Chapter 28
Growling under his breath, Darken Rahl could scarcely believe that Kahlan Amnell had escaped him again. She had been here…right here with him, at his mercy. Then, she was suddenly gone, vanishing like the wind back into the world of the living.
He furiously kicked a stone out of his path as he paced, his eyes locked on the spot where she'd reappeared in the Underworld not long ago. It was the very place where he'd began to take out his rage on her, to torment her in ways she couldn't have begun to imagine. To take what his brother Richard wanted to much would've been such delicious revenge.
But now she was gone again, the Mother Confessor's pure heart beating once more. They were back where they had started.
The Keeper had said nothing since Kahlan had been saved. He was rather relieved by that fact. He would definitely prefer his silence over being on the receiving end of the Keeper's wraith after losing their prize.
"This isn't over yet."
The Keeper's intrusive voice caused Darken Rahl to pause in his steps. "She's gone," Darken bleakly reminded him.
"And the prophecy still stands."
"So Kahlan will die soon again?"
"Death is inevitable for all…especially for those like the Seeker and Mother Confessor who continually chose to oppose me."
A grin slowly spread across Darken's face at the thought of having his brother and Kahlan both here with him. He would make sure they would enjoy their time here with him.
XXX
Kahlan felt arms wrapped firmly around her, holding her tight and causing fear to spike through directly to her core. It was Rahl. She'd been fighting against him in her dreams and now he was really here, holding her down and forcing himself on her.
She wouldn't allow him to take her without a fight. She'd rather endure the pain he caused with his dark magic then to just let him take what was not his to have.
She began to struggle, tried to pull free, but his hold on her only grew stronger, kept her arms locked to her sides. She tried to move her legs, to kick him off of her, but his leg was hooked over hers keeping her pinned against him. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her throat still felt like hot razors. It was as if Rahl had scorched her vocal cords with his magic, her lungs burning with every breath and bringing tears to her eyes.
"Kahlan…Kahlan…it's alright…it's me, Richard…"
Richard's soothing voice suddenly cut through her panicked thoughts, causing her to stop fighting him. She opened her eyes to find herself staring into his worried brown eyes. She was lying on her side facing him, enveloped safely in his strong arms. She quickly buried her face in his chest, grabbing hold of his tooth pendant and clinging to him as she cried.
If she only knew it was that very tooth that had just saved her life a few hours ago.
Richard rubbed her back as he held her, trying to calm her. She'd been unconscious since they had escaped and even after finally stopping to set up camp. He had held her the rest of the evening and long into the night. She'd cried several times in her sleep, thrashing about and fighting his hold on her, but never fully waking until now.
"You're safe, Kahlan," Richard murmured, stroking her hair. "I'm not going to let him hurt you ever again."
Spirits, what had Rahl and the Keeper done to her?
He felt her begin to settle the longer that he held her, her tears finally subsiding. She pulled back to look at him, still having a hard time believing that she was actually here with him instead of trapped in the Underworld.
"Richard," she whispered, reaching with trembling fingers to touch his face.
He dipped his head, capturing her lips in a slow tender kiss that only seemed to grow more insistent, more heated. His arms tightened around her, his hands pulling her body flush against him. He was not about to let her go any time soon.
He was so relieved that she was here with him, safe from the Keeper and Darken Rahl. He knew it had been risky giving Demos his own tooth to rescue Kahlan, not knowing what was really going to happen, but he'd had no other choice. He'd had a dreadful feeling about the other tooth, something inside of him that had warned him not to let Demos have it.
He was just thankful that he had been right in following his instincts. He shuddered to think of what the outcome could have been had he not.
And because he had, Kahlan was with him where she always belonged, in his arms and in his life. Reluctantly breaking the kiss, he pressed his lips to her forehead, so thrilled that she was warm to his touch once more. He heard a soft sigh slip past her lips as he leaned down to kiss her again.
His body demanded so much more, but she wasn't ready. She was still weakened from what the Keeper had put her through, still needed more time to recover. Besides, he still had to convince her that he loved her more than her magic.
The last several days had more than proven to himself the very depths of his love for her, the lengths that he was willing to go for her. He had never once doubted the depths of his feelings for her, but losing what he loved most only showed him that his love for her ran deeper than even he had first believed. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you sooner," he murmured as he gazed into her eyes. "I can't imagine what they did to you, what you had to…"
"Richard, you saved my life," she interrupted him with a raspy whisper, his heartache so visible on his face. "I'm with you and that's all that matters now."
"Zedd's going to see about healing your voice once you're regained more of your strength," he told her. "He thinks it's related to whatever happened to you in the Underworld. Spirits, what did they do to you, Kahlan?"
"It doesn't matter now," she slowly shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. "Is it really over? Is the spell broken?"
"Zedd believes that it is," he reassured her, caressing the side of her face. "He thinks that the spell was fulfilled when you…when you died. The link was no longer needed and was broken."
"And Demos?"
"I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of him," he grimly replied with a ragged sigh. "But don't worry about that now. You just rest, regain your strength. I'll be right here when you wake up."
"I love you, Richard," she whispered, her eyes suddenly heavy again.
"And I love you more, Kahlan," he murmured, kissing her again before pulling her against him once more.
Richard knew that things with his new-found brother were far from over. He had not at all liked the vile way that Demos had leered at Kahlan, the wanton lust that had filled his dark eyes as he had stared at her. It was obvious he was drawn to women who had not been touched by a man yet. It caused his jealous rage to roar to the surface, demanding satisfaction, but he forced it back down instead.
He shuddered to think of what the other tooth would have done to her or what Demos would do if he ever got his hands on her. His brother would have to get through him first before he ever came close to laying a finger on Kahlan. He had stopped once. He would stop him again.
Despite that, Richard couldn't shake the feeling that he had still missed something, something dreadful that would come back to haunt them all.
XXX
Demos Rahl stood staring out the window that overlooked the city, his hands clasped behind his back. He had been standing there for hours, staring out into the night as his mind replayed every single event, every single thing that was said and done.
He had underestimated Richard Cypher, had not anticipated that he would be able to discover that his tooth was linked to the world of the living while the tooth that Demos had wanted had been linked to the Underworld.
Richard shouldn't have been able to figure that out. He had purposefully withheld information from him so that he knew as little as possible about what he was walking into. And now, he was still without the tooth that he wanted.
And yet, things couldn't have gone better.
Demos pinched his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger, pulling on it and allowing it to slip from his fingers only to start all over again as his mind raced with dark thoughts that he couldn't begin to control even if he wanted to.
He may not have the tooth that he so badly wanted, but he had found something even better, something far superior to anything that he'd ever known that he now wanted more than anything.
The Mother Confessor.
Images of her beauty haunted his thoughts, awakening his simmering arousal. If he could find a way to get her for himself, to harness her powerful magic he would be invincible. Not even the Keeper himself could stand against him.
Fortunate for him, he'd had foresight enough to take extra precautions, had planned for any number of outcomes.
His brother thought that he had won when he had switched the tooth on him. Little did the Seeker know Demos had done a little last minute deception of his own, something that none of them had even noticed. Not even the great Wizard of the First Order had picked up on the little extra touch he had added to his dramatic performance for them.
Richard would find out soon enough, though.
"Egremont," Demos suddenly called, the General quickly approaching from the dark shadows of the room where he'd been patiently waiting. "Have the soldiers returned yet?"
"Yes, my Lord," Egremont readily replied, bowing his head. "The men followed them as far as you had instructed them to go and then immediately returned to the Palace."
"Good," Demos muttered. "Have Laira brought to my chambers immediately. I need to relax."
"I'm afraid I cannon, my Lord. She died this afternoon," the General regretfully informed him. "The healers were unable to repair her injuries this time. They were far too extensive even for them."
Demos sighed in heated frustration. Laira had been beautiful, but obviously weak. He needed a strong woman, a powerful woman like Kahlan Amnell no doubt was. She would be his greatest prize, his greatest conquest.
It was only a matter of time now.
"Find me a new one then," he angrily demanded. "One with hair dark like the Mother Confessor. She'll have to do until I can have Kahlan for myself. Make sure this one lasts."
"Yes, my Lord," Egremont bowed as Demos stalked from the room, wondering how he would be able to escape the Confessor's magic. No one was immune to her powerful touch.
Whatever new troubles his Lord Rahl had just created, it was all still centered on the Seeker and Mother Confessor…
TO BE CONTINUED…
