Eighteen

It was a pleasant night overall, despite Valerie's often unsettling presence, and the rest of them seemed very welcoming. When it finally began winding up, Thane stood, taking my hand with a small smile, lifting it gently until I stood. Cole and Finn also got to their feet, and the three led me towards the back of the house, earning a puzzled expression.

There was a seperate set of stairs here, I realised, and as they led me down, Thane spoke softly. "We have some small gifts for you, for later, but we wanted to surprise you, before it got much later," he said, leading me down into a large, multi-car garage. Or, multi-bike garage, given what this one seemed to mostly house.

He passed me a helmet, gloves, and leather jacket then, as Cole and Finn grabbed their own, smiling at me as they put them on, mounting a bike each. Thane did the same, before gesturing for me to sit behind him, and moments later, we were tearing out of the garage and onto winding mountain roads at adrenaline ind