprise.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at me with imploring eyes. “But, I’m afraid Cade’s in a lot of trouble. The last job he took on, well, I think it was too much for him. You have no idea what power the faelah wield in our world.”

Oh, I had an idea, if I was judging by Cade’s haggard appearance the last few times I had seen him. But her obvious fear and the information she had just given me sent a pang to my heart. Cade was in trouble.

“And he’s certain that you have some hidden power that will awaken in the Otherworld and help him defeat these monsters. But, oh, he told me not to say anything to you.” She choked back another sob. “He thought it was possible you could help him, but he doesn’t want to risk you getting hurt. Oh Meghan,” she looked up at me with wide, frightened eyes, “I promised I wouldn’t tell you any of this, but I’m so worried that he won’t survive the fight this time unless someone can help him. If it is true, what he told me about you, that you are descended from a Fomorian and a Tuatha De, then you could be the only one who can save him.”

I felt my fingers tighten even more in Fergus’s fur. Had Cade been trying to protect me all along? Was he now on the verge of death, simply to keep me safe? All of a sudden, all of my anger, all of my sorrow fled with the wind. A warm contentment filled me, but soon it was replaced by fear. Cade needed my help.

Fergus growled again, but I ignored him.

“I’ll come,” I said, my voice harsh with determination, “but I have to go home first and tell my parents I’m going out for the night.”

Cade’s girlfriend heaved a great sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she breathed, looking slightly haggard herself. “I must go now, to see if I can aid him until you get there. Do you know where the dolmarehn is, to get to the Otherworld?”

I nodded.

“Good. Just pass through the cave and I will meet you on the other side. From there, we can find Cade and hopefully, if it’s not too late, save his life.”

I turned to go. I had to get back to the house as quickly as possible and let my parents know I’d be out for a while. I could have gone with her right then and there, but Mom and Dad would worry and I didn’t want to put them through that.

“Meghan?”

I turned to see the beautiful woman gazing at me, her face a mask of worry.

“Thank you.”

I nodded at her, then turned and sprinted up the horse trail that would bring me home. I didn’t know how much time Cade had, but I was determined to get there before it was too late.

-Nineteen-

Eile

Cade had once told me never to go into the cave that led to the Otherworld unless I had no other choice. Well, at the moment I really didn’t have any other choice. The Faelorehn woman (ugh, why hadn’t I asked her name?) had told me Cade was in trouble. In my book a friend in trouble required me to call upon desperate measures, especially since I couldn’t do anything as simple as call the police. Of course, I could be walking straight into a hostile environment, but I was beyond caring for the time being.