Wild Rain (33 page)
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.”
“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 shut.”
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.”
Rachael looked alarmed. “Kim? The guide?” She held out her hand for the shirt.
He held the shirt to his chest. “Come 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.”
“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,” Kim 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.”
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 hiss 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 him 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.”
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.
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 freedom. 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 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 like 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.
Grief was overwhelming. She mourned for what she couldn’t have. But there was this—her other self. It fought to aid her, fought to free her, to protect her from pain in a world she couldn’t control—or have. Her skin itched and her fingers curled. Fur burst through her pores, her muzzle extended to accommodate teeth. Her legs bent, stretched, her injured calf and ankle burning. Hooked nails sprang from her fingers, leaving her clawing at the wooden floor.
There should have been fear. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation to jerk to the floor, every muscle and sinew popping and crackling. It didn’t matter, she embraced the change, the opportunity to be something different. To have a chance at something else. The forest sprang to vivid life, a new world when she had no other. When she belonged nowhere else; The leopard lifted its head for the first time and surveyed her realm. Sounds poured in from all directions. Information transmitted by her whiskers. Scents and intriguing rustles. She could actually feel the distance from one object to another. It was exciting, exhilarating even.
Raphael got unsteadily to her feet, collapsed and tried again. She stretched languidly, feeling the enormous strength running like steel through her body. It had taken only a brief minute, yet it seemed a lifetime to shed her other self. She took several cautious steps, staggered and fell. The murmur of men’s voices was loud behind her, their scents filling her lungs. The pull to Rio was strong, overwhelming even, so that for a moment she hesitated. Grief welled up, sharp and black and all-consuming. Rachael wrenched her thoughts from him. She couldn’t have him. Heart pounding, she leapt to the branch below. Her injured leg burned but it held. She could ignore the throbbing pain and embrace what the leopard had to offer.
Sharp claws dug into bark as she teetered precariously, and then she felt the rhythm. The perfect rhythm of nature. The rain. The birds. The continual rustle of the leaves. The hum in her muscles. The beat of her heart. She felt strength flowing through her like a gift. Joy flooded her, replacing despair and anguish. She leapt from branch to branch, feeling the power within her growing. And then she was on the forest floor, running for the sheer joy of it. Running to feel her sleek muscles stretching and her legs reacting like springs as she bounded effortlessly over fallen tree trunks. She splashed through puddles and small streams and leapt up embankments that would have been impossible to climb.
Sunlight dappled the floor in places and she pounced on the ever-moving rays, slapped at leaves and pine needles, sending them up in a shower of vegetation just because she could. She chased deer, climbed trees and ran along the overhead highway, disturbing birds and agitating the gibbons on purpose. Laughter bubbled up, a well of happiness. She turned to tell him. Rio. She remembered this. She remembered the joy of taking this other form and running with him. Sharing the forest paths with him. Of rubbing her muzzle along his great head in affection. They had shared a life together, one of intense love and compelling sexual attraction. She knew him in this form just as she knew him in their human form.