"Rina? Who's Rina?"

He dragged her to the stairs and opened the door. “Val's mom, and Grimm's mistress."

"Mistress?” Jordan pictured her wrinkled old grandfather getting it on with another wrinkled, gray-haired lady. “Ew."

He was dragging her down the steps as fast as she could go. “Don't think of it as grandpa lovin', because Grimm doesn't really look like you think he looks. Remember, he's a shapeshifter."

"Right. Oh! You mean he's hot under the wrinkles?” She thought about that as they took another corner

at high speed. “Double-ew.” She landed hard on the next landing, but Kir didn't stop tugging her on.

“Why are we taking the stairs?"

"I'm hoping to beat the elevator to the bottom.” Kir took the next corner at speed.

"From the twenty-second floor?” Jordan was only grateful he'd grabbed her good hand to tug her along.

It took them a few minutes to run all the way down to the first floor and out the door. Jordan's legs would probably never forgive her, but if Grimm had Logan the burn would be worth it. “Why is he vulnerable to Rina's magic?"

"Opposite elements. Rina's a frost Jotun, Logan's a heat Jotun."

"Oh.” They made it to the front door in time to see Logan stepping into a silver Porsche. He turned and looked at them and mouthed a word just as the car took off down the street to the blare of horns.

"Shit! Did you catch that?"

Jordan ran back into the building, Kir right behind her. “Yes. Jamie ."

She was dialing Travis's number as she ran.

Chapter Nine

Kir drove like a bat out of hell to Grimm's house, per Jordan's orders. He had no intention of arguing with her. From the look on her face, she had something planned. “He's not going to take Logan there."

"I know.” Her voice was calm, but her hands were shaking as they pulled into the driveway. “Wait here."

Kir watched as she got out of the car, stunned. Oh, no. Kir is done playing good doggie. He got out and followed behind as she rang the doorbell.

A flare of red and white flashed on the edges of his vision as Jordan's magic countered Rina's. How in the hell did Grimm convince Frigg to let his mistress ward their house? Fire won, melting the ice-magic. Damn, she's strong. Logan's going to have to start training her right away. He suppressed the shiver of fear that Logan wouldn't be around to train her.

"Jordan?"

For the first time in over a millennium Kir looked in the face of his mother ... and felt nothing.

"Hi, Grammy. We've got a problem.” Jordan turned and looked at him, but he couldn't take his eyes off the woman who'd mistreated his brother. All because Hodr was blind, and he wasn't. She'd virtually

ignored his brother, pushing him aside in favor of the “perfect” son.

Okay, the memories helped. Now, when he looked at her, he wanted to throw up.

"Baldur?” Frigg took a shaky step forward. “Is that you, Baldur?"

He frowned. “I was. A long time ago."

She looked terrified. “Ragnarrok has come?"

He shook his head. If she wanted to play games with him, she was in for a surprise. He didn't have time for this. “You know it hasn't.” He stepped forward, allowing the rage in him to show in his eyes. She gasped as he grabbed her arm. “Where's Logan?"

"Kir?"

He turned to see Jordan holding a silver flask. “Grammy's tonic, lovingly made by Grimm.” She opened the cap and sniffed. Wrinkling her nose, she poured the contents onto the flowerbed. “Apples."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. So some of it wasn't her fault. “Where is Odin taking Loki?"

She shook her head, her eyes filled with tears. “I don't know."

"Grammy?” He was surprised by the affection in Jordan's voice. “I need you to do me a favor."

"What?"

"Mistletoe. You need to get Mistletoe to promise not to hurt Kir."

"Oliver said that wasn't necessary, since Baldur ... Baldur...” She sniffled.

"Kir's not dead. He's holding your arm."

Frigg looked at Kir, confused, clearly befuddled by Grimm's “tonic". “His name is Baldur."

Kir nodded, hoping...

"Baldur.” Frigg's eyes cleared a little as she stared at him, measuring his features, stroking his cheek with a mother's touch. “Baldur. ” She pulled back, breaking free of his hold on her. “You are alive."

He nodded again, watching as her face tightened.

"I'm going to kill him."

"Grimm?"

"Loki. How dare he keep you from me?"

Kir rolled his eyes. “Loki saved my life. Long story, no time to tell it. Where do you think Grimm would take him?"

She shrugged. “I have no clue."

It was obvious to him that she was lying. He smiled. Thunder sounded in the distance. “If you don't tell me where Grimm took Logan, you'll never be allowed to see my children. Your grandchildren."

She gasped. “Nanna is alive, too?"

He gritted his teeth. “No. Grimm murdered her. Jordan is ... ours."

"Ours? What do you mean, ours?"

"Mine and Logan's."

She glared at Jordan. “You would sleep with Loki after sleeping with Baldur? How could you?"

"Because I love them both! Look, we don't have time for this! Grimm has Jamie!"

Frigg hissed, “What?"

"That was the lure he used to get Logan to go with him. He kidnapped Jamie."

"Why would Loki give a damn?"

"Because I give a damn.” Kir could tell Jordan was getting frustrated with Frigg, and couldn't blame her.

She'd probably only been exposed to the grandmother Grimm wanted her to appear to be, never the self-centered bitch everyone else knew she was. “Grammy, please ."

Frigg took a deep breath. “All right. For Jamie.” She turned to Kir. “I want Loki out of your life."

Kir turned and walked back to the car. “When hell freezes over."

"That can be arranged."

"Grandmother."

Kir saw the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the branch of a tree, and sighed. He grows it on his property, just in case, and she never noticed. After all this is over, I have some apple trees that need chopping down.

He picked a sprig, and smiled. But first, I have a little something to take care of...

Grimm smiled at Fred and Adam. “What do you think, gentlemen? Will we get him to talk? Or is he a lost cause?"

"I say we kill him now and then go looking for Jordan. Who knows what the son of a bitch has done to her.” Adam glared at the bruised and bleeding figure tied to the chair.

"Punish him more. Make him really hurt.” Fred smiled. “Bring in the snake."

Grimm looked with approval at his oldest son, the one who'd never managed to disappoint him. “Very

good! I like that.” He turned to Val. “Bring the snake, Val."

Val nodded and left the room, his stride unhurried.

Grimm shook his head. If he hadn't stepped up to the plate and brought him Loki, Val would have been the one tied to the chair. Maybe he could afford to give the boy a reprieve.

"You never did explain how you managed to get Loki to come out of hiding, you know."

He looked at Fred with a smile, thinking of the girl he'd left tied, broken and bleeding, to the cross in the room off this one. “Let's just say, I finally figured out his weakness.” The traitorous bitch. Jordan was going to find herself tied where Jamie was very shortly.

No one crossed Grimm and lived. Not his children and certainly not his grandchildren. When would they learn?