In-Between Work and Play (The Jocelyn Frost Series Book 1) (25 page)

“WHAT?”
Confusion addled my mind. “If he was never a light elf, what was he?”

“A warlock.  A
very old one, too.  As far as the enforcers could tell, Carmine has been
stealing the life forces and magic of various species for hundreds, if not
thousands, of years.” His voice lowered to the lightest of whispers.  “The
unofficial guess is that he survived the Warlock Wars.”

The Warlock Wars
were the reason why our dimension got split in two.  It felt like years had
passed since Dex told me how it happened.  And now, I learned that I was
working next to one of the worst kinds of magic practitioners ever.

“Dex… I, umm… I
have a confession to make.  Back at the Amber Primrose, Caress told me that she
felt my powers might have a side effect.”  Shit, this wasn’t coming out right.

“I don’t
understand.”

“It means, when
I push a sense of calm or tranquility on someone, it might not only change the
way they feel, but also the way they think.  I’m afraid that you may not really
like me, and what you feel is actually coming from my powers, not from…” I
tapped his heart with my finger, “…here.”

Dex was quiet
for what seemed like forever.  I looked up at him through my lashes and found
him studying me.  “Did you use your powers the first time we met?”

“No.”

“How about the
second time?”

I shook my head.
“No.”

“At what point
did you use your powers on me?”

“Umm… When we
were checking in at the Amber Primrose, and again, when we were in the
conference room.” 

He tilted my
chin to look into my eyes. “Love, you have nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t?” I
whispered.

“You don’t.  The
night after our coffee date, I went home and dreamt about you.  I knew we were
meant to be together.”

“You did?”  My
eyes widened.  “I had a dream about you too!  We were, ummm…”

He gave me that
sexy, coy smile of his.  “Enjoying each other’s bodies?”  His hand drifted down
to fondle my breast through my hospital gown.  My nipple tightened with his
touch. 

“Ahem!  What did
I tell you two?”  The gnome appeared in the door.  She pointed at Dex.  “You,
in the chair!”  She pointed to the spot he vacated earlier.  Then she pointed
to me.  “You stay put, missy.  What are you trying to do, get yourself
killed?”  Her eyes narrowed.  “This is your last warning!”

Dex and I
exchanged looks.  We waited until the gnome left before Dex rejoined me on the
bed.

 “Hiya Frosty! 
I heard that someone is going home today!”  Bernice Crag strutted into the
room, carrying a gift basket of exercise equipment. 

Waddling in
behind her, Rebecca Breeze carried another gift basket full of various types of
baked goods and fruit.  “We heard what you did, and wanted to thank you for
Lucinda’s sake.”

“Let me take
that.”  Melissa Vale commandeered the basket from the pregnant demigoddess.  “I
tried to tell her that breads would be too heavy for you to eat right now, so I
brought you a fruit smoothie.”

Rebecca grabbed
a loaf of bread from the basket.  “So what?” She took a large bite.  “Just
because she can’t,” she swallowed, “eat this today doesn’t mean it will go
bad.”  Wiggling her fingers, bright green pops of magic appeared.  “Nothing
I’ve ever grown went bad.”

Melissa rolled
her eyes as she handed over the smoothie.  “Glad to see you’re alive.”

“Thank you; you
all are so sweet.”  I turned toward Dex.  “These fabulous ladies are a few of
my clients.”

Dex gave them a
nod.  “We’ve met.  It’s nice to see all of you again.”

“Yeah, Frosty,
how else would we know that you’re going home today?  Duh!”  Bernice plopped
her basket on the bed.  After giving Dex a whack on the back, she returned her
attention to me.  “As it turns out, I was able to schedule you for personal
training.  You start tomorrow.”

“Aww, thank you,
but I’m not supposed to do any strenuous activities.”

Bernice placed
her hands on her hips.  “I’m a professional, Frosty.  I know how to start you
off slow.  Besides, the girls are going to be there for moral and physical
support.”

“She’s great,”
Melissa chimed in.  “Gwen and I have started taking self-defense classes with
her as our instructor.”

Rebecca started
on another loaf of bread before looking down at her watch.  “Speaking of
classes.” She chewed with her mouth open.  “I need to get to Lamaze. 
Otherwise, my boyfriend will freak out if I’m not there on time.”

“We’ll help you
out.”  Melissa turned toward me.  After giving me a quick hug, she said, “By
the way, Bernice and I checked out the Amber Primrose.  Dex was right!  The
place is amazing.”

Bernice nodded. 
“Best money I ever spent.  We’re throwing a Cherry Popping party next week
after the rest of the girls get back.  You’re invited, of course.”

I grinned. 
“Great!  I’ll be there.”

“I’m bringing
cherry-flavored penis pops!”  Rebecca cleaned her fingers with her lips.

“I’m bringing
cherry-flavored liquor.”  Melissa grinned. 

“Gwen’s bringing
us back our warded necklaces.  We may even take the party over to the orgy at
the Sex Magic Department.”  Bernice cracked her neck.

“Sounds like a
lot of fun, but I’ll skip the orgy.” I bit my lip and looked over at Dex.

“You’d better.”
He gave my arm a poke.

I winked at him
before turning my attention back at the girls.  “Let me know what I can bring.”

“You bet.” 
Rebecca munched on a roll.  “Shit, girls, I need to pee before going to class. 
Help, me out?”

“Yeah, yeah…” 
Bernice slapped me on the back.  “Later, Frosty.  Good seeing you, Dex.” 

Rebecca waved as
she waddled out the door.

“I’ll be in
touch!” Melissa gave me a thumbs-up before running after the other two.

“You know what,
Dex?”

“Hmmm?”

“I think those
girls are going to be just fine.”

The sun was high
overhead by the time the gnome healer returned to my room with my paperwork. 
Already dressed in the clothes that Dex retrieved from my apartment, I signed a
ginormous stack of documents that officially allowed me to finally check out. 

Outside the
infirmary, the air was thick with humidity.  Warm breezes carried the floral
scent of geraniums.  It felt really good to just stand there, basking in the
sun.   Its hot rays invigorated my skin, warming my soul. I felt my strength
slowly starting to return.  Back on Earth, I was always afraid to spend too
much time in the direct sunlight.  But now, I sensed that it would never have
harmed me.  Why didn’t I ever realize how much I needed its healing light?

It took several
attempts, but Dex finally flagged down a taxi. He held the workout gift basket
under his arm, along with the remainder of the bread and fruit he hadn’t
touched.

“Declan Rivers? 
Jocelyn Frost?”  A hobgoblin waddled up to us.  Waving his hand, I tried not to
gag when his sour body odor caught the wind, smacking me in the face. 

A frown crossed
Dex’s lips as he watched the taxi pull away.  “Yes, and who might you be?”

The hobgoblin
quickly waved his badge in front of our faces. “Detective Fortitude Vagnar.”

Movement from
the corner of my eye caught my attention.  Several more Enforcers were standing
a few feet away from us.

“How can we help
you, Detective?”  My attempt to sound polite sounded pretty feeble.

“You two are
wanted for questioning in the murders of the vampires, Albert Gillotti, Tony
Sorci, Vinnie Calvo, and Geno Pelino.”

Mythology

Gods and
goddesses: also known as Watchers or Guardians, they are the most complex and
powerful beings known on several planes of existence. 

Mythos: an
umbrella term given to various races found in mythology.

Norse Mythology

Alfheimr:
perpendicular to Earth and Erda, the home of the high-born, pure blooded light
elves, called the
Ljósálfar.  They are ruled by
Freyr.

Baldur: son of
Odin and Frigg, he is the Norse god of light and purity.  Prophecy claims his
death will be the first event that leads the way to Ragnarock. 

Dark elves: like
dwarves, the dark elves live in the shadows of caves and the deep forest. 
Their moon-kissed skin glows under the stars, while their ebony-black hair
sparkles with the reflection of the stars.  The night is their domain.  Their
beauty is eternal with faces that are as smooth and timeless as the marble
statues created by the ancients. Their demeanor is often just as cold as those
stones.

Dökkálfar:
high-born, pure blooded, dark elves.

Draupnir: 
forged by the ancient dwarves, it is a relic that once belonged to Odin.  It
produces eight new golden rings every nine days.  Upon Baldur’s death, Odin
placed this ring on his funeral pyre, but it was later retrieved by Hermod.

Freya: 
originally, a member of the Vanir pantheon, she is the daughter of Njord, the
sister of Freyr, and the wife of Oor.  Known as a fertility goddess, she is
associated with the production of crops.  She is extremely sensual, beautiful,
and an expert in love.  Freya owns several magical articles of clothing, such
as a necklace forged by dwarves, and a cloak of bird feathers that can
shapeshift her into a falcon.  When she travels, her chariot is pulled by two
tabby cats.  Her palace is called Folkvang.  She is also known as a death
goddess, and divides the slain warriors with Odin. They travel with the
Valkyrie up to her hall, Sessrumnir. 

Frigg: the
goddess of love, marriage, fertility, and motherhood. She is the queen of the
Aesir and the wife of Odin.  Frigg is clairvoyant, seeing the destiny of every person,
but she knows better than to tell anyone his or her fate.  Mother of Baldur,
she failed to prevent his death despite her efforts to extract an oath from
every object in nature to never hurt her son.  The only plant she forgot was
mistletoe.  Loki learned of her oversight and used the weed to kill Baldur. 
Frigg’s hall is called Fensalir.   

Hel:  daughter
of Loki and the giantess, Angrboda.  According to Norse mythology, she is the
ruler of Helheim.

Helheim: the
realm of the dead, ruled by Hel.  In Norse mythology, it is the final resting
place for those who die from disease, old age, or other natural causes. 

Jotun: frost
giants.

Light elf:  When
Erda was created, the light elves that were on Earth sacrificed parts of
themselves in order to stabilize the barrier that separated the two worlds.  As
a result, their light, as well as the strength of their innate magic were
broken down into singular wavelengths. 

Ljósálfar:
high-born, pure blooded, light elves. They
are light elves who live on Alfheimr, and are unaffected by the side effects
that their kind on Earth experienced when Erda was created.  Most choose to
stay in Alfheimr rather than travel between dimensions.

Lofn: the
goddess who arranges marriages.

Loki: member of
the Norse pantheon, known as the trickster god.  Loki is often associated with
fire, magic, and shapeshifting.  He is also the father of Hel. 

Norns: the Norse
equivalent to guardian angels or Greek mythology’s Fates.  The BCWs recruited
these special beings to select individuals who would suit their needs in order
to maintain the Nexus, substantiating the boundary between Earth and Erda. 

Odin: the king
of the Aesir, son of Bor and Bestla, husband of Frigg, and father of Baldur, Hod,
Hermod, Thor, and Vidar.  He is the god of war, death, poetry, and wisdom. 
Even though he lives in Valhalla, his throne, Hlidskjalf, is located in his
hall, Valaskjalf, in New Asgard.  Odin has only one eye.  The other one was
traded for a drink from the Well of Knowledge.  He owns the spear, Gungnir, and
the ring, Draupnir.  Two ravens bring him messages, and he rides a six-legged
horse, while keeping two large dogs as his constant companions.

Oor: husband of
Freya.  Nomad by nature, he wanders across the dimensions, rarely staying in
one place for too long.  Freya cries rose-gold tears when she misses him.

Ragnarok: the
twilight of the gods.  A major battle in which the majority of the gods died.
After a series of natural disasters, the world was submerged in water, but
resurfaced. It was renewed and fertile, but there were only two human survivors
left to repopulate the planet. 

Valkyrie: 
beautiful young women chosen by Odin from various races.  They have the power
to lift up the souls of brave, fallen warriors and bring them to Odin’s hall,
Valhalla.   The Valkyrie ride to and from battles on the backs of winged
horses.  They can be identified by their armor, helmets, and spears.  When
there are no battles being fought, they act as Odin’s messengers.

Vanaheim: the
realm of the Vanir, located perpendicular to Earth and Erda.

Vanir: free
spirits similar to modern day hippies, and the enemies of the warrior gods of
the Aesir.  They are mostly considered the gods and goddesses of magic,
fertility, good health, wealth, good luck, and youth.  After an epic war
between the Vanir of Vanaheim and the Aesir of Asgard, they agreed to exchange
hostages in order to keep the peace.  Njord and his children, Freya and Freyr,
were sent to Asgard, and eventually, much of what was known of the Vanir
Pantheon was assimilated into the Aesir.

Greek Mythology

Aphrodite:
goddess of love and beauty.

Arachne:
originally, an extremely proud human who believed she was better at weaving
than Athena.  After losing a contest with the goddess, she was turned into a
spider. 

Arachne Garment:
woven by the daughters of Arachne, this piece of clothing can morph into
diverse costumes upon entering any of the fantasy rooms located at the Amber
Primrose.

Ares: son of
Zeus and Hera, he is the god of chaotic warfare. His equivalent in Roman
mythology is Mars.

Athena: goddess
of wisdom, strategic warfare, and domestic crafts.

Centaur: a
hybrid.  It has the torso and facial features of a human, but the body of a
horse.  It is both mortal and infertile.

Cyclops:
originally, it was the offspring of Poseidon and a sea nymph.  Medium to
extra-large in stature, Cyclopes are known for having a single eye in the
middle of their foreheads.  Even though they are omnivores, they prefer to eat
meat to appease their massive appetites.  Their favorite foods are lamb,
humans, and demigods, which they like to eat raw.

Demeter:
goddess of the harvest.

Dryad:
humanoid in appearance, it is classified as a type of tree nymph.  Its
life force is tied to a particular tree or bush.  Shy by nature, it tends
to avoid strangers.  

Eros:
god of sexual desire and attraction.

Gorgon:
 humanoid in appearance, its hair is made up of venomous snakes and its
skin is just as scaly.  Its eyes can turn a person into stone.

Griffin: a
hybrid, it has the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion, with the head and wings
of an eagle.  It is both mortal and infertile.

Iris: goddess of
the rainbow.  She is also a messenger goddess.

Minotaur: a
hybrid, it has a humanoid body with the head of a bull.

Nymph:
classified as a type of nature spirit, it tends to be linked to a certain
location or land form.  Closely related to the Greek gods, nymphs are
sometimes referred to as their half-breed children or consorts.
 

Egyptian Mythology

Ba
: 
believing, the soul is divided into five parts, the
ba
represents the conscious aspect of each soul.  It is the
personality that continues to live on after the body has died. 

Duat:  spirit
realm, known as the afterworld or underworld.  Also the realm of death, and
where the dead go for judgment.  The sun travels through the Duat every night. 

Ibis:  the
sacred bird of Thoth.

Osiris: god of
the underworld.  Husband of Isis and father of Horus, he was killed by his
brother, Seth.

Thoth:  in
Egyptian mythology, his name is Djeheuty, but the Greeks called him Thoth. 
Known as a god of wisdom, the moon, and inventor of writing, he is often
depicted as half-man and half-ibis or half-baboon.  Having many
responsibilities, Thoth can often be found counseling the gods, acting as a
mediator, a scribe, or a messenger, and often serves to judge the dead.

Gaelic Mythology

Creidhne: son of
Brigid and Tuireann, brother of Luchtaine and Goibniu.  He is the goldsmith of
the gods, but also known for working with bronze and brass.  With his brother,
he creates weapons for the Tuatha De Danann.

Danu: the mother
goddess.

Goibniu: son of
Brigid and Tuieann.  He is the god of smelting.  With his brothers, he creates
weapons for the Tuatha De Danann.

Luchtaine: son
of Brigid and Tuieann.  He is the god of carpentry, and forges weapons for the
Tuatha De Danann with his brothers, Creidhne and Goibniu.

Tuatha De
Danann:  a matriarch race of gods founded under the goddess, Danu.  They are
known for having slain a race of primordial giants who inhabited Ireland. 
After fighting several major battles, they were driven underground.  Currently,
the Tuatha De Danann are believed to cloak their physical bodies while moving
above ground.  They generally fight alongside honorable warriors in battle.

Morrigu: the
goddess of sovereignty, strife, and battle.  She is known for shifting into a
crow in order to watch battles. 

Folklore

Brownie:
humanoid in appearance, they are small in stature, and rarely seen during the
day, since they prefer to work at night.  Brownies can cloak their
appearances, keeping them hidden from sight.  However, if they are seen,
they are always well groomed.  They have a positive disposition and will
complete chores for humans in exchange for gifts in the form of food.

Cat sidhe:
creatures the size of a large dog.  Normally, they look like black cats with a
white spot on their chests.  Cat sidhe can transform into human-like beings. 
They also specialize in stealing the souls of the dead.

Fairy: 
human-like in appearance, fairies are part of the fae.  Their magical strength
and focus is determined by the color of their wings.

Fae:  the
umbrella term referring to various supernatural creatures from European
folklore.

Gnomes:
youthful in appearance, their skin rarely wrinkles, and they are often confused
with human children, being relatively small in stature. Their noses
are larger than the average human's, which gives them a heightened sense of
smell.  They also have thin hair that they keep hidden under a hat.
 Gnomes are associated with the earth and can move through it as easily as
a fish can swim through water.
 

Hobgoblins:
humanoid in appearance, they are small to medium-sized in stature.
 Hobgoblins usually are very hairy, but if it suits them, they can
shapeshift into other forms.   Since they are a type of seelie fae,
they have a positive disposition; but at the same time, they love practical
jokes. Being benevolent toward humans, they gladly assist them by doing various
chores in exchange for food.  However, if offered clothing, they become
highly insulted.   

Goblins:
vaguely humanoid in appearance, they are small to medium-sized in stature.
 Generally, their bodies are disproportionate, and no two goblins have the
same exact physical features. They are recognizable by their gnarly hygiene and
sour disposition.  Goblins accumulate as much wealth as possible by any
means.