178
Christine Feehan
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 filings 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 nun cross to the cupboards. There was total conviction in his voice. “I wasn’t going to bring up A*. <4;flw<»nr><>c twtwprai us hut now that vou mention it.
WILD RAIN
179
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?” Intent on making soup, he didn’t turn around. “There wouldn’t be a problem, but I knew you couldn’t conceive. Not the way we made love.” “Really? Why is that?” “Because you’re one of us.”
Rachael lifted an eyebrow and regarded the broad expanse of his back. “How intriguing. Why didn’t I know. this? You’d think my parents would have given me the information. Not that I’d mind running free in the forest though, that would be fun.”
He did turn around then and there was no answering amusement on his face. His expression was grim. “No, you won’t go running in the forest, Rachael. Not now, not ever.” The smoldering anger was back, a fierce black roiling that swept through him like a dark tornado.
Rachael’s eyebrow shot higher. “Nice to know ahead of time there seems to be a double standard in your society for women. I already come from one of those societies, Rio, where women are second-class citizens, and I didn’t particularly enjoy it. I don’t intend to join another one.”
“My mother wasn’t second-class, Rachael. She was a miracle to anyone lucky enough to know her. And running free in the forest cost her her life.”
“It was a risk she took, Rio. You take it all the time. I took a risk when I let go of the boat and slipped into the rising river. It was my risk to take. In any case there’s no point in arguing, I’ve never shifted into any other shape but this one. Well, sometimes my weight goes up and down a bit and as I get older I think it’s redistributing and maybe changing my shape, but that’s not what you mean.”
“You’re one of us, Rachael. Drake knew it and so did Kim and Tama. You’re close to the Han Vol Dan. It’s why you get edgy and moody.”