Page 82 of Pretty When She Breaks

They purred for fear, too…

My alpha rose like a bear in the night, demanding I let her go, that I fix it or stop. I squeezed my eyes shut, another growl slipping out.

I wouldn’t.

That was why I was here, for these same shattered instincts.

She had broken us.

Now, I would make sure she fixed us.

FORTY-FOUR

LAUREL

I woke with arms wrapped around me, morning sunlight filtering into the room. My night had been hours of gritty, drawn-out dozing, only sleeping in fits before waking again.

I swallowed, the fear threatening to overwhelm me as last night’s events caught up with me.

I’d done it. I’d finally managed to soothe one of them. To use my scent for something pure. But it didn’t matter. Kaos still hated me, even as he used me to steady himself.

He’d cuddled me all night, though that word wasn’t right. Could you cuddle someone you’d bound and tied? He’d curled against me, his skin against mine.

It was like he’d stripped me of everything I usually did to keep my walls up, and now he was holding me against his chest, his purr rumbling through my body.

Kaos’s touch felt like sweet poison.

The sensation of his skin touching mine started out normal, comforting, then would crest and break, the contactsearing with prickles of pain. It would build in me, making my head throb, my bond mark burn. Sometimes, blessedly, the feeling would recede, with a swooping sensation in my stomach and a numbness through the bond.

The lack of pain would release me to sleep, but my dreams were haunted with a crushing, gripping loneliness. I’d awake again, briefly relieved to find Kaos’s arms around me before the pain started again. I wasn’t sure which was worse.

Kaos had claimed something from me, not claimed me.

It was torture enough being near them, having to feel their hatred and disgust and being able to do nothing. There was a time when I’d believed Jule had been dead and I was sure it was my fault. That I’d failed him, and though I was 99% sure he was alive, I didn’t want to fail anyone else like that again.

When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I wriggled, carefully slipping out of his arms and sitting on the edge of the bed. I tried to calm myself as I rubbed my eyes, trying to dispel how gritty they felt.

Somehow, I had to try and fix this. As I steadied my breathing, I tried to come up with the words.

My father had signalled for Ocean to be killed. I saved his life.

Before I could speak, the bed creaked, and I turned to face Kaos in the morning light. His hair was pulled back, and his chest was bare. My eyes snagged on a raised scar running over his shoulder, a wonky tri-forked mark.

I froze.

That scar.

How had I missed that last night?

I’d never forget that scar.

I’d been there the day Jule had carved it into his skin.

“Demon,” I whispered as I finally placed who he was.

His eyes darkened.

His hair was long now, and he’d had none of the piercings or tattoos when I last saw him. His body, once packed with muscles, was now nothing but skin and bone.