Wild Rain (26 page)

The intruder took one step. Another. Hesitated, opening his mouth wide, Rio sprang from above, hitting him hard, sinking canines deep, puncturing the fur-covered throat, while razor-sharp claws dug deep in an effort to rip and tear. Rio wanted the battle over as fast as possible. Fights between leopards were extraordinarily dangerous.

The spotted leopard was game, twisting with its flexible backbone, raking with extended claws, bucking hard to try to throw the larger cat off. Rio held on grimly, determined to end it. The roars and grunts echoed through the forest, a vicious battle between two dangerous foes. Overhead the birds took flight, calling warnings in every language they could. Squirrels and lemurs chattered and scolded.. Monkeys screamed in panic. Flying fox took to the air along with the birds so that the sky seemed alive with wings.

The spotted leopard shook and twisted and snarled, raising at Rio, trying to eviscerate or cripple him. He couldn’t shake the black leopard off; the canines remained buried in the nape of his neck, the jaw pressure enough to snap bone. It was over quickly, the surprise attack giving Rio the edge he needed in the fight. The spotted leopard gasped, suffocating, the throat crushed. The black leopard held him longer, making certain it was really over before dropping the cat on the ground.

Rio shifted into his human form, staring at the leopard regretfully. They needed every member of their species alive. Each leopard they lost was a blow to their survival. There had been no labels in the clothing the sniper had left behind, no means of identification. Rio had no idea which country his enemy had come from, or why one of his kind would choose to betray his people with such an act, but he was certain this one had not been born anywhere near his village.

Did that mean that Rachael’s people knew what she was and that she was under a death sentence? They had strict rules they all lived under. The laws of the forest were for the common good of their species. If she had committed some crime against her people, it was possible they would send hunters after her.

Rio rubbed his hand over his face. If that were the case, her elders could appeal to the elders of his village to carry out the sentence for them. Rio was already under banishment. He doubted if the elders would stick up for his mate, especially if she wasn’t known to them and under a legitimate sentence of death. He swore as he shifted back into the shape of a leopard to drag the carcass up into the high branches of a tree. He had no choice but to burn the leopard to preserve the secrets of their species. He had to find his nearest stash of supplies fast. Leaving the body of a leopard was extremely dangerous so he had no choice but to cache the body until he returned.

His mind raced with the possibility of Rachael’s people condemning her. She admitted her own brother had taken out a contract on her life. It made sense, although he couldn’t imagine what Rachael could have done to warrant a death sentence. He moved swiftly through the forest, ignoring the warning cries of the gibbons, still panic-stricken from the fierce fight that had ensued. Birds fluttered overhead, darting in and out of the trees. Deer crashed ahead of him, scattering as he leapt from branch to branch, occasionally taking to the forest floor and leaping over rotting tree trunks.

The wind shifted slightly, a tiny breeze where ordinarily the uncanny stillness in the air gave nothing away. Rio came to an abrupt halt. There was another in the forest close by. He recognized the scent of the leopard. The birds and gibbons and even the deer had been warning him, but he’d been so distressed over the thought of Rachael being under a death sentence, he hadn’t picked up on it.

Fortunately, he was close to his pack. The box was buried nearby, in the cage created by the buttress foots of a large dipterocarp tree. He had marked-the fruit-bearing tree with a small symbol. Using his claws, he dug up the box quickly, listening now to the news of the forest. The second leopard was approaching quickly, obviously catching his scent.

Rio shifted to human form, strapping on weapons as fast as possible, his expression grim. Only after his guns were checked and his knives concealed did he drag on the clothes and attach the small medical kit to his belt. Feeling the impact of the leopard’s focused stare, he whipped around, rifle up and ready, finger on the trigger.

“You’re up early, Drake.” His voice was pleasant, relaxed, casual even, but the barrel never wavered from dead center on the cat’s brain and he didn’t take his finger from the trigger.

They stared at one another for a long moment. Drake’s form contorted, lengthened, muscles reshaping to form the man. He glared at Rio. “You want to tell me why you’re still pointing that thing at me?”

“You want to tell me what you’re doing here?”

“I spent most of the night tracking you and that rogue leopard. You, I lost, he wasn’t as good. You wounded him and that made it easier for me to track him.”

“Why?”

Drake frowned. “You tick-ridden son of a bearded pig. I decided to go back to guard your butt out of concern for your well-being. By the time I got back to your place, you and Rachael were gone and I had to track you through the forest. It was slow going when I realized the sniper was tracking you as well. He lost you a few times and I stayed behind him, wanting to see what he did.” Abruptly he stopped and glared. “Damn it, Rio, put the rifle down. It’s not only insulting, it’s annoying.”

Rio slung the rifle over his shoulder. He kept his hand free, ready to go for his knife even while he grinned at Drake. “I am not tick-ridden.”

“That depends on who you ask. Where’s Rachael?”

The smile faded from Rio’s face. “Did the elders send you, Drake?”

“What is wrong with you? Why would the elders send me to protect your sorry butt, Rio?”

Rio didn’t smile. His eyes gleamed with piercing intelligence, smoldered with danger. “Did they send you after Rachael?”

Drake frowned. “I never made it back to the village. I went with Kim and Tama upriver toward their village, but changed my mind and doubled back. As far as I know, the elders have never heard of Rachael. And if they have, they certainly don’t know she’s with you. Tama and Kim would never say anything. You know them. You know they could be tortured and they’d never say anything. What’s this all about?”

Rio shrugged. “He was one of us. Not our village, I doubt if he was born in this country, but he was one of us. Why would he hire out to kill one of his own kind? A woman at that?”

“We aren’t a perfect species, Rio, you should know that.” The moment the words escaped, Drake shook his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. There have been a few rumors over the years. A few going after money, women, power. We aren’t immune to those things, you know.”

“I guess not. I appreciate you watching my back, Drake. Sorry for the reception.”

“The pitiful reception. I trust you got him.”

“He’s dead. He left his clothes behind last night and there was nothing in them, not even a label. I needed matches.”

“You haven’t told me where Rachael is. You didn’t leave her alone, did you?” Drake sounded anxious.

“She’s fine. She has a couple of guns and a few knives. She’s handy with a stick too. I’ll tell her you were expressing your concern.”

A slow grin spread over Drake’s face. “You’re jealous, Rio. You’ve been bitten by the green-eyed monster. I never thought it would happen, but you fell like a tree in the forest.”

“I’m cautious, Drake. There’s a difference.”

“I think you just tried to insult me, but I’m laughing too damned hard to care. Where is this mystery man? You go get your lady and I’ll take care of the mop-up. I’m heading back to the village to call up the unit. We’re going in after that church group.”

“Who’s guarding your worthless butts, Drake?”

Drake shrugged. “Conner is a crack marksman. He isn’t you, but he’ll handle it.” He held out his hand for the matches.

“I don’t like it, Drake. Breaking up the unit is a bad idea.”

“What’s the alternative? You can’t leave Rachael alone. Unless you bring her to the village. You know that would be risky. You two belong together. I don’t know how well that’s going to sit with them.”

Rio handed him the matches. “I’m heading home, Drake, call me on the radio when you’re going in.”

Chapter Twelve

RACHAEL leaned against the cavern wall for support as she put weight on her injured leg. Surprisingly, the pain she expected didn’t flood her entire body. The puncture wounds had stopped draining. She felt strange, itchy. Something crawled under her skin. Her body seemed foreign to her—sexual, intensely feminine. She could barely stand the feel of the shirt against her skin and slipped the buttons open, wanting to be free of the slight weight of it. She would have torn it off of her but it retained Rio’s scent.

She inhaled sharply, drew him into her lungs, into her body, and held him there. Her breasts ached unexpectedly, nipples tightened and her feminine sheath wept for him. She burned. There was no other way she could describe what was happening, her skin burning with need, her body unable to stay still. She turned to the cavern wall and placed her hands high over her head, curled her fingers into the dirt wall and raked downward, leaving behind deep grooves.

Rachael felt his breath on the back of her neck and she stiffened, but didn’t turn around. His arms slipped around her body, his hands cupping the soft weight of her breasts, thumbs sliding over her aching nipples. His body, wet and naked, pressed against hers. She recognized the feel of him instantly, the hard frame, the thick, rigid erection pressing against her bare buttocks. Rachael closed her eyes and breathed his name with relief. “Rio.” She rubbed her bottom back and forth against him, nearly purring like a contented cat. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Rio kissed the nape of her neck, his teeth nipping her skin, teasing her senses. His hands stroked and caressed her breasts, while his mouth nudged the collar of the shirt aside. She allowed the shirt to slip from her arms, arcing into him, bending forward to push tightly against him. His hands left her breasts to explore her body and she almost sobbed with the intensity of pleasure. A single sound tore from her throat when his hand teased the curls at the junction of her legs, pressed into her heat.

There was a strange roaring in her ears, anxiety, hunger and need. His finger slipped inside her and at once her muscles clenched and gripped. She couldn’t help pushing back, riding his hand on the edge of control. She wanted him inside her, wanted him deep, thrusting with hard urgent strokes.

He pressed her forward to rest her hands against a shelf. She could barely breathe with wanting him, needing him inside of her. He pressed tightly against her entrance, his hands on her hips. Rachael couldn’t wait, wanting to take him deep, thrusting back as he surged forward. Her joyous cry of relief and welcome echoed through the cavern.

Rio tightened his hold on her, throwing his head back, desperate to hold on to control. She was hot velvet, gripping him as tightly as a fist, the friction fiery, sending flames along his nerve endings. The tango was wild and fast, a coming together so fast and hard it was feral, a ferocious joining neither could stop.

Rachael pushed back again and again, wanting more, always more, ravenously hungry for his body, a voracious sexual appetite that could only be assuaged by his deep, hard thrusts, creating fire. Creating heaven. She wept with the beauty of it, with the absolute perfection of their joining. He filled her as no other could, his body completing hers. Sharing hers. He rode her hard, thrusting deeper and deeper, but she still wanted more. Craved more. She felt her body tightening, heat rushing, gathering into a terrible force. He seemed to swell inside of her, thickening until she was exploding, imploding, fragmenting into a million pieces, and her body rippled with waves of pleasure. She heard her voice, his voice, husky growls of ecstasy ripping through a throat in a tone that was not hers, could never be hers, yet wasn’t his either. They blended together, united.

Rio bit her shoulder, a teasing bite he couldn’t help, kissing her skin, the line of her back. Anything he could reach. He wrapped her up in his arms, just held her while he tried to recover his ability to breathe. Every moment that he was with her made him feel more alive. He thought running in the forest was the most freeing feeling, but being with Rachael gave him something else, something he couldn’t quite put a name to, but he never wanted to do without. Slowly, reluctantly, he eased his body from the haven of hers, a wide smile on his face.

Rachael sagged to the floor of the cavern as if her legs simply collapsed. Rio eased her down onto the sleeping bag. To his horror she burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. He stared down at her helplessly, astonished that she would be sobbing as if he’d broken her heart.

“Rachael. Damn it. You didn’t even cry when Fritz nearly tore your leg off. What’s wrong with you?” He sat down beside her and clumsily put his arm around her shaking shoulders. “Tell me.”

It was the first awkward movement Rachael had ever seen him make and it comforted her when she thought there could be no comfort. “I don’t know myself like this. It frightens me, the way I feel for you. The way I think about you. I don’t even know my own body anymore. I like sex, Rio, but I’m not driven by sex. I’m a thinking person. I like to think about things from every angle. When I’m with you, tike this, I disappear completely and there’s only how it feels. How you feel.”

He pulled her to him, pillowing her head on his shoulder when she wanted to hold herself stiffly away. “How we feel together, Rachael. It’s being one person, in the same skin, our minds in the same place. It’s how we are together. Why would you be afraid of that?”

“I can’t fall in love with you, Rio, and you can’t love me. If we just wanted to have sex and it was pleasant or even fireworks, it would be fine, but this is different. It’s so much more. It’s like an addiction. Not to the sex, that’s only a small part of it. I feel like I have to be with you. That you’re in some way essential to my life, to my reason for existing.” She shoved her hand through her hair, lifted her head from his shoulder and glared at him. “I wish it was a past life that makes me want you so much, but I can’t even blame it on that. Love shouldn’t be so all-consuming. I’m not an all-consuming person. I’m not.”