Page 45 of Witch Bound and Down

The orc's laughter boomed through the radio. "Now that's more like it! Tell you what, Bullseye—follow my ambulance. I know every shortcut, back road, and speed trap between here and Niagara Falls. We'll get you there in time."

"You'd do that?"

"Hell yes, I'd do that. Love conquers all, even bad traffic. Besides, I always wanted to see if my bus could outrun the famous Bullseye Maverick."

"JJ, you're about to find out that nobody outruns me when I'm chasing my mate."

Bullseye downshifted and floored the accelerator. The Trans Am shot forward like a rocket, its enhanced engine roaring with the sound of controlled thunder. The speedometer climbed past one hundred, then one-ten, then one-twenty.

For the first time since Hazel had walked away from him, the mating bond didn't hurt. Instead, it hummed with purpose, pulling him toward his destination like a magical compass. He could feel Hazel through the connection—her sadness, her resignation, her broken heart. But underneath that, something else. A tiny spark of hope that she was trying desperately to suppress.

Hold on, he thought, pushing the Trans Am even harder. I'm coming.

Behind him, Snowman's voice crackled over the CB: "Breaker one-nine, this is Snowman. Just want to say, Bull—I'm proud of you. Now go get married properly this time."

"Copy that, Snowman. And thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. Thank me after you convince her to take you back."

Bullseye grinned, the first genuine smile he'd felt since watching Hazel drive away with Sheriff Lawman. The bond between them was getting stronger as he drove toward her, and he could swear he felt her heart skip a beat, like some part of her knew he was coming.

"JJ," he called over the CB, "I hope that ambulance of yours is as fast as you think it is."

"Faster," the orc replied. "But the question is—are you?"

"Only one way to find out."

The two vehicles raced through the afternoon, eating up miles of highway as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. Bullseye had never driven harder, never needed to reach a destination more desperately. The mating bond pulled him forward like a lifeline, and for the first time since this whole mess started, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do.

He was going to get to Niagara Falls before sunset. He was going to stop that wedding. And he was going to spend the rest of his life making up for being stupid enough to almost lose the best thing that had ever happened to him.

The Trans Am roared through the growing dusk, carrying its driver toward love, redemption, and the most important delivery of his life.

Chapter 10

Hazel

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