Marked (Primal Obsessions #2) - Cara Wylde Page 0,23

own hands. They were back to normal. For a moment, I was tempted to kneel beside her and lick her wounds, so they’d heal faster. I clenched my teeth. No. I couldn’t think like that. What was wrong with me? This was the woman who’d left Milo without a mother. And fuck, I knew that Krista was a bad fucking driver. She never wore her seat belt either, no matter how many times I’d yelled at her about it. But I couldn’t accept that she was gone. She’d had her flaws, but she was the mother of my cub. And even though she hadn’t been my one true mate, I’d wanted to marry her eventually. For months, I’d been working up the courage to ask her. She was gone now. And I felt so alone, so lost.

“I’m going back,” I said as I pushed past Colt and Lincoln.

Once outside, I took a deep breath. It was late, the temperature had dropped, and the wind howled softly. To clear my head, I started running. And I ran until I saw the trailer park in the distance. Home. Nothing about my home and my life was going to be the same.

Eight

Lincoln

Colt left soon after Brooks. It was just me and her again, and at first, I thought I should’ve gone, too. I had work the next day, and I needed sleep if I wanted to be functional. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when she was spread out on the floor, filthy and exhausted, and so vulnerable that I knew she wouldn’t protest no matter what I wanted to do to her. So, I walked over to her, gathered her in my arms, and took her into the small bathroom.

The cabin hadn’t been used in years, and it showed. It was comprised of a living room with an open kitchenette, a bedroom with one king-sized bed, and a bathroom with a sink, toilet, and bathtub. It was hooked to the stream nearby, and we had what could be considered current water. When Brooks had built it, he’d asked Colt and I to help. Since I had experience in constructions, I was the one who found a solution so the bathroom and the kitchen would have water and a decent drainage system. It hadn’t been easy so far from civilization, but it hadn’t been impossible either.

Luckily, the boiler was on. I filled the tub with warm water, and then emerged Rosalie carefully. She opened her eyes and smiled up at me.

“What are you doing, Lincoln?”

“Giving you a bath. You need it, trust me.”

“Mhm,” she nodded sleepily.

I proceeded to wash her, starting with her long, black hair. I poured shampoo into my palm and lathered it into her beautiful locks. She let her hair fall on the edge of the tub, closing her eyes with a sigh. I massaged her scalp, all the while wondering if I could tell her what I needed from her, wondering if, maybe, she was the one. Well, I wouldn’t find out unless I asked.

“Rosalie, I want to tell you something.”

“Mmm?”

“You seem like a good listener.”

“Oh, I think I am. You can tell me anything.”

She was so compliant. “And you won’t judge me?”

She sighed. “Who am I to judge anyone? I’m far from perfect.”

“You are pretty perfect to me,” I wanted to say, but I abstained. I didn’t want to sound pathetic. When the guys were around, I could fall into the role I felt was required of me, and be cruel and rough with the human female. But when it was just the two of us, it was hard for me to keep playing that part. If Brooks found out that I was being kind to her right now, he wouldn’t have agreed.

“There are things I’ve always wanted to do. But no one to do them with. I mean… no woman who would be interested in my… erm… fantasies.”

“What fantasies?” I noticed how she perked up, curious.

“I’d like to… tie you up.”

“Colt just did that. You seemed to enjoy it…”

I scoffed. “Not like that. Colt has no taste. He’s obsessed with sex, but his desires are basic. Boring. No. I want to tie you up… artistically. Naked, outside, in the woods… Turn you into a piece of art.”

“I… I’m not sure I understand.”

“I’ll show you, if you let me.”

“I don’t know…”

There it was. She was going to refuse me. It was my damn fault because I couldn’t explain it to her. I couldn’t make her understand how important