Regret in every line of his body, he did what he had to do. "Wake up, sestrilla." He kissed her face, her eyelashes, the corners of her mouth. "The neighbors are getting noisy onus."

Rachael listened for a moment then wrapped her arms tightly around Rio's neck.

"He's here." There was sheer terror in her voice.

Rio inhaled deeply. He swept back her hair, his touch lingering against her skin. "It isn't your brother." His tone was grim. He signaled the small leopard off the sofa.

"Then who?"

"Someone they know. Someone familiar to them. One of my people, yet one who doesn't travel in my realm. Not one of my unit."

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.

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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 b.u.t.toned the shirt, realizing for the first time she still wore it. "This elder is coming here? That certainly takes a lot of nerve." She s.n.a.t.c.hed 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 circ.u.mstances. 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."290.

"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."

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She straightened up and turned around very slowly to face him. "My little moods?"

His mouth twitched. He forced his features to remain expressionless. She looked like a volcano about to explode. His smile would definitely trigger dynamite. "I may have no choice but to shoot him. Think about it, Rachael. Why would he come here when he isn't allowed to acknowledge my existence? There's little point in it." The tub of water was bothering her, so just to keep her from pitching the wadded-up pillow at him, he scooped out a few bucketfuls of water and dumped it down the sink.

Rachael was silent for a long time watching him. She sank into a chair. "Aren't these elders the lawmakers? Are they holy people? What exactly are they? Besides imbeciles, I mean."

"You can't call them imbeciles to their faces, Rachael," he pointed out.

"If you can shoot them, I can call them names." She glared at him, daring him to contradict her. "Are elders called elders because they're old? Ancient? Full of hot air?"

"You haven't even met the man and you're already belligerent."

Her dark eyes swept over him with repressed fury. "I am never belligerent."

He picked up the tub and carried it out to the verandah. It was still fairly full and very heavy. Water sloshed as he tipped it over the railing. "I suppose there's some logic in you having permission to call them names if I can shoot them," he agreed to appease her. He didn't bother to take the tub to the small hut hidden in the trees some distance away. He set it to one side, out of the way should he need to take to the trees fast. Outside, he listened to the night creatures calling to one another, giving away the location of the intruder as he moved closer to the house.

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the way up the tree to him. The elder was in his eighties and, although in great shape, would still feel the affects of the long distance. He ducked back inside to comb his hair into some semblance of order.

Rachael watched him, saw the small frown, the worry lines around his eyes. Most of all she saw that Rio changed his casual appearance, and that meant something.

She took her cue from him, brushing the tangles from her hair, checking to see that her skin was clean and brushing her teeth. She hadn't used the small stash of beauty supplies she'd stuffed in her pack since she'd arrived, but she pulled them out.

"What is that?'

"Makeup. I thought I'd try to look presentable for your -elder." She hesitated, tried again. "Wise man. Personage."

"Elder is fine." He stalked across the room and took the lip gloss from her hand. "You're beautiful, Rachael, and you d.a.m.ned well don't have to look perfect for him."

For the first time in a while a ghost of a smile curved her mouth. Talk about someone who has little moods! Actually, tree dweller, I was going to look perfect for you, not your brainless elder." She held out her hand for the Up gloss.

He put it in her palm. "I should at least get points for the beautiful compliment."

Her smile widened. "I censored because of the beautiful compliment. It would have been a lot worse than tree dweller."

"You terrify me." Rio bent and kissed her upturned mouth. How had he managed to live so long without her and think he was alive? Had he just been walking through life all those years? Loving her terrified him. It was so strong, a tidal wave welling up inside of him, consuming him, so at times he couldn't even look at her.

"Well that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned." Rachael applied the lip gloss and a bit of mascara. She was apprehensive and struggled to hide it. She glanced at Rio

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from under her long lashes. He was definitely on alert in spite of the banter back and forth between them. She reached across to the table, slipped a knife from the sheath and slid it beneath the cushion of her chair. a.s.sa.s.sins came in all shapes and sizes and genders. Age never seemed to matter either.17.PETER Delgrotto was tall and thin, a tough, sinewy man with lines etched deeply in his face. His eyes were a strange amber, glittering with some hidden fire, a focused, haunting stare that carried a great degree of menace. Rachael had expected a wizened, elderly man staggering under the weight of his years, but Delgrotto carried power and danger in his piercing eyes. He stood straight, fully clothed. The only sign of the long, arduous trip was the sheen of sweat on his skin and the breath moving in bursts in and out of his lungs that he couldn't quite hide.

"You honor us with your presence, Wise One," Rio said formally.

Rachael made a small strangling noise in her throat and then covered her displeasure by coughing when Rio tossed a quick warning glance her way.

Rio stepped back to allow the older man entrance. "If you wish to come in, please do so." He felt awkward, uncertain what to say or how to act. By all of their laws, the elder should not come near him, acknowledge him or speak to

him Iet alone enter his dwelling. Rio had no idea whether