Chapter 11

The stars seemed brighter than normal. She wasn't sure if the night was blacker or if they were twinkling more fiercely to help guide their way home. She hoped that they would return soon.

Kahlan had been watching the path that circled the People's Palace all day. There wasn't another way in and she wanted to know when Richard and Cara made it back. Mara seemed to enjoy the bright colors of the outside world and she didn't mind being rocked and fed where her mother had a full view of any activity that brought someone to the palace entrance.

She didn't know why it was taking so long. She'd assumed that they would return hours ago. The worry in her brain had traveled to the pit of her stomach and was now gnawing away at the lining. Mara had slipped into sleep at least an hour earlier and Kahlan had kept holding her, but she couldn't put her baby down, not when he was still out there. She caressed her back and the soft skin on her neck as she paced in and out of the balcony.

The sound of hoof beats in the distance caught her attention. Her eyes strained to see into the night, waiting for the riders to appear in front of her. As soon as they rounded the final curve to come up the pathway she knew something wasn't right.

Setting the baby into her crib, gently, she raced down the staircase to meet them at the door. When she arrived she met up with Zedd who was already waiting.

"Something's not right." Her voice was frantic, already filled with a rising panic. She'd just gotten her family back; she couldn't imagine losing him.

"Everything will be fine. He's upright and riding his own horse, even if it looks like he's struggling to do that." Zedd rushed up to meet the horses, reaching for Richard's reins and getting the horse to halt. He saw that he was covered in blood, but it was hard to tell where his was coming from.

"His right shoulder!" Cara yelled at him breathlessly.

Kahlan had already joined the group and was helping her husband down, letting him lean his weight on her.

"He must have lost a lot of blood."

"He fought and killed Demian Greerson while the man's dagger was sticking out of his shoulder. I've never seen anything like it." Cara recounted the battle to Kahlan and Zedd as she helped them haul Richard into the palace.

The first chair in the foyer was where they lowered him down. Kahlan stripped off his shirt and the bandages. The severity of the wound required more magic to heal it and she knew that it worked better if Zedd could see it clearly.

Richard moaned as she held him against the back of the chair, letting Zedd's healing touch connect with his shoulder. The magic worked to close the wound in his shoulder. As he finished, Cara came up behind him; Kahlan hadn't even realized that she'd left, holding out a hot mug of tea.

"Drink this. It helps to strengthen you after you've lost a lot of blood. It's an old D'Haran trick. I've used it on a fair number of trainees. Let's just say they are a lot more alert after drinking it." She winked at Kahlan and held the cup to Richard's lips, letting him sip at it until the drink was gone. "He just needs a good bath, then he'll be good as new."

"Kahlan..." Richard was already feeling the effects of whatever Cara had just forced down his throat. "I killed them."

"Thank you."

"They are all dead. Mara won't have to worry about them now." He smiled at her and stood. The magic liquid seemed to be kicking in. He could almost feel his red blood cells regenerating. He looked down at himself and then up at Kahlan. "I need a bath."

"You certainly do." She grabbed his hand and walked with him to their suite.

Mara was fussing when they got to their room, so Kahlan took care of her feeding while Richard got in the bathtub. She listened to the water filling and the sloshing around as he got in. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of him naked in the water.

The suckling on her breast disappeared as Mara finished her meal. Kahlan put her clothes back in place and left the room, walking down the hall to Cara's bedchamber. She knocked on the door and the woman answered more quickly then she thought possible.

"Were you standing here waiting for me?" She smirked at Cara.

"I just expected to get a special babysitting request tonight." Cara held her arms out and pulled the child from Kahlan's embrace. "Mara and I will bond tonight, while you iconnect/i with Richard." Cara snorted at her own joke and went to rocking the baby. "We'll talk about the best ways to torture people who disobey the ruling family and how to prevent chipmunk attacks."

"You're a good friend, Cara."

"Don't think this means I'll be watching her every night. I know how you two are." The mord'sith walked into her room, leaving Kahlan alone in the hall.

Kahlan let out a little squeak of delight as she walked swiftly back to her room. She closed and locked the door before making her way into the bathroom.

The sight that met her eyes made her heart speed up and wetness pool between her legs. He was laying back in the bath, eyes closed, arms on the sides of the tub. The water looked clean, so he must have rinsed the blood off and then drew a new bath. She could see the skin on his neck and shoulders glisten, the water droplets reflecting the candlelight. She walked over to him and kneeled outside the tub. Her hand grabbed a sponge and dipped it in, absorbing the liquid as she started to bathe him.

She began with the injured shoulder; the slight pink of the newly regenerated skin was the only indication that there had been anything wrong with it. She let the sponge glide across the flesh there, using it to cleanse any remnants of the battle wound.

"I love you."

His voice startled her. She'd been concentrating on the movements of the sponge over his skin, lost in the thoughts of cleansing her worries away with it.

"I know." She leaned up and kissed his lips, her hair falling forward and the tips drifting along the surface of the water. "Thank you for keeping your promise." She kneeled back beside the tub and continued with the sponge, moving beneath the surface and caressing his pecs and abs with it now. Using only a light touch, she teased and tickled across his stomach and up and down his sides. Her gaze followed her hand under the water.

"How's Mara?" Richards hand left it's spot on the tub and looped a strand of her hair around his fingers, rolling and stroking it. The soft silk fell through his fingers before he reached to gather more to play with. Touching her hair always comforted and calmed him. He let out a sigh and slipped a little further into the bath. Her hand guiding the sponge over his body was going to lead to other things, as his manhood began to respond to her.

"She's with Cara for the night." She let the sponge go and her hand grasped his cock, giving him a few quick pumps then rubbing her thumb over the head. Releasing him, she stood, dried her arm off on the towel and leaned over to kiss him again. Her tongue licked over his lips before she drew back. "I'll be in bed, when you're done in here."

Smiling over her shoulder, she sauntered out of the room, when she got to the doorway she pulled off her shift and tossed it to the side, letting him watch her bare ass retreat towards the bed.

Richard didn't waste any time rising from the water. He pulled the plug and stepped out, grabbing the towel she'd just abandoned to dry off, his arms and torso followed by his legs. He stroked it over his erection and moaned at the rough sensation on his already sensitized skin.

"Don't forget about me!"

Kahlan must have heard him moan, throwing the towel over the rack to dry he went to the doorway and paused looking at his wife. She was snuggled under all the covers with only her head peaking out by the pillows.

"Are you cold?" He continued walking to the bed, slipping under the blankets behind her.

"No, I'm just shy." She flashed him a wicked grin and giggled.

"Oh, I see." She wanted to play, "Just too shy for me to look? Is it alright if I touch you under the quilts?"

"Hmm. I suppose that would be okay." She felt him curl up closer to her, his chest just inches from her back, the tip of his erection resting against the swell of her ass.

"Where do you want to be touched?" His hand was resting on her side, fingers drumming lightly on her ribs while he waited for his instructions.

"I..." She was rethinking this game as she felt a blush creep up her face. Asking for it had been something that turned her on and she could feel the need in her stomach and the throbbing in her clit just at the thought of telling him what to do to her. "My breasts."

He didn't answer. He cupped her left breast with his hand, gently squeezing it. He used his open hand to caress over it letting the nipple drag against his palm. His fingertips drew circles around the globe, slowly dancing around it until he reached her nipple. He flicked his finger across the tip, the nub hardened with the attention and he felt a droplet of milk appear.

"Am I doing it right?" Richard's lips brushed against her ear as he leaned in to ask. His fingers pinched her nipple and he heard her sharp intake of breath.

"S'good, yes..." Her legs pressed together, trying to relieve some of the tension that was building. She could feel how slick she was with wanting him. "Put your hand between my legs."

He took his time, grazing the tips of his fingers over her ribs, flattening his palm over her stomach and holding it there, cupping the small swell of her belly.

"Remember when Mara was in there?"

"Yes. We made her..." Kahlan tipped her head back her blue eyes meeting his brown ones. "She's so perfect. I look at her and I see you, just knowing that she's ours..." She felt the tears gathering in her eyes. "I never thought I'd have this."

"Let's make another." He kissed the tears from her cheeks; he brushed his nose against hers in an eskimo kiss and then connected their mouths. The angle was awkward but they made it work, their tongues playing with each other, chasing from one mouth to the next, lips sliding along.

Richard's hand was in her curls, delving into her folds. His middle finger teased over her clit and her hips rolled forward begging for more. He took the contact away, trailing his finger through her slit, pressing into her opening with it. He felt the rush of wetness as he dipped into the sheath, curving the digit to press against her walls.

She pulled her leg up to give him more room. Her hips rolled as he pumped his middle finger into her. Their mouths had parted and he was nibbling along her neck, his teeth scraping under her ear and tongue tickling the lobe. She needed to touch him too. Kahlan reached back between them grasped his erection, stroking him in a matching rhythm that he was using inside her. Every time she pulled towards her, the tip would bump the small of her back and she could feel the wet spot he was leaving from the leaking pre-cum.

"More..."

He added a second finger, giving her a little of what she wanted. The fluttering of her internal muscles around the digits told him she was on edge. He wasn't doing enough to get her off, but she was floating at the tip of ecstasy. His thumb moved upwards and pressed down on her clit.

"Yes... There!" Kahlan moaned out the words as her hips sped up their rocking, trying to force more attention onto her throbbing nub.

The circular motions started gently, barely a whisper over the little organ, but slowly he increased the pressure, his thumb moving the small hood back and forth, never using direct contact on the sensitive head. The squeezing around his fingers felt desperate; she was straining to pull him in deeper. The next time he withdrew he added a third finger and plunged back into her as his thumb gave her a firm caress over the tip of her clit.

She was falling. Her power rushed free from her as her sheath rippled over his fingers in orgasm. He filled her, her heart, her mind, her soul and her body were full of him. His name left her lips in a gasp as she contracted around him. He didn't let up on her body, strumming her through to completion. Every wave of pleasure that ran through her veins gifted upon her by his hands.

"How was it?" Richard withdrew his fingers when he felt her body stop spasming, bringing them to his mouth he cleaned her juices off all three of them, savoring her flavor.

"You have to ask?"

"No, I just like to hear you talk after you come. Your voice is so soft, deep and sated." He bit her shoulder then licked away the irritation. "I want to be inside you now."

"How do you want me?" She looked back at him and raised and eyebrow.

"What would iyou/i need to come again?"

"It's not always about what I need. You need pleasure too." Her hand touched his cheek, her thumb tracing the bone.

"Watching you have another orgasm, that, is all I need." Richard turned his head and kissed her palm. "How do you want to make a baby?"

"Do we have to move?"

He didn't answer. He pulled her thigh over his, slid down the bed a ways and used his hand to line his erection up with her opening. The head slipped in and he moved his fingers back to her clit, beginning to stroke her again as he pressed the rest of the way into her sheath. The slickness of her center made him groan.

Her hand gripped his, moving it from her clit and up her breast.

"Too much, too soon." She encouraged his hand to squeeze her leaving him to pay attention to her breast as she put her hand down to her slit. She knew how much she could take. Her pleasure would be her own job this round.

Richard dug his heel into the mattress to help him push up into her. They weren't able to get much movement in this position, but the slow rocking with the residual spasms from her first orgasm still rippling around his cock made it feel incredible. His palm was teasing her nipple, the milk dribbling onto it. She'd just nursed before they started, but a little bit of milk still flowed out at her climax. He used the hold on her breast for extra leverage, pulling her back into his chest with each thrust.

The thrusting accompanied by his hand holding her breast and her own finger barely touching her clit was sending her back down the path of ecstasy. His throat was making grunting noises indicating that he was close. She scissored her fingers around her swollen clitoris and pinched. The shock of pleasure sent her over the edge again, clamping around his cock as he thrust into her twice more.

The vice grip that her body had on his erection made him suck in a breath and he jerked into her once, then again and let go. His seed burst from him. Every rush of his orgasm sent the life giving fluid deep into her body.

When his breathing returned to normal he kissed her ear, outlining the shell with his tongue, pulling the lobe into his mouth and suckling on it. They were still locked together, neither one of them wanting to separate. He could feel himself softening and slowly slipping free from her wet tunnel, her internal muscles kept pulling at him, trying to prevent his exit as well. They both made disappointed noises when he was completely free of her.

"I'm exhausted." He pulled her around to face him, their limbs untangling from one another until their foreheads were rubbing and their cheeks were sharing a pillow.

"Loving me is very tiring." She kissed him, giving her mouth time to explore his. Their tongues glided over one another. The post coital high left them both short of breath.

"I'll never get tired of doing it though." He caressed her face, his fingers exploring all the dips and planes. "Sleep, Kahlan."

She closed her eyes and tried to let her body give into the exhaustion of her day. Something was preventing her from falling into the deep, restful sleep that she'd been getting recently. What was missing?

"I can't sleep." She yawned after the words left her lips.

"What's wrong?" He was about to drift off into a deep slumber, but he was forcing himself to make sure she slept first.

"I..." She looked up at him, "I think I need Mara. Is that... is that silly?"

"No, needing her is understandable." He kissed her nose. "I'll go get her."

She watched as he pulled on his pants and walked out of the room. She stared at the door, for what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been longer than a few minutes, waiting for it to open again and for him to have their daughter in his arms.

The door finally creaked open and she saw his giant smile before the small mass of baby cuddled in his arms.

"What did Cara say?" She was curious to the woman's response to him coming to get the baby. He settled back in next to her, placing Mara between them. Everything in her body seemed to calm. The little person now sleeping next to her and her husband on the other side was everything she needed to relax into a deep sleep.

"She said that I lasted longer than she was expecting and that it was always a good sign when the Seeker was able to discover the joy of multiple orgasms for his wife. She then made a crack about me being the one true seeker in the last three thousand years, but I just ignored her and picked up the baby." Both of them were chuckling at Cara's words. "On my way out, she said that next time she'd be ready to keep her almost all night and that after that we might be okay with not having her for a full night and she couldn't wait until we could learn to not be so codependent."

"Cara knows us too well." Kahlan put her arm under her pillow and snuggled in for the night.

"I'm glad she realizes how good I am in bed." He waited for her clever retort but saw that she'd already drifted into sleep. He smiled and mirrored her position, Mara sleeping soundly between them, letting his body follow his wife into slumber. He followed her lead in everything else, why not now too? At least he was used to taking orders and direction.

The End