61. Vincent

61

VINCENT

A maya's sweet tooth and sleepy ramblings give me the perfect excuse to get her my first courting gift. Traditionally, I should have been showering her with them before I bonded her, but staying close was more important than gifts.

Our fresh bond doesn't want me to leave my mate’s side, but her little snores and our tether making me practically drool for ice cream tells me how much she wants the treat.

"Amaya," I whisper, tickling the arch of her nose until she stirs and blinks sleepily at me. "Do you want me to run out real quick and get you ice cream?"

She frowns. "You're leaving?"

"Only if you want me to. We ate all the ice cream Sam bought during your heat and it's late enough that I'm pretty sure they're asleep."

Her mouth twists like she's biting her cheek, but I let her think about it. I have more input now to her needs than I ever did before, but it's ultimately her choice.

After some thought, Amaya nods. "You'll be back soon?"

"Ten minutes max," I confirm. "There's a gas station right down the road."

"Okay," she murmurs, snuggling back into her couch nest. "Ice cream please."

Chuckling at her cuteness, I drop a kiss on her forehead and unfold from the couch. My back pops as I bend to tug my boots on, then almost groan once I have my leather jacket and black helmet strapped on. With the front door locked and tested quickly, I run my hands along my motorcycle like a long-lost lover.

Fuck, I missed riding .

I don't remember the last time I left Amaya's house, but with every turn of the wheels away from her, I itch to turn around and never leave again.

Ice cream. Mate wants ice cream.

I chant that mantra over and over again during the three-minute drive to the gas station, but I still jump off my bike and rush through the store like my ass is on fire.

I'm about to strap my helmet back on and swing my leg over my seat when my pocket begins to vibrate. Pausing for just a moment, I pull it out to check who it is before I silence the call. Instead of hitting ignore, I frown and answer.

"Paul?" I ask immediately, wondering why Amaya's dad is calling me at ten on a Thursday night.

"WHERE'S AMAYA?!"

I don't pause and I absolutely don't fucking hesitate. My helmet clatters to the ground alongside my cellphone. No father answers the goddamn phone like that unless their kid is in danger.

I am stone, and sheer determination as I whip down the road. There's no room for anything else. All that matters is the road between me and my mate. The bond is silent and snoozy, right up until I'm screeching through a left-hand turn, then fear like I've never known it slams into my chest and chokes my beating heart.

My leaning body for the turn jolts and contracts on her unadulterated panic. What would have been my final turn onto her road ends with me careening straight into the asphalt, ending the night in the worst failure I could have ever made.

The light shuts off in my stunned, aching brain, but not before I'm left with the agony of knowing my mate is home alone, and scared. I was so close, but I didn't make it in time.