Howl for Me

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