by Jones, L. A.
"Then why would you assume...?" Aradia began.
"No reason, I just like making that joke," Dax smiled.
They both laughed at that.
When they finally stopped laughing Aradia looked at Dax and said, "But if you know that I want to be with you then why are you ok with me still dating Roy?"
Dax shrugged and said, "Numerous reasons. One, I want you to be sure that I am the one you want to be with. Two, to be perfectly honest I am not sure how I feel about you so taking time in this situation is very important so not only does it give you time so you can sort out your feelings but I can sort out my own as well. Three, the fact is although you obviously care for me you do not wish to hurt Roy's feelings and it is that quality about you that I find most attractive."
"Not wanting to hurt other people's feelings?" Aradia asked.
"More like you caring about everyone's feelings including your own, and making sure no one gets hurt by your choices."
Dax smiled after his statement.
Aradia felt her heart swell up inside her chest for Dax. The atmosphere soon became thick with the intensity of Dax's, and Aradia’s attraction to one another. Aradia still felt like a player by going out with both Roy, and Dax. The fact that Dax was willing to let Aradia make her own decisions made her feel even more affectionate towards him.
As if he could read her thoughts, he asked, "Remember our first kiss?"
"Yeah why?" Aradia asked.
"Well, because I get the feeling the reason you kissed me the first time is not because you wanted to," Dax said smirking.
Aradia grew uncomfortable, and shifted on the balls of her feet. Dax continued to stare until she finally explained why she had kissed him the first time. After the explanation, Dax said nothing.
Aradia feared he would be furious with her, but Dax just sighed. "And that is why we should have been honest with each other from the beginning."
Aradia giggled with relief.
Dax's eyes grew crafty. "How about we start a new?"
"Sure thing," Aradia replied.
"Okay, so from now on we will be honest with each other about everything," said Dax.
"Okay," Aradia agreed, "But you are allowed to lie about my cooking but only because I know for a fact that it sucks!"
Dax chuckled and leaned in closer to her. "How about a kiss to seal the deal?"
"Are you sure? Your mom is still in the room," Aradia asked Dax while pointing at the painting.
Dax laughed and said, "Don't worry I can fix that!"
He reached for the sheet and threw it over the portrait, covering it completely.
Aradia laughed and said, "Are you sure she wouldn't be angry with you for doing that?"
Dax laughed and said, "Don't worry I think she will understand."
Aradia laughed, but as her laughter died down, she caught herself gazing into Dax's eyes.
Dax stood above her, looking down at her with tenderness in his eyes. Slowly he bent his head towards her, and claimed Aradia's lips as his own. In contrast to Roy's kisses, Dax's were soft, tender, and gentle. While Roy was hot and passionate, Dax was cool and caring. He cupped her chin with his hands, and slowly slid his hands down on to her shoulders. Aradia slipped her hands around his waist to pull him closer. At first, she tried to make the kiss deeper as Roy had done by trying to plunge her tongue into Dax's mouth. However, Dax resisted such a thing but not by shutting her out completely. He used his soft cool hands to caress her body, neck and even her face to coax Aradia's passion to slow itself down to a leisurely pace. While Roy had been fast, Dax was much slower. He savored every touch they shared, the depth, and sweetness of their kisses. Most of all, he made sure that Aradia enjoyed herself. As if he knew exactly what she would like he caressed her slowly and softly on her shoulders and back. He would rub his hands on her in small circles making Aradia hum with satisfaction. Aradia had to admit that she loved both Roy and Dax's kisses, but there was one big difference between the two of them. Aradia had quickly ended Roy's kisses and embraces. She, however, stayed in Dax's embrace wanting the kiss to go on for all eternity.
She had stayed at the Dayton’s for another hour, holding hands with Dax. The entire time they were looking out onto the horizon on the balcony with Dax's arm wrapped around Aradia's shoulders. They had not talked or said anything, the entire hour they had just stood silent as the nature around them.
When it finally started to get dark is when Dax reluctantly took his arm off her, and said he needed to take her home. Aradia had known this as well, but still she did not want to leave Dax. However, they did leave (eventually) with Aradia staring at him with love in her eyes and Dax glancing at her from time to time with the same look reflecting in his own.
As Aradia climbed the steps to her house, she turned one last time to look back at Dax who just smiled at her longingly.
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and whispered "good night" in her ear. He then went back to his car, and Aradia watched him as he drove away.
After seeing Dax's car disappearing into the night Aradia opened the door silently, and leaned against it sighing. She wondered if this is how it felt to be in love. She had never been in love with anyone before so she could neither recognize nor explain how she felt. A part of her, however, argued that if this is how she felt with Dax then she should tell Roy the truth. Something inside her felt that choosing a boyfriend for herself was not going to be as easy as she wanted it to be.
Chapter Seven
"Have you heard?" Saul asked Keon.
Today the two of them were sitting in the quad still watching Aradia. A few moments ago, they had met up with Rome to discuss what they already knew about her. Rome had accepted their findings with enthusiasm, which is more than could be said about Keon's feelings. Keon resented having to observe a scrawny little witch doing usual teenager things that he himself had been done with for over two hundred years, but he knew better than to question the Sovereign's orders. It still did not stop Keon from hating it though.
"No. What?" Keon snapped at Saul.
Saul chuckled, and whispered in Keon's ear. Keon jerked back as if Saul had just pressed a burning hot lead pipe against his face. He took one swift look at Aradia who was sitting on a picnic table in the quad, and reading a book. Keon then looked back at Saul.
"This is getting way out of hand," he muttered, "I know the Sovereign wants us to keep the girl around for some time but quite frankly I have had enough. It's time this thing was dealt with!"
"What do you mean? What are you planning to do?" Saul asked tying to keep the worry out of his voice.
"I am planning on making sure that the 'last witch' does not last for long," Keon joked with an evil chuckle.
Although she was sitting at a table in the quad, and quite involved in reading her book Aradia swore she could sense someone watching her. Slowly, she turned her head and saw two vampires dressed all in black hiding in the shadows of the trees. They were not doing anything besides staring at her. Aradia knew that that should not surprise her but it was the way they, or more specifically the dark haired one, was staring at her that bothered her. It was not with fascination, amazement, or even desire. It was a look of deviousness, plotting, and the need to execute.
"Hey witch girl what's up?" said Bane as he appeared suddenly with his gang at Aradia's side like a plague of locusts swooping from out of the sky. He caused Aradia to turn from the vampires who were staring at her to look at him. Once she looked at Bane for a mere second, however, she quickly looked back at the vampires that but as expected they were gone. Frustrated and annoyed, Aradia turned back to Bane and acknowledged him with cold indifference.
"My name is not 'witch girl' thank you!" she snapped.
"Oh I am sorry," Bane apologized sarcastically, "Would you prefer I call you bitch girl?"
Aradia grew red and shouted at him, "No you may not!"
"Personally I think bitch girl is more appropriate," said another of Bane's gang who was a bulky
, black leather clothed werewolf with pale skin with brown hair in spikes.
He leaned against a nearby tree munching on an apple as he added, "Seeing as she is currently romping around with a werewolf."
"Romping?" another member repeated softly.
Bane just laughed, nodded in the brown spike haired boy's direction, and said, "You got a point Gunther! But sadly, we cannot call her 'bitch girl' seeing as she currently kicking it with both a werewolf and a vamp!"
They all laughed making Aradia imagine turning Bane's entire gang into stone, and smashing them with a sledgehammer!
Gunther then added insult to further insult by saying, "So perhaps we should compromise by calling her slut girl!"
Aradia shot up from her seat, dropped her book, and turned around fully intending to kick all their asses!
Suddenly Tristan appeared out of nowhere and said, "Honestly Bane is that hard for you to get a girl to notice you that you have to insult them first!"
Bane looked up, and sneered at Tristan.
"Who asked you pixie boy!" he snapped.
Tristan chuckled and said, "Pixie boy? Nice! I bet you spent all last night thinking that one up in addition to your usual masturbating under the covers!"
Bane's cheeks turned red with rage as he shot up from his seat like an enraged Jack in the box.
Gunther stepped in between them and said, "Why don't you just do yourself a huge favor by taking a shot of your own pixie dust and fly on back to never land! I think Peter Pan is getting tired of waiting for you!"
Tristan did not respond to that instead he just silently looked Gunther right in the eye.
After a few moments he finally said, "It’s no surprise to me why they held you back two grades Gunther because with an attitude and jokes like that...hell man you would be an embarrassment to every single school in Massachusetts!"
Gunther was stunned but even more so when Tristan rushed on, "Hell I even feel sorry for the prisons because God only knows how much their reputation is going to sink once they get you! Do not even try to deny you are not going to prison because we all know that that is definitely, where you are going to go as soon as you get your high school diploma! In fact, I would even not be surprised if every college in America would pay the prisons to take you because they would not want you anywhere near their campuses!"
Gunther's eyes bulged with rage.
Aradia, even though she knew she should not be adding fuel to the fire, nevertheless said, "Yeah because chances are the moment he would set foot on their campuses the IQ's in the area would sink like the Titanic!"
Bane, Gunther, and the rest of their crew advanced towards Tristan and Aradia angrily.
Two huge guys, however, appeared from out of nowhere, and stepped in between them.
Bane scoffed at the interlopers and said, "You mean to take us on?"
However, Tristan answered and scoffed back at him. "Hell no I know better than to pick a fight in front of a teacher!"
"Teacher?" Bane blanched in addition to the rest of his gang members.
As if it were a magic spell, the entire gang stopped in their tracks, and stood perfectly still. None of them daring to move or breathe.
"Yeah," Tristan said taking his arm and placing on one of the bulky teacher's shoulders, "This is Mr. Doyle and Mr. Clyde they are the new PE teachers."
"And," Tristan added in a lowered whisper, "Members of my court!"
That final statement of Tristan's caused Bane and his gang to all turn on their heels, and run off. Aradia, however, stood stunned not knowing if Tristan had been bluffing.
She realized the truth when one of them turned to Tristan and asked, "Are you alright your highness?"
Tristan nodded and said, "Indeed thank you for your help gentlemen."
They both nodded and Tristan waved them away with his hand saying, "Now I do believe you two have a staff meeting to get to so hurry along. It makes one heck of a bad impression to be late to anything on your first day on the job."
The two teachers then indeed left. After Aradia stared a while at their retreating backs she turned to look at Tristan.
"What?" he asked her stunned expression.
"How..?" Aradia began.
Tristan groaned and said, "Hasn’t anyone told you what I am?"
"I think Roy did once..." Aradia said as she struggled to remember. "He said you are neither a vampire nor werewolf."
"Thank god," Tristan muttered.
"So what are you?" Aradia asked.
"I am a fae," he replied.
"Huh?" Aradia was now completely confused.
He groaned as if what he was trying to say was extremely painful. "I am a fairy."
"You're a what?" Aradia asked again.
"A fairy!" this time his answer was louder but he was quick to add in a quick hushed whisper, "And if you even think about laughing I will rip out your vocal chords and floss with them!"
"Hence the pixie joke..." Aradia said nodding and finally understanding.
Once again, however, her face grew puzzled as she asked, "But the teachers they called you 'your highness'..."
"That's because I happen to be the crown prince of the seelie fae court!" Tristan said proudly.
"So you're a fairy prince?" Aradia asked.
Tristan narrowed his eyes, and began to look like Aradia as if he was about to commit a murder.
Aradia quickly held up her hands as a sign of peace and said, "Sorry Tristan I meant no disrespect but I could not resist. Anyway thanks for helping me."
Tristan shrugged and Aradia supposed that was his way of saying, "No problem."
However, she still could not help but ask him, "Why did you help me though? I thought you hated me."
Tristan chuckled at that and said, "I don't hate you."
"But then why..."
Tristan cut her off by guessing what her question was going to be and saying, "Why do I tease you?"
Again, he just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know why I do it Aradia, but it's nothing personal because I tease everyone. You can call it a sign of insecurity, a sign of spite, or even of future sociopathic tendencies. I just really enjoy teasing people."
He then smiled wickedly, which added a bit more sincerity to the future sociopath tendencies theory.
"It is mean you know," Aradia stated.
Tristan, however, argued casually, "That is kind of the point."
"So wait? You like being mean..." Aradia began.
"The world is not black and white Aradia," Tristan stated in an impatient voice. "Not the human world and certainly not ours. Sometimes things are the way they are, and we can't do anything about it except accept it!"
Aradia was silent after this and she figured that in addition to prejudice between the hidden races this was going to be another issue she was going to have to address in the future.
At this current moment, however, she figured that she had better change the subject and so she did by asking, "So Tristan is there something you want?"
"Yes as a matter of fact," said Tristan, "A date with you this Saturday."
Aradia's mouth dropped wide open.
After a few moments of shocked silence, she finally managed to sputter, "What?"
"You heard me," Tristan replied sounding as cold and as indifferent as a giant squid.
"But why?" Aradia asked him.
"Hey," Tristan explained irritably. "If Roy and Dax can ask you out I can too okay? So do we have a date or what?"
"Or what," Aradia muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me?" Tristan asked as he looked at her incredulously.
At this point, not only did Aradia want to say no, but also to give him a swift kick in the shins.
However, as she opened her mouth to refuse him Tristan cut her off. "Keep in mind if you refuse then I will have no choice but to tell Roy what you and Dax were doing on his balcony on your date!"
Aradia went white as she sputtered, "What are you talking about? We weren't doing anything,
and even if we were Roy would never believe you over me."
Tristan shrugged and said, "True but personally I think he would believe his own eyes over either of us."
"Huh?" Aradia asked.
Tristan then reached into his pocket, and with an extreme flourish of his hand brandished some photos in front of Aradia's face. There were of Aradia and Dax in a steamy kiss with Dax holding her on the balcony, and her leaning her head against his shoulders with his arm around her waist. Aradia grabbed the photos, panic already shooting through her body like jolts of pain.
"Where..." she sputtered at Tristan, "Where did you get...?”
"It doesn't matter," Tristan, said shrugging, "What does is what you are going to do about it?"
Aradia gripped the photos tightly in her hand.
"This is blackmail!" she said angrily to him.
"Duh!" Tristan replied with yet another indifferent shrug of his shoulders.
She knew it would be wrong, but right now Aradia was seriously contemplating setting Tristan on fire or at the very least staying true to her witch heritage by turning him into a toad.
If Tristan noticed her anger, he gave no hint of it.
He continued by asking her yet again, "So do we have a date or what?"
Aradia thought fast. She would sooner die than go near this weasel let alone go on a date with him. On the other hand, she could not possibly let Roy see these photos. Not just for her sake, but Roy's as well. If he were to see them, not only would he be angry, but he would be heart-broken as well! It was no secret that his mother had abandoned him, and to see another woman betray him would make feel him betrayed. Most of all, if he did not kill Dax in a fit of rage he would probably contemplate doing something worse to himself. Aradia swallowed hard as she stared at Tristan, but he was beginning to look like he was growing restless.
Frantically, she gave him the answer he obviously desired. "Yes, Tristan I will go out with you."
He grinned victoriously making Aradia feel like hitting him with a rock.
"Wonderful," he said, "So when can I pick you up?"
"How about we met up somewhere instead?" Aradia suggested as an idea began to form in her mind.