“Lead the way, Isolde,”Trinity said.
“I think you could getthere without my help,” Isolde said with a wink.
Trinity nodded.
Wrath looked at his men. “Auberon comewith us. Teller, Kayne—go tell Cael we’re going to the witch’s hometo discuss Trinity’s appearance.”
The two men walked away. Trinitylooked at Mytan, who gave her pleading eyes and a whine.
“He can come too, right?”she asked.
“Of course.”
She motioned for the big beast, and hehappily padded next to her as their quartet walked away from themountains where Trinity had been headed and made their waynortheast.
Isolde walked ahead and Auberonbrought up the rear, walking a few feet behind them.
“I’m sorry I ran,” Trinitysaid with a low voice.
“Why did you?”
“I was scared andconfused.”
“You knew it was me,though. You know I’d never harm you.”
“I know. It’s not that,Wrath. I thought it was one of the dreams.”
“It felt real to you,though. I could see the war in your eyes.”
“Yeah. I shouldn’t haveleft, even if it did bring me and Mytan back togetheragain.”
“I cannot believe you’vetamed him,” Auberon said.
“I technically didn’t tamehim,” she said. “I created him.”
Auberon snorted. “You’re a witch,then? Able to create life?”
“Witches can’t createlife,” Isolde said over her shoulder. “Not like this. I’ll explaineverything, I promise.”
Trinity kept her thoughts to herselfas they walked. Mytan was on her left, his big body brushingagainst hers from time to time. He was several heads taller thanher, and big enough she could ride him if she wanted to. Wrath wason her right, holding her hand tightly, his wolf occasionallyrumbling out a growl as his gaze scanned the forest.
Isolde’s home looked like it camestraight out of the pages of a fairy tale. The small cottage had adutch door with a large lavender wreath hanging on the outside.Smoke curled out of a white brick chimney, and two windows at theside of the house had wooden shutters. A stone path led up to thefront porch, which had several clay pots overflowing with brightcolored flowers. The flower beds were filled with shrubs andplants.
They reached the wood rail fence thatcircled the home.
“It’s so lovely,” Trinitysaid. “Prettier than I imagined.”
“Thank you. It was ashambles when I found it. It used to belong to a hermit, but hepassed away. His ghost used to haunt the woods around the home, butonce I helped him with some unfinished business, he went on his wayto the afterlife.”
Isolde waved her hand over the toprail of the gate, and it swung open. Then she swooped her hand overher head in an arc.
“The protection spell islifted; you may all enter.”
She held the gate open for them, andthen closed it once Auberon had walked through. She made theswooping motion again, resetting the protection spell. Hurryingahead of them, Isolde opened the front door, and they followed herinto the cozy home. A fire crackled in the hearth, heating thecontents of a cast iron pot hanging from a hook. It smelledheavenly inside. Trinity’s stomach took that moment to growlloudly.
“I thought you might behungry,” Isolde said, pulling off her scarf and hanging it on ahook. “I’m afraid I only have one kitchen chair, so we’ll eat inthe sitting room. It’s more comfortable in thereanyway.”
She gestured to a room off the kitchenthat was enclosed in glass. It reminded her of her grandmother’ssun room, where she’d drink tea in the mornings while sheread.
Trinity and Wrath sat on the smallsofa and Auberon sat on a chair. Mytan sat at the back door andlooked in, because he was too big to come inside.
Isolde brought a tray into the roomand set it on a little coffee table made of carved wood. Five bowlsand four spoons filled with what looked like beef stew weresteaming on the tray. She took one bowl and placed it in thedoorway for Mytan, who gave it a tentative sniff and then set intoit, curling his huge paws around it.
Isolde smiled. “I’ve got fresh breadcooling on the counter. It’ll just be a few minutes.”
Wrath lifted one of the bowls and gaveit a sniff.
“She’s not going to poisonus,” Trinity said, elbowing him. “You’re verysuspicious.”
“With your safety,absolutely.” He dunked the spoon into the thick stew and took abite, chewing it thoroughly. He swallowed and seemed to be waitingfor something to happen. When nothing did, he gave the bowl to herand picked up another for himself.
“I like that you’reprotective,” she said. “It’s one of the first things I rememberabout you.”
“I’m really confused,”Auberon said in between bites of stew. “Where did you comefrom?”
Trinity took a spoonful of stew andate it, barely stifling the groan of pleasure at the taste. Wrathnarrowed his gaze at her, his eyes banked with heat. Her cheeksturned scarlet, and she dropped her eyes to the bowl to takeanother bite. “I’m from... well I’m not sure exactly. I’m fromEarth, but it’s not like this Earth. Where I’m from is really,really different.”
Isolde brought in glasses of tea andsliced bread slathered with fresh churned butter. She sat on awicker chair and lifted the remaining bowl of stew. She glanced atWrath and Auberon, holding their empty bowls. “Help yourselves,boys. There’s plenty. You can even take whatever’s left back toyour pack; I’m sure they’d enjoy something home-cooked.”
Auberon stood and held out his handfor Wrath’s bowl, which he handed over.
“So,” Trinity said, dunkinga corner of bread into the bowl. “Tell me everything.”
Isolde smiled. “Of course. As youknow—or perhaps are just beginning to realize—the world of yourbooks is real. We’re what you would call an ‘alternate Earth.’ Weexist in the same time, but we’re not accessible to your worldexcept through magic. In our world, the purebred wolves and thevampires hate each other and have been at war for millennia. Inyour world, there aren’t any shifters or supernaturalcreatures.”
Wrath’s brows went high. “None atall?”
Trinity shook her head.“Nope.”
“You and Wrath are destinedmates.”
“Then why weren’t we bornin the same world?” Trinity asked. She put her empty bowl on thetable and shook her head when Auberon gave her a questioning lookas if to ask if she wanted more.
Isolde shrugged. “I can’t say. Butregardless of where you were born, you and Wrath were connectedthrough some mystical way. When did you start
