LotS Fic: Trying
Title: Trying (AO3)
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan, Cara/Dahlia/Kahlan
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Erm...agiel!sex? It's pretty mild.
Word Count: 6940
Disclaimer: They're not mine, but really...don't you think this show would have been more fun to watch?
Summary: Written for Porn Battle XIII. Prompts: Cara/Kahlan/Dahlia, sharing, agiels. Followup to Like The Way I Do, in which Cara discovers that it's not so easy to choose, and Kahlan realizes that maybe she doesn't have to.
Author's Notes: So, I somehow managed to write an OT3 fic that's really mostly a Cara/Kahlan romance...which, given my usual audience, I think is somewhere right around perfect. If you're strict about not wanting any other girlparts getting mixed up with Cara and Kahlan's girlparts, this might by one to avoid, however (or, at least, to stop reading about 2/3 of the way through, cause up 'til then you'll be golden).
It's only been a couple of weeks, and Kahlan already knows she'll never get enough of this. Cara is laid out naked beneath her, eyes dark as she looks up at Kahlan. The afternoon sun filters through the branches of the trees, casting patterned shadows over the sensuous curves of Cara's body.
"You're staring again," Cara teases softly, her voice rough with want.
Kahlan flushes red, a bashful smile stealing over her lips. "Sorry," she replies, in a way that tells Cara exactly how sorry she's not. Leaning down, she captures Cara's mouth in a deep, lingering kiss, the stiff leather of her corset an ever-present barrier between them. She hasn't dared let Cara undress her since that first night, when Cara came so close to being confessed. If it hadn't been for Dahlia...
But Dahlia is not here now, and Cara is warm and responsive beneath her. Kahlan pushes back up onto her elbow, drawing a soft groan of protest from Cara's throat as she breaks the kiss. Slowly, deliberately, her fingertips follow a path they've come to know well, teasing and stroking down Cara's chest and abdomen as she lowers her mouth to Cara's neck. The twitch of Cara's hips under her fingers brings a small smirk to her lips. Not so long ago, she was afraid that she couldn't be enough for Cara; a fear that has been well and truly banished by the countless gasps and moans she's coaxed from her lover over the past two weeks.
Cara hisses indulgently as Kahlan's fingers dip into the generous moisture between her legs. Kahlan licks her lips, her pulse quickening as she slides two fingers into Cara's welcoming heat. Cara groans, arches into her hand, and Kahlan feels an answering clench in her own sex. Dropping one last kiss on Cara's collarbone, Kahlan rises up onto her knees to get a better angle, adding a third finger and pumping into Cara with a steadily increasing rhythm.
Their chests are both heaving, breath coming in quick, shallow pants, when the sound of a twig snapping underfoot reaches their ears. Kahlan's head shoots up, her gaze turning cold when she recognizes the intruder. Dahlia is smirking as she leans against a tree, arms casually crossed over her ribs.
"Lord Rahl was asking for you," Dahlia says smoothly to Cara, as though they were having idle conversation over supper. Her lips quirk with wry amusement. "I volunteered to give you the message."
Kahlan's eyes narrow into thin slits as she peers at the leather-clad woman. She still can't read Dahlia, not quite; certainly not well enough to know if she's telling the truth about this. A quick glance down tells her that Cara doesn't have any more idea than she does. But if Richard needs Cara for something, it's likely important; he's been staunchly avoiding unnecessary contact with either of them ever since Kahlan told him how her feelings have changed.
With an irritated sigh, Kahlan starts to pull her fingers free of Cara, only to be stopped by a strong hand around her wrist. When she looks back up, Cara is looking at her with a determined heat, and Kahlan quickly understands; whether this is Richard's doing or Dahlia's, Cara has no intention of letting it disrupt their activities.
Warmth flushes Kahlan's cheeks; she can feel Dahlia's eyes on them, watching with jealous interest, and that anxious hesitance she felt that first night comes flooding back. Closing her eyes, she focuses on the wet pulsing of Cara's sex around her fingers, the insistent arch of Cara's hips. She knows this. Cara's pleasure comes naturally to her now, regardless of whether or not Dahlia is watching them. Besides, Kahlan muses, it's nothing Dahlia hasn't seen before.
Mere weeks ago Kahlan would have been shocked to find herself doing this at all, let alone with an audience; but her feelings for Cara-and Dahlia's ceaseless attempts to undermine their budding relationship-have loosened her inhibitions, and made her bold. Forcing thoughts of Dahlia from her mind, Kahlan opens her eyes again, fixing them on Cara's as she begins to thrust again.
When Cara comes, it is with a loud, appreciative groan, Kahlan's name on her lips. A breathless smirk twists Kahlan's mouth as she defiantly meets Dahlia's gaze once more.
***
Irritation surges in Cara's chest as they make their way back to camp. It frustrates her that she cannot tell if Dahlia is lying or not. There was a time when she could have seen every thought in Dahlia's head, almost before the other woman even thought it. The months they've spent apart have separated them by more than mere distance.
"What's so important, Seeker?" she asks irately when they arrive. She and Kahlan haven't been deliberately cruel in pointing out the purpose of their regular private walks, but they certainly don't attempt to disguise their intentions. Richard knows full well what they were doing. She knows he's having trouble adjusting to her relationship with Kahlan, but she'd thought him above petty games of jealousy.
When Richard looks up from where he's hunched over a map drawn in the dirt, his brow is furrowed in confusion as his eyes flit between Cara and Kahlan. "I didn't think you two would be back for a while."
A familiar twinge of guilt flares in Cara's chest at the stifled pain in his expression, but it's quickly overwhelmed by the understanding that dawns on her as she shifts her gaze to a smirking Dahlia. It's not Richard that's playing games. "So, you didn't tell Dahlia to come get me."
Richard shakes his head. "No," he replies, his voice strained. "We were trying to figure out the best way to cross the Barrier Peaks, and I mentioned that you might have an idea." His voice softens as he seeks out Cara's gaze, his eyes shining with sincerity. "Cara, I wouldn't..."
"No, you wouldn't," Cara says tightly, her hand closing around an agiel at her side as she turns her narrowed gaze on Dahlia. The familiar hum of pain manages to quell the anger surging in her chest, at least enough to make it manageable. For some reason, Richard doesn't approve of the idea of hurting Dahlia, no matter how much she may deserve it.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that getting that stone to the Pillars of Creation is of dire importance," Dahlia says with a dismissive shrug. "I merely thought to speed along our progress." A calculating smirk touches her lips as she breezes past Cara, her fingertips sliding deliberately across Cara's back as she moves to kneel next to Richard.
Cara stiffens at the touch, clenching her jaw as she holds tight to her agiel. Her grip only loosens when she feels the familiar warmth of Kahlan's hand resting gently at the base of her spine. They've tried to avoid being overly physical in Richard's presence, out of respect for his feelings, but Kahlan has managed to find a number of ways of reassuring Cara without being too obvious.
It's been more helpful than Kahlan knows; at least, Cara certainly hopes that Kahlan isn't aware of how difficult it is for her to reject Dahlia's advances. It was so easy, that first night, to fall back into old habits. Her time with Dahlia, as a Mord-Sith serving under Darken Rahl, had been locked away in the back of her mind, purposefully shoved away in favor of serving Richard. Once she saw Dahlia again, gave in to the desire that was far too easy for Dahlia to ignite in her, the memories came rushing back. Now that Cara has opened that door again, it's not so easy to close.
That hasn't stopped her from trying, of course. She has Kahlan now; truly has her, as completely as anyone could. Kahlan is everything she was always taught to hate, and more than she could ever deserve. The warm, full sensation that swells in her chest just feeling Kahlan's presence beside her is enough to make Cara very sure that she has made the right choice.
She just wishes she didn't have to keep making that choice on an almost hourly basis.
***
The next morning, Kahlan watches with amusement as Cara tugs gloved fingers angrily through her hair. "Cara, you know you're welcome to use my brush," she says with a fond smile, holding out the item in question. She knows it's a futile gesture; she's made the offer time and again, but Cara is too stubborn for her own good.
"I should just cut it off again," Cara grumbles, predictably ignoring the brush and continuing to pluck roughly with her fingers.
Kahlan laughs softly, shakes her head as she returns to brushing out her own long hair. Her gaze drifts to Dahlia, standing slightly apart and looking at Cara with a wounded expression on her face. When she notices Kahlan watching, Dahlia swiftly recovers, a mischievous smirk playing at her lips as she sidles up behind Cara.
"I could braid it for you," Dahlia offers, pulling Cara's hands away before they can make the knots even worse. "It's long enough." Cara tenses, but she doesn't shrug Dahlia off-a fact that hardly goes unnoticed by Kahlan.
A surge of jealous irritation flares in Kahlan's chest at the familiar way Dahlia's fingers slide through the blonde locks with a practiced ease, loosening some of the nastier tangles. Biting back the urge to snap at Dahlia-she is trying to get along with her, for Richard's sake-Kahlan all but shoves her brush into Cara's hands, giving her a pointed glance.
Cara's reaction is immediate; she takes the brush, shoving Dahlia's hands away from her as she begins to drag it through her hair. Her eyes remain locked on Kahlan's, flashing with guilt and apology, and Kahlan can't be mad at her; she knows that Dahlia was just playing on their shared history in yet another attempt to undermine Kahlan's place in Cara's life.
But when Kahlan turns to glare at Dahlia, she finds that her anger can't find purchase there either. Dahlia is smirking, of course, viewing Kahlan's possessive behavior as a victory, however small, but she can't disguise the pained yearning in her eyes as she looks down at Cara. In moments like this, it's easier to read Dahlia, to see the love and devotion that still burn so bright and clear in her, and it's hard to find fault in that.
Kahlan wishes she could hate her; it would make everything so much easier.
***
"I don't know why she doesn't just accept it," Cara grumbles moodily as she sinks to her knees.
Kahlan looks down at her, already breathing heavily from the deep, ardent kisses they've just shared. "Cara," she gasps, leaning back against the sturdy tree trunk behind her. "You know I love you, but do we really need to talk about Dahlia right now?"
Cara does her best to look chastened, but Kahlan can see that she is still preoccupied, even as she slides a practiced hand into the slit of Kahlan's traveling skirt, dragging her undergarments down her legs.
Then Cara is shoving aside the fabric of the skirt with one hand, holding it firmly up at Kahlan's hip, while the other slips between Kahlan's legs, gloved fingers slipping through slick folds. Kahlan groans, arching into the touch, and soon Dahlia couldn't be farther from her mind. There is only Cara; Cara's fingers sliding into her and curling just right, Cara's hand pressing into her hip, Cara's-oh, Cara's tongue, licking up the length of her sex, Cara's lips tugging her clit between sharp teeth and sucking hard.
It's too much; this is too dangerous. Kahlan's eyes shoot open; her hands leave the tree, tangling in Cara's hair and pulling her forcibly away before something terrible and irrevocable happens. Cara slides her fingers free, falling back onto her heels with a frustrated huff. Kahlan's own fingers swiftly replace Cara's mouth and find a quick, steady rhythm; she was already close, too close, and it takes only a few strokes before she is crying out, her hair catching on the bark of the tree as her head arches back against it.
Once her body begins to calm, and her skin no longer tingles with the release of her magic, Kahlan forces her eyes back open; when she is that close to release, she becomes oblivious to everything but her magic and the pleasure, and she is always terrified that Cara is going to push her luck and get herself confessed.
She looses a heavy sigh of relief as her eyes fall on Cara; her lover is still every bit herself, eagerly leaning forward to lap at the evidence of her release. Kahlan groans at the broad, soothing strokes of Cara's tongue, allowing Cara to continue until she feels the first twinges of her magic seeping back into her veins. Then she tugs Cara back up to her feet, drawing her into a long, languid kiss. A tiny whimper sounds in her throat as she tastes herself on Cara's lips and tongue.
Groaning, Cara pulls out of the kiss to rest her forehead against Kahlan's. "One of these days," she pants, her breath puffing against Kahlan's lips, "I'm going to feel you clenching around my fingers when you come."
The words spark fresh surge of arousal in Kahlan, and she lets out a low moan, pulling Cara's hips flush against her own. "Spirits," she gasps, trying desperately to remember all the reasons they can't do this. Even now, so recently sated, Kahlan wants Cara with a ferocity that stuns her. Cara drops her head to Kahlan's shoulder, sucking lazy kisses from her throat, and it takes all of Kahlan's willpower to tug her away. "When we find a Rada'Han," she vows, laboring to catch her breath, "I'm all yours."
Cara's sultry smirk turns grim. "Maybe then Dahlia will get the hint."
Kahlan slides her arms around Cara's waist, resting her head on a leather-clad shoulder so that Cara won't see the troubled look on her face.
***
"Come on, Seeker. Don't you want her back?"
Cara hears Dahlia's voice as she approaches the camp; she stops in her tracks, concealing herself behind the trunk of a tree to listen to the conversation. If Dahlia is plotting something, she wants to know about it.
Richard responds with a long-suffering sigh. "Dahlia, I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I'm not going to help you try to break them up."
"So you're going to give up, just like that? Let the woman you love be spirited away by a big bad Mord-Sith?"
"Kahlan is happy. That's all I ever wanted for her." Richard's voice is pained, but resigned; the way it always is when he has accepted a difficult truth. "If you loved Cara as much as you claim to, you would be happy for them too."
Dahlia scoffs. "Is that why you can hardly stand to be within ten paces of them? You don't seem very happy to me."
Cara has heard enough. Dahlia is not going to give up-she still knows her well enough to recognize that-and the more time Dahlia has alone with Richard the more likely he is to be swayed. She steps deliberately on a dry, brittle branch on the ground, snapping it loudly as she strides back into camp. Richard looks up at her with a panicked sort of guilt flashing through his eyes. Dahlia just smirks-as usual.
"Kahlan is filling the waterskins," she says smoothly, giving no indication of having heard Dahlia's failed attempts at scheming. "Are we ready to break camp?"
***
"Oh, Cara," Dahlia purrs, "when will you admit to yourself that she can't give you what I can?" She reaches a gloved hand up to stroke Cara's face, but it's stopped in mid-air by Cara's hand clamping around her wrist.
Their travels have finally brought them to an inn, and the room Cara has reserved for herself and Kahlan is becoming increasingly hot. Dahlia is standing far too close, her breasts pressing gently against Cara's, and Cara clings to every bit of her resolve. "When will you finally accept the truth?" Cara growls through her teeth. "You lost, Dahlia. You never even stood a chance."
The words hit their mark, Cara can see that much, but a small smile plays at Dahlia's lips. "You say that, but I can feel your breath quickening, hear the desire in your voice. You still want me."
Cara closes her eyes, swallows hard. Summoning her strength, she shoves Dahlia's hand away, stepping back and opening her eyes again. "I want Kahlan more." Her voice leaves no room for doubt, but Dahlia shows no sign of accepting defeat. Dahlia steps in to close the distance Cara has just put between them, and Cara fumbles for words, tries to think of something to say to get through to her.
She is spared the effort when the door to the room flies open. Kahlan bounds in with a breathless enthusiasm, the broad smile on her face falling only slightly as she takes in the sight of them standing so close together.
"Dahlia was just leaving," Cara grinds out, shooting Dahlia a venomous glare. Dahlia rolls her eyes and gives in, at least for the moment, turning and breezing out the door in a huff. Cara turns back to Kahlan. "She never did know when to quit."
Kahlan looks down at the floor, moving over to the dresser and lifting a velvet sack that Cara has just now noticed she was carrying. There's a heavy, muffled thunk as she sets it down on the wooden surface, and something tugs at the back of Cara's mind; she doesn't remember Kahlan saying she was looking to buy anything, but she feels like she should know what is in that bag.
Her musings are cut short when Kahlan turns back to her, a sad sort of resignation pulling at the corners of her eyes. She bites her lip, searching Cara's eyes for something, and she sighs when she seems to find it. "You still care for her."
There is no accusation in her tone, but panic flutters in Cara's chest nonetheless. "No," she says firmly, stepping closer to Kahlan and grabbing her hands. Her words are frantic, passionate, full of the urgent need to make Kahlan believe her. "Kahlan, I want you, I-" her throat seizes around the word, but she swallows hard, forcing it back open. Her fear is irrelevant if Kahlan thinks she's somehow not enough. "I love you," she finally says, so softly that even she can barely hear it.
The smile that leaps onto Kahlan's face is nearly blinding in its intensity. Cara scarcely has a moment to take it in, however, before Kahlan is in her arms, holding her tightly. "I love you too," she murmurs into Cara's neck.
Cara feels moisture on her cheek, and she pulls back to see Kahlan's eyes glittering with tears. Then Kahlan is surging forward, capturing Cara's mouth in a fervent kiss.
***
Kahlan finally breaks the kiss when it becomes necessary to breathe, her hands resting flat against the sides of Cara's face. The happiness that was threatening to burst from her chest has calmed a bit; she's waited what feels like a lifetime to hear Cara say those words, and she doesn't think anything could ever darken her memory of it. But Cara hasn't given her a real answer, and she knows what that means: she is right, and Cara still cares for Dahlia, still wants her. Still loves her.
The solution taking shape in her mind is one she would never have thought of before, let alone considered. Her heart aches at the idea of giving up any part of Cara, but she can't see any other way. She can see how hard it is for Cara to refuse Dahlia, and the idea of Cara hurting for no reason other than Kahlan's own selfish desire to have Cara all to herself hurts far more than the idea of making Cara happy, even if it means she has to share her.
Her pulse pounds in her ears as she steadily meets Cara's gaze; Cara's brow is furrowed with bewildered concern, and Kahlan takes a deep breath, willing the words to take form. "What if you didn't have to choose?" She turns her eyes to the dresser, and the small velvet bag resting on it. Cara follows her gaze, and Kahlan hears a small gasp as realization dawns.
She saw Cara trying to puzzle out what was in the sack, trying to place the muffled sound of cloth-covered metal on wood. The Rada'Han was a miraculous find, sitting in a market stall with a collection of random knickknacks. The trader had no idea what a treasure he had, and Kahlan made sure to overpay, though what he ended up accepting was still far less than the item's worth. Kahlan would have paid much, much more, just to see the look of hesitant wonder in Cara's eyes as she realizes that the last barrier between them is gone.
A nervous, exhilarated smile tugs at her lips as she looks back at Cara, allowing the revelation to sink in. For a moment, Cara just looks back at her in awe; then her smile fades as she processes Kahlan's question.
Cara shakes her head, as though she's not sure she heard correctly. "Kahlan-"
"I don't fault you for your desires, Cara," Kahlan says softly, earnestly. Her thumb strokes lightly at Cara's forehead, trying to smooth out the wrinkles there. "I only ask that you share them with me."
Arching an eyebrow, Cara scoffs loudly. "You and Dahlia can barely stand five paces apart without trying to kill each other."
Kahlan chuckles softly. Cara does have a point. "Well then I guess it's time to rectify that," she says with a sigh, her expression growing serious. With one hand on either side of Cara's neck, she drops a brief, firm kiss on her lips. "I love you, Cara. And so does she. I can respect that about her, at least."
"But this-"
"Is not so different than what we've already done." It is, Kahlan knows; it really is. What she's suggesting will change everything. It will take a lot of effort for her to get used to it, and she doesn't even want to imagine what Richard will think. But there is a guarded hope in Cara's eyes, like she's afraid to admit that she wants this, and that's enough. Kahlan can deal with a little discomfort, she can learn to share, if it means making Cara happy.
Cara breathes a shaky sigh, a fragile smile creeping onto her lips as she realizes that Kahlan is not going to take back her offer. Finally, she nods, her pulse pounding in her throat against Kahlan's palms. "If you're sure."
***
Dahlia stares back at them in disbelief, her gaze shifting between them warily as though she's trying to decide if this is some sort of trick. Cara can sympathize; she's still having a hard time that Kahlan would even agree to something like this, let alone be the one to suggest it.
"What would possibly give you the idea that I would be crazy enough to let a confessor touch me?" Dahlia finally asks, arms crossed over her chest and hips canted to the side.
Cara looks down at the velvet sack in her hands, then up at Kahlan, checking for the thousandth time that she is still all right with this.
"We thought maybe this might convince you," Kahlan says, giving Cara an encouraging nod.
The metal is cool as Cara slides it into her hand; a wide, plain band of steel, unremarkable except for the power that she can feel emanating from it. For a long moment, she can only stare, trying to wrap her mind around getting everything she wants in such a short span of time.
"All right." Dahlia's voice calls Cara's attention back to here and now, and Cara looks up with wide eyes. Dahlia's expression is full of bravado that Cara knows is false, and she's beset with the sudden urge to take Dahlia into her arms, to assure both Dahlia and herself that this is really happening. But this is Kahlan's idea, and for once in her life, Cara is reluctant to take the initiative.
Then Kahlan is standing before her, guiding her down into a firm, reassuring kiss. When she pulls back, it is only far enough to speak. "I'm all right, Cara," she murmurs, her lips brushing against Cara's with every word. "I want this for you."
A long look, heavy with meaning, passes between them, and Cara tries to convey everything she's feeling in this moment as Kahlan steps away from her. There is nothing left between her and Dahlia, and Cara feels a strange lightness in her chest as she closes the distance.
The first touch of their lips is soft, hesitant; it is the most tender kiss they have ever shared, and though Cara has had practice these past few weeks in learning to be gentle, somehow it is completely new and foreign to her to be kissing Dahlia this way.
It doesn't take long to get over their reluctance, and soon Dahlia's tongue is in her mouth, and her fingers are tugging at the laces of Dahlia's leather armor, loosening it with a practiced ease. She lets out a small gasp as Dahlia pulls her lower lip between sharp teeth, biting down just hard enough to sting.
Behind her, Cara can hear the rustling of fabric, the clacking of metal buckles, the loud thunk as Kahlan's boots are discarded. A loud snap indicates that Kahlan has put on the Rada'Han, and then Cara opens her eyes and Kahlan is there-naked-behind Dahlia, taking over the task of unlacing the back of her leathers.
~
Kahlan tries to suppress her smirk as Dahlia tenses under her touch, but it's really a losing battle to begin with. It's going to take some time to curb her competitive nature when it comes to Dahlia, but when she looks up to see the look of indulgent bliss on Cara's face as Dahlia sucks hard kisses from her neck, Kahlan knows it will be worth the effort.
Still, that doesn't mean she can't have a little fun. Her breasts slide against Dahlia's naked back as she leans forward, letting her lips brush against the shell of Dahlia's ear as she murmurs softly, "You can't have just her, Dahlia." Her lips curl into a smug smile as Dahlia shivers; from arousal or revulsion, it makes no difference to Kahlan. "It's both of us or nothing at all."
Dahlia freezes for a moment, and even without seeing her face, Kahlan knows that she is debating her next move. When she does decide, her movements are quick, catching Kahlan off guard as she turns away from Cara and pulls Kahlan into a rough, heated kiss.
The feel of a leathered hand cupping her neck is familiar, but Dahlia touches her in a way that is somehow very different from Cara. She is rough, demanding, with no hint of the emotion Kahlan is used to feeling with Cara. This is not a kiss-it is a battle of wills, Dahlia proving to both Kahlan and Cara that she can take whatever Kahlan can dish out. When she pulls back, she nips at Kahlan's lower lip, stopping just short of drawing blood.
Smirking, Dahlia turns her attention back to Cara, who is watching them with wide, hungry eyes. As Cara pulls Dahlia back in, Kahlan smiles, knowing that Cara is tasting her on Dahlia's lips.
~
Cara is still fully clothed, and already she thinks she might die if she does not get release soon. Dahlia's breasts are hot in Cara's gloved hands as Kahlan works the last of the laces at her back, sliding the leather down over Dahlia's hips.
Somehow, Cara manages to guide Dahlia over to the bed, pushing her back onto it and straddling her hips as Kahlan tugs off her boots and pulls the leathers the rest of the way off. Dahlia is naked beneath her, looking up at her through half-lidded eyes, and the sight is so familiar that for a split-second, Cara is back in her room at the temple, as though the past year never happened.
The mattress dips as Kahlan climbs onto the bed behind her, deft fingers working at the laces at the base of her neck. Cara shakes her head, smiling a little as she palms Dahlia's breasts. This is far better than anything she ever had at the temple. Dahlia's nipples are hard against her hands, and Cara pinches and tugs at them, drawing little gasps and moans from Dahlia's throat as Kahlan works feverishly to free her of the constraints of her leathers.
Kahlan manages to loosen the laces down to Cara's waist, slipping her hands inside to slide along the warm skin of her back. Cara groans as those hands curve around to her front, cupping her breasts under the leather as Kahlan's lips drag along her shoulder-blades. Then Kahlan is tugging her back, sliding the leather down her arms to pool at her waist. Her gloves are summarily tossed aside, and Cara turns back to capture Kahlan's mouth in an ardent kiss, tongue snaking out to swipe along her lower lip.
Dahlia's hips jerk insistently under her, and Cara smiles into Kahlan's lips before pulling away, turning back to her other lover. Her breasts press into Dahlia's as she leans forward, nipping her way up Dahlia's neck before claiming her mouth once more
Cara feels Kahlan's fingers fumbling with the holster on her thigh, loosening the buckles and pulling it and the belt free. Kahlan makes a move to get off of the bed, holding the belt away from her to avoid accidental contact with the agiels, and Cara reaches out to stop her.
"Leave them." Her voice is rough with desire, but there is more to this request than mere pleasure. If Kahlan truly wants this, the three of them together, she needs to know what she's getting into; and that means getting a glimpse of how Mord-Sith fuck. If she can't deal with it, it's better to know now, before they all get in too deep.
Of course, Kahlan never fails to surprise Cara; her eyes grow wide as Cara's meaning sets in, but her lips curve into a sultry smirk, and she places the belt back down on the bed next to them. Cara lets out a sigh, not realizing until now that she was holding her breath. She grins, reaching for one of the weapons and turning back to Dahlia.
A loud, appreciative moan escapes Dahlia's throat as Cara lowers the agiel to her chest. Dark tendrils of pain stand out starkly against her pale skin, painting morbid designs that vanish as quickly as they appear.
Kahlan continues to work at Cara's leathers as Cara teases Dahlia with the agiel, lingering and twisting in all the places she remembers. Dahlia writhes beneath her, hands clenching at the pillow under her head.
"Cara," Dahlia says with a breathy moan. "Fuck me."
Lips twisting into a smirk, Cara pulls the agiel away from Dahlia's skin. "Patience, Dahlia."
There is a moment of awkward maneuvering as Kahlan pulls Cara's leather down over her legs, and then Cara is as naked as her lovers. She settles back over Dahlia, sitting back on her heels as she drags the weapon over Dahlia's abdomen, drifting closer to where she knows Dahlia is wet and ready.
"Cara, please," Dahlia begs, her hips arching up insistently.
"Well, since you asked so nicely," Cara says with a smirk, sliding the tip of the agiel down between slick folds, her free hand holding Dahlia's hip firmly against the bed.
As she teases at the entrance of Dahlia's cunt, Cara realizes that Kahlan's hands have stilled in their eager exploration of her back. She worries briefly that perhaps her fears were well founded, that something-the agiels, Dahlia, anything-is enough to convince Kahlan that she can't do this, after all.
She should know better. A split-second before she's about to turn and ask Kahlan if she wants to stop-as much as Cara thinks it might kill her to do so-she feels the sharp sting of her other agiel between her shoulder-blades. She lets out a sharp, pleasurable hiss, and Dahlia's eyes shoot open, her curiosity too strong. Cara smirks as Dahlia's eyes widen at the sight of Kahlan wielding an agiel.
"You'll soon find that Kahlan is full of surprises, Dahlia," Cara purrs, arching her back into Kahlan's touch as she returns her attention to her previous task. Dahlia's eyes slam shut again as Cara pushes the agiel deep into her cunt, dragging slowly in and out.
Cara tries to shift back, but Kahlan is behind her, and the bed is not that big. Seeing her dilemma, Kahlan slides to her feet, standing at the foot of the bed as Cara lowers her mouth between Dahlia's legs. The agiel's magic hums against her lips as she sucks Dahlia's clit into her mouth, fucking into her with steadily increasing strokes.
Kahlan is anything but idle, her free hand sliding over Cara's back and down over her ass as she teases at Cara's inner thighs with the other agiel. As Dahlia cries out her release, writhing and jerking into Cara's mouth, Kahlan thrusts forward into Cara; it's all Cara can do to hold herself up, her agiel abandoned in Dahlia's cunt as she slams her hips back against Kahlan.
Dahlia is too sated to scowl, and she slides the agiel out of herself, shifting under Cara until she can press it to Cara's clit. Cara's breasts slide over Dahlia's as her body is rocked by Kahlan's thrusts, and Cara finds herself tugged down into a heated kiss as she careens over the edge.
~
Kahlan's arm aches as she pulls the agiel out of Cara's sex, dropping it onto the pile of leather on the ground. She's proven that she can handle it, but she will readily admit that her threshold for the pain of the agiel is far below that of Cara or Dahlia.
Cara is still hovering over Dahlia, her arms trembling as she catches her breath, and Kahlan is struck by the urgent need to see her lover's face. She climbs back onto the bed, lying beside them and propping herself up on an elbow. Cara's hair is falling around her face in a thick curtain, and Kahlan reaches up to tuck it behind Cara's ear, pressing her palm to a flushed cheek. Cara looks up to meet her gaze with a feral grin, and Kahlan is reminded of how insatiable she is.
It's a lesson Kahlan doesn't mind learning over and over again. Cara quickly has her flat on her back, sweat-slick breasts sliding against her own as their lips and tongues tangle feverishly. Dahlia's taste is sharp on Cara's tongue, but Kahlan finds she doesn't mind; it's not important, not now. She is ever aware of the heavy weight of the Rada'Han around her neck, and hot tendrils of anticipation curl out from her stomach, sparking in her blood in the way that her magic cannot.
The collar does not go unnoticed by Cara either; she grins eagerly as she fits their hips together in a familiar configuration. Kahlan moans, arching her head back into the bed as her mind is flooded with memories of that first night, of the heat of Cara's body and the chill of the air and the weight of Dahlia's eyes boring into them.
A vindictive sort of satisfaction flares in Kahlan's chest at Dahlia being forced to watch, now, the way that she was forced to lie still and listen that night by the fire. But her vision is filled with Cara, full breasts swaying as she grinds down into Kahlan. Dahlia may as well not exist in this moment, as Kahlan gasps and meets Cara's every movement, pleasure racing through her body and building until Kahlan is sure she will burst with it.
That's what it feels like, as Kahlan climaxes against Cara's sex; like she's being pulled apart at the seams, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces and being put back together again all in the span of a few seconds. Cara gasps out her own release not long after, falling forward to lean on her elbows as she drops her mouth to Kahlan's. The kiss is sweet, unhurried, filled with the relief of finally being able to share this without fearing for Cara's life.
Their eyes meet as Cara finally pulls away, and Kahlan is surprised when Cara beats her to speaking. "I love you," she says, soft and fierce at the same time, the words barely a breath on her lips.
Kahlan smiles broadly, tugging Cara's lips back down to hers for another kiss. She is all too aware of Dahlia's eyes on them, can feel the other woman shifting awkwardly on the other side of the bed. She knows that Cara is just as aware, and it makes the words mean that much more.
But Cara is not finished, and when she pulls away again, Kahlan barely has the chance to gasp out the words in response before Cara is sliding down her body, dipping nimble fingers into the slick heat of her sex. Kahlan groans, jerks against Cara's hand, her fingers tangling in blonde hair as Cara's mouth covers her clit, sucking and licking in ways that Cara has perfected over the past weeks, but that Kahlan has been too afraid to let herself enjoy.
Kahlan is barely aware of Dahlia's weight sliding off of the bed, but when Cara moans indulgently into her sex, she can imagine what Dahlia is doing. She can't pay it much notice, though; not with Cara's fingers curling inside her and Cara's lips around her clit and spirits she didn't even think she could do this again so soon but she is, she's crying out and clutching at the blankets as her body pulses and throbs with pleasure.
~
This could easily become an addiction. Cara absentmindedly pushes back to meet Dahlia's thrusts, but her attention is fixed on Kahlan arching and writhing beneath her.
"Enough," Kahlan finally gasps, shoving weakly at Cara's hand. "I can't."
Her timing couldn't be more perfect, as Dahlia's fingers find that spot inside Cara and rub against it with every thrust. Cara comes again, her eyes locked on Kahlan's as she groans out her release. When she starts to recover, Kahlan's gaze flicks pointedly over her shoulder, and Cara follows it to find Dahlia looking at her with a mixture of arousal and irritation.
Dahlia's fingers slide free as Cara turns, pulling Dahlia's body flush against her own. Several heated kisses and a good amount of maneuvering later, Cara and Dahlia are both kneeling on the bed, fingers buried in each other's cunts.
Cara feels Kahlan press up behind her, hand snaking down between her and Dahlia to rub at her clit. Dahlia tenses against her, and Cara pulls away just far enough to look down and see that Kahlan's hand is bumping against Dahlia's thigh with every stroke of her fingers. Smirking, Cara raises an eyebrow at Dahlia, daring her to protest. Instead, Dahlia just tugs Cara back in with her free hand, thrusting harder and increasing the rhythm of her own hips.
After they have all been well satisfied, they collapse onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. Cara is not quite sure where they go from here; she understands sex, but being in a relationship is something that Kahlan is still teaching her about.
Kahlan smiles, dropping a soft kiss onto Cara's lips before nodding pointedly to where Dahlia is glancing awkwardly over at them. The message is clear: don't let her leave. Cara rolls over, nudging Dahlia up onto her side.
"What are you-" Dahlia's protest cuts short as Cara presses herself against her back, sliding an arm around her ribs.
"Just relax," Cara says softly, her voice tender in a way that is usually reserved for Kahlan alone. She's starting to believe this might actually work.
~
Quietly slipping to her feet, Kahlan pads over to the dresser to collect the key to the Rada'Han. After unlocking it and carefully replacing it in the velvet sack, she turns back to the bed. Cara has managed to wrangle Dahlia into actually cuddling, which must be a good sign. She is eager to join them-or Cara, at least-and climbs back onto the bed.
Pulling the blankets up from where they were kicked nearly to the floor, Kahlan draws them over Cara and Dahlia first, sliding up behind Cara to cover herself as well. Her hand glides over Cara's hip, brushing against Dahlia's in the process, and Dahlia tenses at the contact. Cara's bicep flexes as she tightens her arm around Dahlia reassuringly.
Kahlan's not sure where they will go from here, how this will work. There is still much to consider, and it won't be easy. But when she slides her hand farther, to rest flat against Dahlia's stomach, Dahlia doesn't pull away, and this is more of a victory than they could have hoped for.
end.
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan, Cara/Dahlia/Kahlan
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Erm...agiel!sex? It's pretty mild.
Word Count: 6940
Disclaimer: They're not mine, but really...don't you think this show would have been more fun to watch?
Summary: Written for Porn Battle XIII. Prompts: Cara/Kahlan/Dahlia, sharing, agiels. Followup to Like The Way I Do, in which Cara discovers that it's not so easy to choose, and Kahlan realizes that maybe she doesn't have to.
Author's Notes: So, I somehow managed to write an OT3 fic that's really mostly a Cara/Kahlan romance...which, given my usual audience, I think is somewhere right around perfect. If you're strict about not wanting any other girlparts getting mixed up with Cara and Kahlan's girlparts, this might by one to avoid, however (or, at least, to stop reading about 2/3 of the way through, cause up 'til then you'll be golden).
It's only been a couple of weeks, and Kahlan already knows she'll never get enough of this. Cara is laid out naked beneath her, eyes dark as she looks up at Kahlan. The afternoon sun filters through the branches of the trees, casting patterned shadows over the sensuous curves of Cara's body.
"You're staring again," Cara teases softly, her voice rough with want.
Kahlan flushes red, a bashful smile stealing over her lips. "Sorry," she replies, in a way that tells Cara exactly how sorry she's not. Leaning down, she captures Cara's mouth in a deep, lingering kiss, the stiff leather of her corset an ever-present barrier between them. She hasn't dared let Cara undress her since that first night, when Cara came so close to being confessed. If it hadn't been for Dahlia...
But Dahlia is not here now, and Cara is warm and responsive beneath her. Kahlan pushes back up onto her elbow, drawing a soft groan of protest from Cara's throat as she breaks the kiss. Slowly, deliberately, her fingertips follow a path they've come to know well, teasing and stroking down Cara's chest and abdomen as she lowers her mouth to Cara's neck. The twitch of Cara's hips under her fingers brings a small smirk to her lips. Not so long ago, she was afraid that she couldn't be enough for Cara; a fear that has been well and truly banished by the countless gasps and moans she's coaxed from her lover over the past two weeks.
Cara hisses indulgently as Kahlan's fingers dip into the generous moisture between her legs. Kahlan licks her lips, her pulse quickening as she slides two fingers into Cara's welcoming heat. Cara groans, arches into her hand, and Kahlan feels an answering clench in her own sex. Dropping one last kiss on Cara's collarbone, Kahlan rises up onto her knees to get a better angle, adding a third finger and pumping into Cara with a steadily increasing rhythm.
Their chests are both heaving, breath coming in quick, shallow pants, when the sound of a twig snapping underfoot reaches their ears. Kahlan's head shoots up, her gaze turning cold when she recognizes the intruder. Dahlia is smirking as she leans against a tree, arms casually crossed over her ribs.
"Lord Rahl was asking for you," Dahlia says smoothly to Cara, as though they were having idle conversation over supper. Her lips quirk with wry amusement. "I volunteered to give you the message."
Kahlan's eyes narrow into thin slits as she peers at the leather-clad woman. She still can't read Dahlia, not quite; certainly not well enough to know if she's telling the truth about this. A quick glance down tells her that Cara doesn't have any more idea than she does. But if Richard needs Cara for something, it's likely important; he's been staunchly avoiding unnecessary contact with either of them ever since Kahlan told him how her feelings have changed.
With an irritated sigh, Kahlan starts to pull her fingers free of Cara, only to be stopped by a strong hand around her wrist. When she looks back up, Cara is looking at her with a determined heat, and Kahlan quickly understands; whether this is Richard's doing or Dahlia's, Cara has no intention of letting it disrupt their activities.
Warmth flushes Kahlan's cheeks; she can feel Dahlia's eyes on them, watching with jealous interest, and that anxious hesitance she felt that first night comes flooding back. Closing her eyes, she focuses on the wet pulsing of Cara's sex around her fingers, the insistent arch of Cara's hips. She knows this. Cara's pleasure comes naturally to her now, regardless of whether or not Dahlia is watching them. Besides, Kahlan muses, it's nothing Dahlia hasn't seen before.
Mere weeks ago Kahlan would have been shocked to find herself doing this at all, let alone with an audience; but her feelings for Cara-and Dahlia's ceaseless attempts to undermine their budding relationship-have loosened her inhibitions, and made her bold. Forcing thoughts of Dahlia from her mind, Kahlan opens her eyes again, fixing them on Cara's as she begins to thrust again.
When Cara comes, it is with a loud, appreciative groan, Kahlan's name on her lips. A breathless smirk twists Kahlan's mouth as she defiantly meets Dahlia's gaze once more.
***
Irritation surges in Cara's chest as they make their way back to camp. It frustrates her that she cannot tell if Dahlia is lying or not. There was a time when she could have seen every thought in Dahlia's head, almost before the other woman even thought it. The months they've spent apart have separated them by more than mere distance.
"What's so important, Seeker?" she asks irately when they arrive. She and Kahlan haven't been deliberately cruel in pointing out the purpose of their regular private walks, but they certainly don't attempt to disguise their intentions. Richard knows full well what they were doing. She knows he's having trouble adjusting to her relationship with Kahlan, but she'd thought him above petty games of jealousy.
When Richard looks up from where he's hunched over a map drawn in the dirt, his brow is furrowed in confusion as his eyes flit between Cara and Kahlan. "I didn't think you two would be back for a while."
A familiar twinge of guilt flares in Cara's chest at the stifled pain in his expression, but it's quickly overwhelmed by the understanding that dawns on her as she shifts her gaze to a smirking Dahlia. It's not Richard that's playing games. "So, you didn't tell Dahlia to come get me."
Richard shakes his head. "No," he replies, his voice strained. "We were trying to figure out the best way to cross the Barrier Peaks, and I mentioned that you might have an idea." His voice softens as he seeks out Cara's gaze, his eyes shining with sincerity. "Cara, I wouldn't..."
"No, you wouldn't," Cara says tightly, her hand closing around an agiel at her side as she turns her narrowed gaze on Dahlia. The familiar hum of pain manages to quell the anger surging in her chest, at least enough to make it manageable. For some reason, Richard doesn't approve of the idea of hurting Dahlia, no matter how much she may deserve it.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that getting that stone to the Pillars of Creation is of dire importance," Dahlia says with a dismissive shrug. "I merely thought to speed along our progress." A calculating smirk touches her lips as she breezes past Cara, her fingertips sliding deliberately across Cara's back as she moves to kneel next to Richard.
Cara stiffens at the touch, clenching her jaw as she holds tight to her agiel. Her grip only loosens when she feels the familiar warmth of Kahlan's hand resting gently at the base of her spine. They've tried to avoid being overly physical in Richard's presence, out of respect for his feelings, but Kahlan has managed to find a number of ways of reassuring Cara without being too obvious.
It's been more helpful than Kahlan knows; at least, Cara certainly hopes that Kahlan isn't aware of how difficult it is for her to reject Dahlia's advances. It was so easy, that first night, to fall back into old habits. Her time with Dahlia, as a Mord-Sith serving under Darken Rahl, had been locked away in the back of her mind, purposefully shoved away in favor of serving Richard. Once she saw Dahlia again, gave in to the desire that was far too easy for Dahlia to ignite in her, the memories came rushing back. Now that Cara has opened that door again, it's not so easy to close.
That hasn't stopped her from trying, of course. She has Kahlan now; truly has her, as completely as anyone could. Kahlan is everything she was always taught to hate, and more than she could ever deserve. The warm, full sensation that swells in her chest just feeling Kahlan's presence beside her is enough to make Cara very sure that she has made the right choice.
She just wishes she didn't have to keep making that choice on an almost hourly basis.
***
The next morning, Kahlan watches with amusement as Cara tugs gloved fingers angrily through her hair. "Cara, you know you're welcome to use my brush," she says with a fond smile, holding out the item in question. She knows it's a futile gesture; she's made the offer time and again, but Cara is too stubborn for her own good.
"I should just cut it off again," Cara grumbles, predictably ignoring the brush and continuing to pluck roughly with her fingers.
Kahlan laughs softly, shakes her head as she returns to brushing out her own long hair. Her gaze drifts to Dahlia, standing slightly apart and looking at Cara with a wounded expression on her face. When she notices Kahlan watching, Dahlia swiftly recovers, a mischievous smirk playing at her lips as she sidles up behind Cara.
"I could braid it for you," Dahlia offers, pulling Cara's hands away before they can make the knots even worse. "It's long enough." Cara tenses, but she doesn't shrug Dahlia off-a fact that hardly goes unnoticed by Kahlan.
A surge of jealous irritation flares in Kahlan's chest at the familiar way Dahlia's fingers slide through the blonde locks with a practiced ease, loosening some of the nastier tangles. Biting back the urge to snap at Dahlia-she is trying to get along with her, for Richard's sake-Kahlan all but shoves her brush into Cara's hands, giving her a pointed glance.
Cara's reaction is immediate; she takes the brush, shoving Dahlia's hands away from her as she begins to drag it through her hair. Her eyes remain locked on Kahlan's, flashing with guilt and apology, and Kahlan can't be mad at her; she knows that Dahlia was just playing on their shared history in yet another attempt to undermine Kahlan's place in Cara's life.
But when Kahlan turns to glare at Dahlia, she finds that her anger can't find purchase there either. Dahlia is smirking, of course, viewing Kahlan's possessive behavior as a victory, however small, but she can't disguise the pained yearning in her eyes as she looks down at Cara. In moments like this, it's easier to read Dahlia, to see the love and devotion that still burn so bright and clear in her, and it's hard to find fault in that.
Kahlan wishes she could hate her; it would make everything so much easier.
***
"I don't know why she doesn't just accept it," Cara grumbles moodily as she sinks to her knees.
Kahlan looks down at her, already breathing heavily from the deep, ardent kisses they've just shared. "Cara," she gasps, leaning back against the sturdy tree trunk behind her. "You know I love you, but do we really need to talk about Dahlia right now?"
Cara does her best to look chastened, but Kahlan can see that she is still preoccupied, even as she slides a practiced hand into the slit of Kahlan's traveling skirt, dragging her undergarments down her legs.
Then Cara is shoving aside the fabric of the skirt with one hand, holding it firmly up at Kahlan's hip, while the other slips between Kahlan's legs, gloved fingers slipping through slick folds. Kahlan groans, arching into the touch, and soon Dahlia couldn't be farther from her mind. There is only Cara; Cara's fingers sliding into her and curling just right, Cara's hand pressing into her hip, Cara's-oh, Cara's tongue, licking up the length of her sex, Cara's lips tugging her clit between sharp teeth and sucking hard.
It's too much; this is too dangerous. Kahlan's eyes shoot open; her hands leave the tree, tangling in Cara's hair and pulling her forcibly away before something terrible and irrevocable happens. Cara slides her fingers free, falling back onto her heels with a frustrated huff. Kahlan's own fingers swiftly replace Cara's mouth and find a quick, steady rhythm; she was already close, too close, and it takes only a few strokes before she is crying out, her hair catching on the bark of the tree as her head arches back against it.
Once her body begins to calm, and her skin no longer tingles with the release of her magic, Kahlan forces her eyes back open; when she is that close to release, she becomes oblivious to everything but her magic and the pleasure, and she is always terrified that Cara is going to push her luck and get herself confessed.
She looses a heavy sigh of relief as her eyes fall on Cara; her lover is still every bit herself, eagerly leaning forward to lap at the evidence of her release. Kahlan groans at the broad, soothing strokes of Cara's tongue, allowing Cara to continue until she feels the first twinges of her magic seeping back into her veins. Then she tugs Cara back up to her feet, drawing her into a long, languid kiss. A tiny whimper sounds in her throat as she tastes herself on Cara's lips and tongue.
Groaning, Cara pulls out of the kiss to rest her forehead against Kahlan's. "One of these days," she pants, her breath puffing against Kahlan's lips, "I'm going to feel you clenching around my fingers when you come."
The words spark fresh surge of arousal in Kahlan, and she lets out a low moan, pulling Cara's hips flush against her own. "Spirits," she gasps, trying desperately to remember all the reasons they can't do this. Even now, so recently sated, Kahlan wants Cara with a ferocity that stuns her. Cara drops her head to Kahlan's shoulder, sucking lazy kisses from her throat, and it takes all of Kahlan's willpower to tug her away. "When we find a Rada'Han," she vows, laboring to catch her breath, "I'm all yours."
Cara's sultry smirk turns grim. "Maybe then Dahlia will get the hint."
Kahlan slides her arms around Cara's waist, resting her head on a leather-clad shoulder so that Cara won't see the troubled look on her face.
***
"Come on, Seeker. Don't you want her back?"
Cara hears Dahlia's voice as she approaches the camp; she stops in her tracks, concealing herself behind the trunk of a tree to listen to the conversation. If Dahlia is plotting something, she wants to know about it.
Richard responds with a long-suffering sigh. "Dahlia, I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I'm not going to help you try to break them up."
"So you're going to give up, just like that? Let the woman you love be spirited away by a big bad Mord-Sith?"
"Kahlan is happy. That's all I ever wanted for her." Richard's voice is pained, but resigned; the way it always is when he has accepted a difficult truth. "If you loved Cara as much as you claim to, you would be happy for them too."
Dahlia scoffs. "Is that why you can hardly stand to be within ten paces of them? You don't seem very happy to me."
Cara has heard enough. Dahlia is not going to give up-she still knows her well enough to recognize that-and the more time Dahlia has alone with Richard the more likely he is to be swayed. She steps deliberately on a dry, brittle branch on the ground, snapping it loudly as she strides back into camp. Richard looks up at her with a panicked sort of guilt flashing through his eyes. Dahlia just smirks-as usual.
"Kahlan is filling the waterskins," she says smoothly, giving no indication of having heard Dahlia's failed attempts at scheming. "Are we ready to break camp?"
***
"Oh, Cara," Dahlia purrs, "when will you admit to yourself that she can't give you what I can?" She reaches a gloved hand up to stroke Cara's face, but it's stopped in mid-air by Cara's hand clamping around her wrist.
Their travels have finally brought them to an inn, and the room Cara has reserved for herself and Kahlan is becoming increasingly hot. Dahlia is standing far too close, her breasts pressing gently against Cara's, and Cara clings to every bit of her resolve. "When will you finally accept the truth?" Cara growls through her teeth. "You lost, Dahlia. You never even stood a chance."
The words hit their mark, Cara can see that much, but a small smile plays at Dahlia's lips. "You say that, but I can feel your breath quickening, hear the desire in your voice. You still want me."
Cara closes her eyes, swallows hard. Summoning her strength, she shoves Dahlia's hand away, stepping back and opening her eyes again. "I want Kahlan more." Her voice leaves no room for doubt, but Dahlia shows no sign of accepting defeat. Dahlia steps in to close the distance Cara has just put between them, and Cara fumbles for words, tries to think of something to say to get through to her.
She is spared the effort when the door to the room flies open. Kahlan bounds in with a breathless enthusiasm, the broad smile on her face falling only slightly as she takes in the sight of them standing so close together.
"Dahlia was just leaving," Cara grinds out, shooting Dahlia a venomous glare. Dahlia rolls her eyes and gives in, at least for the moment, turning and breezing out the door in a huff. Cara turns back to Kahlan. "She never did know when to quit."
Kahlan looks down at the floor, moving over to the dresser and lifting a velvet sack that Cara has just now noticed she was carrying. There's a heavy, muffled thunk as she sets it down on the wooden surface, and something tugs at the back of Cara's mind; she doesn't remember Kahlan saying she was looking to buy anything, but she feels like she should know what is in that bag.
Her musings are cut short when Kahlan turns back to her, a sad sort of resignation pulling at the corners of her eyes. She bites her lip, searching Cara's eyes for something, and she sighs when she seems to find it. "You still care for her."
There is no accusation in her tone, but panic flutters in Cara's chest nonetheless. "No," she says firmly, stepping closer to Kahlan and grabbing her hands. Her words are frantic, passionate, full of the urgent need to make Kahlan believe her. "Kahlan, I want you, I-" her throat seizes around the word, but she swallows hard, forcing it back open. Her fear is irrelevant if Kahlan thinks she's somehow not enough. "I love you," she finally says, so softly that even she can barely hear it.
The smile that leaps onto Kahlan's face is nearly blinding in its intensity. Cara scarcely has a moment to take it in, however, before Kahlan is in her arms, holding her tightly. "I love you too," she murmurs into Cara's neck.
Cara feels moisture on her cheek, and she pulls back to see Kahlan's eyes glittering with tears. Then Kahlan is surging forward, capturing Cara's mouth in a fervent kiss.
***
Kahlan finally breaks the kiss when it becomes necessary to breathe, her hands resting flat against the sides of Cara's face. The happiness that was threatening to burst from her chest has calmed a bit; she's waited what feels like a lifetime to hear Cara say those words, and she doesn't think anything could ever darken her memory of it. But Cara hasn't given her a real answer, and she knows what that means: she is right, and Cara still cares for Dahlia, still wants her. Still loves her.
The solution taking shape in her mind is one she would never have thought of before, let alone considered. Her heart aches at the idea of giving up any part of Cara, but she can't see any other way. She can see how hard it is for Cara to refuse Dahlia, and the idea of Cara hurting for no reason other than Kahlan's own selfish desire to have Cara all to herself hurts far more than the idea of making Cara happy, even if it means she has to share her.
Her pulse pounds in her ears as she steadily meets Cara's gaze; Cara's brow is furrowed with bewildered concern, and Kahlan takes a deep breath, willing the words to take form. "What if you didn't have to choose?" She turns her eyes to the dresser, and the small velvet bag resting on it. Cara follows her gaze, and Kahlan hears a small gasp as realization dawns.
She saw Cara trying to puzzle out what was in the sack, trying to place the muffled sound of cloth-covered metal on wood. The Rada'Han was a miraculous find, sitting in a market stall with a collection of random knickknacks. The trader had no idea what a treasure he had, and Kahlan made sure to overpay, though what he ended up accepting was still far less than the item's worth. Kahlan would have paid much, much more, just to see the look of hesitant wonder in Cara's eyes as she realizes that the last barrier between them is gone.
A nervous, exhilarated smile tugs at her lips as she looks back at Cara, allowing the revelation to sink in. For a moment, Cara just looks back at her in awe; then her smile fades as she processes Kahlan's question.
Cara shakes her head, as though she's not sure she heard correctly. "Kahlan-"
"I don't fault you for your desires, Cara," Kahlan says softly, earnestly. Her thumb strokes lightly at Cara's forehead, trying to smooth out the wrinkles there. "I only ask that you share them with me."
Arching an eyebrow, Cara scoffs loudly. "You and Dahlia can barely stand five paces apart without trying to kill each other."
Kahlan chuckles softly. Cara does have a point. "Well then I guess it's time to rectify that," she says with a sigh, her expression growing serious. With one hand on either side of Cara's neck, she drops a brief, firm kiss on her lips. "I love you, Cara. And so does she. I can respect that about her, at least."
"But this-"
"Is not so different than what we've already done." It is, Kahlan knows; it really is. What she's suggesting will change everything. It will take a lot of effort for her to get used to it, and she doesn't even want to imagine what Richard will think. But there is a guarded hope in Cara's eyes, like she's afraid to admit that she wants this, and that's enough. Kahlan can deal with a little discomfort, she can learn to share, if it means making Cara happy.
Cara breathes a shaky sigh, a fragile smile creeping onto her lips as she realizes that Kahlan is not going to take back her offer. Finally, she nods, her pulse pounding in her throat against Kahlan's palms. "If you're sure."
***
Dahlia stares back at them in disbelief, her gaze shifting between them warily as though she's trying to decide if this is some sort of trick. Cara can sympathize; she's still having a hard time that Kahlan would even agree to something like this, let alone be the one to suggest it.
"What would possibly give you the idea that I would be crazy enough to let a confessor touch me?" Dahlia finally asks, arms crossed over her chest and hips canted to the side.
Cara looks down at the velvet sack in her hands, then up at Kahlan, checking for the thousandth time that she is still all right with this.
"We thought maybe this might convince you," Kahlan says, giving Cara an encouraging nod.
The metal is cool as Cara slides it into her hand; a wide, plain band of steel, unremarkable except for the power that she can feel emanating from it. For a long moment, she can only stare, trying to wrap her mind around getting everything she wants in such a short span of time.
"All right." Dahlia's voice calls Cara's attention back to here and now, and Cara looks up with wide eyes. Dahlia's expression is full of bravado that Cara knows is false, and she's beset with the sudden urge to take Dahlia into her arms, to assure both Dahlia and herself that this is really happening. But this is Kahlan's idea, and for once in her life, Cara is reluctant to take the initiative.
Then Kahlan is standing before her, guiding her down into a firm, reassuring kiss. When she pulls back, it is only far enough to speak. "I'm all right, Cara," she murmurs, her lips brushing against Cara's with every word. "I want this for you."
A long look, heavy with meaning, passes between them, and Cara tries to convey everything she's feeling in this moment as Kahlan steps away from her. There is nothing left between her and Dahlia, and Cara feels a strange lightness in her chest as she closes the distance.
The first touch of their lips is soft, hesitant; it is the most tender kiss they have ever shared, and though Cara has had practice these past few weeks in learning to be gentle, somehow it is completely new and foreign to her to be kissing Dahlia this way.
It doesn't take long to get over their reluctance, and soon Dahlia's tongue is in her mouth, and her fingers are tugging at the laces of Dahlia's leather armor, loosening it with a practiced ease. She lets out a small gasp as Dahlia pulls her lower lip between sharp teeth, biting down just hard enough to sting.
Behind her, Cara can hear the rustling of fabric, the clacking of metal buckles, the loud thunk as Kahlan's boots are discarded. A loud snap indicates that Kahlan has put on the Rada'Han, and then Cara opens her eyes and Kahlan is there-naked-behind Dahlia, taking over the task of unlacing the back of her leathers.
~
Kahlan tries to suppress her smirk as Dahlia tenses under her touch, but it's really a losing battle to begin with. It's going to take some time to curb her competitive nature when it comes to Dahlia, but when she looks up to see the look of indulgent bliss on Cara's face as Dahlia sucks hard kisses from her neck, Kahlan knows it will be worth the effort.
Still, that doesn't mean she can't have a little fun. Her breasts slide against Dahlia's naked back as she leans forward, letting her lips brush against the shell of Dahlia's ear as she murmurs softly, "You can't have just her, Dahlia." Her lips curl into a smug smile as Dahlia shivers; from arousal or revulsion, it makes no difference to Kahlan. "It's both of us or nothing at all."
Dahlia freezes for a moment, and even without seeing her face, Kahlan knows that she is debating her next move. When she does decide, her movements are quick, catching Kahlan off guard as she turns away from Cara and pulls Kahlan into a rough, heated kiss.
The feel of a leathered hand cupping her neck is familiar, but Dahlia touches her in a way that is somehow very different from Cara. She is rough, demanding, with no hint of the emotion Kahlan is used to feeling with Cara. This is not a kiss-it is a battle of wills, Dahlia proving to both Kahlan and Cara that she can take whatever Kahlan can dish out. When she pulls back, she nips at Kahlan's lower lip, stopping just short of drawing blood.
Smirking, Dahlia turns her attention back to Cara, who is watching them with wide, hungry eyes. As Cara pulls Dahlia back in, Kahlan smiles, knowing that Cara is tasting her on Dahlia's lips.
~
Cara is still fully clothed, and already she thinks she might die if she does not get release soon. Dahlia's breasts are hot in Cara's gloved hands as Kahlan works the last of the laces at her back, sliding the leather down over Dahlia's hips.
Somehow, Cara manages to guide Dahlia over to the bed, pushing her back onto it and straddling her hips as Kahlan tugs off her boots and pulls the leathers the rest of the way off. Dahlia is naked beneath her, looking up at her through half-lidded eyes, and the sight is so familiar that for a split-second, Cara is back in her room at the temple, as though the past year never happened.
The mattress dips as Kahlan climbs onto the bed behind her, deft fingers working at the laces at the base of her neck. Cara shakes her head, smiling a little as she palms Dahlia's breasts. This is far better than anything she ever had at the temple. Dahlia's nipples are hard against her hands, and Cara pinches and tugs at them, drawing little gasps and moans from Dahlia's throat as Kahlan works feverishly to free her of the constraints of her leathers.
Kahlan manages to loosen the laces down to Cara's waist, slipping her hands inside to slide along the warm skin of her back. Cara groans as those hands curve around to her front, cupping her breasts under the leather as Kahlan's lips drag along her shoulder-blades. Then Kahlan is tugging her back, sliding the leather down her arms to pool at her waist. Her gloves are summarily tossed aside, and Cara turns back to capture Kahlan's mouth in an ardent kiss, tongue snaking out to swipe along her lower lip.
Dahlia's hips jerk insistently under her, and Cara smiles into Kahlan's lips before pulling away, turning back to her other lover. Her breasts press into Dahlia's as she leans forward, nipping her way up Dahlia's neck before claiming her mouth once more
Cara feels Kahlan's fingers fumbling with the holster on her thigh, loosening the buckles and pulling it and the belt free. Kahlan makes a move to get off of the bed, holding the belt away from her to avoid accidental contact with the agiels, and Cara reaches out to stop her.
"Leave them." Her voice is rough with desire, but there is more to this request than mere pleasure. If Kahlan truly wants this, the three of them together, she needs to know what she's getting into; and that means getting a glimpse of how Mord-Sith fuck. If she can't deal with it, it's better to know now, before they all get in too deep.
Of course, Kahlan never fails to surprise Cara; her eyes grow wide as Cara's meaning sets in, but her lips curve into a sultry smirk, and she places the belt back down on the bed next to them. Cara lets out a sigh, not realizing until now that she was holding her breath. She grins, reaching for one of the weapons and turning back to Dahlia.
A loud, appreciative moan escapes Dahlia's throat as Cara lowers the agiel to her chest. Dark tendrils of pain stand out starkly against her pale skin, painting morbid designs that vanish as quickly as they appear.
Kahlan continues to work at Cara's leathers as Cara teases Dahlia with the agiel, lingering and twisting in all the places she remembers. Dahlia writhes beneath her, hands clenching at the pillow under her head.
"Cara," Dahlia says with a breathy moan. "Fuck me."
Lips twisting into a smirk, Cara pulls the agiel away from Dahlia's skin. "Patience, Dahlia."
There is a moment of awkward maneuvering as Kahlan pulls Cara's leather down over her legs, and then Cara is as naked as her lovers. She settles back over Dahlia, sitting back on her heels as she drags the weapon over Dahlia's abdomen, drifting closer to where she knows Dahlia is wet and ready.
"Cara, please," Dahlia begs, her hips arching up insistently.
"Well, since you asked so nicely," Cara says with a smirk, sliding the tip of the agiel down between slick folds, her free hand holding Dahlia's hip firmly against the bed.
As she teases at the entrance of Dahlia's cunt, Cara realizes that Kahlan's hands have stilled in their eager exploration of her back. She worries briefly that perhaps her fears were well founded, that something-the agiels, Dahlia, anything-is enough to convince Kahlan that she can't do this, after all.
She should know better. A split-second before she's about to turn and ask Kahlan if she wants to stop-as much as Cara thinks it might kill her to do so-she feels the sharp sting of her other agiel between her shoulder-blades. She lets out a sharp, pleasurable hiss, and Dahlia's eyes shoot open, her curiosity too strong. Cara smirks as Dahlia's eyes widen at the sight of Kahlan wielding an agiel.
"You'll soon find that Kahlan is full of surprises, Dahlia," Cara purrs, arching her back into Kahlan's touch as she returns her attention to her previous task. Dahlia's eyes slam shut again as Cara pushes the agiel deep into her cunt, dragging slowly in and out.
Cara tries to shift back, but Kahlan is behind her, and the bed is not that big. Seeing her dilemma, Kahlan slides to her feet, standing at the foot of the bed as Cara lowers her mouth between Dahlia's legs. The agiel's magic hums against her lips as she sucks Dahlia's clit into her mouth, fucking into her with steadily increasing strokes.
Kahlan is anything but idle, her free hand sliding over Cara's back and down over her ass as she teases at Cara's inner thighs with the other agiel. As Dahlia cries out her release, writhing and jerking into Cara's mouth, Kahlan thrusts forward into Cara; it's all Cara can do to hold herself up, her agiel abandoned in Dahlia's cunt as she slams her hips back against Kahlan.
Dahlia is too sated to scowl, and she slides the agiel out of herself, shifting under Cara until she can press it to Cara's clit. Cara's breasts slide over Dahlia's as her body is rocked by Kahlan's thrusts, and Cara finds herself tugged down into a heated kiss as she careens over the edge.
~
Kahlan's arm aches as she pulls the agiel out of Cara's sex, dropping it onto the pile of leather on the ground. She's proven that she can handle it, but she will readily admit that her threshold for the pain of the agiel is far below that of Cara or Dahlia.
Cara is still hovering over Dahlia, her arms trembling as she catches her breath, and Kahlan is struck by the urgent need to see her lover's face. She climbs back onto the bed, lying beside them and propping herself up on an elbow. Cara's hair is falling around her face in a thick curtain, and Kahlan reaches up to tuck it behind Cara's ear, pressing her palm to a flushed cheek. Cara looks up to meet her gaze with a feral grin, and Kahlan is reminded of how insatiable she is.
It's a lesson Kahlan doesn't mind learning over and over again. Cara quickly has her flat on her back, sweat-slick breasts sliding against her own as their lips and tongues tangle feverishly. Dahlia's taste is sharp on Cara's tongue, but Kahlan finds she doesn't mind; it's not important, not now. She is ever aware of the heavy weight of the Rada'Han around her neck, and hot tendrils of anticipation curl out from her stomach, sparking in her blood in the way that her magic cannot.
The collar does not go unnoticed by Cara either; she grins eagerly as she fits their hips together in a familiar configuration. Kahlan moans, arching her head back into the bed as her mind is flooded with memories of that first night, of the heat of Cara's body and the chill of the air and the weight of Dahlia's eyes boring into them.
A vindictive sort of satisfaction flares in Kahlan's chest at Dahlia being forced to watch, now, the way that she was forced to lie still and listen that night by the fire. But her vision is filled with Cara, full breasts swaying as she grinds down into Kahlan. Dahlia may as well not exist in this moment, as Kahlan gasps and meets Cara's every movement, pleasure racing through her body and building until Kahlan is sure she will burst with it.
That's what it feels like, as Kahlan climaxes against Cara's sex; like she's being pulled apart at the seams, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces and being put back together again all in the span of a few seconds. Cara gasps out her own release not long after, falling forward to lean on her elbows as she drops her mouth to Kahlan's. The kiss is sweet, unhurried, filled with the relief of finally being able to share this without fearing for Cara's life.
Their eyes meet as Cara finally pulls away, and Kahlan is surprised when Cara beats her to speaking. "I love you," she says, soft and fierce at the same time, the words barely a breath on her lips.
Kahlan smiles broadly, tugging Cara's lips back down to hers for another kiss. She is all too aware of Dahlia's eyes on them, can feel the other woman shifting awkwardly on the other side of the bed. She knows that Cara is just as aware, and it makes the words mean that much more.
But Cara is not finished, and when she pulls away again, Kahlan barely has the chance to gasp out the words in response before Cara is sliding down her body, dipping nimble fingers into the slick heat of her sex. Kahlan groans, jerks against Cara's hand, her fingers tangling in blonde hair as Cara's mouth covers her clit, sucking and licking in ways that Cara has perfected over the past weeks, but that Kahlan has been too afraid to let herself enjoy.
Kahlan is barely aware of Dahlia's weight sliding off of the bed, but when Cara moans indulgently into her sex, she can imagine what Dahlia is doing. She can't pay it much notice, though; not with Cara's fingers curling inside her and Cara's lips around her clit and spirits she didn't even think she could do this again so soon but she is, she's crying out and clutching at the blankets as her body pulses and throbs with pleasure.
~
This could easily become an addiction. Cara absentmindedly pushes back to meet Dahlia's thrusts, but her attention is fixed on Kahlan arching and writhing beneath her.
"Enough," Kahlan finally gasps, shoving weakly at Cara's hand. "I can't."
Her timing couldn't be more perfect, as Dahlia's fingers find that spot inside Cara and rub against it with every thrust. Cara comes again, her eyes locked on Kahlan's as she groans out her release. When she starts to recover, Kahlan's gaze flicks pointedly over her shoulder, and Cara follows it to find Dahlia looking at her with a mixture of arousal and irritation.
Dahlia's fingers slide free as Cara turns, pulling Dahlia's body flush against her own. Several heated kisses and a good amount of maneuvering later, Cara and Dahlia are both kneeling on the bed, fingers buried in each other's cunts.
Cara feels Kahlan press up behind her, hand snaking down between her and Dahlia to rub at her clit. Dahlia tenses against her, and Cara pulls away just far enough to look down and see that Kahlan's hand is bumping against Dahlia's thigh with every stroke of her fingers. Smirking, Cara raises an eyebrow at Dahlia, daring her to protest. Instead, Dahlia just tugs Cara back in with her free hand, thrusting harder and increasing the rhythm of her own hips.
After they have all been well satisfied, they collapse onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. Cara is not quite sure where they go from here; she understands sex, but being in a relationship is something that Kahlan is still teaching her about.
Kahlan smiles, dropping a soft kiss onto Cara's lips before nodding pointedly to where Dahlia is glancing awkwardly over at them. The message is clear: don't let her leave. Cara rolls over, nudging Dahlia up onto her side.
"What are you-" Dahlia's protest cuts short as Cara presses herself against her back, sliding an arm around her ribs.
"Just relax," Cara says softly, her voice tender in a way that is usually reserved for Kahlan alone. She's starting to believe this might actually work.
~
Quietly slipping to her feet, Kahlan pads over to the dresser to collect the key to the Rada'Han. After unlocking it and carefully replacing it in the velvet sack, she turns back to the bed. Cara has managed to wrangle Dahlia into actually cuddling, which must be a good sign. She is eager to join them-or Cara, at least-and climbs back onto the bed.
Pulling the blankets up from where they were kicked nearly to the floor, Kahlan draws them over Cara and Dahlia first, sliding up behind Cara to cover herself as well. Her hand glides over Cara's hip, brushing against Dahlia's in the process, and Dahlia tenses at the contact. Cara's bicep flexes as she tightens her arm around Dahlia reassuringly.
Kahlan's not sure where they will go from here, how this will work. There is still much to consider, and it won't be easy. But when she slides her hand farther, to rest flat against Dahlia's stomach, Dahlia doesn't pull away, and this is more of a victory than they could have hoped for.
end.