Mine for Eternity [Council Enforcers] (Siren Publishing Classic) (18 page)

Before he could react to the tear-filled eyes of the woman staring up at him, there was a deafening boom as the floors began to shake, nearly bringing Mitch to his knees. A howl sounded behind him, and he turned just in time to see Ben dive at Percival and the woman. All three lost their balance and tumbled through the darkened stairwell that Percival had revealed.

“Ben!” Mitch shouted and ran over to the doorway just as another explosion sounded. Debris began to rain down from the ceiling.

“I’m okay!” Ben yelled. “Go, get out. I will find another way.”

“No, I’m not leaving you here. Can you get back up the stairs?”

“No. It’s blocked down here.”

“Stay there, I’ll figure somethi—” Another explosion cut him off, throwing him to the ground. He was barely able to roll out of the way before a large chunk of the ceiling came crashing down in the spot he had just been in. Mitch coughed from the dust and smoke choking him.

“Mitch! You have to get out now. That was the third bomb going off. The last one will bring the entire house down. Get out now! I will find another way.”

Mitch hesitated not wanting to leave his friend behind, but Ben’s next words cut him off.

“Think of Tessa and Nico. They need you. Run, Mitch!”

That got him moving. “Don’t you dare die on me, Ben!” Mitch shouted as he stood and ran for the closest window. He dove through ignoring the pain of the glass slicing into him. The last bomb exploded before he hit the ground, sending a rush of heated air his way and throwing him about twenty feet across the lawn.

Mitch landed with a grunt as pain radiated down his spine. He could smell burning skin, but what worried him the most was the smell of singed hair. His last thought before darkness took him was of how pissed his lion was going to be to lose his mane.

Tessa ran her hands through her hair for what felt like the hundredth time. She knew it was probably standing on end, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Mitch hadn’t woken up in over forty-eight hours since Ken and Ryan had brought him home covered in burns all the way down his back and legs. At some point he had shifted into his lion and Nico hadn’t moved from his side since. While she paced, he just lay there and stroked Mitch’s fur. The guys had told her the sleep was helping him heal and that he would be okay, but Tessa wanted to hear that from Mitch. She wanted to see his eyes open and hear his deep, growly voice before she could let herself believe that he was going to be fine.

To make matters worse, Ben was missing. Ryan and Ken had tried to search for him until they had no choice but to get Mitch help. They had gone back out to search for him once they had Mitch home, but they had come back looking dejected and empty-handed. They said not finding his body was a good thing, but it hadn’t made any of them feel better. She had a feeling Mitch was going to be carrying a lot of guilt when he woke up.
If he wakes up. No, don’t think like that. Stay Positive.
Tessa admonished herself for the negative thoughts.

In the short amount of time she had known Mitch, he had become her other half. It would rip her heart out to lose him. She would carry on because she had to for Nico’s sake, but half of her soul would be gone. Tessa couldn’t imagine life without her golden lion in it.

“If you keep pacing like that, I’m going to have to sand the rest of the floor to make it even with the hole you’re carving,” Mitch rasped.

Tessa spun and looked at Mitch lying on the bed smiling up at her. She couldn’t have stopped the tears if she had tried as she threw herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, placing kisses all over his face.

Mitch grunted. “Easy, baby.”

His voice was tinged with pain that he was trying to hide, and it brought Tessa back to reality. Mitch was hurt, and she was climbing him like he was some kind of jungle gym. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” She tried to climb off his lap, but he just held her tight.

“I’m okay, just a little sore. It will go away soon enough.” Mitch held her face between his palms. “I missed you, baby.”

Tessa didn’t respond as his lips covered hers. She kept the kiss tender and gentle, mindful of the fact that Mitch was hurting. She ignored the heat building between her thighs and held herself still to keep from wiggling her hips against his lap. When the kiss became too much, Tessa pulled back, panting. She stood and moved away from him.

“Tessa? What’s wrong?”

Ignoring Mitch’s concerned look, she pasted a smile on her face. He was hurt, and he didn’t need her attacking him while he was still recovering. “Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t want to hurt you. I’m glad you’re awake though. You had us worried.”

Mitch looked over at Nico sitting quietly beside him. He held out his hand, and Nico didn’t hesitate before leaping onto his lap. “Did you take care of your momma while I was gone?”

Her son smiled and nodded. Just like that, Tessa watched as Nico’s frown and worry lines disappeared. With one simple question, Mitch had banished his fears. It seemed that was good enough as proof for Nico that Mitch was going to be okay. He laid his head on Mitch’s chest and sighed.

“Come here, Tessa.” Mitch held out his hand to her.

“Are you sure it’s okay? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Just come here. I want to hold you both.”

Tessa did exactly as he asked and climbed on the bed. She curled up beside him as he wrapped his arm around her. She had missed his warmth and snuggled even closer to him. “I love you, Mitch.”

“And I you.”

Nothing else was said as they lay in bed together. Nothing else was needed. Mitch was home safe, they were together, and they were a family. Tessa vowed that she would kill anyone or anything that came between them or tried to tear them apart.

* * * *

Mitch stared at the singed strands of hair littering the sink. They had once been long, golden, and silky. Now they were shriveled, dark lumps.
We will just have to grow a bigger and better mane.

“You’re taking this surprisingly well.” Mitch was impressed at how well his lion was taking him having to shave his head.

How else am I supposed to take it?

“I figured you would be growling and ready to tear someone’s head off.”

Please.
His lion sniffed, and Mitch could see him turning up his nose.
As if I would lower myself to such childish behavior. I am a mighty lion.

It seemed mating had matured them both. Mitch couldn’t imagine his life without Tessa or Nico in it. It was hard for him to even remember a time before them. His mate walking into his life was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Mitch stared in the mirror at his shaved head, and his happiness dimmed a little at the reminder of his friend. They still hadn’t found any sign of Ben. He carried the guilt of leaving his friend behind and not knowing what happened to him. He knew Ben was a genius when it came to demolition and he knew the layout of the estate. If there was one person who knew what to do to survive that blast, it was Ben. The fact that they hadn’t found his body was good news. The bad news was they hadn’t found the bodies of Percival or the woman that had been with him either. Mitch wouldn’t give up looking for them until he found them alive or the bodies. It was the least he could do for Ben and to make sure Percival’s evil was eradicated.

In the meantime, Mitch needed to find his little mate and convince her that he was healthy enough to participate in a few “extracurricular” activities. The burnt skin on his back had peeled in the shower leaving pink, healthy skin behind. The pain was gone, and he was determined to get his mate to stop running from him.

Since he woke up, chaste kisses were all she had given him before running like the room was on fire. He was tired of it. Mitch was going to prove that he was fine, and he had an idea of how. Stalking out of the bathroom, he sniffed and followed his mate’s scent. The trail led him to the kitchen where his mate was washing dishes with her back to him.

Tessa gasped when he leaned against her back and pinned her hips to the counter with his. “Where’s Nico?” he whispered in her ear, rubbing his erection into the crease of her bottom to let her know exactly what his intentions were.

She swallowed before answering. “Outside, I think he was missing Ben, so Ken and Ryan took him out to play and distract him.”

Mitch grunted not letting the mention of his friend distract him from what he was about to do. “Put your hands on the counter and bend over.”

“Mitch, I don’t—”

“I didn’t tell you to speak,” he said, smacking her bottom.

Tessa moaned as she followed his orders. Mitch smiled when he smelled her arousal flooding her cunt. It seemed his little mate liked the fact that he was taking charge and bossing her around. He spanked each of her cheeks again for good measure.

“This is going to be hard and fast, Tessa.” Mitch reached around until he found the button of her jeans. “I blame you for having me on the edge of control. You’ve held yourself back from me, and I don’t like it. Don’t worry though. I’m going to fix the problem right now.”

A deep moan and Tessa’s hips pushing back into his was the only response he got from her. That was fine with Mitch. He didn’t need words to prove his point. He ripped her jeans and panties down to her knees. Keeping one hand on her lower back to keep her bent over the sink, Mitch used his other to lower his sweats and guide his cock to Tessa’s entrance. He pressed the tip of his cock inside and held still.

“You’re mine, Tessa. Never again will you hold yourself back from me. I want all of you.” He plunged his cock inside her then and held still waiting for her to adjust to him. Her tight, silky walls held him in a vice grip, and he gritted his teeth to keep from coming.

Tessa mewled before finding her voice. “I promise. I’ll do anything you want. Just fuck me, Mitch.”

The husky tone of her voice sapped all of his self-control, and Mitch pulled out before slamming into her. He gripped her hips to keep them from banging into the counter as he powered into her over and over again. Tessa’s yells as he thrust into her cheered him on as his mate took everything he had to give.

Mitch’s rhythm faltered when he felt the tingle at the base of his spine, and his balls draw closer to his body signaling his coming orgasm. Tessa chose that moment to tilt her head to the side baring his mark on her shoulder. He struck without thinking and sunk his fangs into her mating mark, reclaiming her. Tessa screamed and shuddered. The feel of her pussy clenching around his cock as she came was more than Mitch could handle. He released her shoulder and threw his head back, roaring as he shot his cum deep inside her.

They both panted as Mitch laid his forehead against Tessa’s back trying to recover. He felt drained as if all his energy had gone out the tip of his cock along with his cum. Once he gathered enough strength, he lifted Tessa in his arms and carried her up to his bed. The sun was shining through the window at just the right angle to hit the bed, making his beast happy about curling up in it to take a nap.
That’s not why I’m happy.

Oh yeah? Then why are you so happy?
Mitch asked.

Don’t play dumb. It’s beneath even you. When do we get to tell our mate that she is carrying our cub?

Mitch grinned. He had smelled Tessa’s scent change as he rested his forehead on her back. His mate was pregnant with his first cub.
Soon,
he told his lion. They would tell her just as soon as they woke up from their nap.

Ben tried to roll over, but fire shot through his limbs, stopping him from moving. He moaned and opened his eyes, blinking through the haze that covered them. Each time he opened his eyes, he prayed that he would wake up from his nightmare. Each time, he had been disappointed when he opened them and saw the same stone ceiling he had been staring at since he had been strapped to the bed.

He had no idea how long ago that had been. Time didn’t seem to mean anything to him anymore. All Ben had to measure time by was the scent that had kept him going. His mate. Her scent was tinged with fear and regret each time she stepped in the room, but he couldn’t stop himself from looking forward to it.

Ben had first smelled her scent through an open window when he was setting the charges at Percival’s estate. He had frozen in his tracks and sniffed deeper to make sure of what he smelled. All of the hair on his body had stood on end, and he had instantly become hard. His mate was inside, and he had just set charges to level the place.

That small distraction had allowed the rogues to get the jump on Ben. He allowed them to think they had knocked him out so that they would take him inside and closer to his mate. Imagine his surprise when they led him directly to her and he found out she worked for the scum Percival. From there things had gone to shit leading him up to where he was now. Strapped to a bed and being continuously pumped full of God knew what drugs.

All Ben knew was that he had to fight whatever drugs they were giving him. He had been cut off from his wolf since the first injection, and he had never felt so alone. He could feel his wolf trying to claw its way out of his body, but he wouldn’t respond whenever Ben tried to speak to him. It took all his strength to hold his wolf back and not let him take over. It became harder and harder to fight each time his mate stepped into the room with a syringe in her hand. He tried to tell himself that his mate was human and had no idea what they meant to each other, but the betrayal cut deep each time she injected him without a word or a glance at him and then left the room.