“Yeah.”

Fen frowned. Something was different. Off. He sniffed the air around his mate, but nothing had changed.

“Fen?”

The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end. Perhaps Jordan and Val were finishing up the wards?

“Fen? Are you all right?”

No. It wasn’t the wards. This magic felt…different. Female. He’d felt it a few times before, so long ago he could barely remember it. It was subtle, this magic, one that was only wielded by a select few.

He jumped to his feet and changed, startling everyone in the room. He raced to Toni’s side and sniffed deeply.

Yes. Subtle, but there. Diluted by time and intermarriage with humans, but still there. He changed back and grabbed her hand, dragging her back to Jeff’s side. “Stroke him.”

“Um. Didn’t you threaten my life if I got too close?” She was wide-eyed, holding back.

Fen growled and forced her hand against Jeff’s skin. “Heal him.”

Travis gasped, but Fen kept his gaze on the woman in front of him. “You carry the blood of Valkyries in your veins. It’s faint, barely there, but some of their power runs through you.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Despite her protests her hands moved through Jeff’s fur.

“The Valkyries were the ones who chose who died and who did not, but they also had the power to heal. They could bring the living back from the dead. Odin hated when they did that, so they rarely practiced their healing skills.” Fen pleaded with her as best he could. “Save my mate. Please.”

Toni blinked, her expression uncertain. “I don’t know how.”

Travis took hold of her wrist. “Remember how you felt when you came into the room and saw what had been done to Jeff?” She nodded. “Your first instinct was to reach out to him, to make him feel better, wasn’t it?”

She shivered. “Not quite.”

Fen tilted his head.

“It was to put him out of his misery.”

Fen snarled.

“At first I thought he was a dog, okay? One that got run over by a bus, maybe.” Her hands continued to move through Jeff’s fur, her fingers lightly tracing the lines of the cuts Travis had sewn shut. “Honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it even if I help. He looks like reheated Hamburger Helper.”

“He will. If you help him.” Fen took hold of her hand again. This time he could feel the faint traces of her power flowing through her and into Jeff.

It was working. Without knowing it, Toni’s desire to fix Jeff was healing him slowly but surely. Already Jeff breathed more easily.

But it was taking a subtle toll on the detective. Her eyes turned glassy, her skin taking on a sickly sheen. She was pale and trembling before five minutes had passed. The rancid scent of sweat and fear filled the air around her. “I can’t.”

Fen lifted her hands away from Jeff just before she collapsed. He helped her back to the chair she’d settled in before. “You did enough. Tusen takk. ”

“Thank you,” Travis translated.

She was trembling. “How is this possible? I’m not like you.”

“Someone in your past was.” Fen settled back down on the bed, curling himself around his sleeping mate. “Your great-grandmother, or even further back, was a Valkyrie. They have always been lovers of mortals, and sometimes bore children with them.”

Her head shook in disbelief. “But I’m Italian, not Norwegian.”

“Then someone lied to you, or forgot that one of your relatives wasn’t Italian.” Travis brought her a drink of water. “Here. I’ll get some blankets and you can borrow some of Jamie’s pajamas.” He raised his hand when Toni opened her mouth to protest. “You’re in no condition to drive, Detective, and you know it.”

“I have to file my report.”

“You have to get some sleep and file it in the morning.” Travis smirked. “Or should I contact Nik?”

She glared up at him and downed the water. “Get me the fuckin’ jammies.

Sadistic bastard.”

Fen ignored them as Jeff’s breathing slowly evened out. The wounds were still there, but the worst ones, the ones that had Fen howling in grief, had partially healed under the touch of the detective. He raised his head and nodded to her. “Du er familien nå. ”

Travis paused as the meaning of the words Fen spoke sank in. Then he huffed out a laugh and handed the detective the pajamas. “Congratulations.

You’ve just been adopted.”

“Huh?” Toni rubbed wearily at her eyes. “What?”

“Fenrisùlfr just declared you family. Welcome to the, um, pack.”

Her eyes closed, her head slumping back against the chair. “I hate you all.”

Fen noticed her protest was half-hearted, whether from fatigue or not, he didn’t know, nor did he care. He shifted, wrapping his warmer, furred self around his mate, protecting his mate as he slept.

The Old Man would not get to Jeff a second time. He barely acknowledged Jeff’s family leaving the room. He just breathed in the scent that was uniquely his mate’s, reassuring himself that Jeff still lived.

A wash of hot and cold power ran through him. The wards were finally back in place, weaker and less subtle, but there. Fen allowed himself a small sigh, but would not allow himself sleep. Not now.

Not until the Old Man had been dealt with once and for all.

Jeff woke up to the feeling that he’d gone three rounds with an elephant and lost. Everything hurt, from his hands to his eyeballs. Hell, he was pretty sure his fingernails hurt, but with everything else aching he wasn’t quite sure. He also wasn’t sure when he’d become human again. Last he remembered he’d been in dire need of a depilatory.

“God morgen, min kjærlighet.”

Jeff couldn’t even smile, though he wanted to. “I got ‘good morning’ out of that.”

A soft kiss pressed against the nape of his neck. “Good morning, my love.”

Jeff sighed. Hell, he liked that, probably more than he should. “Why do I feel like hammered dog poo?”

“Do you remember nothing of yesterday, elskede?”

Jeff shifted his legs and immediately wished he hadn’t. “Ow.” He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was his hands. It looked like he’d put them through a lunchmeat slicer. “What the fuck?”

Bits and pieces of memory began to float through the fog of sleep and lack of caffeine. “My grandfather did this, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” Another feather-light kiss landed on the nape of his neck. “I’m so sorry, elskede. I should have stopped him.”

Something else was nagging at him. Something important. His blood ran cold as more and more of the events of yesterday unfolded. “Oh fuck. Dad.”

Fen’s arms tightened around him. “He died trying to save you.”

Jeff’s hands clenched despite the pain. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”

“Get in line.” He felt Fen jump behind him as Kir’s voice washed over them, echoing with power. “Hey, Jeff.” Kir settled on the bed next to them, his hand rifling through Jeff’s hair. From the storm clouds gathering in Kir’s eyes, it was obvious Baldur had risen. Light flashed through the room, and Jeff realized there was a thunderstorm brewing once more over Philadelphia, the result of Kir’s anger. “You had a busy day yesterday, didn’t you?”

“You could say that.” Jeff winced as Kir took hold of his fingers, checking them with a frown on his face.

“We had no idea the Old Man would move quite that fast once Kir and I were gone. We’d never have left if we had.” Logan moved behind Kir, one hand on his lover’s shoulder. “We’re so sorry, Jeff.”

Jeff nodded, though it hurt incredibly. He didn’t blame either Logan or Kir—

he blamed Grimm. “Did you find my brothers?” Morgan and Magnus would need to know Dad was… Was…

Hell, he couldn’t even bring himself to think it.

“No. Nik caught us on the bridge and told us what had happened. He opened a portal for us to come back. He said he’d try and get word to them to come home as soon as possible.” Logan looked toward the door. “I’m going to go strengthen the wards and check on Jordan.” He winced. “She’s not doing well.”