Page 29 of Savage Possession
“Isabella!”
Arabelle, her hair wild, long bouncing curls, throws her arms around me. The hug is warm and fierce and welcoming. And my nerves melt away as I bury my face in her shoulder and hug her right back.
“I’ve been dying to meet you!” Her voice is pure excitement. “But I told Ash I’d give y’all a week.” She winks conspiratorially, her hand warm on my shoulder. “Last thing you need is a whole gaggle of Savages breathing down your neck when you just found your true love.”
She looks over her shoulder at Reaper and I see Ash and I are not the only ones experiencing the knowledge of a soulmate connection.
I cling to her, overwhelmed by the easy affection and the promise of real, long lasting friendship. “Thank you,” I say honestly. “It means more than you know, Arabelle. I—I really loved my alone time with Ash.”
“Oh, girl,” she says, looping her arm through mine and ushering me across the threshold, “I did the same when I met Reaper. Besides, we needed you to read this month’s book club pick, or I’d have had a riot on my hands.” She waggles her eyebrows and I press a hand over my mouth to hide the grin.
The bookstore smells like old pages, hot cider, and fresh sugar cookies. The tables and shelves are decked out in all things Halloween—paper bats swoop overhead, little cauldrons ooze dry-ice fog, and a grinning witch’s hat rests atop the teetering “Staff Recs” pile.
And everywhere—on every battered couch, rocking chair, and pumpkin-guarded window seat—is a biker or a Savage woman I’ve only heard about. Angel Baby and Charli wave first, both decked out in black, laughing like sisters as they point me toward a glitter-painted mug of cider. Jinx is perched on the edge of the counter, legs swinging, neon hair wild, snapping a photo of me and Arabelle as we enter.
But what really stops my breath? Every single person in the room—tough men with inked knuckles, women with wild hair and wicked grins—holds a copy of the midnight-blue fantasy romance that Ash pressed into my hands in our first magical meeting in the back, dusty aisle. The dust jackets shimmer underthe lamp light, and for a second I forget every old ache and dread that tried to hold me back from happiness.
Ash is at my shoulder, pressing a book into my hands. He grins, voice pitched low so only I can hear it. “Full circle, angel. This is my copy, and I thought you should have it.”
I press the book to my chest, heart swelling. “Thank you.”
I’m hugged and lashed with easy teasing. Jinx calls me “Little Sister” before I can even remember her real name. Charli tugs me into a bear hug and swears she’s going to turn me into a real biker chick by Thanksgiving. Angel Baby wants to show me the entire Savage property. Even Venom, with his crooked grin and scarred arms, bumps my shoulder and calls me “Bookworm.” By the time Arabelle presses a warm cup of cider into my hand, I’m already half in love with all of them.
I glance over at Ash, who is deep in conversation with Reaper, their bodies framed in golden lamplight by the wall of battered first editions. Their laughter rolls across the store, an anchor in a life that has always felt rudderless until now.
Before Ash can slip away again, I cross the room, skirts swishing and my nerves close to being completely shot. I slip a hand through his elbow. He turns, eyes soft for me, as I stretch up on tiptoes, brushing a kiss to his cheek.
Reaper leaves us and I take this moment alone to speak words from the heart for the man I love.
“Thank you,” I whisper, “for loving me so fast. For recognizing I was meant to belong somewhere, even when I didn’t know how to ask.”
He blushes, just a touch—so much that it makes my heart ache with joy. “Growing up, my parents didn’t share a lot of affection or love for their children. Like your mom, mine were drug addicts. It was all about their next fix. I didn’t want to say anything this past week because it was all about you and me.”
I caress the side of his face with a gentle touch. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I have you now. But growing up, our home was cold. I always swore if I ever got my shot at love, I’d do the opposite. When I laid eyes on you, angel, I knew my heart was yours. Linked forever. Before you came back to me, I was already planning on how to track you down.”
I laugh, weaving my fingers between his. “Possessive much?”
He leans in, growling the words so only I can hear. “Abso-fucking-lutely, sweet angel. Until the day I die.”
The swell of laughter and music ripples out from behind us. The joyful noise of a found family completes my heart. As the Broken Chapter’s windows shake with celebration and my new “siblings” call me over for book club banter, I let myself believe in forever for the first time.
I think of Dad and of the phone call we shared yesterday. His voice was rough with emotion and regret. He told me he loved me, really loved me, for the first time in years. My chest aches, from all the old wounds knitting together under the bright warmth of hope. I have a father again, even though he’s a bit damaged. At least he’s present. We can work everything else out as we move forward.
And I have this. A wild, imperfect family that loves me as fiercely as I always dreamed of being loved.
Outside, the October wind howls through the bayou. Inside, Ash pulls me to his side and everyone makes space for both of us. In this moment, surrounded by warmth and books and laughter, I’m exactly where I was always meant to be.
Home.
A burst of laughter rolls through the Broken Chapter, but the peace doesn't last long. Venom moves toward us, his leather cut glinting in the orange glow of the Halloween lights. He nudges Reaper, who straightens and listens, face shuttering the second Venom murmurs, “We found a lab. I’m gonna check it out if that's good with you, Prez.”
His voice is low but electric, the kind that pulls the buzz right out of the air and reminds me this family runs on more than cider and laughter. The sharp scent of the chilly night rushes in as Venom slips out the back. I send up a silent prayer for his safety and for all the violence to end already.
Ash tucks me close and presses his lips to my temple. “Everything will be okay,” he murmurs, the promise threading into my bones. I want to believe him. I want to wrap hope around me and forget the danger, but my gut twists tight, whispering what my heart doesn’t want to say…more danger is on the horizon before any of us get a full happily ever after.
Venom is just as bad in the love department as Ash was. He didn’t{t believe in it, until she’s in front of him. And now circumstances snows him in with the Vulture princess and he has no plans on keeping his hands to himself. Or his lips. Their spicy story is all about the forced proximity,one bed, and forbidden romance. HOT does not describe what these two do in order to keep warm when a freak blizzard hits New Orleans. Preorder the next Savage Obsession now to follow Venom and Willow story as soon as it releases this October.
