Forever Is Not Enough [Council Enforcers 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

when she felt Ben’s warm hand on her back trying to comfort her.
    “Tell me what’s bothering you, little mate. I can’t help you unless you tell me.”
    “There is nothing you can do to help,” she mumbled through her hands. She was the only one who could do something, and she was sitting on the side of the bed throwing herself a pity party.
    “Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”
    Jacqueline couldn’t hold back the hysterical laugh. “Can’t be that bad? You have no idea.” She made the decision then to tell Ben exactly what was going on. He deserved to know the truth. He would hate her, but at least he would know. She also knew there was no way she could have a relationship with him with the secret hanging over her head. She took a deep breath before speaking. “When I found out about my father’s plans for the rogues he was creating, I was so upset. I couldn’t believe he would do something like that, and I was hurt he would use me to do it. I wanted to make him pay for what he had done. When I sabotaged to rogue drug to make them more docile, I also did something else.”
    “Just tell me what it is, little mate. It’s okay.”
    “I didn’t want my father to be able to take the formula to another scientist to fix what I had done. I didn’t want the blood on my hands if they succeeded in creating the killing machines my father wanted, so I added something to the drug to kill the rogues. They’re meant to die six months after the drug is injected unless they’re given the antidote.” Jacqueline waited for the yelling and name-calling to begin. Whatever he said, she deserved it and so much more.
    “I’m going to kill your father,” Ben growled.
    “What?” Jacqueline asked, confused. That was the last thing she had expected to hear.
    “I said I’m going to kill your father when I get my hands on him. The man should have never put you in that position. You were his child, and he failed you.”
    “Wait, so you’re mad at him and not me?”
    “How could I ever be mad at you for doing what you needed to do to keep people safe? It wasn’t your job, yet you took it on at a young age with no questions asked. How can I be mad at that?”
    “You don’t understand. I just told you that you were going to die because of me. I didn’t have time to finish the antidote.”
    Jacqueline didn’t fight when Ben pulled her into his lap. It felt good being wrapped in his arms, and she accepted the comfort he was trying to give her. She was amazed at the man. He was the complete opposite of her father. Where her father was cruel, vindictive, and mean spirited, Ben was kind, good natured, and forgiving.
    “Listen to me, little mate,” Ben said as he lifted her chin with his finger. “You just told me I’ll die if you don’t find a cure in time. Of course, I’m scared to death. I don’t want to die anytime soon. I want to spend a long happy and healthy life with you. And yes, I’m angry, but like I said, not at you. None of this is your fault. Your father is to blame for all of this, and I plan on making him pay.”
    “Yeah, but—”
    “No buts. You told me you brought all of your work with you, so the way I see it, instead of sitting here talking about not having the antidote, you could be using that time working to finish it. Tell me what you need, and I’ll make sure you have it.”
    Properly put in her place, Jacqueline nodded. Ben said she was his mate, and she believed him. She had felt a connection to the man since the day she met him and she was determined to see where it lead. That meant she had three months to save Ben’s life, and she had no plans of wasting a second of that time. If Ben could forgive her for what she had done, then she could find a way to forgive herself and fix her mistake.

Chapter 7
     
    Edmund Percival paced his office, ignoring the blood he was dripping all over the floor. He was trying to calm his anger before he killed someone else. The way he was feeling at the moment he wanted to tear the next person he saw into shreds. Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to lose any more of his pathetic excuses for rogues. He didn’t have any more serum to make new ones, and with the little traitor gone, he had no way of making any more.
    He couldn’t believe she had deceived him like that. He, the great Edmund Percival, should not have been bested by a whiny little brat he had taken in out of the kindness of his own heart. It was not supposed to happen. And,