Morgan sighed, taking the dusty box from Skye as she started sneezing again. “That woman is seriously fucked in the head. If she’d found it, she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself from gloating.”
“She was like that from the beginning.” Skye wiped her eyes and sniffled. “She was a bitch from day one. Always thought that because she was fucking Odin we owed her something. Vicious twat.”
Magnus was staring at her like she’d grown a second head. He turned to Morgan and grinned, waggling his eyebrows. “I like her. Can we keep her?”
Morgan rolled his eyes even as Skye laughed at his idiot brother. “Frigg won’t be coming back. Can we work now?” They’d make sure of it. Jeanne’s home, her sanctuary, the place she’d raised their brother and sisters, would remain in Jeanne’s hands for as long as she wanted it. Logan and Kir had immediately agreed with Morgan when he contacted them. The two were on their way to set up the wards that would keep any but Jeanne and her brood out of this house until Jeanne said otherwise.
They weren’t sure if they would tell Jeanne what her mother-in-law had done. She’d be far too angry to think rationally, and no one was willing to risk what would happen if Jeanne went up against Frigg. Jeanne was mortal. Frigg would tear her apart to get what she wanted without a qualm.
On the other hand, Jeanne Grimm could be one scary-ass lady when pissed. Morgan might bring popcorn to that fight.
Morgan opened his senses, looking for that point of strength that was Kir, and found it barely two blocks away. Whatever had delayed the other gods, they were here now. Jeanne’s home would soon be safe.
“You’re always such a ray of sunshine, Morgan.”
“It comes out of my ass on cloudy days.”
That set his twin off again. Morgan shook his head and got back to the task of looking for the Hammer of Thor. If Mjolnir were in the house, the two of them should be able to find it.
Unless Thor put it under some sort of ward, one that wouldn’t allow anyone to detect it. His father never had the magic of the Jotuns, but he’d had allies who would be willing to hide the hammer for him. Allies that might not want either side to have Thor’s mightiest weapon.
“Damn it. What did that bitch do with it?” Magnus tossed aside a box that held some of Thor’s clothes. It broke open, scattering jeans all over the place.
“Then he gave the hammer to Thor, and said that Thor might smite as hard as he desired, whatsoever might be before him, and the hammer would not fail; and if he threw it at anything, it would never miss, and never fly so far as not to return to his hand; and if be desired, he might keep it in his sark, it was so small; but indeed it was a flaw in the hammer that the fore-haft was somewhat short.” Skye hummed. “It’s possible it’s been shrunk down and that’s why we can’t find it.”
“Magnus.” He reached for his brother, wincing when Magnus danced out of reach. “I really don’t think she found it. Frigg would have gloated if she had, but instead she was just as frustrated as you are.”
Magnus sighed and ran his fingers through his bright red hair. “I know, I know. But…”
Morgan grabbed Magnus and wrapped his arms around his twin. “I miss him too.”
“We didn’t have him for years. Not really.”
“And he didn’t have us.”
The tension left his brother’s shoulders. “Yeah. I know. One more thing Grimm needs to pay for.” Magnus sighed deeply and pulled free of Morgan. “I’m thinking of changing my name again.”
“What’s wrong with Magnus?” He was rather fond of his brother’s name. They always picked their mortal names together, and he’d been pushing for Magnus for his twin for two centuries. Magnus had finally given in twenty-five years ago. The name just seemed right for him.
“No, not Magnus. Magnus was never the problem. I want to get rid of Grimm.”
“Oh.” Yeah, he could see why Magnus would want to change their other name. “But Dad’s name was Grimm.”
Magnus’s head snapped up, the beginnings of a scowl darkening his expression. “So is his.”
Morgan wasn’t averse to the idea of changing their names, but he wanted to make sure his twin had thought it through. “A lot of the relatives we love have Grimm as well. Jeff, for instance.”
Magnus snorted, amused, a habit he’d picked up from Logan. “Like he’s not already Jeffrey Saeter.”
“Jamie.”
“Jamie Yardley-Rudiger.”
There was only one other person they needed to talk about, but he wasn’t sure if Val would influence this decision or not. Besides, he had an idea of what last name they’d take if they could. “Then if we’re going to pick a new name, I think we should take Tate.”
He heard Skye suck in a breath, but she stayed silent.
Magnus stilled, his expression instantly lightening once more. “You’re all right with that?”
Morgan grinned at his twin. He should have known Magnus had a plan. “You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. I think it’s the right thing to do, to honor Kir and Logan’s sacrifice and ditch the Old Man’s taint.”
“What about Uncle Val? He’d still be a Grimm.”
“We can talk to him, see what he wants to do. I’m not certain he’ll want to hold on to the Grimm name any more than we do, but I’m not sure he’ll want Tate either.”
“They are brothers. He might be willing.”
“He might.”
Magnus was grinning so wide Morgan was surprised his lips didn’t hit his earlobes. If this helped ease his brother’s pain, Morgan would gladly become a Tate. “Then we talk to Kir and make sure it’s all right with him.”
“It’s more than all right.” Morgan jumped at the sound of Kir’s voice. He turned to find Kir in the doorway of Fred and Jeanne’s bedroom, tears in his eyes. “Having my family again…” Kir looked away and swallowed hard. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
“Hey, Blondie, what’s—” Logan stopped, took one look at Kir’s teary expression and shot a black look at Morgan and Magnus. “What happened?”
Morgan and Magnus exchanged a glance. Morgan shrugged. “We want to change our last name to Tate.”
Logan’s expression went completely blank. “Ah. Yeah, that would do it.” He wrapped Kir in his arms, his gaze tender. “Jordan’s gonna love this.”
Kir chuckled. “Yeah, she is.”
“You’re all right with this?”
Logan winked, and Morgan felt the flex of the Trickster’s magic surge through the room. “Morgan and Magnus Tate sounds fine to me.”
Morgan pulled out his wallet and stared at his driver’s license. There, in black and white, was the name Morgan Tate. “Cool.”
“Thank you.” Kir kissed Logan’s cheek and stepped out of his hold.
“You’re welcome.” Logan grimaced. “Now all we have to do is get Jörmungandr and Sleipnir, and our family will be complete.”
Kir smiled at his lover. None of them were fooled by the forced cheer in Logan’s voice. They’d gotten to know him well in the close quarters they now lived in. That false bravado hid a bleeding heart. “We’ll find him and save him.”
“I know, Blondie. But right now we’ve got bigger fish to fry.” Logan nodded toward the twins. “You find the hammer yet?” He blinked, looking around the room as if seeing the boxes for the first time. “Why did you pack?”
“Frigg did it.”
Logan cursed viciously under his breath. “I’ll get started on the wards. Jeanne doesn’t need this shit.”
“Logan.” Morgan waited until he had Logan’s undivided attention. “I think Frigg might turn out to be as big a threat as Grimm. She’s gone beyond pissed and into psychotic. She thinks once you’re dead, Baldur will return to her.”