Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson Page B

breath and tried to will my tears to stop falling.  Cade looked at me and I was tempted to ask him what my dad had said to him.  Tempted but currently too afraid.  Maybe someday I’ll get the nerve to ask him , I thought to myself.
    “Are you ready, my love?” he asked gently, stepping up once again to take my face in his hands, my heart singing at his term of endearment.  He wiped away the tears with his thumbs, a gesture that I was quickly becoming addicted to.
    I nodded and he leaned in to give me a gentle kiss.  He dropped his hands and reached one out to me.  I took it and he carefully led me into the small cave.  Fergus had run ahead of us and I could feel Meridian’s talons digging into my shoulder as she hunkered down.
    We moved slowly through the dark and my mind kept itself busy by thinking about where my life was headed.  I had left my family behind and I was going home, to the world where I belonged.  I was terrified and depressed, but I was also filled with excitement and wonder.  I’d learn how to use my glamour properly, now that it was fully awake, and I would have Cade by my side.  I allowed myself to smile through the tears, but before I could contemplate another thought, that familiar tug of Otherworldly magic latched onto me and we were pulled into the deep darkness of Eile .
    * * *
    The Otherworld was the same breathtaking sweep of green rolling hills and ancient forest I had grown used to, welcoming me in that cool rush of ancient magic that could never be found on Earth.  We quickly made our way towards Cade’s castle, and once there I gaped at the difference.  The ruined fortress was alive with activity.  Men worked at replacing old crumbled stones and broken windows.  Women and children were interspersed throughout the fields, tending to what looked like a combination of potatoes, carrots, onions and several grains.  As we took our time walking up the dirt road, I got a full view of the side of the castle facing us.  The stone wall that surrounded it was being patched up, but a narrow gap that still needed attention gave me a glimpse of a small kitchen garden that I hadn't noticed the last time we'd visited the castle.
    I looked up at Cade and he merely smiled down at me.
    “I wanted to make Luathar a ready for you, so you'd have a place to stay in case you didn't want to live at the castle in Erintara,” he said.
    I shivered at the idea of staying with my mother, under her suppressive rules.  I didn't think she'd allow Cade to visit me even if I asked nicely.  No, I wasn't ready to jumpstart a working relationship with my birth mother , the high queen of Eile .  Best get my bearings in my new world first.
    I sighed and let my eyes sweep the castle once more, then I remembered what Cade had said.  I blinked up at him.  “You did this all for me?”
    Cade nodded.
    I regarded the old castle, the one that had somehow worked its way into my dreams those many months ago.  Luathara Cade had called it.  I liked that name.
    “The construction isn’t quite complete, so after tonight we'll be staying with the Dagda for a while.”
    My face split in a huge smile.  I loved Cade’s foster father and I couldn’t wait to see him again.  The Dagda was an overwhelming presence, but he had shown me nothing but cheer and acceptance since the moment I'd met him.
    "Unless, of course, you'd rather go to Erintara," Cade added with a smirk.
    I punched his arm.  "No, I wouldn't.  I mean, yes, I eventually want to go see my mother again, try to make peace with her, but I'd much rather stay with the Dagda for now."
    As we passed through the castle gates and stepped into the noisy courtyard, we were welcomed by a man Cade introduced as Briant, his steward.  He was a kind looking man, tall, middle-aged with brown hair and intelligent eyes.  Like all Faelorehn, he had a handsome quality to his looks.
    “So this is the young Miss Elam.  Welcome, my lady.”
    I blushed, as usual, but took