Chapter 2

Kahlan wound her way around tables full of drunken laughter and lewd remarks directed at her, causing the tips of her ear to burn fire red. She kept her face emotionless despite the sea of faces undressing her with their eyes and licking their lips with lustful desire. She was not about to let anyone see her fear or her dread.

Besides, her father had forced her into doing things that still haunted her sleep, terrible things that she would never be able to run away free. She would survive this life that she had been condemned to, hopefully escaping it someday soon.

A sudden hand gripping her arm jerked her to an abrupt stop. She was just as quickly pulled into a man's lap, his lecherous arms snaking firmly around her waist and holding her fast. His dirt smudged face was suddenly mere inches from hers, his foul breath immediately making her nauseous.

"Let me go," she angrily demanded, fighting to break free from the man's iron hold on her.

"Now come on, Miss," he suddenly grinned, exposing his missing two front teeth. "Wouldn't you like to have a little fun with me?"

His grimy hand skimmed up her side before firmly grasping hold of her breast. With a growl, she struck him hard across the face, the force of the slap doing nothing but encourage him all the more.

"Got me a feisty one here tonight, boys!" he hollered with excitement before kissing her hard.

Before Kahlan could react further, she was suddenly being hauled out of the man's lap and onto her feet, an arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"The lady said no. You best respect her wishes."

Kahlan turned to find herself staring into those chestnut brown eyes that had so surprisingly captured her attention just moments earlier. His powerful jaw was set tight, his gaze blazing with anger. His arm wrapped so protectively around her shoulders unexpectedly felt so safe, like being home. She suddenly didn't want him to ever let go of her.

The drunken man bolted to his feet in rage, knocking his chair backwards onto the floor with a loud crash. "And what do you plan on doing to stop me?" the man roared.

Richard immediately pushed Kahlan behind him, putting himself between her and the drunken beast before him. His hand fell to his revolver at his hip. He didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary, but he would do what he had to.

"Sit down, Ike!" his friend sitting at the table told him. "You know we can't touch her anyway. She belongs to Rahl."

Ike stood glowering at Richard and Kahlan, his chest heaving, his glassy eyed glare full of anger. "This isn't over," he growled before turning and storming out.

"Are you alright?" Richard gently asked as he turned to face her, his breath hitching with the intensity of her beauty.

"Yes…thank you," she murmured, her heart pounding for a completely different reason now.

He was even more handsome than she had first thought, the compassion that filled his eyes stealing her breath away. No one had ever had such a powerful affect on her, capturing her attention quite like this.

"Did he hurt you?"

Even the sound of his voice full of such concern for her caused a sense of comforting warmth to pulsate through her veins. Staring into those eyes, she found it difficult to form a response.

"I've survived worse," she softly admitted.

Her response caused his anger to suddenly flare in his core. What had she been forced to endure in her life? There was such a kindness and warmth shining in those beautiful blue depths that he found he didn't want to look away. Who would ever want to cause her harm?

"What's going on here? Is everything okay?"

Richard and Kahlan both turned at the sound of the booming gruff voice. "It's fine, Demmin," Kahlan sighed heavily, disappointed that she had been found so soon. She wanted to spend more time with this man who had so bravely come to her rescue.

"What happened?" he frowned.

"One of the customers got too frisky and this kind gentleman came to my rescue," Kahlan explained, turning her attention back to her hero. "I'm sorry. I don't even know your name to properly thank you."

"Richard Cypher," he smiled softly, happy that she finally knew his name.

"Thank you for helping me, Richard," she smiled in response. "My name is Kahlan Amnell."

Richard felt his heart melt as the smile that she had given him the moment their eyes had first met suddenly touched her lips again. He readily decided that he'd fight every man in this dreadful town just for the chance to see that beautiful smile directed at him again.

"Not for long it's not," Demmin smirked, folding his arms across his broad chest. "In three days, you'll soon be Kahlan Rahl so you better get used to it."

Richard watched as great sorrow suddenly flooded her face, the bright sparkle that had been in her eyes when she had looked at him abruptly vanishing. Tears shined in her eyes but she quickly forced them away, her face hardening with acceptance for the fate that could not be avoided.

His hands instinctively balled tightly into fists in an effort to keep from hitting the brute who was roughly taking Kahlan by the arm now, dragging her away from him. He wanted to stop him, to keep her from marrying Darken Rahl. He wanted to save her from such a horrible future as what loomed ahead for her now.

"Come," Demmin snapped. "He's waiting for you and you know he does not like to be kept waiting especially by you."

Kahlan looked back over her shoulder at Richard as Demmin dragged her away. She could see the anger simmering in his intense brown eyes. It caused a shiver to race through her.

Richard took a step towards her as Kahlan looked helplessly back at him. He wanted to go after her, but there was nothing he could do at that moment in a crowded saloon full of drunken men looking for a fight. Rahl's men would kill him before he even got halfway to her. No, there had to be another way. And he would find it.

A sudden hand on his arm broke through the hazy fog of anger that had gripped him. Bristling, he turned to find Cara standing beside him again. He released a sigh of frustration.

"I told you I don't want any company tonight," he bit out through clenched teeth as he watched Kahlan being swallowed up by the crowds.

"Yes, you do," Cara smirked. "You want her company, but you can't have Kahlan. She's Darken Rahl's personal property."

"I heard," he tightly said, his heart suddenly feeling heavier than when he had first arrived in town.

"Well evidently you don't hear well enough," she shot back. "You best be forgetting about her unless you like the idea of losing your head…or worse."

"There has to be a way of saving her from having to marry that mad man," he told her, leveling a heated glare at her.

"I wish there was, but Darken Rahl is very powerful, runs most of the territory," Cara softly said, her green eyes darting anxiously about to make sure they weren't being overheard. "We all want out from under his thumb, but it's futile. He's a tyrant and nothing is ever going to change that."

Richard appraised her for a long moment, suddenly noticing for the first time the faint purplish bruises that marred her arms. "What happened to you?" he asked with a frown.

"Darken Rahl," she whispered, caressing his neck again as if trying to coax him to bed her. "The things that he does to his women would make you want to vomit."

"I'm sorry," he shook his head in frustration, his fear for Kahlan suddenly swelling like a thunderhead. "Why don't you run away?"

"To where?" she shrugged. "He's got eyes all over this territory, his control far reaching."

"What about the Midlands? Westland?"

Her eyes grew distant as she thought about being free from this life. "That requires money and I have none."

"Doesn't he pay you to work here?"

Cara laughed at his innocence, his naiveté almost refreshing in a way, even endearing. "No one gets paid to work for Darken Rahl. He either owns you or you owe him."

Richard felt his anger hardening, his resolve to fix this intensifying. Darken Rahl needed to be stopped before he ruined any more lives, before he could hurt Kahlan. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't try to stop the madness that consumed this town.

He didn't know why he felt such a powerful draw to this woman, but he knew that he had to help her, to save her from the life that her wicked father had condemned her to. Despite his own reasons for being here, he knew with all his heart that he was meant to come here to help Kahlan as well.

"That's going to change if I have anything to say about it," he fumed, his eyes still searching for where Kahlan had disappeared among the throngs of people still bustling about.

Cara felt a spark of hope with his words, but understood the futility of it. "Many have tried, but no one has ever succeeded."

"Until now," Richard calmly replied.

XXX

Kahlan was shoved down into a chair right beside her future husband. He gave her a wicked grin that only made her skin crawl, his dark thoughts so obvious in his lustful gaze that roamed over her. She kept her face an impassive mask as she smoothed out her skirt, her focus on anything but him.

She looked about the boisterous setting around her, searching for just a glimpse of Richard. He had been so brave sweeping in like he had, rescuing her from that horrible letch. Ike had had his eyes on her since she had first arrived here, not even attempting to hide his vulgar thoughts. She could see it dancing in his eyes every time he looked at her. It was only a matter of time before he got what he wanted.

A hand on her thigh casually brushing her skirt higher drew her back to the reality of her horrifying life. She bristled with his touch, swallowing back the bile that rose in the back of her throat. She had no idea how she was ever going to survive a night with him when his touch on her leg alone made her ill.

"You look positively radiant tonight, my dear Kahlan," he drawled, leaning in to brush his lips against her cheek. "I may have you parade around the room again to show you off to everyone."

Kahlan ground her teeth, forcing herself to remain motionless when all she wanted to do was run…run straight into Richard's arms. She didn't even know the man and yet there was something so familiar about him, something so perfect when she was near him. It was like she had always known him somehow.

"There was an incidence again," Demmin informed him as he came to stand on Darken Rahl's other side.

"Who wanted my prize this time?" Rahl demanded to know as he stroked Kahlan's hair, leaning in to tease her earlobe.

"I didn't get a chance to see who it was," he regretfully said.

"Who was it, my pretty?" he asked, suddenly grasping her hair tightly in his fist and bending her head to force her to look at him.

"Ike…it was Ike," she said, fighting back tears with the painful hold he had on her hair.

Rahl pressed his lips hard against hers, savoring her sweetness before finally releasing his hold on her. "Well, it seems that Ike and I need to have a little talk about keeping his hands off of my property."

"Want me to send the boys after him? Teach him a lesson?"

"Not tonight," Rahl replied, holding up a hand to stop him. "I have other plans for you tonight."

"What's that?"

"I need you to take your men and ride out to Michael Cypher's ranch," Rahl instructed him, turning his attention back to his right hand man. "He has something that I want and I need you to retrieve it."

Hearing the name, Kahlan stiffened. It was Richard's last name as well. It couldn't be a coincidence that he was here now, that a relative of his lived in the area. She felt her heart sink at the thought of Richard being tangled up in one of Darken Rahl's scandalous plans. It was so incongruous with what she had seen residing in his eyes, the way that he had come to her rescue.

But she really didn't know the man at all.

Kahlan felt her hope vanishing, her heart breaking. She didn't know why. She had no real connection with Richard, knew nothing about him except for his name. It wasn't like he had any ties to her, any claim to her. She belonged to Darken Rahl, would be forced into marrying him in three more days.

Nothing was going to save her from that fate and yet she found her heart sprouting wings every time she thought of Richard, pictured his handsome face and soulful eyes in her mind. It was like she had found her other half.

She silently berated herself. She was sounding crazy even to her. How could she be falling for someone she didn't even know, had barely just met? It was ludicrous to say the least. And yet she couldn't help but feel that Richard had felt it too, experienced the electricity that had filled the very air around them when their eyes had first met, their souls becoming one in that instant.

She had never truly believed in the notion of love at first sight, but after meeting Richard tonight she found herself considering the possibility of it being true.

"The crates will be in his barn," Rahl told Nass. "You'll need at least ten of your men to retrieve them and get them back here."

"What's in it?"

Rahl shot him a deadly glare that caused Nass to immediately recoil. "We'll discuss it when I have it," he hissed.

"Yes, sir," Nass muttered under his breath.

"Now go!" Rahl ordered. "You have plenty to do to keep you out of any more trouble tonight."

Kahlan didn't know what was going on, but she was determined to find out if Richard was involved or not. She didn't know why, but she needed to know. Why did she suddenly care so much? The knowledge wasn't going to change her future any, but there was just something inside of her that had to know if the powerful connection she felt with him was real or not.

If he was not who he appeared to be, if he was just another monster like Darken Rahl, then she would resign herself to the fact that her life was essentially over and her fate sealed.

But if he was genuine and felt that same thrilling connection with her…then maybe, just maybe her future wasn't as settled as she had first believed.

Kahlan felt her chest tighten as she caught sight of him just then. He was making his way up the stairs and across the second floor balcony. She found herself unable to look away as she watched him enter a room in the corner right next door from hers.

XXX

Richard closed the door behind him, dropping his pack on the floor as he looked around the room at his sparse surroundings. A feeling of loneliness suddenly crept over him despite the noise from downstairs that still managed to slip through the closed door.

He leaned back, resting his head against the door. His eyes fell closed, fatigue pulling heavily on his body and threatening to drag him to the floor. He wearily rubbed his face with his hands, his thoughts still preoccupied with the beautiful woman downstairs.

It was strange to have his mind suddenly filled with thoughts other than revenge and the heartache that had consumed him for so long now. It was a pleasant reprieve from the sorrow that had been eating away at him for the last month and a half.

Thoughts of Kahlan while sweetly pleasant also carried a heavy dose of fear for her. God only knew what was going on right now with her, what could be happening to her at that moment…tonight. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't help it.

She had captured not only his attention, but his heart if that was even possible. He knew it was crazy, but he felt as though he was falling in love. He shook his head against the notion, knowing how absurd it sounded.

He didn't even know her, didn't know more than her name, but there was just something about her that felt so familiar, so right. It was like there was some subconscious part of him that had somehow always known about her and had just now discovered that the other half of his soul truly existed.

Even though he barely knew her, Kahlan was more real to him than anything or anyone he had ever known and he didn't want to let her go. He found he wanted her in his life, to know everything there was to know about her.

Making his way to the window, he opened it wide, allowing the fresh summer air in. He breathed deeply, inhaling the outdoors that he loved so much. He didn't like being held up inside like this when he could be sleeping beneath the stars, but he had no choice.

He had come here for a reason and he intended to see it through to the end.

Walking over to the night stand, he dipped his hands in the water, running it over his face. He leaned over the bowl, hanging his head and allowing the water to drip from his chin. The heavy weight that he had been carrying had expanded tonight to now include Kahlan.

He couldn't just allow her to be married to that vile monster, knowing the future that awaited her. Even if she didn't share that same spark of longing that he had felt for her, he couldn't just stand by and condemn her to such a horrific fate.

Even if she never felt anything for him, he could at least live a happier life knowing that she was safe.