by Jones, L. A.
A long dramatic silence filled the air again that seemed to last forever until finally the alpha wolf that sat in between the silver haired one and Roy's uncle said, "Well I don't know about the rest of you guys but I really don't care whether or not she throws these parties."
"Why?" Roy's uncle inquired.
"Because," he pointed out. "She maybe the last witch, but she's still a teenage girl. How much damage to our society can one teenage girl do?"
Aradia struggled with the temptation to punch his lights out.
Ironically, this changed the attitude of the other leaders. After whispering amongst themselves for a few minutes, they voted unanimously to let Aradia throw her parties. Aradia swore she could feel herself stop breathing. However, they did set out a rule for Aradia to abide by to honor her promise of not interfering with any of their hidden policies or politics. Aradia heaved a sigh of relief.
However, as she leaned back in her chair she heard Tristan speak. "There is still one issue that we need to address."
"Is it necessary to involve the last witch?" his father asked him.
Tristan chuckled. "Of course. The issue involves her after all."
Aradia's ears perked up a bit as she thought to herself that this could not be good.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tristan smiled as he looked right at Aradia. "As you all well know Aradia is the last witch, and whether we choose to acknowledge it or not she is technically the most powerful hidden in the world."
Aradia shifted uncomfortably in her seat while Roy began cracking his knuckles, and Dax started throwing Tristan dirty looks.
Tristan, however, ignored them both. "As the most powerful of the hidden race, I think it is only naturally that she chooses herself a consort, and aligns herself with a particular race..."
He was interrupted by Roy's uncle who said, "But we already established that she won't interfere with hidden politics..."
"And she won't be," Tristan stated, "By choosing a consort she is only making an alliance, which is a far cry from interfering with politics. Look my point is this, unless she chooses a consort from a hidden race then we will never know where her true loyalties lie. This will cause unrest amongst all of us so I find it best that she chose a consort and establish which hidden race has her support!"
"You know what Tristan?" Aradia snapped at him as she shot up from her seat. "I do not get involved in your love life so don't you even think about getting involved in mine!"
"He's right you know,” Roy pointed out once all three of them left the lodge. "You have to chose a consort, Aradia. You have to make your alliances known."
"Who asked you?" Dax snapped as he slipped his arm around Aradia's waist and steered her towards his car.
Aradia had barely any time to say goodbye to Roy before Dax slammed her car door shut, and drove off.
Once they were on the road, Dax heaved a huge sigh. "Since when did Salem turn into the inspiration for the next issue of People magazine?"
He currently had one hand on the wheel while another was holding his chin up, propped up against his window. Aradia just sat staring out her window with her arms folded.
When they pulled into Aradia's driveway and Dax turned off the car; he looked over to Aradia and asked, "You okay?"
"Do you think they are right?" Aradia asked him.
"Right about what?"
"You know what Dax," said Aradia almost irritably.
Dax sighed, and rubbed his hand over his face.
"Aradia" He said and taking both of her hands in his own. "I won't deny that what Tristan said did have some truth to it. However, take it from someone who knows having someone else making choices about your life is never a good idea. In the end, if they mess up your life it is no big deal to them because they got their own life to spare. Your life is your own always, never anyone else's. Always remember that."
Dax started breathing heavily.
"I get the feeling there is something more to this." Aradia observed
Dax sighed, and turned out to look out the window of his car. He could not see his reflection, but he could see Aradia staring at him.
Slowly, he turned to face her. "Before I was turned into a vampire, I was the only son of a member of parliament. I grew up privileged, happy, pampered, and given everything I could ever want."
He rested his head on the steering wheel before he went on. "But I was also very miserable. My father was cruel, harsh, and demanding whose only reason for having a son was to meet the expectations of his peers. He tried to control me at every turn. He told me how to dress, talk, how to eat, who to talk to, who to associate with, everything! He ruled my life like a bloody puppet master!"
Dax slammed his fists into the dashboard.
Aradia was stunned. "How on earth did you cope?"
He turned his head to smile at her weakly. "I had my mother."
His eyes glazed over as if he was remembering something too wonderful to describe.
"My mother was the kindest, most beautiful, and wonderful person in the world. I loved her more than I could possibly say. She was the one who really took care of me, comforted me, and raised me. Basically, she was the only one who truly loved me."
He sighed heavily. "Everything was worth enduring if it meant being with my mother. No one was more important to me than she was. No one!"
Dax's mood then shifted to a darker one as he closed his eyes. "But then one day a vampire came to my house. I tried to protect my mother but...I...couldn't..."
He sighed as if what he wanted to say was something he had to painfully extract. "She pleaded with him to spare my life. She did not care what he did to her just so long as I was safe."
He then pressed his forehead against the wheel, and chuckled softly. "He kept his promise, but in his own sick twisted way. He spared my life, but he turned me into a monster. He turned me into the very creature that killed my mother, and then left me."
"When I was first turned I was so hungry, and sick. I truly felt like I was dying, but unless it is by a wooden stake driven through my heart, or being burned to death by the sun, or any other typical vampire voodoo crap I cannot die. I could not starve myself to death even though I tried. Finally, I began to feed on anything that moved whether it be human or animal. Anything that had blood I devoured it brutally and for years I lived like this as I wandered the streets of London."
He then turned to stare out the window of his car.
"As if I had not committed enough sinful monstrous behavior, I became so lonely that I took three drinks from my best mate and turned him into a vampire."
Aradia gasped, and clutched her hands to her mouth.
"In order to turn someone into another vampire you must drink the person's blood after three nights. The man who killed my mother kept me a prisoner in my own house for three nights so he could turn me, and then tossed me out into the street. After two years of wandering the cold street, in three nights I turned my best mate, Jack, into a vampire! Yes I was no longer lonely, but Jack who in spite of being my best mate in my human life despite my privilege and power was a completely different person once I had turned him. Now all of sudden he had power, and he misused it horribly!"
Dax took a shuddering breath. "I could not accept responsibility for it so I ran away like the weak little coward my father had always said I was."
Much to Aradia's surprise, Dax now began to smile. "But then I met Mr. Dayton. Do you have any idea what meeting him for the first time was like for me? Meeting a vampire who tried to live amongst the humans? I was in complete awe."
He straightened up at this point, but still kept his grip on the wheel. "I had nowhere to go, and he took me in. He showed how to control the demon within me. The beast buried deep inside what is left of my soul that sleeps until it desires blood. I met his wife, Xan, Ginevra, and Domitilla. For the first time in my entire life, I was truly happy. I had a family, and I loved it!"
He was now grinning at Aradia, expecting her to be ple
ased.
Aradia, however, still looked as shocked as she had when Dax began his story.
For a few minutes, she looked from the left to the right in complete silence.
Until finally she asked, "What did he do to your mother?"
"Who?" Dax asked.
"The man who turned you into a vampire, what did he do to your mother?” Aradia stared at him intensely, expecting an answer.
Dax exhaled a deep depressing breath. "He drank her blood slowly in front of me. He made me watch as I saw the life drain from her eyes."
Dax lifted his head and looked straight ahead of him; fiercer and more enraged than Aradia had ever seen him.
"The entire time he was draining her she was reaching out to me, but the bastard had broken both of my legs so I could not even crawl to her. When he was finally done though, I tried to get to her by digging my hands into the carpet and pulling myself towards her."
He shuddered, and clenched both of his fists.
"She was just laying there. My beautiful, wonderful, and loving mum. She was lying as still and as stiff as...as..." Dax broke off.
Aradia opened her mouth to protest his continuation of his story, but he cut her off. "I did not even have a chance to tell her how much I loved her. How important she was to me. But most of all I never got to tell her how...how…”
He pressed his hand against his face.
Somehow he managed to mutter tearfully through his fingers. "I never got to tell her how much I was going to miss her."
"Oh Dax!" Aradia cried out, and then threw her arms around him.
He clung to her, locking them together in a warm tender embrace in the darkness of Dax's car with the moon shining down upon them. Slowly the two of them drew apart, and stared deep into each other's eyes. Dax, mesmerized by Aradia's eyes that were as green as summer grass in the sunshine. While Aradia was pulled in by Dax's romantic jet black eyes that dazzled like black diamonds. Soon Dax captured Aradia's lips with his, making her feel like she had died and gone to heaven.
Their kiss lasted longer than Aradia had ever imagined a kiss could last.
Ultimately, it was Dax who pulled away. "So what will you do?"
"Oh Dax, I want you! Only you! You are my only love, my only life! You are everything to me!” Aradia cried out.
"So will you choose me as your consort?" Dax asked her.
"Yes! Yes! If you agree to be mine I will be yours forever!" Aradia cried clinging to him tighter.
"Then in that case Aradia," Dax said in a soft but very firm voice. "My answer is no."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"What?" Aradia croaked slowly her voice overflowing with confused raw emotion. "What did you say?"
"I said I cannot be your consort," Dax said, staring at her as plainly as if he was saying no to wearing jeans to church.
Aradia drew back from him, her mouth opening, and closing in confused silence. "But why?"
"I do like you Aradia," Dax said, "But I do not know if I love you. It's true I have gotten to know you better over the last six months, but still I cannot honestly say that what I feel for you is love and besides..." He sighed and glanced away. "The last woman I loved was my mother, and I failed to protect her. I swore to myself I would never let that happen again, and if that means never loving anyone again then so be it. I am sorry Aradia. I truly am sorry."
Aradia turned away from him.
After a few silent minutes filled with enormous tension, Dax asked, "Are you alright?"
Using every ounce of self-control she had left, Aradia turned to glare at him.
She then muttered under her breath very slowly and dangerously, "Let me out of the car now!"
"This is so cool!" Robbie shouted as he saw Aradia burn another rock into ash.
"Just shut up and pull!" Aradia shouted.
Quickly Robbie obeyed and this time Aradia used ice to freeze the stone completely.
Robbie had stopped over a few hours ago to show her his latest science project: a wooden catapult. Sensing an opportunity to vent some of her anger, Aradia made up an excuse to show off her powers to Robbie. The two of them then proceeded to spend the entire afternoon loading any kind of object into the wooden catapult, pulling the lever, and watching as Aradia blew it to smithereens! After she froze the stone, Aradia watched as it fell to the ground, and shattered. Just like my heart, Aradia thought bitterly, after Dax broke it.
Aradia had spent the last few weeks avoiding him like the plague. She never spoke to him, never looked at him, and changed seats so she would not sit near him in class. She ignored his phone calls and text messages. Most especially, she blocked him from her Facebook so he could not even message her.
The nerve of him, Aradia thought, the damned nerve of that guy! That bloodsucker! How dare he play me for a fool, and then dump me! How dare he!
Grunting, she shouted again to Robbie. "Pull!"
Envisioning Dax's face as she materialized a metal knife in her hand, Aradia shot it right through the block of wood.
"Aw," Robbie whined, "I wanted to see it explode!"
Aradia clenched her fist, and almost immediately the wood exploded like a firework on July 4.
"Happy now?" she snapped.
"Jeez what's your problem?" Robbie asked.
"Nothing," she snapped again.
Suddenly, she felt tired and stomped over to the wooden picnic bench that was in her backyard and buried her face in her hands.
Eventually, Robbie strolled over to her and also sat on the bench. "Man trouble huh?"
Aradia stared at him with a very puzzled expression.
"Should the fact that you are asking me this and you are only nine concern me a little?” Aradia finally asked him after a moment of stunned awkward silence.
"Okay first of all, my dad has satellite TV so you would be surprised with what I know and second, I am eleven not nine!" Robbie said sounding extremely annoyed.
Aradia groaned. "Look, it's nothing! I am just dealing with some stressful situations here."
"So it is man trouble," Robbie grinned with satisfaction.
Aradia groaned again. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a lot like Al?"
"Yeah why?" Robbie asked her.
Aradia hid a smile before saying, "Nothing I was just curious."
"So," he then asked Aradia in a dramatic tone. "Why don't you tell me about it?"
Aradia glared at him, sarcastically. "You're eleven, what do you know about girls?"
"I know enough to recognize when one of them is sad,” said Robbie without missing a beat.
Aradia groaned yet again, and buried her face in her hands. She then raised her head, and saw Robbie watching her.
"You see I have been hanging out with this guy," Aradia began.
"Ah-ha! Man trouble knew it," Robbie interrupted clapping.
Aradia glared at him, silently letting him know that he was not to interrupt her again. Robbie sat back, humbled, and waited.
Aradia nodded. "As I was saying, he and I were hanging out when I found out that the reason he was dating me was because he wanted to get the dirt on him. He played on my infatuation and used me. However, we had talked and I decided to give him another chance. Guess what? He ends up playing me again!"
"Why would he want to use you?" Robbie asked her.
She sighed and explained, "It’s because being the last witch has all of sudden given me a celebrity status, and everyone wants to date a celebrity. He and I were hanging out after I just found out that the Hidden Council wants me to choose a consort. I was ready to tell him that I chose him...guess what he ends up doing? He turns around and..."
"He dumped you didn't he?" Robbie asked bluntly.
Aradia swallowed a sob, and nodded. "The funny thing is I don't think you can dump someone who technically speaking you were never really dating in the first place but that is of course from his point of view."
The two of them then sat for the next few minutes in silence.
"You
know," Robbie finally said, "If you need a consort that badly I'll be it!"
Aradia chuckled, and ruffled Robbie's hair. "Good to know Roy's sweet personality runs in the family."
"We need to talk!" Roy shouted as he stomped over to where Dax was standing in front of his locker.
Dax turned to him and asked, "What do you want?"
"What did you to do to Rai-Rai?" Roy demanded.
"None of your business."
Dax then slammed his locker shut, and started to walk away.
Roy then grabbed Dax by the shirt collar, and slammed him against the locker.
"Listen to me, you pathetic excuse for a Count Dracula impersonator! I know you do not like me, and quite frankly, I do not think it is possible to hate you more than I already do! What I do like, however, is Aradia! I like her hell of a lot! Since I like her so much I do not want to see her upset. Before she took off with you that night after the meeting, she was fine. Now I have never seen her look so angry or so sad! Needless to say, the concept of the 'before and after' effect has helped me to narrow down the possibilities of what might have happened to her. My guess is you said something to her that hurt her feelings, and I want to know what they were. Like now!"
Dax sighed, looked Roy in the eye, and repeated exactly what he had told Aradia.
Roy said nothing for a few seconds before grabbing Dax's throat with both of his hands.
He then asked through gritted teeth, "Give me one good reason why I should not kill you right here and now?"
Dax sighed with indifference, "Because right now we are in school and if you kill me you might be late for class?"
Roy gaped at him in astonishment.
He recovered himself just in time to say, "Not good enough!"
Dax did not wait for Roy to make a move though. He grabbed Roy by the wrist, twisted it, and then pinned him against the lockers. Roy cried out not in pain and anger.
"Look mate, just because I look eighteen does not mean a bloody thing. I am still three times your age. Therefore, I have three times the experience you have in fighting. So why don't you be a good little werewolf, and shove off with your tail between your legs?"