Howl For Me

True Destiny - 3

by

Dana Marie Bell

Dedication

To Mom, who fell in love with Charlie’s new miniature daschund. You know you want one. Dad’s going to come home and find you cuddling it, and he’ll be helpless to say no.

To Dad, who doesn’t complain too much when we critique his local wine collection. Yes, it does take the whole bottle for your children to make sure it’s good.

And to Dusty, who thinks I’ll eventually get over my obsession with BioWare games. You poor, deluded man. That’s like saying I’ll eventually get over my unholy love of M&M’s.

Prologue

Long ago…

“No.”

Odin held up the third set of bonds with what Fenris assumed was supposed to be a guileless smile. Fenris knew better. Odin smelled wrong. He always had and Fenris suspected he always would. “But surely this bond will be the easiest of all to break.”

He’s lying. Odin’s stench had intensified. Fenris eyed the whisper-thin thread Odin proposed to test him with. He’d broken the last two bonds Odin had placed upon him, but he grew weary of the game, and Odin seemed far too pleased with himself.

“No. The game grows old, and my patience thin. Find some other way to amuse yourself, Old Man. I refuse to be your toy for the day.” And Fenris curled up once more beneath the tree and closed his eyes, content to drowse in the afternoon sun.

“Afraid, oh mighty wolf?” Odin’s voice drifted to his ears and tempted him to comply with the god’s wishes.

But Fenris was the son of Loki and no one’s fool. Odin was up to something and all the honeyed words in the world would not lure him into giving the Old Man what he wanted. “Go away, Old Man, unless the thought of my teeth in your flesh grants you pleasure. Then, by all means, remain.” And he wolf-grinned up at the god, pleased by the hint of fear he saw.

“But Tyr would be pleased to see your strength once more.”

Fenris glanced over at his foster-father, the one being he trusted more than any other, even his wayward father. Loki had placed him with Tyr in the hopes Odin would spare him the way the god hadn’t spared his brother and sister. He knew that, but at times his father’s avoidance still hurt. The best thing to come of that had been his relationship with the man he respected most in the world.

Whatever Tyr wished, Fenris would do his best to provide. “Tyr?”

Tyr smiled at him gently.

“Perhaps he’d be more willing to play my little game if he has some reassurance, eh, Tyr?”

Fenris tilted his head, wondering where Odin was going with this. He had no desire to play the game, but if Tyr requested, he’d gladly show his strength once more.

“Since you fear such a flimsy, thin rope so much, Tyr will place his sword hand between your jaws. If for some reason you find you cannot free yourself, simply close your jaws on his wrist and we will release you.”

He didn’t trust Odin’s words, but he trusted Tyr’s. “You promise?”

Tyr stepped forward and held out his hand, palm down, his expression gentle, loving.

Fenris laughed and allowed the gods to bind him.

Chapter One

Present Day

“Jeg er din forlovede, behage spiser ikke meg. Og spiser ikke Tyr, den ville ergre din ny moder. ”

“Again.”

“Jeg er din forlovede, behage spiser ikke meg. Og spiser ikke Tyr, den ville ergre din ny moder. ”

“Good.” Logan Saeter, pain in the ass extraordinaire and Jeffrey Grimm’s brand-new brother-in-law, sat back in his chair with a smug grin. “Just say that to Fenris and everything should be fine.”

“What does it mean, exactly?” Because he’d really rather not tell a giant, hand-eating wolf that his breath smelled like a baboon’s ass. Knowing Logan’s penchant for practical jokes, he might be teaching Jeff to say just that.

“That’s not something you need to worry about. It’s a code Fenris and I came up with to let him know it was safe, to trust the one I sent to release him.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” If Jeff were the one bound he’d jump at any chance for release.

Logan snorted, amused. “Why would he? Grimm is more than capable of trying to trick him.” Logan stood and stretched, the taut muscles of his body nearly causing Jeff to groan. If Jeff didn’t find the other man so annoying he’d be perving all over him.

Well, perving over him more. Logan was in a relationship with the other hottest man Jeff knew, and he might have made a play for them both, pain in the ass or not, if it weren’t for Jordan. Logan and Kir adored his older sister and Jeff would never do anything to hurt her, serious gay hotness or not.

Surrounded by luscious man meat and I can’t have a taste of any of it. It’s enough to depress me. Oh well. Jordan’s happy. That’s what counts most. He tried to stare down Logan, aka Loki, the Norse God of Mischief and Fenris’s father. “You’d better be telling me the truth.”

“Trust me. The moment you tell Fenris those words he’ll be eating out of your hand.” Logan walked out of the study, nodding to an incoming Travis on the way out. “He’s all yours.” The evil chuckle he gave as he closed the study door did nothing to ease Jeff’s fears that he was the butt of one of his brother-in-law’s infamous jokes.

Travis slipped into the room. “We’re ready. You?”

Jeff nodded and grinned at his twin sister, Jamie, standing just behind her one-handed lover. After a brief freak-out at being loved by a god, Jamie was settling in surprisingly well. It helped that she’d picked up some new tricks of her own along the way. “Hey, vixen.” Jamie smiled at the nickname only Jeff used for her. “Wanna go to Norway?”

She fingered the earring Logan had given her and grinned. She swore she could feel magic flowing through it, but Jeff couldn’t sense a thing. He’d have to trust her. She’d been what Logan called an instinctual mage before sharing blood with Travis and Logan. Now, his twin sister was a goddess in her own right.

He had a matching earring in his own ear. Logan had sworn it would keep Odin and his magical ravens, Hugin and Munin, from finding them. Something about wards and counter-magic that made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever but had both his sisters and his brothers nodding in approval. Thank God his ear had been pierced for years. He’d seen what Logan had done to Magnus and Morgan to get the earring in. His brothers had screeched like little girls tossed into cold water.

The wusses.

“More than.” Jamie’s arm went around Travis’s waist, her new radiance stemming from the strange magic that now flowed through his twin’s veins. The love on her face for Travis was obvious, as was Travis’s devotion to Jamie.

For a brief moment Travis’s whole body glowed, but the God of Justice got it under control before Jeff had to cover his eyes. “Let’s head out, then.”

He followed the pair out of Jordan, Logan and Kir's condo and headed toward his own. It was strange, really. Only a short time ago he’d been nothing more than one of the private investigators employed by Guardian Investigations.

His parents had been human—or so he thought—his family, normal. Then his grandfather, Oliver Grimm, had kidnapped his twin and tortured her and Jeff’s world had fallen apart at the seams. Lies and betrayals, myths and legends now filled his waking thoughts and his every dream. His father was Thor, God of Thunder and son of Odin. His grandfather was the psychotic ex-leader of the Norse gods, the Aesir and Vanir. His older brothers, his uncle Val, even his once sweet but flighty grandmother were all gods, and had lied to him from the start.

His older sister had fallen in love and married Loki, the baddest of the bad boys, and Baldur, a god who was supposed to be dead. She was now carrying a pair of twins fathered by both men. And his twin had gone and fallen in love with Tyr, God of Justice and Jeff’s boss, and they were off on a merry jaunt to free the world’s oldest laser hair removal candidate.

He was still trying to decide whether to laugh or scream. He was leaning toward both. Maybe then they’d give him some nice happy pills and he could check out of this ongoing nightmare. He’d snap back into reality where his grandmother wasn’t a super-bitch and his grandfather wasn’t a psychopath. He hadn’t touched anything apple since his last conversation with his grandmother, who’d made it clear that he was no longer welcome in her home since he’d accepted Jordan’s relationship with Logan.

Jamie waved her hand and the front door of his brand new condo opened.

He still couldn’t believe he was living in a million-dollar-plus condo in the heart of Rittenhouse Square. He’d been able to make the rent on his last place, but only barely. Now he had a place people would kill for, rent-free. Jamie giggled as the door stopped just short of slamming into his wall. “I didn’t hit the wall!”

“Good girl.” Travis leaned down and kissed Jamie’s neck, earning another giggle.

“Good God.” Jeff shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“It’s easy.” Jamie waggled her fingers at him. “Wanna try?”

He shuddered. Just the thought of having magic woo-woo powers freaked him out. He was much more of a hand’s-on type. Hell, when he played World of Warcraft he always went for the paladin, warrior or death knight, never the mage or warlock. He’d much rather beat the bad guy with a huge metal stick than throw fireballs. “No thanks. One of us needs to stay sane.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and sauntered out, very much in charge of her little world. Jeff met Travis’s amused eyes and followed his boss out, locking the door behind him. Before he pocketed the key he stared at it, the wolf’s head gleaming in the hallway light. For just a second, he felt as if the wolf winked at him.

Jeff pocketed the key and ran after his twin, eager to end this once and for all. If they were right, freeing Fenris would be the start of something that had been coming for a long time, something he’d never thought he’d wish for so vehemently.

Movement. Sound where there shouldn’t be sound. Fenris lifted his head as best he could and stared at the mouth of the cave. Save for seagulls and crabs he hadn’t had a visitor in quite some time.

Mayhap, finally, his father had found the one to free him. He prayed for the day when a stranger would walk in and utter the words his father had taught him, changing the Norse he’d grown up with to match the modern Norwegian language. He couldn’t remember the last time his father had been to his lonely prison, but Loki had promised him that soon, soon he would be free.

If Odin entered the cave, then only pain would be his lot this day. Odin’s visits were few and far between, but Fen had learned that when Odin came, Fen had a truly bad time. However long Odin chose to stay, the results were the same—more agony than Fen had once thought it possible to survive. As near as Fen could tell Odin would stay for days before his need to inflict pain was spent.

Time tended to blend when you were chained alone in a dark cave.

Pain was his companion every day, but Fen had almost grown used to the agony of the sword through his jaws. Barely able to eat, only the water dripping from the cave walls easing his thirst, if he hadn’t been born of Loki he’d have been long since dead. But he healed over and over and over again, his body trying to repair the damage the sword and bindings and unending hunger did to him every day.

Fen wished he could place his betrayers in his place. Let them feel the icy burn of the sword, the unending pressure-pain of Gleipnir around their limbs.

“We’re here.”

Fen growled. He recognized that most hated of voices. Perhaps he’d come to lose another hand?

“Wow. It stinks in here.”

A light, female voice with a touch of power behind it. Fen cringed. Had his foster-father brought a witch? To what purpose?

“Jayzus, Travis. You sure know the great vacation spots, doncha?”

Everything in Fen stilled. That voice… Something about that voice made body parts throb that hadn’t in centuries. But oh, it was such a good hurt!

Three figures stepped into the cave. One was all too recognizable, the powerful light surrounding him doing nothing to hide his warrior’s build. One was a slender female with flaming, curly hair and a glow similar to Tyr’s.

Another Vanir then, one of the Lios Alfar. Which one, Fen didn’t know. He didn’t recognize that bright head of red, riotous curls or the vivid, radiant green eyes.

But the third figure did not glow. He was all human.

All delicious.

Fen kept his gaze locked on Tyr, but all of his senses were focused on the flame-haired man who approached him, hands at his sides, palms open to show he held no weapon.

“Jeff? What are you doing?”

Fen knew the words. His father had spoken to him in English often enough for Fen to ken their meaning. Even Odin had taken to English when visiting Fen in his cage. Jeff must be the flame-haired man’s name.

Gods, he smelled good. He smelled sweet, like cinnamon, and Fen had a powerful sweet tooth.

The man smiled, and Fen felt his heart lurch. “Jeg er din forlovede, behage spiser ikke meg. Og spiser ikke Tyr, den ville ergre din ny moder. ”

Fen whined. Did the man just say what he thought he did? Fen tilted his head, ignoring the pain any movement inflicted on his jaws, and sniffed the man once more. If he could have grinned he would have. Yes. Yes, he did, and Fen was going to hold him to it. His father had done it, done the impossible.

He’d found Fen’s mate, and soon Fen would be free.

Tyr choked, and the man lowered his arms. Fen allowed him close, listening to the mutters and curses that flew from his mate’s mouth. “He’s got sores all over him, Travis.” His mate sounded angry, his hands moving over the bindings with a confidence that pleased Fen. Fen whimpered, the best he could do with the sword through his jaws. His healing ability constantly dealt with the damage inflicted every second by that sword. The sores were a result, his body unable to cope with even minor infections. Still he lived, though at times he had wished it weren’t so.

No longer. His mate had come, and Fen would follow him to Helheim itself if he so desired. He longed to lick Jeff, taste his skin, see if he was as delicious as he smelled. It soothed Fen, that scent, made the agony bearable.

“Travis, we have to get the sword out.”

Travis must be the name Tyr went by in the human world. Loki had told him all about moving among humans as one of them. His father had even taken a human name—Logan Saeter. His lover, Baldur, had slid into the name Kiran Tate, and together they’d made a life for themselves.

Fen didn’t resent them. He should, but he didn’t. His father had cried over his bound form too many times for Fen not to know how much his imprisonment hurt him. Even Baldur had shed a tear or two for him, but not even the golden one could free him.

Fen couldn’t be released until Ragnarrok.

“And this!” Strong, lean fingers stroked Gleipnir. “Explain it to me again.

This thing is tissue-thin. Even I should be able to tear it.” Jeff stood and faced Tyr, his hands on his hips, his tone demanding. Fen stood, ready to defend his mate, hobbled though he was.

But Tyr sighed, his expression one of regret. “It’s Gleipnir.”

There was silence. Even the female was looking at Tyr in exasperation.

“Well. That cleared that right up. Not. How about a more detailed explanation, you secretive ass-hat?”

Fen coughed, caught between laughter and fear. Jeff sounded like a handful.

If he kept taunting Tyr, the god would attack him and Fen would have no choice.

He’d place himself between Tyr and Jeff, take any blow meant for the smaller man.

No one would touch his mate and live.

Tyr merely grinned. For some absurd reason the god looked pleased.

“Gleipnir is made from the sound of a cat’s footfall, a woman’s beard, the roots of a mountain, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish and the spit of a bird.”

“Ew.” Jeff wiped his hands on his pants. “Bird spit, huh?”

Tyr laughed, bringing painful memories to the surface, memories when Tyr was his foster-father and all was right with his world. “The dwarves made it so that tugging on it only makes it stronger. Legend has it that Gleipnir will hold Fenris until Ragnarrok, when he’ll be freed to devour…” Tyr suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“It’s all right. I might carry his blood, but he’s not my family. Not anymore.”

The strength of a warrior flowed through Jeff’s voice. “How can we break him free?”

Tyr shrugged. “Hothead’s been trying for centuries. Did he give you a clue?”

Jeff shook his head. He turned back to Fen, and Fen saw that his eyes were the most beautiful shade of hazel. Fen bet they changed color with the man’s mood. Right now, the brown was predominant, his mate thinking hard over a puzzle that had stymied even the Trickster God himself.

“Wait. It gets stronger when you tug?”

Jeff exchanged a glance with the female who’d spoken. “It’s worth a shot.”

“Don’t pull the sword until you’re sure he won’t hurt you. Logan didn’t say what his temperament was like.”

Fen snarled. He’d never hurt his mate. Never.

He stopped mid-snarl. Tyr had spoken to his father? Since when? The two hated one another.

“Shh.” A strong hand stroked his head and Fen leaned into it, tamed instantly by Jeff’s touch. Jeff’s fingers stroked near where the blade exited his jaw. “I’m going to get this thing out of you. Don’t bite me, ’kay?” Jeff lifted his hand and shook it out. “Blech. Dog drool.”

Fen wouldn’t bite. Not yet. It wasn’t time. He’d bite when he claimed Jeff, not before.

He wanted to howl his agony when Jeff ripped the sword from his jaws, but he held still, only the shudder of his body and a single whine betraying his pain.

Jeff threw the sword away from him and stroked Fen’s head once more.

Fen’s quick healing took over, closing over the wounds, leaving behind not a trace of pain. Even if Gleipnir never came off Fen would be forever grateful that the sword, at least, had been removed.

“Holy shit.”

He stared over at Tyr, who was watching Jeff way too closely for Fen’s comfort.

“What?” Jeff’s attention was now on the bindings, his clever fingers stroking over them once more.

“Logan told me neither Kir nor he were ever able to move the sword.”

Of course not. They weren’t his mate.

“Maybe it needed to be someone of Grimm’s blood?”

Fen shook his head. No, Kir was of Grimm’s blood, and he hadn’t been able to budge it.

“Nope. Kir is Grimm’s son, remember?”

“True.” Fen felt something move on his leg. “Ah. I think I’ve got it.”

The fetters were gone. Gleipnir lay in a pile at his feet.

He was free.

Fen stood for the first time in centuries on all four legs and let loose his song.

Fenrisùlfr was free!

His legs shaky, he placed himself between Tyr and Jeff, rubbing himself up against the delicious man who’d declared himself Fen’s by both word and deed.

Never again would Fen be alone, left in darkness and anguish.

He was free.

Tyr went to take a step toward Jeff, but Fenris growled. Blood still dripped from his jaws, the last of the wounds still bleeding sluggishly.

Tyr pushed the female behind him, his eyes wide. “Could you repeat exactly what you said to him? I didn’t quite catch it.”

Jeff tried to move around Fenris to get back to Tyr and the female. Fenris responded by backing into him, pushing him farther into the cave and away from Tyr. Despite his weakness it wasn’t that difficult; he came up to Jeff’s chest.

Jeff pushed against his rear, but Fen refused to move. “Jeg er din forlovede, behage spiser ikke meg. Og spiser ikke Tyr, den ville ergre din ny moder.”

“I thought you spoke some Norwegian.” Tyr was grinning. He, at least, seemed to know what Fen’s mate had said.

“Bits and pieces only.” His mate was scowling now. “What did my dickhead brother-in-law teach me to say?”

“Roughly? ‘I’m your mate, please don’t eat me. And don’t eat Tyr, it will piss off your new mother.’”

Fen could hear his mate’s teeth grind together. Hadn’t he known what the words would mean? “Remind me to thank him when I get home.” The resigned tone of voice would have worried Fen if his mate’s hand hadn’t moved to stroke his head again. “Wait, mother?” Jeff laughed, and Fen was enchanted. The man threw his whole being into it, his head back and his mouth wide. Fen bet he did everything else the same exact way. “Never mind. I won’t have to do a thing.”

Fen couldn’t help himself. He reached up on his hind legs and licked his mate’s cheek, his joy making Fen happy. Jeff lifted his shirt to wipe his cheek off, making Fen even happier. He shifted to his human form and petted his mate’s washboard stomach, the lean muscles rippling under his palm. “Meget pen.”

Jeff pulled his shirt back down and blinked, obviously startled to see him as human. “Travis? What did he just say?”

“That you’re very pretty.”

Fen stood and gripped Jeff’s hand in his. He stared into his mate’s eyes, watching them change from brown to emerald green. “Mine. ”

Jeff gulped. “Um. Right.” He turned to Tyr. “We need to go now?”

His warrior mate had turned into an unsure, frightened man. Fen was even more determined to protect him. “Go. Yes.” Fen tugged Jeff toward the cave entrance, keeping him away from Tyr. “No stay.” He’d have to get used to speaking again. It had been so long since he’d given voice that forming words, no matter the tongue, felt wrong somehow, his voice far too gravelly, almost like his wolf’s growl.

Tyr nodded. “You’re right. Grimm will be here soon.” He held up his left hand and the stump of his right. “We’ll go first, so you know we mean no harm, Fen.”

Fen growled. Tyr had lost the right to call him that centuries ago.

The female stepped out from behind Tyr. Her scent was similar to his mate’s.

“There’s a lot happening you don’t know, but Tyr isn’t your enemy. He never really was.”

Fen kept the low growl going. The female was deranged if she believed that.

“Not now, Jamie. Once we’re on the plane, we’ll fill him in.”

“On everything.” Jamie was glaring at Tyr.

Tyr nodded. “Of course, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart? So, the female was Tyr’s mate?

“C’mon, vixen. Time to blow this Popsicle stand.” Jeff reached for the female, and Fen pushed him back. If the female belonged to Tyr she wasn’t to be trusted.

He felt a blow to the back of his head and turned, stunned, to stare at his mate.

Jeff shook his finger at him, all hints of his earlier fear gone. Fen’s warrior had returned. “Bad dog.”

Fen blinked. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something like that. None had dared.

Not even Odin.

Jeff held out his hand to the female. “Let’s go, sis.”

Their hands met, and Fen watched, helpless, as the female led his mate out into the sunshine, hand in hand.

“They’re twins. You’ll get used to it.”

He turned to Tyr, tempted to attack him then and there.

“Your father sent us. He went to visit your sister with Kir and Jeff’s half sister, Jordan.” Tyr grinned. “Logan and Kir are both married to her.”

“Jeg hater deg. ”

The grin faded from Tyr’s lips. “I know you hate me, and you have good reason to. Maybe once you know everything, you’ll hate me a little less, but I can’t hope for your forgiveness. Just know, none of us were in our right minds when we did this.” Tyr waved toward the cave. “If I could go back and make sure none of this happened I would. Even if I lost Jamie over it.”

Fen couldn’t believe him. Believing in Tyr’s love had been what put him in the cave in the first place.

Tyr nodded as if he understood. “Let’s go. They’re waiting for us.”

Fen nodded, but kept Tyr in front of him at all times. He wouldn’t give his back to the man ever again.

Jeff watched the werewolf walk, half his attention on Travis and half on the ground, and was glad Tyr was keeping Jamie away from him. He didn’t think Fenris would differentiate between Travis’s fiancée and Jeff’s twin. He’d just see Tyr’s woman.

He ought to have realized how pissed off Fenris would still be at Travis. He should have tried to convince Tyr that some of the others should have handled this, like Uncle Val. Maybe.

Then again, if Fen decided Jamie was some sort of threat there was no one he’d rather have defending her than the God of Justice. When Jamie had been in the hospital, beaten and brutalized, Travis had stayed by her side. The expression on his face had said it all. The man might be a god, but he worshipped the ground Jamie walked on.

He’d never been frightened of Travis. Not once had he felt any discomfort around the man he’d known since he was sixteen. But when someone mentioned Oliver Grimm in front of Travis, his expression filled with the need for Grimm’s blood. Jeff never wanted that expression turned on him, ever. Jeff figured Fen was the first step in Travis’s plan to get it. According to the old Norse prophecy of Ragnarrok, Fenris was supposed to kill Jeff’s grandfather, something Jeff couldn’t be happier about.

“What is that?” Fenris spoke clear, if highly accented, English, his Ws sounding very much like Vs. Logan must have been preparing his son for his eventual freedom by teaching him English as well as modern Norwegian. He wondered what other languages he’d taught his son.

Jeff looked toward where Fenris was pointing and shrugged. “Helicopter.”

Fenris looked at him as if he’d just said “jalapeño anal lube”.

“What? We couldn’t land the plane here. Too rocky.” Jeff strode confidently toward the helicopter and tried not to show how much it scared the bejesus out of him. He hated flying in the loud, rocky thing. Might as well put blender blades on eggshells and see if they flew. But Travis had been right, as usual. Anything other than the helicopter might have given Grimm a chance to catch up to them.

It could go where planes couldn’t, no matter how terrifying they were.

He climbed into the helicopter, somehow not surprised when Fenris chose to curl his very stinky body as close as possible to Jeff. Jamie sat up front with Travis, who flew the chopper with an astonishing degree of professionalism.

Apparently he’d flown one in ’Nam and had kept his pilot’s license up ever since.

Jeff shoved a headset over Fenris’s ears. “Someone needs a bath and some clothes pronto,” Jeff yelled into his headset’s microphone.

Fenris jumped and turned his head, no doubt wondering where the other Jeff was who’d spoken in his ear.

Jeff grinned. This was going to be fun.

“We can’t afford to stop off at a hotel. We’ll just have to throw something on him at the airport and get him out of here.” Travis flew closer to the water than Jeff felt comfortable with. If he opened the door he was afraid his jeans would get soaked in the spray.

“Do you want to fly home with that smell next to you?” Jamie asked her fiancé tartly.

“He’s not going to be in the cockpit, is he?”

Jamie smacked Travis’s arm.

Fenris watched the whole thing with wide, fascinated eyes. Jeff wondered if anyone had dared lay a hand on Tyr back when he’d been all I’m-A-God-Don’t-Fuck-With-Me.

Fenris scowled. “Jeg er beklager jeg duft dårlige, men du prøver å være bundet i en hule for et par århundrer og se hva du duft som. ”

Travis choked on a laugh.

Jamie scowled back, her eyes narrowing. “Travis? What did he just say?”

Travis chuckled. “‘I’m sorry I smell bad, but you try being chained in a cave for a few centuries and see what you smell like.’”

Jamie looked like she was biting back her own laugh. “Point taken.” She turned back around. “There’s the airport.”

“I want you two to fill him in as much as you can on the way back to Philadelphia. I’m sure he’ll have questions but I’m hoping most of them can wait until after we reunite him with his father.”

Jeff felt Fenris clasp his hand. “How?”

“How what?”

“How did you free me?”

Jeff grinned. “Chinese finger trap.”

Fenris’s head tilted, much like a dog’s.

“It’s a child’s toy that traps your index fingers.” Jeff picked up Fen’s hands and showed him, placing them tip to tip. “The more you tug, the stronger it gets.”

Fenris nodded as if he understood, but Jeff wasn’t so sure about that.

“But when you push your fingers together and gently twist, you can pull your fingers free.” He pulled Fenris’s fingers apart. “You just have to be careful not to tug or it tightens right back up again. It’s a test of cunning, not strength.”

Fenris was staring at him with those huge, dark eyes as if Jeff was some sort of god rather than a private detective who enjoyed children’s games. “Tusen takk.”

“Thank you,” Travis translated.

“You’re welcome.” Jeff tried to drop Fenris’s hands, but the wolf held fast.

The heated smile on his face as he lifted Jeff’s hands to his lips would have made him shiver, except Fenris chose that moment to lick Jeff’s knuckles rather than kiss them.

“Ugh. Dog drool.”

Jamie giggled, the heartless bitch, and before he knew it they were at the airport. Travis landed the helicopter and handed Jeff his button-down shirt, leaving him in a plain white tee. “Make him put this on. Jamie and I will run in and get him some pants, then head to the plane. You have the passports ready?”

Jeff nodded. Logan and Travis had both “magic’d” their passports so Rina couldn’t fuck with them and stick them in Norway indefinitely, there to be picked off at his grandfather’s leisure.

“What size…? Never mind.” Jamie eyeballed the naked man. “I’ll guess.”

Travis grabbed hold of her arm and practically dragged her out of the helicopter. He turned and pointed his finger at Jeff and Fenris. “Stay put, you two.”

Jeff saluted. “Aye aye, boss man.”

Travis rolled his eyes and closed the door.

Fenris licked his fingers again.

“Stop that!” Jeff yanked on his fingers again, and this time Fenris let them go.

“Ja kjære.”

Jeff leaned in close, scowling, trying somehow to gain the upper hand. “In English.”

Fenris grinned, his fangs showing, his eyes glittering with dominance. “Yes, dear.”

It took everything Jeff had in him not to back down, but fuck if some overgrown Pomeranian was going to make Jeffrey Grimm cower. “I’m not your dear.”

The amusement on Fenris’s face merely grew. “Du er mitt.”

From the hot look Fenris cast over him, Jeff was pretty sure he could figure that one out. “I’m not yours, either.”

Fenris snarled, the sound deep, feral and far from human.

Jeff snarled back, knowing he sounded more like that overgrown Pomeranian than Fenrisùlfr ever would.

Fenris’s head flew back in shock before the man collapsed in laughter.

“It’s not that funny.”

Fenris hunched over his belly, barely breathing.

“Seriously. It’s not.”

Fenris nodded, unable to speak.

“Don’t make me break out the rolled-up newspaper.” Jeff crossed his arms over his chest and sat back to have himself a good, old-fashioned pout.

“He’s free.” Oliver Grimm, aka Odin, one-time ruler of the Aesir and Vanir, stared, horrified, at the unbroken fetters that had once held the mighty Fenrisùlfr. “Shit. How the hell did those idiots manage that?”

Rina, her gun pointed toward the mouth of the cave, didn’t even bother to turn around. “I have no idea. He tugged on that damn thing for centuries.” She frowned. “You think Tyr figured out how to undo the bindings?”

Grimm snarled. Of course. Tyr. Gods be damned Tyr probably had figured it out and freed the werewolf. After all, he was now allied with Loki and Baldur, and Loki had been sobbing into his soup about his hideous brats for centuries.

“This is a fucking mess.”

“I’m still not sure how they managed to elude Hugin and Munin.” Rina bit her lip.

“Jotun magic. Loki probably gave them something to throw them off the track.” The ravens had led them on a merry chase until Grimm decided to go with his gut rather than his usually reliable ravens. He backed slowly out of the cave, Rina keeping careful pace beside him. “They’ll take him back to their home.”

“Where we can’t get in.”

They exchanged a quick glance. Loki had his entire condo complex locked down tighter than a nun’s twat. “Let’s get to Sleipnir. I have a few ideas, but we’ll have to discuss which one to implement.”

She preened, despite the weapon. Rina loved that he was coming to rely on her more and more, and Grimm was enjoying the perks she continuously gifted him with.

Who knew taking her off the elixir would make her even more loyal? Hell, even the sex was hotter now that she’d detoxed.

A soft neigh sounded from just down the beach. “Sleipnir’s waiting, lover.”

Grimm smiled at the sight of the huge, eight-legged horse. If Loki became an even bigger problem than he was now, Grimm had every intention of using one of his “children” against him.

And who better than the sweetest, most docile, most harmless of the lot?

He reached out and stroked Sleipnir’s gray mane. He didn’t want to lose the beast, but he would if it came down to winning or losing this most important battle. “You’ve always been the best horse in the world.”

Sleipnir whinnied, but Rina looked thoughtful. Perhaps she’d picked up on where his thoughts were heading. She’d become remarkably perceptive where he was concerned. He lifted her into the saddle first. “Up you go, my love.”

He mounted behind her, securing her with his arm around her waist.

Sleipnir ran down the beach, leaping into the sky with a powerful thrust of his four back legs. Together they thundered through the sky, the storm clouds Sleipnir threw up with his hooves hiding their location to all but the gods themselves.

Chapter Two

“Could you repeat that, please?” Fenris was very careful with his English, pronouncing everything as clearly as possible, because obviously someone had misunderstood him. There was no way the story they were telling him could be true.

Then again, he hadn’t thought humans could conquer flight, but here he was, flying through clouds in a metal contraption not even the Dökk Alfar could have created . Fenris was fascinated and horrified at the same time, and the twins were obviously trying to distract him with fairytales.

“Okay. You want the Cliff Notes version? I can do that.” Jeff leaned back in his chair and crossed his long legs. “Logan and Kir went to my sister, Jordan, to get her to help them prove that Odin had framed Loki for the murder of Baldur, blah blah blah. They decided the best way was to boink her into submission. Ow!

Damn it, Jamie.” Jeff rubbed at his arm where his sister had hit him. “Fine,” he huffed. “They convinced her to help them. Is that better, Madame Critic?”

Jamie sniffed. “It’ll do.”

Fenris wondered how they’d lived this long without killing each other.

“They’d already figured out long ago that Idunn’s apples could be used to cloud people’s judgment, making them susceptible to suggestion. Odin, apparently, is really good at making suggestions, so hey! The rest of the hungry hungry hippos followed him merrily to Assholeville.”

The little hand gestures that accompanied that explanation were beyond cute. Fenris wanted to plant Jeff in his lap while his mate told his story just so he could kiss him every time he did something so adorable.

“Which stop is that for the Wacky Train?” Jamie giggled at her brother.

“About two past Dysfunction Junction.” Jeff laughed back at his sister, and Fenris knew why the twins hadn’t killed each other yet. They loved one another the way Fenris loved his brother and sister, and would have loved his half brothers if he’d been given the chance.

“So Grandpa Odin, he makes with the happy juice and has everyone do things they’d never do ordinarily, except your father and apparently Uncle Val were immune somehow. Even Travis was affected to the point where he wasn’t really a god of justice anymore, if you know what I mean.” Jeff shook his head.

“Anyway, he made sure everyone, including Frigg, got their daily dose while he became Supreme Dickhead of all he surveyed, except Loki fucked up his ultimate plans by taking Baldur’s place and preventing his death. Your father hooked up with Baldur and the two ran for, what, centuries? They convinced Jordan to help, which dragged in Tyr, which dragged in Morgan, Magnus and Uncle Val.” Jeff’s demeanor changed, becoming hard. “Then Grimm grabbed Jamie.”

Jamie reached out for her brother, taking his hand in hers. “Grimm tortured me, knowing Logan would never allow anything to hurt Jordan. While he beat on Logan, Uncle Val got me out and to a hospital, then went back and tried to kill Grimm.”

“But the S.O.B. lived and got away. The Old Man tried to pin his own murder on Travis and Uncle Val, but the detective on the case smelled a rat.” Jeff patted Jamie’s hand. “So Grimm took Jamie again, only this time she was able to protect herself a little better. She’d gotten your father’s ability to heal, and Travis’s ability to, um, glow.” Jeff’s brows drew together. “Yeah. Still not sure what that’s good for, other than reading at night. Grimm got away, again, and Travis volunteered to be the one to free you while Magnus and Morgan hunt down the Norns and Logan, Kir and Jordan speak to Hel.”

Fenris smiled. His father was visiting Hel? Fenris looked forward to being able to see his sister again. He wondered how she’d fared over the centuries. It had been so long since he’d seen either of his siblings he was no longer certain he’d recognize them, or they, him. They, at least, had been able to move freely within their prisons. Fen had been forced to hobble.

“Grimm’s access to the apples has been cut off, but I’m pretty sure Frigg is using them to control other people now.” Jeff winced. “Human-type people.”

Fenris focused on the one thing that really mattered. “Vali is your ally?”

Jeff snorted. “Vali is my uncle.”

Fenris eyed the plane’s airlock. How much would it hurt if he jumped out of the plane? Vali was supposed to kill him during Ragnarrok. How could Jeff be allies with Fenris’s eventual murderer?

“I think that’s it, right?”

Jamie nodded. “Pretty much. Nik appeared and saved Travis and Uncle Val from jail and took a liking to the detective working the murder case.”

“Nik?” Fenris wasn’t sure he wanted to hear much more. His head was beginning to hurt as it was.

“Sorry. You’d know him as Heimdall.”

Fen nearly swallowed his tongue.

“To us, he’s Niklas DeWitt, scary-ass attorney-at-law.” Jeff patted his hand in comfort. “Don’t worry. It took me a while to get it all straight.”

Jamie nodded and began ticking names off on her fingers. “Travis is Tyr.”

“Logan is Loki.”

“Kir is Baldur.”

The twins went back and forth, naming the gods and the human names they all lived under.

“Vali is Val.”

“Magnus and Morgan are Magni and Modi, the sons of Thor and the Jotun Járnsaxa, meant to carry Mjölnir after Dad dies at Ragnarrok.” Jamie winced.

“Not something I want to think too hard about.”

“Adam Grey, Jordan’s dad, is Frey.”

“Fred Grimm, our Dad, is Thor. Our mom, Jeanne, is human.”

“And Odin is Oliver Grimm, fuckhead extraordinaire.” Jeff rubbed his forehead. “Now I’m getting a headache.” He stared at Fenris. “Up until a little while ago I knew none of this. Then my loving grandfather lost his goddamn mind and tried to kill my twin, and all of it came out. The gods, the plots and the evil. All of it. And what happened to you and your siblings isn’t the worst of it, is it?”

Fenris shook his head. “No. It was not. There are those who might say we were lucky.” He rubbed the gray material of his pants that Jamie had called

“sweats” and thought of the brothers he’d never have a chance to know. “We lived.”

Two Months Later…

Jeff stared down at the no-longer-filthy, absolutely hunkalicious man currently sleeping in his bed and frowned. He still wasn’t sure when he’d signed up to be doggy daycare, but there he was. Fenris. The ultimate pissed-off werewolf, son of Loki and the Jotun Angrboda, killer of gods and small fuzzy animals, had his hand curled under his cheek like a child. His long, dark hair was freshly washed, just a hint of his father’s red shining through the thick, dark locks. He had the most beautiful eyes Jeff could ever remember seeing, a true golden brown that shimmered when the light hit them just so. He had a body that had Jeff panting for a taste. He was wide-eyed with wonder one minute and severely over-protective the next, constantly placing himself between Jeff and Travis as if he thought Travis would go all rabid on Jeff’s ass at any moment.

And his laugh made Jeff smile, so full of joy it was even more beautiful than the man’s face. Watching him master the Wii and televisions and microwave ovens had been an adventure, especially when Fen forgot to take the spoon out of the soup he was reheating. He was everything Jeff had ever daydreamed about tangled up in green cotton sheets.

How the hell did someone like Fen wind up sleeping in Jeffrey Grimm’s bed?

Jeff was still having trouble processing it. He had fucking Fenris sleeping in his bed, all curled up like… Well, like a dog. He stifled a chuckle, not wanting to wake his new house pet up. He reached over and pulled up the comforter, covering the naked man’s tempting backside, front side and everything in between. He resisted the urge to run his fingers through that dark hair, knowing it would only lead to Bad Things.

His last Bad Thing had left him with a sore butt and a two-thousand-dollar casino debt in Atlantic City. He was so done with Bad Things.

Jeff backed slowly out of the bedroom and headed straight for the liquor cabinet. If this situation didn’t require a stiff one he didn’t know what did. He reached down into the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of Krogstad Aquavit, a taste he’d acquired on his twenty-first birthday when his father had taken him out and bought him his first drink. He poured himself a shot of the strong, star anise-flavored liquor and threw it back. The burn as it slid down his throat was just what he needed to end a really long day.

Logan, Kir and Jordan were gone, presumably visiting Hel, and didn’t that just freak him the hell out. He smothered a chuckle at his unintentional pun, unwilling to wake Fenris. Morgan and Magnus had left before Jeff, Travis and Jamie and still hadn’t returned. They’d warned him that the trip over the Bifrost Bridge could take a while, especially since they had to hide from Grimm, but he hadn’t expected it to take almost two freakin’ months.

So here he was, with Fenris in his bed. Every night he said good-night and curled up on the sofa. And every night, Fenris picked him up, carried him to bed and curled around him as if Jeff were his favorite squeaky toy.

The situation between Fen and Travis was simple now. Fenris growled when he saw Travis. Travis kept Jamie away from Fenris. And Jeff and Jamie got to meet in the corridor outside their condos. He was coming to hate that gold-patterned carpet. At least the neighbors didn’t complain when he and Jamie set up an impromptu bowling alley at two in the morning.

Teaching Fenris was turning out to be a full-time job. At least Fenris was adapting to things like speaking and toilet paper and when not to chew on the furniture.

Okay, so they were still working on that last one, but he’d gotten a lot better about it in the last two weeks. Squirt bottles worked wonders.

He almost jumped out of his skin when the phone rang. He ran to grab it before the sound could wake up Fenris. “Hello?”

There was a pause before a hesitant voice replied. “Jeff?”

Jeff damn near hung up the phone. “What do you want?”

“Is that any way to speak to your father?”

“Am I speaking to Fred Grimm or Thor?”

Fred Grimm sighed. “Jeff.”

Only his father could make him feel guilty even when he knew he was right, and that pissed him off. “Beat anyone up lately?”

“Stop it. I want to talk to you.”

“Oh. Is that all?”

“Don’t you hang up the phone, young man!”

“Why should I listen to you? Do you know what’s been happening to us? Do you even care?” Jeff was hissing into the phone, too angry not to show it but unwilling to wake Fen up.

“I know.”

Jeff paused. The agony in his father’s voice… “About Jamie.”

“Yes.”

“So why haven’t you visited?”

“Can I? Can I really? Or will your sister’s lovers kill me on sight?”

“We needed you, Dad. Jamie needed you.”

“If I could have I would have been there.”

“How much juice have you had recently?”

His father growled. “None since Jamie.” In the distance thunder sounded.

Kir might be the God of Spring, and thus spring storms, but Thor was the God of Thunder and therefore violent weather. Jeff bet if his father wished it there’d be a damn tsunami in the Delaware River. “Adam feels the same way. Your grandfather has a lot to answer for.”

Jeff shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself. “I don’t think I can talk to you. Not yet.” Not until Jamie forgave their father.

Fred sighed, the sound weary and defeated. “Then there’s no use in calling your sisters, is there?”

“No. Not for a while.”

“I love you, son. Please, never doubt that. Maybe someday you can forgive me.”

Not yet, he couldn’t. Maybe not ever. “We’ll see.”

The phone call ended with neither of them saying good-bye.

He poured himself another shot, put the bottle away and ambled over to his huge leather sofa. He flopped down into it, the still unfamiliar scent of new leather and furniture polish making him wince. When Logan had told him he’d have his own million-dollar condo in this building right off of Rittenhouse Square, he’d been thrilled. He’d always been an uptown boy with a downtown budget, so he’d barely waved good-bye before shutting the door on his tiny studio apartment and moved into what was supposed to be paradise. He’d taken the key with the wolf’s head and hadn’t looked back.

Then he’d opened the front door.

Everything in his new condo was made of dark, sturdy, thick woods, thick leather upholstery and tile. The chocolate brown leather sofa was flanked on either side by two carved wooden chairs with leather cushions. Each chair was carved with stylized Norwegian wolf’s heads on the ends of the arms. The gray and tan slate tile floors complimented the mocha colors of the walls and the darkness of the furniture. The big flat-screen TV had two video game consoles hooked up to it with four controllers each. They rested on another hand-carved piece of furniture that reminded him of Norway. This one had boats and dragons and shit all over it.

Jeff loved his roots, but c’mon. It was a little too much Norway in his living room. He had the weirdest urge to put a horned helmet on his head, march his ass down to Jordan’s condo and threaten Logan with his spear.

With the way his luck was going Logan would take him up on it and Jordan and Kir would kill Jeff.

Still. He’d seriously consider giving his left nut for some mid-century modern.

He propped his feet up on the hand-painted chest that served as a coffee table. From behind him the sound of deep, bone-rattling snores emitted from his bedroom, proof that Mr. Perfect wasn’t quite so perfect after all. Jeff rolled his eyes and downed the second shot. “Why does this shit keep happening to me?”

He laughed wearily. “Good grief, Charlie Brown. You’re a fucking idiot.” Jeff got up and opened the chest, pulling out a blanket. There was no way he could crawl into bed with Fenris sleeping there. No fucking way. The guy could have a dream about chasing deer and wake up with a nasty Jeff taste in his mouth.

Unlike Little Red Riding Hood, there’d be no cutting him out whole from the wolf’s belly.

Jeff curled up under the blanket and shuddered. He’d have to convince Logan to get Fenris his own condo. No way was Jeff living with the beast for any longer than he absolutely had to, cuddle-worthy though he might be. Jeff closed his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

Fenris was having the best dream he’d ever had in all his long centuries. In it, an absolutely gorgeous redhead came to his cave, pulled the sword from his jaws and declared himself Fen’s mate. His accent was strange, but Fen was used to adapting quickly. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that he spoke to Tyr with trust and affection. That he seemed to trust Tyr was something Fen would have to work on.

Tyr was the last man Fen would ever trust. The bastard would surely betray Fen’s mate.

But the man, the beautiful man, had smelled so damn good Fen had allowed Jeff to lead him from his prison. He still hadn’t figured out how Jeff had managed to get Gleipnir to free its enchanted hold on him, but in the end it didn’t matter. Fenris was free, and he had his mate by his side.

Except he didn’t.

Fenris opened his eyes and stared into the strange, dimly lit room. He lifted his head cautiously, sniffing for the warm, cinnamon scent of his mate. He let out a low growl when he realized he’d been in the bed alone for hours on end. Fen crawled out of the bedding and glided through the doorway. It would take him a while to remember all of the strange names for the rooms in this dwelling, but Fen knew it would be worth it. If this was how his mate wished to live, then Fen would see to it that they remained here for however long Jeff wished.

He followed the scent of his mate to the leather sofa, growling when he found the man curled up there. This wouldn’t do. Not at all. Fen’s mate belonged with Fen, not lying on cold leather under a worn blanket. Fen would pull down the sky for this man’s blanket, would kill the sun herself if he got too hot. So why did he continue to lie out here every night?

Fen bent down and smelled something familiar on his mate’s breath. It had been a long time since he’d tasted akevitt. He was delighted his mate had it hidden somewhere in his dwelling. He’d have to tease the location out of him later.

Fen picked Jeff up and carried him into the “bedroom”, careful not to wake him. Whatever had driven him to drink, Fen would see it resolved. He’d not have his mate be disturbed like this.

Jeff twitched as Fen placed him on the bed, muttering incoherently as Fen carefully undressed him.

“Jeg er din forlovede. ”

Fen smiled at the slurred, barely audible words. “Ja. Jeg er din forlovede.” At least he acknowledges our mating when he dreams. He curled around his sleeping mate, warming him with his body heat. Jeff felt so small against him, so cold.

He’d warm his little mate, keep him safe from everything the world had thrown at him. Neither Grimm nor Frigg nor any enchanted weapon would harm a hair on his little redhead.

This man needed Fen, and Fen would do his best to provide whatever he desired for the rest of their lives.

Fen buried his nose in his mate’s hair and, with that spicy-sweet scent in his nostrils, fell back into a contented sleep.

Jeff smiled, warm and comfortable in the cocoon of his lover’s arms. Soft kisses rained down on his neck. The whiskers of his lover’s chin sending shivers down his spine as they scraped across his skin. “Mmm.”

His neck was licked. “Du kan smake godt.”

Jeff froze as he realized just who was sleeping in his bed. “What the hell does that mean?”

His neck was licked again. “Mmm. You taste good.”

He tried not to shiver, but damn. Fenris had figured out one of his hot spots without even trying. “Why am I not on the sofa?”

“You were cold.”

He glared over his shoulder at Fenris. “I’m pretty sure I had a nice, comfy blanket over me.”

Fenris shrugged. “Then I was cold.”

“You had my comforter.”

“But I did not have your comfort.”

Jeff grabbed his head. “Ow. Oh, ow.”

“What?”

The panic in Fenris’s voice almost made him feel bad. “That joke. It hurt so badly.”

Fenris rolled his eyes and dug his fingers into Jeff’s sides, tickling him.

Jeff bucked, desperate to get away from the man who’d just found his second biggest weakness, and fell off the bed with a thump. “Ow.” Now his head and his ass hurt, not to mention his pride.

“Are you all right?”

Yup. The big bastard was laughing at him. “You know, paybacks are a bitch.”

“Paybacks. What are those?”

Fenris wasn’t laughing anymore. If he didn’t know better Jeff would swear he looked jealous. “You know, payback. You got me, now I have to get you.”

The wolf’s expression turned heated. “Hmm. Perhaps payback isn’t such a bad thing after all.”

“All righty then.” Jeff hopped up. “Coffee sounds good.” He grabbed his jeans… When had his jeans come off? He could have sworn he went to bed—er, sofa—fully dressed. He felt up his naked chest. Looking down, he realized his T-shirt had been under his jeans. He must have been really out of it for Fenris to get him practically naked without Jeff feeling it. He stared at Fenris, trying to ignore how absolutely hot the man looked all tousled from sleep and covered in Jeff’s sheets. “Boundaries. I has them.” Fenris tilted his head. “This!” Jeff shook his jeans at him. “Getting me mostly naked without permission is not cool.”

“You are hot?”

“I would like to think so,” Jeff muttered. “Look. This is not about my cuteness. This is about my lack of clothes and your lack of permission, mister.”

“I have all the permission I need, mate.” Fenris lifted the covers and somehow managed to stalk out of bed. He, of course, was completely naked.

Yum. Jeff forced himself not to look. Bad libido! Bad! No cookie for you!

Jeff managed not to eye the impressive package making its way toward him.

He kept his gaze firmly on Fenris’s, um, eyes. “I don’t recall saying, ‘Why yes, Fenris, take it off. Take it all off’.”

Fenris grinned. “First, you may call me Fen. Second, I believe you just did.”

Fenris reached for him.

Jeff, panicking, held out his hand. “Stay!”

Fenris started to laugh, but his hands dropped away from Jeff’s waist. “That only works on dogs.”

Jeff kept his hand right where it was. Fen hadn’t moved any closer. That was good enough for Jeff. “So telling you you’re barking up the wrong tree would be a total waste of time?”

Fen’s laughter rang out, those amazing eyes of his glowing with happiness.

Or was that hunger? Jeff noticed how amazingly pointy his teeth had become and had the urge to cover his neck. “I like you, mate.”

“Jeff. Mr. Grimm if you’re nasty.” Jeff tugged on his jeans while Fenris dealt with his laughing fit. “Breakfast. Parental visit. Finding Grimm and kicking his ass.”

“An interesting list of things to do, but I have one to add.”

“What’s that?” He tugged the shirt over his head. Being even partially undressed around this guy was just asking for it. When his head was free he was startled to see how close Fen was. Their chests were almost touching.

Fen leaned down and whispered in Jeff’s ear.

Jeff felt his face flame at the absolutely filthy things Fen was whispering to him. He was pretty sure some of them weren’t anatomically possible, but fuck all if they didn’t have his dick twitching. “Uh.”

Fen looked deliciously wicked as he pulled back. “Where does that go on your list?”

He opened his mouth to respond just as a knock sounded on the front door.

“Gktch.” Jeff’s poor brain had departed for Happy Land, and his ability to speak had apparently left with it. He hoped they had a really good time together.

Fen chuckled. “Someone wishes entry.”

It wasn’t until Fen turned him and gently pushed him out of the bedroom that his body, if not his brain, finally kicked in. His brain was still firmly down Fen’s pants.

Fen watched his mate stagger through the living room to the front door, pleased with himself. The man might deny it all he wished, but he wanted Fen.

He could run as much as he pleased.

Fen loved to play chase.

He threw on some soft cotton pants, knowing how his mate felt about nudity around others. The door opened, and there stood Loki, Baldur and a dark-haired female with sharp features and a huge smile. Fen sniffed the air, some elusive, ripe scent tickling his nostrils. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he realized what that scent was.

The female was pregnant by both Loki and Baldur. This, then, must be his mate’s older half sister, Jordan.

“Fen.” Loki’s face paled, his chest heaving in deep, choppy breaths. “Fen!”

Loki rushed forward, embracing him so tightly he could barely breathe.

Fen returned the embrace. “Pappa.” Tears gathered in his eyes. This was the first time in centuries he’d been able to wrap his arms around his father. It felt better than he thought it would. His father’s fiery hair surrounded him, warmed him as only a parent could. He felt safe in a way he hadn’t in a long time.

His father’s shoulders heaved, and Fen realized the man was crying. He looked through his father’s hair as two new sets of arms embraced them both, one male, one female. Baldur and Jordan were comforting his father. Jordan’s fingers ran through Loki’s hair. Baldur’s hands ran up and down both Fenris's and Loki’s backs.

“Welcome home, Fenris. We’ve missed you.” Baldur's soft voice, so warm and tender, was filled with tears. Baldur had held both Loki and Fenris together when the pain of their separation became too great to endure. Fenris looked upon him as a second father.

The three of them surrounded Fen, including him in their warmth and love.

Behind them, Jeff smiled at them all, his own eyes suspiciously wet.

Fen lowered his head to his father’s shoulder and let his own tears fall.

By all the gods. He really was free. His knees threatened to buckle, but the strong arms of his fathers and his new mother wrapped around him, holding him up.

“Hey. Let them breathe, guys.” Jeff tried to pry Baldur and Jordan away, but they held fast. “C’mon. Don’t make me break out Vincente.” Jeff waggled his brows, the wicked leer on his face making Fenris see red.

That made Jordan back up, her hands in the air, a horrified look on her face.

“Oh no. Not for love or money or… Okay. For the best sex of my life, maybe. I might think about it.”

Baldur began to laugh, his head landing on Fen’s other shoulder. Loki’s head lifted, his wet eyes filled with love and laughter. “Care to repeat that when there’s a computer nearby?”

Fen tilted his head. Who the fuck was Vincente? “Mor? ”

Everyone except Jeff froze. His mate backed away, biting his lip.

Jordan’s hands landed on her hips. “Did you just call me ‘Mom’?”

“You are my father’s mate, yes?”

“Er, yes. I guess so. Not that we had a wedding or anything.” Jordan glared at Loki, and his father flinched. “But I guess you could say we’re mated.”

“Then you are Mor.”

Jordan looked pale and wide-eyed. “Guh. I am?”

Jeff sat on the arm of the big sofa and watched his sister with an expression of unholy glee.

“Logan?”

Wow. The female had a most impressive growl for a human.

His big, bad father scrambled behind Baldur, who was still laughing. “Yes, dear?”

Jordan just shook her head. “Ya big chicken.”

Loki straightened up, but remained behind Baldur. “I am not!”

Jordan shrugged. She cocked her hip, looking supremely bored. “If the cluck fits.”

Fen glanced over at Jeff. “Are they always like this?”

Jeff nodded, his expression far too innocent for Fen’s liking. “Oh yeah.

Except when they’re having sex in the kitchen.”

Jordan turned on Jeff, her cheeks flaming. “Ix-nay on the ex-say.”

“Not on your life!” Baldur protested.

Jordan reached out and bopped the blond on the back of the head, her gaze still on Jeff. “I thought I told you never to mention that again.”

Loki looked over her shoulder at Jeff and mouthed Thank you.

She didn’t even turn around. “Don’t think you’re off the hook, Mr. Saeter.”

Baldur picked Jordan up. Ignoring her squeals, he headed for the front door.

“I think it’s time for a chocolate intervention.”

Jordan stilled. “Chocolate?”

Loki, chuckling, followed them to the door. “Chocolate chip pancakes, sweetheart.” He grinned at Fen and Jeff and opened the front door. “Breakfast at our place in thirty. Jeff knows the way.”

“Gotcha,” Jeff replied.

Just before shutting the door his father winked at him, his lashes still wet and glittering. “Welcome home, Fen.”

“Tusen takk, Pappa.”

The happy smile didn’t leave Fen’s face, even when Jeff insisted on once again force-feeding him the vile substance known as “mint toothpaste”.

And what exactly did “buzzard breath” mean?

Chapter Three

Jeff flopped down on his big sister’s white leather sofa with a groan, careful not to spill his coffee. “I swear, it’s like dealing with a two-year-old wrapped up in the hottest male package ever. I may never get the toothpaste stains off the wall.”

“He doesn’t like it, huh?” Jamie squirmed next to him, her happy glow a real one. Jeff bet he could read by it.

Jeff shook his head sadly. “Let’s just say he spits for distance.”

Jordan choked on a laugh. “Oh man. I’m glad he’s at your place, then. Logan was gonna ask if he wanted to move in here with us, but Kir said no.”

Well. Damn. Looked like he was stuck with Fen for the duration. Maybe Jeff could ease him into the twenty-first century, get him used to things like jeans and toothpaste and hating the New York Rangers. He could show him rainbow flags and efforts to reintroduce wolves into the wild. Maybe he could get him a job as a bouncer or something.

Fen moved, his ass looking incredible in the loose sweats. Jeff thought about buying him some jeans and nearly dropped to his knees, ready to worship.

Jeff couldn’t keep his eyes off Fen. The werewolf was standing next to Logan, and the resemblance between the two men was uncanny. No wonder Jeff had the hots for him. Unlike Logan, Fen wasn’t just available, he was eager.

It wouldn’t do to let him know Jeff was even thinking about it, not yet anyway, so he turned back to his earlier conversation before he could shout out Here boy! Come! Come! He put the coffee down on the table before he dropped it.

“I didn’t know whether to woof or squirt him with the water bottle.”

Jamie was giggling into her morning coffee.

“He called me Mom.” Jordan looked both horrified and pleased at the same time. Her hand kept rubbing across her stomach, possibly feeling the protolife rapidly expanding her waistline.

Jeff snorted, amused. Christ, now Logan had him doing it too. “He calls me mate.” Not that Jeff had allowed any fang near his skin. He’d been reading werewolf novels recently, sharing some of the more amusing stuff with Fenris, laughing along with him over some of the stupider myths. The whole bite and mate thing, though? That was real, so Fen’s mouth was not allowed near Jeff’s skin.

It was a crying shame. The man had a damn fine mouth.

Jordan gasped and clasped her chest dramatically. “Really?”

“Smartass. Speaking of which, your husband is the one who taught me the phrase that has Fenris thinking I belong to him.”

Jordan hid her mouth behind her coffee cup. “Did he?” She took a quick sip, wincing at the burn.

“That had better be decaf.” Kir plopped down next to her and propped his feet up on the ottoman. “Unlike this, which is the real deal.”

Jordan carefully placed the mug on the end table and straddled the blond.

Kir held up his mug and it was snatched away before Jordan could get her hands on it.

She glared down at her lover. “You’d better pray for death.”

Kir jerked his thumb toward Logan, who sipped Kir’s coffee with a satisfied grin. “I have a Get Out of Hel Free card, remember?”

Jordan growled. She sounded much scarier than Jeff had.

“There are bugs in your flatbread.”

Jeff watched as Fen, scowling, tried to pick the chocolate chips out of his pancakes. He looked adorably lost when the half-melted chocolate coated his fingers. Jeff shook his head and went to the wolf. He was just too friggin’ cute.

“Here. Lick.”

Fen’s gaze went immediately to Jeff’s neck. Before he could stop him Fen had hit just the right spot, and since Jeff hadn’t wanted to take the time to teach the man how to use the electric razor…damn. Those whiskers. He had to clear his throat before he could speak. “Your fingers, Fido.”

Fen pulled back and, his gaze glued to Jeff, sucked his finger into his mouth.

Jeff could see the man’s tongue working, licking the chocolate off. The hummed sound of approval danced across his skin and skidded right down to his cock.

The only thing that would have made it better was if that finger was on Jeff’s hand.

“Guh.” Once again all the blood rushed to his cock, leaving his tongue a floppy, useless muscle that was only good for grunts and licking. Lots and lots of licking.

“Oh my God. He’s speechless.” Jamie waved her hand in between Fen and Jeff. “Hello, McFly!” She turned to Travis. “Oh yeah. He’s gone.”

“Careful! You might step on his brains or something.” Jordan leered at them.

“Knock it off, you two. Leave the poor guy alone. It’s not nice to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.” Travis reached over to hand Jeff his cup of coffee back, and all hell broke loose.

Fen snarled and shoved Jeff behind him, threatening Travis with claws and fangs. “Stay away from him.”

Travis backed up slowly, his left hand in the air, the stump where his right one should have been also raised. “Easy, Fenris. Jeff works for me, and I’m marrying his sister. I have no intention of hurting him.”

“Sounds familiar. But my mate doesn’t have the teeth to exact his revenge when you betray him.” Fen moved, keeping between Jeff and Travis, his big body curled and ready to fight.

“Fen.”

Fen continued the low growl despite Logan’s quiet call.

“Fenris Saeter.” Jordan stepped between Fen and Travis, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “You stop that right now, mister . ”

The growl paused. Fen looked like someone had slapped him upside the head.

“You called me Mom. Do you think I’d let someone near you, let alone Logan and Kir, who would hurt you? Hurt the babies growing inside me?”

Flames danced in his sister’s eyes, the gift she’d gotten from sharing blood with Logan. “If you don’t trust anyone else, trust me.” Jordan held out her hand, palm up. “Please.”

Fen blinked. He was panting as if he’d run a marathon, the confusion and raw pain on his face making Jeff itch. No one should look like that, but the man who was trying desperately to protect him did, and Jeff wanted to fix it. But how did you fix something that wasn’t truly broken? “I don’t know you.”

Storms were beginning to brew in Kir’s blue eyes. He watched Jordan and Fen like a hawk, but Jeff had no idea what the God of Spring would do if Fen attacked Jordan, or vice-versa. Logan watched all three of them, his expression damn close to terrified.

“But your father does.” Her voice gentled. “Do you think he’d let Travis near Kir and myself if he thought Travis was a threat?”

“He proved himself to me, Fen.” Logan stepped forward cautiously, his arm going around Jordan’s waist. He placed himself to her side, neither in front of nor behind her. Jeff could tell the move earned his sister’s approval if not Kir’s.

“Did the Wonder Twins tell you about the apples of Idunn?”

Fen nodded.

“But you didn’t believe it, did you? You thought they were trying to fake you out.”

“Fake me out?”

Jeff tapped Fen on the shoulder. “It means you thought we were lying to you in order to make fun of you, but in a friendly sort of way rather than a mean one.”

“Oh.”

“Which we weren’t.”

“I know.” Fen patted his hand, but Jeff could see that his claws were still out.

“You would not deliberately hurt me.”

Jeff gulped. The raw faith in the man’s voice was stunning. He truly believed Jeff would never intentionally do something to harm him.

Jeff wheeled around Fen’s body until he stood between his sister and the werewolf. He kept his body close to Fen’s, their chests touching. He tried to ignore the fact that his body was very happy with the situation it found itself in.

His body wanted him to tap on Fen’s zipper and ask if his new friend could come out and play. “Then if you trust no one else, I need you to trust me.” He stared into Fen’s eyes, willing the man to believe him. “Jamie is my twin. My baby sister. I would no more hand her over to a true betrayer than I would hand you over to Grimm. Got it?”

He kept his gaze locked onto Fen’s, the two battling it out. Jeff knew if Fen really chose not to trust him there was nothing he could do about it, so he allowed his plea to show on his face. He used the only weapon he felt would work, and prayed it didn’t backfire on them all. “Fen. Don’t make me give up my family. It’s all I have left.”

Fen reared back as if he’d struck him. He looked away, blinking rapidly. Fen grabbed Jeff’s hand and dragged him toward the door. “We’ll be back.”

Jeff knew from how thick Fen’s accent had gotten that he was in for an interesting time. Either the big bad wolf was going to eat him or… eat him.

Fen pulled Jeff into their condo and slammed the door behind them. “All you have left? What of me?”

Jeff sighed and ran his hands through that fiery hair. “Grimm took everything from you. I know that. But he took almost everything from me too.”

Fen watched, his heart breaking, as his mate began to pace through the living room. “He took my grandmother. When she was on the happy juice she was the sweetest person you’d ever want to meet. God, I adored that woman. I used to help her plant flowers, for fuck’s sake. Now that she’s off it, she wants nothing to do with us because we chose to allow Logan into our lives. She’s turned into this cold-as-ice bitch queen who takes no prisoners and would rather hand out grenades than cookies.” Jeff’s arms were waving through the air as he yelled at Fen. “He took my sister and tried to turn her into a piñata.” Fen blinked and made a note to ask his father what that might be. He had the feeling it was nothing good. “He took away my faith that the world has certain rules it follows and turned them fucking upside down. And he took my belief that he loved me and made me realize we’re nothing but tools in his stupid power games.” Jeff squared off against him. “The only things I have now are those people in there, Uncle Val, Magnus and Morgan. I even lost my father because he follows Grimm like a fucking puppy dog. Jordan lost both our dad and hers. Grimm’s hurt all of us.”

He collapsed onto one of the chairs that faced the huge television. “I watched Travis sitting there, staring at my sister. She was bruised, broken. Covered in bandages and IV drips with monitors beeping constantly to let us know she was still alive because she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. She had burns and scars all over her from what Grimm did. Fuck, Fen. He crucified my sister.” Jeff looked up at him, and only then did Fen realize the depth of rage in his mate. “Travis is the one who fetched Gungnir and gave it to Kir, making him the leader of the Aesir and Vanir instead of Grimm. He’s been working alongside us to bring Grimm down now that he’s no longer under the influence of the apples. And because he did that, because he let it be known he loves my sister, Grimm took her and tortured her again. Only that time we all knew he planned on killing her. Travis fought him hand to hand both times, and both times Grimm got away.”

His mate was truly upset, on the verge of tears and shaking with fury. Fen decided that, for now, he would soothe his mate the only way he could. With trust. “How? When Tyr wields the blade for justice none can stand against him.”

Fen approached his mate cautiously, uncertain of his welcome. He was infinitely relieved when Jeff did not object to him taking a seat at his feet. He rested his head against Jeff’s knee, taking in his mate’s scent.

“I don’t know. They told me that Uncle Val got behind Grimm and slit his throat, stabbed him in the back, severed his spinal cord and cut his femoral artery, any of which should have been fatal.”

Fen stilled. Vali was the Avenger, the one who had killed Hodr for the murder of Baldur and would kill Fen after Fen killed Grimm. He was born for the sole purpose of avenging Baldur’s death, or so they’d all been taught.

Grimm somehow survived the Avenger’s wrath? “How is that possible?”

“We don’t know.” Jeff’s fingers tangled in his hair. If he’d been a cat he would have purred. “It might be because Baldur hasn’t really died.”

“This is confusing to me. Everything I’ve ever believed has been tossed into the air to fall where it may.” He closed his eyes, weary beyond belief. He hated it when Jeff was angry with him.

“Welcome to my world.” They sat there quietly, each lost in his own thoughts, but the simmering rage had dimmed within his mate, tamed for now by the quiet. Fen felt at peace, the hand in his hair lulling him almost to sleep.

Jeff tugged at one of his curls, waking him from his light doze. “Want to go back for pancakes, sleepyhead?”

He stared up at his mate and saw the peace offering for what it was. “I would like that very much.”

Jeff smiled, and nothing had ever looked so beautiful.

“So. How was your trip to Helheim?” Jeff grinned at Logan, hoping the man would get it. God, you still needed a bazooka to cut through the tension in the room.

Fen was very careful to keep on Travis’s right side at all times. He might pretend that he believed Jeff, but every time Jeff got too close to Travis the wolf’s eyes would track him, ready to spring to his defense at a second’s notice.

It would have been cute if it didn’t make Jeff feel like a wimp.

“Eh. You know. Dark, depressing. Very emo.” Logan shrugged. “The espresso was good, though.”

Kir laughed. Jeff had never met anyone who found joy in everything the way Kir did. Damn them for noticing Jordan first. Jeff would have loved to be the meat in their sandwich.

He didn’t realize Fen had started growling until Logan sat up, all the humor gone from his face. “Fen?”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “Down, boy.”

“I told you, I am not a dog.”

Jeff frowned at him. “Then what are you growling about now?”

“What’s going on?” Jordan’s sharp eyes were watching them, seeing far more than Jeff was comfortable with.

“My mate wishes to have sex with your mates.”

The entire table went quiet.

Jeff stood. He knew he’d gone beet red, but whether it was from embarrassment or anger he wasn’t sure. “Well. That was humiliating. Someone fill Fido here in on a little thing called discretion, hmm? I’m outtie.” He shook off the hands that grabbed for him, too angry to sit and listen to another word. “For the record, yeah. Logan and Kir are hot. But I’d never hurt my sister like that, even if they waved their cocks at me covered in chocolate sauce. Asshole.” He slammed the door shut behind him with a bang and almost headed back for the condo.

Shit. He didn’t want to go there. Fen would head there within seconds. Jeff sprinted for the elevator, hoping it would arrive before Fen did. He had to get out of there for a little bit, get to somewhere where his head wasn’t quite so fucked up. Too much had happened way too fast and he was rapidly going into overload.

He needed to go home.

Jeff made it into the elevator just as Logan’s door shot open. He glared into Fen’s startled face and gave him the finger as the elevator doors shut.

Jeff leaned back against the wall and sighed. He couldn’t be gone too long.

He knew how dangerous it was to be on his own. He wasn’t a god, or even a demi-god. He was just Jeff, a human with a brain that seemed to have turned to mush and a libido that was sniffing after a man who didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. There was only one person besides Jamie he felt he could talk to about any of this, and that was exactly where he planned on heading.

Jeff darted to his car, knowing the odds were good one of his relatives was after him. Whether it was one of the good ones or bad ones he wasn’t sure, but his radar was rarely off. Someone was on his ass, and it wasn’t Fen.

He made it to the car and hopped in.

“Hey, Jeff.”

For the first time in his life he screamed like a little girl.

Jamie giggled in the seat next to him. “Man, I love these new powers.”

“Fuck you.” Jeff peeled out of the spot and almost ran Travis over. “The Samantha Stevens act is gonna get old after a while.”

Jamie wriggled her nose at him and he almost laughed. Almost. “Did you honestly think you’d get to go out by yourself?”

“Being three and all, I’m surprised you let me take out my Big Wheel.”

“Fuck you too, ya big asshole.” Jamie punched him in the arm, and it wasn’t a little love tap, either. “Who’s gonna do the deed?”

Pictures of Fen topping him danced through his head. Not something he would ever discuss with his baby sister. “What deed?”

“Gutter, meet mind. Mind, gutter.”

Jeff was about to pop open her door and shove her out into Center City traffic. After all, she’d heal, thanks to the blood she’d shared with Logan. He contented himself with a low growl, knowing his mom would cap him one if he hurt Jamie. “Could you answer the question, please?”

She turned on the radio and began bopping her head to the music. “Who do you want to share blood with?” He almost missed the turn-off for Broad Street.

“Think carefully. You share with Logan, you could get fire magic, like Jordan, or healing, like me. Or shapeshifting. You share with Kir, you’ll be immortal. You share with Tyr, you might get light magic, or whatever the hell else he can do that I’m still trying to pry out of him.”

“Use more sex.”

She stared out the car window. “Wow! Look at your brain roll down the street! Wonder what’ll happen when it lands at City Hall.”

“Please. You know how many brains are in the gutter over there?” He almost smiled when she giggled. “Why did they pick you to bodyguard me? All out of Hel-hounds?”

“Har-de-har-har. Dickhead. Just for that I’m deleting all your saved Vincente pictures.”

“Hey! No need to be mean.” Jeff grinned, already beginning to feel better.

“You could share with Fen.”

He shot her a look. “Sure I could. I could also introduce his furry ass to an Epilady.” She sputtered, choking on a laugh. “Seriously. I was watching Animal Planet and they showed this really ugly dog. It only had hair on its head and its tail. I bet Fen could rock that look. It would be like the doggie version of a reverse Mohawk.” He allowed an evil grin to cross his face. “You should have seen the look on his face when he saw it. Horr-i-fied.”

She laughed so hard she started crying.

He pulled up outside the brownstone his parents owned. For all Grimm and Sons made shit-tons of money, his parents had never lived rich. His mom hadn’t wanted to move out of her neighborhood to the ’burbs, and his father had agreed to accommodate her because he adored the ground the woman walked on.

He wondered now how much of that was because he knew she’d die long before he did.

Jeff found a parking spot and slid in neat as a pin. Together, the twins headed for the most important woman in their lives.

Jeanne Grimm, aka Mom.

Fen was still staring at the front door of his father’s condo an hour later, waiting for his mate to come back. He’d been a fool, and his father had let him know it in no uncertain terms. The glowing terms Loki—no, he was Logan now, and Fenrisùlfr was proud to call himself Fenris Saeter. The glowing terms Logan had painted Jeff in would have made things worse if he hadn’t sensed the underlying affection was more filial than anything.

Then Baldur, or Kir as he now preferred to be called, had taken over, telling him about how Jeff had stood by them, human though he was. He was the weakest among them, but he stood at their sides, insisting he be included in the fight for their lives and the lives of their children. Kir let it be known he had every intention of sharing blood with Jeff as soon as the man returned.

When he was done Jordan had just shaken her head at him. “You know, he wouldn’t be this pissed if he didn’t care what you think about him.”

She’d walked away, not knowing that with those words she’d been the one to fire the fatal shot. Or perhaps she had. She was a smart one, his father’s wife.

Now he sat alone on the big white sofa, his only company the one person he thought he’d never want to be alone with again, and waited for forgiveness that might not come.

“He likes you.”

Fen turned toward Tyr—no, Travis—and did his best to keep his expression neutral. “How do you know?”

“I’ve known him since he was sixteen years old. He and his sister have always been a handful.” Travis shook his head, lost in memories. “I once thought that Jeff followed where Jamie led.”

“And now?”

Travis smiled, his eyes misting over. “He’s pure alpha.” Travis leaned forward, his hand dangling between his knees. “He followed because he wanted to protect her and he knew only a force of nature could stop her.”

“Because she’s alpha too.”

Travis nodded. “Do yourself a favor. Don’t cut him out of the loop. Don’t order him around. If you want him as badly as I know you do, make him want you. But most of all, never, and I mean never, get between Jeffrey Grimm and his siblings or he’ll root out your balls with a dull spoon and feed them to an alligator.”

The intensity of Travis’s stare almost unnerved him, but Fen had stared Odin himself down and laughed in his face. “They are his family.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah. We are. And now we’re yours, too, if you’ll let us be.”

Fen laughed, the sound bitter. “I thought you were once before too.” He closed his eyes, still trying to reconcile the man he’d hated for centuries with the urbane, twenty-first-century Travis who ate pancakes and loved the crazy redheaded twin of his mate. “I’ll try.”

It was the best he could do at the moment.

“Thank you.” When Fen opened his eyes he was startled to see tears in Travis’s. “I know you don’t believe me, but I loved you like a son. It’s why I volunteered to save you, even though I knew you’d probably try to kill me the moment you were free.”

Fen couldn’t look at him anymore. He had thought about killing Travis more than once since he’d been freed. Only Jeff’s presence, his trust in Travis and his twin, had stayed Fen’s hand.

“Like I told your fathers, justice has been a long time coming for you and your siblings, but I’m going to do my best to fix that. If you’ll let me.”

He stared at Travis’s stump and suddenly realized why Grimm had been able to defeat Travis. If his sword hand had still been there Grimm would at least have been damaged. “I’d say we’re almost even.”

“Almost?”

The cautious hope in Travis’s voice was something Fen had to respond to if he was ever to heal the breech the way his mate wished. He sat up and stared into Travis’s eyes. “Save my siblings and any bad blood between us will be erased.”

“Done.”

The ring of magic in the god’s voice sealed the deal, as the God of Justice glowed so brightly Fen could no longer see him.

“Damn it. Logan threw out my mistletoe again. Shit.”

Fen blinked and turned to find Kir, hands on his hips, his bottom lip between his teeth. “Trav? Think you can hook me up?”

“Planning on committing seppuku?” Travis darted a look at Fen, the look full of cautious affection. “Um. That means ritual suicide.”

Fen smiled. “Thank you.” Fen tilted his head and, for his mate’s sake, decided to take the first step in forgiving Travis. “Could you tell me something?”

“What?”

“What’s an alligator?”

Kir laughed. For a split second Fen had forgotten his other father was there.

“I plan on…hmm.” His eyes narrowed in speculation just before a happy smile crossed his face. “You know, I bet Fen would be fascinated by the Internet, don’t you? Great place to learn about America and history and alligators and stuff like that.” Kir waved his hand absently. “Why don’t you show him how to work the computer?”

Jordan sauntered into the room and winked at Travis. “Just don’t show him Vincente.”

This was beginning to annoy him. Who was Vincente, and what did the man have to do with Fenris’s mate?

“This is such a nice surprise!” Jeanne Grimm tugged Jeff and Jamie into her home, her expression filled with that pure sunshine she constantly seemed to emit. She was what Jordan would look like in her fifties if Jordan had the same kind of sunny personality. The only thing Jordan had inherited from her father, Adam Grey, was her dark eyes. Jeanne’s were the same hazel as Jeff’s.

If Jeff didn’t know better he’d swear his mother was a goddess too.

“Your father told me you two had gone on vacation and that Travis sent you to Europe. When did you get back?” She dragged them into the kitchen and pointed at the small table. “Sit.”

Jeff sat next to his sister and the pair exchanged a look. Their mother didn’t know Jamie had been in the hospital? “Uh, not long ago.”

“How was the trip? And why the hell didn’t you call me? What, they don’t have phones in the Caribbean?” Jeanne pulled three glasses out of the cabinet and opened the fridge.

Oh no. No way was he lying to his mother. That would get him sent straight to hell. But he could deflect her attention. “Jamie got engaged.”

Their mother gasped and before they knew it Jamie was enveloped in a patented Jeanne bear hug. “Oh, my baby. Travis proposed?”

“Can’t. Breathe.”

Jeanne pushed Jamie back. “Ring.” She wiggled her fingers. Jamie held out her hand and showed her mother the two-carat heart-shaped solitaire on her finger. The smile Jeanne wore wasn’t marred at all by the tears that sprang into her eyes. “Oh, sweetie. He gave you his heart.” She enveloped Jamie once more.

“Does your father know? And why didn’t Travis come with you today?”

They exchanged a look and Jamie shrugged. “He’s working.”

Jeanne tsk’d. “Well. You tell him to come over here to help with the wedding plans or I’ll send your father to fetch him.”

Jeff tried to keep the horror of that thought from his face. “Yes’m.”

Jeanne frowned at Jamie. “This calls for a celebration!” Jamie was plunked once more into her seat. “It’s a little early for champagne.” Jeanne opened the fridge, pulling something out. “I’m all out of OJ, damn it. Anyone want apple juice?”

Both of her children bolted from the table and knocked the open bottle clean out of her hands.

Grimm couldn’t believe his eyes. What was she doing there? There was no way, no way fate would be that cruel.

Then again, considering who he was staring at, the point was obviously moot.

“You think she’s there to consult with them about the prophecy?” Rina’s gaze roamed the park, ever vigilant. She’d taken it upon herself to be his bodyguard, and he’d never had one better. She was a true warrior queen, and Grimm couldn’t be happier with her.

“Yes.” He watched Skuld, the Norn of the Future, enter the Rittenhouse Square condo building Loki and Baldur were holed up in. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Should we take her out?”

“Too late. She’s already inside. If she tells them what they want to know, everything could go to hell.”

“Then we find a way to stop the prophecy from ever happening.”

He turned to stare into her pale, cold eyes, eyes so much like her stupid son’s that for a moment he saw red. “How?”

“Kill the wolf before he kills you.”

He sat back in his seat. The only reason he’d kept Fenrisùlfr alive was to appease Tyr. If the God of Justice had been roused, then his rule of the Aesir and Vanir would have been challenged, and Grimm couldn’t have that. Now that Tyr was no longer under the influence, keeping Fenrisùlfr alive was no longer a necessity. “Do it.”

“Clean kill or fun kill?”

He loved the way her mind worked. “Oh, fun kill. Definitely.” If this didn’t work it would be time to go for the clean kill. Grimm was almost done playing, but making Loki hurt through his children was a game that never got old.

She grinned at him, both of them in perfect accord.

Chapter Four

“I still don’t understand why I had to throw away perfectly good apple juice.” Jeanne huffed out a breath and glared at her children as they finished cleaning up the mess they’d made. “It’s not like it was drugged or something.”

Jeff and Jamie exchanged a look. How should they tell their mother that she might be wrong?

“Something strange is going on. Your father’s been acting weird, you two go away for weeks, Jordan won’t answer her phone and the Old Man is missing, presumed dead. Oh, and my mother-in-law has now become my monster-in-law.” Her hands landed on her hips and Jeff cringed. “You two are going to tell me what’s going on, or so help you God you’ll live to regret it.”

“Mom—” Jamie started as she took her seat again.

“Don’t you Mom me, young lady. You think I can’t tell when my children are hiding something from me? Either you tell me the truth or I’ll march myself down to Jordan’s condo and drag it out of her if I have to torture her.”

Jamie flinched and swallowed. She might be healed, but the memories ate at her. When it got really bad only Jeff, Travis or Uncle Val could calm her. Not even Jordan could keep Jamie’s memories at bay.

“Jamie?” The anger turned to protective concern, reminding Jeff where his own temper came from. “What’s wrong, baby girl?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” But the speculative look on her face said his little sister was thinking of telling their mother anyway. Oh boy. Jeff sat back down and prepared for the fireworks. Jamie was going to tell their mother everything. When she did, Grimm wouldn’t be able to dig a deep enough hole to hide in.

Fenris started at the sound of a knock on the front door. Jeff still wasn’t back, and he’d decided to bide his time in their condo rather than his father’s. He just couldn’t take much more of the “Internet” without losing his mind.

Travis had assured him that he had his own “high-speed connection” in the condo he shared with Jeff. Well, Fen had seen enough “high speed” to last him an eternity, thank you very much. Battery operated, PVC-wearing, vibrating high speed. In new, fun colors, no less. See-through double-headed purple penises?

Which god had been responsible for inspiring humans to make that?

Fen shook his head. Humans had evolved into a very strange species. He was glad Jeff would soon no longer be a part of it. Rubber things you shoved up your ass were not something Fenris wanted to experience, especially not in that shade of purple. No matter how pretty the sparkles were.

He shuddered and clenched his butt cheeks at the thought.

Admittedly, some of the things he’d seen had been interesting. He’d learned a few new tricks, found a few new ideas he’d love to show his mate, if only the man would forgive him and come home.

The knock came again, startling him out of his thoughts. He opened the door, astonished at who was on the other side. “Skuld?”

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed female before him tilted her head with a frown. She seemed confused. “Who?”

“Your name is Skuld, is it not?” Now Fen was confused.

“Uh, no. My name’s Skye, and you’re in my condo.”

“I am not. I am in my own condo.” It was filled with things that reminded him of home. He adored the hand-painted chest, the sturdy leather furniture.

The television he would adapt to, and as for the computer… He shivered.

Perhaps not.

“Look.” She darted a glance behind her. “Can I come in? There’s something really weird going on, and I think the condo manager is out to get you, Mr.

Saeter.”

That piqued his interest. This could be a trap laid by Grimm, but he didn’t think so. When she’d denied being Skuld he couldn’t smell a lie on her. It was possible he was wrong—it had been so long since the last time he’d seen the three Norns of Fate.

He held the door open wider. “Please do.”

She entered cautiously and stared around the room. “Wow. It doesn’t even look like my place anymore.”

“Because it belongs to me and my mate.” He closed the door behind her.

“That’s just it. It doesn’t.” She took a seat on the sofa gingerly, barely making herself comfortable. Fen was careful to take the chair with the wolf heads, unwilling to make her too nervous. She seemed as if she could break at any moment. “I went on vacation recently, and when I got back I found not only has my condo been moved, my whole life has been moved. Hell, even the dust marks are still there.”

Uh-oh. Fen was beginning to get the picture. This woman, who claimed not to be a Norn, had either shaken off his father’s misdirection spell or had never fallen under its influence to begin with. Only two races could withstand the magic of the gods—the Norns and the Valkyries, both female, both powerful in their magic. If this woman wasn’t one or the other, then she was descended from them somehow. Could she be one of Skuld’s daughters? That would account for the uncanny resemblance.

“Hello? Am I boring you? It’s not like this little problem doesn’t affect both our lives, especially with the police involved.”

“Police?”

“Yeah. I think I saw a police detective knocking on one of the condo doors before I got here. If you and your…roommate somehow managed to pull a fast one the cops will figure it out before you can say ten to twenty.”

Pappa was not going to be happy about this. “They are at my father’s, then.”

He stood. “Come. We will clear this up.” He hoped. If Logan couldn’t fix this, then they were all screwed.

“Gods.” Their mother was staring at them as if they’d just told her pumpkins were growing on her behind. “You’re telling me the entire Grimm family is chock full of Norse gods. And that I married one.” One of Jeanne’s eyebrows rose into her hair. Her voice was full of disbelief. “And you’re engaged to one.”

“Yup.” Jamie sipped her coffee, but Jeff could see her hands shaking. “Do you have any creamer?”

“Okay. Fine.” Jeanne stood and snatched the cup from Jamie’s fingers. “If you don’t want to tell me what’s going on, that’s fine. You don’t have to. But you know how I feel about being lied to.”

Jamie took a deep breath. “Mom?”

“Yes?” Jeanne’s voice was as cold as it ever got, which meant it was about as cold as a spring morning. The woman just didn’t have it in her to be mean to anyone.

“Look at my chair.”

Jeff winced. He knew where this was going—up. He now understood why Logan had asked if he and Jamie were ready for Plan A-1, because he had the feeling their butts were about to be well done.

Jeanne shrieked as Jamie’s chair rose a good five feet off the floor. She kept going until her curls brushed the ceiling. She glowed faintly, illuminating the ceiling. “Yeah, Mom. Gods.”

Jeanne was breathing heavily. She stood just off to the side of Jamie’s floating chair, her hands waving under it. She was breathing so hard Jeff was afraid she’d hyperventilate. “This isn’t a trick.”

“No, it’s not. And it gets worse.”

“Worse how?”

Jamie floated to the ground. “Do you want to know what happened to Grimm?”

Jeff decided enough was enough. His mother needed to know everything that had happened to them, especially Jamie. “And what he did to Jamie?”

Jeanne froze. Her eyes glittered, her lips went tight and her fists clenched at her sides. “What do you mean, what he did to Jamie?”

For the first time since he was a little boy, Jeff was afraid of his mother.

“Fen, come in. I’d like you to meet Detective Antonia Mancinelli and the building manager, Joe Stearman. Toni, Joe, this is my—” Logan eyed Skye, standing quietly next to Fen, and smoothly uttered the lie “—cousin, Fenris Saeter.”

Fen smiled at Antonia, who paled at the sight of him. “Hello, Detective.

Stearman.”

Stearman nodded his greeting, his expression one of unholy glee. “You need to vacate the premises immediately.”

Logan crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t think so.”

“You’re the only one who could have caused this kind of grief. I know your type. You’re a troublemaker to the core.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “And I told you that you don’t have the authority to evict him. He’s not a tenant, he’s a homeowner.” She turned to Logan. “Sorry about this. I’m not even sure why he brought me here instead of over to the problem condo.”

“Because his cousin is the one who’s now living in the stolen condo.”

Stearman crossed his arms over his chest, but thanks to a paunch it wasn’t nearly as impressive as when Logan did it. “He had to be the one who messed with the paperwork.”

“Um, excuse me.” Skye stepped into the room, her eyes going wide as Logan’s wards flared around her body. “Whoa.”

Logan was staring at her in shock. “Do I know you?”

Skye blinked. “Um. The condo you all are mentioning? It’s mine.”

Toni turned to her. “Can you explain to me the nature of your complaint?”

Kir hooked his arm around Logan’s neck. “I thought Toni was homicide.” He whispered in Logan’s ear low enough that only Fenris could hear it.

Logan shrugged, but his dark gaze were glued to Skye.

“I was away on vacation. When I got back, my key didn’t fit the lock.”

“How the fuck did she even get on the floor?” Clouds raced across Kir’s eyes as he watched the group by his front door. His fingers danced across the pendant he wore.

Fenris’s eyes went wide. Was that Gungnir? If it was, and if Kir believed Logan was threatened, this would get ugly fast.

“So I went to complain and found out that everyone believed my condo was actually a different number than it really is.” Skye’s cheeks flushed. “They all thought I was crazy, and sure enough my key fit in a different lock two floors up.

All my belongings had been moved.”

Toni was looking at her like she was crazy. “I’m sorry, but if everyone remembers you having a different condo, your key fits that condo, your belongings are in that condo…how is that not your condo?”

She gestured toward the front door. “I can prove it.”

“How?”

“The front door of my condo has my name in blue marker on the jamb. I signed it because it was my first home, and even if I moved out I wanted to be remembered.”

Logan looked like he’d been punched. That couldn’t be a good sign. But then he waved his fingers and Fen knew he’d fixed the problem.

Skye winced and shook her head. “Did you hear that?”

Kir choked. Logan didn’t. He was still watching Skye like a hawk.

Kir was now looking at Skye with something akin to horror. “Um. Yes. A ringing sound?” He grinned sickly when Skye nodded. “Phone. Logan just went to answer it.”

Logan pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pretended to talk to someone.

The detective was watching the way Logan and Kir reacted, and she looked less than amused. “How do you explain the key working in the door of your allegedly new condo?”

Skye shrugged. “Magic?”

Logan turned and stalked to the window, but not before Fen got a look at his face.

For some reason his father was terrified.

“Look. Logan and I have nothing to say to Mr. Stearman. He’s harassed us from day one. As for you, Ms.…?” Kir gave the woman his most charming smile, and Fen saw it work its magic. Skye relaxed under the warm heat of Kir’s friendly gaze.

“Skylar Kincade. You can call me Skye.”

Kir’s smile turned to a grin. “Skye. I’m not sure what to tell you. When Fen and Jeff moved in, the condo was empty.”

The building manager frowned at the detective. “I believe Ms. Kincade.”

The detective shrugged. “I can look into this, Ms. Kincade, but if all of your bank paperwork shows you own the condo two floors up there’s nothing I can do about it, signed door jamb or not. All the evidence points to you owning a nicer place than Mr. Saeter and Mr. Grimm anyway, so I’m not sure what all the fuss is about.”

Logan nodded minutely, letting Fen and Kir know that paperwork had long since been changed along with the rest. His father hadn’t been this thorough in his youth, but loving and protecting Kir had taught the man caution. The simple bit of mischief, changing paperwork to match reality, was child’s play to Loki.

“But—”

“C’mon, Stearman. Let’s leave these nice people to their lives. There’s nothing to see here.” She grabbed hold of the office manager’s arm. “Have a nice day.”

She shoved him out the front door and shut it behind him. She then wiped her hand on her jeans. “Why do I feel greasy?”

Kir chuckled. “He has that effect on a lot of people.”

She turned and glared at Kir. “I know you’re up to something. And don’t even try that innocent act. It doesn’t work on me.” She then pointed at Logan.

“What did you do?”

“Uh, excuse me? Detective?” Skye tapped her on the shoulder. “Are you saying you believe me?”

Toni sighed. “I’m not sure, but Logan and Kir are up to something. I’m just trying to figure out what.”

“So you do believe me.”

“Where these two are concerned, I believe anything.”

Fen shook his head and made his way to the kitchen. Logan wouldn’t mind if Fen… What had Jeff called it? Oh yes. Raided his fridge. Fen was starving, and the rare roast beef in the odd, crinkly wrapping was calling his name.

Fen took a bite and nearly moaned out loud. The flavor was incredible despite being cold. But even the meat couldn’t quite rid Fen of his real hunger.

When was Jeff going to come home? Fen was bored without his mate nearby.

He still had some making up to do, and he really wanted to get to it. He had just the thing in mind for penance too. The thought of spreading Jeff out on their bed and licking every inch of his skin ought to do the trick.

“I’m going to kick your father’s ass when he gets home.” Jeanne was pale, but at least she’d stopped shaking. “He’s lied to me for years.”

“He had reason.” Jeff held his mother’s hand, the original reason for his visit long since forgotten. “How do you tell the woman you love that you’re really the God of Thunder?”

Jeanne hmph’d. “I’ve lived with him for almost thirty years. Trust me, every time he hits the bathroom with a magazine in his hand I’m reminded how much thunder he’s capable of.” She shook her head. “Have I been drugged?”

Jeff studied his mother. Her eyes were clear, her responses natural. “No. I don’t think so. But it’s possible that you were while Grimm was in charge.”

She grimaced. “Did he know he was doing it to me, or do you think Grimm made it seem reasonable?”

“I don’t know.” Jeff squeezed her hand. “I know Jamie and I were under the influence and we never knew, not until Travis, Kir and Logan told us what was going on. Even Morgan and Magnus were under it. None of us were safe.”

“It’s all Grimm’s fault, Mom.” Jamie was pacing, unable to sit still with their mother so upset. “Blame him.”

“Your sister blames your father.”

“Dad beat on Logan. She’ll get over it. Eventually.” Jeff ran his fingers through his hair and decided to get the last little bit out in one big rush of words.

“By the way, Logan’s son is living with me and I think he wants me because he keeps calling me his mate and his name is Fenris and oh God, what am I gonna do?”

Jeanne paled even further. “Fenris? As in the wolf?”

Jeff nodded. “Yeah. Big furry guy with lots and lots of teeth.”

Jamie patted his arm. “The better to eat you with, my dear.”

“Jamie!” Jamie winced at their mother’s shriek. Jeanne took a deep breath.

“Yeah. I think I need whiskey.” Jeanne blinked. “Or a Road Kill. That might be better.”

Jamie giggled. Their mother had been a bartender once and still kept up with her skills. “Can we order in pizza?”

Jeff groaned and covered his eyes. “C’mon! I have a real problem here.”

“Yeah, he’s got a real problem. Hot and hairy wants to get hot and heavy with him.”

“Jamie.” Jeff growled at his sister.

“Fen’s way scarier.”

Jeff gave his sister the finger.

His mother gave him a whack upside the head on her way to the bar, where she mixed up enough Irish whiskey, Bacardi and Wild Turkey to fell an ox.

This day was just getting better and better. By the time the pizza was devoured and the pitcher was empty, Jeff didn’t have a fucking care in the world.

Fen heard the key in the lock and bolted upright. He’d been lying down on his couch, watching some show on television where men dressed like women and competed for some sort of prize. He’d been startled to find that he liked it.

He’d pictured Jeff’s wild curls cascading down his back and moaned at the thought. He took a deep breath, scenting the air to see who was at the door.

“Jeff.” Fen sat up with a low growl, angered that his mate had been gone until dark. How dare he worry Fen like this?

Jeff stumbled through the open door, giggling in that hushed tone that told Fen all he needed to know. His mate was drunk, and Fen was furious. How could he take such little care for his safety? Grimm was still out there, and his mate was off getting drunk? Fen was ready to strip him down, tie him to their bed and leave him there where Fen knew he’d be safe.

“Night, Jamie, Travis.”

A female giggle was followed by the soft, deep voice of Tyr. The voices drifted away and Jeff shut the door behind them. At least Jeff hadn’t been alone out there, even if he’d relied on the uncertain powers of a newborn Lios Alfar.

He waited until Jeff had made it halfway to the bedroom before growling low in his throat. He wanted his mate to know exactly how upset Fen was with him.

What he didn’t expect was Jeff’s reaction. The man spun, a dark, deadly looking weapon in hand, the hollow end pointing in Fen’s direction. The move had been so smooth, so quick, Fen had barely seen it.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was impressed.

“Fen?” Even his voice was lethal, cold and predatory. It was sexy as hell.

“Who else would be waiting for you, mate?”

Jeff sighed and pocketed the weapon. “Jesus, you startled me.”

Fen growled again. “Where were you?”

“At my mother’s.”

Fen damn near exploded. Fur sprouted along his arms and legs. His teeth extended. He could see Jeff perfectly, his eyes having shifted over to a wolf’s.

“You went to Thor’s home?”

From Jeff’s wince perhaps he shouldn’t have shouted quite so loudly. His mate looked pained.

Then again, perhaps a little pain would teach his mate to take better care.

“I went to my parents’ house because you pissed me off, dickhead.” Jeff turned and stormed off. He went straight to the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

Fen followed. If Jeff thought this was over he was sorely mistaken. His hand was an inch from the doorknob when it opened abruptly. A pillow hit him in the face, followed by a blanket. Then the door slammed shut again.

Was this what humans called “being in the doghouse”?

The click of the lock was loud in the wake of Jeff’s anger. But Jeff had forgotten one thing when he’d locked that door.

Fenris Saeter was his father’s son.

No more Mr. Lap Dog. It was time Jeffrey Grimm learned what it meant to be the mate of Fenrisùlfr. Fen took the blanket and the pillow and placed them neatly on the sofa. He then turned to the bedroom door and proceeded to pick the fucking lock.

It seemed that the Internet was good for some things after all.

Jeff turned on the shower and stepped under the cool spray, trying to work the rest of the booze out of his system before he left the bathroom and confronted the wolf at his door. There was no way he could hope to get the best of Fenris if he was drunk off his ass, quick-draw skills notwithstanding. Jeff shot his fingers from his hips, pointing his “guns” at the shower wall before collapsing against it in giggles.

Damn, his mother sure made a mean Road Kill.

He stared down at his hands, still in the shape of guns, and shivered. He could have shot Fen back in the living room, all because he’d allowed himself to relax enough to get drunk. What would he have done if he’d hurt Fen? The memory of pained whimpers filled him with remorse. He didn’t want Fen to hurt anymore.

The room spun as he picked up the shampoo from the edge of the tub. God, he was drunker than he’d thought. At least he’d had the sense to come home in a cab.

His mind blanked at a sudden thought. Could Fen get drunk? Would that healing power of his keep him from hangovers? Jeff winced, knowing his head was probably going to fall off his shoulders tomorrow.

Come to think of it, would bullets hurt Fen, or would they just be an annoyance? Jeff soaped up his hair, his mind whirling. Wait. Fen was a werewolf, right? Would silver bullets hurt him? Kill him? Jeff found the thought…terrifying. Just the thought of Fen dead was enough to tie his stomach in knots. The memory of the sword through his jaws, blood dripping down his chin, his sad, pained whines had Jeff gulping in nausea.

Oh shit. This was really bad. He didn’t want Fen to hurt. Ever.

When the hell did that happen?

What the fuck was he supposed to do now? No one told him he was going to develop feelings for the hairy prick. Oh sure, he wanted to ride the man like a buckle bunny at a rodeo, but damn. He hadn’t even kissed Fen yet and he was worried about him getting hurt? He couldn’t have feelings for him! Lust, sure.

Lust was okay. That’s all it had to be, right? Pure, unadulterated, bang-the-headboard-into-the-wall-until-the-neighbors-complained lust.

Jeff scrubbed his hair clean, rinsing the bubbles down the drain, and knew he was lying to himself. Shit. This was not good. Fenris Saeter was in the Bad Thing category, and Jeff didn’t do Bad Things no matter what his cock thought. He picked up the soap and began washing his body, but when he got to his aching, erect penis he scowled. “I’m in charge here. Got it? No more Bad Things! They’re bad!”

A dark chuckle cut through the sound of the pounding water. “What would that bad thing be, elskede?”

Jeff dropped the soap. The water had barely steamed the glass door, so he could see Fenris clearly. Fen was naked, and while Jeff’s brain yelled bad. Jeff’s body yelled ride ’em, cowboy!

Jeff could barely take his eyes off Fen’s strong, hairy chest, but when they drifted southward he saw the wolfman was sporting an erection that would make a porn star proud. “How the fuck did you get in here?”

“I picked the lock.”

Jeff didn’t dare bend over to pick up the soap, not with the hungry way Fen was eyeing his ass. “Where did you learn to do that?”

Fen grinned and opened the glass door. “Internet.” He palmed Jeff’s ass in his big hands. “You are so beautiful.”

“Eep.” Jeff backed away from Fenris. “I’m sorry, the ass you are trying to tap is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone. Oh, fuck.” Jeff leaned back, completely ignoring the cold tile. A blizzard could be raging around him and he didn’t think he’d notice. Fen had taken Jeff’s cock in his hand, stroking him with a sure, firm grip. The rough calluses on his hands merely turned up the volume. Jeff tended to go for guys with soft hands from working on computers or running numbers, but Fen’s hands felt so fucking good, so primal.

He stared up into Fen’s golden eyes as the wolf slowly jacked him under the water. Just the sight of those eyes had him close to coming. “This is not good.”

“No? How about this?” Fen twisted his wrist, adding a little something extra to the hand job, and Jeff hissed his pleasure. “Better?”

Jeff couldn’t speak. He was too busy trying not to come all over Fen’s hand.

“What are you doing to me?”

The grin would have been wolfish without the sharp teeth. With them, it was downright scary. “Claiming you.”

Jeff grabbed hold of Fen’s wrist but only succeeded in adding his own motion to the wolf’s. Trying to stop Fen when he had a firm grip on Jeff’s cock was like trying to stem the tide with a stern talking to. “Most men go on dates before—oh hell.” Fen was licking the side of his neck, nuzzling at him until Jeff tilted his head to Fen’s satisfaction. The feel of Fen’s whiskers dragging against his skin sent him that much closer to orgasm. The only reason he hadn’t come all over the other man’s hand was the Road Kills still in his bloodstream. They were keeping him barely mellow enough to hold on.

He could feel Fen’s hard cock nudging his hip as the wolf pressed against him. Fen was bigger, taller, just plain old more than Jeff had ever had before. He wasn’t sure what to make of it all. One minute he’s chasing down cheating spouses, the next he’s got a wolf in the shower with him, claiming Jeff belongs to him.

“You think too much, elskede. Stop. Just feel me. Feel us.”

Fen’s wrist did that twisty thing again, and Jeff was positive he’d never be capable of rational thought again.

“Let me in, elskede. Let me inside you.” Fen whispered against his neck, his breath brushing over his skin.

Jeff shivered. Fen’s cock was so hot against him, despite the cool water. As good as Fen’s hand felt against him, he longed to know what it would feel like if the wolf took him against the wall, filled him, made them both howl.

“That’s it. Let me in.” Cool, slick fingers probed Jeff’s ass, sinking in past the ring of muscles guarding his entrance. He hissed at the distant sting and tried to pull away, but only succeeded in thrusting his cock through Fen’s fingers.

He didn’t want to know what Fen was using for lube. Had he grabbed the olive oil off the kitchen counter? Was he using Jeff’s shampoo? Did he even know what lube was?

“Again, you’re thinking. I’ll have to try harder.”

Jeff whimpered. Any harder and, Road Kills or not, he was a goner.

“Tell me where, elskede. Tell me where to touch you.”

Jeff couldn’t speak, something none of his family would believe possible. He always had something to say, even if they didn’t want to hear it. He reached up and tweaked his nipples. Within seconds Fen had brushed one of his hands away with his chin, taking Jeff’s nipple into his mouth and suckling on it until Jeff was reduced to needy moans.

He had to have Fen inside him. He had to. “Now. Fuck, now, Fen.”

Fen’s hand left his cock, and he heard the unmistakable sound of squishing as Fen lubed himself up. Fen lifted him by his thighs and lined himself up with Jeff’s hole. “Mine.”

He thrust, and Jeff saw a whole galaxy of stars. “God,” he choked, clinging to Fen’s shoulders. The wolf pounded into him, intense, feral. Jeff had never had a lover like him before. “More.”

“More you shall have.” Fen powered into him, sending Jeff screaming over the edge, the orgasm so strong Jeff’s world went white. Before he knew it his head was buried against Fen’s shoulder, his breath coming in pants as the wolf growled out his own release.

“Jesus Christ on a pogo stick.” He ignored Fen’s questioning sound. “Had a little pent-up sexual tension there, huh?”

“It has been a while.” Fen’s voice was low, growly. Sleepy. His accent had thickened, turning Ws into Vs again. “Water is cold.”

“Uh-huh.” Jeff nuzzled closer to Fen and Fen chuckled. “Gotta dry my hair.”

Too bad he couldn’t figure out how to pry his eyes open.

Fen reached around and turned off the water, somehow still keeping a hold of Jeff and not dropping him on his ass. The man had talent, that was for sure.

“Bed, elskede?”

“Mm-hmm.” He’d ask Fen what that word meant tomorrow. After he’d slept off the Road Kills and incredible sex. “Still need to dry my hair.” His ass hit cold marble and a towel was dropped on his head. Fen briskly dried off his hair, practically imbedding cotton into Jeff’s skull in the process. When he emerged from the towel he was semi-awake and glaring. “Not like that. With a blow dryer and gel and stuff.” He blew his bangs out of his eyes.

“Gel?” Fen’s fingers danced across his ass.

“Think out-of-control curls.” If he didn’t get them under control he’d look like Ronald McDonald after a week-long bender in Vegas—big grin, bad hair.

Fen ran his fingers through Jeff’s hair. “I think you should grow it longer.”

“Uh-huh. Sorry, I’m already a bottom, I don’t need to be a flaming bottom.”

At Fen’s inquiring look, Jeff explained, “I don’t want to look female.”

Both of Fen’s brows rose as he flipped back his own shoulder-length locks.

“Do I look feminine to you?”

“Hell no, but for you it’s different.” Jeff yawned and, before he knew it, he was sprawled out on the bed with a wolf draped over him like a living blanket.

Not that he was going to complain about it. “You have the whole bad-boy thing going on. People look at you and think tough. I grow my hair out, and people look at me and think of Charlie Brown’s redheaded girl.”

Fen wrapped his hand around Jeff’s cock. “Trust me. You are not a girl.

Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.”

Jeff yawned again wide enough his jaw ached.

“Sleep, elskede. I will be here when you wake.” A soft kiss landed on his cheek.

Well, hell. Why did that make him feel better? Jeff snuggled closer to his wolf and drifted off, held in Fen’s arms. His last thought was that maybe giving himself to the wolf wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Chapter Five

Fen awoke the next morning to a mumbling armful of red-head. Jeff was muttering to himself, the sound cranky and oddly endearing. He felt the man leave their bed and stumble toward the bathing room. He settled back down, knowing his mate was safe and not going anywhere. Jeff was going to relieve himself and use that awful toothpaste stuff he insisted on. Fen shuddered. If his mate insisted on using it he’d have to find something that didn’t taste quite so awful.

Fen sat up and rubbed at his eyes, stretching and yawning. He ignored the curses flowing from the bathing room. He did not hear his name, so the anger was not directed at him. He scratched his stomach and headed for the bedroom door. He would have his mate’s coffee brewing before he left the bathing room.

The brown liquid, or “liquid gold”, as Jeff called it, would put his mate in a considerably better frame of mind.

The whistle coming from his couch had him turning, claws ready to protect and defend.

“Morning to you too.”

Fen understood now why his father called Jamie a pita. She could certainly be a pain in the ass at times. “Good morning, sister of my mate.” He frowned.

“Why are you here instead of with Tyr?”

She shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “We had a fight.” She eyed him up and down, the look curiously clinical. “Could you go put some clothes on?”

Fen looked down at his nakedness. Jeff would throw one of his fits if he knew Fen was naked in front of his sister. “If you will put on coffee for Jeff.”

“Done.” She stood, grinning at him. “Did you two have fun last night?”

With that evil grin on her face he’d have thought she was a daughter of Loki.

“Yes, we did.” He shut the door on her laughter and grabbed the pants his mate handed him. “Jamie’s here.”

The quick concern worried Fen. “I’ll go talk to her.”

Fen nodded and watched his mate stalk from the bedroom, those riotous red curls sticking straight up from his mate’s head.

“Jesus, Jeff. What happened to your head? You look like you got attacked by a beaver.”

Fen shook his head and went to brush his teeth. Almost as soon as he’d turned the water on Jeff was back. His mate grabbed a brush and left without a word.

Fen hurried through his routine, wincing at the taste of the toothpaste. He left the bedroom and walked into the living room, the scent of the coffee strong.

He found the twins seated on the sofa, Jeff running a brush through his twin’s curls, his own sticking up all over his head. Fen would dearly love to watch those curls grow down to Jeff’s waist. It would be glorious and wild and strong, just like his man.

Right now? Fen stifled a laugh. Jamie was right. It did look like his mate’s head had been attacked by an animal.

“So he thinks we made the wrong decision.”

Jamie nodded. “He got really upset and said he needed to go save Mom from Dad. But Dad wouldn’t hurt Mom, would he?”

The brush paused. “Only if he’s still on the juice and Grimm orders him to.

But he might fight it.”

“Oh God.” Jamie buried her face in her hands. “Maybe we shouldn’t have told her.”

The brush resumed its path. “No. She deserved to know.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Fen watched the twins together, the one grooming the other, soothing each other with their presence, and knew he’d never be able to take his mate far from her. It would kill them both to be separated. They needed each other in ways only another wolf could understand.

They were a pack of two trying to become a pack of four. What made it more difficult was that all four were alpha and bound to clash.

“What are we gonna do, Jeff?”

The whisper was so soft Fen wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear it.

The brush moved smoothly through Jamie’s hair. “Trust what’s left of our family to get us through this.”

The soft knock on the front door shouldn’t have surprised him, but he’d been so caught up in watching the twins together that the rest of the world had faded away. He answered and allowed Travis into his home. “She’s getting her hair brushed.”

Travis sighed. “Then they both must be upset.”

Fen nodded and shut the door, lulled by the soft voice of his mate. He watched the twins together and accepted the fact that Travis would be a part of his life from now on. “I’m going to mark him.”

“You haven’t already?”

Fen shook his head. “We’ve mated, but not bound ourselves. It will change him.”

Travis nodded. “Let him share blood with Kir first.” Fen snarled quietly, not wanting to interrupt his already upset mate. “Listen to me. Kir wants to do this so that Jeff will be immortal.”

“He’ll be immortal when he bonds to me. My father was immortal when he fathered us—that passed down to us.” He’d heard the lie about how the apples of Idunn supposedly conveyed immortality. How could the Aesir have been so stupid as to believe it?

“Are you sure marking will pass that immortality down to Jeff?”

Fen nodded. “Yes. It’s a gift I’ll willingly share.” Jeff was not sharing blood with the man he’d lusted over before Fen arrived. Fen wouldn’t be able to stop himself from attacking Kir.

“Then how do you explain all the werewolves that aren’t immortal?”

Fen froze. “Other werewolves?”

The two exchanged a long, thoughtful look. “How did we get other werewolves while you were locked away?” Tyr stroked his beard, his expression thoughtful. “There are other pantheons out there. We don’t associate with them too much. Grimm preferred us to stay away from them.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Fen muttered. His gaze once more locked on his mate as one of the twins muttered the word Vincente. “Who the fuck is Vincente?”

Tyr’s lips twitched. “I’ll let you discover that for yourself.”

Fen growled again.

The hairbrush Jeff had been using flew through the air and smacked Fen right in the chest. “Quit it.”

Fen bent down, picked it up and tossed it back to his mate. “You quit it.”

Two pairs of twinkling eyes peeked over the back of the sofa. Jamie glowered at her mate. “I’m not giving up Vincente, Travis.”

“I never asked you to.” Travis crossed his arms over his chest and glowered right back.

“You share?” Fen was shocked. Tyr had never struck him as the type to enjoy sharing his woman with someone else, let alone someone who might or might not have slept with his woman’s brother.

All three began to laugh. “Would you trust me if I told you there’s nothing to worry about?” Travis moved to the sofa and pulled his mate to her feet. Jamie went easily despite the argument they’d had earlier. “Because there isn’t.”

He’d have to think about that. Trusting Tyr again wasn’t going to be easy, but he’d have to try, if only for Jeff’s sake.

“I still think Jeff and I did the right thing.”

“What did you do?” Fen watched the twins, saw the identical winces that crossed their faces.

Jeff stood. “When we were at my mom’s we told her everything. Your dad, Kir, Jordan, what Grimm did to Jamie. All of it.”

“And?” Fenris failed to see the problem.

The twins exchanged another speaking glance. “Thor is our father, remember?”

“How weird is it to say that?” Jamie added softly.

“Very.” Jeff was studying Fen, gauging his reactions. “Travis thinks we shouldn’t have told her, that we’ve endangered her. I—” he darted a quick glance at his twin when she elbowed him “— we disagree.”

Fen immediately shook his head. “No. I think the danger was in keeping your mother ignorant. Now that she knows what Grimm is capable of she’ll be on the look-out for him.”

“But she’s mortal. She can’t fight Grimm. Hell, she certainly can’t hold him off mentally.” Travis sighed. “I don’t wish ill on her. She’s a wonderful woman.

But there’s no way she can confront Grimm in any way and hope to win.”

Fen shrugged. “Then we bring her here. She may not be capable of taking him on, but we are.”

The relief on Jeff’s face was worth any problems bringing Jeff’s mother into the situation would cause. Going against Thor would be an unexpected, and pleasurable, bonus. “That’s an option, but Mom wanted to confront Dad over his lies.”

Fen grimaced. “That could be problematic.”

“Indeed.” Travis took hold of Jamie’s hand. “We need to let Jordan know what you told your mother. Okay? Can we agree on that?”

Jamie nodded. “Yeah. She needs to know.”

Jeff picked up the brush and ran it quickly through his unruly locks. “We’ll be there in half an hour.”

Fen’s brows rose. It would take much less time to throw on some clothes and walk down the corridor. Perhaps his mate had something in mind? A way to reward him for offering to bring home Jeff’s mother?

Fen was all for that idea.

From the wicked gleam in Jamie’s eye she was thinking the same thing.

“We’ll see you over there.” She waved jauntily. “We’ll see ourselves out.” Before the door shut behind her he heard Travis’s dark chuckle. “Have fun!”

“Fun? I don’t have time for fun.” Jeff ran back to the bathing room—no, bathroom—, shedding clothes as he went. “I only have half an hour.”

Huh? Fen followed his mate, confused but happy about the overall level of naked he was seeing. Jeff was bending over the tub, starting the shower. Jeff saw the expression on his face and pointed up. “Bed head.”

What? Jeff bent over again, the position displaying his fine ass. Fen tilted his head and tried to picture one of the many toys he’d seen online plugged into Jeff’s ass, spreading him. Preparing him. For the first time Fen realized exactly what a butt plug was for. He’d be able to enter his mate with very little preparation, almost like entering a woman. All he’d have to do would be to…unplug the plug.

Hmm. He was beginning to like the Internet.

Jeff stepped under the hot spray of water, soaking his curls. The fall of the water across his chest, the movement of muscle under wet skin, taunted Fen. He needed to get into that shower. He needed to touch, to scent and to mark the man currently running soap through his hair.

He needed to mark his mate.

Jeff washed his hair quickly. Fen was growling low in his throat, that sexy I’m gonna fuck you growl that Jeff had heard the night before. If they had the time he’d be pulling the wolf to bed, but they didn’t.

He only had half an hour, and it would take at least half that to tame his hair.

I should just shave it off and be done with it. But Jamie had threatened to beat him if he ever cut off all his hair, and he believed her. She’d find some way to make his life miserable until his hair grew back, and with his luck it would grow back in even more unmanageable than it already was.

“No, Fen. Sit. Stay. Good boy.” He rinsed out the soap and reached for the conditioner. Sure enough, he soon had a wet, aroused man plastered to his back.

He tried to remember why that was bad, but he was coming up blank.

“I told you that only works on dogs.” A hot tongue wended its way up his back and Jeff shivered. Fuck. If he didn’t throw off the wolf he’d be late. Really happy, but late.

“We don’t have time.”

“Why not?” Sharp teeth nipped his earlobe.

Jeff growled. God, he was going to sound like a frickin’ girl. “My hair.”

“What about it?”

Wandering hands had taken hold of his cock and balls, and Jeff’s brain completely stopped functioning. It was hard to think when all the blood in his head had fled south for the winter. “Guh?”

Fen’s deep, satisfied chuckle shook them both. “I think we have time.”

“Gghzt.” Jeff’s head fell back against Fen’s shoulder as that calloused hand stroked up and down his length. Who knew the wolf would be such a water baby? The man seemed to love pouncing on Jeff in the shower. Then he remembered one of the reasons he’d hopped in the shower. “Conditioner.”

Fen’s hand didn’t even pause. “Get it.”

Jeff stared down at the bottle and realized what he’d have to do to get it. If he got it he’d really get it. “Fen.”

“Hmm?”

Now that wasn’t fair, licking a man’s happy spot like that. Jeff shivered hard as Fen’s tongue danced around the juncture of his shoulder and neck. If he had a tail it’d be raised, waiting for his mate to mount him.

Jeff bent his knees until he could reach the conditioner without bending his waist, thus keeping himself from pushing his ass into Fen’s crotch. It had the added bonus of removing Fen’s hands from his crotch, allowing blood to once more flow north of the equator. “We need to hurry.” He poured a generous amount of the conditioner into his hand and worked it through his curls before standing up.

Unfortunately that rubbed his entire backside along Fen’s front side. The wolf let his appreciation be known by moaning his approval. “Elskede. ”

Grabby hands once more roamed all over him. Hell. Fen was bound and determined to fuck him, and sex was way better than waffles anyway. “Wait!”

Fen barely paused. “What now, elskede?”

“Soap. If you’re going to do that, we might as well kill two birds with one stone.”

Fen’s brows furrowed. “Why would you want to do that? Arrows are much more accurate.”

Jeff sighed. They really didn’t have time for American Idioms 101. They’d be there all day, and the hot water heater wasn’t that good. Besides, his dick had decided to pronounce it Happy Hour and Jeff was done fighting it. “We really need to get you on the Internet.”

Fenrisùlfr, so-called monster, son of Loki, and all around badass, blushed so dark a red Jeff was afraid he’d have an aneurysm. “Um. Do you like purple with sparkles or flesh colored?”

Jeff blinked. “Internet?”

“Butt plugs.”

Jeff bit back his laugh. He had the feeling he knew who’d sent his somewhat naïve lover to the web. “Remind me to talk to your father.”

Fen wrinkled his nose. His whole posture went from sex on the hoof to uncomfortable schoolboy. “I don’t want to know what he prefers, thank you.

That’s wrong.”

Jeff lost it. Fen was really going to think he was a girl, because he sure as hell was giggling like one.

“Laugh all you wish, but the thought of my father and anal wands or cages or—” Fen shuddered “—penis sounds just makes me… Who came up with that idea, anyway? Sticks you put inside your penis? What sadistic bastard thought that was a good idea? Where I come from we called that torture.”

Jeff leaned back against the wall, the giggles leaving him breathless. He knew it was more than likely the stress that had triggered it, but damn, the look on Fen’s face was priceless. He was even covering his cock with his hands, as if Jeff was going to come after him, sounds in hand and a leer on his face.

Fen shook his head and soaped up his hands. “You humans are very strange, mate.” Fen tipped his head. “I saw this video that showed women being tortured.”

Jeff sobered. “What?”

“They were submitting voluntarily too.”

Jeff immediately relaxed as Fen’s hands ran over his body. “What were they doing?”

“Getting something called a Brazilian. Turn around and I’ll do your back.”

Jeff turned, not surprised when Fen cupped his ass. “I didn’t know people could make faces like that. What was really surprising was they all said it wasn’t that bad.” Fen clucked his tongue. “Very strange. Although I’m forced to admit, I did like YouTube. Have you ever heard of the Powerpuff Girls?”

Jeff chuckled. Life with Fen would never be dull, that was for sure. “Lemme guess who your favorite was. Buttercup, right?”

Fen sniffed. “It could have been Blossom or Bubbles.”

“But it was Buttercup.”

Fen nipped his neck. “Maybe.”

Fen’s hands still cupped his butt, his soapy hands rubbing in lazy circles.

“Are you going to wash my back or just my ass?”

His cheeks were lifted and spread. “I don’t know.” A soapy finger worked its way inside his body, and suddenly it was time for all of his blood cells to migrate south again. His cock perked up as Fen nibbled the side of his neck. “You are pretty dirty here, elskede.”

Jeff whimpered, leaning back into Fen’s touch. Screw it. No, better. Screw him. Screw him until he couldn’t see straight. That sounds like a plan.

Apparently Fen thought so too. The werewolf reached for the soap again, stopping when Jeff shook his head. Wordlessly he handed Fen the conditioner instead. “Less chance of it hurting me.”

Fen didn’t say a word, but within seconds his finger was back in Jeff’s ass.

“Want you, elskede. ”

Jeff quivered at the pure lust in Fen’s voice. His accent was even thicker than normal, want becoming vant. Fen’s finger withdrew, only to be replaced by something thicker. When Fen’s fingers scissored, opening him up, he realized Fen had put two fingers inside him.

Jeff reached down to his cock, stroking it in time with the thrust of Fen’s fingers. “Please.”

“Please what?”

Jeff growled. “Please fuck me.”

“My pleasure.” Fen withdrew his fingers and thrust into Jeff. The bite of pain was sharp, but faded rapidly. Fen held still until Jeff nodded, and then Fen began to move, stroking in and out of Jeff’s body with lazy strokes. “Mine.”

Jeff whimpered again, too turned on to give a crap. He placed his arms on the cold tile and rested his forehead against them, bracing himself for Fen’s thrusts.

Fen picked up the pace, taking Jeff harder, faster, his hands clamping down on Jeff’s hips. Jeff could hear the wet slap of their flesh, Fen’s hips slapping against his ass as the wolf tried to take them both to heaven and back. Jeff reached down once more and began stroking his cock. “You stop, you’re a dead man.”

“Not going to. Gods, you’re perfect.” Fen leaned over Jeff’s back, his hot breath on the back of Jeff’s neck. “Howl for me, elskede. ”

Jeff licked his lips. He’d have to ask Logan what elskede meant. Fen used it an awful lot. Then all thought was lost as something white-hot pierced the back of his neck. For a split second the pain was excruciating.

Then his brains exploded out of his cock as the most intense orgasm he’d ever had in his goddamn life ripped his body to shreds. Jeff screamed, his voice cracking and breaking, unable to withstand the pleasure.

Jeff collapsed against the cold tile, certain he’d died. He figured his body was dangling from the end of Fen’s cock, heart stopped, and a permanent expression of bliss on his face. “Shit.”

Fen was panting in his ear, draped across his back, and Jeff could only assume the wolf had come when Jeff did. A soft kiss landed on the back of Jeff’s neck. “Mine.”

“Mmm.” Jeff still considered that up for debate, but if Fen kept making love to him like that, then maybe Jeff wouldn’t mind belonging to him.

Fen withdrew from his body, stroking one last time across Jeff’s prostate. Jeff shivered. “Are you all right?”

Jeff nodded. He wasn’t capable of speech at the moment. He was still quivering, trying to reassemble his atoms after the nuclear explosion Fen had set off. “Mmm.”

He heard Fen chuckle. Behind him he heard Fen fumble the removable showerhead before a cascade of warm water began rinsing him off from head to toe.

Oh yeah. He could get used to this whole belonging thing.

The showerhead moved up, and Jeff winced as the conditioner hit the bite mark. “Ow.” He put his hand back there instinctively, shielding it from the conditioner.

The bite mark felt raw, painful. Jeff withdrew his fingers and stared in shock at the blood slowly washing away under the spray. “Fen?”

“Yes, mate?”

“Why are my fingers bloody?”

“Because I marked you.”

Jeff straightened and turned so fast he got a face full of water. When he was done choking he bellowed, “Marked me?”

When Fen’s eyes uncrossed he answered, “Yes. You’re mine now.”

Jeff stared at the smug expression on Fenris’s face and did something he might or might not have the time to live to regret. He punched the man dead in the face and left him sprawled on the bottom of the tub, showerhead in hand and a shocked look on his face. Jeff stomped out of the shower muttering curses, toweling himself off before the asshole still sprawled in the tub could stand up and come after him.

Before slamming the bathroom door shut he shot Fen the bird. “Bite this.”

Fen blinked. He reached up carefully and turned off the water, grateful he got it right. He didn’t need to be boiled alive on top of felled by a small, angry human.

He sat up and stared down at the dripping showerhead. “I think he’s mad at me.”

“Really? You think?”

He winced. Damn, Jeff could be loud, even through a door. He could hear drawers slamming open and shut, and suddenly he panicked. Was his mate angry enough to leave him?

He hopped out of the tub, slid on the tile and landed once more on his ass.

He gritted his teeth and stood, reaching for his own towel before running into the bedroom. “Don’t go.”

Jeff turned with a scowl, jeans in hand. He was already in his underwear.

“Why not?”

Fen gulped. Jeff couldn’t leave him. Fen would die without his mate. He couldn’t be alone again. He was so frightened at the thought he got lightheaded.

“Please. Don’t leave me alone.”

The expression on Jeff’s face softened. “I’m just going to Logan’s for breakfast, remember?” Jeff pulled on his jeans and reached for his T-shirt. “You are too.”

Fen could breathe again. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until it gusted out in a relieved sigh. “Jeff—”

His mate held up his hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m pissed as hell. You didn’t even ask me, Fen.” The scowl was back. “Am I going to turn furry?”

Fen nodded. “You’re immortal now too. You’re my mate, the second strongest werewolf in the world.”

“Considering there are only two of us, that’s not surprising.” Jeff pulled on the T-shirt and sat on the edge of the bed. “You can’t do something like that without talking to me first. What if I wanted to wait a while? We barely know each other.”

Fen stalked forward. “I know you.” He clasped his mate’s face between his hands. Jeff’s vivid hazel eyes glared up at him, still darkened with the remnants of passion and anger. “You’re strong, stubborn and compassionate. Loving.

You’re smarter than anyone I’ve ever known. You hold your own with men who are gods, and they all, every single one of them, respect you. Do you know how hard it is to win my father’s trust? That alone tells me everything I need to know about you and your family.”

Jeff sighed, leaning into Fen’s hands. Fen felt some of the constriction around his chest ease. They would get through this. “You should have asked.”

The heat was gone from his mate’s voice. “I’m sorry. Deep down, I’m still a Viking, still a child of my people. I haven’t lived through what the others have.

My first instinct is to take, not ask.” Jeff was stiffening under his hands, and that wouldn’t do. There was only one thing he could say to ease his mate’s mind.

“You will have to help me.”

Jeff’s eyebrows rose and a spark of mischief lit his face. “Will I get to punch you again?”

Fen rubbed his jaw, nearly howling from joy. His mate had forgiven him.

“I’m not sure. You hit quite hard, my mate.”

Jeff laughed. “Then I’ll save it for when you’re really being a jerk.” He stood and took hold of Fen’s hand. “Let’s get you dressed and go visit your father.”

Fen nodded and allowed his mate to lead him wherever he wished.

The Old Man looked down at the trap he’d set. Gleipnir was coiled around his belt, ready to be used once more to bind the wolf. He wiped the blood off of his chin and called to his lover. “Rina?”

“Yes, my love?” The cool blonde stepped out of the office, her hands covered in blood.

There was blood spray across her nose, attesting to the fact that Rina liked to do her work face to face.

“What do you think?” He wanted his lover’s point of view before putting the final touch to the portrait he’d created.

Rina walked around the tableau and studied it from all angles. “I think it will work.”

“When Tyr arrives he’ll be in for a shock.”

Rina smiled. “An entire family obliterated right under the God of Justice’s nose.”

“The children were a nice touch, don’t you think?”

Rina nodded. “A bit over the top, perhaps, but you are an artist, my love.”

The Old Man grinned. “Wonder what the humans will make of it?”

“Who cares?” Rina waved her hand, and both of them were clean. An illusion, but a powerful one. “Are you done, or do you need a bit more time?”

“Just a few minutes more. I want to add one final touch before we go.”

Rina nodded and sauntered out of the room. “I’ll have the car running.”

“You do that.” The Old Man stared down and added the final touch to his grisly tableau. A scattering of wolf fur lay over the bodies, clutched in their fists as if they’d torn it out trying to save themselves. The Old Man smiled in grim satisfaction. “There. If Tyr doesn’t pitch a fit over this I don’t know what I’m doing. He’ll turn on Fenris faster than I can say gotcha.”

The Old Man walked out of a place that had once been a loving home, leaving behind a slaughtered family and shattered dreams…

Skye woke up from the dream screaming in horror. What would be done to that family was beyond vile, all in the name of a vengeance she couldn’t begin to understand.

Somehow, she already knew it had started, that by the time she got to them it would be too late. There was nothing she could do to save them.

Nothing. If she got there as fast as she could she wouldn’t even die for them, the deed done and the perpetrators gone.

But she could save the people the atrocious act was aimed at. Skye got dressed as quickly as she could and sprinted for the elevator, certain that there was only one place to go. She had to get to Fenris Saeter and warn him before it was too late.

“He bit you.” Logan couldn’t look more pleased. “I knew you were his mate.”

Jeff bopped Logan on the back of his head. “Shaddup. He didn’t even ask first. Just bared fang and bit. Asshole.”

Logan handed him a glass full of orange juice and gestured toward the huge dining room table that had appeared overnight. “Have a seat. The others will be here shortly.”

“Even Morgan and Magnus?” Jeff couldn’t wait to fill his big brothers in on what had happened while they’d been gone.

“Nope. Last I heard they were on their way to Yggdrasil to speak to the Norns.” Logan held up his cell phone and shook it. “They don’t exactly have signal there.”

Jeff rolled his eyes and took a sip of his OJ. He coughed at the strong taste of alcohol. “Wow. Dude. You got vodka in my orange juice.”

Kir strolled by and stole his glass, taking a sip as he flopped into the seat next to Jeff. “Nah. You got orange juice in my vodka.” His voice was mellow, deep and vaguely slurred. Jeff had to wonder how many screwdrivers he’d already had.

“So explain to me why we’re getting drunk at ten o’clock in the morning.”

Jeff settled back and crossed his arms over his chest. This ought to be good.

“I’ve been getting phone calls from your father. It seems your mother is kicking him out of the house.”

Ouch. “Let me guess, he blames you.”

Kir shook his head and took another sip of vodka. He leaned back and closed storm-filled eyes. “Nope. He wants to know if he can come live with us.”

Everyone at the table froze. “Oh fuck no, Blondie. No fucking way.” Logan was practically vibrating, a myriad of emotions flashing across his face before it settled into determination.

Kir opened one eye and stared at Logan. The other remained firmly shut.

“Do you think I’d say yes? Seriously? The man might be my brother but he’s an asshole.”

Logan grumbled under his breath but settled. He began shuttling huge plates of food to the table, waving away anyone who offered to help. “What the hell is he thinking?”

Jeff blinked and tried desperately not to laugh. Oh hell. He’d completely forgotten about that little fact, hadn’t he? He should have had fun with this before. He plastered his most innocent expression on his face and turned to Kir.

“I think you should tell him to fuck off, Uncle Kir.”

Jordan sputtered, spitting tea onto the tablecloth. Logan dropped a plate of sausages where Travis’s nonexistent right hand would have been. Jamie, who’d been leaning back in her chair, hit the floor before Travis, distracted by sausages, could catch her. Uncle Val, who’d just come into the dining room, stared down at her with a bemused expression. “Did I miss something again?”

“Oh no! Don’t you dare call him Uncle Kir!” Jordan had recovered her voice nicely, only choking a little on the word uncle.

He knew his grin was evil and really didn’t give a shit. This was fun. “Why not, Aunt Jordan?”

Kir gulped down the vodka-laced orange juice as if it were water.

“Oh. That.” Val took a seat and snagged a sausage. “Be grateful we aren’t the Greeks. Talk about inbreeding. At least our dad didn’t marry his own sister.” He shuddered and wrapped the sausage in a biscuit before taking a huge bite.

Everyone stared at him as he chewed. “What?”

Fen picked Jamie up, chair and all, and set her straight. “No, he just shared Frigg with his brothers, Vili and Ve.”

“Who?” Jamie looked absolutely horrified. “You mean she had sex with Uncle Luther and Uncle Henry?”

“Every chance she got,” Logan muttered, placing a huge platter of pancakes and a bowl of pineapple chunks between himself and Kir. He finally took a seat and placed his arm around Jordan’s chair. “Dig in, everyone.”

“Oh God. No. Do not tell me Grammy was in a ménage a quattro.” Jordan shuddered and held her stomach. “I think I’m going to puke.” She grabbed the bowl of pineapple and began chowing down.

Jeff hid his smile. “No wonder she doesn’t miss the Old Man that much.

She’s still gettin’ some.”

“You think he used the apple juice to get them to all agree to that arrangement?” Jordan looked up at Logan hopefully.

“Nah. I think she’s a little slut-puppy who likes getting her furrows plowed.”

Jordan slapped him in the stomach. “Logan!”

Kir started laughing, his blond head resting on his arms.

Jeff grinned. He loved family time even more these days. “Pass the pancakes, Uncle Kir.”

Uncle Kir threw a pancake at his head.

There was a knock on the door. “Never mind, I’ll get it.” Jeff got up and answered the door to find a stunning blonde standing there. Her hair was practically on end, her eyes wide and full of fear. Her shirt was misbuttoned, her jeans barely zipped. Her feet were bare, and she looked like hell. Every instinct he had came to attention. Something bad had happened to this woman, and his first thought was to grab her arm and yank her into the condo. Had she been assaulted? He couldn’t see any signs of damage. “Can I help you?”

“Skye?” Jeff looked back to find his lover standing there, staring at her.

“What’s wrong?”

She broke down, sobbing into her hands. “I think someone’s dead.”

Chapter Six

Skye settled down on the white couch. She ignored the plate of food Logan placed in front of her. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but ever since I can remember I’ve had dreams.” She didn’t understand the look that passed around what was obviously a family gathering, but that didn’t matter. Getting them to believe her did. “Those dreams always come true.” She swallowed, hard. She could still see the innocent eyes of the dead children staring at her blankly. “I saw some people murdering an entire family. The man was called Old Man.”

“Shit.” Logan paced away, swiftly joined by Jordan.

“He called the female with him Rina.”

A stranger, one she’d never met, began muttering in a language that sounded vaguely familiar. Where had she heard it before? His hard blue eyes went cold, his harsh features turned deadly. He looked almost like the bad Terminator, the one whose whole body became liquid. Skye was deathly afraid of him in that moment.

She’d always hated that movie.

“Who died?”

Kir was kneeling in front of her, his hands clasped around hers. There was such warmth and caring in him that she couldn’t help but respond. “A family of five. There were three little children.” She was crying again. Gods, they’d been so young. “He put wolf fur in their hands. Why would he do that?”

“Did they say anything?”

She kept her gaze glued to Kir’s face, the gentle command that had entered his voice barely registering. There was something about him that made her want to obey him. “He said that someone named Tyr would pitch a fit over the murders and that he’d turn on Fenris.” She darted a glance over Kir’s shoulder to Fenris, to find him staring in turn at a blond-haired man who was missing a hand. Something about that man was also vaguely familiar. “Why would this Tyr turn on Fenris over wolf hair?”

“We need to contact Magnus and Morgan.” The blond held out his hand and a little redheaded female curled into him.

“No signal, remember?” Logan Saeter shook his cell phone.

The blond smiled. “There are other ways.” He raised his brows at Kir, who grimaced.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. That much power will blow the wards for sure.” Kir stood, pulling Skye to her feet. “Do you think you can sleep, or would you like something to eat instead?”

Skye drew in a breath. It ended on a sob. “Can we order in pizza?” She loved pizza. It was her comfort food of choice, but one she rarely allowed herself. All those calories from the cheese and the toppings went straight to her hips. But if any situation called for pizza, this one was it.

Logan snorted. “You’ll fit in just fine.”

“Have you had any other dreams?” The red-haired man staying suspiciously close to Fenris was watching her closely. Unless she missed her guess he was the other redhead’s brother. They looked alike.

She bit her lip. Her dreams had been frequent and intense since moving into her new condo. One of the recurring ones sprang to mind, and she spoke without thinking. “Does dreaming about the end of the world count?”

The hard-eyed, cold man wrapped a surprisingly warm arm around her shoulders. “Do you like pepperoni?”

She looked up at him, and suddenly he wasn’t quite so scary anymore.

“Yes.”

“Me too.” He led her away, all the time chattering about nonsense and pizza toppings. She found herself relaxing with him.

Who knew she’d find comfort with the Terminator?

“I still don’t think this is a good idea. If we blow our defenses it will take all day for Logan and Travis to put them back up.” Kir was biting his nail. He’d led them into his bedroom where Skye couldn’t hear them. The woman didn’t know it but she’d just tumbled right into a living myth, and Fen had the feeling she wouldn’t be climbing out again anytime soon.

Logan removed Kir’s thumb from Kir’s mouth. “It’s okay, babe. Do what you have to do. You’re the only one who can.”

Kir looked up at Fen’s father, those blue eyes turning stormy, literally. “All right. But don’t do anything foolish, understand? This is going to be down and dirty. The last time we visited the Bifrost Bridge we took our time, cast the spells carefully to hide our presence. This is going to blow the wards in a loud way, you know that, right?”

“I know, Blondie.” Logan took hold of his hand and looked straight at Fen.

“Guard Jordan for me.”

Fen nodded. He’d guard his new mother, and the siblings growing inside her, with his last breath.

“Thank you.” Logan smiled at him. “We’ll be back.”

“We?” Kir was staring at Logan as if he’d lost his mind.

“You think I’m letting you out of my sight, Blondie?”

Kir rolled his eyes. “Sit, Kir. Stay. Good dog. Woof.”

Logan’s brows rose. “Be nice or I won’t take you walkies.”

“Why am I being left behind this time?” Jordan’s hands were on her hips.

She scowled at her husbands. “You took me to Hel, why not Yggdrassil?”

“Because of what guards it.” Logan held up his hand. “It’s not up for debate, and we don’t have much time. We’re going to fetch Morgan and Magnus and be back as quickly as possible. Ask Fen or Travis or, hell, your uncle what guards Yggdrassil.”

Kir tugged on the pendant around his neck and suddenly Gungnir, the Godspear, was in his hand. The tip glowed brightly. The last time Fen had seen it the tip had glowed blue. Now it shone with a warm red light that seemed to mimic his father’s fire.

“Yes, that’s a promise and a threat.” Logan winked at Jordan and clasped Kir’s free hand. “Let’s go, love.”

“We’ll be back. Keep an eye on the girl.” Kir sighed, and the storm clouds darkened. “I’m not certain, because it’s been a while since I’ve seen her, but I’m pretty sure that’s Skuld, the Norn of the Future.”

“Which means we have a shit-ton more trouble than we originally thought.”

Logan blew a kiss at Jordan. “Be good.”

“Me?” His mother protested. Logan just shot her that demonic smile of his and stood by Kir’s side.

“Wait!” Jeff ran forward. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Shoot.” Kir was already frowning at Gungnir, concentrating on the spell that would rip a hole in Midgard, the place humans called Earth, and lead them to the Bifrost Bridge that spanned the void between Midgard and Asgard. From there they’d be able to make their way straight to Yggdrassil, the World Tree.

“What does elskede mean?”

Fen’s cheeks heated as his father sent him a knowing look. “It means beloved.”

There was a ripple in the air, and before Fen could blink Kir and Logan were gone, sucked out of the room with a boom that shook the windows.

“Shit.” Jordan blinked rapidly. “He wasn’t kidding about that being dirty. I think I’m blind.”

“What the hell?” Travis ran into the bedroom, also blinking rapidly. “What the fuck was that? Every ward in the building just blew!”

“Kir and Logan went walkies.” Jeff ran his fingers through his curls. Fen smiled. Already he could sense the changes in his mate. Jeff’s hair was slightly longer, a little bit wilder. He couldn’t wait to see how it would end up. He adored Jeff’s hair.

“Shit. They could warn a guy.” Travis groaned. “Did you say Logan went too?”

“Yup. They left me behind. Again.”

Fen winced at the anger in his new mother’s voice. “You have some of my father’s magic. You could assist Travis with reestablishing the wards.”

Jordan grumbled under her breath, but Fen could make some of it out.

Cowardly wiener was the nicest thing she said. “Fine. But if I screw this up I’m blaming hormones.” She stalked out of the bedroom, followed closely by a chuckling Travis.

Fen watched them go and wondered why Travis was so amused. “I don’t get it.”

Jeff patted his shoulder. “No man alive truly gets it, with the possible exception of your father.” Jeff shuddered and tugged on Fen’s hand. “C’mon.

Maybe we can get Jordan to reheat the pancakes.”

Fen turned to his mate and whispered in his ear, “What’s a wiener?”

“Can you explain to me what an epidural is and why your sister was threatening to rip off my father’s man parts if she doesn’t get one?”

Jeff snickered and flicked the video game remote. Mario jumped over another slab and grabbed some gold coins. “It’s something that blocks the pain of childbirth.”

“Oh.” Fen frowned at the television. “How painful can it be?”

Jeff paused the game and turned to stare at Fen. “Carol Burnett, this famous comedienne, once said that if you truly want to experience the pain of childbirth, you should take your bottom lip and pull it over your head.”

Fen’s head tilted. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

“It does if you’re female.” The doorbell rang. Jeff set the remote down. “I’ll get it.”

Fen sniffed. With an alarmed snarl he hopped off the sofa. “Wait!” Fen stood and followed him, but it was too late. Jeff was already swinging the door open.

Jeff pulled back, startled when he found his father on the other side of the door. He hadn’t seen his father in over two months, not since Jamie was attacked.

“Dad?”

Fred Grimm took one look at the wolf at Jeff’s heels and turned white as milk. He tugged on Jeff’s arm, almost pulling him out the front door. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Jeff pulled out of his father’s grip, all of the anger he’d been bottling up boiling over at the familiar sight of his father’s face. “Hi to you too, Dad. Jordan and Jamie are both fine. Jamie can even see out of both her eyes now. How’ve you been?”

“You think I don’t want to see Jamie?”

“When did you try to see Jamie?”

“They kept me away from her!”

“Who?”

“Loki and Baldur!”

Jeff shook his head. Behind him he heard Fenris moving around and knew the wolf would soon be out the door and at his father’s throat. “Damn, Dad.

Your head’s really far up your ass, isn’t it?” Fred opened his mouth to reply.

“Logan saved Jamie’s life.”

“He stole Jordan’s!”

“Logan sacrificed himself for her!” Jeff found himself in Fred’s face, defending Jordan’s beloved and his mate’s father. “He took repeated blows from, what’s it called again? Mjolnir? So that Travis and Kir and Uncle Val could get Jamie down off the damn cross and out of there.”

“He knew he’d live.” Still, Fred sounded almost guilty, as if he knew he’d done something unforgiveable. “Besides, I thought I was protecting Jordan. I had no idea your grandfather had Jamie. Do you think I would have left your sister there to hurt?”

“Jordan’s pregnant.” Fred went from red to white again so rapidly Jeff almost felt sorry for him. “Logan’s the father. So’s Kir. It’s twins. They’re deeply in love, all three of them. It’s almost disgusting how sweet they are together.

Gives you a toothache.” Jeff growled at his dad, the sound feral. “By the way, are you going to kill my niece or nephew for being Loki’s child?”

“Aren’t you shacking up with one of Loki’s children? That makes you a little biased.” Jeff felt sick. He tried to take a step back, but Fred grabbed him once again. “You’re leaving. Now.”

The growl behind him raised the hairs on the back of his head. “I think Fenrisùlfr wants me to stay.”

There was the rumbling sound of thunder, and Jeff found himself on his ass behind Fenris, his guardian wolf standing over him, claws and fangs and fur beginning to sprout.

“I wouldn’t!” Fred sounded horrified. “I wouldn’t hurt my child.”

Jeff stood. “You already did. You left Jamie alone. You ignored Jordan. You might be willing to kill Jordan’s child solely because of who the father is. And you were ready to hurt me just because you don’t approve of my boyfriend. Are you still so far under Grimm’s thumb that you can’t see what you’re doing to us?”

Fred was shaking his head, his expression horrified. “I would never hurt you,” he whispered, his voice so tortured Jeff almost relented. Fred reached out, but Fenris got between them again. Fred’s arm dropped. “Jeff. Please. I love you.

You have to know that.”

Jeff took a deep breath. “Will you go speak to Jordan and Jamie, without laying hands on them?”

“Yes, of course.”

His large, strong father looked…depressed. Defeated.

“What about Magnus and Morgan?”

Fred stared at him. “You’re my children. All of you.” His face turned to Fenris and he swallowed. Some of the aggression he’d shown to Fen was still there, but the tone had changed. “Do you love my son?”

Jeff’s whole body froze. Fenris had said “mine” more than once, but those words had never passed his lips.

“Very much. I will protect my mate even from you.”

Fenris’s deep, growly voice washed over Jeff and he damn near passed out in relief. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about Fen, but damn. Knowing Fen loved him, even if it was just the beginning of their relationship, made him feel ten times better about…everything.

Fred nodded. He stared for a moment at Jeff. Whatever he saw there put a small smile on his face, and he wondered what Fred saw. He still didn’t look happy but he held out his hand to Fenris. “Welcome to the family.”

Fen took Fred’s hand carefully. “I don’t trust you. But you’re Jeff’s family.

For him, I’ll try not to kill you on sight.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “He’s so damn diplomatic. We should get him a job at the U.N. Or training Girl Scouts.”

His father just shook his head. “You look good, son.” He reached out and ran his hand through Jeff’s hair, the gesture so familiar it brought tears to his eyes.

His father had always greeted him by ruffling his hair. Jeff hadn’t realized how much he missed that touch until he felt it again. “Has your hair grown?”

Jeff put his hand to the nape of his neck, startled to feel the curls gliding over the backs of his fingers. “What the hell?” He went to the first mirror he could think of, the one in the bathroom, and stared at his head in disbelief.

His curls brushed his shoulders. He knew exactly who to blame for that too.

“Fen! Get your ass in here now!”

The low growl of his own voice startled him. So did the glossy, reddish fur sprouting on his arms.

“Oh, fuck me…”

Grimm smiled. The wards were down. One of the stupid fuckers had dropped the wards, and now here he was, strolling into Loki’s home base as neat as you please.

“I’m in.” He hefted the box of flowers higher in his arms and pressed the button for the elevator. “Hold your position. I’ll be out momentarily with the furball.”

Soon it would all be over and no one would be able to stop him. Not Tyr, not Baldur and sure as hell not Fenrisùlfr. He whistled a merry tune as the elevator rose, nodding politely to everyone who entered. It wouldn’t do to have them see something he didn’t want them to. Using his inner sight, he nearly laughed with glee.

Every single ward was blown. The place glowed with shattered magical threads. Grimm would have no problem getting Fenris out of the building.

Nothing could stop him from destroying the wolf.

Soon the elevator stopped on the floor where he knew Loki and Baldur lived.

The epicenter of the explosion was not far down the corridor. He had no idea what had caused it, and couldn’t care less.

A low growl sounded off to his left. A huge wolf pelted out the front door of one of the condos as if the hounds of Hel were after him. It had gleaming red fur and wicked sharp teeth. It skidded to a halt and snarled at the sight of him.

Grimm smiled and dropped the flowers, exposing the dart gun. “Gotcha.”

Fen helped a dazed Thor—no, Fred—back to his feet. Jeff had knocked the god on his ass when he’d raced from their home. Why he’d left the condo Fen wasn’t sure, but it couldn’t be good.

“What the hell?” Fred shook his head. “What just happened here?”

Fen snarled. “His transformation is complete. He’s mine now.” His mate was truly glorious, his wolf form fine and sleek. But he was out of the safety of their home, alone even if he was only a few feet away. Fen started to move past Thor, but the god was quicker. He shoved Fen back several feet on his way to his son.

“He’s a giant wolf running around a million-dollar-condo complex in the heart of the city, you moron!” Fred took off through the front door after his errant son. “Jeff!”

Fen followed. Something about Fred’s tone was off. Thor sounded terrified.

An explosion rocked the building, knocking Fen back several steps. He dropped to the floor, stunned. When his senses cleared Fen changed to his other self, his clothing going wherever it went when Fen changed, the fur and teeth and paws as natural to him as his two-footed frame had been. He streaked into the corridor to find Fred Grimm on his knees, clutching his chest. The smell of blood was thick in the air. Fred’s hand scrambled for Fen’s fur, grabbing a painful hold. The God of Thunder pulled Fen’s face around to his. “My father’s got Jeff.” He panted, his face a mask of pain. “The serpent…wasn’t your brother.” Fred Grimm lay down slowly, his face pale, blood streaking his lips.

“I’m sorry.”

The serpent? Fen blinked, stunned. His brother, Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, was supposed to be the one to kill Thor. The prophecy said so. But here Thor lay, his life’s blood on the carpet.

Fen set up an urgent howl and prayed one of his mate’s siblings heard his plea. Doors thudded open as Fred Grimm’s family rushed into the hallway.

“What the hell happened? Where’s Jeff?” Travis ran into the hallway and stopped dead at the sight of Fenris sitting next to Fred. “Oh shit.”

“What the fuck?” Jordan, her scent one of horror, fell to her knees.

“Oh my God! Dad? Dad! ” Jamie fell at her father’s feet, her hand over her mouth, eyes glittering with tears.

“Holy shit.” Val, the Avenger, stared at his brother, stunned expression quickly turning to anger. “Who did this?”

Fen barked. They had to do something. His mate would be devastated if Thor died.

“Hold on, Fred. We’ll get you help.” Travis knelt down by Thor, whipping off his shirt and pressing it against the gaping wound in Thor’s chest.

Something strange was going on, something that shouldn’t be. He whined and licked at the dying god. How could this be happening?

“S-sorry.” Fred coughed and sprayed blood all over Fen. Fen shuddered.

“He got Jeff,” Thor wheezed. His hand flailed out and another one took it.

One that glowed brightly. Travis clung to his old friend with his only hand.

“Grimm has my son.”

Travis nodded grimly. “We’ll get him back. Rest. We’ll save him, I swear.”

Fred coughed again. Fred couldn’t survive his wounds. His breath whistled, and Fen knew his lungs had been punctured.

“Fen.”

Fenris turned to find Jamie, tears streaming down her face, holding open the elevator doors.

“Change back. We have to go get my brother and kill that son of a bitch.”

“Ja-Jamie!” Fred’s eyes were wild as he tried to push himself up, protect his daughter as he hadn’t been able to before.

She sobbed, but she didn’t move. “I love you, Dad.”

Fred shuddered. “Love you. Baby girl.”

His breathing was labored. He didn’t have long.

“An ambulance is on its way. Hold on, Dad.” Jordan was pressing something against Fred’s chest, sobbing as the blood poured through the cloth.

Fred smiled and placed his hand over her stomach. Fen heard her sharp intake of breath. “Love. You. So sorry.” He sighed, the sound rattling and loud.

“Jör…not…serpent…”

His bloodstained hand fell away from Jordan’s stomach.

“No. No. Don’t you do this to me, you stubborn son of a bitch.” Jordan smacked Fred’s cheeks. “C’mon, Dad. I still have to tell you how much I hate your ass.” Tears streaked down her cheeks. “Dad?”

Fen turned away from her grief and tore into the elevator. He would mourn with his mate later, after he’d rescued him.

“Daddy?”

The elevator doors closed with a soft snick.

Jeff took a deep breath and instantly smelled something cold and nasty. He wrinkled his nose and wondered when the hell he’d fallen head first into a fish barrel.

“Ah. You’re awake, Fenris.”

Jeff froze. Fuck. He knew that voice, even if he wished he didn’t. He opened his mouth to respond but all that came out was a low growl.

Uh-oh.

“Are you sure that’s Fenrisùlfr? He looks a little…red to me.”

Jeff snorted and sneezed. Hell. He was in serious trouble if Grimm’s girl Friday was here too.

“How should I know? He was covered in his own filth for so long I can’t remember what color his fur used to be. But how many giant wolves are roaming around the greater Philadelphia area?”

Rina Southerland, his Uncle Val’s mother and Grimm’s mistress, sighed.

“I’m just saying.”

“Hmm.” Footsteps sounded. Jeff opened his eyes and found himself snout to toe with Grimm’s boot. “Do you see this?”

Jeff eyed the thin, barely there rope in Grimm’s hands. He recognized it. He growled and struggled to sit up.

“Ah-ah. No you don’t.” Grimm snapped his fingers and Gleipnir wrapped itself around Jeff’s limbs, immobilizing him instantly. “I see you do remember it.”

Jeff rolled his eyes and yanked. Hell. It should be a piece of cake to get out of this once Grimm left the room.

“This time, I think hurting you won’t be enough.” Grimm smiled down at him. “No. I think this time we need to kill you.”

Jeff growled and tried to relax. Fen would come. Fen would save him.

Grimm’s rump was about to become roast for the beast.

“Rina?”

Rina stepped forward. In her hand she held a silver knife.

“Would you like a fur coat?”

Rina’s eyes gleamed with twisted pleasure.

Jeff shuddered. Guess I’m going to find out if that myth is true after all. Because if the silver didn’t kill him right away, he’d be dead by the time they were done skinning him.

He knew which death he preferred. He closed his eyes and thought of the man he’d left behind. Find me, Fen.

I need you.

“C’mon. We don’t have much time.” Jamie shoved his ass in her car and took off like a bat out of hell. “He’ll kill Jeff thinking he’s you.” She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “I want him dead, Fen!” She was shrieking, her voice, powered unconsciously by her magic, rattling the windows of the car.

“So do I.” Fen held on for dear life as Jamie raced through the nighttime streets of downtown. “Do you know where he took Jeff?”

She nodded and touched her earring. “Jeff hasn’t taken this off yet. I’m able to use it to track him.” She sniffed. “Where the fuck are Kir and Logan?”

“They went to get Magnus and Morgan. They believe Skye is actually Skuld, the Norn who reads the future.”

“The one who gave Odin the prophecy of Ragnarrok?” She turned sharply down a narrow street, her brows lowered in concentration.

“Yes.” Fen sniffed. There was the faintest whiff of his mate on the evening breeze. “There.” He pointed toward a narrow, red brick building with a black door.

Jamie nodded and parked the car at the first spot she came to, which was over a block away. “Act natural.”

Fen switched to his wolf form.

“Not that natural.”

Fen growled but shifted back. He sniffed, his head whipping around as the sweet scent of his mate filled his nostrils. “That way.”

Jamie led him to the building, but unless they wanted to go in through the front door there was no way they’d be getting in. “There’s got to be an alleyway somewhere around here.” She tapped her teeth with her nail and looked up and down the street. “There!” She took off and Fen followed, wondering where his mate’s sister was leading him.

Wherever it was, it was away from the slowly growing scent of blood.

“I killed Thor tonight because of you.”

Jeff whimpered. The knife sliding through his skin was sharp agony, distracting him from the stupid shit Grimm was spouting. Rina had a wicked touch with that fucking blade, drawing the pain out in ways he hadn’t thought possible.

“He was stupid, but he was loyal. Unlike your father, who’s been a thorn in my side since the beginning.”

Wait. Did he say Thor was dead? But that meant… That would mean…

The knife slid between the pads of his paw and Jeff nearly screamed. It was the last of his paws to be sliced. Each time was a fresh hell.

“Loki has a lot to answer for.” Grimm knelt down and stared into Jeff’s eyes.

“I wonder how he’ll feel finding his son’s furless body at his doorstep. You think he’ll cry?”

Jeff snapped at Grimm. His teeth snagged on Grimm’s chin, drawing blood.

Grimm pulled back. His expression was hard to read, but Jeff recognized the scent of fear. He’d smelled it on husbands who’d cheated on their wives and been found out. It filled the air around men and women who’d stolen or lied or cheated and been confronted by Jeff. Now his grandfather reeked of it.

“Rina?” Grimm wiped the blood from his chin. All emotion drained from his face. “Give me the knife.”

Fen bolted down the alleyway. He could hear the agonized howls of a wolf and knew his mate was suffering. He’d long since shed his human skin, running far ahead of his mate’s sister. She could take care of herself. He had to get to Jeff before it was too late.

No matter what else happened in that house, Grimm was a walking dead man.

Fen burst through the back door and followed the scent of his mate’s blood.

There in the living room was Grimm and a frost Jotun, huddled over a blood-coated wolf.

Fen snapped. He threw himself at Odin, snapping and snarling and tearing into skin, reveling in the blood that flowed down his chin and throat. He ripped into Odin with a ferocity the man before him couldn’t respond to fast enough.

Pain slashed into his side. Fen turned and bit, earning a startled cry from the frost Jotun.

When he turned back Odin was gone. In the blink of an eye the man he hated most in the world was no longer beneath his paws. He howled his rage. He could still smell him, hear his pained, fearful breaths, but he couldn’t see him.

Fen turned to the blonde female dashing through the front door. She was no longer a threat. Once Odin was destroyed the female could be hunted at his leisure.

“Jeff!” Jamie raced forward. “Oh my God. What did they do to you?”

Fen couldn’t turn back now. He had to stop Odin, had to kill him. Had to hand him his Ragnarrok before he could hurt Fen’s mate, his pack, any more than he already had. It was up to Fen to stop him.

Prophecy demanded it. Just as prophecy demanded his death afterward. Fen would face that when the time came, knowing he’d protected those he loved with his life.

Ah. There. He could scent the foul stench of Grimm and knew where the other man had hidden himself. Fen snarled and broke through the door.

He fell back with a whimper. Inside that room…inside that room was carnage. An entire family, from the gram to the smallest child, had been torn apart in a frenzy of blood and gore. Innocent, blank eyes stared up at him covered in the film and stench of death.

Behind him he heard Jamie’s heaving breaths as she emptied her stomach beside her bound brother.

Fen backed away from the room. Grimm wasn’t here. He was long gone.

This was part of the vision Skye had told them about.

This was a trap.

Fen quickly changed to his human form. “We need to get out of here now.”

Jamie puked some more.

He squatted by Jeff. Gods above, the damage that had been done to his mate was worse than he thought. Great flaps of skin had been flayed from his sides and his legs. Blood poured from the wounds. Jeff panted, the whites of his eyes showing. Fen had to get Jeff out of there before his mate suffered any further. He had to find out why Jeff’s wounds weren’t healing. He eyed Gleipnir. “Elskede.

How do I free you?”

Jeff, his entire body trembling violently, brought his bloody paws together and stared at Fen. His beautiful eyes were full of pain…and trust.

“Chinese finger trap.” Jamie heaved some more. “I need to call Travis.”

Fen remembered what Jeff had shown him two months ago in the helicopter.

Fen grabbed hold of Gleipnir and, instead of pulling, pushed gently. The rope fell away from his mate’s paws. Jeff was free. “Change, elskede. We need to get out of here.”

Jeff whimpered. A strange sound started to fill the air, one Fen had never heard before. It was loud, the sound rising and falling like the screech of an angry dragon.

Jamie staggered to her feet, still looking the worse for wear. “Fuck. The cops are coming. Jeff, get un-furry, you stupid bastard.”

Fen could see Jeff struggling to find his human self, but the pain was overriding everything else. “We carry him.” Fen pulled Jeff onto his shoulders and winced at his mate’s canine scream. The moan that was torn from his mate’s throat brought tears to his eyes. “Can you get us to your car unseen?”

Jamie nodded. “I think so. Travis is on his way, so if we have to we leave my car behind and get in his.”

“Easy, kjaere.” Fen raced out of the house, his mate draped across his shoulders. “We’ll have you home soon.” With luck his father and Kir would be there and could help him figure out why Jeff wasn’t healing. Had he been wrong?

Was his mate still mortal?

Jeff tried to bite back his cries. Already he could hear the police moving around inside the house. He knew they’d find where Grimm and Rina had attempted to fillet him. From what little he’d seen they’d also find that poor family Grimm had slaughtered.

How had Grimm disappeared like that? Fen had him in his jaws, ripping into him and tearing him apart. One second he was bleeding from bites, the next he’d disappeared and not even Fen could find him.

Wasn’t Fen supposed to kill Odin? Or did some other piece of prophecy need to be fulfilled first?

“Jamie!”

Jeff opened eyes he didn’t even remember closing to find his sister in her lover’s embrace. Travis looked tormented, just as he had when Jamie had been in that hospital bed months ago. He closed his eyes again and waited.

“Shit. Is that Jeff?”

He felt Fen move, knew the wolf was climbing into Travis’s car. Fen placed him on the back seat, careful of his wounds, the werewolf’s hands never leaving him. He was surrounded by the scent of loved ones.

It didn’t dull the pain, but it made it more bearable.

“Why isn’t he healing?” The concern in Fen’s voice was sobering. Jeff struggled to turn human, but the pain overrode everything else. He was stuck in this form, at least for now.

The car moved, taking them away from the death and carnage. How they’d avoided the police Jeff had no idea, but he was pretty sure he’d left a trail of blood right to the street. He figured his twin had used her woo-woo powers to hide them from detection.

Travis was driving like an insane man. “I don’t know.”

The car turned and Jeff moaned again. He was shuddering from the pain, freezing cold. It was possible he was going into shock from blood loss.

“And I can’t take him to a veterinarian. He looks nothing like a real wolf.”

Travis idled at a red light, his fingers drumming impatiently on the steering wheel.

“Not to mention my grandfather could get to him there.” He heard Jamie’s worried sigh. “Are the wards back up?”

“Jordan’s working on it. We’re also trying to figure out a way to get word to Logan and Kir about what just happened. I don’t think they realized Grimm would make his move the second the wards snapped.” Travis muttered something vile. “He had to have been waiting right outside the building to get to us that quickly. They’d only been down for a few minutes when he showed up.”

“He may already be at Yggdrasil. My father is used to moving swiftly. This is the first time he’s had so many people to protect.”

“And his main priorities are Kir and Jordan.” Travis pulled to a stop. Since no one began climbing out of the vehicle Jeff assumed they were at another red light, but he just couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes and make sure.

Fen stroked Jeff’s head and Jeff tried to relax. Whatever was going on, his mate would help him.

“Jeff?”

Jeff barely managed to open his eyes. Something about his sister’s voice was off.

“Grimm killed Dad.”

Jeff shivered. He knew. He closed his eyes and carefully wiggled until his nose rested on Fen’s thigh. It was all he could force himself to do, but he needed the comfort. The scent of his mate surrounded him but couldn’t drive away the reality that his big, strong father was dead. The man who’d tossed him in the air, who’d baked him the worst cookies he’d ever tasted, the father who’d cried when Jeff broke his arm, was dead.

“What are we going to tell Mom?”

Jeff whined. Jeanne Grimm, despite her anger, had adored her husband. She was going to lose it when she found out he’d been murdered.

If he knew his mother, she was going to go after Oliver Grimm with a sawed-off if they didn’t figure out a way to stop her.

“We’re almost there.” The now familiar bump as they drove into their building’s parking area jarred him, made him whimper. “We’ll take Fen and Jeff up to their condo, then go and fetch Jeanne. Sweetheart? Your dad’s in Logan’s place. Jordan’s called Toni to let her know what’s going on. She might be there when we get back.”

Good. The homicide detective would help them with…with…

God, he couldn’t even think about it. His father was dead, killed by his grandfather. It was beyond fucked up.

“How will we get Jeff up the elevator without anyone noticing?”

Travis pulled into his assigned spot with a sigh. “Magic.” Jeff opened his eyes to see Travis glowing with a strange light. He wavered before Jeff’s eyes and…disappeared. Jeff was lifted from Fen’s arms and couldn’t hold back his cry of pain and loss. “You two go on ahead. Pretend nothing’s wrong. I’ll need you to punch the elevator buttons for me.”

“Holy shit, Trav. Since when can you do that?” Jamie headed for the elevator, Fen on her heels.

“Since forever, but it’s extremely tiring. I have to literally bend light all around me while making sure people don’t see any warping, distortion or blank spots. Do you have any idea how heavy light really is? On top of that, I’m doing it for someone else. I can’t do it for more than two, and if your brother was any bigger I wouldn’t be able to do it at all.”

“Oh.” They got on the elevator, Jamie wincing as the Muzak version of

“Welcome to the Jungle” began to play. “I hate this music. Who picked this puke anyway?” She sniffed, not fooling anyone. Jamie was on the verge of collapse.

Before the elevator made it to their floor Jeff lost his battle with consciousness.

Chapter Seven

“That should do it.” Fen sat and watched closely as Travis ducked his hand in the basin of bloody water. “These stitches will hold but he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“He can have mine.” Jamie held out her bared arm. “Make with the needles.”

Travis shook his head. “I don’t have the equipment to do a transfusion.” He stood and headed for the master bath. “I’m going to clean up, then see if I can arrange something. Maybe I can get hold of Logan or Kir, get their asses back.”

Fen stroked his mate’s muzzle, his gaze glued to the rise and fall of Jeff’s chest. His mate looked like a patchwork doll, the stitches neat but visible against his russet fur. “Are the wards back up?” If Odin made another attempt on Fen’s mate, he’d be torn up even more than he was sure the Old Man already was.

“Jordan’s working on it. Uncle Val is doing what he can to help, but it’s not his strong suit.” Jamie settled carefully on the bed next to her twin. She rested her hand alongside Fen’s. “He’ll live.”

Fen’s jaw clenched. He heard the uncertainty in her voice but couldn’t answer it. “Jeff’s still mortal.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”

“That’s not the way it was supposed to be.” He’d been positive his bite would bring his mate over, make Jeff just like Fen.

He’d been wrong.

“I know.” Her hand brushed against his, her fingers twining with his own.

“Fen. You couldn’t have known he’d still be mortal.”

“My jealousy kept him from sharing blood with Kir. If he had—”

“He’d still be hurting. Just immortal and hurting.” Travis set his hand on Fen’s shoulder, but Fen couldn’t bring himself to respond. “And there’s no guarantee that if he’d shared blood with your father he’d get Logan’s healing abilities.”

“He’s got your magic in him, Fen. Maybe if we can get him to shift back, he’ll heal?” The barely suppressed hope in Jamie’s voice rubbed at the raw wound left by the attack on Jeff.

“No. It doesn’t work that way.” Jeff whimpered, his head moving restlessly.

Fen untangled his fingers from hers and resumed stroking his mate’s muzzle. Jeff settled back down immediately. “If he’d gotten my ability to heal he’d be all right by now.”

“Then it’s like sharing blood with Logan. He only got one of your abilities, shapeshifting, rather than all of them.”

“Then maybe if he shared blood with one of the others he’d get something of theirs?” Travis’s hand lifted away. “We can try me, but I don’t heal the way Logan does.”

Jamie twisted so that she was staring right into Fen’s eyes. “I heal.”

He lifted his head and stared at his mate’s twin. “Will it work?”

She shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen? He gets woo-woo powers or lights up like a Christmas tree when he’s ticked? It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

“The problem is your healing might not be as strong as Logan’s.” Travis reached around Fen and ran his fingers through Jamie’s curls.

Her answering smile wobbled. “Anything is better than nothing.” She bit her lip, obviously fighting back tears. “I can’t lose him too, Tyr.”

Travis sighed. His hand stroked her cheek. “Do it, love.”

She nodded and held out her hand. “Scalpel.” Travis handed her a small silver blade. “Fen? When this was done to me I had a bad reaction. Kir isn’t here to save Jeff if something goes wrong. Are you okay with this?”

Fen stared at her. “Could this kill him?”

“We think she had the reaction because Logan and I shared blood with her one right after the other. You bit Jeff this morning. Since it’s now late evening, he stands a better chance. The more time between the better off he’ll be, but from the way he’s breathing I’d rather give it a try now than wait.”

Fen nodded. A slim chance was better than none. “Do it.”

Jamie sliced her palm and placed it against one of the smaller wounds, one of the cuts Travis hadn’t stitched closed. The trio settled down to wait.

Nothing happened. Fen wanted to howl in frustration. “Why isn’t it working?”

Jamie sighed. “One in three chance he’d get healing, remember?”

“We’ll have to see what happens when he wakes up. But it’s pretty obvious he didn’t get healing.”

Fen frowned. “Wait. I never shared blood with Jeff, just claimed him and turned him.” He grabbed the silver blade and dragged it across his palm.

“No!” Travis stopped him before he could lay his hand on Jeff’s side. “We don’t know how he’ll react, remember?”

Damn. Fen watched the cut on his palm heal and growled. “I need to heal him.”

“I know.” Travis sighed. “The goddess of healing won’t come here, even for

Jeff.”

Jamie slumped with a grimace. “Frigg.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah.”

“Does she survive Ragnarrok?”

Travis blinked. “You know? I have no idea. The fate of the goddesses is never mentioned in either the Poetic or Prose Eddas.”

Fen heard the doorbell ring. Travis put his hand briefly on Fen’s shoulder before walking out of the room. Fen could hear him talking to someone, but couldn’t bring himself to care.

“In here.” Travis led whoever their visitor was into the bedroom.

“Poor doggie.” A dark-haired woman entered the room and clucked her tongue at the sight of his wounded mate. Her hands were reaching for him, but Fenris snarled and she pulled back.

Travis gestured toward the bed. “As you can see, Jeff’s been injured.”

“That’s Jeff? Holy fuck.” Fen sniffed and recognized the woman’s scent. It was the police detective, Antonia Mancinelli. “What the hell happened?”

“Grimm happened.” Jamie’s hands clenched into fists. “I’m going to turn the Old Man into patè.”

“No. I mean when did he become furry and four-legged?” Antonia’s hands ran through Jeff’s fur. Fen barely bit back his growl. This woman wasn’t pack, wasn’t family. She shouldn’t be touching his mate so intimately. “What did Oliver Grimm do to him? Some of these wounds are pretty serious.”

“He’s my mate.” Fen did growl then as the woman’s hands went dangerously close to the largest wound, the one on Jeff’s chest. “I marked him, made him mine.” He lifted her hands off Jeff’s body. “I won’t be able to keep myself from hurting you if you don’t stop touching him.”

“Sorry.” Toni took a step back from the bed. “Jamie. I need to file a report about your dad. You say Grimm attacked him?”

Jamie nodded. “Yeah.”

Toni sighed and rubbed her head. “Jesus. Technically speaking, Oliver Grimm is a missing person. If I post a report that he’s killed Fred Grimm the cops will start hunting him. But with the wound on your dad there’s no way to claim it was natural causes. And they’ll want to know why I think Oliver Grimm killed his son. Shit.”

“He attacked Jeff. He tried to fucking skin him.” Jamie’s hand was once more buried in her brother’s fur.

Toni winced. “Shit.” Toni flopped down into a chair across from the bed, far enough away that Fen didn’t feel Jeff was threatened but close enough that she could converse without shouting. “Your grandfather’s quite the asshole, isn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

Fen frowned. Something was different. Off. He sniffed the air around his mate, but nothing had changed.

“Fen?”

The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end. Perhaps Jordan and Val were finishing up the wards?

“Fen? Are you all right?”

No. It wasn’t the wards. This magic felt…different. Female. He’d felt it a few times before, so long ago he could barely remember it. It was subtle, this magic, one that was only wielded by a select few.

He jumped to his feet and changed, startling everyone in the room. He raced to Toni’s side and sniffed deeply.

Yes. Subtle, but there. Diluted by time and intermarriage with humans, but still there. He changed back and grabbed her hand, dragging her back to Jeff’s side. “Stroke him.”

“Um. Didn’t you threaten my life if I got too close?” She was wide-eyed, holding back.

Fen growled and forced her hand against Jeff’s skin. “Heal him.”

Travis gasped, but Fen kept his gaze on the woman in front of him. “You carry the blood of Valkyries in your veins. It’s faint, barely there, but some of their power runs through you.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Despite her protests her hands moved through Jeff’s fur.

“The Valkyries were the ones who chose who died and who did not, but they also had the power to heal. They could bring the living back from the dead. Odin hated when they did that, so they rarely practiced their healing skills.” Fen pleaded with her as best he could. “Save my mate. Please.”

Toni blinked, her expression uncertain. “I don’t know how.”

Travis took hold of her wrist. “Remember how you felt when you came into the room and saw what had been done to Jeff?” She nodded. “Your first instinct was to reach out to him, to make him feel better, wasn’t it?”

She shivered. “Not quite.”

Fen tilted his head.

“It was to put him out of his misery.”

Fen snarled.

“At first I thought he was a dog, okay? One that got run over by a bus, maybe.” Her hands continued to move through Jeff’s fur, her fingers lightly tracing the lines of the cuts Travis had sewn shut. “Honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it even if I help. He looks like reheated Hamburger Helper.”

“He will. If you help him.” Fen took hold of her hand again. This time he could feel the faint traces of her power flowing through her and into Jeff.

It was working. Without knowing it, Toni’s desire to fix Jeff was healing him slowly but surely. Already Jeff breathed more easily.

But it was taking a subtle toll on the detective. Her eyes turned glassy, her skin taking on a sickly sheen. She was pale and trembling before five minutes had passed. The rancid scent of sweat and fear filled the air around her. “I can’t.”

Fen lifted her hands away from Jeff just before she collapsed. He helped her back to the chair she’d settled in before. “You did enough. Tusen takk. ”

“Thank you,” Travis translated.

She was trembling. “How is this possible? I’m not like you.”

“Someone in your past was.” Fen settled back down on the bed, curling himself around his sleeping mate. “Your great-grandmother, or even further back, was a Valkyrie. They have always been lovers of mortals, and sometimes bore children with them.”

Her head shook in disbelief. “But I’m Italian, not Norwegian.”

“Then someone lied to you, or forgot that one of your relatives wasn’t Italian.” Travis brought her a drink of water. “Here. I’ll get some blankets and you can borrow some of Jamie’s pajamas.” He raised his hand when Toni opened her mouth to protest. “You’re in no condition to drive, Detective, and you know it.”

“I have to file my report.”

“You have to get some sleep and file it in the morning.” Travis smirked. “Or should I contact Nik?”

She glared up at him and downed the water. “Get me the fuckin’ jammies.

Sadistic bastard.”

Fen ignored them as Jeff’s breathing slowly evened out. The wounds were still there, but the worst ones, the ones that had Fen howling in grief, had partially healed under the touch of the detective. He raised his head and nodded to her. “Du er familien nå. ”

Travis paused as the meaning of the words Fen spoke sank in. Then he huffed out a laugh and handed the detective the pajamas. “Congratulations.

You’ve just been adopted.”

“Huh?” Toni rubbed wearily at her eyes. “What?”

“Fenrisùlfr just declared you family. Welcome to the, um, pack.”

Her eyes closed, her head slumping back against the chair. “I hate you all.”

Fen noticed her protest was half-hearted, whether from fatigue or not, he didn’t know, nor did he care. He shifted, wrapping his warmer, furred self around his mate, protecting his mate as he slept.

The Old Man would not get to Jeff a second time. He barely acknowledged Jeff’s family leaving the room. He just breathed in the scent that was uniquely his mate’s, reassuring himself that Jeff still lived.

A wash of hot and cold power ran through him. The wards were finally back in place, weaker and less subtle, but there. Fen allowed himself a small sigh, but would not allow himself sleep. Not now.

Not until the Old Man had been dealt with once and for all.

Jeff woke up to the feeling that he’d gone three rounds with an elephant and lost. Everything hurt, from his hands to his eyeballs. Hell, he was pretty sure his fingernails hurt, but with everything else aching he wasn’t quite sure. He also wasn’t sure when he’d become human again. Last he remembered he’d been in dire need of a depilatory.

“God morgen, min kjærlighet.”

Jeff couldn’t even smile, though he wanted to. “I got ‘good morning’ out of that.”

A soft kiss pressed against the nape of his neck. “Good morning, my love.”

Jeff sighed. Hell, he liked that, probably more than he should. “Why do I feel like hammered dog poo?”

“Do you remember nothing of yesterday, elskede?”

Jeff shifted his legs and immediately wished he hadn’t. “Ow.” He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was his hands. It looked like he’d put them through a lunchmeat slicer. “What the fuck?”

Bits and pieces of memory began to float through the fog of sleep and lack of caffeine. “My grandfather did this, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” Another feather-light kiss landed on the nape of his neck. “I’m so sorry, elskede. I should have stopped him.”

Something else was nagging at him. Something important. His blood ran cold as more and more of the events of yesterday unfolded. “Oh fuck. Dad.”

Fen’s arms tightened around him. “He died trying to save you.”

Jeff’s hands clenched despite the pain. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”

“Get in line.” He felt Fen jump behind him as Kir’s voice washed over them, echoing with power. “Hey, Jeff.” Kir settled on the bed next to them, his hand rifling through Jeff’s hair. From the storm clouds gathering in Kir’s eyes, it was obvious Baldur had risen. Light flashed through the room, and Jeff realized there was a thunderstorm brewing once more over Philadelphia, the result of Kir’s anger. “You had a busy day yesterday, didn’t you?”

“You could say that.” Jeff winced as Kir took hold of his fingers, checking them with a frown on his face.

“We had no idea the Old Man would move quite that fast once Kir and I were gone. We’d never have left if we had.” Logan moved behind Kir, one hand on his lover’s shoulder. “We’re so sorry, Jeff.”

Jeff nodded, though it hurt incredibly. He didn’t blame either Logan or Kir—

he blamed Grimm. “Did you find my brothers?” Morgan and Magnus would need to know Dad was… Was…

Hell, he couldn’t even bring himself to think it.

“No. Nik caught us on the bridge and told us what had happened. He opened a portal for us to come back. He said he’d try and get word to them to come home as soon as possible.” Logan looked toward the door. “I’m going to go strengthen the wards and check on Jordan.” He winced. “She’s not doing well.”

Jeff tried to sit up but the flaring agony forced him still. “The babies?”

Kir smiled gently. “They’re fine. Jordan’s grieving. She got to say good-bye, though.”

Which was more than Jeff, Morgan or Magnus would get. “I want him to hurt, Kir. I want him to hurt the way he’s made us hurt.”

“Not possible, kiddo. You have to love before you can grieve.” Logan kissed the top of Kir’s head. “Be careful, Blondie.”

“I will.” Kir smiled up at Logan. “Go on now. She needs you.”

Logan nodded. “Fen. If you wish to collect blod gjeld for your mate’s injuries, I’ll be waiting.”

“Logan.” Kir’s voice was sharp, the clouds racing across his irises darkening to near black.

Jeff chuckled. “The only one who owes blood debt is my grandfather, you masochist.”

“I agree.” Fen’s hand stroked down Jeff’s side, lightly brushing the sutures.

“You have paid enough blood, Pappa. You did the best you could. The one who owes blood is Odin.”

“He did it again, you know.” Jeff looked up at Logan. “He disappeared right under Fen’s claws. How the fuck does he do that?”

Logan grimaced. “I have no clue. I can’t do it and neither can any other Jotun I know.”

“The Aesir can’t either.” Kir rubbed his chin. “Last I checked we need to travel the old-fashioned way.”

“What about the Vanir?” Jeff wiggled the tiniest bit, trying to get even closer to Fen’s warmth. Fen responded by moving closer, cradling him a little bit tighter. “Has anyone asked Travis?”

“The Lios Alfar can bend light around them, making it look like they’ve disappeared, but it’s exhausting and not something done lightly or for very long.” Kir and Logan exchanged a long, speculative look. “Could he be doing that?”

“Not sure, but it’s possible.”

Fen was shaking his head. Jeff could feel it against the pillow they shared.

“No. His scent was gone, disappeared from in front of me. I thought he’d moved into another room and followed it, but he wasn’t there.”

“Was he in shadow when he disappeared?” Jeff watched the expressions on Kir’s and Logan’s faces closely. “If the Lios Alfar can make themselves invisible, could the Dökk Alfar somehow manipulate shadows? Even move through them?”

“Son of a bitch,” Logan breathed. “You might be right.”

“Do we know any Dökk Alfar?” Kir’s fingers brushed against the pendant at his neck.

“Yeah. Nik.” Logan stormed from the room, flames dancing along his skin.

“That son of a bitch. We were just there, damn it. He’s the one who told us to hightail it back here.”

Kir rolled his eyes. “Here we go.” He brushed his hand over Jeff’s hair.

“Take it easy today, all right? I’ll have Travis bring Toni over once she wakes up.

Maybe between the two of us we can help your healing along a little bit more.”

“Thanks, Uncle Kir.” Jeff grinned when Kir shuddered, but the clouds in his eyes had lightened up. Kir was still pissed, but Jeff had managed to calm him somewhat with his joke. Perhaps Jordan and Logan would be able to take care of the rest.

For all he’d called Thor an asshole, the man had been Kir’s brother. Kir had to be grieving too.

“Pain in my ass.” Kir waved good-bye and followed his lover out of the room.

“How is the pain, elskede?”

Jeff grunted as Fen shifted position behind him, moving the mattress beneath Jeff and thus moving Jeff. “Let’s just say that you may be glued to my backside for the foreseeable future.”

There was silence for a moment before Fen huffed out a laugh. “This is bad why?”

Jeff chuckled again. Damn, that hurts. “Because it means you’re not going walkies for a potty break.”

Fen licked his neck, right where he’d marked Jeff. “I can live with that.”

Jeff barely restrained his shudder. How could something feel so good when everything else hurt so bad? “Fen. Ix-nay on the ex-say. I’m really not up for it.”

He took Fen’s hand and brought it to his flaccid cock. “See?”

“I want to share blood with you.”

Jeff blinked. “Ah. I see the train has stopped in Wacky Land once more.”

“Hmm?”

“Never mind. What the hell is that supposed to mean, anyway?” He shifted his legs to get more comfortable and hissed as the stitches pulled.

“You’re still mortal, Jeff.”

“And?”

Fen sighed. “We think that, though I marked and changed you, you remain mortal, which is why you haven’t healed the way I do. If I share blood with you, there’s the possibility all of your wounds will disappear.”

Jeff nodded thoughtfully. “I remember when Logan did that for my sister. It was…bad. She went into convulsions and stopped breathing. Kir came in and saved her life.”

“Because she’d shared blood with Travis and Logan one right after the other.

Travis told me about it.” Fen nipped his neck. “Your sister shared with you last night, hoping you’d get the healing she got from Logan, but it didn’t work. If you share with me, it just might.”

Jeff thought about it. Was it worth it? “Is it too soon?”

“I don’t know, elskede. But watching you suffer is killing me.”

“Would watching me die kill you more?”

Fen’s arms tightened again, earning him a gasp of pain. Fen’s arms loosened immediately with a murmured apology. “Yes.”

“Then maybe we should wait until Kir is here in case anything goes wrong.”

He felt Fen nod. “That makes sense.” They snuggled for a few minutes. Jeff felt himself nodding off again when Fen spoke. “You scared me.”

“I know. I was scared myself.”

“You can’t leave me.”

Jeff couldn’t turn to hold Fen, couldn’t comfort the man the way he wanted to. But he could do something. “Bring your hand to my lips.” He waited until Fen did as he asked. He pressed his own kiss to the back of his wolf’s hand. “I won’t. Not voluntarily.”

“Not ever. I need you too much.”

He wished desperately that he could see Fen’s face. The man sounded tormented. “I knew you’d come for me.”

Fen shivered.

“I held on because I knew you’d never leave me there. I knew, Fen.”

“Not even Hel can have you.”

Jeff nodded. What did you say to something as outrageous as that? The man literally had an in with death herself. Did Hel have a cell phone? Was her ringtone Rob Zombie’s “Living Dead Girl”? “You’ll have to ask her opinion on that some time. I might not even be slated to go to her when I die.”

Fen tensed. “Why not?”

“We weren’t very religious growing up, but my mother’s always been Christian. My father refused to go to church.” Jeff shook his head. “Now I know why. Can a god perform sacrilege?”

“Yes.”

Even raising his eyebrows hurt. Fen’s answer had been firm, unequivocal.

“Okay.”

“I’m more interested in what you may have gotten from sharing blood with your twin.”

He snorted out a laugh. “Wonder Twin powers, activate.”

He heard a feminine laugh, one as familiar to him as his own. “Shit. You had to go there, didn’t you?” Jamie yawned and settled into the chair next to the bed.

“How are you feeling?”

He snorted a laugh. “Like hammered dog poo.”

His twin had dark circles under her eyes. They were bloodshot and puffy, as if she’d been crying. He wondered how much sleep she’d gotten the night before.

Her hair was a mess of curls. In her hand was a hairbrush. “Ditto.”

He pointed toward the hairbrush with his chin. “I can’t.”

“I know.” She gestured toward Fen, who moved away from him slowly. Jeff sighed as the brush moved through his curls, soothing him. “Jordy’s a mess.”

“Does she need me?” He winced when the brush smacked him on top of the head. “Hey!”

“Dork. Like you could go two steps without falling on your flat ass.”

“My ass is perfect, thank you very much.”

“Yes, it is.” Fen blew him a kiss and left the room.

“He’s biased.” Jamie chuckled when Jeff stuck his tongue out at her. “Jordan will be here later.” The brush stroked again, untangling his hair. “What do you think he would have been like off the juice?”

Jeff closed his eyes. He knew who she meant. “Dad would have been pretty much the same, I think. Still making Mom moan and groan. Still kicking our asses when we were stupid.”

“Yeah.” The brush kept going in smooth, careful strokes even as Jamie’s voice choked up. “Yeah, he would have.”

Travis handed Fen a mug. “Here. How’s he doing?”

“In pain. Exhausted. Grieving.” Fen shook his head. “I can’t lose him.” He’d follow Jeff to Hel, or wherever the gods took his mate. Living without him now was no longer an option.

“I know.” Travis stared toward the closed door of the bedroom. “When Jamie was hurt I could barely bring myself to leave her long enough to pee, and only if someone I trusted was with her.” The torment in Travis’s eyes matched the agony in Fen’s heart.

Fen nodded. He knew exactly what Travis meant. He could barely keep himself from checking on them, and it had been less than five minutes since Jamie had entered the bedroom. “When do you think Jordan will be here?”

The front door slammed open, propelled by one pissed off pregnant lady.

“I’d guess now.” Travis nodded to Jordan. “Hey, Jordan.”

Jordan nodded briefly and went straight into Fen’s bedroom. She too looked like she’d been through the ringer. Her long, dark hair was limp, her eyes redrimmed. Kir and Logan were right on her ass up until she slammed the bedroom door shut in their faces.

“Is she pissed at you two?” Travis frowned at the door, his expression confused.

“Yup.” Logan ran his fingers through his hair. “I think she blames us for Fred’s death.”

Jordan’s voice suddenly rang out from the bedroom. “Ow! Not the brush, not the brush! Shit, Jamie!”

“Jamie doesn’t agree, apparently.” Travis grinned, but compared to his usual expression it was weak at best. “Has your father shown you how to make French toast yet?”

Fen tilted his head. “French what?”

“C’mon, kiddo. I have the feeling this might take awhile.” Logan threw his arm over Fen’s shoulder. “Besides, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Right, Blondie?”

“Right. Which is why we’re ordering pizza for lunch.” Kir smiled, but it was half-hearted. His blue eyes still had clouds dancing through them. Out the window, rain fell in thick sheets as the sky cried for the lost god.

“Hey.” Logan took Kir’s face between his palms. “We’ll get him, I swear it.”

“Soon, Logan.” Kir’s voice took on a deep, resonant timber that had Fen bending knee before him. “Before anyone else dies.” Kir leaned in for a kiss from his lover. “Especially you.”

“Nik’s the one who’s supposed to kill me.” Logan shivered. “I still don’t know which side that bastard’s going to come down on.”

“His own.” Travis grimaced. “Even when I ruled the Vanir he was a secretive son of a bitch.”

Logan frowned. “He is Dökk Alfar, right?”

Travis opened his mouth, then frowned himself. “You know? I’m not entirely sure.”

The four of them exchanged glances. Kir broke the silence first. “Fen?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you scent the differences between Lios and Dökk Alfar?”

Fen’s brows rose. “I didn’t know many of either, but I might be able to.”

Jordan stomped back through the bedroom door and into another room, the one Jeff used as an office. She came back quickly with Jeff’s laptop and once more slammed the bedroom door shut.

“Shit. She’s still pissed.” Logan sighed. “I’m not entirely sure I blame her.”

“Blame the hormones.” Travis leaned against the kitchen counter. “I do.”

Fen shook his head. “She’s grieving, and she needs her pack.”

Kir, Travis, Fen and Logan exchanged another long look. Logan grinned and headed for the bedroom. “He’s right.”

Without another word the other three followed him. If the Grimm children needed their pack, then by the gods they’d get their pack. All of them.

“Oh, Vincente.”

“Oh, my stomach,” Jordan groaned. The laptop had been placed on the bed near Jeff’s head, the two ladies hovering over him as they watched the action on the screen.

“Shh! This is the best part.” Jamie’s gaze was glued to the screen, her green eyes shimmering with excitement.

“Whatever shall we do? Sylvia refuses to grant your divorce, my love!”

“Miranda, my darling, we shall survive.”

Fen blinked and moved so that he too could see what was going on. Two people, both dark haired, were kissing ravenously. It looked like the man was trying to eat the woman’s face from the inside out. The lip-smacking noise that came from the tiny computer speakers was revolting.

Eventually the pair’s lips pulled apart with an audible smack. “My darling Vincente.”

“Oh, Miranda.”

Fen shook his head. This was Vincente?

“Hell. He’s wearing the gold lamé briefs.” Jordan got out of bed, careful of her brother’s wounds. “I’ve gotta barf now.” She shook her finger at the twins.

“My children will be warped for life.”

Jamie giggled, the sound high and sweet and oh, so welcome. If Jamie was feeling well enough to giggle, then Jeff must be feeling better as well.

“I swear if their first word is Vincente you two are toast.”

Jeff’s shoulders were shaking. “But he’s so hot!”

“I’m thinking of naming my first son Vincente.” Jamie batted her lashes at Travis.

“Oh hell no.” Travis was shaking his head in horror. “No fucking way.

You’re cute, but you’re not that cute.”

Kir was laughing, the storm clouds in his eyes lightening at the sight of his wife’s smiling face. Outside the rain eased up, still there but not nearly as ferocious.

“Hell, Jamie, you can’t name a kid Vicente. That’s skanky. I’d never be able to moan his name again without thinking…ew.” Jeff shuddered, trying to hide his wince of pain.

Jamie sniffed. “Then keep your pervy fantasies to yourself.”

Fen growled. The man on the screen was Jeff’s fantasy man?

Jeff turned his head slowly and caught Fen’s eye. He winked as soon as he saw he had Fen’s undivided attention. “Then don’t name the kid Vincente.”

Fen relaxed. The man on the screen might be a fantasy, but Fen was Jeff’s reality.

He could live with that.

Chapter Eight

“Stay still, elskede.” Fen carefully carried his mate to Logan’s condo. “We’ll be there soon.”

Jeff shivered in his arms. With his injuries he should still be in bed, but Jeff had insisted on going to Logan’s when word reached them that Jeanne Grimm had arrived. He hadn’t wanted to wait even a single second before checking on his mother. Fen had given in the moment Jeff threatened to crawl there if he had to. Fen knew the man was stubborn enough to do it. “God. Mom’s gotta be pissed.”

“What do you want me to do?” Fen would do anything to get that look off Jeff’s face. The visit from his siblings had eased him somewhat, but the raw grief and pain were still there in the dull eyes and lackluster smile. “I will do whatever you wish, love.”

Jeff winced as Fen shifted him. “Don’t drop me.”

Fen smiled as best he could. “I promise.”

The door to his father’s condo opened. Kir winced as he saw how pale and sweaty Jeff looked. Sharing blood hadn’t healed his beautiful redhead, and neither had a visit from Toni. Fen was at his wits’ end. Fen could hear the sound of quiet sobbing coming from the room behind Kir. “C’mon in, you two.”

Fen carried Jeff in. The cry from Jeanne Grimm as she got her first look at her battered son tore at him. “Oh my God.” She raced forward, but Fen moved, keeping her from touching Jeff in any way. He growled, warning her away before she could inadvertently hurt Jeff further.

“Shh.” Jeff reached up with a shaking hand and caressed Fen’s cheek. “It’s okay. She won’t hurt me.”

Fen closed his eyes and tried to get himself back under control. Just the thought that someone could hurt Jeff sent him into a murderous rage. His jaw clenched and it took him a moment before he could speak, a moment where Jeanne watched him warily. “Be careful. He’s hurt badly.”

She frowned, the look fiercely protective. “Then why is he out of bed?”

“Because you came to claim his father’s body.”

Grief tightened her features. “Whatever else he did, Fred Grimm was the love of my life.” Tears pooled in her eyes, eyes the same exact shade as Jeff’s. She tsk’d. “Put him on the sofa before you drop him.” She led the way, pointing to where she wanted her son. “I gather you’re Fenris the werewolf?”

He nodded, watching Jeff’s face closely as he lowered him to the cushions.

“Better, elskede?” He touched Jeff’s cheek, smiling when his mate nodded. He straightened and faced Jeff’s mother once more. “Yes, I’m Fenris Saeter. Your son’s mate.”

She smiled at him and nodded. “Good.” His brows rose in surprise. “I can already tell you’ll take good care of him.”

“Mom,” Jeff whined behind him. “I’m not twelve and he’s not my first boyfriend.”

Fen held back his snarl. His mate hadn’t come to him a virgin, but the man didn’t have to mention it any more than necessary.

Jeanne wiped her tears away and smiled again. It was easy to see where Jamie got her beautiful smile. “I’ll decide how I speak to my new son-in-law, young man.” She eyed Fen again. “You’re the one who’s supposed to kill Oliver?”

Fen nodded. “I believe so, if Oliver is Odin.”

The fury and determination that lit her face startled him. “Good. Get a bite in or two for me, will ya? And make sure it bleeds a lot.” She tilted her head, a speculative gleam in her eye. “Maybe the groin area?”

Behind him every man in the room choked or coughed. He was pretty sure at least one of them had cupped himself.

Fen nodded, unfazed by the request. “It will be my pleasure.”

She smiled sweetly again and patted his cheek with a maternal hand.

“You’re a good boy.”

“Will he get extra cookies if he bites Grimm’s dick off?”

She frowned over Fen’s shoulder. “Language, Logan.”

“Yes’m.” Fen could hear the suppressed laughter in his father’s voice.

Jeanne settled on the ottoman where she could easily reach Jeff without jarring him. She took her son’s hand in her own. “Tell me everything.”

Fen carefully settled himself behind Jeff, his mate cradled between his thighs, Jeff’s head resting against his chest. Jeff told her everything that had happened to him, only interrupted by Jordan when she told her mother how Fred had passed away. By the time he was done Jeanne Grimm was pale and shaking with fury. “I take it back. I don’t want just his dick bitten off.”

Logan wisely kept his mouth shut.

“I want him where he can’t hurt anyone ever again.” She glared up at Kir and Logan. “Tell me about the prophecy.”

Logan groaned. It was Travis who stepped forward and quoted the prophecy they all knew and feared:

“High blows Heimdall, the horn is aloft;

Odin communes with Mimir’s head;

Trembles Yggdrasill’s towering Ash;

The old tree wails when the Ettin is loosed.

“What of the Aesir? What of the Elf-folk?

All Jötunheim echoes, the Aesir are at council;

The dwarves are groaning before their stone doors,

Wise in rock-walls; wit ye yet, or what?

“Hrymr sails from the east, the sea floods onward;

The monstrous Beast twists in mighty wrath;

The Snake beats the waves, the Eagle is screaming;

The gold-neb tears corpses, Naglfar is loosed.

“From the east sails the keel; come now Múspell’s folk

Over the sea-waves, and Loki steereth;

There are the warlocks all with the Wolf,

With them is the brother of Býleistr faring.

“Surtr fares from southward with switch-eating flame;

On his sword shimmers the sun of the war-gods;

The rocks are falling, and fiends are reeling,

Heroes tread Hel-way, heaven is cloven.

“Then to the Goddess a second grief cometh,

When Odin fares to fight with the Wolf,

And Beli’s slayer, the bright god, with Surtr;

There must fall Frigg’s beloved.

“Odin’s son goeth to strife with the Wolf,

Vídarr, speeding to meet the slaughter-beast;

The sword in his hand to the heart he thrusteth

Of the fiend’s offspring; avenged is his Father.

“Now goeth Hlödyn’s glorious son

Not in flight from the Serpent, of fear unheeding;

All the earth’s offspring must empty the homesteads,

When furiously smiteth Midgard’s defender.

“The sun shall be darkened, earth sinks in the sea,—

Glide from the heaven the glittering stars;

Smoke-reek rages and reddening fire:

The high heat licks against heaven itself.”

Jeanne blinked. “One of you is going to translate that into English for me, right?”

Jeff laughed, groaning in pain at the same time. “Preaching to the choir, Mom.”

She leaned forward. “Easy, Jeff.” She reached for Jeff’s shirt but pulled her hand away before she could make contact. “I want to see how badly he hurt you.”

Jeff nodded. “Fen?”

Fen carefully lifted Jeff’s shirt, revealing the healing wounds to his mate’s mother. She hissed in anger when she saw them, her hands shaking in her lap.

Her foot began to tap a rapid tattoo on the hardwood floor. “Tell me you hurt him.”

“I hurt him.” Fen lowered Jeff’s shirt, wincing along with his mate when the fabric caught on one of the stitches. “Grimm bled before he got away from me.”

She sat back on the ottoman, but her foot kept tapping. She blew out a breath and frowned, her thoughts turned inward. “Has Heimdall blown his horn yet?”

The room went still. Kir’s brows rose nearly to his hairline. “You know, I have no idea.”

Jeanne eyed her son-in-law. “Call him and find out.”

Logan shook his head. “Can’t. No cell phone service on the Bifrost Bridge.”

He smirked at Kir. “We need to fix that.”

Jeanne shrugged. “How did you use to communicate? Smoke signals?”

“Shank’s mare.” Logan held out his leg and wiggled his foot. “Pretty much what we were trying to do when Heimdall told us to turn around because Grimm had Jeff.”

“So you were on the bridge? Recently?”

Logan sighed. “Yeah. It blew all of our magical protections to get there too.

That’s how Grimm got in and managed to kill Fred and get to Jeff.”

“He thought I was Fen.” Jeff shuddered and Fen stroked his mate’s hair, hoping to soothe him. Jeff turned his head so that his nose was buried against Fen’s neck. “God, you smell good.” Fen understood how close Jeff’s wolf was to the surface as Jeff, despite his injuries, tried to burrow his way further into Fen’s arms. His mate tried to wallow in Fen’s scent, and Fen smiled, stilling him.

Kir handed Jeanne a coffee mug. “How could he mistake you for Fen? No offense but you’re a lot redder.”

“He said Fen had been under dirt and filth for so long he couldn’t remember what Fen’s original color had been.” Jeff twisted in his arms, trying to get closer to Fen’s neck. Fen felt Jeff wince at the movement, but it didn’t stop the man. He just moaned and licked Fen’s neck. “You taste good.”

Jeff wanted to mate. If Fen let him, the other man would bite Fen’s neck and the mating cycle would be complete. He would belong to Jeff forever.

Fen’s eyes went wide. Could it be that simple?

“Down, boy.” Logan patted Jeff on the head. “You’re in no shape to do what I think you want to do.”

“I think he needs to.” Fen held Jeff’s head to his neck. “Bite me.”

“Oh no.” Logan hauled Fen to his feet, jarring Jeff in the process. “No blood on the white sofa.”

Jeff snarled. His hazel eyes turned gold as he glared at Logan’s hand on Fen’s arm. Fangs peeked below his bottom lip.

“Right.” Logan took his hand off Fen’s arm. “Good boy. Good boy. No marking Logan’s sofa, ’kay?”

“The mating. It’s incomplete.” Fen grinned. From the looks of those around him it was just as feral as his lover’s snarls. “That’s why he’s not healing. That’s why he’s still mortal.”

“Shit.” Jordan pointed. “Get out of here and fix that.”

Fen didn’t need to be told twice. He picked up his mate, headed right for the front door and prayed for the first time in centuries.

Fire coursed through Jeff’s veins. The scent of his mate was so strong he couldn’t help but nuzzle close, burying his nose against his mate’s neck. The urge to bite, to mark Fen as his own, was overwhelming.

The wolf wanted his mate, and Jeff was all too willing to oblige.

He licked Fen’s neck from his shoulder to his earlobe, taking the tender piece of flesh between his teeth and nibbling. Fen’s groan was almost drowned out by the slamming of the bedroom door. “Yes, elskede.” Fen’s back hit the door. He tilted his head, giving Jeff as much access as he wished. “Mark me. Make me your own.”

Jeff bit his lover, his fangs sinking in deep.

Fen howled his approval.

“Bed,” Jeff muttered. His mouth was still against Fen’s neck, but now that he’d bitten Fen he had the powerful urge to get fucked, despite the pain.

“You will not hurt yourself.” Fen carried him to the bed and placed him gently down. “You will hold still while I pleasure you.”

Jeff’s cock was so hard it hurt. He nodded so fast his head spun. Fen took about two seconds to take off his clothes.

It felt like it took him two hours to remove Jeff’s.

Fen was beyond careful as he took off Jeff’s clothes. Each piece had to be maneuvered off his body in the gentlest way possible. Fen stroked each bruise, kissed each cut, until Jeff was ready to howl himself. He was stroking his cock long before Fen tossed his underwear on the floor, ready to bring himself off if Fen made him wait one. More. Second.

Fen batted his hand away and took Jeff’s cock in his mouth. It felt so good Jeff nearly shot his load, but he held on. He was rewarded by a strong suck that nearly blew the top of his head off.

Fen’s head bobbed, taking him deeper and deeper into his throat. Jeff threaded his fingers into Fen’s hair, the warmth of it flowing over his skin.

Staying still had never been so difficult. “So good.” Fen moaned his approval, the vibrations racing up Jeff’s cock and through his balls. “Oh shit, babe.” He was going to come, and not even God himself could stop him.

Then Fen did something that halted his orgasm in its tracks. He lifted his head, his beautiful eyes gleaming with mischief, and reached for the lube.

Oh yeah, Happy Hour is finally here! Jeff grinned, ready to be pounded through the mattress. Didn’t they say orgasms were good for pain?

Jeff intended to find out.

But Fen didn’t start lubing up Jeff’s ass. Oh no. The sneaky, orgasm-stealing son of a bitch began doing something Jeff would never have believed if he hadn’t seen it himself.

He began to lube his own ass.

“Fen?”

Fen grinned at him. His arm was still between his legs. Jeff could see him moving, thrusting fingers in and out of his ass. “Yes, elskede?”

When he added a third finger Jeff was entranced. If stretching himself out for Jeff’s cock hurt Fenris at all he didn’t show it. If anything, the pleasure on his face was extreme. He clearly loved every minute of it. “Hmm?”

The dark chuckle didn’t surprise him. Fen straddled Jeff’s hips and took Jeff’s cock in his hand. He poured a liberal amount of lube over the head and smeared it around with his palm.

“Shit!” Jeff reached out to stop him because, damn, that felt good, but the pain of moving nearly had him going limp.

Fen let go of his cock and leaned over him until they were nose to nose. His golden wolf’s eyes glared down at him. “Stay.”

“Woof.”

Fen shook his head and slowly lowered himself on Jeff’s cock.

This has to be the second best moment of my entire fucking life. He watched as his cock disappeared into his mate’s muscled ass. The tight warmth had him back to DEFCON One in seconds. “You’d better catch up, because I’m going to blow if you so much as twitch.”

Fen began stroking himself. “You will wait for me.” His accent had thickened until he was slurring his English. Fen rotated his hips and hissed. “I may be riding your dick, but that doesn’t mean I’m not alpha.” He leaned over until they were nose to nose again. “Understood?”

Jeff stared into his mate’s eyes and nodded. His dick was never going to forgive him for this. He wouldn’t be surprised if it staged a revolt and stayed in Fen’s ass when they were done.

Hell, if he had a choice, he’d live in Fen’s ass too.

Fen’s movements were cautious, but he slowly began to ride Jeff. Not once did his ass land on Jeff’s thighs. His wolf was too aware of the damage to his body. If Jeff so much as shimmied his hips Fen would stop, growl and wait for Jeff to settle down. Jeff figured if he ever wanted to get off he’d better play statue, but it was damn fucking hard to stay still when Fen moved like that. But he had to. He had to come. He had to…

Mark his mate. Make sure his scent was so deeply imbedded in Fenris’s body that not even death could remove it.

Lightning shot down his spine. “Fen. Please. Now.” He was going to erupt and there was no stopping it.

Fen’s hand was moving at lightning speed over his cock. His features were twisted with pleasure, his forehead resting against Jeff’s. They breathed each other in. “Now.” Fen’s ass clenched around him. “Now!”

Jeff let go, exploding in his mate’s body, filling him with his seed. Hot liquid splashed over his chest as Fen came with an anguished howl.

Neither of them could breathe when it was over. Fen barely kept from collapsing on top of him, his elbows landing on the mattress on either side of him. His powerful arms shook with the effort of holding himself up.

Jeff licked his lips and sighed. His dick was still root-deep in his mate, and he was a happy man. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, smiling through the kiss Fen immediately granted him.

Fen slid off his body, dislodging Jeff’s cock from its happy home. He whimpered at the loss of heat. Fen chuckled and touched Jeff’s chest. “Look, elskede.”

Jeff stared at the rapidly healing wounds on his body. “Holy fuck.”

“Exactly.” Fen grinned, his expression one of lazy satisfaction. Apparently he thought his ass really was sacred.

Jeff rolled his eyes but his heart wasn’t in it. He was too fascinated by the way his body was once more becoming his own. By the time the process was done he had faint, pinkish scars left where the terrible wounds had once been.

“Daddy likey.”

Fen rolled over and licked one of the scars. Jeff hissed in pleasure—it seemed the newly formed scars were a hot spot for him. Jeff took a moment to stare down at his body. From the look on his face he was disturbed by what he saw.

“It looks like I’ve been autopsied.” He had a Y incision in his chest and abdomen.

His arms each had a scar running from the tip of his middle finger all the way to his shoulders. He had a matching set on each leg. Along one cheek a jagged scar had formed. Grimm had a lot to answer for. “Fen?”

Fen gathered his mate close and tried to reassure the smaller man. “I’m here, elskede.”

“Will the scars go away?” Jeff huddled into his warmth. Jeff’s scent was changing, becoming spice mixed with sweet. Jeff frowned and sniffed Fen’s chest. “And why do you smell like cinnamon?”

Fen laughed silently. “Because you do.”

Jeff lifted his head. Whatever he saw on Fen’s face had an answering smile lifting his lips. “Excuse me?”

Fen pulled him closer, entangling their legs. “Our scents are mingling. I smell sweeter because you do. You’ll smell spicier, like me.” Fen sniffed Jeff’s neck and moaned. “Everyone will know we’ve mated.”

“We’ll smell like us instead of you and me.” Jeff seemed thoroughly pleased by that thought if the twitching of his cock was any indication. The man had a remarkable recovery time Fen had every intention of exploring.

“Yes.” Fen licked the scar on Jeff’s cheek. “You taste good.”

Jeff moaned and his cock hardened further against his mate’s hip. “Your turn.” Jeff grabbed Fen’s cock, stroking it from root to tip, over and over again. “I want this in me, making me scream.”

Fen shuddered with bliss. His English failed him as Jeff bent down and took Fen’s cock in his mouth. The long, slow glide of his mate’s tongue over his shaft made him hum with pleasure. He grabbed the wild red curls and held on for dear life while Jeff proved to him that Fen might be the alpha, but Jeff ruled the bed.

After a few long, pleasure-hazed moments Fen tugged on Jeff’s hair. “Kom opp her. ” His English had failed him, the Norwegian word slipping past his lips easily.

Jeff obeyed, lifting his lips off Fen’s cock, though his tongue continued to tease the slit.

“Naughty little wolf,” Fen crooned. His mate shot him a cheeky grin right before he sucked the head of Fen’s cock back into his mouth. Those soft red curls Jeff hated so much caressed his shaft, and Fen swore he’d never allow the man to cut them off. If he had his way Jeff’s hair would cover his ass when he walked, allowing teasing little glimpses of the perfection only Fen was allowed to touch.

Fen took his mate’s arms and dragged him up his body. “Headboard.”

Jeff’s eyebrows lifted. Fen twisted beneath him and moved until he knelt at Jeff’s back. He placed Jeff against the headboard so that his cock nudged the wood, his back upright, his head resting against Fen’s shoulder. God, the feel of his mate’s hair against his chest was intoxicating. It was growing at a rapid rate, already halfway down Jeff’s back. He grabbed the lube and traced the puckered rosette of Jeff’s ass, getting it nice and slick before sliding a finger inside.

Jeff’s hands clenched on the headboard. “More, Fen. Go ahead. Give me more.”

“Are you sure, elskede?” Not for the world would he cause Jeff any more pain.

Jeff nodded and arched his back, forcing Fen’s finger farther inside him.

“Give it to me.”

Fen bit down on his mate’s shoulder and sucked up a mark before giving his mate what he’d asked for. He thrust three fingers inside the man, relieved to hear the moans erupting from Jeff’s mouth. “Are you ready?”

Jeff nodded and panted. “Oh fuck yeah.”

Fen reached around and stroked Jeff’s cock, smiling at the precome that slipped over his fingers. “I think you are.”

Jeff growled, the sound low and menacing, much better than the whimpy little sound he’d made before. This was the true sound of a mate in heat, demanding his lover’s cock.

Fen obliged him, sliding into Jeff’s body in one hard thrust. Jeff threw his head back and gasped. “Still want it hard, love?”

Jeff reached behind him and pinched Fen’s hip. “If you don’t fuck me I will kill you.” He looked up at Fen with a wicked smile. “Or worse. Buy one of those glittery butt plugs for your father’s birthday and make the tag out from you, with love.”

Fen barely bit back a laugh. “You are evil.”

“I am horny. Make with the fucking.”

“As you wish.” Fen grabbed hold of Jeff’s hips and began a punishing rhythm that had the man gasping for breath and holding on for dear life.

Jeff twisted and draped his arm behind Fen’s neck. Fen kissed his mate as he fucked him. Jeff moaned into his mouth, his ass clenching around Fen’s cock.

Fen wrapped his fist around Jeff’s cock and stroked until Jeff began to go off in his hand. His come splattered the headboard. Only then did Fen allow himself his own pleasure, muffling his howl of completion against Jeff’s skin.

Jeff leaned his head against the headboard and chuckled wearily. “There is no way I’m cleaning that up.”

Fen snorted and pulled out of Jeff. He tugged and pushed until he had Jeff nestled in his arms, his head pillowed on Fen’s chest. Fen wrapped Jeff’s curls around his fingers and sighed. He couldn’t ever remember being more content.

A knock on the door interrupted Fen’s quiet joy. “It’s me, Kir. I want to make sure Jeff’s healed up.”

Fen was pleased with the sleepy, satisfied smile on his mate’s face. The man was worn out, and Fen couldn’t be happier. “We’ll be out shortly.” But just in case, Fen covered them with the blankets.

“Hmph.” Fen could hear the humor in Kir’s voice. The blond god walked into the room, uncaring about their nudity, and studied Jeff intently. A huge smile graced his lips as he took in Jeff’s faded scars. “I’m glad to see it worked.”

“He’ll have the scars, but these, besides my mark, are the only ones he will ever bear.” A fact that just about killed Fenris. The knowledge that his mate would bear the marks of his torture at Odin’s hand for the rest of eternity nearly ruined the happy mood he’d been in just moments before.

The only scar Jeff should have was Fen’s mating mark.

“Shh.” Jeff’s hand patted Fen’s hip. “Snarly.” He snuggled deeper into the covers like a young pup, already mostly asleep.

Jordan poked her head through the bedroom door. “Jeff. Vincente’s on the phone. He wants to come over for pasta.”

Jeff smacked his lips and smiled. “Yum.”

“Oh yeah. He’s out. Good luck waking him back up.” She grinned and left the room, followed by a smiling Kir.

Fen pulled himself from beneath the covers, careful not to wake Jeff. The man needed his sleep, and Fen would see to it that he got it. Jeff barely stirred.

He dressed quickly and headed to the living room. All three Tate-Saeter’s were there, talking quietly about Jeff’s healed injuries.

Logan smirked and waggled his brows. “Wore him out, did we?”

Fen noted how careful his father was to keep his voice low and was grateful for it. “Yes.”

There was no way his father could help but notice the pure contentment in his response. Nothing could take Jeff from him now. Logan nodded and headed for the front door. “Be careful. I strengthened the wards while you two were consummating your marriage, but that doesn’t mean Grimm can’t find a hole in them somewhere.”

“Have Magnus and Morgan returned?” The brothers would be horrified to find out what had happened to their family during their absence.

“Not yet. We’re hoping they get here soon, before Jeanne goes ballistic and hunts Grimm down with a bowie knife and a bandana.”

Fen was not going to ask. He was not. “A bandana?” Shit. He’d asked.

Logan grinned. “Ask your mate about Sylvester Stallone some time. Rambo is must-see TV for any red-blooded American male.”

“What do we do about the Old Man?” Fen stared into his father’s eyes. “He scarred my mate.”

Logan blew out a breath, all humor leaving his face to be replaced by grim determination. “We find him and kill his ass.”

Fen frowned, confused. “How will that hurt him? Has his ass done anything wrong?”

Logan’s expression blanked just before he burst into laughter worthy of Kir.

He barely breathed as he doubled over.

“What the hell?” Jordan stared at Logan as if he’d grown a second head.

“What did you do to him?”

“I asked him why we wanted to kill the Old Man’s ass. Surely the beast has no say in what Odin does.” It was probably as much of an innocent as Sleipnir, Fen’s half brother and Odin’s eight-legged steed. The last time he’d seen his brother the beast had cast him one sorrowful glance before taking Odin away into the night sky.

He had no idea how long ago that had been, nor did he want to. He only knew he’d recognized that look. For all his brother seemed to be free, he was just as imprisoned as Fenris.

Her lips twitched. “Oh. American Idioms 101. When we say we want to kill someone’s ass, we mean we want to kill them.”

He shook his head. “Why didn’t he say so?”

“He did, you just didn’t understand it.” She patted his shoulder. “You’ll get it eventually. Jeff will help.”

He stared toward the bedroom door and smiled. “Yes. I know he will.”

Jeff, delicate and fragile looking, snored so loudly the door rattled. Fen grinned. Next to him, Jordan bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Gods, his mate made him happy.

Chapter Nine

“So.” Jeanne Grimm had papers strewn all over his dining room table, and he couldn’t be more pleased. Jeff stared down at the charts and diagrams she’d whipped up while he’d been sleeping and grinned. She pointed to a spot on her timeline. “Heimdall blows his horn.” She moved to the next item. “Odin speaks to a decapitated head.” Her finger moved along, ticking off the things listed in the prophecy. “Yggdrasil, the World Tree, trembles.”

“Earthquake?” Jordan popped yet another piece of pizza in her mouth. For a woman who professed to hate olives she was eating a metric ton of them recently. And was that pineapple on her pizza as well?

“Good thinking.” Jeanne nodded approvingly. “Some Ettin is loosed. Any ideas?”

No one said anything. Then again, the majority of those in the know were currently in Kir and Logan’s condo holding their own war council. The Grimm family had been relegated to Jeff’s place, not that he was complaining.

He bet they came up with stuff much sooner than the Norse gods did.

Sometimes all it took was a fresh perspective on an old problem, and who better to help them with that than Jeanne Grimm? The woman would make a five-star general look like a scatterbrained dork.

“Note to self, look that up later.” Jeanne scribbled something down on a Post-It note and attached it to her timeline. “Okay. Next, the Aesir are at council.”

She tapped her pen on the table. “Scratch that one off, ’cause I’m pretty sure it’s happened more than once and will happen again.”

“During an earthquake, while the Old Man talks to a decapitated head?”

Jordan sighed in bliss as another bite of olive and pineapple pizza disappeared into her face.

“How can you eat that?” Jeff shuddered in revulsion. “There’s no meat on it.”

Everyone stopped and stared at him. He shrugged. “What?”

Jeanne turned her attention back to the papers on the table. “Dwarves groan.” She grimaced. “I’m pretty sure they do that every time they see Leprechaun Returns: 3D.”

Jordan choked on an olive. Jamie helped by smacking her back so hard she fell off the sofa.

Jeanne shook her head. “Children. Settle down.” Jordan got back on the sofa, but not before giving Jamie a death glare. “Hrymyr sails from the east during a flood.”

Again, blank stares met her questioning look. “No clue, Mom.” Jeff got up and snagged his own piece of extra pepperoni. “Add another Post-It.”

She did. “The monstrous Beast twists in mighty wrath. Jörmungandr? Or someone else?”

Jordan frowned down at her pizza. “Dad said Jör wasn’t the serpent.”

Jeff stared at his sister. “He did? Then who was the serpent?”

She stared right back. “Odin?”

Jeanne sighed and tapped her pen again. “Okay. So part of this could refer to

Jörmungandr, part of it could not. The Snake beats the waves sounds like him.”

“Yeah, it does, since he was banished to the sea.” Jeff took his seat next to Jamie and watched their mother pace.

“The Eagle is screaming.”

“That’s because they haven’t won the Super Bowl in forever.” Jamie flinched when Jordan popped her one on the back of the head.

“The gold-neb tears corpses, Naglfar is loosed.” Jeanne rubbed her eyes wearily.

“Screw this. Bring me a laptop.”

Jeff hopped up to do his mother’s bidding. He soon had her set up at the table, some of the papers set aside carefully so as not to disturb their order.

“Okay. If I remember, there’s more than one translation of the Poetic Edda.

Your friends have only given us one. Let’s see what else is out there.” Jeanne grinned and began to type. Soon she had another version up on the screen. “Loud blows Heimdall, the horn is aloft. In fear quake all who on Hel-roads are.”

“Not much difference that I can see,” Jeff muttered. He leaned down to stare at the screen over his mother’s shoulder. “Look there. This seems to say the Eagle and Naglfar are the same— and the tawny eagle gnaws corpses screaming; Naglfar is loose.”

“So we need to find out who Naglfar is.” Jeanne made another note. “Right.

Next.” She scrolled a bit. “There.”

“O’er the sea from the north there sails a ship

With the people of Hel, at the helm stands Loki;

After the wolf do wild men follow,

And with them the brother of Byleist goes.”

“Another name to add to our list. Who’s Byleist and his brother? They’re in both translations.” Jeanne’s pen was tapping again. It was quickly driving Jeff nuts. His mother typed in a quick Wiki search. “Oh. Byleist is Loki’s brother.”

Jordan gasped. “Logan has a brother?”

Jeff groaned. “You mean there are two of them?”

Jeanne rolled her eyes and continued.

“Surt fares from the south with the scourge of branches,

The sun of the battle-gods shone from his sword;

The crags are sundered, the giant-women sink,

The dead throng Hel-way, and heaven is cloven.”

“That sounds lovely.” Jordan grimaced. “Zombies throng Center City.

Corporations notice no differences in productivity. Film at eleven.”

“Now comes to Hlin yet another hurt,

When Othin fares to fight with the wolf,

And Beli’s fair slayer seeks out Surt,

For there must fall the joy of Frigg.”

“The Joy of Frigg? Does that frigid bitch believe in joy?” Jeanne shook her head. “So Odin falls to the wolf?”

“That seems to be pretty consistent.” Jordan pointed. “But take a look:

“Then comes Sigfather’s mighty son,

Vithar, to fight with the foaming wolf;

In the giant’s son does he thrust his sword

Full to the heart: his father is avenged.”

“Meaning Fenris kills Odin, but dies by Uncle Val’s hand.” Jamie shook her head. “We’re all hoping that one’s wrong.”

Hell, Jeff was more than hoping. He was planning. After all, the Eddas didn’t say which wolf would kill Odin, did they? None of the translations specifically mentioned Fenris. Now that there was more than one giant wolf carrying Loki’s blood, thanks to his mating with Fen, there was a possibility Jeff could carry out the deed.

If anyone died while killing Odin it was going to be him. Fen had suffered enough at his grandfather’s hands, thank you.

“Hither there comes the son of Hlothyn,

The bright snake gapes to heaven above;

Against the serpent goes Othin’s son.”

Jeanne gasped. “Is this…?”

Jeff nodded. “Yeah. Everyone thought the serpent was Jörmungandr.”

“But serpent has more than one meaning, doesn’t it?” Jamie frowned thoughtfully. “Sometimes it means betrayer.”

“If anyone has betrayed this family it’s the Old Man.” Jeff ran his hand through his hair and frowned at the feel of it. “What the hell?”

“You didn’t know?” Jordan ran her hand down his back. It met his hair the entire way down until she was almost at his ass. “Love the rock glam look on you, bro.”

“Shit.” No, he hadn’t noticed his waist-length hair. How the hell had he missed that?

“Language, Jeff.”

“Sorry.”

Jeanne read the next stanza.

“In anger smites the warder of earth,

Forth from their homes must all men flee;

Nine paces fares the son of Fjorgyn,

And, slain by the serpent, fearless he sinks.”

“Dad.” Jamie sniffed, close to tears.

Jeff finished it for them. Jeanne had taken Jamie in her arms and the two women looked ready to start crying.

Jeff couldn’t cry. Not yet. Not until Odin was dead.

“The sun turns black, earth sinks in the sea,

The hot stars down from heaven are whirled;

Fierce grows the steam and the life-feeding flame,

Till fire leaps high about heaven itself.”

There was silence as he finished. “The rest is all about the happy times as Baldur rules over heaven on earth. Wine, women, song, all that happy crap.” He stood and stretched his sore muscles.

A finger reached out and tapped the screen. “And then a dragon flies overhead with the bodies of the dead strapped to its back.”

Jeff stared at his sister. Jamie pulled free of their mother and went back to the pizza box. Her hand hovered over the extra pepperoni, but then suddenly grabbed a slice of olive and pineapple, moaning happily as she bit into it. “Huh.

That would qualify.”

“As what?” Jeanne shut the website down and picked up her own slice of pizza. “And don’t talk with your mouth full.”

He grinned at his mother. “The weirdest thing I’ve seen today.” He wasn’t talking about the dragon, either. Jamie hated olives, especially on her pizza.

Could Jamie be pregnant?

Jeanne’s brows rose, but not much could disguise the tear tracks on her cheeks or the grief in her eyes. “Only today?”

He pointed toward the front door. “Have you met your sons-in-law?”

Her head tilted as she thought about that. “Good point.”

“He’s going to do something stupid.” Fen stared at the front door of his father’s condo. Every one of his instincts said Jeffrey Grimm was going to go hunting his father’s killer. The look on his mate’s face as he’d dressed for his meeting with his family had been fierce, determined.

Fen was terrified.

Logan snorted. “That’s like saying he’s going to drool over Vincente.”

“Five will get you ten they’re sitting there, going over the prophecy.” Travis was pacing, a sure sign of his own agitation. If Jeff was going off half-cocked odds were good Jamie would be right behind him, with Jordan not too far off.

“Making plans.” Kir sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit. I wish the M&M’s were here. They’re the only ones with even a chance of controlling those three.”

“In your dreams, maybe.” Travis paused. “What if we let them?”

Fen turned his attention to the blond god. He didn’t like the look on Travis’s face one little bit. “No.”

“We’d be right behind them.”

He let his fangs out, showing his displeasure at the thought, let alone the deed. “You are not using our mates as bait.”

Thunder sounded outside. “Especially not Jordan.”

Travis waved his hand. “Of course not. But Jeff? C’mon. We all know Fenris will kill Odin, but now that Jeff has Fen’s healing abilities he can hold his own while Fen does the deed.”

“He’d be a distraction. A good one.” Kir settled down once he realized Jordan’s potential worth as bait was off the table.

“Does the prophecy actually say Fen will be the one to kill Odin?” The others turned and stared at Val. The man shrugged and chugged some more beer.

“Already the prophecy is out of whack. Thor wasn’t supposed to die yet. Plus I don’t recall Fenris’s name being specifically mentioned. Do you? It just says the giant’s son and the wolf. Technically, since Fen changed Jeff, that would make him his werewolf daddy, wouldn’t it? And since Fen, as a pureblood Jotun, is a giant, wouldn’t that make Jeff partly one, too? Knowing my nephew he’s already thought of this and, right or wrong, is going to go after the Old Man.”

Dead silence settled over the room as the implication of what Val said hit them all. They raced for the front door, practically tripping over one another in their haste to get to their mates.

“Shit. You think they’ve already left?” Flames danced along Logan’s skin, singeing the maple floor.

The door opened under Fen’s hand. He stared at a startled Jeanne Grimm.

“I’d say yes.”

“Please, for the love of all I hold dear, tell me your daughter didn’t just do something stupid.” Logan glared at his mother-in-law. The fear was easy to read for all who knew him.

Jeanne’s lips thinned. “So extraordinarily stupid it boggles even me.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “They snuck out while I was on the toilet.”

A bright light flashed behind them and Jeanne flinched. Travis’s voice, strangely echoing and deeper than normal, surrounded them in ways only another god could understand. Tyr was preparing himself for battle. “Where’s Jamie?”

“With them.” Jeanne Grimm waved her hand. “Could you tone that down a little?”

Surprisingly, Travis’s light dimmed.

Kir and Logan exchanged a glance. Kir’s brows rose in surprise. “Well. We know where Jamie got that from, don’t we?”

Travis’s eyes were white, blind with rage and power. His head tilted up, seeing something none of the rest of them could. “I swear, I’m going to paddle her ass when we get her home. She’s gone after him.”

Jeanne nodded. “They think Jeff can kill Oliver. I tried to talk them out of it, but none of them would listen to me.”

“No. They wouldn’t.” Kir had storms dancing once more in his eyes. “They won’t listen until their father’s murderer is dead.”

“Do they even know where Oliver is?” Jeanne scrubbed her face wearily, looking every inch her fifty-plus years. “Seriously. It’s not like the asshole left a forwarding address.”

“Jamie?” Fen was thinking hard even as he strode toward the elevator.

“Could she use magic to track him?”

“She’s strong, but not that strong.” Travis, for all his eyes were milk-white and blind, moved like a man who could see everything, right up until he walked into the elevator doors. “Shit.”

Fen thought back to everything he knew about the female. Jordan’s powers were different. She’d gotten his father’s abilities over fire. Unless Grimm was sitting in front of one, and Jordan was as well, she wouldn’t be able to scry for him that way. Then he remembered something Jamie had told him earlier. “The earring!” He couldn’t recall if Jeff still had the earring on when they’d carried him from the house, but if Grimm somehow managed to get his hands on it Jamie could track him that way.

“Fuck. If Grimm has Jeff’s earring he’ll know exactly what it is.”

The men exchanged a quick glance. They knew what their lovers were heading into.

“Oh, hell. It’s a trap,” Jeanne whispered for them all.

Logan took Jeanne’s shoulders. “Stay here.”

Her glare was ferocious. “Oh hell no. Those are my babies out there.”

“Your babies can kick ass. You can’t.” Kir turned her away from the elevator.

“We’ll bring them back. I give you my word.” The god’s eyes had gone completely dark, the storm clouds racing across them obliterating the blue.

Jeanne’s jaw clenched. “You’re going to fix it so I can kick ass too.”

Logan and Kir exchanged a glance, but whatever they would have said in response was halted by the arrival of the elevator. Logan nodded. “We will, I promise.”

Kir smiled grimly. “It’s safe here, and if they come back before we do call us.

Okay?”

Jeanne nodded once, obviously unhappy about being left behind. “Okay.”

Jeff growled. “You’re fucking kidding me. He’s staying here?” He stared at the broken-down, spooky-ass house and nearly choked on his own laughter.

“Jeez, this place is like Wes Craven’s wet dream.”

“It’s like he wants to be a cartoon villain when he grows up.” Jordan shook her head. Flames danced in her eyes. “Are you sure you got the address right?”

Jamie grimaced. “It’s not like I have spectral On-Star, now is it?”

They stared at the rotting husk of a house, and all three echoed the same thought. “It’s a trap.”

Jamie tapped her teeth with her fingernail. “Bet the door’s booby-trapped.”

“Windows set to blow.” Jordan blew her bangs out of her eyes.

“Floor sawed partway through.” Jeff stared at the lawn. He swore he could see really old dog poop. “And I don’t even want to think about what he did there.”

“He probably threw the earring into the building thinking we’d be stupid enough to go in after it.” Jamie turned and glared at the desolate landscape.

“Travis might.” Jordan smirked. “Logan would be too busy laughing his ass off.”

Jeff began peeling off his clothes, much to the vocal disgust of his sisters.

“Shut up! I can’t shift in jeans.” Fenris might be able to perform that little trick, but Jeff had to do it the old fashioned way: naked. He turned wolf, letting his senses drink in the surrounding area.

Hell, there wasn’t even a rabbit nearby. But there were lots and lots of ravens, just sitting in a tree, staring at them. He shifted and pulled on his pants.

“Don’t look now, but I think the trap found us.”

Jamie glared at the birds and half of them went sailing through the air to land in an ungraceful, bone-breaking heap. “Hmph.”

That was when all hell broke loose. It was like something out of The Birds.

Ravens flew in from every direction, swooping and attacking, clawing at their heads and faces. Jamie screamed and immediately tried to protect her face.

Jordan, pissed as hell, tried to fricassee every bird that came in contact with her.

The stench of burning feathers filled the air.

Jeff shifted and wiggled out of his jeans, but by the time he was free, bloody gouges had been dug into his sides. He began snapping at the birds, grateful for the fact that Fen’s healing had taken hold. The bloody strips the birds took out of his hide hurt like hell but healed almost instantly.

Poor Jordan didn’t have that. She looked like someone had gone after her with a knife. Blood began to pool at her feet and she swayed, her fire flickering.

Jamie let out a shriek of rage and began to glow so brightly Jeff couldn’t even look at her. The birds around her exploded in a shower of sparks and guts. She whipped her arms around and light swirled, destroying every bird it touched.

It wasn’t enough. They were covered in cuts and gore, and still more came. A raven clawed his hip and Jeff went down.

“Holy shit! Jordy?”

But Jordan couldn’t answer. She was down, her hands over her head, whimpering as she pressed her belly into the dirt in a desperate attempt to protect her unborn children. Her fire was almost out, and Jeff was petrified.

Something inside him began to move, stirring within his will. Jeff looked up at his sister and stared at the bands of light she was wielding like a scourge.

Jeff got back to his feet and let out a howl that echoed all around them, rattling the windows of the derelict house and disorienting the birds around him.

From the expression on his sisters’ faces he’d done something to seriously freak them out. He looked down at himself and gasped.

He was a wolf made of pure white light.

An answering howl, stronger and deeper, assaulted their ears. Fen was here, and he was pissed. Fenris loped out of the woods behind the derelict house and waded into the fight. Instead of the giant wolf Jeff was used to seeing, Fen was in a half-man, half-wolf form, and he was terrifying. He lay about him with his claws, ripping birds out of the air and crushing them in mighty fists. Behind him Logan lobbed fire at the sky, leaving gaping holes in the canopy of black feathers.

The fire Jotun slowly made his way to Jordan, standing over her and taking down anything that came too close to his wife. Uncle Val was swinging with a huge axe. The more blood that covered it the brighter it shone. Beside him was Travis, glowing bright as the sun and swinging a sword that moved like an extension of his arm.

And above it all, clouds swirled and darkened. Light flashed between them as Baldur raised his hand, the Godspear held tight in his fist. Wind swirled around them, strong enough to knock Jamie on her ass and damn near blow her away.

Oh fuck. A fucking tornado was forming above them. Had Kir lost his damn mind?

“Careful, Blondie!” Logan bellowed over the wind.

Kir’s only answer was a nod. The funnel dipped and swayed, almost but not quite forming.

A bird flew in front of Jeff’s face, jerking his attention away from the holy shit moment happening over his head. He batted at it, blinking in surprise when it…disappeared. No shower of sparks, no blood and gore, just a flash of light and a single feather blowing in the wind.

Jeff grinned and began flailing about like Kermit the Frog on a caffeine bender. Before he knew it he was in the middle of his own little tornado made of feathers.

“Neat trick!” Logan bellowed, blowing another swath of birds away with staccato bursts of flame.

“Woof!” Jeff replied, forgetting for a moment he had a snout instead of lips.

Logan snickered and blew more feathered friends to hell. Beneath him Jordan tried to rise to her feet, but Logan pushed her back down.

Jamie raced across the yard to Travis and practically crawled into him. The two lights blended together, one softer than the other, until Jeff couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.

A low bark got his attention. He looked up (and up) at his mate and whined.

Fen looked furious, his lips pulled back in a snarl, his claws dripping blood. Jeff rolled onto his back and bared his neck to his alpha.

I’m totally turned on right now. What does that say about me?

The funnel above their heads began to descend. Soon it was black with the bodies of the ravens. It didn’t take long for Kir’s magical vacuum cleaner to clear the sky of ravens, but he was dripping with sweat when he was done.

Even over the howling winds Jeff could hear Fen’s growls. Oddly enough they were directed at the derelict house. Then the huge werewolf was off, running across the dead lawn at a speed he wasn’t sure he could match.

But hell if he didn’t try.

Fen kicked in the rotted door and tore through the broken-down building, hunting the elusive smell that belonged only to Odin.

There. Staring out the window as if he hadn’t a care in the world, his golden hair dimmed to a dull light brown in the darkened house. A contemptuous smirk curled his lip. “I’ve been wondering when you’d show up.”

Fen took a step forward and icy agony radiated up his leg.

“Have I mentioned who the trap was really for?”

Fen was stunned to see the ice covering his foot and calf. It slowly crept up his leg, an icy caterpillar cocooning him.

“I can’t allow you to kill me. I have things to do, gods to slay. You know how it is. There’s never enough hours in the day.” Odin didn’t even bother looking at him, his attention still focused on something outside the house. “I wondered how long it would take you to find me, especially after I killed that family.” Odin sighed. “I honestly thought Tyr would take you out for me when he found the wolf fur, but then Jeff had to fuck things up by mating you.” Odin shot him a quick, disgusted glance. “Who knew my own flesh and blood would be into…furries?” He shuddered.

“Huh. I never thought of it like that.” Fen winced as Jeff, human and deliciously naked, stepped into the home. His body was rimmed in a faint glow and his hair blew in an unseen breeze. “Hello, Grandfather.”

“Jeffrey. You disappoint me, boy.”

Fen tried to free his leg to no avail. Grimm was going to rip Jeff apart if he couldn’t get free. He had to save his mate before Grimm sprang the second half of his trap.

“Ditto, Old Man.” Jeff smiled at Fen, his fangs long enough that they were below his bottom lip. “You okay, lover?”

Fen growled his displeasure, hoping against everything he knew his mate would back off before it was too late.

So of course Jeff didn’t do what he should. His mate kept coming, as determined to free Fen now as he had been in the cave. “When he’s free he’s going to eat your face off. You know that, right?”

The ice had covered his groin. Fen couldn’t seem to break free no matter how much he pulled. Slashing at the ice with his claws only seemed to hurt his claws.

His fingertips had gone numb trying to rip through the hardened ice.

Shafts of light blinded him. Pain nipped at him, and he was free, the ice a steaming puddle beneath his feet. He stared at Jeff, who shrugged. “New trick.”

New trick indeed. Fen turned and howled his delight before charging Odin, eager to rip his tormentor to shreds.

Jeff stepped back and watched his lover fight his grandfather. He had to admit, the Old Man had some moves on him, but Fen was bigger, faster and stronger than Odin. There was no way Grimm could survive Fen’s brutal assault.

He winced in pretend sympathy as his grandfather sprayed arterial blood across the room, decorating the already funky walls. “Oh. That had to hurt.”

Suddenly his twin was beside him. Jamie had a— “Is that popcorn?”

Jamie shrugged. “Want. Wish. Have. Here.” She held out the bowl and he took a handful of hot, buttery goodness before turning back to the fight. She flinched when Fen kneed the Old Man right in the jewels. “Ouch. I’m a girl and I want to cross my legs after that.”

A huge hand grabbed some popcorn from over Jamie’s shoulder. “You think he’ll win, pumpkin?”

Jamie grinned up at Uncle Val. “I’m just waiting for the TKO.”

Jeff tilted his head, grinning when Grimm bounced off the wall hard. “Think we can make glowing letters appear over his head? Something like Finish Him! ”

Jamie giggled and nearly dropped the bowl.

Odin lay bleeding on the floor, one of his arms at an odd angle, his head bleeding profusely. He was no longer the old man they’d loved nor the young one they’d feared. He was just a battered, evil bastard who was going to get what was coming to him.

Jeff almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

Then something happened that had Jeff dropping his popcorn and Jamie dropping the bowl.

The bastard started to heal.

“No. No!” Jeff shifted and raced forward, his wolf bathed in his inner light.

He went right for Grimm’s throat, tearing at the jugular, trying to prevent the son of a bitch from healing.

It wasn’t working. Every time Jeff ripped into him another wound closed.

“What the fuck?” Logan’s furious voice was followed by a blast of heat that singed Jeff’s fur and forced him back. “I’m just going to incinerate him. Let’s see him heal from fucking ashes.”

Grimm opened his eyes and chuckled weakly. “It won’t work, Loki. I’ve won.” He laughed, the sound becoming stronger. “I’ve already won!”

And Oliver Grimm disappeared before their eyes, swallowed by the shadows of the house.

“Fuck me gently with a chainsaw.” Val stomped through the blood Grimm had left behind. “Neat trick, asshole.”

Fen shifted back to human, pale and shocked. “Why didn’t it work? I’m supposed to kill him.”

Logan was staring at Uncle Val. “Maybe you were closer to the truth than we thought.”

“That Fen isn’t the wolf who will kill Odin?” Val sighed wearily. “Shit. I really hate it when I’m right.”

Jeff stared up at his mate and tried not to laugh. Fen hovered over him, arms caging Jeff in his chair, his expression furious, and all Jeff could think of was Fen as a furry. If he laughed in his mate’s face right now he’d be in even more trouble, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to hold out.

“You deliberately put yourself in danger.”

“I had good reason.”

Fen’s jaw clenched. His arms trembled. Jeff figured he was holding off a shift. “Grimm could have killed you.”

Jeff nodded.

“Killed. You.” Fen’s eyes closed, the fear and anger mingling in his expression killing some of Jeff’s laughter. “I can’t lose you. ”

“You won’t.” Jeff reached up and caressed Fen’s jaw. “I knew you’d come.”

“You don’t understand.” Fen opened his eyes, picked him up and carried him to bed. Jeff had never enjoyed being carried before, but Fen somehow managed to do it without making him feel like a total twink. “How do I make you understand?” He curled up around Jeff, spooning him close. He buried his nose in Jeff’s curls and breathed deep. He shuddered, and Jeff could sense his mate’s fear slowly draining away.

“Stay.”

The word was whispered so softly Jeff almost couldn’t hear it. So Jeff gave his lover the one thing no one else could. He picked up Fen’s hand and kissed it, hoping it would convey the sentiment he still had trouble saying out loud.

“Forever, elskede.”

Epilogue

“We’ve won.” Grimm laughed and spun Rina in his arms. “We won!”

Rina giggled like a young maiden and clutched him for dear life. “No one can defeat the mighty Odin!”

He set her on her feet and kissed her, ravaging her mouth until she was reduced to nothing but moans. “I want inside you.”

Rina nodded eagerly, her hands on the zipper of her pants. Who cared if they were in some disgusting old house whose walls dripped with his blood? He’d won! The wolf had done his best, but Odin was still here.

Still alive.

And if the wolf couldn’t kill him… Grimm laughed again and thrust into Rina hard and fast, taking and giving in equal measure.

As Grimm reached his climax in the heated embrace of his lover, he’d never felt more in control of his destiny. Gungnir would be his again, as would the Aesir.

Rina was right. No one could defeat him.

Morgan stared at the two women currently sitting under Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Both were beautiful in their own way, but they seemed to be missing something.

Oh yeah. Their third. Where was the Norn of the Future?

“We cannot give you that which you seek, Son of Thor.” Redheaded Urdr didn’t even look up from the root she was examining. The Norns of Fate were responsible for keeping the World Tree healthy, and they took their duties very seriously. “We cannot see the future without Skuld present.”

Magnus cursed, earning a glare from Urdr. “I’m sorry, but why isn’t she here?”

Morgan winced at his brother’s cry. His twin’s temper was legendary. For some reason people were more afraid of him than they were of his older brother, but Magnus took temper tantrum and turned it into an art form.

Dark-haired Verdandi, Norn of the Present, shrugged, staring sheepishly at her sister. “I have no clue.”

“She is lost to us.” Urdr sighed and patted the root. “We know not where she is.”

Morgan’s brows rose at that. “The Norn of the Present can’t find her sister?”

Verdandi glared at him from under dark hair. “Nope. Her ass would be here if I could. It’s her turn to weed.”

“Why?” he drawled.

Urdr shrugged. “She was lost in the past.”

Magnus turned and glared at Urdr, while Morgan turned his attention to Verdandi.

Verdandi grimaced. “Don’t look at me, I can’t find her either.”

Urdr grumbled at her sister under her breath, but Morgan couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. He was too busy staring at her hair. Her impossibly bright hair that was tinged with…purple?

There is no way that hair color is natural.

“Oh save it.” Vervandi rolled her eyes. “You’d thee and thou everyone to death if I let you. I almost wish you spoke nothing but ancient Egyptian again.”

Verdandi sniffed disdainfully and turned back to Magnus. “Our sister took off after something, or some one, but she wouldn’t tell us what. When she didn’t return we tried to find her but had no luck. We asked Heimdall—”

“But the son of a whore refused to tell us what we wanted to know.” Urdr sighed. “And without Skuld, without the future?”

Magnus and Morgan stared at one another as the awful truth hit them both.

The truth echoed between them. “We’re doomed.”

About the Author

Dana Marie Bell wrote her first short story when she was thirteen years old.

She attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts for creative writing, where freedom of expression was the order of the day. When her parents moved out of the city and placed her in a Catholic high school for her senior year, she tried desperately to get away, but the nuns held fast, and she graduated with honors despite herself.

Dana has lived primarily in the Northeast (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, to be precise), with a brief stint on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix.

She lives with her soul mate and husband Dusty, their two maniacal children, an evil, ice-cream-stealing cat and a bull terrier that thinks it’s a Pekinese.

You can learn more about Dana at www.danamariebell.com or contact her at danamariebell@gmail.com.

Content

Howl For Me
True Destiny - 3
by
Dana Marie Bell

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Epilogue

About the Author