Page 62 of Heat Me

"Wait. You agree?"

"I do."

"But on the form you filled out, you specifically said you didn’t want the auction or the open fair."

Darien smirked. "No, actually, I never did. Or if it was marked, it might’ve been by mistake. I actually have my reasons for wanting to be there."

"It’s not really my business, but… can I ask what those reasons are?" I reached for a glass, feeling my throat dry as sawdust.

He hesitated, glancing to the side with a strange expression.

"Well, let’s just say I’m hoping to meet someone at this fair. I tentatively believe he could be my True Mate."

I almost spat the whole sip of water from my mouth. Wow. That got my attention, for sure.

"Your True Mate?! Please, tell me what’s going on. That sounds like some serious premonition."

Was theresomeone elseout there who could figure out a person’s True Mate?

Darien shook his head, smiling almost shyly. "Let's just say that someone who might really have a special talent told me this. Even though people would not recommend believing him, I kind of do."

"Really? That’s intriguing. Is this person, like, in the matchmaking business or something?"

I didn't say it out loud:Any competition of mine?

He chuckled quietly. "Don't worry, he's not a threat to your business. For one reason mostly, he’s no longer with us."

With my eyes widening, I asked, "Oh, so… he was some kind of fortune-teller?"

Darien laughed—it sounded like silver bells.

"Definitely not. He was a husband of my husband’s nephew. Sadly, he had… an addiction. It was the reason for his demise. But when he was in his more lucid moments, he told me something that lets me believe I should agree to attend a fair."

It sounded like some hallucinations of a heroin addict, but who was I to doubt that? Maybe it was worth at least asking a question?

"Interesting. Was he perhaps… a purple alpha or a rose omega?"

"Indeed, he was, a rose omega. A very sweet person, but deeply troubled. One day, I expressed to him that my husband’s health was deteriorating, and he said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll find your True Mate one day.’ When I laughed, he doubled down, saying, ‘Laugh all you want, but I have this… burst of intuition. It doesn’t always work—it’s fleeting—but I saw it for you. You need to sign up with a matchmaking agency and accept when they offer you a spot at a fair.’"

"That’s… oddly specific!" I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Right? And now here you are, offering me a spot at the fair. Almost like a fairy-tale coincidence, wouldn’t you say?"

"So, you were just waiting for me?"

"He told me to be patient, that the opportunity would come, and I should grab it when it did. So this feels like that chance. A big crowd, lots of candidates… Who knows? I’m willing to give it a shot, no matter how silly it might sound to you."

I nodded, feeling a wave of relief. "I get it. And honestly, it doesn’t sound silly at all. I have to say, I’ve got a good feeling about you too."

I narrowed my eyes, a strange thought crossing my mind. Was Fate seriously aligning True Mates for three of my cousins? Crazy. But I didn’t say anything.

"I’m really glad you’re on board. It takes such a huge weight off my shoulders. I was worried you’d be against it."

Darien smiled, his expression warm and genuine.

"I would be, under normal circumstances. But honestly, what do I have to lose? It’s worth a try."

His wide smile lit up his face, and despite being almost double my age, his beauty was still breathtaking. It was almost hard to look away—though, to be fair, it was easy when all I wanted to see was a certain redhead. No one else came close.

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