—Robert Graves As soon as the canoes touched the shore of Mystic Island, Wolf Dancer gathered Lavinia in his arms and ran through the thick vegetation. He couldn’t believe that the gods had crossed his path with hers in such a way. He had thought about her so often, and so badly wanted her to be his. He knew her snakebite could be lethal, but he would not believe that he had just received her into his arms only to lose her to death’s grip. He had lost his precious bride to the jaws of an alligator after they’d spent only one night together as man and wife. He would not even consider losing this woman. As soon as he reached the outskirts of the vil lage, Wolf Dancer took Lavinia to Shining Soul’s hut. He hurried inside with his precious unconscious burden still snugly held against his powerful chest, his muscled arms holding her securely. Joshua and Twila ran into the lodge behind Wolf Dancer, but stopped just inside the door when they saw Shining Soul rise to his feet.
