“He was after me, wasn’t he?” Rachael asked.

Rio nodded. “Kim left the medicine for your leg and I’m going to reapply it. We have to leave here.

I’m going to take you to the elders. They’ll protect you there better than I can here.”

“No.” Rachael said it decisively. “I won’t go there, Rio. I mean it. I won’t go—ever. Not for any reason.”

“Rachael, don’t go stubborn on me. This man is a professional and he knows where you are. He probably knows you’ve been injured. He came far too close to killing you for my peace of mind.”

“I’ll leave if you want me to, but I’m not going to your elders.” For the first time he heard a bite in her voice. It wasn’t edgy or moody, it was sheer temper. Her dark eyes flashed fire, nearly throwing sparks.

“Rachael.” He sat on the edge of the bed and pushed back the mop of curls falling in all directions.

“I’m not abandoning you. It’s safer for you. He’s going to come back.”

“Yes, I know he will. And you’ll be here, won’t you. Alone. By yourself. Because your idiot elders are happy enough to take the money you earn risking your life to do whatever it is you do with your little unit. You give it to them, don’t you?” She glar ed at him. “I’ve seen how you live, and I can’t see you having a huge bank account stashed somewhere. You give it to the others, don’t you?”

Rio shrugged. She was furious. Anger was radiating from her. Her body shook with it. His fingers tunneled in her thick mass of hair. He didn’t know why, maybe to hold her in place when she looked capable of flying at the elders. “Some of it. I don’t need it. The money is used to help protect our environment. Our people need it, I don’t. I live simply, Rachael, and I like my life. What I keep I use for weapons or food or medicine. I just don’t have that many needs.”

“I don’t care, Rio. They’re hypocrites. They banished you. You aren’t good enough to live near them, but they’ll take your money and they’ll let you risk your life to protect their other men while they do their jobs. It stinks and I want no part of them. And if you need another reason, I’ll just be followed ther e and bring more trouble to them. I’ m not going. I’ll leave and the hit man will follow me, and you’ll be safe.”

Laughter welled up out of nowhere. He simply leaned forward and took possession of her mouth. Her beautiful, perfect, sinfully delicious mouth. She sank into him, melted, her body pressing against his, robbing his mind of actual thought. Rio wrapped her up in his arms, hungrily devouring her, kissing her over and over because she was alive and she looked at him with that look. Because it angered her that the elders had banished him and she was so ready to defend him even when he didn’t need defending.

Because she made his blood sing and his body as hard as a rock.

Bolts of lightning ripped through his bloodstream. Flames danced over his skin. There was a roaring in his head and he knew he was wholly alive again. It didn’t matter that he didn’t know her past. He knew what she was made of, the strength of her, the fierce protective nature. Her courage and fire mattered to him. She had given him acceptance, when his own people couldn’t accept what he had done.

Her hand crept around his neck. She lifted her head and looked at him. “I can’t stay with you, Rio, and it breaks my heart. Why did I have to find someone who is so kind and gentle?”

“Only you would describe me as kind and gentle, Rachael.” He kissed her again. “And we can work things out.”

“You mean you can hunt this hit man down and kill him.” She shook her head. “I’m not going to let you do that. You hate what you did, killing the man who took your mother ‘s life. You think it’s so wrong of you because you can’t be sorry he’s dead. Rio, you’re sorry you killed him. I know you are.

You may not be sorry that he’s dead, but you regret the way his life was taken. You aren’t going to do it all over again for me.”

“It isn’t for you.”

She smiled at him and pushed back the hair tumbling onto his forehead. “Yes it is. It won’t matter what excuse you come up with for both of us, I’ll always know it was because of me and you’ll always know it too. My troubles have nothing to do with you and you shouldn’t ever have been made a part of them.”

“I bested him twice. He was forced to run and he was wounded. He’ll have to come after me. Whether you’re here or not, he’ll have to come after me.”

“He isn’t paid to come after you. Hit men work for money. They don’t have very much in the way of feelings, Rio, at least not that I’ve ever seen. If you pay them, they do the job. It’s simply business to them.”

“You’re talking about human beings,” he pointed out. “I’ll make you something to eat while we discuss this. I’m serious, Rachael, he’ll come here to take me out before he ever makes another attempt on you.”

Rachael watched him cross to the cupboards. There was total conviction in his voice. “I wasn’t going to bring up the differences between us, but now that you mention it, I’ve considered one of two problems a relationship might encounter. There’s the whole crossing species thing. You didn’t ask me if I was using birth control, Rio. Did it occur to you that if I became pregnant there might be a problem?”