LOTS - CARA/KAHLAN

Shelter

stopstartstall

Title: Shelter

Pairing: Cara/Kahlan.

Rating: NC–17

Summary: Cara and Kahlan are wet and cold and take shelter under a ledge for the night. That is literally the entire plot.

Words: ~2700

Disclaimer: beta’d with great skill by cakeandqpm1138 <33 any remaining errors are my own.

Shelter

stopstartstall

It had been raining all day. Cara’s hair hung around her in wet tails, sleek to her head, obscuring her vision. She had pulled her leathers tight around her neck in an attempt to keep the rain out and had been mostly successful. Kahlan had not been as lucky. She was wearing her Confessor’s dress when the rain began to fall and it was soaked through now, close to transparent, hugging her figure and weighing her down with each step. The Confessor radiated misery, and every now and then she shivered and hugged herself, rubbing hands up her arms in a futile attempt to bring some warmth to them. It had been dark for close to two hours now and they were still searching for somewhere dry to make camp.

Cara blinked water from her eyes and squinted through the darkness. She could see a cliff face up ahead through the trees, and hoped there’d be a cave or even a ledge they could take shelter under for the night. She wordlessly gestured towards the rocks and changed her course, Kahlan trudging along behind her. After a few minutes they found a ledge barely big enough for the both of them to fit under and Kahlan dropped her pack and scrunched down into it, drawing her legs up to her chin like a child and wrapping her arms around them.

Cara dropped her pack beside Kahlan’s and then turned around, her eyes already sweeping the trees, “I’ll stand watch.” She didn’t mind, the rain was just one more discomfort for her to ignore, and she knew Kahlan needed the rest more than she did.

They stayed like that for a few moments before she heard Kahlan moving behind her and then she felt a hand in hers, pulling her down. She felt herself falling and twisted slightly, rescuing her dignity as she hit the ground and stayed there, glancing at Kahlan. She was shivering again.

“I’m so cold. Sit with me for a little while?” Cara nodded, and reached into her pack for her blanket. Kahlan already had her own wrapped around her, and she moved closer, throwing it around Cara’s shoulders too. Cara threw the second blanket over their knees. She felt Kahlan shiver beside her again and sighed, throwing an arm around the Confessor’s shoulders and pulling her closer. Kahlan tensed for a minute and then relaxed into Cara’s arm, her head dropping to Cara’s shoulder.

“Go to sleep,” Cara commanded, “I’ll keep watch.”

She felt Kahlan nod once and it only took a few moments for her breathing to even out and become deeper. Slowly, Cara could feel Kahlan warm up; her dress lost some of its chill but the Confessor still shivered in her sleep occasionally and pressed against Cara’s side, eager for warmth.

Cara was supposed to be keeping watch but she soon found herself watching the sleeping woman instead, eyes tracing the contours of her face and the way her damp hair wrapped around her head and trailed down her chest. Cara had always thought the Confessor was beautiful, but there was something about the way she looked when she was asleep that undid Cara. She used her free arm to tuck the blankets a little tighter around them, and felt Kahlan’s weight shift, bringing them closer together. She liked the press of the Confessor against her and the way they fit together. They’d spent many nights like this, away from Richard and Zedd, whenever the quest demanded and though she’d never admit it to them, she didn’t mind.

Cara had started to nod off herself when Kahlan started trembling. She thought it was another shiver at first and adjusted her arm around Kahlan’s shoulder, trying to hold her steady. Kahlan’s head twitched on Cara’s shoulder and then the Confessor whimpered and turned away from her. Even in her sleep her fingers were reaching for her daggers.

“Kahlan?” Cara gripped Kahlan’s shoulder harder, trying to pull her back. “Kahlan, wake up!”

She came awake with a gasp, eyes wide, staring at Cara as though she was trying to see her soul. They were Confessor’s eyes; Cara swallowed uncomfortably and looked away.

“…Cara? Sorry, I was having a bad dream.” Kahlan huddled closer to her again, shivering. “I dreamt something had happened to–“ she paused and swallowed, “–Richard.”

“Oh?” Cara’s voice came out a little harder than she intended. She tried to soften it, “What happened?”

“He got hurt. I couldn’t save him,” her eyes flickered up to Cara and away, “Do you ever have those kinds of dreams?”

Cara nodded. Recently she’d had those dreams a lot. “Yes,” her voice was a whisper but Kahlan heard her and somehow she was even closer than she was a moment ago.

She raised her head and met Cara’s gaze and if Cara didn’t know any better she would have said there was a challenge in her eyes, “Who do you dream about?”

You, she wanted to say, only you, but she looked away instead and what came out was “Richard.”

Kahlan’s hand came up to her chin and turned her head back towards her, “Only Richard?”

Cara wasn’t sure what was happening, what had shifted between them since Kahlan had woken up. Maybe Kahlan hadn’t woken up at all, maybe Cara had fallen asleep instead and this was some fevered dream brought about by spending the day slogging through the cold, wet forest with the Confessor.

It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had such dreams.

Dream or not, Cara knew that she only had to say one word and things could stay shifted between them. She swallowed past the lump that was suddenly in her throat. “Kahlan…” The name sounded like a plea.

Suddenly they were both moving and their lips met hungrily, pulling each other into a deep kiss. Cara could feel Kahlan’s hands gripping her hips and she fumbled to pull her gloves off before tangling her hands in Kahlan’s damp hair. They broke apart gasping for air, and Kahlan nuzzled into Cara’s neck, kissing and sucking her way down to Cara’s leather.

“Kahlan –” Cara moaned as Kahlan sucked on her collarbone. We shouldn’t be doing this. With an effort Cara pushed Kahlan’s head away from her and held her there. Kahlan’s eyes were dark with lust and Cara had never imagined Kahlan would look at her like that. It was enough to weaken her resolve and Kahlan moved forward again, sensing opportunity. With visible effort, Cara pushed her back though she wanted nothing more than to press against the Confessor and kiss her again, “Kahlan, what are we–”

“Don’t,” there was a warning in Kahlan’s eyes.

“But–“

“Don’t.” Kahlan’s voice was more insistent this time and even though Cara knew they shouldn’t be doing this – why were they doing this? What about Richard? She loves him, not you – she surrendered to Kahlan’s hands pulling her closer and kissed her again.

Kahlan’s hands snaked around Cara’s waist, pulling the Mord’Sith flush against her in the tight space, tangled up like teenagers kissing for the first time. Her hand tugged at Cara’s leather before sliding into the tight space between leather and her breast, thumb brushing a nipple as Kahlan deepened the kiss, frantic with a need Cara didn’t know she possessed. Her nipple hardened and Cara felt an answering twitch between her legs. Kahlan tugged again, and Cara realised then that she didn’t know how to undo her leathers. If she was capable of it at that moment she would have rolled her eyes.

“Here,” she raised a hand to the knots at her neck and undid them easily, feeling her leather loosen. Kahlan peeled them down immediately, kissing a path to her belly button and back again, tongue teasing trails across Cara’s skin. Cara reached for the laces at Kahlan’s breast, wanting to feel the other woman pressed against her but Kahlan batted her hands away and pushed her down onto her back.

“Wait your turn,” she mock–scolded, but Cara was sure she saw a flash of fear in her eyes. Her hands roamed over Cara’s body and Cara felt herself grinning, back arching to meet them.

Kahlan bent her head to Cara’s breast, flicked her tongue across one nipple then the other before pulling Cara’s leathers down further and the rest of the way off to expose her fully. Kahlan straddled her hips, her still–damp Confessor’s dress pooling around them, and sunk to kiss the Mord’Sith again. Cara could feel the skin of Kahlan’s bare thighs pressing against her and some part of her brain registered that she no longer felt cold.

Kahlan’s kisses were different now, frantic and laced with need, lips pressing hard against Cara’s. Cara’s body hummed in Kahlan’s hands the way her agiels did in hers. She wrapped her arms around Kahlan’s back, feeling the lean muscles move as Kahlan explored her body. Cara felt warmth low in her belly, crying out for Kahlan’s hands. As if she could read Cara’s mind, Kahlan’s fingers moved lower, tracing a path down her stomach and Cara arched her back, trying to get Kahlan’s hands to go where she wanted them to.

Kahlan smiled against Cara’s mouth, and Cara growled in frustration as Kahlan’s hands moved over to her hips, and stayed there. Cara bucked her hips up and nipped at Kahlan’s lip, trying to communicate what she wanted. She felt Kahlan grin again and then her fingers were moving, pressing just where Cara needed them and she shuddered with the pleasure of it.

Kahlan’s other hand reached up to cup Cara’s face then tangle in Cara’s hair. Cara moaned again as Kahlan pressed their foreheads together briefly then moved her arm underneath Cara, holding them together as her other hand started to work faster. Cara gasped and threw her head back, hands clutching at Kahlan’s back as her muscles tightened.

Kahlan’s face was buried in Cara’s neck but Cara was sure she heard Kahlan whimper her name and that alone was enough to tip her over the edge. She came hard against Kahlan’s fingers, her whole body going rigid before the tension left her. It seemed like an age before Kahlan lifted her head, an almost bashful expression on her face, staring wide eyed at Cara as though she couldn’t believe what they’d just done. Cara hesitated for a moment then drew Kahlan to her and kissed her fiercely, taking the opportunity to use her weight to flip them over.

When Cara broke the kiss Kahlan’s eyes were dark again, drinking in the sight of the naked woman above her. Kahlan moaned her name and it was almost more than Cara could stand to be there above her but not touching her. Still, she held herself apart a little longer. There was something important she was trying to remember.

Suddenly it came to her, “Can you tell me to stop?”

Kahlan just looked at her, suddenly shy again, a hint of fear in her eyes; slowly she nodded.

Cara grinned, enjoying the danger, and then her fingers were at the laces of Kahlan’s dress, slowly drawing them out to reveal the corset below. She pressed a kiss to the newly exposed skin left by each lace and Kahlan quivered beneath her touch. She ran a hand down Kahlan’s neck, between her breasts then down lower, teasing light touches on Kahlan’s thigh. Kahlan let her dress fall down then pulled Cara down to her, hard, trapping Cara’s arm between them and kissed her again.

Cara pulled back a little, giving herself room to move. She broke the kiss for a moment, “Tell me to stop,” she breathed.

Kahlan looked up to meet her eyes and there was a hungry glint in them that Cara had never seen before. “I will,” she replied defiantly.

Cara’s breath hitched in her throat as Kahlan’s hand reached up to pull her closer. There was the hint of a smile on the Confessor’s face, and Cara liked the way it changed her expression, making them co–conspirators in this game. Slowly, she closed the distance between them again. “Tell me to stop,” she repeated, only this time it sounded like a dare.

Kahlan wiped the smirk off her lips with another kiss, and Cara’s fingers moved under Kahlan’s dress, finding the slickness there as Kahlan gasped against her. Her free arm slid over Kahlan’s shoulder and held them together as she sat up and pulled the Confessor with her. Kahlan used her hands to keep herself upright, palms flat against the cold ground as she rocked around Cara’s fingers. Cara was content to sit back and watch as the Confessor bucked her hips to meet her thrusts, ready to pull away the second Kahlan told her to. Kahlan’s eyes drifted shut as her head fell back and her whimpers grew.

Cara thought she’d never seen a more beautiful sight than the Mother Confessor of all the Midlands looking thoroughly dishevelled, her dress of office bunched around her hips, back arched as she gave in to the feeling of Cara’s fingers inside her.

She leaned forward to kiss her just as Kahlan’s eyes slammed open and she shook her head frantically. One hand came up to push Cara away and the other replaced Cara’s hand between her legs, working furiously as Kahlan’s whole body shuddered. Cara fell back against the rock ledge, careful not to let their bodies touch.

Kahlan’s eyes blackened as she came, and Cara almost felt the thud of magic in the air as she lay against the wall of their shelter, panting hard. All the tension had gone out of Kahlan’s body and she flopped down to the floor, eyes closed and a happy smile on her lips. Cara was almost afraid to move in case it broke the spell between them, unsure what Kahlan would want from her now.

Finally, Kahlan raised herself onto one elbow and looked at Cara. She glanced down at the floor shyly, “I’m cold.” There was a smile on her face.

Cara had been on top of the Confessor a moment before and knew it was a lie, yet she couldn’t keep the answering smirk off her face as she moved closer and pulled Kahlan to her. Kahlan settled against her, warm now and sated. She turned her head to Cara and pressed their lips together chastely, before settling into the space between Cara’s shoulder and neck. Cara ran her hand up and down her back and felt the other woman relax into the touch as she fell towards sleep, a contented sigh escaping her lips.

Cara knew this wouldn’t happen again. It couldn’t. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Kahlan loved Richard, not her, no matter how much she wished and dreamed otherwise but with Kahlan sleeping in her arms it was an easy truth to forget.

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