“When I want a good long soak and a lazy swim.” He didn’t lift his head, just watched her standing waist deep in the water looking like a tempting water nymph. “There aren’t any leeches in the water here, so it’s safe to swim.”

Rachael smiled at Rio and began wading toward him. Birds lifted up into the air from the branches of several trees around them, wings fluttering strongly, filling the air with a humming noise. She froze in midstride, looking up toward the airborne flock. Her heart began to pound. She looked across the water at Rio. He was no longer lying lazily but crouched on the rock, all senses alert. He signaled to her without looking at her, moving his hand in a semicircle.

Rachael glanced at the two small clouded leopards lying partially hidden in the overgrown fern. Sleepy from their rough-and-tumble play, the two had been drowsing in the shelter of the fronds; now they were as alert as Rio, mouths open wide, ears up, scenting the air. She forced her body to move, heading in the direction Rio signaled. He wanted her out of the water and into deeper cover immediately. The forest sentinels were on the alert. A hunter had moved into their realm.

Rio’s arm swept around her. “It’s all right. We knew this was coming. It’s important for him to spot you.” He brushed a kiss across her temple. “Just not until you get clothes on. We left a fairly clear trail leading to the small hut Tama and Kim and I put up for you. You’ll look like a native woman trying to make it on your own.”

Rachael leaned into him for comfort. Rio’s arm tightened. “We don’t have to do it this way, sestrilla. If you’re afraid, we can find another way to let him see you.”

She shook her head decisively. “No. I want to be the bait. Armando has held my life over Elijah for so long, it feels good to be able to do something positive. I don’t care if it is acting like a ninny in a native hut to put on a show for Armando’s spy. It makes me feel empowered against that horrible monster. He destroyed Elijah, and he used me to do it.”

He nuzzled her ear, all the while walking her out of the water and into the shelter of the trees. “We shift here, Rachael. Armando’s spy can’t see you as a leopard. We have to give him a wide berth and get you back to the hut. We don’t want him coming across your scent as a leopard and identifying you as a shifter. Let him see you from a distance in human form. I’ll be covering you. If he makes a wrong move, I’ll kill him.”