by Jones, L. A.
Saul's expression brightened.
"He has considered that having the witch at our disposal is essential to winning the war. Push come to shove, Aradia is the ultimate weapon and we rather have the ultimate weapon at our disposal than working against us."
"Furthermore," she added, "judging by the way she can comprehend and uncover plots we cannot risk having her expose our plans. Therefore, whether it's willing or not you must bring the last witch to us. The time is ripe to do this. Her title and reputation ruined means should she disappear no one will be the wiser. Most of all, no one will care and no one will come looking for her."
"When should I bring her to you?" Saul asked.
"Don't think for one moment that just because the Sovereign's view of the last witch has changed the deadline has as well. You still have until the end of the summer so in one week's time you must bring her to us."
Saul gulped. "What if I can't?"
Morgan sighed. "Then we will have to come up with a new plan to acquire now won't we? Either way I can personally assure you that the last witch will be ours. "
Saul sighed.
"But for now," Morgan added, "you must go to the supplier tonight to deliver another package of Rage. This batch will be more potent though."
Saul couldn't help but sigh. "Another assassination?"
Morgan chuckled. "Indeed."
Kaiser was still in New York and was talking to Aradia over the phone. Since Saul had destroyed her old one, Shayde had given her a new phone.
"Think of it as an early birthday present," Shayde had reasoned, "very early."
So now here she was, walking all alone to Saul's loft.
"I still think this is nuts!" Kaiser argued.
"I can't risk having you guys there," Aradia explained, "he might use one of you as hostages. The fact that he can hit a woman proves that he is indeed that cowardly."
Kaiser couldn't argue with that.
"Besides," Aradia went on, "I need to do this. I need to do this not just for the investigation but for myself as well. For crying out loud Kaiser, he hit me! Repeatedly! If I ever want to respect myself I have to stand up to him."
"He might kill you, you know," Kaiser didn't want to but he had to point that out.
Aradia sighed heavily. "If I don't call in a hour then that means I am getting my ass kicked which also means 'help come quick he's going to kill me!"
"I will never understand how you can joke at times like these," Kaiser murmured.
Aradia chuckled and at that very moment is when Saul chose to leave his loft. Aradia froze and hid beside a building. She was indeed worried about him smelling her which is why she had checked one of the books earlier from the Coven library. One of them in particular showed her how to make an amulet that could mask one's scent. The charm was temporary, like twenty four hours temporary, but the book said it was very effective.
Only one way to find out, Aradia thought to herself as she watched Saul lock up the loft. He paused but only for a few seconds before reeling out his motorcycle. He then got on, revved it up, and sped away. Summoning a crystal ball in her hand, she gazed into it and recognized where he was heading. She then dialed Shayde's number and told her where to pick her up.
The Salem community center had once been a great place for children of all ages to come and play at. However, once the neighborhood got bad things started taking a dramatic turn for the worse. Graffiti started showing up all over the walls, equipment started getting wrecked, and so on. Until finally the owner just padlocked the doors and put the center on the market. Although it had been on sale before the real estate market crashed no one had bought it. Therefore, it still belonged to the original owner Ulrike Bauer who happened to be Kaiser's cousin. Hence why Aradia had a copy of the key.
"I still think you should let me come in with you," Shayde argued.
Aradia shook her head as they pulled up besides the center. "If anything happened to you, I could never forgive myself," Shayde muttered.
"Which is exactly why you aren't coming in with me," Aradia stated, "you have already done so much for me. I am very grateful, but I draw the line on you risking your life."
"And besides," Aradia muttered, "it's like I told Kaiser I need to do this for myself. This guy hit me and abused me and I can't let him get away with that. Not if I ever want to respect myself as a woman or as a person again."
There was a hallowed silence between them for a few seconds until Shayde said, "when I was twelve I was forced to be a child bride to a man thirty years older than me."
Aradia's widened.
"If that was not horrific enough the next ten years of my life were just as bad. He beat me almost every single day, starved me, and treated me like I was less than dirt. Until one final day, he beat me up so bad that he almost killed me. In fact at the time he actually thought he had killed me. He brought me to a ditch by the side of the road and dumped me like I was a sack of garbage. Only God knows how but I was still alive."
"And that's when Whisper found you?"
Shayde nodded. "She didn't turn them then, she just took me home and nursed me back to health. For the next few years or so, Whisper and I traveled together until one day she proposed to me."
Aradia winced. She was happy for Shayde but she still remembered the horrible experience with Henry.
"I accepted and she turned me. We have been together ever since." Although the story ended on a happy note, Shayde even smiled for a bit, a solemn mood hung in the background.
"But," she added, "I never forgot what my ex-husband did to me all those years ago. I never forgot what it was like to be a victim of abuse."
"What happened to him?" Aradia couldn't help but inquire.
"Oh don't worry I got my revenge," Shayde concluded with a wicked grin, "I tortured him for hours but when I finally killed him..."
She sighed. "It's funny how nothing is ever good as you thought it would be."
"What about your relationship with Whisper?"
Shayde grinned. "That was even better!"
Reluctantly, Shayde did leave Aradia behind at the center who turned towards it. She stared up at the building looming ominously over her like Castle Dracula. I wonder if Van Helsing ever felt like this.
Her heart has heavy as a brick, Aradia used the key she had gotten from Kaiser and let herself in. The whole place was spooky dark and apprehension was just one of the emotions Aradia felt. She swallowed as she kept to the walls, trying hard to hide in the darkness. At first, she just moved blindly forward until she heard voices. She then moved towards their direction.
"About time you got here," someone snapped.
"Gimme a break Ricky, the traffic was murder."
Aradia instantly recognized Saul's voice and clenched her fist. She peered around the corner and saw him. She also saw Kaiser's cousin exactly the way he had described him. Black hair, short stature, and always sweating profusely. What baffled her, however, was the fact that Ricky was human. I can't believe Kaiser didn't tell me.
"Yeah well my customers are going to break my legs if I don't deliver the product like now!" Ricky snapped.
Saul snorted as he tossed him a heavy black satchel.
Ricky checked the contents and grinned as soon as she saw the pills.
"Hello down payment on a speed boat," he murmured.
Saul chuckled.
Ricky snapped the satchel shut and pulled a thick folder of papers to give to Saul.
"Are you sure this all the information you have?" Saul asked as he quickly filed through them.
"No, I am sure that this is all the information you will need."
Saul smirked while Ricky chortled. He then picked up the satchel and threw the strap over his shoulder.
Although there was nothing keeping him there Ricky couldn't help but make idle conversation. "So how goes everything?"
Saul merely shrugged.
There was a dramatic pause before Ricky said, "The plan is succeeding?"
"M
ore than we thought," Saul commented.
Ricky laughed at this. "No problems or nothing?"
Saul fixed narrowed eyes on him. "If you are worried about your cousin finding stuff out I can assure you that that is no problem."
"Kaiser doesn't know anything?" Ricky sounded pathetically hopeful.
"Oh hell no! He knows plenty."
Ricky's face grew ghostly pale. "What?"
Saul sighed. "Dude! Your cousin is a drug dealer. If he wasn't clever, he would have been shot years ago. Problem with being clever is that you notice things. Things that are better left ignored."
Ricky looked as sick as a dog. "Do you think he suspects..."
Saul shrugged. "Probably."
Ricky's own shoulders sagged heavily.
Saul noticed and patted him on the back. "No worries though Ricky. Thanks to your description and information we have been able to keep him out of the loop. He neither sells nor buys Rage. He's perfectly safe."
Ricky sighed in relief.
"Besides," Saul added, "it doesn't matter if he knows or not. What's he going to do about it? He can't report us or nothing especially not to the humans. The good thing about not being a united species is there is no universal government to fear. There's no F.B.I, or police force or anything. There is nothing to stop us."
"Oh I wouldn't go that far."
Saul's eyes widened as he spun around. He dropped the folders the moment he saw Aradia who calmly stepped out of the shadows.
Ricky also stood stock still, completely frozen in fright.
For a while, the three all just stared at each other.
Until Saul began, "now Aradia this isn't..."
A quick cock of her head made Saul fly to the right, and collide into the stone wall. Ricky spun on his heel in attempt to get the hell out of there. Aradia just snapped her fingers and thick ropes appeared out of nowhere. They bound themselves like snakes around Ricky who fell to the floor squirming.
Aradia began to walk towards him but then saw Saul get up. He stared at Aradia before trying to dash away. She thought about binding him with ropes too but Saul would easily break them.
I guess I am going to have take him down the old fashioned way.
Aradia then cracked her knuckles before chasing after him.
Saul had reached the doors when Aradia grabbed his jacket. She threw him backwards before placing her own back to the door. She placed one hand on the lock and in an instant heard the door click.
Saul lay flat on his back as Aradia approached him. His expression had changed, it was hardened and intimidating.
"Now Aradia," He began as he got to his feet. "Let's just talk this out sugar."
Aradia raced forward and punched him hard in the face. His back hit the stone wall again as she gritted her teeth and said, "don't call me sugar!"
Saul's eyes became even more lethal. He then lunged forward and wrapped his hands around her throat.
"Dammit Aradia! I don't want to hurt you but I will if I have to."
"It's not me you should be worried about," Aradia managed to murmur before stomping on his foot.
As soon as his grip loosened, she thrust her knee straight into his shins. He faltered and Aradia threw a round house kick which sent him flying.
Aradia slowly walked towards him and said, "all I want to know is why? Why did you do all this? Why?"
"Why do you think?" Saul snapped. "I was ordered to!"
Aradia's eyes widened. "Somebody ordered you to seduce me, to trick me, to isolate me from my friends and family and distract me while you sold Rage on the street."
Saul couldn't help but sneer. "Yeah."
Aradia lunged forward to wrap her fingers around his neck. "I am going to kill you so help me God!"
Saul head butted her and then punched her away. She skidded on the basket ball court floor rubbing her nose.
Now it was Saul's turn to approach her. "I did you a favor Goddamnit! Yeah you got kicked out of your home but so what? Your parents were only holding you back! So were your friends especially that stupid boyfriend of yours Dax."
Aradia stared up at him.
Saul laughed. "Yeah I knew about him. Who do you think hired his old girlfriend to come to Salem and seduce him? Did you honestly believe it was mere coincidence that she just happened to show up at that particular time? Ha! I planned it. I planned it all. I knew the effect she would have on him and I knew that you guys were having problems. Fire plus gasoline equals..."
He laughed again.
Aradia got to her feet and they slowly circled each other.
"I didn't want it to be this way Aradia," Saul murmured, "I swear."
Aradia didn't say anything.
Saul ran his fingers through his hair. "I love you sweetheart. I want us to be together that's why I did it. That's why I did it all."
Aradia clenched her fists. "You are such a freaking liar!"
She threw a punch at him which he easily dodged. "I never lied about my feelings to you."
"Then why did you kill Roy's uncle? Why?" Aradia demanded as she threw him a right hook.
Saul stayed silent until he grabbed her forearm.
He then pressed his face right to Aradia's and hissed, "that was none of my doing. His death was part of a grander scale and part of a bigger plan. He didn't understand what was best for his kind. He didn't understand that in order to achieve progress one must make a few sacrifices."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Aradia demanded as she grabbed him by the back of his shirt and flipped him over.
He didn't hesitate as he landed flat on his back. In one second he jumped up and faced Aradia.
"I am talking about the future Aradia. A glorious future full of order and structure. Imagine the hidden world no longer plagued by chaos and death. The hidden race fully integrated with the humans and living together. United as one people under one government."
"Oh? And what government would that be?" Aradia demanded.
"Ours!"
Aradia locked gazes with him and they stopped circling one another. For a few seconds, they just stood facing each other.
"Who are you working for? What are you up to?" Aradia finally demanded.
Saul chuckled. "That's for me to know and for you to come with me now!"
"Never!"
Saul threw his head back and laughed. "Never say never my sweet! Never say never!"
Chapter Thirty-Four
Saul lunged forward with his claws and fangs extended and curved. This time Aradia was ready for him. The weeks she had stayed with Whisper and Shayde they had taught her some fighting techniques. It was to help her get off the drugs and to defend herself against Saul should he ever try to hit her again. Most of all, it was to make sure her revenge was sweet.
Saul hadn't expected this from Aradia so when she dodged he had been surprised. Aradia took this as an advantage and kicked him once again in the back. Saul turned and lunged again. Aradia attempted to dodge him but his hand caught her hair.
Before she realized it she was on the floor and he was on top of her. He hissed as Aradia struggled. She stared at him straight in the eyes before thrusting up her arms and pushing them against his own. She raised herself up enough to head butt him and then kicked him from under his chin. Saul fell but quickly got up.
In spite of her winning the fight so far Aradia thought to herself, I will never be able to stop him with just brute strength. I could hold out until sunrise but I don't know how long that will be.
Saul lunged again and Aradia spun out his way. If I want to end this fight on a winning note and with all my limbs still enact I need an advantage.
While she dodged Saul's blows her eyes glanced around for a weapon. She knew she could conjure a piece of wood out of thin air but that would take too much of her energy. Besides Saul knew she could do that so he would be expecting her to make such a move. This would easily give him an advantage and an opportunity to use her own power against her.
I have to do
something that he isn't expecting.
Aradia's eyes kept darting around until she saw something sticking out of Ricky's back pocket. Could it really be what I think it is? She doubted but then she decided it was well worth the risk.
She threw a kick at Saul which temporarily threw him off balance. Aradia then raced forward to get to Ricky. Saul chased after her. She had barely reached Ricky's pocket before Saul grabbed her leg and yanked her back. Aradia fell with a loud and painful thud. She winced as the pain hit her knee hard. Saul tried to yank her back but Aradia semi turned and using her free leg kicked Saul right in the face.
He cried out and leapt back but only for a moment. A second later he lunged once again right at her throat. Aradia was on her knees right in front of him and amazingly all she did was throw up her hand to stop him.
Saul hand's were almost at Aradia's throat when he stopped. He looked down as Aradia pulled her hand away. There, sticking out of Saul's chest, was a small piece of wood with a tiny red eraser on its end.
"A number two pencil?" Saul gasped.
"In an age where everybody uses pens," Aradia muttered with a smile, "Go figure huh?"
Saul fell backwards still gasping in pain. Aradia got to her feet and stood over him. Slowly she raised her leg and stepped lightly on the pencil.
Saul gasped once again.
"You know," Aradia remarked, "it's a damn good thing I didn't hit your heart but don't think for one moment that wasn't my intention. After all, if I move the pencil like this,"
She used her foot to move the pencil at an angle and Saul cried out in pain.
"It would go straight toward your heart," Aradia went on but then she lowered her voice, "and if I tap it ever so slightly it would kill you."
For a few tense seconds, Aradia just stared at him. "You know I should kill you. You played me, manipulated me, and you tried to destroy my own home right behind my back! I should kill you for everything you have done."
She stared fiercely in his eyes, her thoughts heavily concealed. Another few tense seconds passed before Aradia lifted her foot from the pencil. "But you haven't corrupted me that much. There a bunch of lines I have crossed but there is one that I never will. I will never ever be a killer. Justified or not. I will not kill Not even for you!"