Rachael wanted to argue with him that it was exactly that way, but she wouldn’t do it in front of the others. For all his relaxed appearance, Rachael felt the tension coiled tightly in Rio. She knew him, inside and out. He was a stranger, yet all too familiar. He was uncomfortable in such close proximity to the others, although she could tell he felt a camaraderie for them. Without conscious thought she moved closer to him, shifting her weight until she was nestled beneath his shoulder, fitting into his frame as if she were born there. It was a movement of protection and he felt it.

Rio looked down at the top of her curly head. So much hair. Thick and black like a raven’s wing. Curls rioting in all directions. His fingers slipped into the thick mass, rubbed and caressed the curls, watched as they coiled around his thumb. The gesture was completely familiar, was something he did automatically for comfort, for a connection between them. He would never get used to being around people, not even those he called friend, but Rachael was different, was a part of him. Belonged with him.

“Is your wrist broken?” Tama asked her, obviously concerned. “How did that happen? In the river?”

Rachael looked at the makeshift splint. Her leg always hurt so much, she almost never remembered her wrist. “Rio thinks it’s broken. He splinted it, and to be honest, I hardly notice it.”

Emotion welled up, nearly choking Rio. It took him a few moments to realize it was happiness. The warmth of joy spread through his body. It had been such a long while since he’d experienced the feeling he barely recognized it for what it was. Rachael didn’t want to tell the others that he had been responsible for her injury. It shouldn’t have mattered to him, but it did.

“Rio.” Drake said his name sharply. “This traitor, the one you say was here last night, he had to be looking for her.”

“I thought he’d been sent to assassinate me, that he’d joined with the bandits for the reward, but with a million dollars at stake, I doubt if they gave me a thought,” Rio said wryly. He leaned over Rachael, a smile tugging at his mouth. “I guess you’re worth a lot more than I am.”

“She’s prettier too,” Drake teased.

“Well you don’t need to be looking.”

Kim and Tama sank down onto the floor beside the chair, pushing the blanket from Rachael’s leg to examine the wounds up close. Rachael could see the terrible marks crisscrossing Kim’s back. “It makes me sick to know they did that because of me. I know you don’t think it’s my fault, but it feels that way.”