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Chapter 1
Beached
Ramiros breathed deeply in his sleep, only this time something went up his nose. That startled him awake. It was still dark outside, but his location had changed. He’d gone from his soft and comfortable bed in the crystal palace beneath the ocean to here. This unknown place seemed to be a beach covered in wet sand, some of which had made it up his nose while he’d been planted face-first in it. His whole body, which was nude at that, was covered in the wet sand. Even had he not been in the habit of sleeping nude, wearing PJs wouldn’t have been much better.
He coughed, desperately trying to dislodge the wet grains of sand that irritated his nose. By the ancestors, he had some in his mouth too. It wasn’t very graceful, but he nearly hacked up a lung trying to get the sand loose. Breathing deeply, his nose felt much better, nearly free of the obstructions. His mouth was still gritty with the sand he was spitting out. If someone happened by, they would think he was a drunk vomiting.
In the distance, he could hear music and laughter. A party? Probably so and here he was, nude, without any means of protecting himself or any way to purchase anything. The only thing he knew for certain was he couldn’t remain here like this. First thing he needed to do was get clothes and although guilt would fill him, he had no choice, but to acquire it without purchase.
With no way of knowing where he was or where to find clothing, he picked a direction and began to walk. The beach seemed to go on forever and he walked at a fast, but easy pace. Mansions sat off to one side, just within sight. Those homes probably had security so they were no help. The beach got rockier and the homes less valuable.
At this point, he decided to investigate the next home he saw. There, that was the one. It was still a decent-sized home and well maintained. He moved around to the back of the house and found a clothesline. Studying the clothing carefully, he pulled off a pair of swim trunks and a T-shirt.
Phoenix had good night vision and he determined the clothes would fit him well. Clutching it, he started to leave slowly, but the back door opened and a rather large dog came out and growled at him. Dogs weren’t usually a problem, but under the circumstances he decided running was the best option. There was no point in drawing attention to himself.
At a dead run, he moved until he began to feel a burn. The dog was far behind and there was a hint of dawn in the east. He needed to dress now. Once he had the clothing on, he continued along the beach until the sky lightened. Now he turned inland looking for a sign or someone he could ask for directions.
An old man was up ahead. “Excuse me, Sir? Can you tell me what the nearest town in this direction is?”
“Orlando is about five miles away. Did you drink a bit too much last night?”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“I said that a hundred times in my younger days. Still ain’t nearly careful enough,” he said and he continued on his way.
What the hell was he doing in Florida? All he knew was he was feeling pulled toward Orlando and his people had a place there. Once he arrived, he would be able to get on top of things. Hopefully, he’d figure out what had happened and who had brought him here. He’d never even heard of something crazy like this happening to any of his people before. Ram continued on his way.
A woman jogged by and she turned to look at him with admiration in her eyes. He moved on. Females often looked at him that way and if he’d had time and the situation was different, he might have stopped and found satisfaction for both of them. That time was not now. Ram was a physical being, all Phoenix were until they found their fated mate and then their souls bonded. His mate wasn’t among his people. Or she’d not been born yet.
The road he was on met up with the highway and he walked along it, seeing a sign that told him Orlando was three and a half miles away now. A car went by full of girls that whistled and yelled when they went by. Humans were funny creatures. Picking up his speed, he regretted not stealing a pair of shoes when he got the clothes he’d taken.
The weather here was hot, much like it was back home on Phoenix Island. Ram spent most of his time under the ocean in the crystal castle, but he traveled to the island regularly. It was a tropical paradise full of game to hunt and tasty fish to eat. He missed home already. Why would anyone bring him here?
He was down to one mile and making excellent time, but he was in perfect physical condition so it was no surprise. Once he was in Orlando, he needed to find a phone book. The address for one of the clubs they had set up in all major cities would be in there. That’s where he would go and find help. There was a convenience store on the outskirts of town. He headed in and the young girl was happy to let him look at the phone book.
She was even willing to let him use the phone for a local call. He gave her the number and she dialed it for him, handing him the phone when it rang. It was answered right away. “This is Sandy at Phoenix Rising Bar and restaurant. How may I direct your call?”
“Hello, Sandy. I need to talk to the manager.”
“I’m sorry. Mister Coal isn’t available right now. Can I take a message?”
“Yes, tell him one of the major stockholders wanted to talk to him, but he wouldn’t take the call. That’s what he can put down for the reason he was fired.”
“Ex-excuse me. Let me see if I can find him. I’ll be right back.”
Damn! He hated drama and he hated to be an asshole, but this situation was serious. He could hear elevator music playing, but she would be back soon. “Hello? Are you still there?”
“I’m here, Sandy.”
“Mr. Coal will speak to you now. I’m transferring the call.”
“Hello? Who is this and why did you feel the need to scare my secretary half to death?”
“Cam? This is Ramiros and I’ve got a serious situation. I need to be picked up at a convenience store just outside of Orlando. It’s a Kwikeee Mart.”
“I know the one. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Have one of their Kwikeee cappuccinos while you wait. They are good.”
Ram decided to take his suggestion since twenty minutes with nothing to do was boring. “Hey Sweetie. My friend is coming to get me and he said to try your cappuccinos and he’d pay when he gets here. Okay?”
“Sure. I know you’d never cheat us.” She smiled all sweet and Ram thought about how naïve she was.
It didn’t stop him from getting his drink, but he thought it all the same. He sat there sipping the drink and waiting, but he had to admit, the drink tasted great. It was less than twenty minutes later when his old friend Cameron came striding into the store. He looked dapper and professional.
“What the hell happened to you?” He asked stunned. Ram knew he looked bad, but was it really that bad?
“I’ll explain later, but pay the girl for my drink and let’s get out of here.” Ram urged.
Cameron stepped up to the cashier who giggled and flirted just like she had with Ram. She was fickle, it would seem. Not that Ram was interested or had the time to pursue her if he had been. He walked out with Cam and sat in the back where they would be able to talk.
“You have a driver these days?” Ram asked.
“It’s easier to have business conversations on the phone when you’re not driving. He doubles as a guard, we’ve had some threats lately,” Cam admitted. “Now tell me what’s going on.”
“I went to bed in my room in the castle and woke up choking on sand here on a beach.”
“That would take incredible power to manage.”
“I agree. I still can’t imagine why they would do it unless it’s a show of strength.”
“Maybe something went wrong and you didn’t end up where they intended?” Cam speculated.
“That makes as much sense as anything. We need to hire a powerful witch to unravel this thing fast.”
“I agree and I know just the family to ask. Meanwhile, we’ll go back to Rising and I’ll put you in the royal suite. You can take a shower and make yourself presentable. I’ll have clothes sent up to you and you can meet me in the restaurant for brunch.”
“That sounds good. While I’m here, maybe we can catch up.”
“That sounds nice, Ram. You can tell me about everything that’s happening at home.”
“You know little ever changes.” Ram went upstairs and showered and dressed. All their buildings were laid out the same so he had no trouble finding everything. Once he was ready, he went downstairs where Cam was still where he’d left him, only working on his laptop.
“Ready to tell me all about home and what everyone’s up to?” Cam nudged.
“Fine. Dani is in Europe running the Phoenix Rising Headquarters there for now. She seems to like it.” Ram noted Cam’s immediate interest. He’d never understood why those two hadn’t gotten together. Cam would make a great addition to the family and tie together the two strongest families the Phoenix had.
“I bet your sister is doing a great job.’
“Probably like the job you’re doing here running the U.S. headquarters.”
“It’s not always easy, but I try,” Cam assured him. “So now that you’ve had more time to think, any ideas on who has it in for you?”
“I’m not sure they do, have it in for me that is. They didn’t hurt me, they just tried to bring me somewhere. Have you had any luck bringing a witch here?” He asked since Cam had been on his cell phone the entire time they’d been talking.
“There’s one on the way. Her name is Annie Worthington.”
“Why does that last name ring a bell?” Ram asked.
“They are the first family of witchery in these parts, maybe in any parts. They came here from England when the witch hunts began. Actually, they came before that in 1542 when the first Witchcraft Act passed. The one that made witchcraft against secular law. They saw the writing on the wall and left before things got crazy. Some of the family stayed behind and some spread out to other places, but all of them have magic in their blood. Here comes our meal. Thank you, Lori. Just set it on the table and you can go.” Lori was staring unashamedly at Ram and she left slowly. Cam got up and ushered her out closing the door. “You and your effect on women,” he said as he turned to look at Ram.
“You have that same effect. The clerk at the convenience store almost followed you out of the store,” Ram pointed out. “Why do you know so much about the Worthingtons?”
“Never the right ones, aye? The Worthingtons? I may have dated one or two of them. The women of the family are gorgeous,” Cam admitted.
“Did you date this one?”
“I tried, but she wasn’t interested. Rather hard on my ego, to be honest.”
“So, she’s a female of good breeding and exceptional taste?”
“Brother by another mother, that really hurt.”
“You’re so full of shit, Cam, that your eyes are a sick brownish green.”
“It’s called hazel and the women love my eyes among other things.”
“Same old Cam.”
“Just killing time until the right one comes along.”
Ram knew who the right one for Cam was, but if the two who were fated couldn’t see it, what was the use in pointing it out? “That’s what we all do. It’s why births are almost nonexistent. It’s been a thousand years since one of our kind has mated, but only fifty years since we’ve lost one. If something doesn’t change, our kind will cease to exist.”
“You are a worrywart. There are possibly ten thousand of our kind. I haven’t seen a count but that sounds about right. As long as no war comes to us, it’s far too soon to worry about extinction. Besides, we may not be finding our fated, but we are still reproducing.”
“Without fated matches, the children rarely have full powers. They are ill prepared to take their place as full Phoenix. One even burned up when he transitioned.”
“He was told to wait. Even a full-blooded Phoenix must be careful the first time.”
“The risk is barely there if the parents are fated, regardless of whether they are both Phoenix or not.”
“That is fascinating in itself. Have they ever figured out why?” Cam asked.
“Not with any certainty. The mate goes through some changes making them more like a Phoenix. Those changes affect the offspring. The bond formed between mates affects everything. I don’t know how scientists will ever find a way to test such a thing. Without testing, any conclusions are just speculation.”
“I’m glad I’m not a scientist. That would be beyond frustrating.”
“We can agree on that. Our families produce leaders. So far, the fated found in our families have also been leaders. Unfortunately, those fated have been few and far between. I wish more would present themselves.”