Marked (Primal Obsessions #2) - Cara Wylde Page 0,31

dress to get to her breast.

“What… what’s going on? Oh.” She opened her eyes when Milo started suckling on her nipple. “Hi, little one.” She cradled him to her chest.

I cleared my throat to get her attention. She turned to me, her blue eyes darkening with fear and uncertainty.

“Brooks,” she whispered, and my name on her lips sounded so odd, so unnatural. It was as if I didn’t deserve to hear it from her. She should have called me “brute”, or “bastard”. “Where are Lincoln and Colt?”

Right. She wanted them more than she wanted me. It made sense. I’d been nothing but cruel to her, while both Lincoln and Colt had used their time alone with her to form a bond. I knew they were acting all tough when I was around just because what I had against Rosalie was deep and personal. I could tell they were showing her kindness every time they thought no one was there to see them.

“I don’t know,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm and even. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.”

“Why are you here?”

“I have a proposal for you.” The idea had just popped into my head. Maybe I was being stupid, but Milo was my cub, and if he wanted her, then he was going to have her. “You will come live with me in my trailer and take care of Milo. I have to go to work. And I could ask the other she-bears, but they have their own cubs, and their own families and jobs. Besides, Milo likes you. You can nurse him until he gets used to eating food. And then…” I hesitated. “When he doesn’t need your milk anymore… You can go. I will allow you to leave this place and return to your world and your life.”

She was speechless. All she could do was stare at me with those incredible eyes of hers. Her lips were slightly parted, as if she were thinking about something to say but was at a complete loss for words.

“What do you say?”

Milo must have bitten her nipple because she yelped in pain and looked down at him. She hugged him tighter and tried to readjust his position.

“Well?”

“Yes, all right. I’ll come take care of your son.”

“Good.” I motioned for her to get out of the bed. I didn’t want to spend a second longer in this dreadful cabin. It reminded me of what Lincoln, Colt and I had done to her, and in hindsight… it had all been wrong. We were all better than this. We should’ve been, at least.

“Help me?”

I realized she must have been awfully sore. I walked over to her, snuck an arm under her knees, and another one behind her back, and lifted her off the bed as Milo was still cuddling to her chest. They weighed nothing. In my arms, she was small and frail. As I got out of the cabin, pushing the door shut but not locking it, she leaned her head on my shoulder. I took a deep breath in and released it slowly, subtly, hoping she wouldn’t notice the effect she had on me. I looked down at them. Milo was asleep on top of her, and she had her eyes closed, too. That showed a lot of trust on her part. But on the other hand, what could she have done? She had no power here, no control over her fate. I did what I wanted, and she knew it was easier to submit than to fight me. That made me feel a little sad.

I’d done this to myself. I’d gotten myself into this mess, and now I didn’t know what to do anymore. I didn’t know what was right and what was wrong. Yes, Krista was no more. Yes, Milo was going to grow up without his mother. But maybe I should’ve reacted differently to my tragedy. Maybe I shouldn’t have pulled Lincoln and Colt into the abyss with me.

In the trailer, I lay Rosalie onto the couch. Milo stirred and yawned, and I figured that she needed a break from him. From me, and from everything. I got him into the bed, then covered Rosalie with a blanket. She was sound asleep again. I lay next to my cub, but no matter how hard I tried, slumber wouldn’t take me. So I just stayed there, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Listening to Rosalie’s even breath.

“Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?”

Twelve

Rosalie

I woke up with