“Which means it wasn’t that bad.”

“That would be my guess. Franz is scouting and I’ve sent out a couple of other friends, not human in case you were wondering. They’ll raise the alarm if he shows himself within a couple of mile radius. If he’s smart, he’s laying low waiting for us to settle down.”

Rachael’s heart jumped. “You mean you think he’ll be coming back tonight? Why aren’t we getting ready to get out of here? I can make it. It’s silly to just sit here and wait for him to shoot at us.”

“We’re not just waiting for him, Rachael. We’re fortifying ourselves and preparing for battle.”

“I don’t want to battle anyone. You know the old fight-or-flee adage? I believe fleeing is the smart thing to do. There must be one of the native huts I read about where we can go.”

“He’s a walking radar system, Rachael. He can track us, no matter where we go. If you don’t want to shelter with the elders in the village then we have to face him.”

Rachael shook her head sadly. “Everywhere I go, I bring death.” She looked away from the door. “I’m sorr y, Rio, I really am, that I brought this man into your life. I thought I could escape.”

“It was his choice to take this job. Eat your soup.”

Rachael sipped at the broth cautiously. It was very hot but she found she was suddenly hungry. “I’m still trying to get used to the idea that leopard men actually are real, not a myth, and you want me to believe I’m a leopard woman.” She laughed softly. “It can’t be real, but I saw it with my own eyes.”

“I’ll be happy to demonstrate for you.” He wanted to get her to his safe house as quickly as possible.

She wouldn’t be happy with the move, and he was certain it would hurt her leg, but he felt they had no choice. The sniper wouldn’t wait long. If Rio had been the hunter, he would have already been making his way slowly, patiently, back into position for the kill.

Rio dragged his large pack out. He kept it filled with necessary items for a quick getaway. He added extr a shirts for Rachael. He cut the seam of a pair of his old jeans up to the knee. “I’m going to have you put these on.”

“Lovely. I like the look. Are we going walking in the moonlight?” She set the soup on the small end table and held out her hand for the jeans. Her gaze met his steadily, but he saw her swallow hard. The prospect of trying to walk with the injury she’d sustained was daunting.

“Yes. Let me help you.” He eased the material over her swollen ankle and calf. Her courage shook him. He expected a protest but as usual, Rachael was game.

She broke out into a sweat while dressing. “I’m out of shape.”

“We’re not going to talk about shapes again, are we?” He teased, needing to find a way to take the pain from her eyes. He ran his fingers through her hair. The silken strands were damp. “Are you going to be able to do this?”

“Of course. I can do anything.” Rachael had no idea how she was going to stand up and actually put weight on her leg. Even with Kim and Tama’s green-brown brew smeared in globs over her calf, her leg was throbbing. She was certain when she looked down to inspect the damage she would see arrows pier cing her flesh. She handed him the soup mug. “I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be.”

He handed her a sheathed knife and the small gun. “The safety’s on.” He shouldered the pack, reached down for the fifty-pound clouded leopard. “We can’t leave you behind, Fritz. I have a feeling our friend is going to be feeling vindictive. You’ll have to stay out of the house.”

The cat yawned but stayed on his feet when Rio set him on the verandah. “Go, little one, find a place to hide until I return.” He watched the small leopard limp onto a branch and disappear into the foliage.

Rio looked back to see Rachael struggling to her feet. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing, woman?”

“I think it’s called standing but I seem to have forgotten how,” she answered, sitting on the edge of the bed. “It’s the green gunk you put on my leg. It’s weighing me down.”

“Rachael, I’m going to carry you. I don’t expect you to walk.”

“That’s silly. I’m weak more than anything else. It isn’t that painful. Well, it’s painful because the swelling hasn’t gone down yet.”

He gathered her into his ar ms. “I spent all these years alone. No one ever argued with me.”

“And now you have me,” she said with evident satisfaction, settling into his body. “Do you have any idea where we’re going? I thought you said he could track us.”

“I did say that, didn’t I?” He was already moving through the network of branches, far faster than Rachael considered safe.

Despite the heavy pack and her additional weight, Rio wasn’t even breathing hard as he landed on the ground and began to jog, weaving through the trees back toward the river. She buried her face against his neck, trying not to cry out with each jarring step.

The roar started softly, a muffled, distant sound that quickly began to gain in strength. Rachael lifted her head in alarm, suddenly afraid of where he meant to take her.

Eleven

The forest appeared stately, the majestic trees rising like great cathedralpillars all around them. Smaller trees were scattered everywhere, creating a patchwork effect of silvery leaves, explosions of color and dark patches of bark. Staghorn ferns hung from trees, the vivid green prongs rustling in the slight wind as they hurried by. Moonlight filtered through the chinks in the canopy, casting flecks of light here and ther e on the wet forest floor. Rachael caught glimpses of leaves in every shade of red, iridescent greens and blues, anything to increase the refraction and absorption of light into the leaf pigment.