Frost & Bothered (Discord Jones Book 4)

by Gayla Drummond

  I propped my elbow on the table and rested my chin in my hand. “You’re kind of peeling the shiny off the whole royalty thing.”

  “Sorry. It’s more complicated here than it was back home. We didn’t have to depend on things like money, working for other people, or if the grocery store is out of something.”

  “My mom says life always seems simpler when you’re looking back.”

  “Sunny’s a wise woman.”

  “Yeah. Think I’ll keep her.” I took a drink, wondering if I’d ever reach the bottom of the damn glass. “Do you guys celebrate Christmas?”

  “Winter Solstice, which I hope you’ll be able to join us for. It’s December twenty-second this year.”

  I’d dropped my arm to rest on the table, and he slid his hand closer, our fingers barely touching. “I’d love to. Is there a ceremony or something?”

  Leaning forward, Logan put his hand completely over mine. “There will be food, drink, and a huge bonfire. The high point of the evening is dancing naked around it.”

  I stared at him. His lips twitched after a few seconds. “Dude, that’s so not funny.”

  “The look on your face was.”

  “Meanie.” I hesitated. “You are joking, right?”

  He laughed and sat back. “Yes. What we really do is write down our wishes for the new year, tie them to a twig or pine cone—something that will burn to ash—and toss them into the bonfire.”

  “Neat idea. Does the smoke carry the wishes to the gods or something?”

  “You’d have to ask Moira about that. We collect the ashes. Before the Melding, we used them to fertilize our fields.”

  Interesting. “What do you do with them now?”

  “Save them. When we have land of our own again, we’ll use them in flowerbeds or whatever we have available.”

  “So the ashes are,” I thought about it for a second. “Positive energy?”

  Logan nodded.

  “That’s pretty cool, and you’ll have eight years of it to spread around. Have any of your wishes come true?” None of my birthday wishes had, unless I counted my last one: Live to see my next birthday. I’d made the same wish a couple of weeks before, on my twenty-third birthday, and felt certain I’d be repeating that wish for years to come.

  “A few have. We made some useful connections, found a place to live, and we haven’t lost anyone.”

  We both moved to take drinks. Once I’d swallowed, I asked, “You haven’t made any wishes for yourself?”

  One corner of his mouth quirked. “I did last year.”

  “And?” I prompted, my curiosity quick to rise.

  “It may come true. Looks promising.”

  “Hm. Not going to tell what it is, are you?”

  “That jinxes them.” Logan hid a smile in his tankard. I could tell because the corners of his eyes crinkled.

  “Well, I hope it does come true for you.” Didn’t matter what his wish had been. I had ample evidence that Logan was a great guy, one who cared about and for his people. Other people too. He deserved having a personal wish or three come true.

  “Thank you.” The music had slowed down again. He placed his tankard on the table. “How about another dance?”

  “Absolutely.”

  We danced more than once, because I dared Logan to try Two Stepping to rock songs. It was a dare he accepted, picking up the pace and adding enough spins that I was slightly dizzy and breathless when the fourth song ended.

  “You were right,” he said.

  “Told you so,” I replied while fanning my face and trying not to pant. “Need my drink.”

  “Okay.” He put his arm around my shoulders, graciously ignoring the fact my dress was slightly damp from my dancing exertions.

  Logan hadn’t broken a sweat, nor was he breathing any harder than normal. I needed to think about putting together an actual exercise regimen, or I was going to have trouble keeping up with him.

  Assuming keeping up with him was in my future. I liked the idea it might be, but not the potential drama with Danielle.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, last call. We do hope you’ve enjoyed your evening at Dreamland.”

  “If you want another, better go get it,” I said while taking my seat.

  “Do you want anything else?”

  I pointed at my drink. The fresh ice had melted, and it was basically full again, though watered down. “I’m good.”

  “Okay, be right back.” Logan turned and hesitated at the sight of the purple-suited waitress. She held up a tankard.

  “Weirding Pale, right?”

  “Yes, thank you.” He took the tankard and tipped her. With a smile, she whirled away, and Logan sat down. “That was strange.”

  “Why? Serving drinks is her job.”

  “I know.” He sniffed his ale. “She’s the first one to come to the table, at least when we were sitting here. We’ve had to go the bar all night.”

  “Maybe Dane said something to them.” I looked around. “Speaking of, where is he?”

  Logan scanned the club. “Probably the restroom.”

  My partner had been putting away the ale. “Yeah, I guess. Hey, this has been a lot of fun tonight.”

  “I agree. We should definitely do it again. When you’re ready,” he added.

  “About that, um,” I hesitated. “Do you know that Danielle has a thing for you?”

  He blinked and put his tankard down. “I’m aware she’s been paying close attention to my activities.”

  Oh, boy. “Because she likes you.”

  “Huh.” Logan’s forehead furrowed slightly, his gaze moving from my face to a point over my shoulder. “Her birth clan was more traditional. She’s been critical of how we do things.”

  Maybe I should’ve minded my own business. Then again, Danielle’s dislike of me did make her disapproval my business, in a limited fashion. I tried a different approach. “Dane said I count as a clan queen.”

  The furrows on Logan’s forehead deepened as he looked at me. “You’re clan and an adult female. Yes, that makes you a clan queen.”

  “All right. He also said that means you guys have to mind me.”

  Logan blinked twice before his expression cleared, and he directed a smile at me. “Oh. You think if Danielle is interested in me, she’ll order me not to see you beyond clan matters and events.”

  Close enough, so I nodded. “Can she do that?”

  “She could,” he said. “And I could appeal her order with Terra.”

  Who loved him, and liked me. Right, time to drop the subject. “Okay.”

  Logan wasn’t done with it, probably seeing it as a teachable moment. “Any member can go to Terra to appeal an order they don’t like. It doesn’t happen often, because the queens seldom interfere with anyone’s personal life.”

  I nodded again, watching his smile widen, and Logan leaned toward me. “But there is one queen I wouldn’t mind taking an interest in my personal life.”

  Ooh. He meant me, and I felt a blush warm my face, along with a huge, more than likely goofy, smile. “Anything you say may be used to unfair advantage in the future.”

  “Then I have something to look forward to.”

  Oh, my God. I had to look away, my face completely on fire. “And there I go, embarrassing myself again. My favorite hobby.”

  Logan’s soft chuckle reached my ear a second before he kissed my cheek. “I’m sure I’ll embarrass myself too.”

  “Right. You have it way more together than I do.” And he didn’t have Ginger lurking around behind people, baring her fangs as though she were about to bite them.

  “Not when it comes to some things.” The dance floor went dark, causing us both to look toward it. “I think they’re trying to tell us something.”

  “Yeah, ‘go home’.” I looked over my shoulder. “Hey, the magic door has graced us with its presence. Guess it appears at closing time whether we’re ready to leave or not.”

  Logan stood. “We’d better go then.”
/>   “What about Dane?”

  “He knows where we’re parked.”

  “But he has Rico’s photo.” I stood and looked around, hoping to spot my partner. Logan touched my hand, and I let him take hold.

  “He’ll remember to ask.”

  “Okay.” We headed for the exit, only to end up in a line of people waiting to leave. It wasn’t a long wait. Logan took charge of my coat and his jacket when a different Coat Keeper elf handed them over.

  “The Prince hopes you enjoyed your evening, Miss Jones.”

  Was Thorandryll here, spying on us? Surely not. “We did, thanks.”

  Logan held my coat at the ready, and I slipped into it before we stepped into the Night room the waitress had warned me about. It was painted black, with tiny pinpoints of white light blinking overhead. One more elf, another woman, stood by the exit. She wore all black, and a delicate net of twinkly stones over her pale blue hair. “Please join us again soon, Miss Jones.”

  “Sure, thanks.” With that, we made good our escape.

  SIX

  Outside, the cold felt like a slap in the face. I shivered. “Wow, I do kind of feel like I’m waking up from a dream.”

  Logan crooked his arm, and I slid my hand around it to rest on his forearm. “That coat looks really good on you, Tiger Lady.”

  “Thanks. Rrawr.” We began walking.

  “Have you been practicing your roar with your little brothers?”

  “Oh, you know it. Sean’s convinced he’ll be able to turn into a tiger when he’s older.” Ice crunched under my heels. “Brr.”

  He fished out his keys, and when we neared his car, hit the button to disarm the alarm. After settling me in the front seat, he went around to the driver’s side, and offered my cards and twenty back once he’d settled in. “Here you go.”

  “Keep the twenty. You tipped the bartender and waitress.”

  “Yes, but thanks to being Miss Jones’s escort, I didn’t have to pay for my drinks, or the cover charge.”

  “Hm. Okay.” I accepted all three items and retrieved my purse from under my seat. While putting them away, I checked my phone. No texts, voicemails, or missed calls.

  Logan had started the engine and set the heater on a higher setting. “This is going to sound dumb, but how’d I do?”

  “Huh?”

  “I told you I’m rusty on the dating thing.” He wasn’t looking at me, too busy fiddling with the stereo. It was the same one he’d put in my car. “Was I too pushy or anything?”

  “You know, I normally do date dissections over lunch with Jo. It’s a girl thing. But no, you weren’t too pushy. I had a great time, and feel less awkward about things now.”

  “Good.” Logan turned up the stereo enough for us to hear the music, but too low for me to easily hear the words. “Trying to keep in mind the not-pushy thing, but I’m curious if you have any idea when you might be open for a repeat?”

  I was looking forward to another date with him, and was glad he’d asked. “How about weekend after next, if neither of us are busy?”

  “Saturday?”

  “Sounds good.” I wondered if he’d try for a kiss once we were back at the garage. Probably not, unless Dane left us alone before I left. Darn it.

  Several cars had left the lot. Turning in my seat, I looked out the rear window. “No Dane yet.”

  “He may be collecting phone numbers.”

  “That wouldn’t surprise me.” A few more cars left. I turned around, watching the tail lights of one as it drove down the street in front of us, and a sense of disconnection struck right before my vision went dark.

  I groped for Logan’s arm, and he caught hold of my hand. “What is it?”

  “Vision.” My shoulders thumped into the seat’s back, my neck popping as my head jerked backward. “Ow.”

  “You all right?”

  “I can’t see anything.” Warmth enveloped me, and I felt pressure across my eyes and wrists. “I think I’m tied up and blindfolded. It’s warm.”

  There was a sound. I turned my head from side-to-side, trying to pinpoint where the quiet sound was coming from. “I hear...whispering.”

  The driver’s door opened, a rush of cold air displacing the heat. Darkness turned lighter, and I blinked at the front windshield as Dane said, “Sorry. No luck with the last elf about Rico. Oh. Am I interrupting something?”

  “Nothing really useful,” Dane said, and I shook my head, listening to the rumble of the engine as Logan braked for a stop light. “Any guarantee it had anything to do with Rico?”

  “No, but generally if I only have one case, anything my abilities throw at me have something to do with it. It’s when I’m working more than one case that things get confusing.”

  The light changed. Logan checked both directions before letting off the brake and easing down on the gas pedal. The snow had returned, and was coming down heavily. “It’s confirmation the kid’s still alive and hasn’t been hurt, right?”

  “I didn’t feel any pain or panic, but I don’t know if was a retrocog or a precog. At least not yet. But Rico is alive,” I added after checking my mental folder. “Whoever it was, they felt sleepy and not particularly afraid.”

  “Drugged?” Dane asked.

  “Possibly. I’d be pretty damn worried if I were blindfolded and tied up.”

  My partner sat back with a gusty sigh. “Day One, no bueno.”

  I didn’t completely agree with his assessment while glancing at our driver. Our case may not have brought good news, but my impulse to invite Logan certainly had.

  “You’re welcome to stay here tonight,” Logan said as we pulled into the garage. “It’s late, and that was a big drink.”

  “Ooh,” Dane murmured from the back seat, and I blushed.

  “Soames.” Logan shot him a frown via the rearview mirror.

  My partner grinned back, not cowed in the least. “What?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Too bad, huh, Cordi?”

  My blush grew about fifty degrees warmer. “You can stop any time.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Dane asked.

  Logan turned off the engine, glaring at him in the review mirror. Dane huffed. “You two have no appreciation for the fine art of teasing.”

  I had to laugh. “The teased seldom do.”

  “Sucks for you then.”

  Logan rolled his eyes and exited the car.

  “He’s going to smack you.”

  It was Dane’s turn to laugh. “No, he won’t. Logan’s fine about being teased. He’s only protesting because it embarrasses you.”

  “Yeah, and thanks for that.”

  He leaned forward to press his cheek against mine. “I only tease people I respect.”

  Logan opened my door, and my partner took the opportunity to exit out the driver’s side. I swung my legs out, intending to stand, but Logan squatted down instead of offering his hand. “I know you’d probably be fine, or that you can teleport home, but the offer’s open to stay here. You can bunk with Terra, or take my bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  After a few seconds of thought, I nodded. Teleportation was fine, but then I’d be without my car. As heavy as the snowfall was, driving it home didn’t seem like a great idea. “Okay. I’ll need to call my mom and let her know.”

  Which I did while we walked upstairs. My first choice was to sleep in Terra’s room, but I hastily shut her door after opening it and peeking in. “Okay, not sleeping in there. No room. Does she sleep in tiger shape often?”

  “No, that’s a...what is it humans say? A security blanket?”

  “Oh. Yeah. I can sleep on the couch. I don’t want to put you out.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind.” Logan waved away my half-hearted attempt at protest. “I’ll loan you a T-shirt.”

  That put a stop to the idea of protesting. I closed my mouth, having never slept in something that belonged to a guy before. None of my exes had left clothing over at my place
—not even Nick, though he’d spent a few nights nearly every week with me. “Okay.”

  “Give me a couple of minutes to change.” Logan disappeared into his room, closing the door behind him. Taking off my coat, I laid it over the back of the recliner and slipped off my shoes. My feet hurt because I seldom wore anything with more than an inch-high heel.

  My job required running a little too often.

  Logan returned, carrying a pillow and blanket. He wore the sweats and tee he’d had on when I’d arrived earlier. “All yours.”

  “Thanks.” I picked up my shoes and crossed to his door, stopping to look up at him. “Guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Yeah.” He bent, turning his head, and pressed his cheek to mine. It was a tiger thing, not nearly as good as a kiss would’ve been, but it put a smile on my face. “Sweet dreams.”

  “You too.” I went into the room, noting the turned-down bed, with a dark gold tee folded and waiting at the foot of it. He’d also set out a clean washcloth and towel on the bathroom counter. Thoughtful.

  I washed my face, used some of his mouthwash, and changed before climbing into bed. Rico’s gold shimmer was in his file.

  And Ginger was lurking in the corner.

  I sighed and closed my eyes, shutting her out. There wasn’t anything I could do about her. You can’t change the past. No one can.

  The best I could do was curse Merriven. It was his fault I’d murdered her, according to the revelations he’d made. He’d used her as bait, wanting to turn a psychic into his little vampire princess. I shuddered, remembering the sound of his voice as he’d mockingly repeated the things Ginger had said to me.

  I cracked one eye open and flinched, swallowing a scream of surprise. Ginger was bent over, her face mere inches from mine. Her blue eyes were scummy with the white of death. She’d never gotten so close to me before, not when I was awake.

  Rolling over, I closed my eyes again and did my best to pretend she wasn’t there.

  It’s not like she actually was there. Nope, I was beginning to lose it. That’s what was happening. I’d made a terrible mistake, and losing my mind appeared to be the consequence.