In-Between Work and Play (The Jocelyn Frost Series Book 1) (10 page)

After thanking
the waiter, I swirled my wine like I’d often seen done in the movies, and gave
it a taste.  “Do you think your father knows a spell that could help us out?”

Dex rubbed the
back of his head.  “I’m not sure.  I would like to say yes, but then again, I’m
here, right?  You’d think he would have cast a spell like that
before
cheating on his wife.”

“Not to sound
harsh, but umm…”

“Did he care
about getting my mother pregnant?” 

Were my thoughts
that transparent?  I nodded, not wanting to seem insensitive.  My father didn’t
care.  I doubted he thought about me more than once in a blue moon.

“To be honest, I
don’t know.  I’ve only seen him a couple of times.”  He leaned forward as if he
were about to share a huge secret. “I bet you didn’t know that they can exist
in multiple places at once.”

“Holy Helheim,
really?”  That was news to me.

“They aren’t
really gods.  They were originally called Watchers or Guardians.  Do you know
the story about how the In-between and Erda were created?”  His eyes lit up. 

I had to smile.
Dex was totally hot, in a college professor sort of way. “No, I’ve heard bits
and pieces, but not the whole thing.  I lived most my life on Earth.”  I pulled
a few curls from behind my ears to hide my face, which was starting to turn
red. 

Dex almost
started to glow from his excitement.  Suddenly, I became his favorite new
student.  “I’ll try to summarize this as best as I can.”  His eagerness
continued to grow. “Just to warn you, I can easily get carried away with the
details.  Let me know if I start to bore you.”  He paused to see if I would
tell him to forget about it, but when I didn’t, he took that as his cue to
continue.

“Picture what it
was like when Earth and Erda were one and the same.  Non-magic users and magic
users lived together, side-by-side.  They shared knowledge and interbred with
each other regularly, creating many different types of species and
subspecies.”  He waited while I thought about it.  What would growing up have
been like if people used magic all around me as readily as I’d seen it used
here?   Would non-magic users turn to magic users more often?  Would magic
users take advantage of non-magic users?  Not to mention, the beings that found
humans to be rather tasty…

“All right, now
here’s the history lesson.  During the Earth’s last Ice Age, a wizard called
Rebastes figured out a way to steal the life force from other beings. Inside
every individual’s life force lies an ability to use and manipulate magic. 
When he stole the life forces from other people, he became the first warlock. 

“Rebastes
manipulated his stolen powers and shaped them into balls of energy that were as
destructive as modern day nukes. It’s safe to say that other witches and
wizards figured out how to do the same thing. Before long, they were firing
weapons of mass destruction at each other.”

My eye’s
widened. “You’re talking about Ragnarok?  I always thought that was a metaphor
for a meteor strike, and that humans created the myth to explain what
happened.”

“I can see why
you would have thought that.”  He looked up as the waiter placed our food on
the table. 

I gave my plate
a quick scan to make sure there weren’t any werewolf hairs on my chicken
parmigiana.  Seeing none, I started to cut it up into small pieces. 

“Anyway, millions
of humans, fae, and mythos died in the ensuing chaos.  Those that lived erected
a magical barrier separating those who were born to magic and those who were
not.  That space is called the In-Between.”

I wiped my lips
with a napkin. “How could they make two worlds out of one?”

“The same way a
plant cell divides.  It’s just a lot more complicated within the same
dimension. The ley lines that crisscross both Earth and Erda form the framework
for the barrier in the same way a cell wall separates into two daughter cells.”

I could kind of
picture it, but probably not the way he envisioned it.  “So, non-magical
humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms were designated to stay on the
Earth side of the In-Between, and everything else was sent to Erda?”

“For the most
part. Only fae and mythos that had contracts with specific human bloodlines
were allowed to stay on the Earth side.  Others slipped through the weak spots
in the In-Between; and some even found ways to evade the Watchers.  Humans were
supposed to stay on the Earth side, but various species found ways to traffic
them across the border.  Today, there are small human conclaves located
throughout Erda.  Those people are protected by various species such as the
Watchers and the elves.”

I finished my
wine.  My body felt completely relaxed as I listened to his story.  If I were
at home, I would have dumped my dishes into the sink to soak, before taking a
bubble bath, and turning in early.  Our werewolf waiter took the opportunity to
refill my glass.  “So, tell me, Mr. Rivers, what does your story have to do
with the gods’ ability to be in multiple places at once?”

Dex paused to
refill my wineglass as he swallowed. “They are the most powerful species in the
world.  Not only can they split their physical forms into multiple pieces, but
they can also travel to dimensions that are perpendicular to our own.”

I took another
large sip of wine.  “I wonder if the different pieces communicate with each
other? Or do they live totally separate lives?”

With a slight
lift of his shoulders, Dex swallowed another bite of his sandwich. “I’m not
sure.”

“Maybe it’s like
their ids experience their desires and their egos have to figure out ways to
please their ids, while their super-egos bend to accept their
responsibilities?”  I wasn’t sure if he understood what I was talking about,
but hey, it was worth a shot. 

“Could be.” He
finished off his wine. “That explains why so many of them appear in triplicate,
and why they seem to suffer from multiple personality disorders.”   

The waiter
appeared once more to hand us the dessert menus before clearing the table.  I
didn’t even need to look; I knew what I wanted.  “Can I have the tiramisu,
please?”

“I’ll get that,
too,” Dex said as he handed the waiter his plate.

After finishing
my third glass of wine, a thousand-calorie dessert, and spending almost three
hours afterwards chit-chatting with Dex, our werewolf waiter appeared ready to
cough up a hairball if we didn’t vacate our table. 

Standing up too
quickly was a huge mistake on my part.  The room spun, and I wished I hadn’t
drunk that last glass of wine.  What could I have been thinking?  I paid the
bill, despite protests from Dex, but let him leave the tip.  I argued that it
was only fair I bought him dinner since he spent so many hours researching
leads for me.

Dex dropped
several bills on the table before pulling me to his side.

“I’m okay. The
walls stopped spinning.”  I inhaled his heavenly scent. “Holy Helheim, you
smell good.  Is it your cologne or,” another deep breath as I sighed, “body
wash?”

His grip
tightened around my waist and he maneuvered us around the last set of tables.
“I don’t wear cologne.  It might be my soap.”  The corners of his lips seemed
to lift.

Cool air slapped
me in the face when we reached the sidewalk. 

Dex’s fingers
gently tilted my face to look up at him.  “Which way is your apartment?  I’m
going to walk you home.”

My brows knitted
together as I pulled away.  “It’s okay, Dex.  You don’t have to do that.  I
need to go back to my office anyway.”  I gave him a weak smile.  “I had a great
time though.”  The world wobbled around me.  No matter, I could have gotten
back; it’s not like it was that far.  And since the area was well traveled at
this time of night, I did not think I was putting myself in any danger. 

“Uh-huh…  I had
a great time too, Joce, but if you assume I’m going to just let you walk back
to your office by yourself, you’re wrong.  The last thing I want to read
tomorrow morning is that a blood-hungry vamp or fae jumped and drained you,
leaving you for dead in a gutter.”  The warmth of his arm spread across my
back. 

I shamefully
snuggled up to him. “Well, if you insist.”  Damn it, I wanted to spend more
time with him.  Was I being selfish?  Yep, you bet.  Normally, my pride would
have prevented me from indulging such a weakness, but I had a Helheim of a day,
and Dex was there for me like no one else had been for as far back as I could
remember.  So what if I’d only known him for a couple of days?  It felt more
like a lifetime.

I think I must
have told him for the third time how much I enjoyed dinner before he stopped me
to ask. “Why are we heading back to your office, anyway?”  We paused at a
crosswalk.  The traffic was fairly light, but heavy enough for us to wait until
the signal turned.

I stopped in the
middle of the crosswalk. “I can’t go home.”

Dex looked both
ways before tugging me forward.  A car honked as it attempted to turn into my
lane. “Come on, Joce, you can’t stop there.” He practically pulled me out of
the street.  “What do you mean ‘you can’t go home’?”

Tears gathered
in the corners of my eyes.  I shook my head, not wanting to talk about it.  I
stumbled before stopping to take off my damn pumps.  Yes, I was freaking out,
but everyone has a breaking point. 

“Joce… Jocelyn,
wait up!”  It took only a few seconds, but he caught up to me.  Holding my
shoes in one hand, he slipped his arm back around my waist.  “You don’t have to
say anything if you don’t want to.”  His lips brushed the top of my head.

“I’m so pathetic.
I’m sorry!”  I rubbed the tears away from my eyes.  We paused at another
crosswalk.

“I don’t think
that.” He pressed a handkerchief into my hand.  Normally, those things grossed
me out, but coming from Dex, the gesture was really sweet. 

“Why are you so
nice to me?”  I needed to focus on something else besides what happened that
morning. 

His shoulders
lifted slightly.  “I’m not sure.  I should hate you, right? It’s not like our
fathers’ pantheons get along.  Most of them can barely stand their own family
members, never mind other members of the same race.  Besides, you’re kind of my
opposite in many ways.  Yet, I don’t know…”

“You should find
yourself a nice fairy or light elf.” I didn’t mean it, but I didn’t know what
else to say.

“A fairy?”  We
strolled up the sidewalk leading into the Psychology Department.  “In case you
didn’t know, fairies tend to have wandering eyes.  And light elves die if
someone breaks their hearts.” 

An oversized oak
door loomed in front of us.  It took me a moment before I realized I needed to
dig out my key. “Maybe a dark elf or a vampire?”

“I’ve dated both
types.” His lips curved up into a smirk. 

I unlocked the
door as my heart sank in my chest.  “Really?  What happened? Are you dating one
now?”

“What if I am?” 
He asked after pushing the door open.

My keys fell
from my fingertips.  “Then why the fuck are you going out to eat with me?”

“We’re partners,
remember?” Dex placed his hand on the small of my back before leading me inside
the building.  The door slammed behind us while the motion sensors turned on
the entry hall’s lights.  “And although we’ve only known each other for a
couple of days, do you really see me as the type of guy who would juggle
several girls at once?”

“I… I don’t
know.” My head shook.  Being drunk while trying to figure out a man’s motives
was not helpful.

His strong hands
gently spun me in order to face him.  He ever so lightly tilted my head upward
to gaze into my eyes.  “Jocelyn,” he whispered, “I know what you’re trying to
do.”  Reaching past me, he pushed the elevator button to go up.

My brows knitted
together. “What?” The bell chimed above our heads and I followed him into the
elevator.

“You’re trying
to distract me so I won’t ask you anymore questions about why you can’t go
home.”  His finger tapped number three.

A wave of nausea
hit me as the elevator rose.  “Ugh… That’s the last time I have more than one
glass of wine.”  The bell chimed, announcing our arrival to my floor.

Shaking his
head, Dex motioned for me to leave the elevator first.  “So, if you can’t go
home, who are you staying with, a friend, a relative, or a boyfriend?”

Puzzled, I
tilted my head. “I’m staying here.”  He didn’t need to know I had no real
friends, especially boyfriends, or that all the relatives that mattered to me
lived on Earth. 

“Here, as in,
your office?” He waved toward the only door on the floor that was slightly
ajar. 

Slowly, I
nodded.  “I thought I locked up before we left.”  Maybe the janitor was in
there? 

“You did,” he
frowned.  He lightly tapped the door further open with his foot. 

I quickly
flicked on the lights.  Furniture, files, and my clothes were scattered all
over the place.  Then my eyes settled on the coffee table.  It was the only
piece of furniture that remained undisturbed. 

Alarm filled
Dex’s voice.  “And what the hell is that?”

My knees
buckled, threatening to collapse underneath me.  “Mistletoe...” 

“Mistletoe? 
Isn’t that the plant that’s hung in doorways around the winter solstice?” 
Clearly, Dex knew just about as much about Norse mythology as I knew about
Egyptian.  Or, maybe it was because he drank almost as much wine as I did,
although, he only seemed buzzed, not drunk.

I closed my
eyes. “Yeah, it’s just a stupid weed.”  I rolled my ring between my thumb and
index finger.  Prior to Ragnarok, my father, Baldur, had a dream about his
death. He went straight to his mother and told her about his dream.  Most
believed that Frigg could see the fate of every single person, but preferred to
keep that knowledge to herself.  However, since Baldur was her son, she wanted
to alter fate. As Queen of the Aesir from Asgard, Frigg had the power to
persuade every object on Earth to vow never to hurt her son.  Every entity
promised that none of their kind would ever harm or help someone else harm him. 

Baldur seemed
invincible and often let the other gods throw projectiles at him for fun. 
Gods. Go figure; sometimes, they’re just as childish as men.  What Baldur
didn’t know was that his mother missed one plant: mistletoe. 

For something
that seemed so small and insignificant, it changed the lives of the Norse gods
forever.  Loki, the trickster god, crafted the mistletoe into a dart.  He found
the other gods throwing projectiles at Baldur and decided to give the dart to
Hodr, Baldur’s blind twin brother.  Loki told Hodr where to throw the dart. 
Unfortunately for Baldur, it hit him in the chest, killing him instantly. 

Being that I was
a daughter of the reincarnated Baldur, seeing the mistletoe was a message for
me.  It was a death threat.  Maybe the break-in this morning was real and not a
mistake?  Or maybe the two instances were unrelated?

Dex rubbed his
temples. “Why would anyone leave that?”  Suddenly he turned toward me. 
“Jocelyn…”  His hands gripped my biceps. “Jocelyn, what are you not telling
me?”

I could swear he
looked guilty, but I had no idea why.  I hung my head and whispered, “Someone
was murdered in my condo this morning.”

“WHAT!?”

“I didn’t want
to say anything because… I don’t know…  How do you tell someone that one of
your clients was murdered right in front of you?”

“Jocelyn, look
at me.” He paused until I stared deeply into his gorgeous, translucent, green
eyes.  “Does this have anything to do with what happened last night?”

“Last night? 
Why would anyone care if we were doing research in the Archive?”

Dex shook his
head. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Then what are
you talking about?”  My voice went up several octaves. 

He pressed his
forehead to mine. “I’m going to call the Enforcers.”

I felt sick to
my stomach. “Fine, call them.  I doubt they can do anything, but read our
minds.”

About fifteen
minutes later, the Enforcer I played tonsil hockey with earlier showed up with
Keegan and three other officers.   My stomach twisted back and forth like a
seesaw.  I really didn’t feel good.

“Keegan, Larson,
and Dorsey, check out the office.  Chase, take Mr. Rivers downstairs to record
his statement.  I’ll handle Ms. Frost.”

The ved, a
hobgoblin, and a satyr, sporting a camera, entered my office. Wow, that sounded
like it could have had some cheesy punchline. Meanwhile, a huldra with a red
fox’s tail sticking out of her grey miniskirt placed a hand on Dex’s arm.  Two
French-braided pigtails the same color as her tail were twisted into a bun at
the nape of her neck.  If I hadn’t embarrassed myself by making out with the
Enforcer, I could have been jealous of the fine-boned beauty leading Dex into
the stairwell. 

“Ms. Frost?”

I blinked while
swaying a bit on my feet. “Hmm?”

Amusement filled
his voice. “Had one too many drinks?”

Damn it! Why did
this asshole have to show up?  “I had three glasses of wine.”

“Only three?”
His hand slipped around my waist, turning me toward him.

I closed my
eyes, not wanting to look at him.  His fingers stroked my burning cheek.  “Yes,
only three.”  My brows knitted together. “Is this normal Enforcer behavior? Or
am I missing something?”

“Unfortunately,
it’s normal Enforcer behavior,” he whispered.

My eyes flew
open. “What?!” He was so close to me, our hips were practically attached.

Frowning, he
pulled me toward the elevator.  “Let’s go somewhere private.”

Private my ass!
Sex vibes were radiating off this guy like a frat boy at a panty raid.  “Why
can’t I give you my statement right here?”

“Jocelyn Frost…”
The tone of his voice sharpened, and carried down the hall. “It is not wise to
question my methods or my motivations.”

“I wasn’t
questioning you.  I just wanted to know why we can’t do this right here.”

“It’s for your
own safety.  The less people around me, the easier it is to read you without
causing any permanent side effects.”

I couldn’t argue
with that.  I wasn’t even sure how his powers worked, never mind, what race he
belonged to.  “Fine, we can use the group therapy room.”