Leopard 02 - Wild Rain

softly in the background lulling them to sleep.
    He woke close to dawn, jerking awake, his mind and senses instantly alert. Somewhere, deep in the forest, a nightjar screamed. A deer barked. A chorus of gibbons gave a full-throated warning. He closed his eyes for just a moment, savoring waking up with her next to him, with the small cats cuddled close.
    He hated to disturb her, hated to try to prepare her for the next crisis. There always seemed to be one and Rachael had gone through enough already. He wanted to protect her, make her life smooth and happy.
    Regret in every line of his body, he did what he had to do. “Wake up, sestrilla. ” He kissed her face, her eyelashes, the corners of her mouth. “The neighbors are getting noisy on us.”
    Rachael listened for a moment then wrapped her arms tightly around Rio’s neck. “He’s here.” There was sheer terror in her voice.
    Rio inhaled deeply. He swept back her hair, his touch lingering against her skin. “It isn’t your brother.”
    His tone was grim. He signaled the small leopard off the sofa.
    “Then who?”
    “Someone they know. Someone familiar to them. One of my people, yet one who doesn’t travel in my realm. Not one of my unit.”
    Rachael reluctantly unfolded her body, stood on her own, yawning sleepily. She let her breath out slowly. “How far away?”
    “A few minutes.” His hand slipped over her face. She felt it tremble.
    Rachael caught his hand and held it to her breast, over her heart. “We’re in this together, Rio. Tell me what to do.”
    “We’re going into the house and see to your leg. You’re favoring it and I see it’s swollen again from overuse. Then we’ll dress and straighten up our home and wait to see what he wants.” He reached past her to open the door courteously.
    “Then you know who it is.”
    He inhaled again. “Yes, I know him. It is Peter Delgrotto. He is of the high council. And his word is law to our people.”
    Her dark eyes moved over his face. Saw too much. Saw into his heart. “You think he may tell me I have to go away.”
    Rio shrugged. “I’ll hear him out before I get stirred up.”
    She buttoned the shirt, realizing for the first time she still wore it. “This elder is coming here? That certainly takes a lot of nerve.” She snatched the jeans out of his hand and limped quickly over to the bed. “Your neighbors seem to drop in uninvited on a regular basis.”
    “Not much sugar in the neighborhood and I’m known for my sweetness,” he quipped.
    She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Your little elder friend is going to think you’re the sweet one after he meets me. Why would he come here?”
    “Elders do what they want and go where they will.”
    “Sort of like leeches. No one invited him.”
    There it was again—that little tug on his heart. She could make him smile in the worst of circumstances. He had no idea how he would react if the elders tried to take her from him, but he knew he wouldn’t allow it. He followed her, hunkered down beside her and examined her leg. He was certain Rachael would never recognize the authority of the elders. She wasn’t raised with their rules and she had already formed her allegiance with him. They might try ordering her around, but it would never work.
    “You have a smug look on your face.”
    “Smug? I’m never smug.” But he was feeling smug. The elders were going to get an earful if they tried to force Rachael to accept his banishment.
    Rachael touched his dark hair, tugged at the silky strands until he looked at her. “If they think they’re going to change your sentence from banishment to death, they’re going to have a fight on their hands.”
    She looked so warriorlike he grinned as he washed her calf gently and applied more of Tama’s magic healing potion. “Once a sentence is handed down, they won’t change it. My skills are of value to the community, so I doubt they’d even ask me to leave this area.”
    His fingers were soothing on her leg but his comment set her teeth on edge. “Let them ask us to leave.
    They don’t own the forest. Blast them anyway. I hate bullies.” She yanked her jeans over her leg and began making up the bed with fast, jerky movements. She nearly kicked Fritz with her bare foot, forgetting he had taken refuge under the bed.
    Rachael looked flaming mad. Even her hair crackled with electricity. He grinned to himself as he pulled on his own clothes. The house was being put back in shape in rapid order