Page 23 of Rifted Hearts
“He’s a good dog to travel with, then?” Kaveh asked. “Terriers can be very independent-minded.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Remi counted his pet’s faults off on his fingers. They were long, slender, and manicured—nothing like Kaveh’s callused hands. Everything about Remi was at once elegant and unsettled, as if he might be ready to charm one minute and cause trouble the next. “He hogs the bed, ignores every command I give him, and eats constantly.”
“Well, you did choose a terrier, not a French bulldog.”Kaveh drew in a breath, unsure why asking Remi personal questions was so difficult. The streamer had certainly not held back with him. “Are those also your least favorite attributes in a romantic partner?”
“Most of my lovers don’t stay around long enough to get on my nerves.” Remi must have meant the statement in jest. It was hard to imagine someone as attractive and self-confident as Remi being unable to sustain a serious relationship. “Anyway, we’re here to practice dating and discuss your list of possible matches. Let’s start with what we know so far.”
Before Kaveh could gather his thoughts, the server arrived with a wine bottle covered with Italian words Kaveh suspected he wouldn’t have understood even if he knew the language. Remi pushed his glass forward. The waiter poured only a splash of wine then waited expectedly.
Remi gave the glass a lazy swirl, sniffed at it, then took a sip. After a pause too long not to be purely for the drama of it all, he announced, “This Nebbiolo is fantastic. You have to try it.”
Kaveh thanked the server as he filled his glass and took a sip for courage. It was mouth-puckering dry.
At a nod from Remi, the server left, and Kaveh plunged in. “No one truly understands the Matchmaker, but there are traditional signs and rituals that have continued after the Sundering. My gold bracelet is meant to be an engagement notification. It transforms into a symbol that resonates with the drakone to be paired and does so when the prospective spouse is nearby. I’m fairly sure I know this person, maybe even know them well.”
Had Remi noticed the piece of jewelry resembled objects worn by ancient Persian royalty? Kaveh tried to tamp down his anxiety. Even if the vid streamer had been interested enough to research the design, that wouldn’t leadRemi to guess that he was sitting across from the only Azdaha on Earth.
During Kaveh’s ruminations, Remi had tapped on his smartwatch, frowning at a text. Now he leaned back in his chair, appearing thoughtful. “Do you travel much outside of Tucson? Kat made it sound like you spend all your time working.”
Kat. Kaveh repressed a groan. He would have to add him to the list of possibilities as well. His vet assistant was young and close to his large extended family, who would not be pleased with the young man moving to the keep. Not to mention that Kaveh thought of him as a little brother, not a husband.
“Only for professional conferences and not that often.” Kaveh reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out the list he had jotted names on while waiting for Remi. There were two columns, labeled MR and MT. He added Kat’s name to the first list and handed it over. “I’m certain it’s someone currently at the ranch or in the monstertown.”
Remi scanned the paper, his eyes intent with interest. They were an unusual shade of dark blue, a contrast to his black hair and olive complexion. Kaveh recalled more than a few conversations when people at the ranch had gushed about Remi’s eye color. He hadn’t quite understood before now why they found it so striking.
“There are men and women on this list.” Remi took another sip of his wine, then typed something out on his watch with rapid-fire precision. “Are any of the monstertown residents on the list part or all Riftworld?”
“Some, yes.” Kaveh hesitated. “I put them in order of how well I know them. I think—being demi and all—maybe the Matchmaker has arranged for me to develop a relationshipwith the person before the process becomes irrevocable.”
“Nothing’s irrevocable.” Remi waved a hand. “Well, a few things, like death. But you don’t want to back out of this.”
“I can’t.” Kaveh touched his other pocket, the one that held the gold bracelet, which seemed more and more like a fancy handcuff. “It’s my duty to my clan. The engagement gift will transform when I give it to the right person, but I don’t want to spring this on someone. I’d rather talk to them one-on-one about what it would mean if they accepted the gift.”
“You put Kat at the top of the ranch list.” Remi raised his eyebrows. “Can’t say I question your taste there.”
“Let’s try other people first.” Kaveh felt rising panic whenever he thought of his young, naïve assistant becoming his husband. “I owe it to Garreth and Chrissie to tell them this is going on, and they’re on the list anyway.”
“What would you do with Garreth’s wife, marry her too?” Remi started laughing as Kaveh gave a reluctant nod. “That’s going to be an interesting conversation. I’d love to be a horsefly on the wall when you try to explain all of this to them.”
Kaveh winced. “I’d like to keep that one private. But I might want your help with some of the others.”
Remi pondered the list again. “How about you come clean about your matrimonial crisis to the ranch owners while I chat up some people in the monstertown? I’ve already gone there with you once, and people were willing to talk to me.”
“How will you know if you’ve found the right person?” Kaveh asked. “Not everyone in the monstertown on this list will be eager to chat with an outsider about sensitive topics.”
“Anyone who lives in the monstertown will know aboutthe Matchmaker.” Remi paused, staring at the entrance to the restaurant. Kaveh turned to see a hulking man with a leather jacket over his shoulder and tattoos covering his arms walk in and glance over at their table.
“I’m the type of person people love to share things with.” Remi pulled his attention back to their conversation, acting like he hadn’t even noticed the man. “Plus, I’ll bring Lyall. Nothing like a cute dog to soften people up.” He pushed his chair back and stood up. “I’m going to the restroom, so take a look at the menu and order anything you want. I asked you out, so this date’s my treat.”
Kaveh meant to argue that point, but Remi gave him a look that indicated he was the dating expert here, and left Kaveh staring in dismay at the menu prices.
Given how long it took Remi to get ready, he wasn’t surprised that his dining companion wasn’t back until after Kaveh had examined every menu option multiple times. They had natural steak from the ranch, a luxury item even at wholesale prices, and the restaurant had added a significant surcharge on top. Kaveh supported the continuation of the ranching tradition that Moon Star Ranch represented, and the cattle were well cared for, but he wasn’t going to have Remi pay that much for him to eat dinner.
Remi finally returned as the waiter was setting down a host of appetizers Kaveh hadn’t ordered. Kaveh requested the expensive but not totally outrageous lab-grown steak, as Remi asked for a salad.
“Sorry, I got delayed by a call from one of the sponsors of my trip, so I made sure the staff brought something over to nibble on.” Remi pushed over a bowl of blackened peapods. “The mesquite-grilled edamame here is to die for.”
“Are you vegan?” Kaveh tried one and had to admit the beans were quite tasty. Then again, he thought everythingtasted better after grilling. He wasn’t going to convince Remi not to pay for tonight, so he could at least find out his food preferences and plan to repay him in some way.
