The small hairs on the back of my neck rose—there was no mistaking the build, the height, and the scent of cat that wafted to my sensitive Dire nose. I knew what he was.
Sabre.
“Matt, this is Cody,” Joe introduced. He raised his brow at the big cat shifter, who still paced small circles but paused to acknowledge me. Then Joe gestured to the gorgeous woman who emerged from the back seat. “And his mate, Kitani.”
Like Cody, Kitani seemed a bit on edge, her smile a trifle forced. Maybe they’d had an argument? But then my nose caught a whiff of something on a stray gust of air, and every fibre of me stiffened.
Confused, I watched as a tiny woman with the long white braids of a Watcher emerged from the driver’s side. Nothing about her clarified the issue—the scent wasn’t coming from her. And she seemed quite calm, as though unaffected by what wafted on the breeze.
“This is Cara,” Joe said, but I barely heard him. Because the Jeep’s final occupant emerged, and every sense I had froze before galloping wildly out of control.
Blonde, slightly wavy hair pulled back in a ponytail from a heart-shaped face with large eyes and full lips. A figure with curves in all the right places, but the way she moved—there was steel beneath the softness, like she knew how to use her body.
The woman stepped from the Jeep, calling a black and white dog out after her. When she turned, her gaze locked with mine.
Even if I’d still been unsure, her eyes would have clinched it. They were totally unique—one was a pale blue, almost silvery. The other was a light brown. They were as beautiful and unusual as the rest of her.
It was the woman from my dreams. And somewhere in the back of my brain, Fate shouted at me. Because to Dires, dreams weren’t always just misfirings of the imagination.
I was aware of the Watcher staring. “Matt, this is Anna.”
Anna. My dream woman had a name.
Her gaze hadn’t left mine. “Hello, Matt,” she said. When I didn’t immediately answer, she tilted her head a little. “Are you okay?”
Something slammed into the back of my shoulder. Joe followed his fist up with a body check, which caused me to stagger, and did as much to unlock my mind as the rest of me. I finally dredged up a smile to wipe the gobsmacked expression off my face.
Some part of me unearthed my usual human female greeting. “G’day,” I managed.
My easy confidence must not have been entirely convincing, because Joe snorted a laugh.
“Matt is a Dire,” Cara said to Anna.
Her eyes widened, and, oddly enough, I thought I caught a spark of fear? So I added, “An Aussie Dire. Totally ridgy didge.”
Her brows dropped. “Ridgy didge?”
“Real thing,” Joe sighed, carrying my one piece of luggage to the back of the Jeep. “Don’t let him talk in code. He is capable of perfectly normal English.”
He was right, of course. But I had an image to uphold, and that usually involved enough Aussie slang to bedazzle the average sheila.
That smooth tongue of mine tied in a knot as Anna offered me an uneasy smile. I tried a grin back, but her expression didn’t alter. Maybe I should have combed my hair...
My cousin opened the Jeep’s tailgate and stared forward at the seats. “Are you all going to fit in here?” He shoved my bag in on top of what was already there.
Cara waved a careless hand. “Oh, yeah. I’ve carried four Sabres and all their gear.”
Cody grimaced. “Carried is an optimistic term. Squished, folded, or crammed would be more accurate.”
Anna moved off with the dog to the scraggly patch of grass near the road. I wrenched my eyes off her to peruse the Jeep. “Crikey. It does look bloody squish worthy.” My voice actually squeaked. It hadn’t done that since puberty.
“You are all welcome to walk,” Cara suggested.
The Sabre rolled his eyes and grinned at me, and I was quick to say, “I’m sure it will be bonza.” When she raised a brow, I added, “Aussies squish well.”
Kitani laughed, and Anna, who was returning with her dog, shot me a look.
“You guys can come in for a beer,” Joe offered, then glancing at Cara, he amended, “or tea.”
