Rio sat up and pushed his hands through his dark hair. "A bath sounds good."
She took his hand and tugged. "Come on then. Get in and I'll wash you, like you did me. It felt delicious."
Rio stretched and padded across to the small closet that passed for the bathroom. He wasn't going to tell Rachael he preferred the jungle. After bis performance at dawn, she very well might think him entirely uncivilized. Rachael was making him coffee when he returned.
"You're spoiling me."
"I hope so." She frowned at the marks on his body. "Leeches? Did those nasty little things manage to get on you again?"
"I was laying in the bog, wailing for my shot. They go for body heat."
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She grinned at him and pushed him toward the tub. "Well, we both know you have plenty of heat."
He sank into the steaming water. Her hands went to his shoulders, soapy, sliding as she massaged the aches away. "Tell me what happened to upset you, Rio."
She was standing behind him, her hands wielding magic on his sore muscles. It was far easier to talk about it when he wasn't facing her. "I took him to the village. It was a long, difficult journey lugging Josh. Half the time I was afraid he was dead and the other half I knew I was hurting him. I didn't have time to change into clothes so I had to go through the shrubbery bare."
"That's where all the scratches and cuts came from. Why did you shift?" She kept her voice curious, careful not to sound judgmental or accusing.
"To get back across the river before the man left behind spotted Joshua."
Rachael kept kneading the tight muscles in his shoulders. He had made a third kill and wounded others. It had been a bad night. She remained silent, leaning down to brush a kiss on the top of his head.
"I don't know what happened, Rachael. I guess I was tired. I don't care what the elders think of me. I knowingly broke our rules. I accepted the consequences. I live with the banishment and it's never made me feel less of a human being."
Her hands stilled on his shoulders. Something frightening bubbled in the pit of her stomach. "You carried Josh home and they said something mean to you?"
"They don't speak to me. They don't look at me. I'm dead to them. If they happen to look my way, they look through me. If I spoke, if I had tried to tell them what happened to Joshua, they wouldn't have heard me."
"Those bloody bastards," she hissed.
Her swearing startled him. Not just her swearing but her choice of expletives. "That doesn't sound like South America to me." He turned his head to look at her, a small grin
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on his face because she could take the sting of the elders' rejection away with a few choice words.
"I went to school for a year in England. You'd be surprised the things you pick up," she said and rubbed shampoo into his hair with a little too much vigor. "I'd like to have the chance to meet these wise elders of yours. Greedy little vultures with their hands out and you doing the risky jobs. What about the men you work with?"
If she rubbed any harder she was going to take his scalp off. "Most of them live away from the village and of course we talk. You saw Drake. It's better for them if they don't advertise we're friendly because technically they're breaking the rules. I guess if the elders can't see it, they don't mind it."
"Sanctimonious bastards."
He caught her wrist gently. "I'm going bald, sestrilla. I can't afford the hair loss. I have a woman now and she's very edgy about certain things."
She smacked the top of his head with the flat of her hand. Soap bubbles flew everywhere, making her laugh. "I'm not in the least edgy. It's just that these idiot elders..."
" Wise elders," he corrected and hastily ducked under the water before she could smack him again. He stayed low while she massaged the soap out of his hair. When he came up she made a sound of complete disgust.
"I don't know who gave them that title.'Most likely they did. In any case, are you telling me that you hauled that man through miles of forest and those men didn't even say thank you?"
"Normally it doesn't bother me. It really doesn't. But standing there with Joshua's blood all over me and my feet hurting like a son of a gun, I felt like a kid again. I felt ashamed of my actions, my lack of control, the terrible thing inside of me that won't forgive the one who killed my mother. And I wasn't certain I could forgive them, and still don't know if I have. Not one of them said they were
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sorry for her death. I felt like I mourned her alone. I felt rage and I felt shame. Damn it, Rachael, I hated that."
"They're the ones who should be ashamed with their no forgiveness." There was a fierce, protective instinct welling up in her. "They don't know the difference between good and evil. They aren't very wise."
"And you do?" He lifted an eyebrow at her.
Outside the birds shrieked and several monkeys screamed a warning. Rio stood up, the water pouring off of him. He turned his head alertly toward the door, taking the towel she handed him. "You need clothes on, Rachael," Rio said. "Company's coming and coming fast."
"I thought you said I didn't need clothes and I had to get over my civilized inhibited ways."
Her voice teased his senses, whispered over his skin like a silken glove. She made life worth living. He caught her hair gently, tugged her head to him and fastened his mouth to hers. He was instantly, ravenously hungry all over again. "You're killing me, sestrilla, I'm not going to survive. I don't think I have the stamina."
She laughed softly and flung her arms around him, holding him to her as if he were the most precious thing in the world. She peppered kisses all over his face. "You do just fine. I need to start cooking for you, build up your strength."
He couldn't stop his roving hands from sliding down her back, shaping the curve of her hip, cupping her bare buttocks. Rio allowed himself the luxury of burying his face against her soft throat. Love filled him up, burst out of him, a tide he couldn't stem, but he couldn't find the words to say it without choking. He held her, feeling her alive and warm and real in his arms. "Damn it, Rachael." His voice was gruff as he pushed her way, holding her at arm's length. "You're turning me into a poodle."
Her entire face lit up, her dark eyes laughing, her mouth curved and soft and beautiful. He ached to kiss her again, but tossed her a pair of jeans instead. "Stop laughing at me and put your clothes on."
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"A poodle? Have you ever seen a poodle?" She finger-combed her hair, grinning at him. "I have the hair, maybe we can make a match." The sunlight pooled around her, soft rays that barely filtered through the canopy but found her, were drawn to her in the same way he was drawn. She looked radiant, filled with joy.
He had been so filled with pain and shame and anger the night before. In a few hours of bliss, she had shaken his world, turned it so that he could only feel joy and laughter and a paradise of pleasure. "You're tempting me, woman, and I'm going to throw you back in that bed."
She arched an eyebrow at him. "I doubt if I'm in any danger when you were just complaining about stamina. Wimpy male."
He tackled her, driving her back onto the mattress, throwing his body over hers. She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. He pressed his erection against her, rubbing back and forth to show her what stamina was all about. Rachael didn't seem very impressed, laughing until he stopped her with his kisses.
The whoop, whoop of warning by the birds just outside on the railing of the verandah forced him to leave the temptation of her body. She lay on the bed, laughter fading into a smile as she looked at him. Something about her mysterious, feminine smile set his heart pounding. -
Deliberately she began to pull his jeans slowly up her bare legs, wiggling to bring them over her hips and bare bottom. She left them open, exposing the triangle of tiny black curls. She stood there with her bare breasts thrusting toward him invitingly. "I can't find my s
hut."
His mouth was dry. "You shameless hussy. You're deliberately provoking me." His fingers crushed the material of the shirt, his gaze drinking her in.
"Is it working?"
"Damn right it is. Put the shirt on before we shock poor Kim."
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Rachael looked alarmed. "Kim? The guide?" She held out her hand for the shirt.
He held the shirt to his chest. "Gome and get it."
Rachael went without hesitation, one arm sliding around his neck, pressing her breasts against his chest while her other hand slipped between his legs and began to caress and dance and cup him right through the material of his jeans. Her lips were at his throat, tongue swirling in a small, deliberate caress. Rio rocked against her hand, wanting her all over again with such an urgency it was as if he'd never once made love to her. Or as if his body remembered every magical moment and was obsessed.
Franz coughed a warning. Rio groaned and dragged the shirt around her, buttoning it quickly. It was the only safe thing to do. Barefoot, he pulled her with him onto the verandah to wait for their guest.
Rachael looked down to see Kim climbing the tree. He wasn't as fast or as efficient as Rio, but he was sure and steady. He gained the lower branches and made his way up to them.
"What brings you so far from home?" Rio greeted.
"My father sent me with news and I wanted to tell you about the man from the church group who was missing." Kim smiled at Rachael. "You look so much better, Miss Rachael. How is your leg?"
"It's far better, Kim. I see you're looking good. I hate to admit this, and let's not tell your brother, but his green gunk works."
Kim nodded seriously, willing to be a conspirator. "Tama is renowned for his healing skills. It was foul-looking though, wasn't it?" He exchanged a smile of understanding with her.
"Which man got away from the bandits?" Rachael asked.
"The one called Duncan Powell."
She remembered Duncan well. He stayed to himself a lot, but was always extremely polite. "I hope he managed to get away safely."
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"That is what you both need to know. The man who escaped on his own from Tomas was one of your kind, Rio. He shifted into the form of a cat and mauled a guard, escaping into the forest. None of Tomas's people spoke of it, but two of the church group saw the shadow of the leopard on the rocks. They said they saw the guard ripped up and it had to have been a large cat."
"The men are very superstitious," Rio explained to Rachael. "They believe that the bigger cats are deities. Leopards are rare in these forests, so seeing one, especially attacking a guard at night, means many things to them. Unfortunately, it will also bring poachers here. The attack will most likely be talked about and the incident will grow into multiple incidents and the gossip will be we have a man killer on our hands." Rio sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. "Damn that idiot anyway. He could have gotten out of the camp without being seen and no one would have been the wiser."
"The guard had beaten him," Kim said.
A humorless smile curved Rio's mouth. "We never forget, that's one thing about our people."
"He will most likely come here," Rim pointed out.
"He's dead," Rio said abruptly. "He tried to kill us a couple of nights ago and I took Rachael to a safe place and tracked him. He's dead. Drake destroyed the body. Have you heard anything about the raid last night? I understand Drake took a hit. I've heard nothing on the radio. How bad was it?"
"He lost a lot of blood and his leg was shattered. They've flown him to a hospital for surgery. One of your own doctors is attempting to repair the damage. He'll live, but I don't know if they can save his leg."
Rachael put her hand on Rio's shoulder when she heard him swear softly under his breath. "He's strong, Rio."
"No man wants to lose his leg."
Her fingers went to the nape of his neck in a slow massage. "No they don't. Let's hope that's not what happens,"
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She rubbed her face along Rio's arm, much like a cat giving affection. "Kim, Rio told me a man named Joshua was hurt last night too. Have you heard anything about him?"
"He is going to be down for a long while, but he will recover."
"Why did your father send you to us?" Rio asked abruptly.
"There's a large party moving through the forest, Rio." Kim's face was open and friendly, but there was a hint of shadow in his eyes. "A man came to our village seeking my father's counsel. He said he needed help, that he does medical research and was looking for a variety of plants for his work. He knew all of the old traditions. He was very respectful and he gifted my father with a spear."
Rio's head went up. Rachael could see Ms frown. "He gave your father a spear?"
"It was old, very old. And it was one of ours. He claimed that the spear was handed down two generations. That it was given to honor his grandfather for saving the life of a child, and that if it was returned, a debt of honor would be repaid."
"This man is a doctor?"
Kim shook his head. "I don't think so. I think he is not telling the truth. He asked for a guide and father sent Tama with Mm and then sent me to find you. My father believes this man is looking for Miss Rachael."
"Why would he think that?" Rachael asked. "Did he ask about me?"
"My father had a vision. He saw this man standing beside you with a gun in his hand. He sent me to warn Rio." Kim looked at Rachael. "I see disbelief in your eyes, Miss Rachael. Don't discount my father's visions because you have not experienced such a thing. He has kept our people from harm over many years."
"He's a powerful medicine man," Rio added. "I won't allow Rachael to take chances, Kim. Thank you for warning us. You've come a long way. Come in and have something to drink. I can fix us a meal."
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Kim stepped into the house and glanced across the room toward the rumbled bed. Rachael found herself blushing. Rio laced his fingers through hers and drew her hand to his mouth, teeth nibbling gently before pressing a kiss against her knuckles. "Does this doctor have a large party with him?"
Kim nodded. "Many men. All are armed. Why would a research team need guns? Where would they get such guns just coming into the country? Money changed hands, a lot of it, for this man to have those weapons available to him. They have supplies enough for several weeks. The luggage is top of the line. Whoever it is, he has money and doesn't mind spending it. There are no women along, and that's a bad sign. All of the men in his party are warriors."
Rio brought Rachael's hand to his heart. She didn't look at him. She was staring out the door into the forest. There was regret and sadness on her face. He caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. Rio pressed her hand tighter to his chest. "It doesn't change anything, Rachael."
"It changes everything. You know it does. You know who he is. I never thought he'd go this far." Her voice was choked with tears.
"Rachael, this is my world. If I have to ..."
"No! Don't you touch him. Don't you go near him." There was a fierce, protective note in her voice. "You have no idea what he gave up for me. What he's had to cope with all of his life. Don't you dare judge him." Rachael pulled away from him and went out the door to stand on the edge of the verandah, staring out into the forest.
15
THERE was no way to make Rio understand. There was no way for anyone to understand. Rachael wasn't certain she understood anymore. Despair hit her in waves. She had known all along she couldn't stay with Rio. She had wanted him, wanted to share her life almost from the first time he spoke to her. She hadn't intended it to happen, it just had. Through Rio, she had glimpsed what it could be like to have a real partner to go through life with. A soul mate.
She closed her eyes and stood on the edge of the verandah listening to the soothing rhythm of the rain. She inhaled the scent of the forest. It called to her. Called her with whispers of fre
edom. She couldn't have Rio. She accepted that. She was not about to get him killed. No one saw him for the miracle he was. A good man who cared about his people, cared about the forest, the environment where he lived. Who was kind and gentle and compassionate. He had been so unexpected, a treasure to her, here in this place of beauty.
Her only gift to him was danger. Rachael sighed and
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curved her fingers around the railing wanting to weep with a terrible sorrow. She didn't dare give in to it. Once she started to cry, she would never stop.
The call came again, and something deep inside of her answered, grew in power. She didn't realize it at first, not until the wind touched her skin. The wildness swelled in strength, was without mercy, calling to her, roaring at her, insisting she listen. Her vision changed, cleared, waves of colored heat expanded her sight. Bands of red and yellow and blue. Scents burst through her tike bubbles of information. She smelled individual flowers, fruits, even scented the creatures in the trees.
Rachael's skin itched, hurt with the weight of the material pressed against it. She peeled off the shirt and flung it aside. Her muscles were already stretching. Her spine cracked and she fell to the verandah floor. She found herself on her stomach staring at the wooden floor while her body took on a life of its own. The material rubbed her skin raw. Desperate, she yanked at the buttons. It took only moments to shed the jeans, to fling them away from her. The pain in her injured leg was excruciating as the muscles cramped, stretched and contorted. Ligaments popped. She could actually hear the sound of her body changing.
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