Mine for Eternity [Council Enforcers] (Siren Publishing Classic) (14 page)

“As much as I hate it, yes. That’s exactly what I want to do.” It went against everything he knew. Mates were meant to be cherished and protected, not offered up like a prize.

Mitch expected his lion to be foaming at the mouth and going crazy over his decision, but he had been strangely silent since Mitch had come up with the plan in his head. That worried him. His lion was a smart, sarcastic asshole at best, but never silent. When his lion went quiet, bad things happened.

Still, Mitch went forward with his plan. “Ken and Ry are heading out, but Ben is staying. The rogue hasn’t bothered us in a few days, so we will make him think we are starting to relax. We will start going outside again and letting Nico play, and in a few nights, you and I will sneak out of the house to take a midnight walk through the woods.”

“Do you think this guy will try to attack us?”

“No, I don’t think so, at least not with me there. Ben will stay behind to guard Nico. A few minutes into our walk, he will call my cell and let me know there is an
emergency.
I’ll run off, leaving you alone.” Mitch could hear Tessa’s heart racing and pulled her into his lap. “Hey, you have nothing to worry about. I won’t go far. My scent is all over my territory, so the rogue shouldn’t even know I’m still there. He will never get near enough to touch you. I just need him out in the open so I can take him down.”

It took a moment for Tessa to respond. “Okay. I trust you, and I want this over just as much as you do. Just promise me if something happens, you will take care of Nico. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to him.”

Mitch didn’t respond to that. He would definitely take care of Nico no matter what, but he didn’t even want to imagine something happening to his mate where she wouldn’t be there to care for the cub herself. Instead of answering, he sealed his lips over hers. Tessa moaned into his mouth and turned to straddle his lap. He didn’t think the sweet taste of her mouth was something he was ever going to get used to. It was something he was going to crave always.

The kiss was short but hot enough to have him grinding his erection against the heat of her pussy. Mitch’s lion purred at the contact.
Oh, now you want to make noises?

Can’t help it. Our mate feels too good. We should get her naked.

Mitch agreed, but he wasn’t going to let his lion change the subject.
I take it you’re mad at me about what I plan to do.

No, I’m not mad. As much as I hate to say this, you actually came up with a good plan on your own.

Mitch was surprised at the backhanded compliment until his lion’s next words.

Not as good as the many great plans I’ve come up with, but still good.

A throat clearing broke them out of their kiss, and Mitch turned to see Ken and Ryan at the door with their bags with Ben holding Nico right behind them.

“Not that we weren’t enjoying the show, but we need to be leaving.” Ryan smiled.

Tessa moved off his lap, and Mitch groaned when he caught a whiff of her hot pussy. She was wet and ready for him. His mouth watered at the thought of ripping her pants and panties down and burying his tongue in her cunt to lap up her sweet cream. If possible, his cock hardened even further. If it wasn’t for his jeans keeping his erection down, Mitch had no doubt his cock would be standing straight up.

Denying the urge, Mitch stood and placed Tessa on her feet next to him. “That was about as much of the show as you will ever get to see,” he teased Ryan. He wrapped his arm around his mate’s waist as they followed his two friends out the door. After a few good-byes, Ryan and Ken pulled down the drive. Mitch decided there was no time like the present to put his plan into action.

“I think my kitty needs to run for a while.” He ignored Ben’s snicker and directed his question to Nico. “What do you think, cub? You think you can help him out?”

Nico’s wiggle to get out of Ben’s arms was answer enough. He needed to let Ben know about his plan, but after they played would be soon enough.

* * * *

Tessa didn’t have any more nails to bite. If she went any further, she would draw blood. She couldn’t help it though. Her nerves were about to get the best of her. She had felt twitchy and sick to her stomach all day.

She snorted.
Who am I trying to fool? I’ve felt like this ever since Mitch told me his crazy plan.

That was three days ago, and they hadn’t heard one peep out of the rogue. Tessa could feel him. She knew he was out there watching her. She was just ready to get everything over with. They were about to go for their walk, and she was hoping the rogue would take the bait. Not literally though, seeing as how she was said bait. A warm hand to her thigh stopped her leg from bouncing. She hadn’t even realized she had been doing it.

“Tessa, baby, you need to calm down. I can smell your fear. If I can, then the rogue will be able to as well. We need him to think everything is okay and there is nothing wrong. He needs to think we are just taking a casual stroll through the woods.”

Yeah, just a casual stroll at night, in the woods, with a crazy, man-eating half-man, half-animal waiting to tear me open. Right, no reason to be scared of that.
Tessa ignored the cynical voice in her mind and leaned her head on Mitch’s shoulder as they stood and headed toward the woods. She took a deep breath taking in his musky male scent. She let it wash over her and immediately felt the tension leaving her muscles.

“I know you said everything will be okay, and I trust you, but I can’t help being scared. You didn’t see what this guy did to that poor woman. You don’t see her chest and stomach ripped open and her lying in a pool of her own blood every time you close your eyes. I do. I can’t help but to think that is my fate.”

“No way.” Mitch’s voice was deep, almost growling. “There is no way that I would ever let that happen. You mean the world to me, and I can’t believe fate would bring you to me only to snatch you away so quickly. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. I plan on living a long, happy life with you and Nico by my side. Hopefully there will be plenty more cubs beside us as well.”

“More cubs?” The thought stunned Tessa.

“What, you don’t want more?”

“Wow. I guess it never crossed my mind to have more children. Nico has been my only focus for so long.”

“I know we have only known each other for a short while”—Mitch stopped her and turned her to face him—“but I love you, Tessa. This probably isn’t the best time to tell you that. I had planned to tell you later, but I think you need to hear that now. I love you, and I already love Nico like he was my own. We have the rest of eternity to spend together, and I wouldn’t mind having tons of cubs filling that time.”

Tessa could only gape at him. He loved her? She figured she had to be dreaming because hearing those words from Mitch sounded too good to be true. No one had ever told her they loved her besides Nico. His love for her was the unconditional love a child had for its mother. What Mitch was offering her was different. He was offering love that came with lust and passion so hot she thought he would consume her. It was something she had only ever dreamed existed.

Mitch must have seen something in her face that showed what she was feeling. One moment Tessa was standing there staring up at the man and the next she felt her back slamming against a tree and Mitch hovering above her face.

“You don’t believe me? Then let me show you. I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you if that’s what it takes.”

He didn’t give her a chance to respond. Mitch pressed his lips against hers, trapping whatever she had been about to say. Tessa moaned gratefully at his method of shutting her up. She sank into the kiss, sucking his full bottom lip into her mouth and flicking it with her tongue. She released it with a pop and gasped when he pressed his hands into her waist and lifted her. Tessa wasted no time wrapping her legs around his hips and crossing her ankles against his back. She wanted to trap him against her.

She may not have been able to voice how she felt toward the man, but she was determined to put everything she was feeling into the kiss. Hopefully he could feel everything through their bond. As Mitch licked a hot trail down the side of her neck, Tessa threw her head back, giving him further access. She gripped his shoulders and used the hold as leverage so she could grind her pussy against the erection tenting his pants. With each flex of her hips, his cock bumped against her clit, sending pleasure shooting through her body. The muscles in her cunt pulsed and fluttered as if searching for something to hold on to, and Tessa wished she had magical powers at the moment. If she did, she would have them naked in an instant and Mitch’s cock buried deep inside her.

Instead, Tessa screamed when Mitch bit down on the sensitive spot on her neck, causing her to climax. She clenched her teeth as she rode out the wave. The orgasm was almost too much to handle, and she had to stop rocking her hips when her clit got too sensitive to touch.

Panting, Tessa held tight to Mitch’s shoulders as she recovered. The ringing of the phone didn’t register until she heard him answer. Just like that, reality came crashing in. Tessa unhooked her ankles and lowered her legs to the ground. The sounds of insects and trees rustling all came back to her as if they had been suddenly turned off mute, making her aware of where they were and what they were there to do. She had to give Mitch credit. He had a way of making her lose herself in him. When he was around and touching her body, no one else or anything existed but him.

“What? Is he okay?” Mitch yelled a little too loud. “Okay, I will be right there.”

“What is it, what’s wrong?” Tessa asked, playing her part when Mitch hung up.

“It’s Nico, Ben said he fell and thinks he may have broken his arm.”

Tessa knew this was what they had rehearsed, but even pretending that her son was hurt was painful. “Go, Mitch. I can’t run as fast as you. I’ll catch up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, just hurry. Make sure my son is all right.” Tessa’s voice quivered in fear, knowing Mitch was about to leave her alone in the woods. She just hoped the rogue thought it was because of her son and not him.

Mitch leaned down like he was kissing her and whispered. “Wander around like you can’t find your way. I will be watching every step.”

With that he kissed her and took off. Tessa had to go against every instinct not to call him back and keep him there with her.
You can do this. You can do this.
She took a deep breath and headed in the direction Mitch had gone. Tessa walked a little slowly on purpose, and when she got to where the trail split, she forced herself to stop. If she went right, she would be back at Mitch’s house in a matter of minutes. Tessa looked in that direction then deliberately took the left trail leading her deeper into the woods.

If Mitch could be brave, then so could Tessa. She simply ignored the fact that her nightmare was coming to life with each step. Branches cracked under her feet as she turned her head looking all around her. She expected the rogue to leap out of every shadow. Each time she passed a tree, she let out a sigh of relief when nothing came flying out at her.

Tessa’s relief was short lived when the woods suddenly became silent. The only sound she could hear was her harsh breaths as she panted, trying to hold back her panic. She wasn’t dumb. Just like in her dream, Tessa knew what the lack of sound meant. There was a predator in the area. She knew deep down it wasn’t Mitch. He had never made her hair stand on end or her knees tremble so badly they knocked together. No, this was the rogue, and he was stalking her. He had her in his sights, but Tessa couldn’t see him.

The noise of a branch cracking behind her had Tessa spinning in that direction, but there was nothing there. When the same sound came from her left, she knew he was playing with her then. Moving too fast for her to track, he was circling her. “Where are you, Mitch?” she mumbled almost silently. She had a feeling the rogue would run in for the kill only when he grew bored with his little game.

Well fuck that! I’m not going to stand here and play some damsel in distress.
Tessa knew there was a fine line between being brave and doing something stupid, but she had to do something more than just stand there twirling in a circle. Ben had taught her to fight. It was time she tried and put what she had learned into action. A growl from behind her made her decision for her. Quickly abandoning the intentions she had just had of standing her ground and fighting, Tessa ran to a thick tree in front of her with low-hanging branches and began to climb. She prayed each branch would hold her weight. When she was high enough, Tessa peered through the leaves. She could see the ground, but she hoped the rogue wouldn’t be able to see her.

Tessa took deep breaths and held them before letting them out in an effort to quiet her breathing. She listened to the silence for any sign of where the man or Mitch may have been. She expected to hear twigs snapping or footsteps. What Tessa didn’t expect to hear was laughing. It wasn’t a laugh of joy. It was a deep, maniacal cackle of someone who was insane.

“You really think you can hide from me?”

The raspy voice sounded like it hadn’t been used in a while. Tessa swung her head in the direction it was coming from and almost fell off her perch when she spotted the man with glowing eyes and claws staring directly at her through the leaves. Just like when she had first seen him, he was shirtless and barefoot with only a pair of tattered pants on. He was covered with filth and what she was pretty sure was caked-on dried blood. He was her worst nightmare, and he was grinning at her like she was a Thanksgiving meal that he had been looking forward to all year.