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

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.
    The man made a move toward the tree, and Tessa whimpered. She had been too stupid to trust Mitch and stick to the plan. Now, she was trapped with no place to go and Mitch nowhere in sight. She couldn’t climb higher because the branches were too thin to hold her, and if she jumped, the man would be on her before she could even pick herself up off the ground.
    The moon gave off enough light for Tessa to see drool glinting off the man’s fangs, and she knew there was no way she wanted to come in contact with those things. Tessa cursed herself for climbing the tree and decided to jump and take her chances on the ground. Either way, she was screwed, but at least she would go down fighting. She inched around to the other side of the tree and down a couple of branches, keeping her eye on the rogue the whole time. He had his head cocked to the side as if he was confused at her actions. He’s probably wondering why his dinner is coming to him instead of him having to chase it down.
    Tessa spared a stray thought and wondered if the man was a wolf