Wild Rain (29 page)

She read the anxiety in his voice. “You stayed behind because of me, didn’t you? Rio, if you need to be with them, go. I’m perfectly fine by myself. I’ve got weapons here. You know I can use them.”

“There’s more to it than that, Rachael. You always take on responsibilities that aren’t yours. I make my own choices, the same as you. I wanted to stay with you.”

“Because you didn’t altogether trust them.”

He shrugged. “Maybe I don’t right now, not where you’re concerned. If the elders of your village contacted the elders in mine and asked them to aid in carrying out a death sentence, it’s possible the elders here would agree. They don’t know you and our laws are very strict. Some might think harsh.”

“You really think I’m some sort of a shape-shifter, don’t you? I can’t change my form. I’ve thought about it and tried, just to see if you’re right, but nothing happens. I’m still me.”

“Just hear me out for a moment, Rachael. Suppose your mother took you and your brother away from her village. She didn’t want to upset the balance in the village but she decided she was too young to live the rest of her life alone so she chose to give up her heritage and live entirely with her human side.”

Rachael rested her head against the back of the small tub he had carried up from a locked shed nearby and painstakingly filled with water he had heated. Darkness was slowly falling in the forest. The night creatures were stirring to life. “I suppose she might have thought that way.”

“She met your stepfather.”

“Antonio.”

“She met Antonio. He was handsome, wealthy and very nice. He courted her, she fell in love with him and married him. His estate was on the edge of the forest. Every night it called to her. Night after night. The Han Vol Dan, the way of the change, whispered and tempted. Finally she began to steal away and run free in the forest in the way our kind is meant to do. Antonio wakes up night after night and his woman is gone. He’s alone in his bed. What do you suppose this good man thinks?” Rio helped her stand and wrapped a towel around her. Lifting her from the tub he leaned into her, catching a bead of water that was running down her neck, lapping with his tongue. “He would think what any man would think. His beautiful wife was stepping out on him. And he would follow her.”

Rachael shivered at the tone of his voice. “Okay, you don’t have to add any drama in. You’re a very scary man when you want to be.”

“I was just thinking how I’d feel if I thought you were sneaking out of our bed to go meet with another man.”

“Well quit thinking about it. You obviously have a very vivid imagination, and in case you haven’t noticed, your claws are bursting through your fingertips.”

He looked down with some surprise to find she was right. His hands were curled and stiletto switchblades—thick, curved and dangerous—had emerged with his rising temper. His claws could be rapidly extended through muscles, ligaments and tendons when needed or retracted when not in use. His frown gave way to a wry grin. “I’m not too civilized, am I?”

“I guess we can’t take the jungle out of the man.”

“But you weren’t afraid of me, sestrilla, that should tell you something right there. Any normal woman would be terrified to see claws on a man.”

She sat on the edge of bed, laughter in her eyes. “Are you saying I’m not normal? I think you’ve managed to mention that a couple of times now. It’s rather like the old saying, ‘the pot calling the kettle black’. In comparison, I’m perfectly normal.”

“I think being what I am is perfectly normal, Rachael, and I’m more and more convinced that you’re like me. I think your stepfather saw your mother shift shape. He loved her and it didn’t matter. He may have even thought it was extraordinary. But if the elders in her village found out that he knew, that a human knew, they might banish her or worse, sentence him to death.”

“Kim and Tama know.”

“They’re tribesmen. They live in the forest and have a deep respect of nature and other species. Not all men do.”

“So my stepfather moves us in the dead of night into the city and we immigrate to the United States.”

She obviously didn’t realize how much that single sentence told him. Her stepfather had been afraid for his family, moving them at night to the States. “Where he has family and an estate in Florida on the edge of the Everglades. Where your mother can continue her nightly runs without fear of reprisals. I think he moved to protect your family.” He watched her closely, with sharp, piercing intelligence shining in his eyes.

She averted her face, tossed off the towel and reached for a shirt. “Well he didn’t do a very good job of protecting us. Or himself. His own family isn’t so very hot. Not in the rain forest and not in the States. They’re probably every bit as rigid or worse than your elders. You’re on the wrong track, Rio.”

“Maybe. It’s possible. Didn’t his family accept you and your brother?”

She shrugged casually—too casually. “At first they pretended they did.”

“He came from money,” Rio guessed.

“He had money. A lot of it. At least his family did.”

“What family? Did he own the estate near the forest outright, or did it belong to his family?”

“His brother owned it with him.” Her voice was without any inflection whatsoever, but he felt the distaste. Revulsion even. It was almost tangible in the room between them. “They shared all the homes, even the ones in the States.”

Rio’s radar went off immediately. “So they are very wealthy. They really can afford the million-dollar reward. Rachael, has it occurred to you that the reward is only to be paid if you’re returned alive? The sniper wanted you dead. Could there be two factions at work here?”

She swung her head around to look at him, some emotion flickering in the depths of her eyes. “I didn’t think of that.”

“So it’s possible.”

Rachael nodded reluctantly. “Yes. And both sides have a great deal of money. My brother and I inherited my stepfather’s share of the estates and his part of the businesses.”

“How did your stepfather and your mother die?”

“They were executed. The official police report said they were murdered.”

“Then there were autopsies performed.”

She shook her head. “The bodies disappeared out of the morgue. They were stolen. It was a big scandal. I was still young and it was a terrifying time.”

“So where did you and your brother go after your parents died?”

Her shoulders were rigid. “To our uncle, my stepfather’s brother. He shared the estates and businesses and took us in.”

“So it’s your uncle who is either paying to keep you alive or wants you dead.”

“He would never pay to keep me alive.” She struggled to keep bitterness from stealing into her voice. “Why are we talking about this, Rio? Just the thought of him makes my skin crawl. I left that place. I left those people. I don’t want them here in this house with us.”

“Your brother is a part of you, Rachael. I can tell you love him. It’s in your voice when you talk about him. Sooner or later this has to be resolved.”

“You obviously care about the elders in your, village, but they banished you. I can love my brother and know I’m a liability to him and that it’s better for him if I’m not around. Better for both of us.”

He tapped his finger on the wall. “Why? What have you done that makes him better off without you?”

Her gaze was suddenly cool as it swept over him. “I don’t talk about my brother with anyone, Rio. It isn’t safe for you, for me or for him. If you can’t accept that...”

“Don’t go getting all edgy on me again. I asked a perfectly reasonable question.”

She watched the heat shimmer in his eyes. “I don’t think anyone with a temper like yours should ever call me edgy. I’m hungry, not edgy.”

His eyebrow shot up. “Do you know how to cook?”

She glared at him. “I’m a perfectly good cook. I’ve been polite not wanting to get in your way. I’ve noticed you have a tendency to be territorial.”

Before he could reply, the radio crackled again. Rio spun around and rushed across the room to snatch it up. There was a moment of silence. “It’s a go. We’ve got a go.” There was more static and words Rachael couldn’t catch. “What are they saying?”

“I’m listening to them talking to one another. They’re going in to get out the victims. They’ll have to go in like ghosts. With one, it’s more a grab and get out, but you’re talking several victims. There’s bound to be one that panics and that’s what makes it so dangerous.”

“What happens if someone panics?” She could feel the tension in the room rising. Rio paced back and forth with quick restless steps. She watched him from the safety of the bed. He seemed to flow across the floor, every bit as graceful and fluid as a jungle cat. And just as caged there in the house with her.

Rio paused beside his rifle, slid his hand over the barrel. “This is where it could get bad. Conner better be watching out for them,” he said in a low tone, almost to himself.

“This Conner is doing your job, is that it? What exactly do you usually do?”

“I protect them. I can hit a bird on a wing in a high wind. So I lay up above them where I can sight the entire camp and I keep the bandits off of them. I provide cover fire and lay it down thick when they retreat. We scatter, each man assigned a job, taking the victims into the forest. Drake usually gets them to the helicopter while the rest of the team goes in every direction. I draw the bandits after me. I provide heavy fire and keep them busy and following me until I hear from each team member they are safe and we can stand down.”

“The bandits chase you through the forest.” He grinned at her, a small, mischievous little boy grin. “Several forests. There aren’t any such things as borders or rivers or places we can’t go. We do have to be a little careful in their territory. They’re like rats, they go underground in their maze of tunnels in the fields. That’s why we lead them into the forest. We scatter, the men change form and I’m the bandit’s only hope of retribution.”

She was furious all over again at the elders. So much so that she balled the pillow into her hand and threw it against the wall in a small fit of temper. “They take advantage of you, Rio. You’re risking your life to help them get away.”

“Sestrilla, it isn’t like that. The others risk their lives going into the camp while I’m safe a mile away. We all take risks. We’re at risk when the poachers enter our territory and try to kill the endangered animals. It’s what we do, who we are. I want to do what I do.”

“And the elders sit back and count the money you all bring them. I’ll bet there’s no risk at all to them. They just send you out, filling your head full of good deeds and necessity and count themselves lucky you’re willing to risk your life for the cause.”

“You’re really angry.” She was. He could see her body was trembling. More than that, she was close again. He could feel the sudden tension, the wild power in the room, caged but seeking freedom. She exuded a strong sensual pull.

“I detest people like that. They make the rules for everyone else and then sit back nice and safe calling the shots, making life-and-death decisions for people and reaping the monetary rewards.”

She wasn’t talking about the elders in his village. Rio remained silent, waiting to see if she would continue, but she pushed off the bed and went to the door, flinging it open to stare outside at the beckoning forest.

All the talk of the mythical Han Vol Dan, of her mother running free, made her yearn for the same freedom. Just for a few minutes to be something else, something different, with more control, more freedom. The ability to run along the branches of the tree. She held up her arms to embrace the idea. Deep within her she felt the stirring of power. Something untamed. Wild. Something desiring to be free. Fire raced through her bloodstream and something alive moved beneath her skin. Her fingers curved. Her face ached. Bones cracked and snapped.

“No!” Rio said it sharply, caught her shoulder and jerked her away from the door, back into the safety of his house. He wrapped his arm around her waist as if that would anchor her to him. “What did you think you were doing?”

“I don’t know.” She didn’t look at him. She could only look at the temptation of the trees, the swaying foliage and thick canopy. Even the rain seemed to call her with its steady rhythm. “What am I doing, Rio?”

“Your leg isn’t healed enough for that. It would never survive the change without further injury. You can’t give in to it yet.”

“Is it possible to stop? If it’s in me, won’t it come out as it does with you?” She was outwardly calm, but inside a mixture of excitement and fear were beginning to blend. She scented the wind and understood the messages it carried. She heard the notes overhead in the canopy and knew the song. She saw small lizards, insects, a preying mantis, hidden among the leaves of the trees as if they stood out in bright images.

The radio in Rio’s hand crackled. A burst of static followed. “We’re in. We’re in.” The voice was a mere whisper.

Rachael knew the radio was important. She could hear the tension in the voice. She could feel it in Rio, but the wildness in her was blossoming, spreading like a savage heat through her body. With it came sight as she’d never known it. Thermal images rippled in reds and yellows as she stared out into the darkness. Night had fallen completely and the ghostly mist once more shrouded the canopy. White tails drifted in and out of the trees. They looked like white lace. She inhaled sharply and drew the night into her lungs.

“Damn it, Rachael, I’m closing the door.” Rio bent down to peer at her face. “Your eyes are changing, your pupils dilating. You have to fight it.”

Rachael blinked up at him. Rio sounded urgent, worried. She smiled at him to reassure him she wasn’t afraid. Well, maybe a little, but it was a good kind of fear. She wanted to reach for that other side of herself. She felt it strong now, purposeful, growing inside of her. She could shake off the anguish and pain and feel the sheer joy of living free. No responsibilities. No ties. There would be nothing but being alive to the sounds and scents of nature.

The temptation was so strong she pushed away from Rio, back toward the door. Rio’s hands nearly crushed her shoulders. “Rachael, look at me.” He dragged her into his arms, held her tightly against his chest. He could feel the wildness rising in her, see it as she looked at him with eyes no longer entirely human. “Fight it. Stay with me, now. You can’t risk the change with your leg in such bad shape. Not the first time.”