Dana Bell - Howl for Me

“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.”

“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.

“That sounds lovely.” Jordan grimaced. “Zombies throng Center City.

Corporations notice no differences in productivity. Film at eleven.”

“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:

“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.

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.

“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.

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.”