Savage Flames

“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.