He made his way back toward the house, Franz beside him, taking his time to make a more thorough inspection of the floor and trees in his realm. He found the blind where the sniper laid waiting for just such an opportunity as Rio lighting a candle might give him. The shifting of shadows against the thin woven blanket was enough to give a marksman a chance of hitting a target. He stopped just a few steps from the verandah, breathing deeply, allowing the knowledge that Rachael could have been killed to wash over him.
He felt sick, his stomach churning. The sweat that broke out on his body had nothing to do with the heat. The wind rarely touched the forest floor. It was always uncannily still there, the dense canopy shielding it, yet high in the trees, the wind whispered and played and danced through the leaves. The sound was soothing to him, the rhythm of nature.
He could understand the laws in the forest. He could even understand the necessity for violence in his world, but he couldn't imagine what Rachael had done to deserve a death sentence. If one of his people had contracted to kill a woman in cold blood, he knew the assassin would never stop until the deed was accomplished. His kind was single-minded, and the ego of the male would now be bruised. The slow, smoldering anger would flair into a dark, twisted hatred that would spread until it became a disease. The male had missed twice and both times Rio and his clouded leopards, two lesser beings, had interfered. It would be personal now.
He stepped onto the verandah. "Rachael, I'm coming in." He waited for a sound. For a sign. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until he heard her voice. Tense. Frightened. Determined. So Rachael. She was alive.
Rachael was still in exactly the same position on the floor as when he had left. The fact that she trusted his expertise lifted his spirits even more. She looked up at him, sprawled out, his shirt barely covering her bottom, her legs splayed half under the bed, her hair tousled and wild, spilling around her face, and she grinned at him. "Nice of you to drop in. I took a little nap but was getting hungry." Her gaze moved over him anxiously, obviously inspecting for damage. Her grin widened. "And thirsty. I could use one of those drinks you're so fond of making."
"And maybe a little help in getting up?" He found his voice was husky, almost hoarse, emotion catching him off guard. Fritz lay curled up at her side and the gun and knife were on the floor beside her hand.
"That too. I heard shots." There was a little catch in her voice, but she managed to keep the smile on her face.
He knew he loved her. It was the undaunted smile. The joy in her eyes. The anxiety for his safety. He would never forget that moment. How she looked lying on the floor, blood seeping out of her leg, his shirt twisted around her waist exposing her luscious bare rump and her smile. She was so beautiful it took his breath away.
Rio hunkered down beside her, carefully inspected the damage to her leg. "We got lucky this time, Rachael. I know it hurts, but it isn't that bad. I'm going to lift you up and it's going to jar you some. Let me do the work."
She was always surprised at his enormous strength. Even after the revelation of what he was, she was shocked at how easily he lifted her and set her back on the bed. She couldn't help herself. She had to touch him, map his face, run her fingertips over his chest just to feel for herself he was alive. "I heard shots," she repeated, demanding an explanation.
"I winged him. He's one of my people, but I don't recognize his scent at all. I've never met him. We aren't the only ones. Some of us live in Africa, others South America. Someone could have imported a..." he trailed off.
"A hit man?" She supplied.
"I was going to say sniper, but that works. It's possible. We hire out to take back kidnap victims. We make it a policy not to mix in politics if it's at all possible, but sometimes it's inevitable. Our laws are fairly strict; they have to be. Our temperaments are not suited to everything and we have to keep that in mind always. Control is everything to our species. We have intellect and cunning, but not always the control needed to govern those things."
"He was after me, wasn't he?" Rachael asked.
Rio nodded. "Kim left the medicine for your leg and I'm going to reapply it. We have to leave here. I'm going to take you to the elders. They'll protect you there better than I can here."
"No." Rachael said it decisively. "I won't go there, Rio. I mean it. I won't go--ever. Not for any reason."
"Rachael, don't go stubborn on me. This man is a professional and he knows where you are. He probably knows you've been injured. He came far too close to killing you for my peace of mind."
"I'll leave if you want me to, but I'm not going to your elders." For the first time he heard a bite in her voice. It wasn't edgy or moody, it was sheer temper. Her dark eyes flashed fire, nearly throwing sparks.
"Rachael." He sat on the edge of the bed and pushed back the mop of curls falling in all directions. "I'm not abandoning you. It's safer for you. He's going to come back."
"Yes, I know he will. And you'll be here, won't you. Alone. By yourself. Because your idiot elders are happy enough to take the money you earn risking your life to do whatever it is you do with your little unit. You give it to them, don't you?" She glared at him. "I've seen how you live, and I can't see you having a huge bank account stashed somewhere. You give it to the others, don't you?"
Rio shrugged. She was furious. Anger was radiating from her. Her body shook with it. His fingers tunneled in her thick mass of hair. He didn't know why, maybe to hold her in place when she looked capable of flying at the elders. "Some of it. I don't need it. The money is used to help protect our environment. Our people need it, I don't. I live simply, Rachael, and I like my life. What I keep I use for weapons or food or medicine. I just don't have that many needs."
"I don't care, Rio. They're hypocrites. They banished you. You aren't good enough to live near them, but they'll take your money and they'll let you risk your life to protect their other men while they do their jobs. It stinks and I want no part of them. And if you need another reason, I'll just be followed there and bring more trouble to them. I'm not going. I'll leave and the hit man will follow me, and you'll be safe."
Laughter welled up out of nowhere. He simply leaned forward and took possession of her mouth. Her beautiful, perfect, sinfully delicious mouth. She sank into him, melted, her body pressing against his, robbing his mind of actual thought. Rio wrapped her up in his arms, hungrily devouring her, kissing her over and over because she was alive and she looked at him with that look. Because it angered her that the elders had banished him and she was so ready to defend him even when he didn't need defending. Because she made his blood sing and his body as hard as a rock.
Bolts of lightning ripped through his bloodstream. Flames danced over his skin. There was a roaring in his head and he knew he was wholly alive again. It didn't matter that he didn't know her past. He knew what she was made of, the strength of her, the fierce protective nature. Her courage and fire mattered to him. She had given him acceptance, when his own people couldn't accept what he had done.
Her hand crept around his neck. She lifted her head and looked at him. "I can't stay with you, Rio, and it breaks my heart. Why did I have to find someone who is so kind and gentle?"
"Only you would describe me as kind and gentle, Rachael." He kissed her again. "And we can work things out."
"You mean you can hunt this hit man down and kill him." She shook her head. "I'm not going to let you do that. You hate what you did, killing the man who took your mother's life. You think it's so wrong of you because you can't be sorry he's dead. Rio, you're sorry you killed him. I know you are. You may not be sorry that he's dead, but you regret the way his life was taken. You aren't going to do it all over again for me."
"It isn't for you."
She smiled at him and pushed back the hair tumbling onto his forehead. "Yes it is. It won't matter what excuse you come up with for both of us, I'll always know it was because of me and you'll always know it too. My troubles have nothing to do with you and you shouldn't ever have been made
a part of them."
"I bested him twice. He was forced to run and he was wounded. He'll have to come after me. Whether you're here or not, he'll have to come after me."
"He isn't paid to come after you. Hit men work for money. They don't have very much in the way of feelings, Rio, at least not that I've ever seen. If you pay them, they do the job. It's simply business to them."
"You're talking about human beings," he pointed out. "I'll make you something to eat while we discuss this. I'm serious, Rachael, he'll come here to take me out before he ever makes another attempt on you."
Rachael watched him cross to the cupboards. There was total conviction in his voice. "I wasn't going to bring up the differences between us, but now that you mention it, I've considered one of two problems a relationship might encounter. There's the whole crossing species thing. You didn't ask me if I was using birth control, Rio. Did it occur to you that if I became pregnant there might be a problem?"
Intent on making soup, he didn't turn around. "There wouldn't be a problem, but I knew you couldn't conceive. Not the way we made love."
"Really? Why is that?"
"Because you're one of us."
Rachael lifted an eyebrow and regarded the broad expanse of his back. "How intriguing. Why didn't I know this? You'd think my parents would have given me the information. Not that I'd mind running free in the forest though, that would be fun."
He did turn around then and there was no answering amusement on his face. His expression was grim. "No, you won't go running in the forest, Rachael. Not now, not ever." The smoldering anger was back, a fierce black roiling that swept through him like a dark tornado.
Rachael's eyebrow shot higher. "Nice to know ahead of time there seems to be a double standard in your society for women. I already come from one of those societies, Rio, where women are second-class citizens, and I didn't particularly enjoy it. I don't intend to join another one."
"My mother wasn't second-class, Rachael. She was a miracle to anyone lucky enough to know her. And running free in the forest cost her her life."
"It was a risk she took, Rio. You take it all the time. I took a risk when I let go of the boat and slipped into the rising river. It was my risk to take. In any case there's no point in arguing, I've never shifted into any other shape but this one. Well, sometimes my weight goes up and down a bit and as I get older I think it's redistributing and maybe changing my shape, but that's not what you mean."
"You're one of us, Rachael. Drake knew it and so did Kim and Tama. You're close to the Han Vol Dan. It's why you get edgy and moody."
"Edgy? Moody? I beg your pardon! I do not get edgy and moody. And if I do, it's only because I'm stuck in this bed."
"Maybe that wasn't such a good description. I'm trying to be discreet."
"Well forget discreet and just say it."
"All right. But don't get mad at me. You're close to the change and with it you're experiencing a powerful sexual drive, much like a female cat going into heat."
She threw the pillow at him. "I hardly think I'm acting like a cat in heat. I didn't go after every male in the room."
"No, but they wanted to go after you. It can be a dangerous time. You're putting out signals, both scent and body signals."
"You are crazy." Rachael glared at him. "Are you trying to tell me you made love to me because I was putting out some kind of scent?" His back was to her again but she saw his shoulders shake. "If you dare laugh, I'm going to let you know exactly what a woman getting hot entails."
"I wouldn't think of laughing." Sometimes lying was the better part of valor and the only way to save a man's butt. "I made love to you because every time I look at you I want you. Hell, I want you now. I can't think straight when I'm around you, but you already know that."
Rachael tried not to be mollified by what he said, but it was impossible not to be pleased. She rather liked the idea he couldn't think straight around her. "Seriously, Rio, why would you even consider I'm any other species other than human?"
"I'm being serious. I'm certain your parents were exactly as I am. I think the stories your mother told you were all the stories told to our children to teach them their heritage. You must have heard your father call your mother sestrilla and that's how you knew the meaning of the word. The language is ancient and used only by our people, but it is universal to all of us no matter what part of the world we reside in. So even if your parents were born and raised in South America as I suspect, your father would have called your mother that at some time."
"I can't remember my father. I was very young when he died."
"Do you have memories of the rain forest?"
"Dreams, not memories."
"The humidity doesn't bother you and the mosquitoes don't go near you. You aren't afraid in the silences or the stillness. Hell, Rachael, I walked in here as the leopard and you didn't even flinch."
"I flinched. There was definite flinching. You're darned lucky I didn't die of sheer fright."
"You were petting the leopard. You couldn't have been that afraid."
"The soup is beginning to boil." She made a face at his back. Maybe she hadn't been as afraid of the leopard as she should have been. "Who wouldn't pet a leopard given the chance? It was a perfectly natural thing to do. I considered fainting, but I'm not very good at it so I thought I'd make the most of the opportunity. And," she continued before he could interrupt, "you have two leopards for pets, who knows if the big guy was part of the family. He walked in like he owned the place."
He grinned at her. "I do."
"Well, I'm not in heat." She tried not to smile back at him. It was difficult when he was standing there, leaning one hip lazily against the sink and looking incredibly sexy.
"A man can always hope."
She managed an elegant sniff of indignation, taking the mug of soup he handed to her. "How long before the hit man comes back?" It was a much safer subject.
"He could be holed up a couple of miles from here. It depends on how badly injured he was. He was moving fast and thinking the entire time."
"Which means it wasn't that bad."
"That would be my guess. Franz is scouting and I've sent out a couple of other friends, not human in case you were wondering. They'll raise the alarm if he shows himself within a couple of mile radius. If he's smart, he's laying low waiting for us to settle down."
Rachael's heart jumped. "You mean you think he'll be coming back tonight? Why aren't we getting ready to get out of here? I can make it. It's silly to just sit here and wait for him to shoot at us."
"We're not just waiting for him, Rachael. We're fortifying ourselves and preparing for battle."
"I don't want to battle anyone. You know the old fight-or-flee adage? I believe fleeing is the smart thing to do. There must be one of the native huts I read about where we can go."
"He's a walking radar system, Rachael. He can track us, no matter where we go. If you don't want to shelter with the elders in the village then we have to face him."
Rachael shook her head sadly. "Everywhere I go, I bring death." She looked away from the door. "I'm sorry, Rio. I really am, that I brought this man into your life. I thought I could escape."
"It was his choice to take this job. Eat your soup."
Rachael sipped at the broth cautiously. It was very hot but she found she was suddenly hungry. "I'm still trying to get used to the idea that leopard men actually are real, not a myth, and you want me to believe I'm a leopard woman." She laughed softly. "It can't be real, but I saw it with my own eyes."
"I'll be happy to demonstrate for you." He wanted to get her to his safe house as quickly as possible. She wouldn't be happy with the move, and he was certain it would hurt her leg, but he felt they had no choice. The sniper wouldn't wait long. If Rio had been the hunter, he would have already been making his way slowly, patiently, back into position for the kill.
Rio dragged his large pack out. He kept it filled with necessary items for a quick getaway. He added extra shi
rts for Rachael. He cut the seam of a pair of his old jeans up to the knee. "I'm going to have you put these on."
"Lovely. I like the look. Are we going walking in the moonlight?" She set the soup on the small end table and held out her hand for the jeans. Her gaze met his steadily, but he saw her swallow hard. The prospect of trying to walk with the injury she'd sustained was daunting.
"Yes. Let me help you." He eased the material over her swollen ankle and calf. Her courage shook him. He expected a protest but as usual, Rachael was game.
She broke out into a sweat while dressing. "I'm out of shape."
"We're not going to talk about shapes again, are we?" He teased, needing to find a way to take the pain from her eyes. He ran his fingers through her hair. The silken strands were damp. "Are you going to be able to do this?"
"Of course. I can do anything." Rachael had no idea how she was going to stand up and actually put weight on her leg. Even with Kim and Tama's green-brown brew smeared in globs over her calf, her leg was throbbing. She was certain when she looked down to inspect the damage she would see arrows piercing her flesh. She handed him the soup mug. "I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be."
He handed her a sheathed knife and the small gun. "The safety's on." He shouldered the pack, reached down for the fifty-pound clouded leopard. "We can't leave you behind, Fritz. I have a feeling our friend is going to be feeling vindictive. You'll have to stay out of the house."
The cat yawned but stayed on his feet when Rio set him on the verandah. "Go, little one, find a place to hide until I return." He watched the small leopard limp onto a branch and disappear into the foliage. Rio looked back to see Rachael struggling to her feet. "What in the hell do you think you're doing, woman?"
"I think it's called standing but I seem to have forgotten how," she answered, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's the green gunk you put on my leg. It's weighing me down."