Tales of Aradia The Last Witch Volume 3 (15 page)

"Man!" Holden gasped. "I
always knew Brenna had a thing for weaker guys but I didn't expect
you to be this weak!"

"Yeah well," Xan croaked
out, "I didn't expect you to be that much of a dirty fighter! I
guess we both got surprises today!"

Holden scowled, but only for
a second.

When he grinned again is
when he cried out, "If it makes you feel any better Xan, I am going
to make sure that Brenna will never forget you. In fact, after I am
done with her not only will she never forget you but she's going to
wish she never met you!"

"Want to bet?" said a voice
from behind him.

Holden raised his head to
turn slightly towards the voice, only to jerk back clutching his
shoulder and howling in pain. Xan quickly looked past Holden to see
Brenna holding a shotgun.

"Xan, get down!" she shouted
which he hastily obeyed.

Holden stood still looking
shocked at Brenna who looked back at him. The expression on her
face was similar to a victim of abuse who was finally fighting
back! Holden tried to move forward, but another shot rang out
followed by another and another!

It was as Holden staggered
towards the railing of the stairs that he gasped aloud. "Silver?
There are silver bullets in that gun! How in the hell could you
possibly afford silver bullets?!"

Brenna chuckled. "What do
you think I spent the money I got from the wedding ring on? Huh? My
college education? Please!"

The world stood still as
Holden leaned against the railing of the stairs, as if he was
clutching on for dear life. Brenna cradled the gun on her shoulder
looking right at Holden.

Despite the agonizing pain
in his body, Holden forced a smile. "Why don't you put the gun down
Brenna honey? You know you are not going to kill me! You do not
have the guts! You're..."

He was cut off by another
shot.

Brenna then muttered darkly.
"You don't know anything about me!"

Holden was
speechless.

Brenna, however, smiled as
she said, "Consider this our final divorce proceedings
'honey'!"

Two more shots rang out
before Holden fell over the railing and hit the floor with a loud
thud!

Brenna dropped the empty
shotgun and raced to Xan's side.

"You okay baby?" she
asked.

"How did you..." He
began.

She chuckled and said, "I am
a werewolf Xan you can't honestly believe a stun gun would put me
to sleep for long?"

"But then why..."

"Well," Brenna admitted
sheepishly with a shrug. "I did need time to get the gun and load
the bullets. I figured the least you could do was keep him busy
while I did that."

"So I was a decoy?" Xan
asked bitterly.

Brenna shrugged
again.

A moment of silence passed
before Xan started to chuckle softly and say, "Well at least you
got here in time to stop me from getting turned into werewolf
meat!"

Brenna began to chuckle as
well, but the mention of Xan's previous situation prompted Brenna
to stand up and edge slowly towards the railing. As she looked
down, she saw on the dirty floor of the boiler room the still human
form of Holden.

"I can't believe it," she
whispered, "It's really over. It's truly over."

Xan wrapped an arm around
her shoulders while murmuring into her ear. "Yes it is baby. It is
over."

Brenna and Xan buried Holden
behind the building not stopping until he was truly six feet under.
Aradia had still been too weak from the witch runes to
help.

However, she did have the
strength to say, "Does anybody want to say a few words?"

She had meant it as a joke,
but apparently, no one thought it was funny.

Brenna, however, looked down
at the spot where Holden now lay. "Actually I do have something to
say."

Taking one huge long breath
Brenna spoke only a few words. "I hope he rots in hell
slowly!"

She then spun on her heel,
and stalked off.

"Aradia!" Dax cried out as
he rushed towards her.

He then swept her up into
his arms, right from the staircase.

Not caring how many people
were staring or grumbling about 'currying her favor', Dax spun her
around joyously. "I am so glad you are okay! I was worried sick
about you!"

"Yeah right," Roy
muttered.

Even that did not divert
Dax's attention from Aradia.

He kept spinning her around
and hugging her until finally Aradia cried out, "For crying out
loud Dax put me down before I get airsickness!"

Dax laughed as he set her on
her feet, but barely two seconds passed before he brought his mouth
down hard onto her's. Shocked at his actions, Aradia at first tried
to struggle until the sweetness of Dax's kiss began to set in. For
five long minutes, in front of all their friends, and Aradia's
other suitors, Aradia and Dax lost themselves in their passionate
kiss.

Until finally Tristan pried
them apart by grabbing Dax's arm. "No fair getting an early start
man! The choosing of her consort deadline isn't until the end of
May! Wait until that time and then you can start laying the hot and
heavy moves on her!"

He chuckled while Dax
scowled at him, but before Dax even spoke Aradia interrupted.
"Actually Tristan, I have decided to choose my consort at the
junior prom."

Everyone turned to look at
her in shock.

"The junior prom?" Tristan
stuttered, "At Salem High? That is a human event!
That's..."

"That's the date I have set
it upon," Aradia interrupted sharply, "Take it or leave
it!"

He grumbled before saying,
"God if you weren't so powerful I'd..."

"Yeah well I am!" Aradia
snapped, "So get over your disappointment!"

Tristan snorted, and then
turned on his heel to leave.

It was while he was on the
stairs that he looked towards the crowd. "Well I don't know about
you guys, but since the last witch is safe and sound I no longer
feel obligated to protect her. Therefore, I am going home where a
hot brunette who happens to be my future wife is waiting for me
with a bottle of champagne and a mind full of dirty
ideas!"

"Poor unlucky bitch!" Al
joked making many of the people laugh loudly.

Tristan paused on the
staircase before shaking his head, and deciding confrontation was
not worth it.

Slowly, the others all
followed his lead except for Roy who stayed behind with Dax and
Aradia.

Eyeing them sharply still
holding each other Roy snapped, "Aren't you coming?"

Dax looked to Aradia who
said, "We will be up in a minute."

Roy did not move.

It was only after Aradia
threw him a "please understand" look when he finally took
off.

Once they were alone, Dax
smiled and tried to kiss Aradia again, but she stopped him from
doing so by placing two fingers on his lips.

"What?" Dax
asked.

"We need to talk," said
Aradia.

The last time she said that
the outcome had been horrible so Aradia braced herself for Dax's
reaction.

Surprisingly, he just
shrugged and said, "Okay about what?"

After getting over the
surprise of Dax's reaction, Aradia cleared her throat, and said,
"Do you know when the next High Hidden Council meeting is
happening?"

Dax nodded and asked,
"Why?"

Aradia sighed and said, "I
think I have an idea of how I can choose a consort without inciting
a war."

Stunned, Dax asked,
"How?"

Aradia shook her head. "Not
until I speak to the leaders. I have to see if my idea will work
first."

Dax nodded, but after a few
seconds he could not help but ask, "So who have you chosen to be
your consort my little Rai of sunshine and rainbow
light?"

Aradia smiled before
breaking free of his grasp. It was while she was at the bottom of
the stairs and in the process of climbing them when she turned to
Dax.

She then said grinning
wickedly, "If I told you I would be spoiling a big surprise and why
would I want to go and do that?"

Dax laughed softly. "You are
such a tease."

"You know it!" Aradia said
throwing her head back with a laugh.

It was not until the next
month when the meeting finally took place on Wednesday. Aradia
waited until after it was done to speak with the leaders alone. She
told Dax to wait for her outside, and then approached them as they
sat back down at the table.

"What?" Tristan's father
snapped.

Aradia ignored his rudeness
and said, "I wish to address the issue of my choosing a
consort."

"Oh for the love of God!"
Tristan's father thundered, "Enough with the 'choosing of a
consort' issue! It is all everyone has been talking about for the
last year! It's all my son has been saying and..."

"Excuse me your highness,
but may I please finish?" Aradia interrupted in a calm but very
intimidating voice.

The council was silenced
until Tristan's father begrudgingly nodded.

Aradia than inhaled and
said, "First of all, I wish to let you know that I do not mean to
undermine your authority in the hidden community. When your people
first started coming to me I..."

"You took over our decisions
and made us look like fools in front of all our people!" The shape
shifter leader snapped, slamming his fist on the table.

Stunned by this, Aradia
nevertheless gathered her courage and sighed before defending
herself. "But I always referred them to you. In fact, quite often
all I did was providing them with arguments for their issues to
help with your final judgment."

"What's your point?" The
vampire leader snapped. Apparently, he too was irritated at
Aradia's quick rise to power.

Aradia gulped, but was
determined to press on. "Look my point is this I do not wish to
undermine your authority or challenge any of you but most of all I
do not wish to incite war amongst the hidden community."

"So what do you suggest?"
One of the alpha wolves asked.

Aradia sighed willing
herself to have the strength to do what she was planning. "I
propose exiling me from the Hidden community. You can still allow
me to live in Salem, but you can ban me from the High Hidden
Council meetings and everything else involving the hidden
community."

Everyone at the table stared
at her with their mouths open in astonishment.

Aradia sighed before
continuing again, "And if you truly think it is truly necessary
then I will leave Salem."

"Either way," she said
trying to finish her proposal. "I just want you to know that all I
ever wanted was to make the hidden community of Salem better so
with that in mind I leave you to your decision."

Aradia then turned to leave
but before she even took one step one of the alpha wolves shouted
out, "Wait!"

Aradia turned back to face
him, and the others did as well.

Roy's alpha
spoke.

At first, he looked
uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the others, but he continued
regardless. "I was told how you helped my niece Brenna deal with
Holden and I just want to know why?"

Aradia was perplexed. "What
do you mean?"

"Why did you help her and
ask for nothing in return?" He asked, "Is it because she is the
cousin of one of your suitors?"

Aradia shook her head
furiously protesting that that was definitely not it.

"Then why?" he
asked.

Aradia sighed. "I maybe
young and inexperienced in the ways of the hidden, but I do know
right from wrong and helping your niece get away from a man who was
vilely debasing her was definitely the right thing to
do."

"Believe it or not," Aradia
finalized with a shrug. "That's all I care about. Not power, not
influence, nor anything else except doing what is
right."

For a while, no one said
anything. The High Hidden Council just stared at her while she
returned their steely gaze.

Finally, the alpha that sat
in the middle spoke, "To tell you the truth we have been discussing
this matter thoroughly. Whether you wish it so or not Aradia, you
will always be in a position of power and we have to admit while
you could be uniting our own people against us you have graciously
respected the laws of our people and our own positions."

Aradia looked around at the
other leaders, and could not help but notice the bitter look in all
their expressions.

Nevertheless, the middle
alpha continued, "And after the incident involving Brenna where you
unselfishly helped a different member of the hidden race with no
expectation of reward it is clear to us that you are no political
threat."