Phoenix Under Fire: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Aries Read online

  Heading down to the bottom level, they walked next to each other and Ram had his arm wrapped around her waist. It was almost as if he needed the comfort of her touch. When they got to the stairs, she dropped back and followed him to the bottom floor. After they stepped into the entry, Ram dropped the bag of food onto a table.

  “Hey, Cam?” Ram said.

  Cam appeared like magic. “You brought me something?”

  “Of course, Sit down and eat. Then you can fill me in on what I missed.”

  Cam started unpacking his food. “You didn’t miss much. Those two fools claim to know nothing.”

  Cam began to eat. They didn’t have anything to do but wait. “Why don’t we do the truth thing on one of them?” Ram asked.

  “That’s fine. Pick one and get him ready,” Annie agreed.

  Ram went and dragged the one who claimed to be the boss out of his cell and into the interrogation room. “I thought you was done with me.”

  “It’ll be a long time before we’re done with you.”

  “Where’s Mason?” The guys asked.

  “The other guy? He’s not in charge. We’re sending him to the Pen.”

  Ram strapped him into the chair. Annie came over and touched the other guy and whispered something. “We ready?” Ram asked and she nodded.

  “What’s your name?” Ram asked. The male tried to answer and just choked.

  “Jake. My name is Jake.”

  “Okay, Jake. Were you in charge of that group in Miami?”

  He choked again. It almost looked like he might pass out. Jake didn’t, he finally spit an answer out. “No.”

  “I didn’t think you were. Why did you claim you were?” Ram asked.

  “The other guy made me. They threaten our families and kill without a thought,” Jake admitted. He’s the one really in charge.”

  “Can you tell me anything about this Hubolla?” Ram asked.

  “Only that he intends to rule the world and he’s cruel and filled with hate.”

  “Thank you, Jake.” Ram unbuckled him and led him back to his cell. Now he turned his attention back to Con.

  “I’m not talking,” Con insisted.

  “We’ll see,” Ram said as he opened the cell and reached in and grabbed a hold of him dragging him into the interrogation room. As he strapped him in, Annie touched him and whispered to herself. Looking at his mate, he saw her nod. “What is your name, Con?”

  “You already know.”

  “Your full name.”

  Con didn’t say anything. “Are you in charge in Miami?”

  He began to choke and his face turned red. “Just answer honestly,” Annie said.

  “You’re a witch,” Con said like it was a curse word.

  “I might be,” Annie noted.

  “Con Merit. I don’t want to choke to death,” He was obviously terrified.

  “Just answer honestly and you’ll be fine.” Annie realized that Con thought he’d die if he didn’t answer. They would use that to their advantage.

  Annie and Ram exchanged a look and she stepped back and sat in a chair near the door. She was no interrogator and this was Ram’s show. Watching was all she wanted to do. Ram began to go through a list of questions and Con answered them all. He gave them everything he knew. His life might not be much, but he clung to it desperately.

  “Where are you in the hierarchy?”

  “I’m second to Vin who is Hubolla’s number two. He got me with money and power. No one’s ever given me respect before. Now they’ve dug in and he’s working on a way to make money. Whores and drugs is what he’s working on first,” Con admitted.

  Ram wrote down everything of importance that Con said before taking him back to his cell. Once Con was back in his cell, they sat down with Cam who was relaxing after eating his meal. “Any luck?” Ram handed him the sheet he’d written on. “Do we know if this is accurate?”

  “We know this is accurate as far as Con knows,” Ram admitted.

  “How do we know that?” Cam asked.

  “Truth spell,” Ram informed.

  “I think I love your mate,” Cam said.

  Ram growled. “She doesn’t need you to love her.”

  Cam laughed. “Never thought you had a jealous bone, Bro.”

  “Me neither. Seems we were both mistaken,” Ram admitted. “When it comes to Annie, I’m different.”

  Knowing that Ram not only felt that way, but that he was willing to admit it made her feel loved and blessed. However, it was unfortunate that they were discovering each other in the midst of an evil awakening that might drag them all down. At least if the world fell and chaos ruled, she would have a taste of love before it all came about.

  “Come, my love; Cam will handle things for now and we can go get some sleep,” Ram suggested.

  Nothing was further from her mind as she nodded her agreement than sleep. Her mind came up with an old saying she had heard but never used. You can sleep when you’re dead. Ram led the way to the stairs and they quickly moved up them.

  “You’ll stay with me tonight, won’t you?” Ram asked.

  “I will,” Annie agreed.

  They moved to another set of stairs and went up those too. Annie’s heart was pounding and her blood was heating. They had arrived at Ram’s door and now she would be able to put her decision in play. He held the door open and stood aside to let her walk through first. She literally shook with excitement and maybe a touch of nervousness. This was the male she would spend her life with.

  Ram shut the door and wasted no time pulling her into his arms. The male felt so hot he was sizzling. Annie realized she knew almost nothing about this man she was about to give her body to. Putting that out of her mind, she gave herself over to the kiss.

  He pulled back as they both panted and their hearts pounded. Ram began undressing so Annie took her cues from him and stripped too. “Gorgeous.” He whispered as she dropped one item of clothing after the next.

  It wasn’t long before they stood naked, staring at each other. Ram was magnificent from his golden locks of hair, to his massive and thick cock, and on down his muscular legs to his proportionate feet. Annie felt like licking him like a lollipop. Desire washed over her in waves and she felt weak with need.

  “Get on the bed, please.” Ram asked.

  Annie did as he wanted. She got in the middle so he would have room to position himself any way he wanted. Nothing was going to stop them now. Ram got on the bed and moved on top of her. He leaned on his forearms keeping his weight off her and fencing her in so she couldn’t escape.

  “I’ve got you now, Annie, and I’m never letting you go.” Ram whispered in her ear. His hot breath hitting her made goosebumps rise and she writhed with need. It took almost nothing on his part to turn her on.

  “Take me, I’m yours.” Trite? Maybe, but also oh so true.

  Lowering his chest to where his body touched hers, his mouth claimed hers in a deep kiss where his tongue licked and tasted every nook and cranny of her mouth. Heat seemed to emanate from him, more than she had expected. Annie had heard many shifters ran hot, but Ram was smoking.

  His chest rumbled either with desire or the needs of his beast. It made her wonder for the hundredth time what that beast was. Rare? Without a doubt, but what could possibly justify this level of identity safeguarding? Ram began to work his way down her body licking and nipping, causing the ability to form clear thoughts to leave her.

  By the time he made it to the space between her thighs, Annie was a primitive creature feeling only the pleasure he gave her. The sounds she made were animalistic as she spread her legs wide and arched up toward him. Her fingers were twisted in his hair, holding him in place.

  “More.” She grunted and groaned.

  Ram slid one of his large hands under her ass and cupped her cheeks, tilting her up slightly. The position opened her up further to him. With his other hand, he slid a finger into her hot, wet pussy even as his tongue worked her clit. He added a second finger an
d finally a third to stretch and prepare her.

  Annie shivered with need and was on the verge of an all-consuming orgasm. Ram was no longer gently easing his fingers into her channel, he was slamming them in and it felt marvelous. His tongue and occasionally his mouth were working her clit until she was ready to explode. It was sudden when it hit. The orgasm rolled over her like a tidal wave and she screamed out his name.

  Once her jerking climax began to ease, Ram whispered in her ear, “On your knees on the edge of the bed, Baby.” Annie assumed the position he’d requested immediately.

  She was his equal completely, but she wanted him to take her so it suited her to do as he directed this time. Once she was on her hands and knees, she looked over her shoulder at Ram moving in behind her and she sent him a saucy grin. Annie was ready for him to bring it on. When he slammed into her slick center, she groaned and her body clamped onto him.

  Her mate kept pounding into her, building the need back to where a climax threatened to erupt. Friction built tension and tension had an explosion headed her way. Ram wrapped one arm under her belly and his magic fingers worked her clit. His other hand was on her shoulder holding her steady and he hammered harder and harder into her. He leaned over her and she felt his breath on her shoulder and excitement ran through her, as she wondered if he was going to bite her, claiming her for all time.

  Ram licked her where her neck met her shoulder and picked up his speed. “I want you so much,” he proclaimed and he whispered words in a language she didn’t understand. The second his fangs sank into her neck, her orgasm exploded.

  She could feel their souls being drawn together. The bond wrapping tighter than she’d ever imagined. Two were now one and she would never let this male go. The sad thing is now he was a part of her, but she still didn’t know what he was. When two paranormals mated, there was an exchange of traits and energy. It was different, to some extent anyway, every time.

  Heat filled her and she wondered if his temperature would now affect her. It seemed likely. What else might happen was something she couldn’t figure out without knowing what he was. There was a good chance he would either pick up the ability to do some magic, or in some cases mates became immune to it. Either possibility would be helpful.

  Now that their mating was complete, Annie felt exhausted and she fell over onto her side and crawled up to the pillows. Ram joined her wrapping his body around her and they fell into a deep restful sleep. When Annie woke up, she heard the shower and knew Ram was getting ready for the day. A look at the clock told her she’d slept in later than usual.

  Once Ram came out looking handsome and smelling wonderful, she ran into the bathroom to shower herself. It was only once she got out that she realized she had nothing clean to wear. There were few choices, either wear something Ram had, or break one of her rules about magic and that had been hard learned from her father and get something to wear that way.

  She decided to spell herself some clothes and pray it didn’t have the repercussions she’d had last time she had used magic for convenience. Annie had been seven and her abilities were coming along wonderfully. Her parents had both been proud of her and she felt like a super witch. One task she always hated was cleaning her room on Saturday mornings because her father inspected it before lunch.

  If your room wasn’t up to standards, you didn’t get fed until it was. Annie was not lazy, usually. She’d been working hard on a new spell and had left cleaning her room to the last minute. Her father was on his way up the stairs and she had seen no harm in stretching her magical muscle and casting a tiny spell to clean her room. It was true they’d been told to save magic for the important things so they wouldn’t run out when something really urgent came up.

  Such a small thing, it couldn’t hurt just once, right? The spell had set her room to rights just in time, but her father looked like a rain cloud on the horizon. He’d sensed her magic and he wasn’t happy. His spell immediately undid hers and now she had to clean her room herself. That was enough of a punishment, right? Her father didn’t think so.

  Casting another spell, he took away her magic for a month. To Annie, it was like losing a limb. Her magic was a big part of who she was and she missed it terribly. Her mother had pleaded on her behalf, but her father almost never changed his mind once it was made up. To this day, she looked back on that month as the worst time of her life.

  Her sisters had been lucky not to be the oldest because her father had mellowed a bit by the time they came along, if anyone could view Royal Worthington as mellow. Annie was determined to cast the spell, but her hand shook as she tried to do it. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she finally pulled up the courage to do it. There, that wasn’t so bad. She looked around quickly to make sure her father wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  Annie knew that was silly. It was amazing the affect that one experience had on her and it looked like it always would. She exited the bathroom and Ram whistled. “You look amazing.”

  Magic could do that for you. “Thanks. You look good enough to eat.” She winked at him. “What are we going to have for breakfast? I had a hell of a workout last night and I feel starved.” Annie tried not to think about how pissed her father would be when he found out they had mated.

  It was a shame she wasn’t more like her sister, Gertie. She wouldn’t give a flying fuck what their father thought. Annie was tough as nails where everything and everyone was concerned except her father. It wasn’t that she was scared of him so much that she was afraid of letting him down. Ever since she was old enough to talk, he’d told her she was the pride and joy of the next generation. And that put a lot of pressure on her; he told her she was strong enough to handle it.

  She was the one he’d always treated as the heir to his position. Even though he’d told her that it would be her son that followed him to lead their people. It was like he’d already known he would only have daughters. Neither Gertie nor Pru had ever felt the need to live up to his expectations. He’d selected her position with the company and trained her for it personally. Her sisters had both chosen their positions. It was probably the typical complaint of the oldest child. Too many expectations and discipline was too hard growing up. Annie didn’t want to be a whiner.

  “Breakfast is waiting for us downstairs. I’m feeling ravenous myself.” Ram opened the door and waited for her to walk through before closing it and escorted her to the rec room where a small buffet was set up. There were some other people including Cam sitting around and eating.

  They each piled their plates high before Ram escorted her to a table off by itself. “I want you to myself this morning. Let me get you a cup of coffee and a glass of juice,” Ram offered.

  He got a tray and brought back coffee with creamer and sugar and juice for both of them. It made Annie feel cherished the way he was looking out for her. “Here you go,” Ram said as he offered her silverware.

  “Thank you. You’ll make me a wonderful wife.” Annie giggled.

  “I can cook too,” Ram admitted.

  “We’ll be able to take turns. I can cook too.”

  “At least we’ll be able to keep our kids fed.” Annie blushed at the reference to kids. She wasn’t on any birth control because she didn’t have a boyfriend. Those kids Ram had mentioned might be coming sooner rather than later. “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No, we just didn’t talk about kids or birth control.”

  “I want children with you. If we have them sooner, I’m happy. If we have them later, I’ll enjoy our time together first. The only thing that matters is having you in my life.”

  “Wow. Are you really that perfect?” Annie asked.

  “Cam would tell you terrible stories. Don’t believe him, there’s no truth to any of them. I am indeed just that perfect and you are perfect for me. We better hurry and eat.”

  “What will you be doing today?”

  “I’m not sure. We got some good information, but now we need to dig deep and start eradicating the infestati
on. I will be talking to my dad and we’ll get some teams called in. Those crazies won’t know what hit them. It’s easy to get enforcers for criminal activities when they are beating up average citizens. It will be harder to get them to stay loyal when they are fighting well-trained troops.”

  “Will you be able to pull in that many troops?”

  “We have them, but the locals will need to provide some assistance too. All the local paranormal groups need to chip in with some help. This is their land, they need to defend it.”

  “Do you want me to talk to my father?”

  “No. I’m not ready to fill him or the others in yet. We’ll get more proof and detailed information before we tell him and the other leaders. This is a war, Annie. Our plans will be for the long run. Even if we beat Hubolla here, it won’t be long before he springs up somewhere else. Eventually, the fight needs to go to him.”

  “I think I understand. As long as you do plan to fill him in soon?” Annie wondered.

  “We need a plan first. Not all leaders will be easy to convince. It’s important to have the proof and the plan before we meet with all the leaders. There are also some groups that distance themselves from the others. Those need to be found, if possible.”

  “What groups are those?”

  “I believe dragon shifters may still exist.”

  Annie laughed. “You’re kidding.”

  “No, they did exist and some may still exist. People hunted them for their horde. Kings wanted the gold and jewels for themselves.”

  “I thought they were just a legend.”

  “Most legends are based on fact.”

  “What about unicorns?” Annie asked thinking about her cousin, Daphne.

  “They existed once. Now? Who knows, none have been seen, at least not a confirmed sighting for centuries. We need to find them if they do exist, along with many other groups.”

  “I agree all groups need to work together, but how can we possibly find groups that have hidden for centuries?”

  “You’re the witch. Isn’t part of your job sometimes finding things?” Ram asked.

  “Well, yes, that’s true. But the people who hire us give us what we need for the search.”