Page 48 of Witch Bound and Down

He was interrupted by the sound of screeching tires outside the chapel. Through the windows, Hazel could see a black Trans Am sliding to a stop in the parking lot, throwing up gravel and dust.

The mating bond exploded with joy.

"Oh, thank the goddess," Hopper said with obvious relief. "Cavalry's here. And just in time, too—I was starting to think you'd actually go through with this disaster."

The chapel doors burst open with enough force to make them bounce off the walls. Bullseye stood in the doorway, still wearing his road clothes and looking like he'd driven through hell to get there. His dark hair was windblown, his shirt was wrinkled, and there was a wild look in his eyes that spoke of mating bonds and desperation and love.

He was the most beautiful thing Hazel had ever seen.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, his voice carrying clearly through the shocked silence. "Traffic was murder."

"YOU!" Sheriff Lawman bellowed, pointing a meaty finger at Bullseye. "You have some nerve showing up here! This is a private ceremony!"

"Not anymore," Bullseye said, his eyes never leaving Hazel's face. "Hazel, we need to talk."

"She's getting married!" Smokie protested, though his voice cracked on the last word. "To me! We're in the middle of the ceremony!"

"No," Hazel said, her voice getting stronger as the mating bond sang with renewed life. "We're not. I'm not marrying you, Smokie. I can't."

She started walking toward Bullseye, each step making the bond brighter and stronger. The wedding guests were murmuring in shock, but she didn't care. All that mattered was the man standing in the doorway, looking at her like she was everything he'd ever wanted.

"You chose the cargo," she said when she reached him, though there was no real accusation in her voice anymore.

"No," Bullseye said quietly, reaching out to cup her face in his hands. "I chose you. I dumped the cargo, Hazel. All of it. Snowman's disposing of it safely right now."

"You dumped eighty thousand gold pieces worth of Bond Buster?"

"I'd dump a million gold pieces if it meant getting you back." His thumbs brushed across her cheekbones, wiping away tears she didn't realize she'd been crying. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for being an idiot, for choosing money over you, for almost losing the best thing that ever happened to me."

"ARREST HIM!" Sheriff Lawman roared. "Arrest him for trespassing! For disrupting a wedding! For breathing!"

"Daddy, calm down," Smokie said, though he looked like he was about to cry. "Maybe we should just—"

"I AM CALM!" the sheriff bellowed, clearly anything but. "And I am going to see that criminal in chains if it's the last thing I do!"

"You'll have to catch me first," Bullseye said, grinning at Hazel. "Want to get out of here?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Hazel said, grinning back.

"STOP THEM!" Sheriff Lawman shouted, but Bullseye was already scooping Hazel up in his arms, wedding dress and all.

They ran for the Trans Am as chaos erupted behind them. Sheriff Lawman was shouting orders, wedding guests were either cheering or screaming depending on their perspective, and Smokie was asking Mr. Snuggles what they should do now.

"The dress is going to get caught in the door," Hazel pointed out as Bullseye deposited her in the passenger seat.

"Then we'll cut it," he said, firing up the engine. "I've got a knife in the glove compartment."

"I like this dress."

"I'll buy you ten dresses. A hundred dresses. Whatever you want."

The Trans Am roared to life just as Sheriff Lawman burst out of the chapel, his face purple with rage. "GET BACK HERE!" he shouted. "NOBODY MAKES A FOOL OF THE LAWMAN FAMILY!"

"Too late," Hopper observed from Hazel's bouquet. "Pretty sure that ship has sailed."

Bullseye threw the car into gear and they shot out of the parking lot, tires squealing. In the rearview mirror, Hazel could see Sheriff Lawman running for his patrol car while wedding guests poured out of the chapel to watch the show.

"You know he's going to chase us," she said, settling into the passenger seat and trying to arrange her dress so it wouldn't get tangled in anything important.

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