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

or faster than you, doesn’t mean they are smarter than you. Brains count just as much in a fight as all the rest combined.”
    Tessa knew her smile was stretched across most of her face. “Thank you, Ben.” Her thanks seemed small compared to the confidence he had just given her in such a small amount of time. “Can we do this again tomorrow?”
    “Sure, whenever you’re ready.”
    Nico took that moment to let out a roar that Mitch would have been proud of before leaping off the couch and latching on to Ben’s leg. He made it clear that her sparring time with Ben was over and it was his turn. Ben lifted him into the air upside down and began tickling him.
    Laughing, Tessa headed for the stairs. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
    Ben waved her off and tossed her son in the air. Knowing he was in good hands, she headed to the bathroom.

Chapter 9
     
    Three days had passed, and there was still no sign of Mitch. He hadn’t called or showed up, and Tessa was beyond worried. She could still feel him through her bond. He was too far away for her to know exactly what he was feeling at the moment, but the bond let her know he was okay. Ben had explained that if he was hurt or worse, she would know it, but that still didn’t stop her worry.
    Even sparring with Ben wasn’t helping anymore. She had fought with him several times since Mitch left and had learned a lot, but after the last time when he swung at her and she failed to move, causing him to black her eye, he refused to train her anymore. He told her she was too distracted to focus, and he wasn’t going to have Mitch trying to kill him because she got hurt on his watch.
    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