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Chapter Twenty-Seven

Isobella sat staring into the coals in the brazier, her back to the room. The broken straps on the cot and the single coarse blanket gave her the chills. They gave off abandoned-mental-institution-type vibes. The whole room did—the door with its peephole, the lack of windows and the sparse, simple furniture.

She shivered, and yet her body burned. The thought of being strapped in here alone gave her the creeps. The thought of spending another moment in here with either twin—naked—did things to her insides. Delicious things that were out of place in a room like this. At a time like this.

Yet her wolf paced in her mind, thrilled at the prospect of being in their arms, at the possibility they might kiss her again. Edmond coaxing and teasing. Aubert demanding. She gritted her teeth against the swirl of desire low in her belly, the chair creaking as she clenched her thighs against it. There was no guarantee that was the way things would end.

Unlike Gabriel, who’d made it clear from the moment he’d arrived in San Francisco that Annabelle was his, Edmond’s and Aubert’s behavior had been less than straightforward. Did they want her as their mate? Both of them? Or did Edmond and not Aubert? Or neither of them?

The Langeais wolves had sent her. Not Annabelle, not Stef. Isobella. With her Latino heritage.

What if she were wrong? A hot coal shifted in the grate, sending sparks into the air. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d read into things that weren’t there, ignored the signals. Not this time. Nobody was going to accuse Isobella of not learning from her mistakes.

She would ask them. Today. Stand before them and put her questions to them—am I your mate? Do you want me as your mate? Both of you? And who the hell is Sabine? What happened with her, and where is she now? It could hurt. Their answers. Either way, she’d know the truth.

It was better to know for sure. All she could do was hope she wasn’t being foolish in imagining that two strong, magnificent warriors, two Langeais wolves, would ever want her as their mate.

The door clanged shut, and Isobella jumped out of the chair, spinning around. Her heart pounded in her chest. Edmond and Aubert. Together. Like two mountains, silent sentinels guarding the door. Would she emerge triumphant on the other side, or would her heart sustain another blow? From the stubborn set of their jaws, it would be the latter.

Isobella stiffened her spine and raised her chin. Disappointment burned a path down her throat, but she was doing this. Now. She’d waited too long in the past. Best to get it all over and done with, then she could put it behind her, and they could get on with her training.

She’d never been meant to do anything heroic. The fate of witchcraft had never rested on her shoulders, but she could still be of use to the Langeais wolves in their fight against Faucher and Cordelia. With the knowledge she had of the future, of their enemies, she would do her best to aid them. Isobella would do her coven proud.

And what if they didn’t want her? What would that mean for Gabriel? For Pierre and Louis?

“Before we start, I want to ask—”

“I was hard on you yesterday,” said Aubert, cutting her off. His eyebrows gathered in, and his mouth tilted down at the corners as he struggled to meet her eyes. “I am sorry. It was not my intention to… I truly regret…” He sighed and raked a hand through his long hair, looking anywhere in the room but at her. “I wanted to…” His voice cracked a little. “You never faltered. You were…”

His voice trailed off, and he stood there silent, clenching his fists at his sides. He found her gaze and held it, and it was impossible to doubt the regret in his eyes.

“What my brother is so ineloquently trying to say,” said Edmond, “is he struggles to show his softer side. It is in there, I assure you, but discipline is more comfortable for him than charm.” He nudged his brother. “I keep telling you, you need to smile more often. The ladies like it.” Edmond’s expression turned serious. “You are important to him, and if he was hard on you, it was because he wanted to ensure you had the tools to survive in our world. As do I. You are important to both of us.”

She pulled her gaze away from Aubert, taking in his twin. Important? To both of them?

“He did not mean to upset you, or to work you so hard,” said Edmond. “He only wanted you to be the best wolf you could be.”

Aubert nodded. Isobella’s breath caught in her throat at the earnestness of Aubert’s expression. Of both their expressions. Aubert with his ever-present frown. Edmond with a half-smile curling at one side of his mouth.

“He thinks you are remarkably strong and resilient,” continued Edmond. “You have progressed far beyond what you should be capable of at this point in your training. It hurts him that he hurt you. That he made you cry.” His attention shifted to his brother. “Am I right, Aubert?”

Aubert’s shoulders slumped, and he nodded. He looked so forlorn. Like one of those abandoned puppies at an animal shelter. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him all was forgiven, but first…she had to know. She took a shaky breath. “I—”

“You are so beautiful.” Aubert thumped his chest. “In here, too. And your wolf.”

He thought her beautiful? For someone who used words sparingly, he sure knew which ones to use for maximum impact. “Thank you, and I accept your apology.” She hadn’t needed Edmond’s clarification to know Aubert was sorry. It burned in his eyes.

“Good.” Edmond rubbed his hands together. “Now that is settled and we are all friends again, let us continue with your training.”

Isobella’s heart dropped like a stone. Friends? She held up her hands. “Before we start, I have a few things I need to ask you.” She gathered her courage. “Am I…” This was harder than she’d thought it would be. “Is it possible I am your mate?” She looked from one to the other. She had come this far. “Both of you?”

Aubert’s nostrils flared. Edmond’s half-smile broadened.

Her heart in her throat, she asked, “And who is Sabine?”

Edmond’s face fell, and Aubert’s stoic façade cracked.

Sabine. It always came back to her. Who had told Isobella? Remi? Edmond would do more than box that boy’s ears if he had. Or was it Gaharet, thinking to make Isobella’s choice easier? What had happened with Sabine reflected poorly on both of them, but especially Aubert.