"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."