Wild Rain (Leopard People 1)

Rachael smiled at Rio and began wading toward him. Birds lifted up into the air from the branches of several trees around them, wings fluttering strongly, filling the air with a humming noise. She froze in midstride, looking up toward the airborne flock. Her heart began to pound. She looked across the water at Rio. He was no longer lying lazily but crouched on the rock, all senses alert. He signaled to her without looking at her, moving his hand in a semicircle.

Rachael glanced at the two small clouded leopards lying partially hidden in the overgrown fern. Sleepy from their rough-and-tumble play, the two had been drowsing in the shelter of the fronds; now they were as alert as Rio, mouths open wide, ears up, scenting the air. She forced her body to move, heading in the direction Rio signaled. He wanted her out of the water and into deeper cover immediately. The forest sentinels were on the alert. A hunter had moved into their realm.

Rio's arm swept around her. "It's all right. We knew this was coming. It's important for him to spot you." He brushed a kiss across her temple. "Just not until you get clothes on. We left a fairly clear trail leading to the small hut Tama and Kim and I put up for you. You'll look like a native woman trying to make it on your own."

Rachael leaned into him for comfort. Rio's arm tightened. "We don't have to do it this way, sestrilla. If you're afraid, we can find another way to let him see you."

She shook her head decisively. "No. I want to be the bait. Armando has held my life over Elijah for so long, it feels good to be able to do something positive. I don't care if it is acting like a ninny in a native hut to put on a show for Armando's spy. It makes me feel empowered against that horrible monster. He destroyed Elijah, and he used me to do it."

He nuzzled her ear, all the while walking her out of the water and into the shelter of the trees. "We shift here, Rachael. Armando's spy can't see you as a leopard. We have to give him a wide berth and get you back to the hut. We don't want him coming across your scent as a leopard and identifying you as a shifter. Let him see you from a distance in human form. I'll be covering you. If he makes a wrong move, I'll kill him."

She winced over his bluntness. That was so like Rio. "You're certain he's alone, it's just the spy and not my uncle?"

"Listen to the animals. It's the leopard, and he's heading toward the hut."

She let her breath out. "What about Fritz and Franz? You'll have to make certain they stay away. I don't want them to get hurt. You know they'll follow you wherever you go."

"Don't worry, we've hunted many times together. This will work, Rachael. Your uncle has too big an ego to just let his leopard handle it. If he thinks he can kill you under Elijah's nose, that's what he'll choose to do."

"Don't worry about me. I'll admit to being afraid, but in a positive way. I finally feel useful to Elijah." She turned her face into his shoulder and rubbed affectionately in the way of the big cats. "I'll be fine."

"He may try to grab you to bring you to your uncle, but I doubt it. I'm counting on this being a scouting trip, just to confirm your presence. Be alert anyway, Rachael, just in case I'm wrong."

He stepped up onto the embankment and pulled her up with him so they were nearly hidden in the thick brush. He was already shifting, his fur brushing her bare skin as he did so. That always amazed her, the miracle of change. It seemed incredible that she could plunge her hands into the fur of a leopard, even more incredible that she could stroke its back and rub its ears. In spite of the very real danger from her uncle, Rachael smiled happily as she allowed the change to take hold of her.

The trip through the forest was much longer, slinking carefully along the path leading away from their home. A small hut had been erected in a particularly thick grove of trees. The trunks were thinner and the trees closer together. Rio wanted to make certain a marksman would have a difficult time shooting through the trees. If Armando's hit man wanted to kill Rachael, he would have to do it up close and personal. He would have to use his leopard form to attack her.

Rachael stayed close to Rio as they moved through the trees, making certain to show the gibbons and birds they weren't hunting. They didn't want the intruder alerted to their presence as they wound their way through the trees and brush to the three-sided hut. The fourth side was open and sheltered by the overhead canopy and thatched roof. It was the type of travelers' hut often used by the tribesmen as they moved from place to place.

Rachael's clothes were already stashed in the hut and she hastily shifted to pull them on. Rio remained in his leopard form, his unblinking, watchful gaze fixed on her as she tugged on her jeans and pulled on a shirt. She smiled at him, leaned down and brushed a kiss on top of the leopard's head. "Be safe, Rio. Keep Elijah safe for me." Her heart was pounding, she knew her leopard could hear it, could smell her fear, just as she could taste it in her mouth. When the big cat rubbed up against her leg she wrapped her arm around the thick neck. "Don't underestimate him. Armando Lospostos is a monster. You can't forget that, not even for a moment."

Rio wanted to shift, just for a moment and hold her in his arms to comfort and reassure her, but he didn't dare. The forest had come alive with news. Her uncle had done the unexpected, arriving with his large contingent of men along with his leopard spy. Armando was taking no chances of missing his opportunity. He sent the spy from his hunting camp already being established a few miles upriver. Rio hoped Elijah was listening to the chatter of the creatures as well as their human allies as they carried the news up and down the river and through the trees.

Rio rubbed against Rachael's body in a long caress one last time before leaping into the low-hanging branches of a tree near the open side of the hut. She looked alone and vulnerable. It was just the way she was supposed to look, but damn it all, it still twisted at his heart. He disappeared into the thick foliage, knowing she couldn't see him, hoping she would feel him close. If the spy leopard made a move against her instead of just confirming her presence, Rio had no doubt he would have to make a kill.

It took the leopard a day and night of searching to find Rachael's little hut. She lay alone in the bed, her heart pounding, breathing deep, fighting off the wild side of her nature, trying to be a lamb to lure in the monster that had ruined their lives. She ate alone, did endless, useless chores, found busywork. She went so far as to begin a semblance of a garden, replanting herbs closer to the hut. All the while she felt Rio close to her. She never saw him, but she knew he was there and it warmed her. She was unafraid for her own safety. She trusted Rio, knew his capabilities.

Rachael was in the small garden when she heard the first whisper of unease among the birds in the canopy above her home. The flutter of wings as some took flight. The trilling of alarm as sentinels sounded a warning. She pretended not to hear, drawing on the skills she'd acquired over the years to appear calm and relaxed in the face of every crisis. The leopard spy was stalking her. The monkeys reported his movements as he neared her little hut. The animal was casting for signs of Elijah, of a trap for Armando. All he was going to find was Rachael attempting to make a home in a travelers' hut.

She stood up and smelled him. The wild, feral scent of the intruder creeping up on her. She felt the impact of his gaze as he watched her, excitement taking him. The knowledge that he could take her life, that she was alone, an easy target for a predator such as a leopard. The leopard was certain she didn't have the gift. Armando had assured him she was not a shifter, tied to the human form and not worthy of life. Although she couldn't see him, she could almost feel how his body shook with eagerness for the kill. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Goose bumps rose on her skin. A chill slid down her spine.

Rachael hummed softly to herself, deliberately walked to the nearest tree trunk laden with perfumed orchids and cut several to place on the wooden slab that served as her table. She stayed outdoors within striking distance, knowing Rio had his rifle trained on the leopard at all times. She went inside her little hut and casually arranged the flowers. Her legs were beginning to turn to rubber so she sat on one

of the stumps and stared out into the beauty of the forest, attempting to look at ease with her surroundings.

To her astonishment Tama and Kim arrived with four of their tribesmen, talking and gesturing as they asked for water. Kim winked at her. It was the only way to insure the spy leopard didn't try to grab her and carry her back to Armando's camp. He could give Armando reassurance Rachael was alone and Elijah was nowhere near her, but they would have to return to the hut a second time in order to capture her. Even so, she felt the leopard's presence for most of the night. The tribesmen settled down around her, talking long into the night, giving her the courtesy of the hut but successfully preventing the spy from making a move against her. It seemed forever before the feeling of danger passed. She remained still, waiting, wanting to curl up in a little ball and cry with relief.

Rio arrived at dawn, dragging her into his arms, raining kisses over her face. Elijah was with him, real and solid, hugging her hard, telling her how brave she was.

"Did it work? Did he go back to Armando and tell him I was living here alone and you didn't know about it?" Rachael's voice was muffled against Rio's shirt. She inhaled him, touched him, needing to feel his enormous strength when she felt so fragile.

"It worked, Rachael," Elijah assured. "He went back to Armando like the good little spy and reported everything he saw."

"I felt how eager he was to kill me," she said. "I don't know what he would have done if Kim and Tama hadn't shown up."

"I did too," Rio acknowledged. "He was in my sights the entire time. He never had a chance, sestrilla."

"Now what do we do?" Rachael asked.

"Tama and Kim are going to escort you to their village. You'll be safe with them. Armando will send his men back here to the hut and they'll find it empty. They'll stake it out thinking you'll come back. In the meantime, we have to get rid of his big-game hunters. It looks as if Armando instructed them to bag him a leopard. He knows he can't take Elijah at his camp with all the guards there, but he believes Elijah is shifting at night and hunting for signs of you."

Elijah grinned at her. His gaze remained flat and cold. "It's like him to bring in professional hunters. He couldn't very well tell them I'm a shifter. That would take away one of his big secrets."

"The hunters staked out a goat hoping to draw in a leopard. There aren't supposed to be any big leopards in these parts, only the clouded leopard and the smaller cats. We don't want to take the chance on any other leopard prowling around getting killed. We sent out the word, but we can't be too careful."

"Four big-game hunters?" Rachael echoed. "You mean men who hunt big cats for a living? That's like Armando. I should have guessed he'd do that."

Elijah touched her shoulder gently. "I knew he would. We're prepared for it. You'll be safe with Tama and Kim."

"Don't you think the leopard spy will come back to watch me? I should be here, where he can give his little daily reports to Armando."

"He would never be able to resist killing you," Rio said. "You felt him, his need for the kill. We can't risk it again." Rio caught her face between his hands. "I will not risk you. He's dangerous, and I have to help Elijah with the hunters. We can't afford them at our backs. In any case, Armando would send his men here to grab you. You have to go where it's safe."

At once her heart leapt. Rio could do that with a touch, with a look. Rachael forced a smile when she met his gaze. "You know what you're asking of me, don't you? I had to stand by and watch Armando ruin Elijah's life, torture and torment him over me. He used me to hurt my brother. He can't take you both from me. I would never survive it. You both have to come back to me." She didn't look at her brother, but her voice was choked with tears. "Elijah is going to try to sacrifice himself because he thinks there can be no redemption. Rio, you have to find a way to bring him safely back."

Rio brushed her mouth with his. "You promised to marry me, sestrilla. My beloved one. We need Elijah to give you to me in a proper ceremony. You can be very sure I'll bring him back."

"Thank you." Rachael went with the tribesmen. She only looked back once, and both Elijah and Rio were watching her until she was out of sight.

The two men looked at one another, stripped hastily, and without a word shifted into their animal forms. It was time to go hunting.

The first night Rio and Elijah took the first hunter. He was lying in the blind, his eye glued to his scope, his finger on the trigger of his rifle. Below him, on the forest floor, a small goat cried out in fear. Rio knew the spy leopard walked close, a lookout for the hunters, but they were already inside the hunter's trap, high in the canopy watching.

The second night the spy leopard was waiting in the trees above their kill. His yellow eyes glittered with menace, with a promise of retaliation. They had made him look bad, a creature who felt superior to those he worked with, and he had failed in his job. He didn't want to fail a second time. It was Elijah who made the second kill right under the spy leopard's nose, slipping down into the blind and dispatching the second hunter where he lay in wait.

The leopard discovered the kill on one of his sweeps of the area and went berserk, roaring with rage, promising retaliation. He raced through the forest in the direction of Rachael's small, deserted hut. Rio was grateful she was long gone. The leopard was in a killing mood and wanted desperately to rip something or someone to shreds. Rio followed at a much more leisurely pace, letting the intruder expend energy. He watched from a distance as the shape-shifter ripped apart the small, makeshift hut. He was so enraged, he tore furniture into small sticks and smashed the little bowl of orchids.

Rio gave him no warning, no room to fight, leaping on him from the roof above, teeth sinking deep and hanging on while the leopard rolled and clawed and raked at him. Rio spent most of his life in the forest, most of his life running through the trees both in human and in animal form. The spy leopard had left his normal life for the city and the promise of power and money. He wasn't nearly as fast or as ruthless. Rio accorded the body the respect of his kind, burning it to a fine ash and scattering the remains before joining Elijah.

The third hunter was taken at dusk on the third day, and this time they waited until the last of the professionals realized what happened and hurried away from the scene of death. Elijah padded after the lone hunter, a grim elation spreading through him. The hunter had finally conceded defeat and was stumbling back to camp, horrified at the loss of his friends. He clutched his gun to him as if that single item could save him from the terrors of the darkened forest. The man winced when he heard the low moan of the clouded leopards. He ran when he heard the grunting cough answering the smaller cousins. He burst into the heavily armed camp, clothes torn, parasites on his body and his friends' blood on his clothes.

Armando reacted in his typical fashion. Aggressive, furious that his plans were thwarted and not in the least listening to the hunter's account of his nightmare hunt. Elijah had witnessed the scene many times in the past and knew his uncle was quite capable of erupting into extreme violence. His men knew it too, looking at one another uneasily as the lone hunter tried to explain his failure. Even in the high humidity, the heat of the forest, Armando wore his usual turtleneck sweater, stretched tight over his chest. It was his trademark, that soft expensive shirt that screamed of money and power. He was sweating, but his ego would never allow him to remove it. The leopard curled its lip in a silent snarl of contempt--of hatred.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Armando snapped, fingering his gun continually as a threat. His face twisted with black anger. "I hired four big-game hunters. What's so damned hard about capturing a leopard? You're being paid enough money not to care whether I want the thing alive or dead. Throw a net on it. Wound it. I don't care how you do it. Tranquilize it. Do I have to think for you? If you fail me after the money I'm paying you, you aren't walking out of this forest alive and I can guarantee that. There are four of you and one of him. It can't be that difficult. So get the hell out of my sight and do your damned job."

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The man stepped back, this time careful to keep his rifle in front of him, ready to bring it up if he were forced to defend himself. "You aren't listening to me, sir." He glanced warily at the bodyguards, all armed to the teeth. "There aren't four of us. The leopard killed Bob the first night. He just ignored the goat we staked out and went straight to the blind. We left Bob there to lure him in, all of us up in the trees with scopes. He took out Leonard the second night. Craig went last night. Whatever that thing is, he's a man killer. He's as cunning as hell. He didn't even eat them, it was as if he was playing with us all."

Armando swore as he jumped to his feet. The hunter stepped back, gave way immediately. "I don't like any of this. If Rachael isn't back at that hut tomorrow we get out of here. All of us are going to pay her a little visit." When the hunter started toward his tent, Armando caught his arm and jerked him around. "Not you. You have a job to do. You took the money, go get the leopard. Get out of here."

Elijah crouched in the tree, hidden in the foliage overlooking the camp watching the last of the professional hunters reluctantly leave the safety of the site. He waited with endless patience, knowing the rhythm of the hunting camps. Talk died down when the mosquitoes came. Men slapped at the insects, tempers rising. The rain began, a steady downpour increasing everyone's misery. They were essentially city men, only the four hunters were professionals and now three of the four were dead. That put a pall over the campsite. Men disappeared into tents, leaving only the guards at the perimeters. All of them tried to shelter beneath trees. None paid attention to the branches above them. Still he waited, patient. Leopards were always patient. He didn't mind the insects or the rain. This was his world and they were the intruders. He settled down to wait, to get the rhythm of the camp and the men in it.

It was important to go in quietly, get the deed done and get out unseen. The camp was heavily armed. Elijah didn't want a bloodbath here in the forest. They didn't want an investigation. This had to be a stealthy, silent assassination. He crouched there in the bushes not ten feet from one of the sentries and watched his uncle. The light from the lamp illuminated the inside of the tent. One side remained open to give Armando a wide sweep of the area with his gun. And the gun was never more than an inch from his fingertips. One by one the lamps were turned out so that darkness settled over the camp.