The wind blew. The rain fell. Elijah waited until the guards began to grow sleepy. The leopard suddenly came to life. Elijah crept closer, using the freeze-frame, slow motion stalk of the skilled leopard. His focused gaze never left Armando moving around in his tent, gun inches from his fingers. Demon incarnate. Murderer. Every dark deed Armando had committed against his family raged in Elijah's soul. He slipped passed the first guard. The man looked right at him twice and never saw the leopard slinking into the camp.
A man emerged from his tent and stumbled to a nearby tree. He nearly stepped on the leopard, missing the creature by no more than a few inches. Elijah crept forward out of the man's path, gaining another yard. Armando went to the entrance and swept the area for the hundredth time, uneasy with the way the night felt. The rifle was cradled in his arms, snug against his chest. Elijah didn't take his eyes off his target, lying hidden in the small shrubbery only a few yards from the tent.
Armando turned his back and the leopard crept forward in silence, moving like fluid over the uneven ground, paws cushioning the heavy body so there was no noise. Only the steady sound of the rain. Elijah paused at the entrance to the tent, careful to stay in the shadow where the light spilling from the lamp couldn't reach him. His gaze settled on his target, his muscles bunched, coiled tight until he was a living spring. He felt the power rush through him, over him.
As if sensing danger, Armando turned back, half lifting the rifle, his eyes searching the night frantically. The leopard hit him hard, driving him backward, teeth sinking into the throat. The powerful jaws crunched down hard in a crushing blow, but the teeth hit metal, not flesh. Elijah tried to power through the protective barrier, bringing up claws to rake at the exposed belly. The same coating of metal covered the soft parts of the body.
Armando had gone over backward, landing hard on the ground, dropping his rifle in the process. The jaws clamped harder, crushing his throat, cutting off all air in spite of his hidden armor. The knife, hidden up his sleeve, sprang into his hand, and he plunged it into the leopard's side repeatedly. The leopard hung on grimly, the yellow-green eyes boring into him. Armando thrashed wildly, but no sound emerged from his laboring throat.
A guard, alerted by the darker shadows, rushed to the opening of the tent, rifle to his shoulder. A second leopard dropped from the tree above, taking him to the ground in a stranglehold. It was done in absolute silence. Rio shook the man one last time to insure he couldn't possibly raise an alarm. He dragged the carcass inside the tent and doused the lamp, plunging the tent into darkness so there would be no shadows to give away the life-and-death struggle between the two combatants.
Rio partially shifted, catching Armando's wrist and twisting to rid him of the knife. He was already dying, black venomous hatred congealed in his eyes as he stared at the face of his nephew, into the eyes of the leopard that slowly crushed his airway, cutting off precious oxygen.
Elijah lay gripping the throat, his sides heaving and slick with blood. Rio nosed him, pushed at him in an effort to get him up and moving before they were discovered. Rio shifted into his human form. "He's gone, Elijah. He's dead." Just to be certain Rio checked the man's pulse. "You're losing too much blood, come on, let's get out of here. Go for the branches just outside the tent."
Elijah couldn't believe the monster was dead. He stared dumbly at Armando, at the open, glassy eyes and knew he looked on the face of evil. There was pain, but it was distant and far away. He pawed clumsily at the shirt, ripping the material to expose the meshed braided steel plate beneath it.
"Elijah, we don't have much time." Rio caught the large male around the neck and tried to pull the head around, away from the monster lying crushed and beaten. "You're losing too much blood. You aren't going to survive if we don't get out of here now." When the leopard remained standing over Armando's body, Rio changed tactics. "Rachael's waiting, Elijah. She's afraid for us. Let's get home to her."
The leopard lifted his muzzle and looked at Rio with sad eyes. Despair was there. Confusion. A deep, deep sorrow. Rio touched the furred head again. "You're free. Both of you are free. Your life belongs to you now." Rio shifted shape, taking his animal form, leading the way out of the darkened tent. Leading the way back to Rachael. Back to life.
20
THERE was music playing. Rio hadn't heard anything other than tribal music in so long he'd forgotten how beautiful it could be. There was the powerful scent of flowers, orchid blossoms bursting out all over. All over the trees, in the hair of the women. And there were people. There seemed to be people standing everywhere he looked. He'd never been around so many people, not in years.
"You're a bit pale there, brother." Elijah stole up behind him in his silent way, still favoring his right side. It had taken Tama and Kim's father to save his life. He was still recovering from the severe wounds inflicted by Armando. "You aren't going to faint or anything, are you?"
Rio glared at him. "Who the hell are all these people? Where'd they come from? Don't they have homes or something?"
"Rachael said you were going to be a big baby over this," Elijah said. He pulled a twig from a tree and put the end in his mouth, his strong teeth chewing on the green stem.
"Your seven stab wounds aren't going to keep me from kicking your butt if you call me that again."
"Twelve," Elijah corrected. "It's true five weren't that deep, but still..."
Rio scowled at him. "A little bit of overkill, don't you think? Letting that son of a bitch stab you twelve times? You could have gotten the same amount of sympathy with just three or four times."
Elijah nodded, straight-faced. "True, but the story isn't as good in the retelling."
"Well, the number's probably going to grow with the retelling anyway so you could have saved yourself a bit of trouble and a hell of a lot of stitches," Rio pointed out.
"I didn't think of that."
"How are your teeth?"
"Still in my head, but they hurt like hell. Don't talk about my teeth." Elijah groaned, "I think they're still loose."
"You wouldn't be such a pretty boy without all those teeth," Rio observed. "It might not be such a loss." He slapped his palm against his leg. "Where the hell is she? I should have had Conner or Joshua stand guard and keep her from running away. Are you sure she's here?" His chest was tight and his lungs screamed for air. He ran his finger around his collar to loosen it.
"She's here. She looks beautiful."
The burning in his lungs lessened, and Rio could breathe again. "Don't look at me like that. I want to do this, it's just that all these people are a little too close."
Elijah grinned at him. "I hate to admit it, but I feel the same way and I'm always surrounded by people, by my crew." He waved his hand toward the surrounding trees, wincing as his body protested. "It's different here. I feel different here."
"This forest has a way of doing that, Elijah, although maybe with Armando finally dead, you're beginning to feel the relief."
"It hasn't begun to sink in yet. At this point I'm telling myself every few minutes I don't have to look over my shoulder. It doesn't seem real. I don't know if it ever will. I've watched every word I've ever said and made certain I was absolutely alone so he couldn't do to anyone else what he did to Rachael. Frankly, I don't know how to act."
Rio touched the man's shoulder briefly. Elijah wasn't a man to encourage physical contact or sympathy or compassion. "It will come with time."
"I'm sure you're right."
Rio suddenly stiffened, looking past Elijah. Rachael's brother turned to see an elderly man and a young boy of about twelve walking toward them. He recognized the older man. "What's wrong, Rio?" Elijah shifted slightly to put his body between Rio and the newcomers.
"You don't have to do that, Elijah," Rio stepped in front of him. "I appreciate that your protection would extend to me, but I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. Relax, you're at a wedding. All you have to do is give me the bride."
Elijah's shrug was casual, but ther
e was nothing casual about his eyes. Alert. Suspicious. A mixture of cold ice and hot flame. He looked every bit as ruthless and merciless as he was reputed to be. There was a sudden silence in the trees where monkeys had been chattering to one another. Several birds took flight.
Rio nudged him. "Give it a rest, Elijah, you're going to scare the guests."
"I thought you wanted less people around," Elijah murmured, but managed a small nod when the elderly man and young boy reached them.
"Elder Delgrotto, this is a surprise," Rio greeted. "You've met Elijah."
"Not formally." Peter Delgrotto bowed slightly. "This is my grandson, Paul." The older man dropped his hand on the boy's head. "He is much better thanks to you, Rio. I've come to perform the ceremony, of course. I spoke with Shaman Pang and explained it would be better if one of the high council performed the binding as it is customary in our lair."
Rio just stood there, staring blankly. "I thought you had resigned, Elder."
"It seems my resignation was not accepted."
"And the council knows you've offered to marry us? To perform the ceremony outside the circle of the lair?" Rio was shocked and it showed.
"I must perform the ceremony," Delgrotto said. "Your Rachael is one of us, and your successful mating is essential for the good of the lair. Look around you, Rio. Every member of your unit is here, with the exception of Drake, and he would be here if he could. Those with families brought them. Others have come to support you. Nearly half of the lair is here. That should tell you something."
Rio wasn't certain what the attendance record was supposed to tell him, but he wasn't going to rain on the elder's parade. He knew what it must have cost Delgrotto to go up against the council. There was always a penalty of some kind. He didn't want to throw the old man's gesture of peace back in his face. "It's an honor to have you, Elder. Tell me how Drake is doing." Rio knew Drake would have moved heaven and earth to stand up for him, but he was locked away in a hospital with one of their surgeons.
Delgrotto looked grim. "Our kind heal fast under most circumstances, but the leg was shattered, the bone in fragments. They operated of course and used steel pins and bolts to hold it all together. You know what that means to him."
Rio turned away, swore under his breath. "Is that what he wanted? Was that his choice? He could have had it removed."
Delgrotto shook his head. "Drake's a strong man. He'll find a way to get past this. Who is standing for you in his place?"
"Joshua. I'll go see Drake as soon as possible."
"That would be wise. Is Maggie with Rachael? I see that Brandt is here."
"Yes, Maggie offered to help her get ready. Maggie's the first female shifter Rachael's had the opportunity to meet, so I thought it would be good for her to make a friend on our wedding day."
"It was a good idea," Delgrotto agreed. "Everyone is assembling, Rio, you should take your place in the circle of the lair."
Elijah had slipped away to go to his sister. Rio looked around him at the large gathering of tribesmen. Tama and Kim's people. Scattered among them were his own people, drawing closer, members of his lair. He had to look away. He hadn't known they would come. He had never imagined they would share this day with him. His team would be there, men who stood with him to guard the forest and do the things needed to protect one another, but not so many of the others. He didn't know what to think or feel.
A murmur went through the circle and they opened a path. His breath stopped in his lungs. His heart ceased to beat. He could only stare at her. Rachael walking toward him on Elijah's arm. Rio's world narrowed. Everyone disappeared. There was only Rachael coming to him. She wore some lacy dress that alternately clung and flowed as if alive, enhancing every feminine curve. Her hair spilled around her face and down to her shoulders in a cascade of black silk. A crown of flowers circled her head. She looked a vision out of a fairy tale. Not for him. Never for him. For a moment his vision blurred. All for him.
She lifted her head and her gaze met his. Struck him hard. Pierced his skin and went straight to his heart. He knew they belonged, knew it with every cell in his body. Rachael could make him so angry he wanted to break off branches and throw them like the apes. Rachael could make him laugh over anything. Rachael could make his body come alive with just a look or a touch. Rachael could make him feel like a poet or a warrior, and she could steal the breath from his body at the mere thought of losing her.
Rachael wanted to weep with happiness. Rio was standing there waiting for her, looking like the god of the forest. She loved everything about him. She said his name softly to herself, amazed at how he had wound himself so tightly into her heart and mind. She had come to the forest with such a grim future, but Rio had changed all that. He had given her a gift more precious than all the money in the world. He'd given her himself.
Rio felt Elijah place her hand in his, felt his fingers close around hers. Hard. Tight. A lifeline. He drew her to him, beneath the protection of his shoulder, into the shelter of his heart. Rachael tilted her head to look up at him, her black eyes laughing, soft with love. He leaned down, his lips brushing her skin. "You did this. You gave me this. You changed my entire life, Rachael." He whispered the words, meaning them. Astonished by them. How could one person, one woman, have made such a difference?
She touched his face, her fingertips moving intimately over every feature. "And you changed mine, Rio."
Delgrotto cleared his throat to draw their attention to him. He began the ceremony of joining. "The circle of life continues. The lair grows stronger with the joining of these two. No couple stands alone. The lair protects the safety of our mated pairs so that the circle of life continues and the lair grows ever stronger..."