Mine for Eternity [Council Enforcers] (Siren Publishing Classic) (12 page)

The sun was almost setting as Tessa sat on the porch swing and slowly rocked. She watched Nico chase after Ben’s wolf and laughed when Ben howled and Nico joined in. He had taught her son to howl as a joke when Mitch came home so that he could tease him. Nico had taken to roaring every few minutes, and she had a feeling it was because he was missing her mate. Now he was doing both. If he wasn’t doing one, he was doing the other.

She shook her head. Tessa and Nico were no longer normal. Nico was running around pretending to be some sort of wolf/lion hybrid, and she had a feeling it was going to get worse when they added Ken’s bear to the mix. She was mated to a lion and missing him like crazy even though she had technically only known him for almost three days.
Yep, definitely not normal anymore.

Tessa sighed. If only Mitch would call and let her know he was all right, she would be okay. She knew he would have called as soon as he could have, and the fact that he hadn’t was what worried her the most. She had to constantly tell herself everything was okay and nothing was wrong, but the longer she went without hearing from him, the less convinced she became that everything was all right.

A howl pierced the air, and Tessa immediately knew it hadn’t come from Ben. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as goose bumps rose on her arms. She ran to the porch steps and watched as Ben gripped Nico’s wrist between his teeth and tugged him toward the house. Only when she met up with them and lifted her son in her arms did he change back to human.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Even without Ben’s answer, Tessa knew the rogue that had been after her had finally found her.

“I’m not sure who it is. Whoever is out there is on Mitch’s territory without permission.”

Tessa could feel the tension in his body as he led them back up the porch and into the house. Gone was the playful, carefree man of a few moments ago who had just been playing chase with her son. In his place stood a hardened warrior who looked ready for war. He took them straight to Mitch’s office and sat them in the chair. He reached under the desk, and she knew he was opening the weapons closet. Ben disappeared inside for a moment and then came back out dressed, carrying some type of large hunting knife with a serrated edge and a handgun. He walked over and held the gun out for her to take.

“Stay in here while I go make sure all of the windows and doors are secure. This is the safety.” He pointed to a button on the gun. “If anything comes at you while I’m gone, just push the safety off, point, and shoot. It won’t kill anything, but it will stop them long enough for me to get back here.”

Tessa nodded, paying attention to Ben’s exact words. She was surprisingly calm and seemed to be getting calmer with each passing moment. She took the gun Ben offered and tested its weight in her hand. She gave herself a mental pep talk. Telling herself that she could do what she needed to keep Nico safe. Ben seemed satisfied and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

She hugged her son then whispered in his ear. “Mommy needs you to get under Mitch’s desk and hide. Don’t come out until I get you. Okay?”

Nico nodded and climbed down from her lap. When he ducked under the desk, Tessa had a sense of déjà vu and the memory of him hiding in the tree stump in her dream popped into her head. Shaking it off, she pushed the chair back up to the desk and stepped back. She couldn’t see him any longer. If she hadn’t sent him under there, she would have had no idea he was there. Satisfied that he was in a good hiding place, she went around to the front of the desk and stood guard facing the door.

Tessa examined her emotions as she waited. The strange sense of calm was still growing. Added to that was a sense that a weight was being lifted off her chest. She was able to breathe deeper and easier with each minute that passed. She hadn’t realized what a struggle it had been to breathe until she could do it again. Something was going on, and she had no idea what it was.

The knob on the door began to turn, and Tessa lifted the gun, ready to shoot whatever came through the door. She waited as the door slowly creaked open.

“Tessa, don’t shoot, baby, it’s me.”

The sound of Mitch’s voice had her running across the room and throwing the door open. She leaped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and buried her face into his neck. His smell hit her, and she groaned. The scent of his expensive shampoo and masculine musk that was all him acted as a balm, soothing her tight muscles and relaxing them for the first time since he had walked out the door.

“I’ve missed you so much.” Tessa trailed kisses along his neck and jawline. “Don’t ever leave me like that again without calling to let me know you were okay. I was so worried about you.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll explain everything later. But first”—he took the gun out of her hand and handed it to Ben, who had come in the office behind him—“that’s better. I need you to stay in here with Ben for a moment longer while I try and track the rogue trespassing on my land. We smelled him as we drove up, and Ben explained what was going on. I have a feeling he’s long gone by now, but I’m not taking any chances.”

Tessa was reluctant to let him go since she had just gotten him back, but she slid down from his arms without complaining. She didn’t miss his erection, and she brushed against it and felt her panties growing wet at the thought of finally having him inside her again.

“Hurry back,” she whispered.

Mitch hesitated a moment before adjusting his crotch through his jeans and hurrying out of the room. Tessa hurried back over to the desk and moved the chair. She peered under the desk and smiled when she saw that Nico was curled up fast asleep. It seemed that all of the running and playing he did with Ben had worn him out. She was glad the mess she had gotten herself into hadn’t affected his sleep one bit.

She stood and answered Ben’s frown when she moved away from the desk. “He’s sleeping. There’s nowhere to put him if I move him, so I’ll wait until Mitch gives the all clear then take him up to his bed.”

Ben nodded and turned back toward the door to stand guard. Without anything to do, Tessa sat in Mitch’s chair to wait. If she hadn’t believed in what Mitch had said about mates before, she was a firm believer now. Everything she was feeling up until Mitch had walked through the door was from the mating bond. She knew without anyone having to explain it to her that the calm she felt and being able to breathe easy was the bond’s way of letting her know her mate had been on his way.

The feeling of being in his arms again was indescribable, but also gave Tessa something to fear. If she felt that way about him after just three days, how would she feel a month or even years from now? Would she be obsessed with him? She knew without a doubt that she was coming to love the man, but how much of it was the bond and how much of it was truly her? Tons of questions swirled through her head, but Tessa knew one thing was certain. She didn’t want to live without Mitch, but she also didn’t want the mating bond to control her life. So far, she enjoyed being mated to Mitch, but she refused to lose herself to the bond.

* * * *

Mitch ran silently through the trees. He had Ken on his right and Ryan on his left as they tracked the rogue that dared enter his territory. He was so tired that all he wanted to do was find his mate and cub and curl up with them and sleep. He had been looking forward to doing just that. Instead he came home just to find his pride being threatened.

Mitch padded softly to the edge of his property. The rogue had come through there, but the scent was fading. He had been gone almost as soon as he set foot on Mitch’s property. He had a feeling the rogue wasn’t quite ready to give up the chase. He was toying with Tessa, trying to get her to run again so he could continue chasing her. Too bad the rogue didn’t know he was marked for death. A growl rumbled through his chest at the thought of tearing the rogue’s throat out.

He turned toward home then knowing Ken and Ry would run the rest of his territory to make sure there wasn’t anyone else waiting out there. Mitch just wanted to get back to his mate. He shifted as he climbed the front stairs and grabbed his pants lying by the door. When he was dressed, he headed straight for his office.

He could feel Tessa’s worry, but it wasn’t like it had been earlier. As he drove closer to home, he knew Tessa had to have felt him coming through their bond. It was something he hadn’t had time to explain to her before he rushed out of town. When he had felt her panic slice through him, he knew something was wrong and he rushed home as fast as he could. His relief when he walked in his office and she had wrapped her legs around him safe and sound almost brought him to his knees.

Walking into his office now, he saw his little mate sitting in his chair. He looked over at Ben and nodded, thanking the man. He would thank him properly for keeping his family safe later, but first, he did what he had wanted to do for days. Mitch stalked around his desk and pulled Tessa into his arms. He slanted his mouth over hers and traced her lips with his tongue. Tessa sighed, and he thrust his tongue in her mouth, taking advantage of her parted lips.

Her sweet taste exploded on his tongue, and Mitch tried his best to taste every inch of her mouth. Tessa moaned, and he could feel her bury her fingers in his hair. He couldn’t stop the purr in his chest at having his mate back in his arms.

“I love that you purr,” Tessa told him once they broke apart.

“It’s my lion. He missed you just as much as I did. I had to put up with his smart-ass comments for three days while he pouted.”

Mitch’s lion scoffed.
I do not pout. I am a superior beast. I have more dignity than that.

He also had a superior ego, but Mitch held his tongue. “Where is Nico?” He knew the cub was in the room, but he didn’t see him anywhere.

Tessa laughed before bending over and ducking under his desk. Mitch moaned at the sight of her bottom turned up in the air. He wished it was bare instead of the jeans she had covering it. He was reaching out to caress one of her round cheeks before he even realized what he was doing, but Tessa stood all too soon, moving away from his grasp. She pulled a sleeping Nico from under his desk, and he frowned.

Tessa waved off his question. “Don’t ask. He’s been playing with Ben all day and fell asleep. I didn’t want to move him until I could get him to a bed.”

“Well come on. I could use a nap, too, but I want you with me. I want to hold both of you.”

Mitch took Nico from Tessa and led them upstairs to his bedroom. He placed the cub in the bed, and Tessa climbed in behind him. “I’m going to take a fast shower, and I’ll be right back.”

He took the fastest shower in his history, ignoring his aching hard-on. He got rid of dirt, blood, and other things he wouldn’t even mention, before dressing in a pair of shorts and joining his mate in the bed. Mitch relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever.

“God, I’ve missed you, baby,” he told Tessa, pulling her closer against him. “There is a lot we need to talk about, but first, I just want to sleep for a little while and hold you.”

Tessa nodded, and he closed his eyes. Sleep didn’t come as fast as he wanted. Memories of everything he, Ry, and Ken had been through over the past three days flashed through his head. Mitch had no exact number of how many rogues they had killed, but it had been way too many. The rogues were following orders. They were attacking in packs which had never happened before, and someone was leading them. They needed to find whoever the leader was and fast before their whole race was exposed.

Mitch’s last thought as he drifted off to sleep was of Enforcer Donovan. Chicago had been his territory. They were able to track the man and had found his body. He had been torn apart no doubt by the same rogues. What made his death so bad was the fact that he hadn’t even been reported missing. Mitch hadn’t been close to the enforcer, but he knew someone should have at least realized the man was gone. Mitch had no choice now but to take all of his evidence to the council. The madman controlling the rogues needed to be stopped. He just hoped it all didn’t blow up in his face or expose his family to more danger.

Mitch woke with a moan. Wet heat surrounded the head of his cock, which was rock hard. A palm wrapped around his shaft, and he opened his eyes and stared down at his mate. She had a wicked grin on her face. Once she had his full attention, she lowered her mouth, taking his cock to the back of her throat.

He spared a moment to look over and make sure Nico wasn’t still in the bed and he was having some sort of dream. Once he realized the cub was no longer in the room, Mitch growled and wrapped his hand around the back of Tessa’s head. He guided her mouth up and down his length as he gently lifted his hips from the bed. His mate kept her hand wrapped around the base of his cock and lifted her other to massage his balls, sending shards of pleasure shooting up his body.

Mitch had dreamed of receiving a blow job from his mate, but he never thought it would feel so damn good. He was about to come like some horny teenager who couldn’t last. This was his mate though. She was the only woman who could send him up in flames with just a look and a crook of her tiny finger. When he felt the tip of Tessa’s tongue flick against his slit, Mitch bucked and shouted. He threw his head back as he held hers in place and rapidly slid his cock in and out, fucking her mouth.

“Oh, fuck, baby. So good.” Tessa tightened her hand on his shaft as she gently tugged on his balls. That was all it took. Mitch pulled out of her mouth and shouted her name as he spurted long ropes of cum against her breast.