The wind shifted slightly, playing through the leaves. The rain began again, a steady fall that had both bandits cursing as the drops soaked their clothing. Rio remained still, high in the branches above them.

He caught the scent of fresh blood. He heard the whisper of clothing against a bush. That told him, more than anything else, that Joshua was badly injured. He would have shifted shape if he could and used the strength and speed of the leopard to get him home. Instead, he was dragging himself through the forest, using the easiest and most open trails.

Rio didn’t wait to see Joshua’s approach. He kept his eyes on the two bandits hiding in ambush. The one below him put down his rif le twice. Tied his boot. Fidgeted. The one in the tree held his gun and watched the trail. Rio kept his rifle aimed at the bandit in the tree. The moment he saw the man raise the gun to his shoulder, he fired.

Rio didn’t wait to see the results of his marksmanship; he threw the knife at the man below him. The gurgling sound was ugly, but it told him what he needed to know as he changed position, leaping to another branch and sighting the first bandit a second time.

“He’s down,” Joshua said. He leaned against a tree trunk tiredly. Blood soaked his right side. “Thanks, Rio. You’re a welcome sight. They would have killed me. I don’t have much fight left in me.” He slid down the tree and sank to the forest floor, his legs going out from under him.

Rio dropped to the ground and inspected the two bandits before going to Joshua. The man had lost too much blood. “You should have put a field bandage on this.”

“I tried. No time. They were everywhere. We pulled everyone out that was there. One of the men had gone missing and no one knows what happened to him. The team scattered, each taking a vic, and Conner had to cover them.” He looked up at Rio. “Drake took a hit. I don’t know how bad.”

Rio stiffened, forced himself to be gentle as he worked quickly on the wound. “He sent me to you.”

“I know, I heard on the radio. That’s like him. Three reported in clear. You had your radio off, I tried to let you know.” Joshua began to slump to one side.

“Damn it, Josh, don’t you die on me. I’ll be pissed off if you do.” Rio swore under his breath as he quickly worked on the wound to stem the flow of blood. The entrance hole was small and neat but the exit was a mangled, bloody mess.

The wind tapped him on the shoulder, brought him the scent of the hunters. A pack of them, out for blood, hot on Joshua’s trail. They’d be furious when they found their dead lying in the midst of the shrubs.

“Josh, I have to take you up into the trees. I have no choice. I don’t want to give you morphine, you’re alr eady in shock.”

“Do what you have to do,” Joshua muttered. His lids fluttered, but he was unable to find the energy to open his eyes. “If you have to leave me, Rio, give me a gun. I don’t want Tomas to get his hands on me.”

“Shut up,” Rio said rudely. He retrieved his knife, cleaning the blade in the leaves before returning it to its sheath. “Let’s go, the hounds are getting close.”

Joshua made no sound as Rio slung him over his shoulder in a dead man’s carry. Rio hoped he’d lost consciousness. The steel muscles running beneath his skin would be needed, the enormous strength of his kind. He went up the tree, higher than he’d like but where there was more cover. He wouldn’t have the necessary speed for traveling along the branches carrying Joshua’s weight, so he’d need stealth and cover.

The continual rain added to the complications, making the branches slick. Several times he disturbed birds and gliding lemurs. Squirrels scolded him and a thick snake uncoiled when he accidentally gripped it for an anchor as he made his way along the branch highway with Joshua.

He was nearing the river when, without warning, the birds took to the sky. Joshua stirred, but Rio’s soft command stopped him from moving. Rio cached Joshua in the crotch of a thick branch, much like a leopard might with his dinner. It was the only tree with enough foliage to hide them. He had hoped to be on the other side of the river before the bandits caught up with them. His pulley and sling was stashed and would be useful, but he’d have to leave Joshua to set it up. He checked to make certain no blood dripped to give away their position. The roar of the river drowned most of the noise, but couldn’t take away the other signs of approach. “Tomas and his crew are coming, Josh. You’ll have to be quiet and stay right there, no moving.”

Joshua nodded his understanding. “I think I can hold a gun.”

Rio shook his head. “No need.” He crouched down beside Joshua, felt for his pulse. The man needed medical attention as quickly as possible. Rain-soaked, clothes clung to their bodies, boots rubbed blisters into skin. The conditions were miserable, but Rio had been in worse. “We’ll get you home,” he assured Joshua.

Rio didn’t waste time hesitating. Leaving the rifle behind, he went through the trees as quickly as he could, rushing to beat the arrival of the bandits. He dropped into the open onto a low-hanging branch and dove into the river. His arms cut strong, clean strokes, taking him across the river even as the current pulled him downstream. On the other side, he dragged himself up the embankment, rolled beneath a tangle of buttress roots and caught up the pack stashed in the hole in the trunk.

The bandits had broken out of the forest on the other side. They spread out, examining the ground for tracks. One was too close to the tree where he had cached Joshua. Josh was barely conscious and one wrong move would instantly bring him to the bandits’ attention. Rio slowly and carefully pulled the rifle from the cover of the trunk and laid it over a root to steady his hand. He was in a bog and leeches would be swarming to his body heat if he didn’t move immediately.