Read Online Dolmarehn - Book Two of the Otherworld Trilogy by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson - Free Book Online

shot.”
    I groaned.  I hated shots, but there was no way to get out of this one.  Although I knew a vaccine probably wouldn’t do any good, I suffered the visit to the health clinic and came home with a polka-dot band-aid on my arm.  The doctor had also insisted on cleaning the cut, which hurt ten times as much as the shot.  I tried not to grimace too badly when she washed it and re-bandaged it, but I’m sure I acted like a wuss.
    “I’m going to go take a nap,” I muttered once we got home.
    “Good idea,” Mom said, “let that nasty cut heal.”
    Meridian greeted me with her usual chatter as I entered my room, so I took her box out and placed it on the table beside the bed.  I was amazed at how big she’d grown.  She had most of her feathers too, and only a few patches of fuzz remained.  I’d never heard of a baby bird getting all its feathers in only a week or so after hatching, but perhaps spirit guides were different.
    Yawning, I pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and an old t-shirt before snuggling into bed.  To my relief, sleep came almost instantly.
    * * *
    I must have slept much longer than expected, because the next time I woke it was to the sound of something tapping on my sliding glass door.  I groaned and tried to open my eyes, but a searing headache made that feat impossible.  I shifted under my comforter and gasped.  My whole body ached and I felt clammy, but from the way my hand throbbed I imagined some flesh-eating virus was wreaking havoc on my skin.
    Fighting the tears of pain that were gathering in my eyes, I curled up into a ball and took slow, deep breaths.
    This couldn’t be good.  The tapping at the door grew more urgent, but I ignored it.  Whoever wanted in could just go away.  Couldn’t they see I was sick?
    When the annoying noise didn’t stop, I turned my head on my pillow to glare at them.  I could barely make out a human-shaped figure against the dark night sky, but I had no trouble recognizing the ghostly white dog beside him.
    Crying out in joy and exhaustion, I used my uninjured hand to push myself up.  I think I fell out of bed, but I managed to crawl across my floor, stretching my good arm upwards.  With a final burst of energy I switched the lock so Cade could get in.  The swish of the door sliding open and a breath of frosty air greeted me as I collapsed to the floor.
    “Meghan!”
    Strong, gentle arms lifted me and carried me back to my bed.  I turned my head, not caring about how needy I appeared, and pressed my face into Cade’s shoulder.  His scent filled my nostrils and immediately my headache eased off.  I found comfort in the smell of the wild winds and deep forests of the Otherworld.  I smiled and allowed myself to doze off.
    “No Meghan,” Cade murmured.
    His voice sounded deeper than usual, raw even.  I would have wondered why if my mind hadn’t been so fuzzy.
    “Drink this,” he said, pressing a flask to my lips.
    I obeyed without hesitation.  The liquid cooled my throat and reminded me of mint and raspberries.  I took one more sip, then another.
    “Good girl.  Now you can rest.”
    Nothing more than a whisper.  Before I drifted off, something soft and warm pressed against my forehead.  Cade’s lips, I realized.  I wanted to giggle.  Why did he only kiss me when I was about to die?  But I felt nothing beyond that and soon I succumbed to darkness.
    * * *
    “Meghan.”
    I was having the most wonderful dream.  An old castle with a hidden waterfall loomed behind me, and a garden full of colors spread far past my vision.  A light summer breeze fingered my hair, and the air smelled of wildflowers.
    “Meghan.”
    I stood on the stone roof overlooking a small river snaking through green fields resting below tall, forested hills.  My heart filled with warmth and a wave of bliss lifted me.  Someone called my name.  I turned to answer them, but before I could glimpse their face, someone drew me away from the enchanted