Page 28 of The Wolf and his Witch

If Maxime could reach through the phone and grab him by the throat, Gabriel suspected he would. “Nice to talk to you, too, Maxime.”

“She was supposed to check in.”

Gabe moved away from the cab rank and ducked into an empty doorway. “You remember she’s a she-wolf, right? That she trains with an alpha. With you. And holds her own. She’s capable of taking care of herself. You’ve made damn sure of it.”

Maxime’s sigh down the line was weary. “I know, but…”

“She’s fine, Maxime. She’s sticking close to Isobella, making sure she’s prepped and ready to leave.”

“Good, good.” The tension in Maxime’s voice eased. “So you found the right witch?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’ve claimed your mate?”

“Soon. Things are a little complicated here right now.”

“How so?”

A cab pulled up to the curb, and Gabriel waved it off. He was not having this conversation within earshot of strangers. “Well, for starters, the coven still plans to send my mate back in time. There’s an ancient grimoire on the loose. The time travel spell isn’t exactly accurate. Dutton King wants my mate for himself. There’s a coup brewing in the coven. The King family are up to their necks in it. And from what Louis and Pierre have found, the threat from their matriarch, a Cordelia King, is substantial.”

“Cordelia, did you say?”

“Oui.Does that name mean something to you?”

Silence settled down the line, and the hairs on the back of Gabe’s neck rose. “Maxime? Is there something you need to tell me? Something about this Cordelia?”

There was a clink of glass, then liquid pouring. Gabe checked his watch, calculating the time difference. It would be around four in the afternoon in France right now. A little early for Maxime to be hitting the cognac. Whatever his alpha knew about this Cordelia, it wasn’t good.

“Oui, my ancestor, Gaharet, wrote about a Cordelia.”

“In his journal? The one that tells us about all the women who go back in time?”

“Oui.”

Gabriel’s gut clenched. “What does it say?”

“That she’s a powerful, evil witch. A time-traveling witch. If this Cordelia King is the same Cordelia, approach her with extreme prejudice. She was an enemy of the Langeais wolves back then. She’d be an enemy of us now.”

Putain.Maybe it wasn’t the same Cordelia, but…“Dutton King was the witch who came up with Faucher as a target. That can’t be a coincidence.”

“Putain.Have you seen this witch, Gabe? According to the journals, she has heterochromia.”

“She has two different colored eyes? Like Alain?”

“Oui.”

“Does that mean she has the second sight as well?” Alain had inherited the ability from his medieval ancestor. It was rare and often skipped generations. And the genetic mutation was the same one that created heterochromia.

“I would imagine so.”

“I haven’t seen her, but I’ll ask Annabelle.” Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose. “What else have you kept secret from us? From me? Damn it, Maxime. I’m your head of security. Don’t you think I should have known about this?”

Putain. If thiswasthe same witch, where did that leave Annabelle? That his ancestors had not defeated her, werewolvesandexperienced chevaliers, said volumes. Annabelle couldn’t hope to defeat Cordelia on her own.

“I’ll have Pierre and Louis dig up all they can on this Cordelia King,” said Maxime. “We’ll find out if it’s her. I’ll have them keep you informed.”

“You do that.” Gabe stepped out of the doorway and flagged a cab down. “And, Maxime, don’t keep secrets like this from me anymore.”

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