Page 30 of Savage Desire

In small, delicate handwriting, a name is scrawled across the bottom.

Bella Champs.

I gulp, letting the words settle in my soul, feeling emotions I cannot process.

We know little about the witch that cast the spell, or I do at least, but what I do know is her love and connection to the other quadrants is what caused her demise, leading to the fall of everyone else along with her. Yet I can’t get past the pain shefelt, despite living with the ramifications of her actions.

I can't imagine feeling so heartbroken and betrayed that I felt my only option was to curse people with what I was feeling in hopes of them understanding. Yet here we are, all of this time later, still wading through the ramifications of her actions, learning nothing from the pain and disaster. Her words resonate inside, swirling deep in my gut, and I decide a change in topic might be best. I can circle back to the blood curse book later.

Eyeing theWolvesand theVampiresbooks, there is no question where I'm heading.

First, I’m eager to know more about the men that hold me captive. I should probably be focused on finding books on witches, learning more about myself, but I feel overwhelmed by the thought of anything even remotely personal right now. This will do.

I don't even bother looking at the contents page as I dive into the brown, leather-bound book and begin to read.

Page after page, my eyes skim over the words, reading about their abilities, and I’m left breathless. An intense sense of smell, hearing, touch, and taste, in human form, on top of the ability to shift into a wolf. Two living beings merging as one.

Images fill the pages, showing the different flash of colors in their eyes, the varying sizes they can grow to and the patterns of their fur that can link them to their lineage. Noting their lineage, it’s impossible not to understand how important family is to them. I’m sure the pages don’t even do it justice, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The way Wylder, Asher, Tatum, and Lincoln are together is no different than how Lincoln acts with his sister, Minnie. They’re as close-knit as it gets, or as tightly bonded as any people I’ve ever seen.

It also explains how the full moon forces the wolves to shift by connecting them with their inner spirit. I can't help but feel a twang of jealousy over that connection they have, not only between themselves, but with their spirit animal. Not even just spirit. It's real, I've seen them. Turning the page, my attention catches on the chapter title:Mates.

I run my finger over the written text, quickly learning that it references the connection to a love interest of a wolf. The third passage is a simple statement.

Love knows no bounds, sealed for eternity, together as one.

I’m enraptured, my cheeks heating as I press on.

Full moons are for connecting with your wolf, a Super Moon, when it nearly coincides with Perigee, is the moon of love. Temperatures rise, both in the air and in the veins of a wolf, making mating rituals a natural occurrence.

The passage carries on, but I have to stop reading, feeling as though my body is going to self combust as it practically spells out a fuck-fest.

I drop the book, giving myself a moment to catch my breath, and thankfully no one is watching my embarrassment. Taking a glance at the time, I notice there's still twenty minutes left of class. I've already read to my heart's content from the two books before me, which leaves my attention falling to the third.

Vampires.

I don’t question it, I just pick it up, glancing over the first page. I should search the table of contents and skip to their weaknesses, if they have any, but I find myself intrigued. Running my finger over the page, I consume each word.

Fed on blood, they can dart through the night at high speeds, with the ability to hear your heart racing from an incredible distance. But more than that, they have the unique ability to compel those around them. To compel someone is to force them to do as a vampire wishes. From parlor tricks to forgetting any interaction with them. Such a gift is mostly used when feeding on their prey without killing them, ensuring their victim doesn’t recall the event. Their strength only grows as they live in such solitude that companions rarely become a vulnerability, not unless they have a love.

Vampires, in a similar fashion to mated wolves, imprint on their devoted.

I don't want to read it, but I find myself being drawn to the information.

When a vampire finds the nectar blood that not only strengthens their abilities, but heightens them to another level, they will almost always imprint on this devoted vessel. It is rare for this to occur, but not so rare as to be unheard of. The imprint, while cherished, is also a weakness the enemies of the pair can take advantage of.

That almost sounds… traumatically romantic.

Turning the page, my eyes widen and I shift in position as I take in the next chapter header:Weaknesses.

To stop the effects of compulsion, the combined ingredients of wolfsbane and lavender must be merged together. This must be consumed for the most potent effect, although some choose to combine with water to create a spray. The downside to this alternative is some vampires can smell the lavender. In most circumstances, the smell alone will keep the vampires away, but in some parts of the quadrant it triggers anger and fits of rage, bringing more harm than good upon the carrier of the concoction.

Digging my hand into my pocket, I pull my cell phone out. Making use of the camera for the first time, I snap a picture, storing the information for later, as it may be useful atsome point. Especially since I'm quite sure I've been under the influence of compulsion too many times since I've been here.

Shuffling sounds startle me back to the present, and I notice everybody packing up to leave. I quickly stand, gathering my books and putting them away, along with everybody else. When I slot the final book back into its place, my gaze locks on another along the same shelf.

There's something about the initials carved on the side that makes me pause.

T. K. O. G.

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