Very Much Alive

Chapter Four

Logan was surprised to receive a phone call from Jordan two days later. “Hey, Logan, sorry I haven't gotten back in touch with you."

He leaned back in his chair, delighted to listen to the sound of her voice. She'd been unavailable for the last two days, despite numerous attempts to reach her, and he'd started to worry. “Where were you?"

There was a pause, and he just knew he'd sounded like a possessive idiot. “I was finishing up a case so I could concentrate on yours.” He could hear the sounds of papers being shuffled around.

Logan frowned. “Was it dangerous?” Okay, make that a possessive and overly protective jerk. Way to win her trust, Saeter.

"No, Daddy. And I made sure to drink a full glass of juice this morning, too. I even took my vitamins."

If he had his way, that smart mouth of hers was going to get quite a workout. “How about if Daddy and Mommy come over and give Jordan a bath, hmm?"

She gasped.

"Do I get a kiss goodnight afterwards?"

"Logan!"

"Hey, you started it."

He was leering at the wall when Kir wandered into the office, his brows raised way up. “Is that Jordan?"

He punched the speaker button so Kir could listen in. “Yes, and she wants us to come over and—"

"Don't you dare, Logan Saeter!"

He laughed. “Oh, I'm in trouble now! She used my full name! "

Kir shook his head, his lips beginning to turn up in a grin.

"Smart ass.” He could hear the laughter in her voice.

"Better a smart ass than a dumb ass."

"That whole line was asinine."

"Ooh, good one.” He winked at Kir, who shook his head at him.

"The reason I called was to ask if you wanted to get together to go over the YouTube video."

Logan thought about what he'd have to do to get the condo ready for a date. Kir could clean while he got the makings for a meal. He looked over and saw Kir nodding as he headed out of the den. They'd been together long enough that they could practically read each other's minds. He smiled to himself when he heard Kir rummaging around in the closet where he kept all of his cleaning supplies. “I think we can swing that."

"What time?"

"Tonight, at seven?"

"Sounds good."

"Don't eat anything; we'll make it a dinner meeting.” Logan knew one of the ways to a person's heart, male or female, was a well-cooked meal, and he planned on wowing her tonight. He picked up a pen and paper, all ready to write down what he'd need.

"More pizza? Yum! Especially if you order from the same place as last time."

Logan mentally rolled his eyes as he jotted down a quick menu. You and Kir are going to get along just fine. “I was thinking of cooking, actually."

There was silence for a moment. “Pizza's good."

One eyebrow twitched up in disbelief. “Hey, I'm a good cook."

"Um. Okay."

He frowned. “What's up?"

"It's just, this guy I dated said he could cook, too."

"So?” What if she has a boyfriend? He tried to ignore the shaft of jealousy as the thought occurred to him, but couldn't quite manage it. He could feel his teeth grinding. He would soon be an ex boyfriend if he and Kir had anything to say about it.

"So he set dinner down on the table."

"And?"

"And his cat tried to bury it."

Logan blinked, the tip of the pen arrested on the paper. “The cat what?"

"His cat hopped up onto the table, neat as you please, and tried to bury the food."

Logan tried to stifle the laugh, but knew he sounded strangled. “Was the cat right?"

"Hell, yes.” He could hear the creak of her office chair as she leaned back. “A buzzard probably would have passed it by. The biscuits alone were prime building material."

Logan started to laugh.

"For some reason, he never called me back after that. Might have had something to do with me asking if he could make some more, since my mom really wanted to build this stone water feature out in her backyard."

Logan leaned back in his own chair, grinning like a loon. “Let me guess, they matched her siding or something?"

"Something like that. I got the impression I'd insulted him."

"Some guys have no sense of humor."

"Tell me about it."

Jordan bit back a moan as the last bite of tiramisu slipped between her lips. He's gorgeous and he cooks ? I'm in so much trouble. “You, sir, can make me a meal anytime."

"I plan on it.” Logan was smiling at her over the rim of his coffee cup. She felt her face heat up at the intensity of that smile. He'd been flirting with her off and on throughout the entire meal, and damn if she wasn't responding to his teasing touches and lingering glances.

Kir, on the other hand, had watched the two of them with indulgent amusement and a hint of heat, like a lazy cat basking in the sun, waiting his turn to play with the little mouse toy. And that's kind of how she felt. She was the small prey to their mighty hunters. The sad part was it was working. Her panties hadn't been this damp since her brother Magnus pushed her, fully dressed, into a lake when she was twelve.

Time to get things back on track before I leap across the table and do something foolish with my stupidly raging libido.

"Any ideas on what we should do for the video?” She turned to Kir, hoping to avoid Logan's lazy smile for a few moments. “What can you do that Logan can't do, other than thunderstorms?” She leaned forward, putting her chin on top of her folded hands, and stared at Kiran intently, her mind starting to drift into what she thought of as “work mode". “We need the video to prove to the others that it's really you and not some trick of Logan's."

Logan sat back and watched them quietly, his fingers casually cradling his coffee cup. Kiran nodded

slowly. “One way would be to perform some kind of miracle.” He exchanged a quick look with Logan, who shrugged. “There are differences between the magic of the Jotun and the miracles performed by the gods."

"What differences?"

"For instance, if it's associated with the spring season, I can influence it. Spring storms, flowering plants, green and growing things, are all under my influence."

"Don't forget sex and fertility."

Kir rolled his eyes, but not before she'd seen the quick heat come and go at the mention of sex. “Down, you horn-dog.” He turned back to Jordan. “So, okay, add fertility to the list."

"Is there anything Logan can do that they'd point at and say, ‘That's Loki, not Baldur'? In other words, can Logan imitate you?"

Logan's expression sobered immediately, the two men exchanging a long look. “That's been part of the problem for years. As a Trickster God, I can imitate quite a bit of what Kir can do, but if you know what to look for you can tell it's not the real deal."

Kir leaned forward and propped his chin on his hand with an irritated frown. “No matter what we do, Grimm can claim it was Loki and the others believe him. We need to come up with something that's indisputably Baldur.” Kir sat back again with a sigh. “The problem is, what can I do that Logan can't imitate?"

"Hopefully the video itself will fix some of that."

Jordan looked at Logan. He was staring at her mouth. “Earth to Logan, come in, Logan."

His gaze snapped up, his mouth curling into that devil's grin she was coming to know so well. “If they can see Baldur performing the miracles, they'll know it's really him. There are some things I can imitate, but there are one or two things I simply can't imitate. Those are the ones we'll use."

She ignored him when his gaze went once more to her mouth. “How will they know it's you and not him?"

Kir looked ... guilty. “They'll know."

She raised one brow in disbelief. “Just because they can see you?"

He nodded, looking uncomfortable.

"Are you going to share with the class?"

Kir ignored the question and began gathering the dishes.

Logan leaned forward, one finger stroking a line of fire down the back of her hand. “I'm more than willing to share.” He glanced at Kir, who was now standing behind her chair, one strong hand resting on the table beside her plate. They had her surrounded in their heat. “Are you?"

Jordan gulped. Good-bye dry panties, hello inner slut-puppy.

The satisfaction on Logan's face as he stood to help her out of her seat didn't help. Kir's hand at the small of her back, guiding her out of the room as Logan took over clearing the table was almost a relief.

Almost. Kir's hand stroked her back in small, gentle circles as he guided her into the living room. It felt so good, she almost melted at his feet.

Oh, yes. So much trouble.

Kir watched as Jordan checked out the computer, making some notes on the programs they had. She was muttering to herself, Adobe this and Movie Maker that. Logan was sprawled on the sofa, watching her with that lazy, hooded look that always sent heat straight to Kir's cock.

She bent over to examine the plugs and slots on the laptop. The fabric of her jeans stretched taut across her shapely ass, displaying it perfectly. Kir nearly groaned out loud.

She couldn't have picked a more perfect way to torture them if she'd tried.

He heard Logan move on the sofa and knew he'd had the same reaction to the sight of Jordan bent over.

He could picture one of them fucking her while the other watched, the two of them taking turns to make her scream. Better yet, one of them fucking her sweet, sweet pussy while the other reamed her tight ass, making her so tight she'd nearly squeeze their cocks off.

And none of the visuals currently running around in his head would get them any closer to their twin goals of winning their freedom and gaining their now ultimate prize: Jordan.

"So, what do you think?” He shifted in his seat as his erection throbbed against the zipper of his jeans.

Damn, he wanted her.

Logan stood and moved over to the side of Kir's chair, his gaze never leaving the small woman moving around the laptop on the dinette table.

"I can work with this, not a problem. We need to pick up a camcorder, though, one that works with YouTube.” She stood, hands on hips, her expression completely professional. The uncertain female they'd lazily seduced over dinner was gone, replaced by the confident, strong woman she'd first shown them in her office.

Kir wanted to take that woman and flip her onto her back, her legs over his shoulders as he ... Better not go there, or I'll have a permanent zipper mark on my cock.

From the uncomfortable look on Logan's face it might already be too late for him.

"I know exactly where to pick one up, too. We'll head over there tomorrow."

"Why not use yours? Don't PIs all have camcorders?"

She grimaced. “I broke it last night. Or, should I say, I had it broken for me."

Kir's eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?” Someone laid hands on her? Thunder sounded off in the distance and he quickly averted his eyes. There were just some things he didn't think she was ready to see yet, the

sharp edge of his temper being one of them.

She shrugged. “Not everyone appreciates having their cheating ways videotaped. Some of them get violent. Luckily I'd already removed the tape when she took the camera from me."

"She?” Kir's tension eased a bit. From the way Logan was standing, however, the revelation that Jordan's adversary had been female hadn't alleviated any of his anger.

"The other woman, in this case. The dickhead husband just stood there and laughed.” She said the words absently, like what had happened was no big deal.

"Who was he?” Unless you knew Logan really well, you'd think the question was casual. Logan's expression was one Kir had seen before, and it did not bode well for whoever Jordan had been tailing.

Considering he wasn't happy with the unknown man either, he was not inclined to enlighten her.

Jordan didn't know Logan well enough to figure out that he was supremely pissed off. “Just a bozo who doesn't know how to keep it zipped in his pants."

Logan's head tilted. “You know, if you tell me who it is, I can visit a little something special on him.” Kir could see the fire dance in Logan's eyes, quickly doused by the other man's will.

Someone is in for an interesting time. He had no doubt that Logan would find out who the man was and make his life ... interesting, whether she told them who it was or not. He relaxed, knowing the man and his mistress would pay for laying hands on their woman.

Wait. When was that decided?

She grinned. “Like what, an STD?"

"Nah. Odds are he'll get that anyway.” Logan waved off Jordan's nod of agreement. “I mean something along the lines of dead fish in his curtain rods."

Jordan's grin melted away. “Huh?"

"Just tell your client that when she files for divorce she should let him have the curtains, complete with rods.” His expression was devilish. “Trust me."

"I've heard of that before. Something about sewing dead prawns into the bottoms of the curtains, and when the fish rotted, the cheating couple was forced to move due to the smell. Only they took the curtains with them.” She leaned against the dinette and crossed her arms over her chest. “That's some kind of urban legend, isn't it?"

Logan nodded. “And it makes a hell of a stench, too."

She stared at him. “Are you telling me it isn't an urban legend?"

"I am telling you no such thing."

Her expression of disbelief was almost as amusing as Logan's attempt at innocence. “Why don't I believe you?"

Logan chuckled as he took her arm and led her to the chaise. “Do we know now what we need to pick up tomorrow at the video store?"

Jordan was still frowning at him, but allowed him to lead her to the chaise. She seemed startled when Logan took a seat on the chaise next to her, draping his arm casually along the edge behind her. “Yes, I know exactly what we need tomorrow."

Her face was suspicious again. Kir took a seat on the ottoman across from her, his knees brushing hers.

He did his best to look harmless, but he wasn't certain if he managed it or not.

"Good. Work's over, right?"

Kir saw the expression on Logan's face and knew he was about to make some sort of move on Jordan.

“I think we're done for the evening, yes."

Jordan clapped her hands, making both Kir and Logan jump. He'd been lost in a vision of the two of them seducing her. “Good! Then I'll head home and meet you guys nice and early.” She tried to stand, only to find Logan's hand on her shoulder. The confusion on her face forced Kir to hide the smile threatening to get away from him.

"How about a movie?” Kir gave Jordan his best “I'm harmless, you can trust me” look.

"What movie?” From her expression she wasn't buying it. She still looked suspicious.

"What would you like to watch?"

"Your door shutting behind me as I head home for the night."

"I'm not sure we have that one."

Jordan rolled her eyes and got to her feet. “Seriously, if we're going to get to work in the morning, I need to head out.” She looked down at her watch and groaned. “Damn, it's later than I thought."

"Then stay here for the night.” Kir stood, checking out the clock on the entertainment center and grimaced. Midnight. Not sure I want her driving home this late, especially if Grimm catches wind of us meeting.

Jordan started hunting around for the small carry-on luggage she called a purse. “No, thanks. It's really late, and I need my sleep, something I don't think I'll get if I stay here."

"You got that right."

Kir kicked Logan's ankle as discreetly as he could, glad that Jordan's distraction kept her from hearing the other man's muttered words. “Then do us a favor?"

"What?"

"Let us walk you to your car, and call us once you're home."

"Why?"

"To make sure you get home safely."

She seemed to think about that for a moment before nodding. “All right."

Logan got out the door first, making sure it was safe before going to the elevator.

This left Kir to enjoy the view of the two best asses in the world walking right in front of him.

He was glad to see Jordan drove a sensible sedan, though it was an older model than he liked. Logan assisted her into her car, every inch the gentleman, shutting her door for her and watching carefully as she started her car.

She waved good-bye as she pulled out of the parking garage, confusion still lighting her features but a smile dragging at her lips.

Logan walked over to Kir, his arm going around Kir's waist and pulling him back to the elevator. Kir smiled. “That went well."

Logan snorted. “It didn't go that well. She's not upstairs."

Kir smiled. “Patience, love."

Logan pulled Kir into the elevator and pressed the button for their floor. “Patience is a virtue, and you know I'm not very virtuous."

"I noticed something you didn't."

"What?"

"Her scent."

The elevator began to rise, along with Logan's grin. “Ahh. Damp, was she?"

Kir looked over at his lover, not surprised to see that Logan's cock was a hard ridge behind his jeans.

Sometimes it paid to be a fertility god. It allowed you to notice all sorts of things others might wish you couldn't. “Very."

Logan took his hand, holding it against his thigh as they watched the numbers rise. His thumb absently stroked Kir's palm, soothing him. His smile was smug. “Good."

Logan watched the sassy sway of Jordan's ass as they got out of Kir's Mustang. They were headed to a computer store on Market Street Jordan frequented. She wanted to pick up a video camera with some sort of YouTube specific software, or hardware, or whatever. He wasn't quite sure what the hell that was supposed to mean, but he figured she did, and that was good enough for him. And Kir had nodded like he knew what she was talking about, so as far as he was concerned it was all good. The two of them had chattered like happy little techno-geeks the entire ride over while Logan amused himself by shooting imaginary bullets at every pigeon, blackbird and crow he could see.

Kir glanced back at Logan with a frown. “Are you sure this is going to work?"

Logan rolled his eyes. Kir was such a worrier sometimes. It drove him nuts. Kir and Jordan might have the technology down pat, but when it came to the magic part ... that was the part where Logan shined.

Kir should know better than to worry about that part.

"Yes,” Jordan answered, confidence seeping from every pore as she stepped aside. Logan pushed her seat forward so he could get out of the Cracker-Jack box Kir called a car. “Follow me, boys."

"With pleasure,” he purred.

She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at him, but he could still see the uncertainty in her.

He noticed Kir's attention was also focused on Jordan's ass and stifled a smile. Since they'd decided to claim the luscious Jordan for their own neither one had kept their interest to themselves. Jordan was acting a little confused by all of the attention. She'd better get used to it. She was going to be on the receiving end of a lot of attention, if they had their way.

The thought of Kir, Jordan, chocolate sauce and tongue baths was probably what kept him from noticing the large blue sedan that pulled up alongside them.

Jordan bellowed “Down!” as she pushed him hard enough to knock him on his ass. It was his first clue that something was seriously wrong. A sound like a firecracker pierced the afternoon air. Jordan grunted in pain, and Logan literally saw red.

Kir landed on top of him, sandwiching Jordan between them. The blue sedan sped off, pedestrians shrieking and diving for cover. Kir rolled off him and immediately took Jordan into his arms. Logan stood, ready to chase down the blue sedan and have a little “chat” with the driver.

"Jordan!"

Something in Kir's deepened, panicked voice stopped him from chasing down the blue sedan. He looked at the woman cradled in Kir's arms, and his heart stopped. He knelt down beside Kir, instinctively placing himself between them and the street.

She'd been shot. Blood seeped from a wound in her right shoulder. Her eyes were glazed in pain as she looked up at him. Her features were determined as she grabbed a hold of Logan's shirt and pulled him close, hissing through clenched teeth, “He was aiming for you .” Her eyes went to Kir. “Get him the fuck outta here."

And Logan slipped from being a little bit in love to being all the way. No one, no one , had ever taken pain meant for him. No one had ever gotten in between him and danger. No one had ever tried to protect him, or bled for him. No one had cared enough.

No one but Kir.

He saw the look on Kir's face, knew Kir felt the same damn way. That overprotective streak of Kir's was now fully engaged at the sight of the woman they'd claimed bleeding on the sidewalk. Kir was beyond furious as he cradled her to him, wincing in sympathy as she hissed.

An enraged Kir was a scary thing.

Kir stood, growling as Jordan gasped in pain, and ran for the car. He put her in the backseat, cursing the

tiny sports car, while Logan dug in Kir's pocket for his keys.

"Jefferson's closest.” Kir's voice had deepened. The pupils of his eyes turned white, storm clouds beginning to edge out the sunny blue. Logan reached into the glove compartment and handed Kir his mirrored shades, hiding his inhuman eyes from sight, then pulled on his own shades. Thunder sounded as grey clouds rapidly began to roll in over the city.

"Right.” He waited long enough for Kir to close the passenger side door before taking off like a bat out of hell for Jefferson University Hospital.

They pulled up outside the emergency room entrance just as the rain started. Kir ran inside and managed to get a gurney for Jordan. It had taken a slight shift in the paperwork to get her seen first, but at this point he'd have been willing to blow on trumpets until she got taken care of, let alone a measly flexing of his powers. She was taken in, immediately assessed and moved straight into a curtained-off area, where a physician began prepping her for surgery.

"Excuse me; is either of you gentlemen related to the victim?"

Logan took his gaze off the curtains where Jordan was being prepped to look down at the nurse standing next to him. Her grey-streaked, no-nonsense bun was twisted, her brown eyes sympathetic as she clutched a clipboard to her chest.

"She's my wife."

He felt Kir start as the words slipped out of his mouth. He flexed his powers again to adjust all of Jordan's paperwork from Grey to Saeter . It wasn't enough to change her insurance and license; he'd changed all of her legal paperwork. The larger change took less energy and concentration. While he was at it he filed a marriage license with the state, just because ... well, because. It soothed the beast inside him that needed to claim her firmly as his.

For a prankster god, it was a piece of cake.

The woman looked relieved. “I need you to sign the surgical release forms, please."

He signed everything she shoved at him, determined to see to it that his woman got the care she needed.

He looked over at Kir, who was staring at the curtained off area, a fierce frown covering his face. The thunder was louder now; the rain was coming down harder. The street was almost invisible out the window of the surgical waiting room.

Make that our woman. Lightning arced across the sky, confirming his thought.

He stood there, clenching and unclenching his hands as he heard the doctor give the order to have Jordan wheeled to surgery. He was having a hard time controlling the raging fires within him. Someone, some stranger , was going to be cutting into her flesh, removing a bullet meant for him, and it was driving him crazy. The knowledge that he could have lost someone else he loved burned like acid in his gut.

Memory flashed behind his eyes of his sons, Nari and Narfi, one dead by the other's hand. Nari lost to madness for all time as he killed his brother; Narfi's entrails enchanted to hold down a god and used to bind Loki to the mountain.

Strong arms wrapped around him and held tight while inside he raged against the memories, both past

and present.

"How come she gets to be your wife?” Kir grumbled.

Logan felt some of his anger drain away as Kir stroked his back.

"She could be my wife, you know.” He felt Kir grin briefly against his neck, but it didn't fool him. Kir was shaking. The urge to soothe his lover began to overtake the rage and pain inside him. “After all, she likes me better."

Kir sounded like a petulant child, but Logan knew the truth. Blondie was just as upset, and just as furious, as he was. Logan snorted. Shaking his head, he wrapped his arms around Kir, and settled down to wait for the doctors to return.

Jordan woke to nausea and confusion. She blinked, looking up at the bright white light overhead. “Don't go into the light,” she muttered, surprised when someone snorted next to her. Logan. Her brain immediately identified the sound, like she'd heard it hundreds of times before. Of course, I have damn near heard it a hundred times before.

She turned her head, surprised at how difficult it was. Her stomach rolled with nausea. She swallowed hard, fighting back the urge to hurl all over Logan's expensive leather jacket. He looked pissed as all hell.

“Where's Kir?"

"Right here.” She felt someone take hold of her hand. “Told you she likes me better.” Soft lips brushed her forehead. She turned to see Kir smiling down at her, concern shadowing his eyes. “Hi."

"Hi."

Another pair of soft lips brushed her forehead. “Welcome back."

She looked up into Logan's face, surprised at his fierce expression. “Thanks. Where'd I go?"

"You got shot.” She felt his hand tremble in hers, and tried to squeeze it, surprised at both the emotion flooding his face and how hard it was to get her hand to work. “Don't you ever put yourself between me and a bullet again, you hear me?"

She closed her eyes wearily and licked her lips. “Yup. Next time, let your ass get shot. Got it."

"Jordan."

Her eyes opened to see Logan frowning down at her.

"Shh. Not now, Logan.” The two men exchanged a look over her head. She would have tried to figure out what it meant, but she was so damn tired. “Go to sleep, sweetheart. We'll be back soon to take you home.” Before she could process the fact that Kir had called her sweetheart, he gave her the sweetest kiss she'd ever received.

"He's right. Get some rest.” Logan's mouth replaced Kir's. His kiss was full of carefully banked fire.

“We'll be back in about an hour."

She had a hard time keeping her eyes open after the two men left her room, talking quietly as the door

shut behind them. What the hell was that all about? She drifted off to sleep, wondering what it would be like to have the two of them really kissing her.

"What do you mean, you missed?"

Val winced at the hissed words as his father turned to face him. “I hit Jordan."

"What the fuck was Jordan doing there?"

"I believe they may have hired her."

Grimm's mouth tightened. Val made sure to keep all expression from his face as Grimm glared at him.

“So what stopped you from finishing the job?"

Val blinked. “I shot Jordan."

"And?"

Val didn't answer, knowing there was no point.

"If Jordan is helping them, you need to remove her, as well. No excuses. "

He bowed his head to his father, hoping the man didn't see the hatred in his eyes. The reason for his birth, the vengeance against his brother's murderer and the punishment of the man who'd masterminded it, had instead become service to the betrayer and an unending hunt for the betrayed.

And it was seriously beginning to piss him off, especially now that the end was so tantalizingly near. But the end had been near before, and Grimm had managed to stave it off.

He kept his expression blank as he left the office, knowing that his time was running out. If Jordan was working with Loki and Baldur, Tyr would soon find out. And Grimm would no longer accept mistakes.

How did the idiot miss again?

Grimm ground his teeth together, fighting down the urge to throw something. Something glass, that would make a nice, loud, shattering noise as it hit. He eyed the glass apple his wife Frederica had given him for Christmas about forty-five years ago and seriously thought about it. Better not. She'll notice the next time she's in the office and question it. Stupid bitch.

And the only person he couldn't afford questions from was Frigg. Her visions had let her know some of what he'd planned for Baldur and Hodr, but not all.

Not enough to stop him completely.

If Loki hadn't interfered, things would have worked out a great deal differently. And now Jordan, the traitorous little bitch, was picking Loki's side over his. And if Loki stayed true to form, there was no way Val was getting anywhere near Jordan or Baldur again.

Unless...

Grimm smiled, and the window in front of him frosted over.

"Well. I see you're having happy thoughts."

Grimm turned to see Rina Southerland, Val's mother, standing in the doorway to his office. “Rina."

She shut the door behind her and smiled seductively. “We have a date tonight, remember?"

He smiled again. Indulging Rina was one of his favorite pastimes. And since Frederica was at one of her charity functions, he had more than enough time to indulge himself, as well. “Of course. How could I forget?” He walked over and pulled her roughly to him, kissing her passionately as she cupped his thickening cock through his slacks. For her he changed into the virile young man he truly was, not the Old Grimm everyone thought him to be.

For a frost-Jotun, Rina had more fire in her than any other woman he'd ever bedded, including his wife.

And, buried balls-deep in her pale, slender body, he even managed to forget his troubles for a little while.

Too bad he was going to have to kill her before he killed Val. After all, a wise man knew better than to rouse a mother bear.

Kir watched carefully as Logan placed Jordan in the back seat of his Lexus. They'd opted to buy the car when they realized how uncomfortable Jordan would be in Kir's Mustang. Logan had insisted on one of the best, most luxurious SUVs on the market and, since it would be Logan's car, Kir hadn't objected too much.

The trip back to their penthouse was surprisingly uneventful. The ride in the luxury SUV was smooth and quiet. Jordan dozed, not surprising considering the amount of blood she'd lost and the strength of the painkillers she was on.

He'd warned her that Val wouldn't hesitate to kill her if Grimm ordered it. He'd been half hoping he was wrong, but once again his father and brother had proven to him how little innocent lives mattered to them.

It had taken every bit of Logan's power to keep her family from finding her. One wrong move and Grimm would have been breathing down their necks. As it was, Kir knew they were probably going to have some pissed off younger Grimms on their doorstep soon. Jordan was begging them to call her siblings and he and Logan were close to giving in, at least where Jeff and her sister Jamie were concerned. No way in hell were they going to call Magnus and Morgan Grimm. And they couldn't tell her of the phone calls they were receiving from her sister. Some of them had made Kir's hair stand on end.

They'd started out pleasant enough, but the last one had been filled with threats that he was pretty sure were anatomically impossible without the aid of kitchen utensils and a lot of Vaseline. He still had no idea what a “rotating pineapple attachment” was, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to find out.

"She'll be all right."

He looked over at Logan, whose eyes never left the road. “I know."

"Are you really pissed that I put my name on the paperwork?"

Kir smiled. Logan was frowning, the expression one that let Kir know he was prepared to fight for his way. “No, just so long as she understands she's committed to both of us."

Logan snorted. “Once we've got her naked between us, she'll figure it out pretty damn quick."

A muffled snore sounded from the backseat. Kir turned to see Jordan's face buried in the upholstery.

She'd been in the hospital for almost a week and was still exhausted. Logan had put wards around her bed to keep her safe, but even then it had been a harrowing time. He couldn't keep everyone from touching her.

"How do we keep this from happening again?"

Kir bit his lip. “I don't know."

"Her fathers are going to pitch a fit when they find out what happened."

"Not to mention her boss. And her brothers and sister."

They looked at each other and winced. “Can we prove it was Val that shot her?"

Kir shook his head. “And even if we could, they'd still blame us for putting her in danger."

"Not us. Me."

Kir didn't say anything as Logan pulled into the parking garage and shut off the engine. They'd have to make sure the Lexus was added to their parking allotment, or they'd get towed. Since they didn't use their powers any more than necessary that meant a long, boring trip to the manager's office and filling out paperwork. Kir picked up Jordan, much to Logan's disgust. He smirked at Logan's disgruntled frown.

“Your car, your paperwork."

Logan groaned at Kir's grin. “Great. Where's an assassin or two when you need one?"

Logan left the manager's office with a smirk on his face. He'd gotten a lecture from the overly fussy man on informing management about any “changes to the status of the tenancy of the condo". Logan had been tempted to go back as the owner and give the man hell for upsetting a rich client, but he didn't really have time for that sort of fun. So he'd chosen a different form of punishment for the pompous asshole. He grinned. He wondered how long it would take before the manager noticed that his signature on every single document in that office had been changed to Dick Head.

He snickered as he stepped into the elevator. Kir would probably shake his head and try to talk him into changing it back. Jordan seemed more the type to try and make him change it back. And maybe he would change most of it back.

Maybe. If they begged really prettily.

He headed up to the twenty-second floor, eager to see them both, hoping Kir had settled her down in their bedroom. The thought of Jordan's scent mingling with his and Kir's on their sheets was irresistible.

He opened the door to find Kir scowling at Jordan, who was busy trying to set up the video camera one-handed. She was pale and shaking.

Logan glared at her, all of his instincts screaming at him that she needs to be resting, not fucking around with electronics. And since his instincts were backed up by her doctor's orders, he felt fully justified in growling at her. “What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

She looked up at him and smiled wearily. “We need to get the YouTube video going."

"Now?"

"The sooner the better."

"The doctor said you're supposed to be in bed.” He turned to Kir. “Why isn't she in bed?"

"Because when I went to pick her up she started struggling and I was afraid she'd reopen the wound."

Thunder sounded outside, letting Logan know exactly how upset Kir was. The fact that Kir hadn't taken his eyes off Jordan was also not a good sign. He looked out the window to see a fine spring shower raining down on the city. “To bed, Jordan."

She stood up with a wince, her face paling even more. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead. “No."

Logan gritted his teeth. “I think Kir and I can figure out how to take a fucking video. Go. To. Bed. "

She put one hand on her hip, the other half in and half out of the sling the doctor wanted her to wear.

“When I'm done.” She glared at him. “Oh, and by the way, I'm still not sure why you guys brought me here instead of to my apartment, other than the fact that you think Uncle Val will come after me there.”

She turned back to the equipment, muttering to herself.

When she hissed in pain, Logan decided enough was enough.

He looked at Kir, who nodded. Together the two men moved on Jordan, Kir in the back, Logan in front. They sandwiched her between them before she knew what they were doing.

"Guys, this isn't funny— hey! "

Kir held her arms while Logan picked her up. Together they two-stepped her into the bedroom.

Ignoring her protests, Logan kicked the door shut behind him. The two men carefully put Jordan down on the bed.

Logan stood and pointed a finger at her. “Stay."

"Woof."

He narrowed his eyes. “I mean it."

"Yes, Daddy."

He raked his eyes up and down her figure, allowing her to see the heat in his eyes. “Set one pinky toe off that bed, and Daddy will give you the spanking you deserve. Got it?” He grinned. “And don't think Mommy will stop me, either."

"Asshole,” Kir muttered. He handed Jordan a glass of water and a pain pill. “Here. Don't worry about the video. Logan and I will take care of it."

She made a face at them, popped the pill, and settled back down against the pillows. She looked like a pissed-off kid who'd been told to take a nap. “Do you have any idea what you're going to do for the

video?"

The look on Kir's face reminded Logan of a naughty little boy. “I have an idea or two."

Jordan stared at the two men blearily and wondered what they were up to. They'd exchanged a long look over her body before Kir pulled the comforter over her, careful of her shoulder. “An idea or two.

Why am I not reassured?” She yawned as the pain pill began working on her.

"Don't you trust us?"

Two identical, angelic looks, neither of which she trusted. “Hell, no."

Logan started to laugh. “Smart girl."

Kir just shook his head. “Get some rest, and let us worry about the video, okay?” He leaned down and gave her a kiss. She tried to stop him, hissing in pain when she tried to move her bad arm. Kir stopped her, gently pressing her arm back down. “Don't do that."

Logan leaned over her, taking Kir's place. “Aren't you the one who said you don't like pain?"

She stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at him.

He kissed her quickly, before she could pull her tongue back in.

"What is up with all of the sudden sucking of face?” She was yawning before she even completed the sentence.

Logan turned and sauntered out of the bedroom. “I'll wake you in time for dinner, sweetheart."

Sweetheart? She turned to Kir, who was smiling down at her. He was wavering in and out of focus.

“Kir?"

He brushed her hair away from her forehead. “It's simple. We've decided to keep you."

She blinked up at him sleepily. Damn, those pain pills are good. She watched him walk out of the bedroom door, gently shutting it behind him. I could have sworn he just said they're keeping me...

She drifted off to sleep before she could finish the thought.

Kir waited until he knew for certain Jordan was asleep. “Got the camera?"

"Yup.” Logan hefted the bag. They'd quietly dismantled all of the equipment, trying their best not to disturb Jordan. Kir's idea was a great one, but they had to head into Rittenhouse Square to make it work. Luckily he'd calmed down enough for the rain to stop, or they would have had to wait since the camera wasn't waterproof.

Logan set up the wards while Kir made sure everything was locked up tight. Logan had had to adjust them due to Jordan's presence, but the extra step hadn't seemed to faze him at all. “All set."

They headed for the elevator and made their way outside. They walked quickly to a secluded part of the park, shivering in the early spring air. They ducked behind the statue “Lion Crushing a Serpent,” by the

French sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye; the area was small and surrounded by bushes on three sides, perfect for what they wanted to do. At this time of night the kids who liked to climb the lion were already home, safely tucked away in bed. Logan set up the camera while Kir prepared the pot of soil he'd brought with him.

Kir took a deep, calming breath, and let it out slowly. “Ready when you are."

Logan's warm smile helped ease his jitters. Here goes nothing.