Chapter 2:

The sun woke Dahlia early in the morning on her seventh day of resting. That was the day Dahlia declared that she would finally free her self from the shackles of bed rest. It had been driving Dahlia mad to be stuck in her bedchambers, especially because she was forbidden to do much of anything besides sleep and eat. Despite her moody grumblings, the young Mord-Sith knew that all the rest and nutrition was necessary for her body in order to heal. Dahlia was no fool; she just hated being useless, and she hated being so far away from Cara, too. When they were apart, it was like a part of Dahlia was missing. It was an odd feeling, and she wasn't used to it. But it made her feel weak, she knew that much.

There was a knock at the door, followed by the revealing of Cara. Dahlia immediately smiled- Cara had returned, safely, from the mission. Dahlia felt her chest swell up from the built up longing for Cara in her absence. It was a good feeling, and it didn't make the young Mord-Sith feel weak, not at all. Dahlia's blue eyes shone brightly in the morning sun.

"I was beginning to worry that you had gotten lost on your way home," Dahlia smiled; it was a friendly attempt to undercut Cara. She watched Cara close the door and cross the room to slip under the covers and into bed with her. Mord-Sith rarely held each other, but the past week had been trying for Cara. With Dahlia sick, Cara was stricken with worry. She carried on, but with a heavy weight on her heart. Cara's arms were around Dahlia, pulling her into a calloused embrace. Mord-Sith only knew rough pleasure and intense pain. There was no grey area. Their lives were forever this struggle of constant polarity.

"I'm sure you were absolutely beside yourself," Cara smirked, her breath hot against Dahlia's neck. It was odd, for Cara, to see Dahlia without her leathers. In a situation that didn't involve sex, that is. "I'm fine, as always. Back in one piece."

"Good," Dahlia responded quietly, nuzzling her head into Cara's shoulder. It was a small comfort that they rarely allowed each other. Relationships between Mord-Sith weren't unheard of, but they were never thought to go any further than pleasing one another in the ways of the flesh. Cara and Dahlia, in that respect, were very different from their Sisters. Their bond ran deeper than just night pleasures. To keep up appearances, however, these intimate moments were rare occurrences. They couldn't shed light on their weakness- compassion. To show compassion was to run the risk of being broken again. As much as a Mord-Sith came to call pain her friend, no one wanted to be re-broken. It was experience that you only survived once.

"How is your shoulder?" Cara removed part of the bandage to check, not waiting for an answer. A sorcerer in the temple had healed Dahlia when they had returned, but she had still needed rest for it to completely heal. It had been a close call, but lucky for them Dahlia was Mord-Sith. She could handle anything.

"It's practically healed," Cara murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to the now exposed skin on Dahlia's chest. It was as warm and inviting as she remembered it. "Maybe you can come along, next time. If you don't pull this act again, of course," Cara smirked, hanging on the last word as she always did. There was a look in her eyes that told Dahlia she was craving something. Dahlia knew exactly what.

"Why not? Holding onto you on a horse for several leagues was an unforgettable experience," Dahlia smirked, taking Cara's gloved hand in her bare one. Cara shook her head, pushing unbraided hair from Dahlia's face. Dahlia's eyes looked bright again, they looked like the eyes Cara had grown to love. And then, silently, Cara leaned down to press a kiss to Dahlia's forehead.

"Cara…"

"It's just a kiss. We're alone, no one is here to watch us," Cara challenged, watching Dahlia intently, her aquamarine eyes almost hawk like. Cara's intensity was what drew Dahlia to her. It was infectiously potent, the most vivid part of Cara. She was the most passionate woman that Dahlia had ever known.

"I know, I just… I know," Dahlia mumbled. She nodded and looked up at Cara for a moment, simply taking her in, before reaching up to kiss the blonde Mord-Sith. "I'm feeling like myself again, you know."

Cara smirked, her hand squeezing Dahlia's breast with full intent on doing it again. She reached down to kiss Dahlia, hard, like she hadn't been able to do in the past seven days. The familiar taste of Dahlia's lips flooded Cara's mouth, leaving her smirking as she pulled away slightly. Dahlia's hand reached down to pull at Cara's hair before she moaned, softly, to Cara's hard touches.

It was far into the early evening when Cara and Dahlia emerged from the room. Both had loud, wide grins on their faces that were too extravagant to hide. Dahlia was happily in her leathers once more, but Cara wished that she were still out of them.

"Mistress Dahlia, Mistress Cara… you've finally emerged from your little cave," Triana smirked, having just begun walking down the hallway towards Dahlia and Cara. Someone who wasn't her Sister would see it as a humored smirk, but Cara and Dahlia knew better. Dahlia did her best to keep a straight face; Mord-Sith weren't supposed to be in the business of frequently pleasuring each other. If they did, it was for entertainment or out of need. She violently fought the desire to slap Triana across her smug face.

"So we have," Cara said bluntly. She wasn't one for playing games, or for small talk. "Congratulations on your excellent observation." And with that, she pulled Dahlia along with her. Cara was attempting to get away from Triana as quick as humanly possible. It was dangerous, what they were doing, and it was even worse now that Triana had caught on. "I have no doubt that she'll hold that over our heads in the future."

Dahlia rolled her eyes. "I'm sure we can handle Triana. Do you really think she's deft enough to do anything about us?"

Cara couldn't help but smirk at the claim. It was true, of course. Triana loved tattling to the other Sisters about everything Cara did wrong, but the truth was that Cara was ten times the Mord-Sith that Triana was. Cara was far more respected among the Sisters of the Agiel than Triana was. For all these reasons, and hundreds more, Triana's attempts to unseat Cara were always futile.

"Let's get something to eat… I'm worn out," Cara smiled, squeezing Dahlia's hand quickly before releasing it and walking side by side with the woman she secretly loved.