Rachael reluctantly unfolded her body, stood on her own, yawning sleepily. She let her breath out slowly. “How far away?”
“A few minutes.” His hand slipped over her face. She felt it tremble.
WILD RAIN
289
Rachael caught his hand and held it to her breast, over her heart. “We’re in this together, Rio. Tell me what to do.”
“We’re going into the house and see to your leg. You’re favoring it and I see it’s swollen again from overuse. Then we’ll dress and straighten up our home and wait to see what he wants.” He reached past her to open the door courteously.
“Then you know who it is.”
He inhaled again. “Yes, I know him. It is Peter Del-grotto. He is of the high council. And his word is law to our people.”
Her dark eyes moved over his face. Saw too much. Saw into his heart. “You think he may tell me I have to go away.”
Rio shrugged. “I’ll hear him out before I get stirred up.”
She buttoned the shirt, realizing for the first time she still wore it. “This elder is coming here? That certainly takes a lot of nerve.” She snatched the jeans out of his hand and limped quickly over to the bed. “Your neighbors seem to drop in uninvited on a regular basis.”
“Not much sugar in the neighborhood and I’m known for my sweetness,” he quipped.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Your little elder friend is going to think you’re the sweet one after he meets me. Why would he come here?”
“Elders do what they want and go where they will.”
“Sort of like, leeches. No one invited him.”
There it was again—that little, tug on his heart. She could make him smile in the worst of circumstances. He had no idea how he would react if the elders tried to take her from him, but he knew he wouldn’t allow it. He followed her, hunkered down beside her and examined her leg. He was certain Rachael would never recognize the authority of the elders. She wasn’t raised with their rules and she had already formed her allegiance with him. They might try ordering her around, but it would never work.
“You have a smug look on your face.”
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Christine Feehan
“Smug? I’m never smug.” But he was feeling smug. The elders were going to get an earful if they tried to force Rachael to accept his banishment.
Rachael touched his dark hair, tugged at the silky strands until he looked at her. “If they think they’re going to change your sentence from banishment to death, they’re going to have a fight on their hands.”
She looked so warriorlike he grinned as he washed her calf gently and applied more of Tama’s magic healing potion. “Once a sentence is handed down, they won’t change it. My skills are of value to the community, so I doubt they’d even ask me to leave this area.”
His fingers were soothing on her leg but his comment set her teeth on edge. “Let them ask us to leave. They don’t own the forest. Blast them anyway. I hate bullies.” She yanked her jeans over her leg and began making up the bed with fast, jerky movements. She nearly kicked Fritz with her bare foot, forgetting he had taken refuge under the bed.
Rachael looked flaming mad. Even her hair crackled with electricity. He grinned to himself as he pulled on his own clothes. The house was being put back in shape in rapid order although she was limping even more.
“Sit down, sestrilla.” He kept his voice gentle. “All that hopping around isn’t doing your leg any good.” He pulled out his guns and checked the chambers, setting each one carefully on the table.
“We have a tub in the middle of the floor,” she pointed out, her dark eyes spitting sparks. “You could do something about it instead of idly babying your guns.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Idly babying my guns?” he repeated.
“Exactly. What do you intend to do? Shoot the man? The precious, all-wise elder? Not that I mind, but at least warn me.”
“You’re in one of your little moods again, aren’t you? I think if you had some sort of signal to give to me before you went off, it would help tremendously.”