Jeff chuckled again.
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,
“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. “
“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
