Howl for Me

by Dana Marie Bell

  “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.”
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  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.