Dark Fates

GUARDIAN'S HEART Khloe Wren

Prologue

Rosebery, Tasmania, Australia

November 2007

Conner let loose a low whistle as Dominic walked into the station house kitchen.

"Damn, you look like shit, Dom, why don't you go crash out back for a bit? I'll come get you if we get called out."

"Thanks, little brother, so feeling the love right now."

Dominic responded in a voice heavy with sarcasm as he strode over to the coffee machine. Conner leaned back on his seat, taking a sip from his own caffeine fix. He furrowed his brow as he took in the sight of his older brother. Dominic wasn't standing tall and proud like he did ordinarily, instead, he appeared to be inches shorter than his actual six foot six height with the way his shoulders were slumped and his head hung down. His short black hair, normally clean and neat, looked greasy like it was at least a few days overdue for a wash and his face had, Conner guessed, at least a couple of days' worth of beard growth roughening it.

Conner and his only brother had always been extremely close. They could read each other's moods and body language so well that often it appeared to others that they could communicate telepathically. A very handy skill set when they were out fighting fires. It also meant it hadn't slipped his notice that over the last few days Dominic had been getting worse, looking more wrecked each day. He was worried about his big bro, both on a personal level and a professional one. With summer and the bushfire season just around the corner, none of them could afford to be off their game. Conner placed his can of Coke on the table as Dominic sat across from him and took a long drag of his coffee with his eyes closed.

"I'm serious, Dom, something's up. Has been for a couple days. You gonna spill? Or do I have to sic Dad onto you?"

"Yeah right, like to see you try pulling that one off."

Dominic chuckled as he'd spoken but it wasn't long before his brother's features grew serious—finally, they were making some progress.

"They're just dreams, Conner. I'm fine."

Conner wasn't fooled by his brother shrugging his shoulder or by his casual tone.

"Bullshit you're fine. What dreams?"

"My mate turned twenty-one about six weeks ago."

Bloody hell! Conner held Dominic's stare as shock pinged around his skull.

"You're dreaming of your mate already? You only turned twenty-one eight months ago. But hang on, why has it got you so stressed out? I thought once you started dreaming of your mate, life is all sunshine and lollipops or some shit? Did you meet her and stuff it up or something?"

Lifting his can to take a drink, Conner recalled an earlier conversation with their father. One about the shifter's version of the birds and the bees. Their father had explained to them how when a male shifter's mate turns twenty-one, he would start seeing her face in their dreams. As time goes by the nightly visions reveal what she looks like from head to toe and, if after a decade or so the male still hadn't found her, he would begin to see places, people and things that she holds dear. Basically, the dreams provided a male with all the information he needed to go searching for his mate, the longer he took to find her, the more facts he received to assist him. Although, generally speaking, fate put mates in each other's path long before a male needed to go actively searching for her.

"Six weeks ago when they began, it was beyond amazing. After the first dream I felt so alive and had a buzz in my system, you know how it feels after you go for a good solid run? Like that, but twenty-four/seven. And at night, every night, she's all I see. She's so damn beautiful..."