Title: The Hunt

Author: LOTSoflove

Characters: Richard / Kahlan / Zedd / Darken Rahl / Some characters I created

Rating: PG-13

Timeline: Follows my stories "The Confession" and "The Amulet"

Story Type: Romance / Angst

Spoilers: None

Summary: This story follows my second story "The Amulet" in my Confession series. Reading it first isn't a must, but would be helpful.

Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd are in extreme danger as Darken Rahl finds a new way to hunt them down and eliminate them.

Ok, I usually wait till I have more written before I start posting but I'm just too excited about how this is going. Hope you like it!

The Hunt (Chapter 1)

The heavy stillness of the night wore like a heavy cloak. The room was completely dark save for the splash of moonlight that cast a soft, ghostly glow across the bedcovers. It was soundless except for an occasional distant cry of a lonely bird calling for its lost mate.

The still form lying in the bed suddenly sat bolt upright, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His heart was racing; sweat beaded across his brow and trickled down his back. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, but it was no use. Her angelic image was forever seared into his memory as she floated through his mind, haunting his dreams.

Almost raven-like hair, porcelain skin, striking blue eyes. Her strength and grace, her steadfast defiance in the face of death. Her eyes that turned crimson red and glowed with an enchanting rage unlike anything he'd ever seen before. In the instant that he saw her, Kahlan Amnell had captured his soul and consumed his mind…and she hadn't even touched him with her powers.

Trying to calm his breathing, General Wilkes dropped back in his bed as his mind swirled around his newest assignment. Darken Rahl had been most displeased about the Amulet of Eelum's destruction and the escape of the Seeker and Confessor.

Wilkes had fortunately been given a rare second chance due in part to his history of prior successes and proven commitment to the Lord Rahl. He would have another chance to find the Mother Confessor. When it came to her, though, his loyalty would not interfere. She would be his to possess, not Lord Rahl's.

Wilkes was none too thrilled, though, to have to rely on the Shakrah to find their prey, but he could not go against Lord Rahl's wishes. He would have to put aside his hatred of the Shakrah…and hopefully his reward this time would Kahlan Amnell.

XXX

A light breeze disrupted the stillness of the morning air. The sun was just starting to make its first appearance of the day as it began casting a warm glow that gradually grew, blanketing the woods in its bright illumination.

Richard loved sunrise; it was his favorite time of the day. It was so peaceful. He enjoyed watching the forest as it seemed to literally come alive with the rising of the sun. There were also other things he enjoyed first thing in the morning.

Having awoken before anyone else, Richard sat leaning against a tree watching Kahlan as she slept. The peaceful expression on her face, the steady rise and fall of her chest was captivating him. She stirred the desire that possessed his soul, desire that always laid there just beneath the surface. Some day soon it would be freed from its confinement, free to express itself to the one he loved most.

Now as he watched her sleep, he silently prayed that the good spirits would help him keep her safe as worrisome thoughts began rolling over in his mind. The things that Kahlan had told him last night about the Shakrah enveloped his heart with apprehension. Kahlan was more precious to him than anything this world could ever offer; he would not let the Shakrah get to her.

The expression on Kahlan's face as she explained the Shakrah caused him to shudder. Even now, recalling the look of fear on her face, worry began to wrap itself tightly around him, threatening to suffocate him. Kahlan had rarely ever shown such fear, her strength and confidence almost always prevailing. The Shakrah, however, rattled her to her very core.

Kahlan had told him that the Shakrah was a group of nomad savages, hunters who lived in the rocky desert land in the western part of the Midlands. This group of bloody-thirsty hunters was so feared throughout the Midlands that even the Confessors had been unable to bring them under the rule of the Council. Any Confessor who had been sent to the Shakrah to deal them never returned, never to be heard from ever again.

The Shakrah were very large, exceptionally strong, and uniquely gifted trackers. Their tracking skills were notorious throughout the Midlands as was their insatiable thirst for butchery. They were almost more animal than human. Contact with them was avoided at all cost. How then had Darken Rahl been able to engage them as his own personal bounty hunters?

"Oh, Richard!" Kahlan murmured, smiling dreamily as she slept.

Richard's ears perked at the sound of his name being uttered so sensuously by Kahlan, causing him to sit up straight in curious anticipation.

"Richard, I want you so much," she murmured again.

A broad smile spread across the Seeker's face as he cautiously crept closer to his sleeping Confessor, anxious to hear the details of her dream. He was thrilled to discover that she dreamed about him too.

"If she knew the things I dreamed about her…about us…" he started to think to himself. His cheeks flushed crimson at the memories of those fantasies, more than anxious for the day those fantasies would become a reality.

"Please, Richard, touch me there again," she whispered with a throaty desire that made Richard's stomach drop into his boots. It took all the restraint the Seeker could muster not to physically respond to her every request. Instead, Richard released the breath he had been unconsciously holding.

Just as he was starting to move away, feeling guilty for eavesdropping on Kahlan's private dreams, Richard felt a hand grasp his leg. Taken aback, he quickly looked down to find Kahlan's eyes still closed as she caressed his firm thigh.

"Richard, come back to bed," she pleaded, still asleep.

Richard quickly felt a warm rush of desire course through his entire body. Dear Spirits, how was he going to extricate himself from this situation or, for that matter, did he even want to? He was in trouble no matter what.

The longer he stayed, the stronger his need for her grew as his heart began to race. Her sensual touch on his thigh was making it very difficult to even think straight let alone keep a tight rein on his hunger for her. If she found out that he had heard her talk about him in her sleep, he would find himself on a Mother Confessor's bad side. And that was never a good scenario. Besides, he could never lie to a Confessor let alone to Kahlan.

Richard was quickly jolted from his thoughts and his heated lust as he heard a stifled giggle. Looking down, he saw brilliant blue eyes sparkling back at him as she bit her lower lip to keep from laughing.

"You were awake the whole time?!" Richard exclaimed, taken aback by the Confessor's antics.

"Afraid so," Kahlan confessed as she sat up, smiling her special smile. "I know you love being the first one up in the morning and I also know you watch me while I'm asleep."

Embarrassed, Richard replied in mock indignation, "How do you know that?"

"Richard, I'm the Mother Confessor. I know everything," her lips still turned up in a playful smile.

"Well, Mother Confessor, if you know everything, then what am I going to do next?" Richard huskily responded.

"You're going to serve me breakfast in bed…" she suggested but was quickly silenced when Richard, unable to resist her any longer, swiftly buried his hand in her hair as he grasped the back of her neck, pulling her to him in a sweet kiss.

Kissing her was pure bliss as his tongue parted her lips to taste her more completely. Kahlan moaned into his mouth as his tongue fought for control, her response only further spurring him on. The heat of their desire for one another was mounting when Kahlan finally pulled back, as she was rapidly losing the battle of control over her powers. What had started out as a playful prank had quickly turned in heated passion.

Resting his forehead against hers, Richard breathlessly responded, "I can't wait for the day when I can wake up with you in my arms every morning."

"That would be a dream come true," she murmured thoughtfully.

The meaning of her words was not lost on him. "I want nothing more than to make all your dreams come true…and mine."

Kahlan giggled as she placed a soft kiss on the Seeker's nose. "I'll make all your dreams a reality as soon as you figure out a way for us to be together."

"That is motivation I can use to keep me warm at night," he seductively teased. Unable to contain himself any longer, he closed his eyes as he took her soft lips in another passionate kiss.

They were unfortunately rudely interrupted by a wizard loudly clearing his throat. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Your timing as always is nothing if not impeccable, Zedd," Richard replied, frustrated in more ways than one by the intrusion.

Kahlan, blushing, quickly pulled away from the Seeker's embrace. Getting up, she quickly went about packing up her bedroll and smoothing her hair.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up before breakfast," Kahlan excused herself from the intimate moment that had been witnessed by the Wizard.

Richard, longing and regret weighing heavy in his brown eyes, watched as Kahlan left the campsite. Someday could not come soon enough.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I thought we should get going soon," Zedd replied, amusement sparkling in the old wizard's eyes. He was no longer concerned about their love for each other or the dangers of them being together. He knew that Richard loved Kahlan enough that her powers wouldn't affect him, but he couldn't reveal that knowledge. It was something the two of them had to discover together for it to work out.

"It's alright," Richard sighed. "We do need to get moving. Kahlan discovered that Darken Rahl has the Shakrah hunting us. First and foremost is Kahlan's safety. Where can we go, Zedd?" The weight of his worry flooded his soul again, momentarily extinguishing his desire.

"The Shakrah…bags! That is definitely not good news. We are in a lot of trouble…" Zedd pondered as he rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger.

Seeing the fear in his grandfather's eyes did nothing to help ease Richard's apprehension. He had hoped that Zedd would have a solution to their new found crisis.

Even though he was the Seeker, Richard felt ill-equipped to handle this new threat. Every time he eliminated one danger to them, another was lurking in the unknown darkness of the future, ready to strike at any moment. He feared the horrifying day that he wouldn't be able to save her…