Page 45 of Heat Me

"Uncle Blue’s had a tough life, you know?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, desperately trying to overtake a truck on a double solid line.

"He didn’t get everything handed to him on a silver platter. Our family wasn’t as famous back then. When he was a teenager, he had an accident that left him infertile. Later, complications led to all his glands being removed. He threw himself into science after that, working on revolutionary methods of tissue regeneration and so much more. He’s a genius. Our family had only a few investments in Malden—Grandpa was just one of many shareholders for years. But Blue became CEO there only because of his own incredible accomplishments in regenerative biology."

"Is he married?"

"No, never was. He lives like a monk. Work’s his whole life."

"With no glands… did he even mature properly?"

"Well, he’s pretty small, around 5’3". He looks fragile. Without glands or a uterus, he can’t go into heats or have kids. Iguess he decided to focus on his career and making a difference in the world."

I hesitated before saying this: "Funny thing? My second cousin, Gabriel, was part of an attack on Malden Pharmaceuticals. He’s just a kid—it was some kind of eco-activist group he got mixed up with. They saw your uncle as the enemy. A lot of groups hate him."

Damien’s eyes widened. "Wow, that’s insane! Are you serious? What a coincidence!"

"I probably shouldn’t bring that up with Mr. Ragu," I muttered. "He might think I’m not the best pick to guard someone who got my cousin arrested."

"Probably not. This whole situation is nuts. You were smart to push Mr. Ragu into rehiring you, though. This is risky, and you deserve some guarantees for showing up to work under these crazy conditions."

I exhaled softly. "Let’s hope he doesn’t backtrack later. I’ve got some weird ideas for matching clients, but it’s all based on intuition. Mr. Ragu trusts me for now, but what if something goes wrong?"

"Could something go wrong?"

"I hope not. I firmly believe in my… supernatural intuition." I winked, trying hard to sound casual.

Damien bit his lip, glancing at me like he wanted to ask something but wasn’t sure. He must’ve picked up on my self-doubt.

Let’s face it—I’d already messed up one crucial thing. I hadn’t realized right away if Damien was my True Mate. And I still wasn’t 100% sure, just… 99%. But I should have known. That could be considered a major fuck-up, right?

"So… how does your intuition even work?" he finally asked, slightly hesitant.

"It’s hard to explain. When I look at two people’s pictures, I see this… color spectrum. Like their energy lines up. It’s weird, but it works. I’ve matched a few High Mates using it."

"Could you use it to find True Mates too?"

This was risky territory, and I hesitated again. Sharing too much might change the tone of our conversation.

"Yeah, I think I can. I wouldn’t bet my life on it, but I feel like I can find True Mates for this group of clients."

Did I sound overconfident? Damien’s eyes widened.

"Really? That would be… incredible."

I thought about the nagging feeling I’d had lately. Should I mention it?

"Yeah. The more I focus, the clearer it gets. Sometimes, I even feel like I already know who their True Mates are."

Damien blinked, clearly shocked. His cheeks flushed. "Wait, you already know? Who are they?"

Yes, yes. Now we were firmly in delusional territory. Feeling sheepish, I added, "I think their True Mates are… my cousins."

Saying it out loud made me cringe like crazy.

Did it really have to sound so absolutely insane?

Damien stared at me, slack-jawed. Yeah, no surprise. I’d be floored, too, hearing something this wild.

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