Chapter 6

Kat watched as Charlie groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. She had not been able to sleep since she had figured out that Charlie's need had become more intense when the waters of Areseric had penetrated his skin. Despite the dilemma, she was still found peace in watching the stars brighten as the night grew deeper. She had been staring at the stars for hours when Charlie had started to thrash around and moan softly.

She crawled over to him, concerned that he was in pain. As she lifted her hand to touch him, she hesitated. She longed to touch him but wasn't sure if she should. Finally she placed a hand on his shoulder with the intention of waking him up.

"Oh..." she gasped as she was dragged under him She stared up in surprise at him before he lowered his head and attached his mouth to the side of her neck. She groaned as he started sucking on the tender skin at the base of her throat.

Charlie growled happily as he raised his head and saw the love mark that he had left on the little healer's neck. He had always been a possessive lover. He loved leaving his mark on his mate. Maybe it was due to the Areseric blood that ran through his veins. Or maybe it was simply because he was a dominant male.

He growled when he saw the flush on her face. She was definitely aroused. Perfect, he thought as he thumbed one of the soft pink nipples. As it hardened for him, he rumbled as he captured it between his lips. Sucking it into his moist mouth, he ran his tongue over the tip of it. As he laved the end of it, he imagined that one day he would be doing the same thing and tasting the milk that she would have for their son. He groaned deeply at the thought of her carrying his child. It was one of the regrets that he had from his previous marriage. He had always longed for children.

He turned his head and treated the other nipple to the same treatment. He growled again when he felt her little hands tangle in his hair before pulling his head closer to her. He could hear her gasps and moans as she squirmed under him. He could feel her rubbing her pussy against his stomach and hips. He caught her hips and pressed her even more tightly against him.

"Charlie!"

"Patience, my Kitty-Kat. We'll get there," he whispered as he lifted his head and stared into her passion glazed eyes. He could feel her sharp little nails pressing against his shoulders in protest.

"I ache..." she panted as he held her pinned under him.

"As do I!" He said menacingly before pinning her hands above her head with his. With their height difference, he could easily restrain her. Lifting himself above her, he settled deep in the 'vee' of her splayed legs. They both groaned when he ground his aching cock against her pussy. When he slowly rocked against her, Kat wrapped her legs around his trim waist, urging him to quicken the pace. With a deep moan, he granted her wish and rocked urgently against her as he kept his upper body off hers.

Kat gasped in pleasure as Charlie pinned her to the rough ground. She had tried to resist the temptation. She knew that he had been in a deep sleep. She shouldn't be enjoying this but she couldn't resist the pleasure. Pinned as she was, she was helpless against the pleasure that his thrusting hips were giving her. He was rubbing against her aching mound and her sensitive clit was throbbing. She could feel her orgasm coming. She was breathing raggedly.

"OH MY GOD!" she screamed as her body exploded.

Charlie awoke when he heard Kat's scream. He opened his eyes and stared down at the moaning thrashing Kat. WHAT THE HELL? She was climaxing and she was UNDER him!

"Fuck!" He growled as his cock erupted inside of his pants. When the tremors of pleasure finally resided, he looked down at her flushed face.

"Hi..." she whispered.

"What the hell happened?" he spat arrogantly at her after he rolled off of her soft small body. Sitting up, he ran a hand through his hair.

"You were dreaming." Kat sat up too. She gently reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Don't!" he hissed.

"Charlie?" Kat whispered uneasily.

"Don't touch me, Katrina. This should never have happened." He stood and walked over to their bags.

"Why do you keep fighting this? It's obvious that we want each other."

"I was dreaming Kat. And it wasn't about you." He lied without turning to look at her. He couldn't bear to watch the hurt that he knew was going to be in those beautiful brown eyes.

"Then who..." Kat asked softly

"My wife," he said as he finally turned back to look at her.

"So I was..."

"Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I told you before nothing will ever come of this. I am a man and I have needs..."

"I get it. You don't want me other than as a brief fuck..." Kat whispered as she scrambled to her feet and ran for the river.

"Kat!" Charles yelled. Concerned for her safety, he followed her. It was still dark out and she didn't need to be wandering around. He heard the splash as she dove into the water.

"FUCK!" he grumbled as he stood at the edge of the water. The little witch knew that he wouldn't follow her into the water. Not after his close call earlier. Even with the meager release he had just had, his hunger was still too close to the surface to attempt another dip into the water. Pacing at the edge of the water, he watched in the moonlight as she started swimming away from him. He kept pace with her on land. Even if he couldn't go into the water, he was going to protect her.

He followed her on foot for the next hour until it looked she was finally tiring. As she crawled to the shore trembling with fatigue, he knelt down next to her. Reaching up he pushed a wet strand of her hair off her cheek.

"Don't touch me!" she argued weakly as she collapsed, her body half in the water and half out of it.

"I thought that was my line..." he whispered as he watched her eyes drift shut. She was clearly exhausted from her long swim. He leaned over and picked her up with easy strength and cradled her in his arms.

"You're a real bastard." Kat mumbled sleepily.

"I know." Charles winced as he turned and headed back towards their camp.

Philip watched the pair intently from behind a kor. Since it was night, it too slumbered. He would have to make his move before morning came though. Once the kor awoke it would be hungry and he had no intentions of becoming it's dinner.

He had been awakened by the same scream that had roused King Charles. He had watched from a distance as the two obviously had a disagreement and then the healer had headed into the river. He found this fact rather interesting. If they had just had an argument, why was she partaking of Areseric's most well know aphrodisiac?

The king was obviously showing more restraint. He followed the woman but stayed on the bank. As Philip kept behind them but still within sight, he was surprised to see that the woman was traveling farther down stream. What kind of being was she? He had never seen any of the Aresericans stay in contact with the water for more than a few minutes. Even the more daring women and men had only gone in as far as their waists before coming back out and screwing themselves silly. The healer had obviously better control of her libido or she simply wasn't affected the same way as they were. It was a rather intriguing thought.

He backed up quickly but silently as the couple came back into closer view. The king was carrying the limp healer in his arms. As he waited in the shadows, the king and healer passed mere feet from his hiding spot. It would be ideal to strike now but Aric had said nothing about hurting the healer. And it went against the grain for him to lift a hand against a healer. His dead mother had been a healer. He could no more strike a healer than he could his own mother.

He was patient. The king's time would come. He would just have to wait for it. He would attack soon perhaps just as the sun rose.

Clara was awakened from a dead sleep by the pounding on her suite door. She glanced at the clock and groaned. It was three AM! And she knew exactly who was at her door. Sighing, she rolled out of her bed, and grabbed the white robe off the foot of the bed. Shrugging into it, she walked out to the sitting area of her suite. Opening the door a crack, she saw her enraged niece.

"This couldn't wait until the morning, Gracie?" she asked as she pulled the door further open.

"No! I need to talk to you. Now!", she added as she watched her aunt start to close the door.

"Fine - come in before you wake up half the household." Clara said as she turned leaving the door part way open. "Please don't slam the door."

As Clara settled into the armchair next to the fireplace, she watched Gracie waddle back and forth in front of her. Finally she stopped and looked at her aunt. Blue sparks lit up her eyes.

"Was it a diversion?"

"No." Clara said already knowing what Gracie was referring to. "Your sister will come into her powers after she has her babies. You will be the best person to teach her how to control them. She will need YOU!"

"Did you know that my husband has left? Or where he is going?"

"Yes. I knew. You are in no condition to follow him, Gracie. You are seven months pregnant. If it weren't for Kat's touch you would have already had those three. Who knows if you or they would have lived?"

"What do you mean?" Gracie asked with a frown.

"Each time she had touched you, she has healed your body. There is a reason why Rand is only planning on only having these babies with you. Your body will not be able to handle having any more pregnancies. Once is all he gets and he knows it. So he made his one shot count."

"Oh..."

"So you need to stay here and give those babies a chance. If you go traipsing out into the desert after your husband, you could cause yourself great harm. But it could be even worse for those three babies!" She watched as Gracie turned away from her.

"But even as I tell you these facts, I know you are going to go after him. It is the way of Chosens." Clara sighed as Gracie rushed out of the room.

As the sunlight finally touched Kat's sleeping face, Charlie knew that he was a goner. That as surely as the Sun shone above - he was falling in love with the little healer. He was still fighting it as hard as he could but he had finally realized that even if he fell in love with her, he would never have her. He just couldn't trust either of them that far.