AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He flew up past the wolf willows, through the low-hanging fog, and soared across the river, until he came to a place in the forest where he could land without anyone seeing him.
After placing Mia on the ground, Wolf Hawk regained his human form, then again lifted Mia and ran with her toward his village.
When he entered, he took her quickly to his home, and soon had her resting comfortably on rich pelts close to the fire. He seated himself nearby so he could watch her.
“Soon you will be laughing and happy again,” he whispered. He reached to her brow and softly brushed her hair back from it. “Soon I shall be able to touch you all over, not only your face. And you will want my touch. You will want more than touches from Wolf Hawk. I know you will, for you love me as I love you.”
Mia seemed to hear his voice from somewhere far away.
She smiled at his words, for she now knew that he did love her. She now felt free to show her love for him.
Strange how a short while ago she seemed to be high in the air, floating and free, as though
something were carrying her across the river.
She knew that with fever came hallucinations. Perhaps the drink she had been given had made the hallucinations even more pronounced.
No matter, though. She sensed that she was safe now. All would be well.
She knew it now without a doubt, and she could hardly wait to tell Wolf Hawk, for he was the one who had taken her to his grandfather to be healed. Again she drifted into a peaceful sleep.
She smiled as she slept, and Wolf Hawk saw and wondered what was causing such sweet dreams. He hoped it was he she was dreaming about.
Chapter Nineteen
O dream how sweet, too, sweet,
Too bitter sweet,
Whose wakening should have
Been in Paradise!
—Christina Rossetti
The fire in the fire pit had burned down to glowing embers. Today it would be allowed to burn itself out because the warm air outside the tepee made it unnecessary.
Mia lay on soft furs in Wolf Hawk’s lodge, feeling quite comfortable. She was amazed at her progress. This morning she had discovered that her fever had broken and her legs were no longer swollen.
The poison ivy was no longer seeping, and even the sores seemed to be vanishing right before her eyes.
“My grandfather’s medicine works,” Wolf Hawk said as he entered his lodge and saw the surprise in Mia’s eyes as she looked up at him.
“I cannot believe how quickly I am healing,” Mia said, sitting up. She was so relieved that she felt better.
She was also glad to be away from Shadow Island. Although the Shaman had seemed to work miracles on her, the mysteriousness of the island had made her feel uneasy.
She had been surprised that Wolf Hawk had brought her to his own tepee to recuperate, instead of taking her to the one that had been assigned her. She could feel their connection strengthening and could no longer deny the feelings that overwhelmed her when she was with him. She had actually fallen in love with Wolf Hawk.
Even now, as he came over to her and knelt beside her, she could hardly control the rapid beating of her heart from just being so near him. Again she was keenly aware of the earthy, clean smell of him.
She loved the way his long, thick, black hair hung past his waist. She wanted to reach out and run her hands through it, but knew such boldness was not proper.
These feelings were new to her as a woman. She had doubted she would ever find a man she could love enough to want to marry.
Even though Wolf Hawk was an Indian and she was white, and she knew any relationship between them was forbidden, it did not matter at all to her.
She smiled at Wolf Hawk. “I do feel so much better,” she murmured. She gestured with a hand toward her legs. “And look! My legs are no longer swollen and I am almost totally over the poison ivy.”
