Forbidden Secrets (2 page)

I can't breathe Savannah thought wildly. I can't breathe and I do not care. She loved the feel of his arms around her, the warmth of his mouth over hers.

Finally, Savannah broke away from the kiss. Gasping for air, she pressed her cheek against his chest. She heard his heart pounding as rapidly as hers. “I will never survive when you leave!”

He tightened his arms around her. “Come with me.”

She jerked her head back and looked into his eyes.

“Marry me, Savannah.” He did not wait for her answer. Eagerly, he kissed her again.

And with her kiss, Savannah gave him her answer. Yes! Yes! Yes!

A sudden cold breeze rustled the leaves of the nearby trees. Savannah felt the hair on the nape of her neck rise.

A strange feeling swept through her. We're being
watched, she realized with alarm. I can feel someone watching us.

She pulled away from Tyler and quickly glanced around. But she didn't see anyone. “I'm sorry. I thought someone was watching us,” Savannah explained.

Tyler's blue eyes darkened. “And what would they see?”

She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around him. “Two people who plan to spend the rest of their lives together.”

He brushed his lips over her forehead, the tip of her nose, and her cheek. “I want to announce our engagement today! At the picnic!”

A twig snapped. Savannah jumped away from Tyler and spun around.

“Someone
is
watching us!” she cried.

Tyler slipped his arms around her and kissed her shoulder. “It's just a squirrel,” he said.

“No,” Savannah insisted. Savannah scanned the edge of the clearing. Her green eyes narrowed.

“There!” she cried. She pointed her finger at someone half hidden by the trees.

Her sister! Victoria with her brown eyes and her brown hair. Victoria, whose coloring blended in with the bark of the trees.

Her sister darted away.

“Victoria!” Savannah called.
“Victoria!”

“Let her go,” Tyler said.

Savannah turned and faced him. “I can't. Our engagement will be hard on her. Victoria hoped you would take an interest in her—”

“What?” Tyler exclaimed.

“You did meet her first. And you were very flattering,” Savannah reminded him.

“Polite. I was polite,” Tyler protested. He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her again.

Savannah loved the feel of Tyler's lips on hers. But finally she forced herself to pull away. “I know you meant only to be polite, but please understand. I must talk with her before we make our announcement.”

He kissed her lightly. “Very well. Go on. I will wait for you out by the tables.”

What will Victoria do? Savannah wondered as she rushed to the slave quarters. She knew that was where Victoria would go.

She must be furious. I know she wanted Tyler for herself. I have to make her understand we didn't mean to hurt her.

But what if I can't? Savannah thought. What if she refuses to listen?

A cold chill ran through Savannah's body. What will she do? What will Victoria try to do to us?

As she neared the slave quarters, she heard a terrified squeal coming from one of the old shacks.

She quickened her pace. Oh, Victoria, Savannah thought. What have you done?

The squealing grew louder.

With her heart pounding, Savannah opened the door and peered inside the shack.

She pressed her hands against her lips, trying to muffle a gasp.

Victoria stood in the center of the shadowy room.

Streaks of bright red blood ran down her face.

Chapter

3

S
avannah stared at her sister. She couldn't speak.

Victoria was holding a pink piglet in the center of a large wooden table. Flickering candles formed a half circle around the piglet. The flames danced wildly as it squealed.

The odor of scorched flesh and singed hair filled Savannah's nostrils. She could see the orange flames in the hearth licking greedily at the remains of another piglet.

Tremors shook Savannah's body as she watched her sister.

Victoria dipped her hand into a silver bowl. When she lifted her hand from the bowl, bright red blood—fresh blood—flowed from her cupped palm. She
sprinkled the blood over one of the candles. The flame hissed, sputtered, and died.

Victoria repeated the ritual with each candle until all the flames were extinguished. Thin trails of black smoke spiraled toward the ceiling. The piglet kicked its legs and squealed frantically.

How can she do this evil thing? Savannah thought.

Victoria began to sway from side to side.
“Dominatio per malum.
Fire. Fear. Betrayal. Revenge,” she chanted.

Terror surged through Savannah. What do those words mean? she asked herself. Does Victoria think that I betrayed her? Is she planning revenge?

No, Victoria would never harm me, Savannah told herself. But why is she doing this?

Victoria picked up a large knife. She lifted it high into the air. She threw her head back. “I do this for you, Savannah!” she cried.

“Victoria, no!” Savannah yelled as she rushed toward her sister.

She shoved Victoria away from the table. The knife clattered to the floor. The piglet scrambled to its feet. Savannah lifted it off the table and it scurried out of the shack.

Victoria continued to sway, repeating the words in a hoarse voice. “Fear. Betrayal. Revenge.”

She doesn't realize I stopped her, Savannah thought with alarm. She doesn't even know I'm here!

“Victoria!” Savannah cried.

Victoria ignored her. Her brown eyes glazed over.

She is in a trance, Savannah realized, her heart pounding.

Savannah grabbed Victoria and gasped. My sister is as cold as ice, she thought. I can feel the cold seeping through her clothes.

Savannah dug her fingers into Victoria's shoulders and shook her. “Victoria! Victoria, what is wrong with you?”

Victoria began to moan. Tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Forgive me, Victoria,” Savannah whispered. She slapped her sister's bloodstained face.

Victoria's head snapped to the side. Savannah's hand stung. She gave her sister another shake. “Victoria!”

Victoria blinked. Once. Twice. Then she shuddered. The light of awareness returned to her eyes. “Savannah!”

Savannah sighed with relief. She sees me, Savannah thought. Victoria snapped out of the trance.

Then Savannah grew angry. “What are you doing in here?” she demanded.

Fear showed in Victoria's eyes as she stared around the shack. “Where is Tyler?”

“At the party. I came here because I wanted to talk to you.”

Victoria narrowed her brown eyes. “I don't trust Tyler.”

“Did you think you could hurt him by killing little pigs?” Savannah asked.

“I thought I could learn something about him through performing this ritual.” Victoria smiled triumphantly. “And I did.”

Savannah fumed. “You have no right—”

“I have every right,” Victoria insisted in a rush. “I'm older than you are. I have to protect you.”

“I don't need you to protect me from Tyler.” Savannah spun on her heel and began to walk away.

“You're wrong!” Victoria cried. “Tyler Fier comes from a cursed family.”

Savannah whipped around and glared at her sister. “That's ridiculous. I love Tyler. I know him as well as I know myself. This”—she pointed toward the bloody table—“is nothing more than a cruel game. I don't believe in the dark arts.”

Victoria took a step forward. “You should believe, Savannah. The dark arts revealed the truth to me. Evil stalks the Fier family.”

Savannah sighed wearily. “Victoria, I know you hoped to marry Tyler. I know you overheard Tyler asking me to marry him. I know you're disappointed. But nothing you say will stop me from marrying Tyler.”

“You don't understand!” Victoria wailed. She wrapped her arms around herself and sank to the floor. Then she rocked back and forth, back and forth, over and over. “You don't understand!”

Savannah dropped down beside her sister. “I do understand. You feel hurt—”

“No!” Victoria cried shrilly. “You are the one who will be hurt. I'm trying to protect you! Madness. Death. Hatred. They all follow the Fier family. And they will follow you if you don't break off your relationship—”

Savannah held up her hand to stop her sister's
ranting. “You are jealous, Victoria. Jealous because you met Tyler first—and he chose your little sister over you.”

“That's not true,” Victoria insisted. She grabbed Savannah's hands. Her fingernails dug into Savannah's palms. “I'm worried about
you.
You must stay away from Tyler Fier!”

Chapter

4

“I
can't stay away from Tyler,” Savannah said quietly as she rose to her feet. “I love him.”

“He will bring you nothing but unhappiness,” Victoria warned her.

“The only one bringing me unhappiness is you,” Savannah said sadly. She took Victoria's hands and helped her stand. “You are my sister, Victoria, and I love you very much. I want you to share the happiest day of my life with me.”

“I don't want you to get hurt,” Victoria mumbled.

“Then come back to the picnic with me.”

Victoria nodded. Savannah led her sister to a nearby bucket of water.

I wish Tyler had not been so polite when he first met Victoria, Savannah thought as she gently washed the blood off her sister's face. But how was he to know
that Victoria would fall in love with him so quickly? Or that he would fall in love with me?

When Victoria was clean, Savannah slipped her arm around her sister's waist. In silence, they walked away from the slave quarters. They strolled across the formal grounds. As they neared the plantation house, Savannah saw Tyler leaning against a tree, watching her.

Will he always make my heart beat so fast? she wondered. Will the sight of him always steal my breath away?

Tyler sauntered toward them. “I want to make your sister happy,” he told Victoria firmly.

“Then leave her.” Victoria walked away without another word.

Savannah placed her hand on Tyler's arm. “Ignore her. She's jealous. She wanted you, but you wanted me.”

Savannah's heart fluttered at the intensity of his dark blue eyes.

“Forever, Savannah,” Tyler said in a low voice. “You will be mine forever.”

“Forever,” she vowed, and joy swelled within her heart.

A far-off shout made Savannah spin around. She saw a horse galloping along the dirt path. The rider frantically waved a newspaper in the air. “War!” he shouted. “War has broken out!”

The man pulled his horse to a halt as people rushed to gather around him. “Fort Sumter has been fired upon!” he yelled so all could hear him. “We are at war!”

“War,” Savannah whispered hoarsely. War! her heart screamed. Tyler is now a soldier, she realized with sickening dread. And soldiers die!

Savannah pressed her cheek against Tyler's chest. “Please don't go,” she whispered.

He gathered her within his arms. “I must go, Savannah,” he said quietly.

“What if you are killed?” she asked, her voice quivering.

He laughed. “I won't be killed. Not if I have you waiting for me.” He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back. He gazed into her green eyes. “You will wait, won't you?”

“Of course I'll wait. And with you fighting beside Zachariah—”

“Beside Zachariah?” he interrupted in a stunned voice. “I won't fight beside Zachariah. I will fight for the North.”

Bewildered, Savannah tried to understand exactly what he was telling her. “The North? You can't possibly fight for the North!”

“I can and I will,” he said in a low, calm voice.

Savannah wrenched free of Tyler's hold and stepped away from him. With one word—war!—Tyler has become my enemy, she realized sadly. He will fight to destroy the South, my home, my family.