Page 9 of On A Rift's Edge
“Technically, they’re a fetus.” Remi backed away from the control object, which was now pulsing happily in time with the music. He made his way over to a mini bar. “Kaveh told me you think my little baby opened the portal to bring you and Zale here. That’s impressive for someone so young, don’t you think?”
Impressive wasn’t the word Lyall would have used. Fucked up might describe it better. He had wanted to see the control object, and he had both gotten a good look and been electrocuted by the damn thing. Anyway, he had questions for Remi that weren’t about the hybrid phantom.
“How are things with Kaveh?” Lyall didn’t mean to sound as concerned as he did when the words came out.
Remi’s face lit up. Lyall had known him since he was fifteen, and he hadn’t seen a smile that genuine on him ever. “The sex is great. I know it’s a given with the Matchmaker thing, but the not-sex parts are good too. I’m still renting a room with José and Jesse, though. I don’t want to put too much pressure on Kaveh so soon.”
Lyall was willing to bet a bottle of whiskey that Remi had never spent a full night in that rented room. He tried not let his amusement show on his face. The half-ratkind had never been in a sexual relationship Lyall knew of that had lasted more than a weekend. Now his friend was worried thatKavehmight have commitment phobia.
He switched topics and pointed at the unholy glowing egg again. “It’s a lot bigger than the last time I saw it. I hope you and Kaveh have a plan if the fucking thing hatches.”
Remi bent down behind the bar and popped back with a bottle of scotch and poured it neat into a glass, the way Lyall liked it. “We have no idea if the control object will stay in this form, or what they might be if they hatch. Maybe a super phantom or another species entirely? Giving them back to the murder jellies isn’t an option, since they would eat any emissary we might send, and we sure as hell aren’t going to let the other drakones take them back. Kaveh’s calling the whole mess a moral quandary.”
He walked over to Lyall with the glass of scotch in one hand and a cold beer in the other, instead of the fancy wine or fruity cocktails he was so fond of. Remi seemed to be settling in nicely in the monstertown, as well as into his relationship with his Matchmaker-chosen partner.
“I can’t believe you’re using the word “moral,” much less worrying about it.” Lyall accepted the drink with a grunt of thanks. “I’m glad things are good with you and Kaveh.”
Remi sat in a chair across from him and took a swig of beer. He was more relaxed than Lyall had seen him in the ten years he had acted as Remi’s bodyguard and verbal sparring partner. He was handsome enough that he would have sent people around him swooning even if he didn’t have the psychic power to seduce anyone who didn’t have solid mental shields. Maybe those abilities were why that phantom monstrosity liked him.
“Kaveh’s unfortunately a positive influence on me. Is the control object the only reason you wanted a private visit, or is this a long-delayed marriage proposal? I hate to break it to you, but I’m off the market.”
Lyall laughed. He considered continuing their usual banter, but he couldn’t put off telling his friend the truth any longer. “I’m here for advice.”
Remi sprawled back in his seat. “Consider the life coach’s billing clock officially ticking. I’m assuming this is about Kat?”
Lyall coughed out a little of his scotch in surprise. “How did you know?”
“Your mental shields aren’t that good.” Remi’s powers were limited to lust and romantic attraction, but they were hard to block if those were the emotions Lyall wanted to hide.
And they were exactly those emotions.
“He’s a good kid. I wanted to make sure he was all right when I heard him scream,” Lyall deflected, which was his go-to move when feelings were brought up.
“Please.” Remi waved his beer bottle at him. “This is me you’re talking to. I know you were totally into him during our exciting adventure at Moon Star Ranch. To be honest, I was surprised the two of you didn’t hook up after my near-death experience.”
Lyall had been forced to reveal his true form to Kat when Remi’s father Arimanius had sent enforcers to kidnap the human. Kat had responded better to that shock than Lyall expected. But although the Matchmaker could select an Earth person as a riftperson’s spouse, it couldn’t make that individual desire or even tolerate the “monster” they had been matched with. Kat had been grateful for Lyall saving his life, but they weren’t being attacked by phantoms now. The young human wouldn’t want to be permanently bound to a hellhound, much less that hellhound’s difficult and dangerous family.
“I traveled around doing research, and then I had to get back to my clan and give them a warning about your unborn horror that can move rifts.” Lyall tilted his head at the control object, which paused their version of head-banging to allow a threatening sizzle of energy to sweep over their surface. “Before you ask, yes, I’m still exiled, but not exiled enough to avoid having to suffer through a full clan feast with all my relatives.”
“Was it as bad as Ari’s dinner parties?” Remi asked.
“Worse,” Lyall said. Communal eating was important in hellhound society. The ratkind weren’t known for that custom, but Arimanius loved to set up fancy dinners based on scenes from vintage mafia movies. Lyall had been forced to play both bodyguard and butler at the damn things, and even that had been preferable to the meal with his mothers.
“I’m quite happy to let all of the higher clans know that an Azdaha drakone is protecting my baby over there.” Remi turned to beam at the control object, which shimmered with pink light. The damn thing was flirting with him. “But let’s talk about sex—I mean, you. Why are you even asking me for advice? Kat’s gorgeous, you saved his life, and he’s been pining for you since you left. Go say hi to him and get busy.”
“He’s been chosen by the Matchmaker for me.” Lyall knocked the rest of the scotch back in one gulp. It felt good and horrible at the same time to say it out loud. “He was terrified of the Matchmaker when he thought he had been matched to his best friend Kaveh. He’ll freak out if he finds out he’s trapped into a forced marriage with a monster alien species that humans think are from their version of eternal punishment for the damned.”
“I did not see this coming.” Remi’s mouth had dropped open, but he recovered and turned his wrist to show Lyall the solid gold watch encircling it. Remi had a real Rolex too, but this timepiece was an ancient drakone treasure that transformed to help the flying snakes identify their Matchmaker-chosen soulmates. “How do you even know he’s your match? Is there a fancy hellhound watch your people keep that lights up when the Matchmaker strikes?”
“Of course not.” Lyall wasn’t surprised by Remi’s question. His friend’s alterform was a chinchilla.
Yes, that was hysterically funny and always would be.
That meant the half-ratkind had a better sense of smell than a human, but not by much. The same was true for Kaveh. After learning he had been selected by the Matchmaker for an arranged marriage, the drakone had tried to find his spouse-to-be by having most of the inhabitants of the ranch and monstertown touch a gold treasure from the drakones’ fortress.
Unlike Remi and Kaveh, Lyall didn’t need anything fancier than his nose to find out that he had been paired with an entirely inappropriate spouse.
“I knew Kat was the one the first time I sniffed him.” Lyall groaned and gave up trying to put on a show of strength. He lay flat on the couch and squeezed his eyes shut. Was this how humans explored their emotions with someone trained to heal their mental ailments? “He smells like fresh mint and mesquite wood, and I am so fucked.”
