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

there anything else?”
    “You won’t want to be away from me for long periods of time. The longer we stay apart, the more anxious you’ll get.”
    She thought over everything Ben had just told her, and none of it seemed like a deal breaker. She loved the man and nothing he’d just told her would have changed her decision if she had known before mating him. Another thought struck her, “What about Nico?”
    “What about him?”
    “I was confused at first, but after everything you just told me, it all makes sense. He heard the rogues long before I did. At one point, he was next to me so fast I never saw him move.”
    Ben smiled. “Most people would never notice, but leave it up to my little scientist to figure it out. Mitch bit Nico after he mated Tessa. It’s rare, but it happens when a shifter mates a human that already has a child. Normally, a shifter waits until the child is old enough to make the choice on their own, but Tessa had a panic attack when she realized she could possibly out live her son. With the rogue situation and the danger from your father, Mitch went ahead and marked him.”
    “I can understand that. It’s something I would do as well.” Jacqueline smoothed the lines on Ben’s forehead. “I’m not upset. I would have still decided to mate with you. I love you.”
    Ben breathed a sigh of relief before giving her a wide grin. It was Jacqueline’s turn to sigh like a teenaged schoolgirl who had just spotted her crush. When Ben smiled, he was gorgeous. Add that to his scent, that was quickly becoming her favorite in the world, and the combination was devastating. She wanted to throw him back to the bed and climb on top of him.
    “Stop thinking whatever it is you’re thinking,” Ben groaned. “I can smell the lust coming off you.”
    After what they had just done, Jacqueline was surprised she felt herself blush at his comment. She kissed him on the cheek and quickly got out of bed, putting him out of his misery. Ben followed, and they dressed in silence. Jacqueline winced when she saw the bite mark she left on Ben’s shoulder, but he didn’t seem to mind it as he threw his shirt over his head. Once they were done, he took her hand in his and led her out of the basement.
    Jacqueline slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming as they rounded the corner to the living room, and she skidded to a stop. It was one thing to know Mitch was a lion, but it was completely different to actually see it up close and personal. The gigantic lion was lying on the floor in a patch of sun with his eyes closed. She knew he wasn’t asleep by the fact that his tail kept slowly flicking. What stunned her the most was Nico crawling over the lion’s back, trying to catch the tail.
    “He’s not going to eat him, is he?” she whispered to Ben as she watched the lion’s eyes lazily blink open.
    Ben laughed. “No, aside from the safe room, on the back of Mitch’s lion is probably the safest place Nico could be. Mitch would protect him with his life if he had to.” He turned to Mitch. “If you’re done, Your Highness, we need to make plans before we’re attacked again.”
    The roar that came from the lion had Jacqueline releasing the death grip she had on Ben’s arm to cover her ears. She was stunned when Ben and Nico both started laughing. Neither of them was fazed by Mitch’s roar. She, on the other hand, was grateful she had emptied her bladder before coming upstairs. If not, she would have definitely been standing in a puddle at the moment.
    “Don’t let him scare you, little mate,” Ben said as he led her to Mitch’s office. “He’s always a little cranky right after his nap.”
    He must take an awful lot of naps then. Jacqueline kept that thought to herself. It seemed Mitch was always cranky.
     
    * * * *
     
    Ken and Ryan were already in the office when they arrived. Ben watched as they both sniffed the air then turned toward him and Jacqi at the same time. Ryan grinned and stood first. He came over and pulled Ben into a one-armed man hug, thumping him on the back. A deep growl had him smiling as Ben watched Ken pull Ryan away from him and wrap his arm around Ryan’s waist. Ben hadn’t known the big man could move so fast.
    Once Ken had Ryan in his arms, the scowl on his face changed into a huge smile. “Congrats,” he said, thumping Ben on the shoulder and nearly sending him to the floor.
    Ben grimaced and rubbed his arm. “Thanks, guys,” he said as he led Jacqi