Phoenix Under Fire: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Aries

by Crystal Dawn

  When they finally made it back to headquarters, Annie was glad. To say the whole mission had been disappointing would be an understatement. Perhaps she had unrealistic expectations and had romanticized this fight against evil. All the males had assured her this was not a typical raid. Ram argued that Hubolla was not organized and had picked deficient followers. Annie hadn’t been impressed, but that was good, right?

  It meant they would win this fight easily and without the losses they had originally feared they would have. That ought to be a good thing. If true, it would be, but the men had assured her Hubolla would adapt and improve. Whoever had found the less than adequate recruits would either improve or be used as cannon fodder on the front lines when the opportunity arose.

  She couldn’t continue to think about all of this, it did no good anyway. She had to prepare for the ball which loomed on the horizon. The next few days were spent in preparation of the event of the year. Even though her father intended to make the wedding an even better event, that wasn’t to be mentioned right now. The ball was touted as the end all and be all of social and political events.

  Annie tried to take what jobs she could, while helping plan the event, and keeping up with what Ram and his parents were doing about Hubolla. She felt like she was failing badly. To complete the planning and double check everything for the ball, required she put several jobs on hold. Once the ball was over, she would be relieved.

  It was the day of the ball. She was at the beauty salon with her sisters, several of her cousins, her mother, and Cleo. The atmosphere was lively and fun. Everyone was getting the big treatment compliments of Ram’s parents. Massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, makeup, and hair. Annie knew she would look like a movie star when she was done.

  “I’ve never been to a beauty salon before,” Daphne admitted. She was the shy one who chased unicorns. Ram thought they really existed, but Annie wouldn’t believe it until she saw it.

  “Goddess, you’re going to love this,” Annie gushed. She knew it sounded like she went all the time, even though in all honesty, she’d only been half a dozen times in her life. But she’d loved every time.

  “I can’t believe you’ve not been before. Of course, you are the youngest one here, but you’re what, fifty?” Gertie asked.

  “Fifty-one,” Daphne said.

  “That extra year makes all the difference,” Pru teased.

  “You can have a lot of firsts in a year,” Annie offered.

  “That’s true. The year I had my first lover, I went to my first movie, my first beauty salon appointment, and also, my first break up. That was all in one day,” Gertie admitted.

  “Is that really true?” Daphne asked.

  “It is. I had my first date so I went to get my hair done for the first time. He took me to the movies and then to his house where we had sex. It was so bad, I broke up with him and walked home. True story,” Gertie concluded.

  “Who was he? Do we know him?” Sophie asked.

  “Maybe,” Gertie had a sly smile in place. “But I’ll never tell.” That girl was stubborn too and Annie knew she kept her secrets.

  Cleo and her mom rejoined them, they had been getting a massage. They both carried glasses of champagne in their hands. All of them were enjoying themselves and the witches were more susceptible to alcohol than other paranormals so they were slightly buzzed. It was a good feeling, though. Annie was in a chair getting her mani and pedi. It was nice to be fussed over. Pru was next to her getting hers as well.

  “So, what color is your dress, Annie?” Gertie questioned.

  “It’s gold and unbelievably gorgeous.”

  “What about yours, Gertie?”

  “I’m the scarlet woman. My nails will match, my shoes are silver.”

  “My dress is deep blue,” Pru volunteered.

  “I picked black and silver,” Her mom added.

  “It will be colorful. Mine’s wine red,” Cleo supplied.

  They looked at Daphne who sat there with her hands soaking in warm wax. She’d fallen asleep. Everyone giggled quietly so as not to wake her. “What about you, Sophie?” Annie asked.

  “Mine’s pink.”

  “It will be colorful indeed. Some of the men may have different colors too, although they will be more conservative,” Gertie guessed.

  “I think it must be lunch time. I’m getting hungry,” Daphne said. Her stomach must have woken her.

  “We’re scheduled to eat a light lunch as soon as we’re done here. I bet you skipped breakfast?” Maybelle said. Daphne blushed.

  They were all hungry two hours later when they were all finally finished. “Hot as hell! Every one of us,” Annie complimented. “I hope I can get dressed tonight without messing up my hair or makeup.”

  “You’ll need to get Ram to help you,” Gertie advised.

  “I was hoping not to see him until I was completely ready so I could surprise him,” Annie admitted.

  “We can help each other,” Cleo offered. “Now, let’s go eat.”

  They went to Italiano’s because Daphne got them in to a private room. They were able to order off the full menu and they could talk without being overheard. Now that the ball was tonight, it was time to start worrying about the wedding.

  Annie laughed so hard tears formed in her eyes and her stomach hurt. Who knew Daphne could be so funny. She was telling corny unicorn jokes with a few dragon and mermaid ones thrown in. “Where did you hear these awful jokes?” Annie asked when she was able to catch her breath.

  “At the unicorns are real club. We meet once a month and discuss sightings, jokes, and what we’d do if we found a unicorn.” Daphne shuddered. “Some of those ladies are sick and not in a good way.”

  Everyone froze for a moment and Annie figured they were imagining what that meant and then they all started laughing again. “We’ll take your word for it. No need to give us examples.”

  “Don’t worry, Annie. I couldn’t even repeat some of that stuff. I don’t even think a lot of it is possible. It defies natural laws.”

  That was when their appetizers came and the subject turned to food. “Oh, my goddess! I have to have a stuffed mushroom cap. Are there enough to get two?” Gertie asked.

  “You can have mine if I get more spinach/artichoke dip,” Pru promised.

  “Deal,” Gertie said.

  Most of the ladies seemed to have favorites, but Annie liked them all. The platters full of appetizers would have probably satisfied them with no need for a meal had they been human. They weren’t human so they finished off the food in front of them and looked for more. The employees here were mostly paranormals and the few humans here knew all about them. It was a necessity because how else could you explain the enormous appetites of even the smallest people who ate here.

  There were human customers, but they had their own section and their own menu. That section was always full too. Good food appealed to everyone. That’s why Daphne’s restaurant did so well. The meals came and everyone got quiet because they concentrated on enjoying their meals. Food this good deserved absolute attention.

  “This is amazing, Daphne. My lasagna is tender and tasty,” Gertie complimented.

  “I love spaghetti and meatballs anyway, but this is to die for,” Sophie added. The rest of them just moaned over their food.

  “Didn’t someone say we were having a light lunch?” Pru questioned and everyone laughed.

  “We’ll need our strength for the ball. My father has invited more people than the place is set up to hold. I don’t know what he was thinking,” Annie informed.

  “He’s a male, he wasn’t thinking,” Maybelle said.

  “It won’t be much fun if there are so many people there that we can’t even dance,” Gertie suggested. She loved to dance and was talented at it.

  “He’s opening the outside space and there will be a younger edgier band playing there,” Maybelle informed.

  “So go inside where it’s stuffy or outside where it’s fun?” Gertie asked. “I vote
for outside.”

  “Just what he’s hoping for. If all the younger people go outside, he’ll have room for his political jockeying,” Maybelle admitted.

  It seemed obvious that her father intended to squeeze every drop of political scheming out of this event. Annie hated the correctness she would have to achieve. She and the other girls just wanted to have fun and let loose. That was just a distant dream. The most important celebration of her life had been turned into a cold and formal political function.

  Annie was adamant about finding joy in her mating regardless of everything stacked against it. Ram was a perfect mate, handsome, smart, and strong. Against all odds, and with help from her magic she had found her perfect mate. The one fate had made for her, the one she would be with forever. She refused to let her father turn their romance into a political circus.

  Just the thought of Ram set her body on fire. If her hair and makeup hadn’t been professionally done, she would go home and get a quickie before dressing for the ball. Maybe Ram would have a suggestion on how to get the job done without undoing all the work her stylist had completed.

  “Can I have everyone’s attention?” Cleo demanded. She held up her champagne glass. “I want to propose a toast. May Ram and Annie have a perfect mated life filled with love, laughter, and the sounds of happy children.”

  “I heartily agree to that,” Maybelle chimed in followed by others.

  “Thanks, all of you. This experience wouldn’t be as wonderful without each of you. Family is so important.” Annie blinked her eyes to prevent tears from pooling in them. That would ruin her makeup for sure.

  “Don’t worry, dear. I have an emergency makeup repair kit,” Cleo whispered.

  “Thank the goddess,” Annie whispered back.

  “This whole girl’s day was wonderful, but I’m afraid it’s come to an end. I’ll see you all tonight,” Cleo concluded.

  Now Annie really felt the nerves rush over her. The informal fun activities of the day were behind her. She had to keep her look perfect and finish preparing for the ball. Not an easy task, to say the least. She and Cleo rode to the headquarters together. The males had come together there for last minute planning. They were probably still at it. Too many invitees and the delicate political balance between the variety of paranormal groups would make this event a political minefield for anyone not properly prepared.

  Some of the groups Annie’s father hoped to bring back into the council of paranormals, like the mermen, were not particularly friendly. It served him right to have to deal with these prickly types. Even though Royal would be in his element, political tiptoeing would be stressful, even for him. The dwarves were another prickly group that would be present and she’d heard the trolls were sending an envoy as well.

  Annie had never seen a merman or a troll. She’d only seen some of the other groups from a distance or in books. Werewolves, vampires, and demons were the only groups she was well acquainted with. They all were an active part of the council formed by paranormals. The Council of Others was headed by Royal, not because he was the strongest and best of them all, but because none of the others wanted the responsibility and work involved in leading.

  Thornton Darknight, vampire king, and Vasil Packmaster, werewolf leader, were the other two of the council’s trilogy. Other kinds had representatives, but those three ran things. Often, they made the decisions without consulting the rest. The mixing through mating of the different kinds had previously been prohibited, but now Royal sought to do it to strengthen his political position. Annie found that to be so wrong. Unfortunately, not even her mother could make her father see how wrong it was.

  Annie and Cleo were back now and Annie headed to her room. She had two hours to kill before it was time to get ready. A nap would have been a welcome activity if she felt her hair and makeup would survive. Instead, she freshened up, covered her hair, and headed down to the rec room to join the males only to find Cleo was already there.

  The males were having a lively discussion about finding more kinds of others and what kinds to expect represented at the ball. Apparently, ten types of shifters would be there. Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my. Annie had to laugh at that thought. Wolves for sure and several other big cat shifters. Royal hinted some flyers would be among them too.

  When had he found bird shifters? Her father had always been secretive. Annie had heard there were bird of prey shifters, but they were much larger than their natural relatives. She’d still never expected to meet any.

  Ram looked up and caught her eye. He wanted her at his side, she’d expected that. “How did your female time go?”

  “Just call it a girl’s day out. Everything went well,” Annie informed. “How has your all male meeting gone?”

  “It went well too. At least as well as possible,” Ram admitted.

  Unsaid was as well as possible with her father running things. Royal was anal, to put it mildly. It was a trait that had gotten worse with age. Now that she was mated, she would have more freedom than her father had allowed. Annie was looking forward to the wedding for many reasons. After sitting with the males for a couple hours, she and Cleo excused themselves. It was a sad truth that it took females longer to get ready for formal social functions.

  They went to Cleo’s room because it was larger and set up with everything a female could need. Annie pulled the scarf off her head. “How is my hair?”

  “It looks wonderful. Stop fussing,” Cleo said. “I had your dress brought here along with your underthings.” She pointed to two bags. The large garment bag that held her dress. “Why don’t you go in the bathroom and put your undergarments on?”

  Annie grabbed the bag they were in and headed to the bathroom. The garter belt and stockings gave her the most trouble because she’d never worn them. She got everything on and looked in the mirror. Wow, she looked sexy. Her underwear was black and trimmed in gold like the color of her dress. Her stockings were black too but sheer enough to see through. Heels, four-inch fuck me heels were in the bottom of the bag.

  Goddess! When she put them on she wondered if she’d be able to walk at all. Up to now she’d only worn one inch heels. She’d never felt the need to look this sexy before. Annie carried the heels in her hand and walked out to Cleo who whistled when she saw her.

  “My son is going to feel so lucky when he sees you.”

  Annie grinned. “I hope so.”

  “I know so. Now, let’s figure out this dress and the best way to get it on you.”

  It took a while to get the dress on without messing up her hair or smearing the makeup she had on. The dress was tighter on top and the skirt hit the floor. It had a slit on one side to show a bit of leg. The neckline was scooped in the front and the back. The fabric was silky and Annie had no idea what it was, but it felt soft and barely weighed anything.

  She slipped on the heels and managed to walk, but she was aware of every step she took. Annie would only be wearing these for special occasions. Her purse, a small black clutch, was still in the bathroom with her jewelry. The gold and emerald earrings and bracelet looked great.

  “Ready?” Cleo asked her. Ram’s mom must have gotten ready while she’d hunted down her jewelry and her clutch.

  “I am.”

  They walked out the door and went to meet the males in the rec room. Only Aha, Ram, and Cam were there, clearly waiting for them. “By the ancestor’s, the two of you are gorgeous,” Aha said.

  Ram walked up to Annie and pulled her into his arms. “You look incredible,” he whispered in her ear.

  “So do you and your dad,” Annie complimented. Damn, she never realized how great a man could look in a tux. Her mate filled it out perfectly. His gold bowtie and cummerbund matched her dress and his hair. Right now, Annie felt like a princess with her Prince Charming.

  “Let’s go,” Aha said and they walked out to a waiting limo. Annie had never ridden in one before. She’d been to other balls, but usually working for Daphne’s catering service. This girl didn’t take
on airs, but it was nice to get the full treatment with Ram at her side.

  They arrived at the event location right on time and joined the line of people headed to the doors. As the couple being honored, they were ushered through a side entrance and inside the building ahead of everyone else. The advantages of privilege some might say, but it really wasn’t. It was the advantage of this being their ball. Every person invited to this event was privileged, therefore that was no advantage.

  She and Ram moved to the place they could wait to make their entrance. The most important people entered last and they would be the very last. They would be announced as they entered down the staircase for all the guests to see. Annie wasn’t antisocial, but she didn’t like to be the center of attention either. Ram’s arm around her help to steady and calm her.

  What would she do without him? They slowly moved down the stairs as she heard their names announced over the loudspeaker and everything going on in the ballroom stopped until they reached the greeting line. Every important political figure was in line to meet them. Having to go through this made her angry at her dad. Royal and Maybelle fell in behind them as her father took maximum advantage of the opportunity.

  At least the music had started again and people without a political bent began to talk and dance in the background. Those were mainly wealthy business people and guests or family brought by the politicians. The line seemed to go on forever and her face was stiff with the polite smile she’d had to keep on it. Finally, they made it through and Ram asked her to dance.

  Annie wasn’t much of a dancer but being in Ram’s arms made it perfect and she managed not to embarrass herself. “You’re doing good and I’m proud of you,” Ram praised.

  The ball was elegant and the venue was over the top. Crystal chandeliers, antique furniture, the best of everything for the most discerning tastes surrounded them. It was different being a guest than a server. Everyone stared at them and she knew they all wondered what Ram and his kind were. Speculation ran rampant and she wondered if his people would ever share their secrets with other kinds.

  Not everyone kept their voices down and the guesses ranged from dragons to gargoyles. It made Annie wonder if either of those kinds truly existed, regardless of Ram’s assurances that they did. They danced, chatted with others, ate, and drank the night away. In some ways, it wasn’t as bad as she expected while in other ways it was.