Undercovers (6/6) [Cara/Kahlan]
Undercovers (6/6)
In which Cara and Kahlan infiltrate a Mord Sith temple to try and retrieve a very ~powerful~ amulet. Will they be able to fool Cara's former sisters for long enough to complete their mission and get out unscathed? Or perhaps the more important question: will Cara be able to resist Kahlan in full Mord Sith leather?
cara/kahlan - R
a/n: Post Season 2. The Keeper has been vanquished, Darken Rahl has returned from the dead, and I'm going to pretend that Zedd never cast that spell of undoing and thus Dahlia is still alive.
a/n 2: This is it guys, the last part! I feel a little bit like I flounced on the plot, but hey, it was a fun experiment in multi-part writing. Plot is not my favorite thing anyway, ifffff you know what I mean. Thanks so much for sticking with me these last few weeks, and to all you guys who encouraged me to even try this!
previously: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
When the Mord Sith set out to reap a murderous revenge on someone, they were not at all stealthy about it. They did not creep into town under cover of darkness, lying in wait for their prey to cross their path. They did not try to disguise their true identities to blend in for the element of surprise. They did not even attempt to avoid detection. Instead, the two quads (including Cara and Kahlan), strutted through the center of town, blood red leather glinting in the morning sunlight, agiels screaming to be released from the confines of their master’s belts.
Kahlan had received many a fearful glance during her time as a serving Confessor, but those looks of contempt were nothing in the face of the terrified loathing she saw crossing the faces of the townspeople as she walked amongst them. Mothers yanked their daughters off the streets and into dark alleyways to avoid being seen, grown men three times their size shrunk back as close to the walls of buildings as humanly possible. She almost couldn’t stand to be in her own skin as the waves of hatred washed over her. Getting out of her leathers could not come a moment too soon. Kahlan stole a glance to the blonde on her right, making sure that she was in position. Her skin hummed with the pending fight.
“Townspeople!” Dahlia called out in a booming voice as the line of women came to a halt just inside the town square. “Bring me the Seeker of Truth, or I will start killing your daughters.” A ripple of gasps and cries echoed through the throng of people before several men stepped out of the crowd and announced that they would go retrieve the Seeker. Dahlia only nodded once in their direction. “Be quick, your children’s futures depend on it.” She was wearing a serenely sinister smile.
Kahlan fidgeted in her place in the line, and Cara shot her a quick glare, telling her to relax without speaking a word. The amulet pressed against her chest felt sharp against her skin as she tried to keep breathing, letting her eyes scan the walkways for any sign of Richard or Zedd. The waiting was becoming almost unbearable when she saw the top of his head bobbing quickly through the crowd. Though she knew that she and Cara could take care of themselves in a fight, she felt better knowing that their odds were at least slightly better with another sword at hand. Richard popped out of the crowd with his sword already drawn, scrutinizing the line of Mord Sith before him. When his gaze fell on Cara, he momentarily faltered, and Kahlan knew this was their moment. If they gave him any more time to take in the sight before him, he would ruin everything with the flit of emotions of his face.
In a movement so synchronized that it pulled gasps of wonder from their onlookers, Kahlan and Cara each took a step back and dispatched the Mord Sith to their side. Cara shoved the tip of her agiel into the temple of the sister to her right, twisting viciously until she crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap of red leather, and Kahlan pulled out the dagger she had hidden in her belt, slashing the throat of the woman to her left without hesitation. This was all of their lives on the line, and they had just improved their odds from six to three to four to three. At their action, Richard immediately lurched forward, arcing his sword in the air before Dahlia even had a chance to process what had just happened. As Richard moved forward, Dahlia and her closest sister were on him in a frenzy of agiel thrusts, driving him away from where Cara and Kahlan found themselves back to back blocking agiel blows of their own. Kahlan’s braid whipped across her shoulders as she met a red headed Mord Sith strike for strike. The other woman had murder in her eyes as she relentlessly attacked Kahlan, pressing forward until she happened to land a lucky blow, knocking Kahlan’s dagger from her hand. She was not at all used to fighting while wearing leather gloves. The Mord Sith smiled widely as she watched Kahlan’s weapon fall to the dirt road, too far away to be retrieved. Kahlan stood stock still, as she believed a defeated Mord Sith might do when bested in a fight. Though this woman knew her to be a traitor, she was clearly unaware of who exactly stood in front of her. Kahlan needed no weapons. She was a weapon. Allowing the other woman to step dangerously close, Kahlan suddenly lurched forward, grasping the other woman by the neck and releasing her power without hesitation. Her eyes swirled with black just as the Mord Sith’s expression turned to one of disbelief. A cry of agony ripped its way from her throat as the air around them concussed, throwing up a cloud of dust. Richard and Cara both took the opportunity the distraction of confession had provided them, and two more Mord Sith fell to the ground defeated.
Dahlia was the only one still left standing. She was panting harshly, gripping her agiel tightly in a raised fist. Her blue eyes looked fiery in the stillness of the makeshift battlefield as she met Cara’s gaze. “Guess I was right about you,” she taunted, pointing at Cara with her weapon. “Still the Seeker’s lapdog. Or…” she paused for dramatic effect, flicking her gaze to where Kahlan was standing. “Have you switched allegiances to the Mother Confessor?” Dahlia spat the title like a curse.
Richard’s eyebrow rose as he watched the exchange, sword at the ready on the sidelines.
“Letting a Mord Sith collar you, Kahlan Amnell? What would your sisters think?” Dahlia made a tsk tsk sound and Cara took an angry step forward. She did not like the thought that Dahlia had been lurking nearby the night before. Near enough to have seen the Rada’Han, near enough to have caused serious damage, but she had not. It was clear that Dahlia held no regard for the lives of the sisters she had just lost, their casualties were a small price to pay for confirmation that Cara had really and truly abandoned her sisterhood. Cara could not quite grasp what she was after though. She watched as the other blonde Mord Sith holstered her agiel and took several steps back. Richard and Kahlan stood still, waiting to let Cara decide how to handle Dahlia.
Cara moved to take a small step forward, almost reluctantly, but Kahlan put a hand to her forearm, stopping her. “Let her go,” she said softly. Cara swung her head around, giving Kahlan an intense look. “She only wanted to know if she truly had you back. I…might have done the same.” Cara’s eyebrows rose in surprise, her expression consuming her whole face for a moment that Kahlan would have a hard time putting out of her mind.
Cara turned back to Dahlia, feeling the warmth of Kahlan’s hand on her arm. “If I ever see you again, I will kill you.”
“Promise?” she called, walking backward another few steps.
Cara only stared her down and watched her continue walking until she ducked behind a building and out of sight. Richard chose not to even broach the subject of Dahlia at all, instead choosing to ask after something else.
“Did you get the amulet?” he asked Kahlan as Cara continued staring somewhat distractedly in the direction that Dahlia had disappeared. Kahlan nodded, patting her hand against her chest where the amulet was hanging around her neck. Richard smiled happily. “And what are you wearing?” he blurted out, barely concealing a laugh and an appraising flick of his eyes.
Kahlan groaned, pulling at her neck guard. “It’s a long story Richard, can we just get inside and off of the street before we get into details?” He nodded good naturedly, holstered his sword, and gestured down the street to the inn at the end.
“Right this way ladies,” he said, ignoring Cara’s glare of derision.
Kahlan clutched greedily at her backpack as Zedd handed it over to her with a good natured smile. “Eager to be rid of those leathers dear one?” he asked her.
“You have no idea,” she breathed, glancing into the pack to be sure all of her belongings were still inside. Zedd had retrieved the backpack from its hiding spot in the woods outside of the Mord Sith temple with some spell Kahlan had never heard of. Despite the unpredictability of magic, all her possessions seemed to be safely stored where she had left them. “Cara, will you?” she asked, gesturing vaguely to the back of her neck.
“Of course.” She moved behind Kahlan to unlatch the other woman’s neck guard, but Richard stopped her before she could even start.
“There’s a room next door for you guys,” he blurted out before Cara could strip Kahlan down right in front of him.
Cara only shrugged and held the door open for Kahlan to walk through. “Meet you downstairs for lunch?” the brunette asked. Everyone agreed, and then she and Cara made their way into the identical room next to the one they had previously been standing in. Kahlan sighed heavily, leaning against the door as she shut it behind them.
“Well, that could have gone worse,” she said as Cara snorted a little bit. “Please help me get out of these clothes before I rip them off.” They stood in silence for the few minutes it took to tug all of Kahlan’s laces loose, and then Cara unzipped the front of her leathers, letting the cool air of the room flow in pleasantly. Kahlan hummed in delight as they peeled the leather from her skin. “I don’t know how you wear that thing all the time,” she commented absently as she reached for her traveling dress.
Cara shrugged and held up Kahlan’s corset. “I don’t know how you wear this all the time.” Her face scrunched up into a distasteful frown.
“What would you rather I wear?” Kahlan asked before she realized what she’s said.
Cara smirked, drifting closer to the naked Confessor. She drew one singular finger across Kahlan’s collarbone and down the middle of her chest, stopping when she reached the amulet resting between her breasts. “How about just this?” she asked, flicking it gently.
Kahlan gulped.
“But that wouldn’t do in public, so I guess it’s your corset after all.” Her green eyes twinkled with mirth as she handed the garment over. What she’s not saying is this is all for me.
Kahlan laced up her corset and slid on her skirts under Cara’s heated gaze, occasionally meeting her lazy stare. It was all she could do to stop herself from pulling her clothes back off and reaching for the little metal collar she knew Cara had in her backpack. To try and distract herself a little, Kahlan sat down in the little wooden chair in the corner of the room, lacing her boots with more concentration than was necessary. She heard Cara rooting around in her bag as she stood up, finally feeling more like herself.
“Better?” the blonde asked her, turning around.
“Much.” Kahlan shook a hand through her freshly loosed hair, tossing it out of her face. A few strands got stuck in the chain of the amulet still around her neck.
Cara suddenly invaded her space again, picking up the amulet in her hand and brushing her knuckles against flesh pushing up and out of her corset. She was not being at all subtle about where she was touching. “Will the amulet work without the chain?” she asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
Kahlan thought about her question for a moment. “The amulet is the object of magic, not the chain. So, yes, it would still work without it.”
Cara nodded and slid her hands around the back of Kahlan’s neck, feeling for the clasp. As Kahlan opened her mouth to ask what Cara was doing, the blonde leaned forward, pressing their lips together firmly. Kahlan let out a soft moan at the contact, feeling a hot throb roll through her entire body. Cara licked at her lip quickly as the clasp on the back of her neck released, and Kahlan let out a whispered sigh as the chain dragged delicately across the skin of her chest. Cara pulled back, leaving Kahlan open mouthed and panting as she slid the amulet off of the chain. They never broke eye contact as Cara pressed the amulet back into Kahlan’s palm.
“Why don’t you go give this to Zedd while I clean up,” she suggested in a voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll meet you down there.”
Kahlan stared dumbly for a moment, still caught up in the moment, and then blinked rapidly a few times, nodding. She was out the door and halfway down the stairs before she even realized that she hadn’t asked Cara what she had wanted the chain for.
Kahlan was sitting next to Richard at a corner table in the tavern downstairs when Cara remerged from their bedroom looking as relaxed and deadly as ever. Kahlan caught her eye as she sauntered across the room, heading for the vacant seat next to Zedd. As Cara got closer, Kahlan noticed light reflecting off of the usually bare skin of Cara’s chest. She squinted her eyes in the blonde’s direction, curious as to what she seemed to be seeing. Kahlan’s eyes widened as Cara sat down in her chair, the tiny gold loops of a chain necklace twinkling dazzlingly against her skin in the candlelight. Kahlan’s eyes followed the loop to the end, between Cara’s breasts, where the top of a silver key was only just visible above her leathers.
Kahlan was openly gaping at the necklace around her neck when Richard noticed what she was looking at.
“Are you wearing a necklace?” he asked Cara in surprise, reaching his hand out to point at her chest.
Her eyes met Kahlan’s wide blue ones, and she answered him without looking away. “I’m wearing a key,” she drawled, as if this were more than obvious.
Richard quirked an eyebrow in Zedd’s direction, watching the two women stare at each other. “A key?” he repeated. “A key to what?”
Instead of answering, Cara finally tore her gaze away from Kahlan’s face and motioned for the bar maid to bring her a flagon of ale. “Did Kahlan give you the amulet?” She gulped down a healthy amount of her drink, setting the cup down on the table with a loud thunk. Zedd tapped his pocket in answer. “Is it the right one?”
“It appears to be. Excellent job retrieving it.”
“It’s amazing how quickly one can complete a quest when you don’t have to make useless stops at every turn.” She grinned cockily in Richard’s direction as he rolled his eyes good naturedly and Kahlan tried to hide a smile.
As they ate their midday meal, Cara couldn’t help but notice how Kahlan’s eyes rarely strayed from the key hanging around her neck. Frankly, it was completely distracting her in a way that was not at all unpleasant except for the fact that they were currently in a room surrounded by other people, including one Richard Cypher: Seeker of Truth and incessant conversationalist.
After being caught staring more times than she could count, Kahlan finally decided she could take no more and pushed herself abruptly away from the table. “I need to use the washroom,” she blurted. Richard gave her a curious stare as glanced over at Cara, trying to convey a message that the blonde just wasn’t getting.
“Oh,” Cara finally said after Kahlan furiously gestured in the direction of the washroom with her eyes. “Yes, I need to use the washroom also.” She rose from her chair, following Kahlan across the tavern and through the door located under the stairs.
Richard gave Zedd a pensive look, finally asking, “was that the key to a Rada’Han around her neck?”
Zedd glanced ruefully in the direction that the two women had just disappeared to, and nodded. “I believe it was, my boy.”
“I guess they found more than the amulet at that temple…” he trailed off with a lopsided grin. Zedd amusedly shook his head and shoveled in another mouthful of pheasant.
As soon as the door to the washroom shut behind them, Kahlan reached for Cara’s head, pulling her down into a fast, hard kiss. Cara groaned into her mouth, walking her backward until Kahlan hit the wall, pressing forward as tightly as she possibly could. Kahlan’s mouth opened immediately under Cara’s skillful ministrations, eager to take all the blonde had to give. Their tongues slid hotly against each other as Cara licked into her mouth, running her tongue along the roof of her mouth. Kahlan whimpered at the feel of it, arching forward helplessly. Cara pulled back with a wet pop, staring at Kahlan’s flushed face until she opened her eyes.
Kahlan reached out her hand to pull the key up from where it was hanging between Cara’s breasts. “Why are you wearing this?” she asked, her voice sounding low and needy even to her own ears.
Cara leaned back a little, letting her palm press against the wall behind Kahlan’s head. “You told me to keep it, I didn’t want to lose it. It’s pretty small.”
Kahlan fingered the small key, rolling it between her fingers, tugging the chain against the skin at the back of Cara’s neck. The sensation made her hair stand on end. “Everyone can see it,” Kahlan said absently, eyes jumping from the key to Cara’s face.
At her words, Cara took a sudden step back, the key slipping from Kahlan’s fingers to bounce against Cara’s skin. “Did you not want anyone to know?” she asked softly, eyes looking away briefly. Kahlan’s heart clenched at her obvious misinterpretation of her words.
“No!” she said suddenly, tugging Cara back to her. “No, I’m just surprised that you would wear it so freely, Cara.” She let her palm flatten against the other woman’s chest, feeling soft skin, red leather, and the soft bite of the gold chain. “Seeing it on you makes me feel…it makes me want you. It makes me want to give myself to you. It’s like you have the key to my heart around your neck.” Kahlan breathed out the last part in a wondrous whisper, as if the thought was only occurring to her as it spilled from her lips.
Cara tilted her head, her trademark smirk threatening to quirk the edges of her lips. Kahlan was not at all surprised to see the blonde throw up her usual wall of cockiness in the face of Kahlan’s admission. She leaned back into Kahlan’s body, effectively pinning her to the wall. “The key to your heart hm?” Cara let a finger trail across the skin at the top of Kahlan’s corset, over where her heart was thumping wildly underneath. “I think it’s more of a key to your - ” Kahlan pressed forward, stealing the words from Cara’s mouth before she even had a chance to speak them. Cara smiled into her kiss, her own inappropriate comment still bouncing around in her head.
Kahlan whined when Cara pulled away. “Do you want to go upstairs?” she asked as she sucked a trail of hot, wet kisses along the column of Kahlan’s throat. Kahlan fisted her hand in the back of Cara’s hair, holding her into the crook of her neck.
“Right now?” she asked dazedly.
“Yes right now, you’re the one who dragged me into the washroom so you could ravage me.” Kahlan could feel her smiling against her skin.
“Oh is that what I’m doing?”
Cara licked her way up to Kahlan’s ear. “You should feel how wet I am right now,” she whispered thickly, pressing her knee right between Kahlan’s legs. She gasped loudly, slamming the back of her head against the wall.
“Cara.”
“Shall we keep going?”
Kahlan slid her hand up the side of Cara’s body, fleetingly cupping her breast, and then grabbing hold of the chain around her neck, using it to pull the blonde closer. “Meet me upstairs in five minutes.”
Cara grinned at Kahlan’s acquiescence, pulling one last kiss from her before pushing herself against the wall. She watched with an appreciative eye as Kahlan moved to swing the door open again. “What should I tell Richard?”
Kahlan shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She flashed Cara a winning smile and backed her way out of the door, leaving the blonde standing in the middle of the washroom, flushed and aroused as hell. She fingered the key around her neck, tucking it back down underneath her leathers and then reached for the door, following in the wake of her Confessor.
The smile on her face as she reentered the tavern rivaled even Kahlan’s own.
THE END. (Except not really, because there is going to be an epilogue which involves zero plot and some ladies going upstairs, if you catch my drift. I mean, if you guys would be into that or something.)
In which Cara and Kahlan infiltrate a Mord Sith temple to try and retrieve a very ~powerful~ amulet. Will they be able to fool Cara's former sisters for long enough to complete their mission and get out unscathed? Or perhaps the more important question: will Cara be able to resist Kahlan in full Mord Sith leather?
cara/kahlan - R
a/n: Post Season 2. The Keeper has been vanquished, Darken Rahl has returned from the dead, and I'm going to pretend that Zedd never cast that spell of undoing and thus Dahlia is still alive.
a/n 2: This is it guys, the last part! I feel a little bit like I flounced on the plot, but hey, it was a fun experiment in multi-part writing. Plot is not my favorite thing anyway, ifffff you know what I mean. Thanks so much for sticking with me these last few weeks, and to all you guys who encouraged me to even try this!
previously: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
When the Mord Sith set out to reap a murderous revenge on someone, they were not at all stealthy about it. They did not creep into town under cover of darkness, lying in wait for their prey to cross their path. They did not try to disguise their true identities to blend in for the element of surprise. They did not even attempt to avoid detection. Instead, the two quads (including Cara and Kahlan), strutted through the center of town, blood red leather glinting in the morning sunlight, agiels screaming to be released from the confines of their master’s belts.
Kahlan had received many a fearful glance during her time as a serving Confessor, but those looks of contempt were nothing in the face of the terrified loathing she saw crossing the faces of the townspeople as she walked amongst them. Mothers yanked their daughters off the streets and into dark alleyways to avoid being seen, grown men three times their size shrunk back as close to the walls of buildings as humanly possible. She almost couldn’t stand to be in her own skin as the waves of hatred washed over her. Getting out of her leathers could not come a moment too soon. Kahlan stole a glance to the blonde on her right, making sure that she was in position. Her skin hummed with the pending fight.
“Townspeople!” Dahlia called out in a booming voice as the line of women came to a halt just inside the town square. “Bring me the Seeker of Truth, or I will start killing your daughters.” A ripple of gasps and cries echoed through the throng of people before several men stepped out of the crowd and announced that they would go retrieve the Seeker. Dahlia only nodded once in their direction. “Be quick, your children’s futures depend on it.” She was wearing a serenely sinister smile.
Kahlan fidgeted in her place in the line, and Cara shot her a quick glare, telling her to relax without speaking a word. The amulet pressed against her chest felt sharp against her skin as she tried to keep breathing, letting her eyes scan the walkways for any sign of Richard or Zedd. The waiting was becoming almost unbearable when she saw the top of his head bobbing quickly through the crowd. Though she knew that she and Cara could take care of themselves in a fight, she felt better knowing that their odds were at least slightly better with another sword at hand. Richard popped out of the crowd with his sword already drawn, scrutinizing the line of Mord Sith before him. When his gaze fell on Cara, he momentarily faltered, and Kahlan knew this was their moment. If they gave him any more time to take in the sight before him, he would ruin everything with the flit of emotions of his face.
In a movement so synchronized that it pulled gasps of wonder from their onlookers, Kahlan and Cara each took a step back and dispatched the Mord Sith to their side. Cara shoved the tip of her agiel into the temple of the sister to her right, twisting viciously until she crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap of red leather, and Kahlan pulled out the dagger she had hidden in her belt, slashing the throat of the woman to her left without hesitation. This was all of their lives on the line, and they had just improved their odds from six to three to four to three. At their action, Richard immediately lurched forward, arcing his sword in the air before Dahlia even had a chance to process what had just happened. As Richard moved forward, Dahlia and her closest sister were on him in a frenzy of agiel thrusts, driving him away from where Cara and Kahlan found themselves back to back blocking agiel blows of their own. Kahlan’s braid whipped across her shoulders as she met a red headed Mord Sith strike for strike. The other woman had murder in her eyes as she relentlessly attacked Kahlan, pressing forward until she happened to land a lucky blow, knocking Kahlan’s dagger from her hand. She was not at all used to fighting while wearing leather gloves. The Mord Sith smiled widely as she watched Kahlan’s weapon fall to the dirt road, too far away to be retrieved. Kahlan stood stock still, as she believed a defeated Mord Sith might do when bested in a fight. Though this woman knew her to be a traitor, she was clearly unaware of who exactly stood in front of her. Kahlan needed no weapons. She was a weapon. Allowing the other woman to step dangerously close, Kahlan suddenly lurched forward, grasping the other woman by the neck and releasing her power without hesitation. Her eyes swirled with black just as the Mord Sith’s expression turned to one of disbelief. A cry of agony ripped its way from her throat as the air around them concussed, throwing up a cloud of dust. Richard and Cara both took the opportunity the distraction of confession had provided them, and two more Mord Sith fell to the ground defeated.
Dahlia was the only one still left standing. She was panting harshly, gripping her agiel tightly in a raised fist. Her blue eyes looked fiery in the stillness of the makeshift battlefield as she met Cara’s gaze. “Guess I was right about you,” she taunted, pointing at Cara with her weapon. “Still the Seeker’s lapdog. Or…” she paused for dramatic effect, flicking her gaze to where Kahlan was standing. “Have you switched allegiances to the Mother Confessor?” Dahlia spat the title like a curse.
Richard’s eyebrow rose as he watched the exchange, sword at the ready on the sidelines.
“Letting a Mord Sith collar you, Kahlan Amnell? What would your sisters think?” Dahlia made a tsk tsk sound and Cara took an angry step forward. She did not like the thought that Dahlia had been lurking nearby the night before. Near enough to have seen the Rada’Han, near enough to have caused serious damage, but she had not. It was clear that Dahlia held no regard for the lives of the sisters she had just lost, their casualties were a small price to pay for confirmation that Cara had really and truly abandoned her sisterhood. Cara could not quite grasp what she was after though. She watched as the other blonde Mord Sith holstered her agiel and took several steps back. Richard and Kahlan stood still, waiting to let Cara decide how to handle Dahlia.
Cara moved to take a small step forward, almost reluctantly, but Kahlan put a hand to her forearm, stopping her. “Let her go,” she said softly. Cara swung her head around, giving Kahlan an intense look. “She only wanted to know if she truly had you back. I…might have done the same.” Cara’s eyebrows rose in surprise, her expression consuming her whole face for a moment that Kahlan would have a hard time putting out of her mind.
Cara turned back to Dahlia, feeling the warmth of Kahlan’s hand on her arm. “If I ever see you again, I will kill you.”
“Promise?” she called, walking backward another few steps.
Cara only stared her down and watched her continue walking until she ducked behind a building and out of sight. Richard chose not to even broach the subject of Dahlia at all, instead choosing to ask after something else.
“Did you get the amulet?” he asked Kahlan as Cara continued staring somewhat distractedly in the direction that Dahlia had disappeared. Kahlan nodded, patting her hand against her chest where the amulet was hanging around her neck. Richard smiled happily. “And what are you wearing?” he blurted out, barely concealing a laugh and an appraising flick of his eyes.
Kahlan groaned, pulling at her neck guard. “It’s a long story Richard, can we just get inside and off of the street before we get into details?” He nodded good naturedly, holstered his sword, and gestured down the street to the inn at the end.
“Right this way ladies,” he said, ignoring Cara’s glare of derision.
Kahlan clutched greedily at her backpack as Zedd handed it over to her with a good natured smile. “Eager to be rid of those leathers dear one?” he asked her.
“You have no idea,” she breathed, glancing into the pack to be sure all of her belongings were still inside. Zedd had retrieved the backpack from its hiding spot in the woods outside of the Mord Sith temple with some spell Kahlan had never heard of. Despite the unpredictability of magic, all her possessions seemed to be safely stored where she had left them. “Cara, will you?” she asked, gesturing vaguely to the back of her neck.
“Of course.” She moved behind Kahlan to unlatch the other woman’s neck guard, but Richard stopped her before she could even start.
“There’s a room next door for you guys,” he blurted out before Cara could strip Kahlan down right in front of him.
Cara only shrugged and held the door open for Kahlan to walk through. “Meet you downstairs for lunch?” the brunette asked. Everyone agreed, and then she and Cara made their way into the identical room next to the one they had previously been standing in. Kahlan sighed heavily, leaning against the door as she shut it behind them.
“Well, that could have gone worse,” she said as Cara snorted a little bit. “Please help me get out of these clothes before I rip them off.” They stood in silence for the few minutes it took to tug all of Kahlan’s laces loose, and then Cara unzipped the front of her leathers, letting the cool air of the room flow in pleasantly. Kahlan hummed in delight as they peeled the leather from her skin. “I don’t know how you wear that thing all the time,” she commented absently as she reached for her traveling dress.
Cara shrugged and held up Kahlan’s corset. “I don’t know how you wear this all the time.” Her face scrunched up into a distasteful frown.
“What would you rather I wear?” Kahlan asked before she realized what she’s said.
Cara smirked, drifting closer to the naked Confessor. She drew one singular finger across Kahlan’s collarbone and down the middle of her chest, stopping when she reached the amulet resting between her breasts. “How about just this?” she asked, flicking it gently.
Kahlan gulped.
“But that wouldn’t do in public, so I guess it’s your corset after all.” Her green eyes twinkled with mirth as she handed the garment over. What she’s not saying is this is all for me.
Kahlan laced up her corset and slid on her skirts under Cara’s heated gaze, occasionally meeting her lazy stare. It was all she could do to stop herself from pulling her clothes back off and reaching for the little metal collar she knew Cara had in her backpack. To try and distract herself a little, Kahlan sat down in the little wooden chair in the corner of the room, lacing her boots with more concentration than was necessary. She heard Cara rooting around in her bag as she stood up, finally feeling more like herself.
“Better?” the blonde asked her, turning around.
“Much.” Kahlan shook a hand through her freshly loosed hair, tossing it out of her face. A few strands got stuck in the chain of the amulet still around her neck.
Cara suddenly invaded her space again, picking up the amulet in her hand and brushing her knuckles against flesh pushing up and out of her corset. She was not being at all subtle about where she was touching. “Will the amulet work without the chain?” she asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
Kahlan thought about her question for a moment. “The amulet is the object of magic, not the chain. So, yes, it would still work without it.”
Cara nodded and slid her hands around the back of Kahlan’s neck, feeling for the clasp. As Kahlan opened her mouth to ask what Cara was doing, the blonde leaned forward, pressing their lips together firmly. Kahlan let out a soft moan at the contact, feeling a hot throb roll through her entire body. Cara licked at her lip quickly as the clasp on the back of her neck released, and Kahlan let out a whispered sigh as the chain dragged delicately across the skin of her chest. Cara pulled back, leaving Kahlan open mouthed and panting as she slid the amulet off of the chain. They never broke eye contact as Cara pressed the amulet back into Kahlan’s palm.
“Why don’t you go give this to Zedd while I clean up,” she suggested in a voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll meet you down there.”
Kahlan stared dumbly for a moment, still caught up in the moment, and then blinked rapidly a few times, nodding. She was out the door and halfway down the stairs before she even realized that she hadn’t asked Cara what she had wanted the chain for.
Kahlan was sitting next to Richard at a corner table in the tavern downstairs when Cara remerged from their bedroom looking as relaxed and deadly as ever. Kahlan caught her eye as she sauntered across the room, heading for the vacant seat next to Zedd. As Cara got closer, Kahlan noticed light reflecting off of the usually bare skin of Cara’s chest. She squinted her eyes in the blonde’s direction, curious as to what she seemed to be seeing. Kahlan’s eyes widened as Cara sat down in her chair, the tiny gold loops of a chain necklace twinkling dazzlingly against her skin in the candlelight. Kahlan’s eyes followed the loop to the end, between Cara’s breasts, where the top of a silver key was only just visible above her leathers.
Kahlan was openly gaping at the necklace around her neck when Richard noticed what she was looking at.
“Are you wearing a necklace?” he asked Cara in surprise, reaching his hand out to point at her chest.
Her eyes met Kahlan’s wide blue ones, and she answered him without looking away. “I’m wearing a key,” she drawled, as if this were more than obvious.
Richard quirked an eyebrow in Zedd’s direction, watching the two women stare at each other. “A key?” he repeated. “A key to what?”
Instead of answering, Cara finally tore her gaze away from Kahlan’s face and motioned for the bar maid to bring her a flagon of ale. “Did Kahlan give you the amulet?” She gulped down a healthy amount of her drink, setting the cup down on the table with a loud thunk. Zedd tapped his pocket in answer. “Is it the right one?”
“It appears to be. Excellent job retrieving it.”
“It’s amazing how quickly one can complete a quest when you don’t have to make useless stops at every turn.” She grinned cockily in Richard’s direction as he rolled his eyes good naturedly and Kahlan tried to hide a smile.
As they ate their midday meal, Cara couldn’t help but notice how Kahlan’s eyes rarely strayed from the key hanging around her neck. Frankly, it was completely distracting her in a way that was not at all unpleasant except for the fact that they were currently in a room surrounded by other people, including one Richard Cypher: Seeker of Truth and incessant conversationalist.
After being caught staring more times than she could count, Kahlan finally decided she could take no more and pushed herself abruptly away from the table. “I need to use the washroom,” she blurted. Richard gave her a curious stare as glanced over at Cara, trying to convey a message that the blonde just wasn’t getting.
“Oh,” Cara finally said after Kahlan furiously gestured in the direction of the washroom with her eyes. “Yes, I need to use the washroom also.” She rose from her chair, following Kahlan across the tavern and through the door located under the stairs.
Richard gave Zedd a pensive look, finally asking, “was that the key to a Rada’Han around her neck?”
Zedd glanced ruefully in the direction that the two women had just disappeared to, and nodded. “I believe it was, my boy.”
“I guess they found more than the amulet at that temple…” he trailed off with a lopsided grin. Zedd amusedly shook his head and shoveled in another mouthful of pheasant.
As soon as the door to the washroom shut behind them, Kahlan reached for Cara’s head, pulling her down into a fast, hard kiss. Cara groaned into her mouth, walking her backward until Kahlan hit the wall, pressing forward as tightly as she possibly could. Kahlan’s mouth opened immediately under Cara’s skillful ministrations, eager to take all the blonde had to give. Their tongues slid hotly against each other as Cara licked into her mouth, running her tongue along the roof of her mouth. Kahlan whimpered at the feel of it, arching forward helplessly. Cara pulled back with a wet pop, staring at Kahlan’s flushed face until she opened her eyes.
Kahlan reached out her hand to pull the key up from where it was hanging between Cara’s breasts. “Why are you wearing this?” she asked, her voice sounding low and needy even to her own ears.
Cara leaned back a little, letting her palm press against the wall behind Kahlan’s head. “You told me to keep it, I didn’t want to lose it. It’s pretty small.”
Kahlan fingered the small key, rolling it between her fingers, tugging the chain against the skin at the back of Cara’s neck. The sensation made her hair stand on end. “Everyone can see it,” Kahlan said absently, eyes jumping from the key to Cara’s face.
At her words, Cara took a sudden step back, the key slipping from Kahlan’s fingers to bounce against Cara’s skin. “Did you not want anyone to know?” she asked softly, eyes looking away briefly. Kahlan’s heart clenched at her obvious misinterpretation of her words.
“No!” she said suddenly, tugging Cara back to her. “No, I’m just surprised that you would wear it so freely, Cara.” She let her palm flatten against the other woman’s chest, feeling soft skin, red leather, and the soft bite of the gold chain. “Seeing it on you makes me feel…it makes me want you. It makes me want to give myself to you. It’s like you have the key to my heart around your neck.” Kahlan breathed out the last part in a wondrous whisper, as if the thought was only occurring to her as it spilled from her lips.
Cara tilted her head, her trademark smirk threatening to quirk the edges of her lips. Kahlan was not at all surprised to see the blonde throw up her usual wall of cockiness in the face of Kahlan’s admission. She leaned back into Kahlan’s body, effectively pinning her to the wall. “The key to your heart hm?” Cara let a finger trail across the skin at the top of Kahlan’s corset, over where her heart was thumping wildly underneath. “I think it’s more of a key to your - ” Kahlan pressed forward, stealing the words from Cara’s mouth before she even had a chance to speak them. Cara smiled into her kiss, her own inappropriate comment still bouncing around in her head.
Kahlan whined when Cara pulled away. “Do you want to go upstairs?” she asked as she sucked a trail of hot, wet kisses along the column of Kahlan’s throat. Kahlan fisted her hand in the back of Cara’s hair, holding her into the crook of her neck.
“Right now?” she asked dazedly.
“Yes right now, you’re the one who dragged me into the washroom so you could ravage me.” Kahlan could feel her smiling against her skin.
“Oh is that what I’m doing?”
Cara licked her way up to Kahlan’s ear. “You should feel how wet I am right now,” she whispered thickly, pressing her knee right between Kahlan’s legs. She gasped loudly, slamming the back of her head against the wall.
“Cara.”
“Shall we keep going?”
Kahlan slid her hand up the side of Cara’s body, fleetingly cupping her breast, and then grabbing hold of the chain around her neck, using it to pull the blonde closer. “Meet me upstairs in five minutes.”
Cara grinned at Kahlan’s acquiescence, pulling one last kiss from her before pushing herself against the wall. She watched with an appreciative eye as Kahlan moved to swing the door open again. “What should I tell Richard?”
Kahlan shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She flashed Cara a winning smile and backed her way out of the door, leaving the blonde standing in the middle of the washroom, flushed and aroused as hell. She fingered the key around her neck, tucking it back down underneath her leathers and then reached for the door, following in the wake of her Confessor.
The smile on her face as she reentered the tavern rivaled even Kahlan’s own.
THE END. (Except not really, because there is going to be an epilogue which involves zero plot and some ladies going upstairs, if you catch my drift. I mean, if you guys would be into that or something.)