Page 38 of The Cauldronball Run
“They got Bondo,” Father Darkness, one of the demon priests, said.
"We overheard radio chatter about Grizz's catches being held at some warehouse in Phoenix," one of the pixies piped up.
Phoenix.The bond pulsed stronger, confirming what J.J.suddenly knew—that's where Farrah was.
"Green Machine, you still with us?"Torch asked.
J.J.stared at the highway ahead.Three hours to Phoenix if he turned around now.Three hours to Farrah.But also, three hours away from New York and the prize money she'd begged him to win.
He loved her.
He loved her laugh.He loved how she'd accepted all of him—the gentle EMT and the dangerous orc, the careful control and the protective rage.
He loved her, and he'd driven away because she'd convinced him money was more important than being together.
Except that wasn't what she'd said, was it?She'd said the money was a tool to save her, to build their future.But what future could they have if he was the kind of mate who abandoned her when things got difficult?
"Green Machine?"Torch's voice again."You're being awfully quiet."
"I'm turning around," J.J.said, already slowing to find an exit.
"What about the race?"
"Screw the race.Screw the money."His voice dropped to a growl that made the radio crackle."I'm going to get my mate."
There was a pause, then Torch laughed—a sound like rocks in a blender."Go get Witchy Woman."
J.J.smiled as he took the exit ramp, tires squealing as he headed for the westbound lane.The racers were still giving each other hell even as their numbers dwindled.This ridiculous, chaotic found family of supernatural misfits had become more important than he'd realized.
"Listen," J.J.said into the radio."I need to tell you all something.The bond I have with Witchy Woman isn’t complete, but it's real.And every mile I drive away from her feels like betraying everything I am."
"We know," Torch said.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because sometimes a male has to figure out for himself what matters.Money's nice, but it can't keep you warm at night."
"Unless you literally sleep on it," one of the dragons added."Which is actually quite comfortable if you arrange the bills properly."
"Not the point, brother."
J.J.pressed harder on the accelerator, the ambulance's engine responding perfectly to the increased demand.
"There's something else," J.J.said."I can feel her through the bond.She's scared, but she's also resigned.Like she expected me to abandon her."
"Then prove her wrong," Father Mayhem, the other demon priest, said."Some of us never get the chance to prove our love.Don't waste yours."
The speedometer crept past ninety, then one hundred.The New Mexico desert flew by in a blur of red rock and shadow.According to his GPS, Phoenix was still three hours away at legal speeds.But J.J.wasn't planning on driving legal speeds.
"Go get your mate, Green Machine.”
"Good luck teams," J.J.said, meaning it."May the best supernatural disaster win."
"That'd be us!"both dragons said in unison.
J.J.set the radio down and focused on the road.The bond was pulling him west like a compass finding north, growing stronger with every mile.He could feel Farrah more clearly now—frustrated, worried, but underneath it all, a sadness that made his chest ache.
She thought he'd chosen money over her.Thought he was just another man who'd disappoint her when it mattered.
