In-Between Work and Play (The Jocelyn Frost Series Book 1) by Relina Skye Page A

complained. 
    “Guys,
Jocelyn’s ready to pass out again.  I’m going to walk her home.”
    Bill and Ted
roared with excitement.  They sent me dozens of images of red-assed female
baboons fornicating with various males.  “Stop
it!  I’m not going to take advantage of her.  Good night, guys.  I’ll see you
two tomorrow.”
    The streets were
eerily silent, amplifying our steps, which seemed to echo off the stone
buildings. Too tired to speak, we walked most of the way to the Residential
District in silence.  Actually, I walked. Jocelyn practically glided there in
her sleep.  Her glossy curls stuck to my sleeve like an electrically charged
balloon.  By Hathor, she smelled good.  I could only imagine what her… Stop
it!  Mental slap. 
    Too late, my
sense of smell heightened, and pierced through her lavender-scented hair. 
Hathor help me, she smelled as fresh as the dawn.  My inner baboon roared,
sending blood straight to my penis.
    Beating down the
urge to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder, my other senses started to
diminish.  I almost missed a dark shadow that crossed my peripheral vision to
my left.  A second later, another one darted off to my right down an alley. 
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.  An old, musty odor swirled around
us as the breeze bounced off the nearby buildings.
    Crap, vampires.
The flow of blood shifted their heads, allowing me to transition into an
instinctual mode of behavior.  Nothing mattered more to me at that moment than
protecting my female.
    I picked up our
speed.  Judging by the strength of their scent, there had to be at least four
males nearby.  Females generally masked their scents with deodorizers and
perfumes.  Males could do the same thing if they cared enough, but unless they
were involved with someone outside their enclave, they rarely bothered. 
    My plan was
simple. If I could get to the Residential District, the security cameras would
alert the Enforcers.  Not that I wanted their help, but I was definitely not
willing to risk Jocelyn’s safety.
    I grabbed
Jocelyn’s hand, pulling her into a sprint.  She didn’t fight me.  If anything,
she seemed to understand that we were in danger.
    The Borough of
Converging Worlds was designed as a safe haven from predators like vampires. 
If the vampires worked or conducted business there, they were supposed to
frequent the blood bank in order to fill their sustenance requirements.  All
employees, draftees, and interns contributed quarterly in order to keep the
vampires adequately fed.  There was absolutely no reason for them to hunt us.
    “Damn heels!”
Jocelyn almost twisted her ankle.  “For the love of Odin, that stench is awful,”
she gagged.  “Just because they are undead, why do they feel the need to smell
like a morgue?  Didn’t they ever hear about personal hygiene?  That would mean
using water, however, and not all vampires can handle water.”  Nervously, she
started to hum the Wicked Witch of the West’s theme song.
     If I hadn’t
been running to save our lives, I would have laughed at her griping.  How she
managed to run and hum at the same time was beyond my comprehension.   Although
thinking about the Wicked Witch of the West, she gave me the idea to look for a
nearby source of water.
    “Almost there!” 
I felt like picking her up again when I saw her grabbing her abdomen.  One more
block.
    My fingers were
ripped away from Jocelyn’s before my body was forcibly propelled into a nearby
oak.  My eyes lost focus for a moment.  The next thing I saw was an
oily-looking vamp that seemed to have stepped off the set of Grease , clutching Jocelyn to his body.
    “RIVERS!” My
lips kissed the sidewalk.  A cracking sound followed by a piercing pain crippled
my side.  Less than a second later, my air supply was cut off as icy fingers
squeezed my throat. 
    I gasped for air
while my feet dangled several feet off the ground.
    The vampire’s
grip tightened,