Wild Rain
Page 26
At home with him. At ease, as if they had known one another for all time.
A bird screeched a warning, high up in the canopy. Monkeys sounded a call for complete vigilance.
Movement in the forest ceased. There was a sudden, unnatur al silence. Only the rain fell steadily. Rio was on his feet instantly, moving back into the shadows, lifting his face to the wind, sniffing the air as if scenting for enemies. He snapped his fingers, crouching low as the two clouded leopards padded silently onto the verandah, coming quickly from the house as if summoned. One lifted its lip, bared its teeth in a silent snarl. Rio hunkered down, his movement slow and careful so as not to draw attention, cir cled both cat’s necks with his arms, his fingers massaging the fur as he whispered to them. When he stepped away, the two small leopards took to the trees.
Rio lifted Rachael into his arms. Again his movements were unhurried, very slow. “Don’t make a sound. Not a sound, Rachael.” His lips were pressed against her ear, sending a small shiver down her spine. He moved with ease inside to place her back on the bed. Pressed as close as she was to his body, she felt him trembling, something moving against his skin, pushing against hers. It made her itch for a moment. His hands were gentle as he pulled the cover around her but she felt the tug of something sharp along her skin, as if something scratched her.
Catching her face in his hands he stared into her eyes. “I need to know you know what you’re doing right now. I’m better out there,” he waved toward the open door. “I’m of more use to us out there. You can’t have a light, Rachael, it will just give away your position. You’ll have to make do in the dark and I’ll give you a gun, but you have to stay alert. Can you do that?”
Rio’s voice was a mere thread of sound. Rachael stared up at him, trapped in the ferocity of his gaze.
His eyes were different, more yellow than green, pupils dilated and staring. A haunting, eerie, never-to-
be-forgotten stare of a wild animal on the hunt. Her heart began to pound. “Rachael, answer me. I need to know.” A flicker of worry crept into the wildness in his eyes. His expression was grim. “Someone’s here.”
There was something entirely different about his eyes. She wasn’t mistaken. His eyes were enormous, wide, staring, an eerie calm about them, a dangerous intensity. His pupils, very round, were nearly three times as large as she thought a human eye would open, allowing him to see in the dark night. She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. Rio never blinked. Never moved his gaze from her face. His eyes looked like marble or glass, all-seeing, all-knowing, a strange haunting, yet beautiful glow to them. “You must have excellent night vision.” The words squeaked out. Silly.
Rachael felt like a frightened child. She had a real enemy. She didn’t need to be making up supernatur al beings and scaring herself. She straightened her shoulders, determined to recover. “I think they’ve found me, Rio. They’ll hurt you if you’r e with me, it won’t matter that you don’t know anything.”
“It could be anything, but we definitely have an intruder. I need to know you’re all right, Rachael. I don’t want to come back in here and find you shot yourself by accident. And I don’t want you trying to shoot me.”
“Go, I’m fine. I’m not having any trouble seeing.” And she wasn’t. She had never had particular ly great night vision, yet she seemed to be able to see much more clearly than before. Or maybe she was just getting used to the dim lighting in the forest. She only had one good hand and it was trembling badly, so she thrust it beneath the covers. Rachael wasn’t about to whine about feeling sick to her stomach from the wrenching pain of movement, not when he was going out alone to face an intruder.
He checked the gun, put it on the bed beside her. His palm slipped across her forehead. Her skin was hot to the touch. “Stay focused, Rachael.”
Rio was reluctant to leave her. Something told him he was replaying an old scene. He had a memory of touching her, her hair sliding through his fingers as he went into the night to hunt for an enemy. And when he returned… Something gripped his heart in a vise. “Rachael, be here when I get back. Stay alive for me.” He had no idea why he said it. He had no idea why he felt it, but it was an overwhelming need to warn her. Something terrible had happened, or maybe was about to happen, nothing really made sense to him anymore. There seemed to be memories in his head of Rachael that shouldn’t be ther e.
“Good hunting, Rio. May all the magic of the forest be with you and may fortune be your companion as you travel.” The words came out of her mouth, were said in her voice, but Rachael had no real idea where they came from. She knew instinctively she was reciting formal ritual words, but she didn’t know what ritual or how she knew the words, only that she’d said them before.
Rachael wiped a hand over her face in an effort to wipe away things she didn’t understand. “I’ll be fine. I can handle a gun, I have before. Just be careful.”
Rio stared into her eyes for a long moment, afraid to take his gaze from her, afraid when he returned she’d be gone… or he’d find her dead, her body desperately attempting to protect their son… . He jerked his head back, a ferocious rage and a terrible sorrow blending together into a roiling ball of emotions impossible to understand. “Stay alive, Rachael,” he repeated abruptly. A command. A plea.
He forced himself to turn away from her and slip outside.
The change was already taking place in his heart and mind, the dangerous animal in him bursting free, fur rippling along his arms and legs, his body bending, contorting, muscles stretching and lengthening.
A bird screeched a warning, high up in the canopy. Monkeys sounded a call for complete vigilance.
Movement in the forest ceased. There was a sudden, unnatur al silence. Only the rain fell steadily. Rio was on his feet instantly, moving back into the shadows, lifting his face to the wind, sniffing the air as if scenting for enemies. He snapped his fingers, crouching low as the two clouded leopards padded silently onto the verandah, coming quickly from the house as if summoned. One lifted its lip, bared its teeth in a silent snarl. Rio hunkered down, his movement slow and careful so as not to draw attention, cir cled both cat’s necks with his arms, his fingers massaging the fur as he whispered to them. When he stepped away, the two small leopards took to the trees.
Rio lifted Rachael into his arms. Again his movements were unhurried, very slow. “Don’t make a sound. Not a sound, Rachael.” His lips were pressed against her ear, sending a small shiver down her spine. He moved with ease inside to place her back on the bed. Pressed as close as she was to his body, she felt him trembling, something moving against his skin, pushing against hers. It made her itch for a moment. His hands were gentle as he pulled the cover around her but she felt the tug of something sharp along her skin, as if something scratched her.
Catching her face in his hands he stared into her eyes. “I need to know you know what you’re doing right now. I’m better out there,” he waved toward the open door. “I’m of more use to us out there. You can’t have a light, Rachael, it will just give away your position. You’ll have to make do in the dark and I’ll give you a gun, but you have to stay alert. Can you do that?”
Rio’s voice was a mere thread of sound. Rachael stared up at him, trapped in the ferocity of his gaze.
His eyes were different, more yellow than green, pupils dilated and staring. A haunting, eerie, never-to-
be-forgotten stare of a wild animal on the hunt. Her heart began to pound. “Rachael, answer me. I need to know.” A flicker of worry crept into the wildness in his eyes. His expression was grim. “Someone’s here.”
There was something entirely different about his eyes. She wasn’t mistaken. His eyes were enormous, wide, staring, an eerie calm about them, a dangerous intensity. His pupils, very round, were nearly three times as large as she thought a human eye would open, allowing him to see in the dark night. She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. Rio never blinked. Never moved his gaze from her face. His eyes looked like marble or glass, all-seeing, all-knowing, a strange haunting, yet beautiful glow to them. “You must have excellent night vision.” The words squeaked out. Silly.
Rachael felt like a frightened child. She had a real enemy. She didn’t need to be making up supernatur al beings and scaring herself. She straightened her shoulders, determined to recover. “I think they’ve found me, Rio. They’ll hurt you if you’r e with me, it won’t matter that you don’t know anything.”
“It could be anything, but we definitely have an intruder. I need to know you’re all right, Rachael. I don’t want to come back in here and find you shot yourself by accident. And I don’t want you trying to shoot me.”
“Go, I’m fine. I’m not having any trouble seeing.” And she wasn’t. She had never had particular ly great night vision, yet she seemed to be able to see much more clearly than before. Or maybe she was just getting used to the dim lighting in the forest. She only had one good hand and it was trembling badly, so she thrust it beneath the covers. Rachael wasn’t about to whine about feeling sick to her stomach from the wrenching pain of movement, not when he was going out alone to face an intruder.
He checked the gun, put it on the bed beside her. His palm slipped across her forehead. Her skin was hot to the touch. “Stay focused, Rachael.”
Rio was reluctant to leave her. Something told him he was replaying an old scene. He had a memory of touching her, her hair sliding through his fingers as he went into the night to hunt for an enemy. And when he returned… Something gripped his heart in a vise. “Rachael, be here when I get back. Stay alive for me.” He had no idea why he said it. He had no idea why he felt it, but it was an overwhelming need to warn her. Something terrible had happened, or maybe was about to happen, nothing really made sense to him anymore. There seemed to be memories in his head of Rachael that shouldn’t be ther e.
“Good hunting, Rio. May all the magic of the forest be with you and may fortune be your companion as you travel.” The words came out of her mouth, were said in her voice, but Rachael had no real idea where they came from. She knew instinctively she was reciting formal ritual words, but she didn’t know what ritual or how she knew the words, only that she’d said them before.
Rachael wiped a hand over her face in an effort to wipe away things she didn’t understand. “I’ll be fine. I can handle a gun, I have before. Just be careful.”
Rio stared into her eyes for a long moment, afraid to take his gaze from her, afraid when he returned she’d be gone… or he’d find her dead, her body desperately attempting to protect their son… . He jerked his head back, a ferocious rage and a terrible sorrow blending together into a roiling ball of emotions impossible to understand. “Stay alive, Rachael,” he repeated abruptly. A command. A plea.
He forced himself to turn away from her and slip outside.
The change was already taking place in his heart and mind, the dangerous animal in him bursting free, fur rippling along his arms and legs, his body bending, contorting, muscles stretching and lengthening.
