Savage Flames

by Cassie Edwards

  “I am surprised that corn is grown in the Everglades,” she blurted out, wanting something, anything, to talk about. She needed some time before acting on her feelings for Wolf Dancer, and she felt that he needed the same thing. They both wanted to be sure of what they felt for one another.

  But she knew that if he so much as kissed her, she would be truly lost to him.

  “The ground of this island is very fertile. Many crops are grown here,” Wolf Dancer said.

  He understood Lavinia’s need to talk.

  If it was up to him, though, he would take her in his arms at this very moment and kiss her; his body cried out for hers. But he wanted her to be certain before she gave in to her feelings.

  “And I’ve noticed that you have various kinds of meat which are cooked by your women,” Lavinia said softly. “Among them…is turtle meat, which I never thought was good to eat.”

  “Turtle meat is a very good food source for my people, as is the tender meat of young alligator tails,” Wolf Dancer said, and noted how the latter made Lavinia shudder.

  “I imagine you need to raise your own crops and catch your own meat because you do not feel safe togo beyond the Everglades to trade,” Lavinia said. She saw a sudden hardness enter his eyes.

  “Wolf Dancer, I know that you said the white soldiers are afraid to come this far into the swamp, but I still can’t help being afraid that they might come looking for me and Dorey when Hiram discovers that we are gone,” she said. “I don’t believe Hiram will let us go all that easily. I truly expect him to fight to get me back.”

  “My warriors have been alerted to this possibility,” Wolf Dancer said. “They are posted at the most vulnerable points of the Everglades. No one will be allowed to get near my village, especially not your evil brother-in-law.”

  The longer she sat there alone with Wolf Dancer, the more Lavinia felt like an awkward girl in the presence of this powerful, handsome Indian chief.

  “I am sorry about your husband’s death,” Wolf Dancer said, bringing Lavinia out of her deep thoughts. “I know how the shock of his death made you feel, for I felt the same when my wife died shortly after we were married. One day an alligator came out of nowhere and my wife, Golden Dawn, was taken from me.”

  “I’m so sorry that you experienced such a terrible loss,” Lavinia said, turning to sit directly in front of him. “It’s hard when one loses a spouse.”

  “My wife lives on in my memory, Lavinia” Wolf Dancer said, taking her other hand and holding both in his. “As long as we continue to remember our loved ones, their spirits will live on within us.”

  “That is so beautiful,” Lavinia said, fighting off tears that were burning in the corners of her eyes.

  “My woman,” Wolf Dancer said as he released one of her hands so that he could reach up and draw his fingers through her luscious, golden hair. “We are all one…no matter what the color of our skin outside. Inside, our souls recognize each other as kindred spirits.”

  “Tell me more,” Lavinia asked, sitting closer to him.

  “We are all connected,” he said thickly. “All people have similar needs and desires. We are all the same, but different. Each of us is one of a kind, special and unique. We all come from the same Master of Breath, who is our creator. Yet we are all born into this world without understanding why we are here. This is the knowledge each one of us must seek.”

  “I feel such a connection with you and your people, although we have only recently become aware of each other’s existence,” Lavinia murmured. “That first time, when I saw you in the tree, I was not afraid, but instantly drawn to you.”

  “You have also seen the white panther,” he said, searching her eyes for her reaction. He could see that she was surprised he would speak of it, confirming the existence of the mystical creature.

  “The white panther is something that everyone has learned to avoid,” he went on, now wanting to change the subject. This was not the time to share the magic that he held within his heart. It was something that might frighten her away from him.

  And he could not chance that.

  He needed and wanted her.

  She also needed him!

  “The panther stalks the night like a white ghost,” he quickly added. “But no one has ever seen it enter our village. Surely it is because Shining Soul’s magic keeps it away.”

  Lavinia was confused by his words. Whenever she had seen the white panther, she had always seen Wolf Dancer soon after. She gazed intently into eyes that were every bit as green as the panther’s. Until now, she had wondered if what she had seen was real, or just her imagination?

  Now she knew it hadn’t been her imagination; he had told her that he knew she had seen the panther. Was there, as she suspected, some connection between Wolf Dancer and the panther?

  Had he mentioned the panther to test her? Was he waiting, even now, for her reaction?

  She decided that it was best not to discuss the panther with him just now.

  Hopefully, one day she would understand how the panther and Wolf Dancer might be one and the same. For now, she would not think about it. Whatever the truth might be, she loved him no less!

  Yet she would ask him about the unusual color of his eyes. All of his people’s eyes were dark brown.

  “Your eyes are such a beautiful color of green,” she murmured.

  “Long ago there was a marriage between my great-great-grandfather and a white woman whoseeyes were green,” he said, hoping what he was telling her would be enough to quell her curiosity, at least for now. “I am the only one of my family whose eyes were the same as my great-great-grandmother’s.” “They are very beautiful,” Lavinia said, relieved that he had such a reasonable explanation. Had he not told her this, she would always associate those green eyes…with the panther’s!

  “Yours are the color of violets, and also beautiful,” Wolf Dancer said, again running his fingers through her golden hair. “Your eyes and hair both fascinate me. As does your past. Will you share it with me?”

  She told Wolf Dancer about her life as a wife and mother, that she was from Georgia, and that her parents and Virgil Price’s parents had arranged a marriage between them in order to keep the wealth within their two families.

  She confessed to having never loved Virgil, admitted that they just respected and were fond of one another.

  She explained how Virgil’s brother Hiram had always been a troublemaker. He had wanted the arranged marriage to be between himself and Lavinia.

  But he’d resented Virgil even before that, because Virgil was a fine-looking man, a gentleman in all respects, while Hiram was a beastly, ugly man, who always reeked of perspiration.

  “Hiram’s hands are always dripping with sweat,” she said, shuddering at the very thought of him touching her with those hands.

  She went on to tell how Hiram’s resentment had grown through the years.

  “Virgil, who was gentle with everyone, felt sorry for his brother because of Hiram’s offensiveness and invited him to come with us to Florida. When we moved here, Virgil shared everything with his brother.”

  She swallowed hard and lowered her eyes, then gazed into Wolf Dancer’s again. “Of course, it has been proven that what my husband did for Hiram wasn’t enough for him,” she said coldly. “He wanted it all, especially his brother’s wife. And now, because of his brother’s death, Hiram has it all—except his brother’s wife.”

  She slowly shook her head. “The resentment never left Hiram, even after his brother gave him so much,” she said. “He was driven to kill Virgil in order to have everything that legally belonged to his brother. But he forgot that his brother was the smart one when it came to handling business transactions. Hiram was a bungler. Things will soon fall apart at the plantation. And Hiram has already lost what was most valuable of all to him…me.”

  “I am so sorry about the way your life has turned out. How sad it is to lose a husband at such a young age,” Wolf Dancer said, taking her hands in his. �
�I wasn’t married long enough to have a child. But I have had my people to fill the void in my life left by the sudden death of my wife.”

  “I feel so blessed to have my daughter,” Lavinia murmured. “She has been such a blessing to me at a time in my life when I was filled with despair. I lost my husband, and I hate keeping slaves. Each day since my husband’s death, I have pondered what to do about the slaves.”

  She paused, then said, “Something has to be done about Hiram, and I most definitely want a role in seeing that he gets his comeuppance.”

  “Your husband’s death will be avenged,” Wolf Dancer said tightly. “I will see that it happens.”

  “Yes, Hiram must pay for what he has done, but I don’t want to draw you or your people into this fight,” she said, freeing one of her hands so that she could place it gently on his face. “Your world seems so perfect here on your hidden island.” She started to get up, but fell back down from weakness.

  Wolf Dancer caught her, then both were drawn together in a magical kiss…their first!

  Lavinia couldn’t believe this was happening. The kiss made her feel truly alive for the first time in her life.

  Wolf Dancer was completely captivated by this woman. He would never allow any harm to come her way again, and he would most definitely make Hiram Price pay for the wrongs he had done this woman and those who slaved in the fields for him.

  But for now, it was only the two of them. He wanted more than a kiss, and had to remindhimself it was too soon to show her just how much he loved her.

  Soon, yes soon, he would make love with her. He wanted to be the one to awaken all of that pent-up passion inside her!

  Chapter Twenty-four

  I drew them with…bands of love.

  —Old Testament, Hosea 11:4

  As Lavinia stood at the window of the bedroom she occupied in Wolf Dancer’s home, gazing out at a beautiful day, she found it hard to believe that her world had changed so much so quickly. Only a short while ago she had a husband and comfortable marriage. But both had been destroyed by one man.

  Hiram.

  Even while Virgil had been alive, Lavinia had felt threatened by Hiram’s presence on the plantation. Although he had only one eye, he used it to mentally undress her, especially when Virgil wasn’t around.

  And now?

  Her husband was dead.

  Hiram was alone at the mansion.

  And Lavinia was where she hoped to be for the rest of her life.

  Although she was used to a huge home, servants, and more riches than she could count, she found this simple village stimulating in oh, so many ways!

  She gazed out at the lush trees at the far edge of the village. The beautiful Spanish moss hung from their limbs like lace. She could smell the fragrance of roses and knew that many of them grew wild in Florida. She also smelled wild gardenias, and inhaled more deeply, for they were her favorite flower of all.

  A wooden basin of water had been brought to her a short while ago so she could bathe. With her toilette complete, she now wore one of the lovely doeskin dresses that the women of the village had brought for her to wear.

  Her own clothes had been ruined when Twila cut the sleeve away from the snakebite so she could tend to it.

  “Twila,” she whispered.

  Yes, Twila had saved her life, and now Lavinia hoped to repay her by seeing that she was free and happy for the rest of her days.

  Dorey was with Twila already this morning, having found many friends among the children. They seemed especially fond of the two young braves, Running Bear and Deer Shadow.

  “So young,” she whispered, smiling. “Puppy love.”

  She found it amazing that the girls could forget so quickly what the two young braves had done to Dorey. But the aftereffects of Dorey’s misadventure had benefited them all.

  And Joshua!

  Even Joshua was happier now that he and Twila were reunited.

  He had a home of his own now, which he shared with his daughter. And he was free. He rose early from his bed each morning now and joined the others in the garden, helping with the harvest, which would be completed soon.

  Lavinia could hear him now as he sang while working, his deep voice carrying in the wind to her open window.

  Yes, he enjoyed working in the garden, for he was doing so as a free man, not a slave! No one was forcing him to do anything. No one stood over him with a pistol holstered at his waist, or a whip in his hand.

  “Yes, Joshua, you are free forevermore,” she whispered. When a familiar voice spoke her name from the other side of her closed bedroom door, she felt a strange giddiness.

  Wolf Dancer.

  Everyone had shared the morning meal already, and when the girls and Joshua had left, and Wolf Dancer had been called from his home by one of his warriors, Lavinia had taken the time to go to her room and tidy her bed.

  She found the pallet of furs surprisingly comfortable. And she loved the soft mats that were spread across the wood floor.

  In fact, she enjoyed everything about this house that was made so differently from any other she had ever seen. It was constructed mainly from palmetto leaves and other things brought in from the forest, and she found it was actually cooler than the plantation house had been.

  It was not a huge mansion, but it did have two stories, and the upstairs was so beautiful at night with the stars overhead.

  “Lavinia? I would like to take you for a ride in my canoe,” Wolf Dancer said as he stood waiting for her to open the door. “Are you well enough?”

  “I am very well, kind sir,” she said, smiling. She opened the door and found herself being gazed upon by the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Today he wore only a breechclout, and his usual moccasins.

  This brief attire made her blush, yet she could not help admiring the muscles it revealed.

  His body rippled with lean strength, and his smile almost melted her as he gave her his own look of admiration.

  “And, yes, I would love to go with you in your canoe,” she finally blurted out. For a moment she had been rendered speechless by the sight of him. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe that she was with this man she had admired from afar in those days when she had seen him sitting casually in the tree or paddling down the river in his canoe.

  But this was all real enough, and she felt more alive now than ever before in her life.

  And she did feel strong today, even almost totally well, thanks to Wolf Dancer and Shining Soul.

  “I would like to show you why the river was named Bone River long ago by the people who settled here before we Seminole,” he said. His eyes took in just how beautiful she looked in the doeskin dress, which had beaded designs of forest flowerssewn across the front. “Also I would like to show you where my people go to collect shells to make wampum.”

  “It all sounds so interesting, and, yes, I would love to go,” Lavinia said, stepping out of the room and walking with Wolf Dancer through his house and outside into the sunlight. She gazed up at him. “I have heard the term ‘wampum’ used, but have no idea what it means.”

  “The word wampum actually refers to strings of special shells which are found along the shore here. They are used to finalize agreements,” Wolf Dancer said. “It is the same as white people’s currency and is very valuable to the Seminole.”

  He walked with her through the village, where many people were busy with their chores.

  Lavinia caught sight of Dorey and Twila as they played with several children, a mixture of girls and boys. They seemed to belong now, having been accepted by the Seminole adults and children as a part of the community.

  She looked far to her left and saw Joshua gathering corn in a wicker basket along with others working alongside him.

  “Tonight Spirit Talker, our people’s storyteller, will tell stories of our people’s ancestors. We will all gather beneath the stars beside the large outdoor fire,” Wolf Dancer said, smiling down at Lavinia. “Spirit Talker is my people’s spirit guide to th
e old ways. The children listen to each and every word, learning much from him.”

  They left the village and walked through the trees and brush until they came to the beached canoes.

  Wolf Dancer lifted her and gently placed her in his canoe, which was larger than the others, but not too large to be manned by just one person.

  Thrilled to be with Wolf Dancer alone like this, Lavinia watched him shove the canoe out into the water. Then he leapt aboard, and began pulling the paddle through the water.

  Lavinia held on to the seat as Wolf Dancer took the canoe out deeper, then guided it down the center of the river beneath the low-hanging limbs of the willows and mossy oaks.

  The sun spiraled its way through the thick vegetation overhead, twinkling like diamonds in the water, and becoming many more suns as the reflection floated away in many directions in the wake of the canoe.

  Lavinia was glad that he was not going in the direction of her home, but instead farther into the swamp.

  Although she knew this was the Everglades and that many mysteries lay within the swamp, she was not afraid, because she was with a man who knew these waters better than anyone else.

  Lavinia could hear the screeching of birds and the cries of animals as they traveled on. She looked up and saw birds that she had never seen before. Then over on the shore, she spotted the shine of eyes through the vegetation, and wondered what animal it was, and whether it would be safe to leave the canoe when they reached their destination.

  “There are so many animals and birds here that I am not familiar with,” Lavinia blurted out, unable to keep down the fear that was creeping into her heart. “Will it be safe to beach the canoe so…so…far from your village?”

  “I know all the animals that live in this area, and while you are with me, you have nothing to fear. They all know me and know they have nothing to fear from me,” Wolf Dancer said.

  He looked over his shoulder at her, yet did not miss a stroke in the water as they traveled onward.