“Nope, no guessing. You'll get it soon enough.” Marcus laughed and picked her up, setting her to the side. “Well, crap, you're no fun.” She pouted. “Have you seen Dwayne? I need him to do something for me.” “Yeah, he's downstairs. I'll have him come up.” Marcus yelled over his shoulder and shut the studio door. She ran to the four small boxes and put them into a bag. Grabbing a pen and paper, she covered herself with the blanket on the couch and proceeded to write out what she wanted on the back of the dragon charms. The Christmas Legend states three wise men will bring peace among many. For me, you have brought this to me tenfold. For I hold all four of our hearts inside of me, keeping them safe. When times are tough, just follow the loud beat of our hearts and know you are home in my arms and always loved. Dwayne stepped into the room and smiled at her. “What a mess. You rang, little sister?” Annabelle smiled up at him. “Yep. I need your help. I know you speak the ancient language from the council, but can you write it too? If so, do you think you could have this engraved on the backs of these?” She held up one of the charms and the paper. He sat down on the couch and studied the note, smiling. “Yep, it could be done. When do you want these?” She smiled. “As soon as you can, so I can wrap them up.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Dwayne. This means a lot to me.” “No problem. I'm just glad you're happy. Give me an hour and I'll have them done.” He got up and strolled out of the room while she got busy wrapping her presents.
* * * *
Marcus scanned the ballroom. Everything was in place for the wedding. The council was even making an appearance tonight. They would be blessed in their ways, sealing their bond forever. Annabelle's dress had already been placed in their bedroom with strict rules to follow for tonight. They wouldn't see her again till the ceremony itself. Adam was to escort her down the stairs with her brothers behind them, guarding them. His mother stepped up to him and hugged him. “You've done it. This place is beautiful and I couldn't be more proud of you, Marcus. All three of you have come a long way for this, especially that man there.” She nodded to Alocer, who laughed at Lance as he tried to tie a red bow around his dragon's neck. It hissed and bit him. Marcus and Eden burst out laughing. “Give it up, Lance. He isn't going to wear that.” Lance sighed and shook his head. “Well, I tried.” He laughed and sucked his finger into his mouth. “Boy, he has some sharp teeth. I hope they all got a nip at Danker last night.” He growled at the same time the dragon did. “Have we heard anything from them? I know he has to be up to something. He always did start trouble among the families.” Lance and Alocer stepped up to him. “No, not a word, and that has me worried. Also, my father is missing. The elders have called out the hunters on him. It seems he has killed two others already.” Alocer shook his head. “I think his madness has finally taken over.” He sighed and glanced at the Christmas tree. His mother scooted over to his large frame and hugged him. “You have a family here now, Alocer. Annabelle loves you and you're part of our family now. Let us help you take some of that pain away.” She squeezed him tight and stepped back with a twinkle in her eye. “You know, since you're red, we could always put the Santa suit on you for a couple of years.” Marcus and Lance laughed as Alocer stood there shocked. “Oh, please say you'll do it next year. It would so be a load off my mind,” Lance said. “For some reason, father wants all of us to take turns doing it.” Alocer shook his head. “I don't think so. Could you see if a child woke up and saw a horned Santa? Nope, I'm not into scaring children. That is downright mean.” He backed away from them. Eden burst out laughing. “Silly man, that's what magic is for.” She snapped her fingers and Alocer stood stiff as a board: a Santa suit covered his body, and he had a long beard and a round belly. Marcus fell to the floor laughing hard as Alocer tried to tear the costume off his body, only to have it reappear. “Okay, Mom,” Marcus said between gasps, “you've had your fun. Stop teasing him already. Annabelle needs him whole tonight.” His mom once again snapped her fingers. Lance was now an elf, and Marcus was in the form of a reindeer. Alocer burst out laughing, pointing at him. He meant to growl, but it came out as a “enigh” and he glanced at his mom. His mother was crying with laughter, as were the others. She snapped her fingers and they all were back to normal. “I swear, if you ever turn me into a deer again, I'm going to…” He stopped at his mother's glare. “You're going to what?” she dared him. Lance nudged him. “Come on, Marcus. We'd better go get ready before Mom turns you into Frosty the Snowman for our wedding.” He slugged his arm. Alocer shook his head. “Thank you, both of you, for welcoming me into your family. I never knew it could be like this.” Marcus wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “You're our brother now, Alocer. No one will hurt you again without our wrath, and Annabelle's. Did you see the look she gave Danker? I'm glad she was tied down!” Alocer laughed. “Yeah, she is a fierce little thing, isn't she? I can see her with our children protecting them.” He glanced at him. “I think we should really try to give her some normalcy in her life. I was thinking about how she loves to paint, write, and shop. We have to give her something outside of the home. She'll go nuts locked up her all the time.” Marcus pushed opened the guest bedroom and waited for them to enter. “Lance and I were discussing the same thing. It's going to be really hard to do that with so many enemies taking shots at us. Do you have any ideas? Because right now, I'm blank and the thought of her out there in the mall…” He slammed the door. “I know. Between the three of us, we know several business owners and I was thinking we could ask them maybe at night to let her do her shopping when there is no one around. We could call that night so no one would know the day until the last minute. With the council guards, I believe she should be fine.” Alocer stripped out of his clothes and headed for the shower. “I like that idea. Dad has many contacts we can use. I'll see what he thinks. We can meet with him to gather the list of the stores. She could pick out which ones she would like to visit.” Marcus pulled out his tux and hung it on the door. One more hour and Annabelle would be escorted downstairs.
Chapter Twenty-One
Annabelle sat while Sandy once again did her hair. Her mother, Beth and Eden all fussed over her dress, changing it. She laughed as Eden told her what she had done to her mates, and her makeup smeared from the tears, forcing her to start over. “Okay, Sandy. Why are we all getting all dressed up here and why are they messing with the dress I'm supposed to wear?” She tapped her fingers on the counter. Sandy smiled, but zipped her lips shut. “For once, I'm not telling you, but I will tell you this. You have three great men, Annabelle, and they all love you very much. Maybe one day I'll find at least one man to love me that much.” She had tears in her eyes again. “So help me, if you get me crying again, I'll slap you.” Annabelle turned around and hugged her. “You'll find someone and what's this thing you've got going on with my big brother?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Don't even start with him. He makes me so mad, but I'm bound and determined to have a good evening.” She turned her back around and finished her hair. Sandy stepped back and smiled. “Perfect. Now all you need is the dress, if they're done zapping the thing.” She laughed as they walked into the bedroom.
Annabelle gapped at the dress on the bed. It was beautiful. “My God, what did you do? It's so elegant, and erotic.” She smiled. “Well, we thought you should have something special for this occasion. Now come on, let's get it on you. The men will be up here to escort us downstairs,” Lily said, as she picked up the dress and slipped it over her head. The silk was smooth against her skin as it hugged her body. The back of the dress fanned out behind her. The slits going up her legs were twined with white lace as was the front of the dress which covered her breasts. “I want you to have these, Annabelle. They'll match the choker you wear and they were your grandmother's.” Her mom gave her a pair of black diamond dangly earrings. “Okay, are we having a wedding here? I feel like Cinderella.” She slipped on the earrings as Sandy handed her a bracelet. “This is mine, but I want you to wear it tonight. I expect it back. It was given to me by my g
randmother.” The bracelet was also a black diamond surrounded by blue sapphires.
Her eyes watered as she glanced up and Trish stepped out of her old bedroom, dressed in a red and green formal gown. Annabelle smiled and opened her arms. Trish ran to her crying. “I'm so sorry. I can't thank you enough for all your family has done for me. You didn't give up and I can't ask for a better sister.” She stepped back. “Oh, don't cry. You'll ruin your makeup. Mom, do your thing. She's all smeared again.” Eden laughed and snapped her fingers. “All right, I so need to know how to do that. I could have so much fun tormenting my mates.” She laughed and Trish pulled out a silver box. “I bought this for you for Christmas, but I want to give it to you now.” Annabelle opened the box and gasped. An ankle bracelet with black diamond's sparkled against the silver. “Trish, this is too much.” She shook her head. “No, it's not enough for what you've done for this family.” She took it out and kneeled down, wrapping it around her ankle. Annabelle put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Mom, if this is a wedding, you know I can't get married. I'm still married to that thing.” Her father stepped into the room followed by her brothers. “Wow, you're beautiful, baby.” He whistled. “You don't have to worry about that. Your marriage has been annulled since Dave didn't inform the government or you that he's a demon.” He kissed her cheek. “Your mate has the papers in his safe for you. Now, we have a party to go to. Ready?” He held out his hand as everyone went out before them. She tucked her shaking hand inside her father's arm. He turned and glanced down at her. “I just wanted to say I'm very proud of you, Annabelle. No matter the problem, you have fought your way through and came out of everything a beautiful lady.” “Thank you, Dad, and yes, I've forgiven you. Hearing everything that Alocer went through with his father, I realized how lucky I was to have you. Thank you, Daddy.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. He patted her hand and turned his head, but she had seen the tears. “Come, your mates are waiting for you. Oh, and act surprised, will you? They planned this thing for the past week.” He groused. “And they've been driving everyone crazy wanting everything to be perfect.” She laughed as they made their way down both sets of the stairs. The ballroom doors opened and Annabelle gasped. The Christmas tree stood in the middle of the room. Her mates stood in red tuxes before the tree. Red and white candles burned around the room. All three dragons flew around the room and hovered above, watching her. She laughed as one of them winked at her. Then she saw every one of the members of the council there. “Okay, now this is scary.” She glanced up at her dad, but he patted her hand, and moved her down the center aisle as the wedding march started to play. The room was filled with guests, even some she didn't know, but then she spotted Nicholas in the corner of the room in his Santa outfit. She shook her head. She would never have believed something like this would happen to her. They reached her mates and her father kissed her and gave her hand to Marcus. “I give my baby to all of you, Marcus, but I expect all three of you to take good care.” He stepped back and sat down by his wife. Marcus smiled at her. “I think I need to have my mom open her own line of clothes. You make me breathless, Annabelle.” The wedding went fast as all three of her men kneeled before her and said their own pledges to her. Alocer's had her crying so hard she couldn't see for a good two minutes. Thank God for Eden. Annabelle heard the snap of her fingers after the tears finally dried up. Marcus had laughed and shook his head. When the preacher asked for the ring, Annabelle shook as she saw the three perfect black diamond's circling a flawless two-carat ruby. She now understood the black diamond's represented her mates, the three wise men, while the white diamond was the angel, her. As soon as the preacher announced them as husbands and wife, their dragons roared and fire sparkled the room, but nothing caught fire. She laughed as Marcus groaned. “God, they're show-offs.” He bent her down and kissed her deeply. His tongue devoured her as she held on. Her head was spinning by the time he brought her back up for air. Alocer scooped her up out of Marcus's arms and twirled her around the room. “Thank you for being mine.” His lips met hers in another hot kiss. Her body trembled with desire by the time he released her.
She fanned herself as everyone in the room laughed. Lance snuck up behind her and whispered, “Did you forget me?” He spun her around and grabbed the back of her hair and tugged her head back. “Wait for tonight, baby,” he said and gave her a quick, hot kiss. Nicholas pulled her out of Lance's arms and hugged her. “I can't stay, but I wanted to welcome you officially to our family.” He kissed her lips and all three men growled behind him. He laughed and disappeared from the room, his voice echoed in the room. “You'd better behave or Santa won't come tonight for you, my sons.”
Annabelle laughed and stepped into her mom's arms. “Now this is a wedding you should write about in your stories. Boy, just those kisses alone would make someone hot and bothered.” Alocer and Marcus stepped up to them. “She doesn't need to be writing about our personal life.” “Like anyone would believe it anyway. Dragons flying around, Santa kissing the bride. I mean, come on, it is a fairy tale wedding.”
“Um, excuse me. I want to kiss the bride, here. After all, you guys do owe me.” Doug scooped her up and kissed her.
She slowly made her way into Alocer's arms. “He was only joking, Alocer. His kiss didn't heat me as yours did.” She cupped his face as he snarled and held her in a death grip. “Easy baby, you're squishing me,” she croaked, as he slowly released his death grip.
“Oh wait. I want to give you three something.” Annabelle tried to move out of his arms, but he wouldn't let her go. “Sorry, I can't let you go just yet. The demon still wants blood and I'm trying to control it.” He sighed and turned his head away. She smiled and reached up, turning his head back to her. “Will you come with me to get my gifts? They're in our room.” He kissed her cheek and guided her through the group of people who stopped and congratulated them. Not one of them came within two feet of her as Alocer's gaze became heated. Marcus met them at the door and glanced at Alocer. “Do you need help? I can help ease the demon.” Alocer shook his head. “I have to be able to do this if I'm going to be around other men who will be near her. Just have patience with me, Marcus.” Marcus smiled. “Now where are you two off to? We have a full house here and we didn't get to dance the other night, so I thought we could dance with our mate tonight.” Annabelle smiled and rubbed Alocer's arm. “I want to get part of your gift for you guys. I want you to open them now.” She pulled Alocer up the stairs as Marcus started to follow. Lance caught up with them when they entered their bedroom and she dove under the bed, pulling one, than two, then three small boxes out. She tried to get up, but her dress got caught on her feet. “Damn it. Could one of you help me here? I don't want to tear this dress.” Alocer laughed and lifted her, setting her on the bed. She patted the bed as all of them sat down and she handed them their boxes. “Remember, this is only the first part of your present.” She sat back as each of them opened the boxes and took out the charms. “I didn't have the time to get the chains since I was interrupted while shopping, so we'll have to get them later,” she said as they read the back of the charms.
Marcus read the back of the charm. His hand shook as he read her words, and once again tears dripped down his face. He turned to see Alocer disappear from the room. His gaze moved to Annabelle's. Her bottom lip quivered and tears slipped down her face. She flew to the bathroom and slammed the door. Her sobs could be heard through the door. His heart broke for both of them. He stood and started to go the door when Alocer reappeared. He held something in his hand and looked around the room. “Shit! I did it again. Annabelle open the door, sweetie. I'm sorry. I just had to get something for you.”
Marcus stood back and watched as she opened the door, her face all smeared once again. “Aww, baby, I'm so sorry, but when you gave this and I read it, I knew this belonged to you. It's the only thing I have left of my mother's. I hid it when my father wasn't looking. Before he killed her.” He opened his hand and a small angel charm with a bright diamo
nd in the center of it sparkled in his red hand. Annabelle moved into the room and looked up at him. “Are you sure you want me to have it? I don't want to take it from you.” He smiled and attached it to the choker she wore. “It belongs on you, in your care. What I remember is that even though she was demon, she loved me. She used to tell me I was her angel, but now I know you are our angel.” Marcus sighed as Annabelle burst out crying again. Mom, Annabelle is going to need you again. I would do it but I have no idea about makeup. I'll be there in a minute. “Oh baby, don't cry.” Alocer glanced at him and he shook his head. “It's a woman thing when they're happy.”
The Naughty Angel and Her Three Very Wise Men: A Christmas Ménage Page 16
