Leopard 02 - Wild Rain

although she was limping even more.
    “Sit down, sestrilla. ” He kept his voice gentle. “All that hopping around isn’t doing your leg any good.” He pulled out his guns and checked the chambers, setting each one carefully on the table.
    “We have a tub in the middle of the floor,” she pointed out, her dark eyes spitting sparks. “You could do something about it instead of idly babying your guns.”
    His eyebrow shot up. “Idly babying my guns?” he repeated.
    “Exactly. What do you intend to do? Shoot the man? The precious, all-wise elder? Not that I mind, but at least warn me.”
    “You’re in one of your little moods again, aren’t you? I think if you had some sort of signal to give to me before you went off, it would help tremendously.”
    She straightened up and turned around very slowly to face him. “My little moods?”
    His mouth twitched. He forced his features to remain expressionless. She looked like a volcano about to explode. His smile would definitely trigger dynamite. “I may have no choice but to shoot him. Think about it, Rachael. Why would he come here when he isn’t allowed to acknowledge my existence?
    There’s little point in it.” The tub of water was bothering her, so just to keep her from pitching the wadded-up pillow at him, he scooped out a few bucketfuls of water and dumped it down the sink.
    Rachael was silent for a long time watching him. She sank into a chair. “Aren’t these elders the lawmakers? Are they holy people? What exactly are they? Besides imbeciles, I mean.”
    “You can’t call them imbeciles to their faces, Rachael,” he pointed out.
    “If you can shoot them, I can call them names.” She glared at him, daring him to contradict her. “Are elders called elders because they’re old? Ancient? Full of hot air?”
    “You haven’t even met the man and you’re already belligerent.”
    Her dark eyes swept over him with repressed fury. “I am never belligerent.”
    He picked up the tub and carried it out to the verandah. It was still fairly full and very heavy. Water sloshed as he tipped it over the railing. “I suppose there’s some logic in you having permission to call them names if I can shoot them,” he agreed to appease her. He didn’t bother to take the tub to the small hut hidden in the trees some distance away. He set it to one side, out of the way should he need to take to the trees fast. Outside, he listened to the night creatures calling to one another, giving away the location of the intruder as he moved closer to the house.
    Had he not been banished he would have gone, out of respect, to meet the man instead of making him come all the way up the tree to him. The elder was in his eighties and, although in great shape, would still feel the affects of the long distance. He ducked back inside to comb his hair into some semblance of order.
    Rachael watched him, saw the small frown, the worry lines around his eyes. Most of all she saw that Rio changed his casual appearance, and that meant something. She took her cue from him, brushing the tangles from her hair, checking to see that her skin was clean and brushing her teeth. She hadn’t used the small stash of beauty supplies she’d stuffed in her pack since she’d arrived, but she pulled them out.
    “What is that?”

    “Makeup. I thought I’d try to look presentable for your elder.” She hesitated, tried again. “Wise man.
    Personage.”
    “Elder is fine.” He stalked across the room and took the lip gloss from her hand. “You’re beautiful, Rachael, and you damned well don’t have to look perfect for him.”
    For the first time in a while a ghost of a smile curved her mouth. “Talk about someone who has little moods! Actually, tree dweller, I was going to look perfect for you, not your brainless elder.” She held out her hand for the lip gloss.
    He put it in her palm. “I should at least get points for the beautiful compliment.”
    Her smile widened. “I censored because of the beautiful compliment. It would have been a lot worse than tree dweller.”
    “You terrify me.” Rio bent and kissed her upturned mouth. How had he managed to live so long without her and think he was alive? Had he just been walking through life all those years? Loving her terrified him. It was so strong, a tidal wave welling up inside of him, consuming him, so at times he couldn’t even look at her.
    “Well that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.” Rachael applied the lip gloss and