Tales of Aradia The Last Witch Volume 5 (20 page)

He shook his head.
Tonight
, he
realized,
tonight I must get her to bed. I
must win her loyalty.

He then walked up slowly
behind her.
So it's a good thing that I am
not a novice at such matters. I know what to say and how to make
her want me.

He softly put his hand on
her shoulders and began to massage them.

"Saul, please!" Aradia
pleaded.

"Shh!" Saul said as he
placed a kiss lightly on the back of her neck. "I know that you
don't want me to do anything and I won't Aradia."

His hands slid down her
arms. "I won't do anything to you Aradia, I promise."

"Then stop touching
me!"

Aradia tried to struggle but
he caught both her hands and folded them into front of her stomach.
He then placed a kiss on the side of her neck. He slowly ran his
tongue over her ear as he trailed more kisses down her neck. He
wrapped his finger around the halter top strap and slowly pulled it
down. Kissing her bare shoulder as it was revealed.

"Saul please!"

"Sh! Aradia, I love you. I
love you so much. You are an amazing woman. You are perfect in
every way. You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever met." His
lips never left her skin as he whispered all this to her. In his
experience, words helped to lower a woman's guard. He knew that in
spite of the rape, Aradia would eventually crave a man's touch. All
he had to do was be gentle with her, reassure her confidence with
compliments, and stroke her animal instincts with his
hands.

His hand slowly reached out
and began to caress her breast. His tongue slowly flicked out and
licked her back as he clutched it. Aradia just stood still, softly
moaning. He peeled off her top and grabbed both of her breasts with
her hands. He then extended his arms around her waist as his hands
traveled down. Finally, he turned her around to face him. Once
again he kissed her and plunged his tongue into her mouth. This
wasn't the first time Aradia had been French kissed. Roy had kissed
her passionately and clumsily. Saul, however was different. His
tongue stroked the inside of her mouth as her tongue went into his.
Her hands began to slip around his neck. Saul gripped her behind
with both of his hands and swept her up into his arms. He never
broke the kiss as he carried her up the stairs. He softly laid her
down onto the bed.

"Wait Saul," Aradia tried to
say, "I don't want to take any chances. I need
protection?"

After peeling off his shirt,
Saul leaned down and kissed her again. He then reached over to the
beside table and pulled out a condom wrapper. He never broke the
kiss as he tore it open. The only time his lips left hers was when
they traveled down her stomach. His hands left her body to peel off
his jeans. After putting the condom on, he wove his arms around her
own. He caressed her with his mouth, his hands, even his own skin.
His cold skin against her own hot sweaty flesh.

The first time Aradia had
been penetrated it had hurt her like no tomorrow. She had felt like
she been stabbed by a red hot poker. Saul was gentle when he
entered her. He whispered as he went in slowly. It still hurt but
Aradia was beginning to feel the one emotion she had never really
felt before: pleasure.

Saul lay with his back
against the headboard. He had only briefly left Aradia's side to
toss away the used condom and apply sunscreen. The last thing he
needed to do was to lie by Aradia's side and start bursting in to
flames. He felt contended more than he ever had in a hundred years.
He had had so many lovers but Aradia was different. He felt it was
probably because she was the last witch and her power intimidated
him. Another part argued that maybe it was because she was so naive
and trusting.

In the end it didn't matter
because he had her now and he was never going to let her go. He was
going to treat her to a concert and wine and dine her in New York.
He had chosen this week because he knew the High Hidden Council was
having a meeting on Tuesday. Aradia had missed ten of them by now
and missing another would make the others take her membership into
serious re-consideration.

Thus making her more
isolated,
he thought with a satisfied
grin,
and even more willing to join our
side.

"She isn't here again?" King
Rian demanded.

Tristan winced a bit at his
father's tone. He didn't envy his father's page being the one to
deliver the message.
I can see the wisdom
in the saying 'kill the messenger.'

King Rian didn't seem notice
nor care about his page quaking in front of him. Or the fact that
the other council leaders were watching him with wide eyes. Tobias,
the Night Shadow clan leader, seemed surprised that Aradia was a
no-show again. Brannon, the Paramount of all the Shape-Shifters in
Salem, looked more annoyed than anything else. Adolfo and Castel,
who were now considered the representation of all the werewolves in
Salem, sat right next to each other and looking more grim faced
than ever.

They are still arranging
their brother or cousin whatever's funeral
,
Tristan thought,
this in addition to the
fights leading to the tournament must be really burning their
fuel.

While the council started
arguing about this newest 'Aradia' scandal Tristan took the time to
gaze around the room. He caught a glimpse of Roy clutching the hand
of his girlfriend Melina. The training fights had began about a
week ago and Roy was already nursing his first wounds. His eye was
swollen and bruising and several scrapes of bleeding flesh could be
seen on his face. Huge swollen bumps could be seen on his head in
addition to huge teeth marks on his legs and arms. Usually
werewolves wounds healed in about two days so Tristan guessed that
these wounds were new.

Like last night
new
, he realized grimly.

The fact that Melina looked
much thinner and gaunt also supported his theory. He had to admit
he had never seen that woman look so freaked. Her eyes darted
around like a frightened deer. She clutched her boyfriend's hand as
if she was holding on for dear life. She even sat close to him as
if she was afraid that in one brief moment he would be taken from
her.

Tristan shrugged.
Sad really but what can you do?

He smirked.
I bet Aradia would do something.
He tried to stifle a laugh as he thought about
what Aradia might do in this type of situation.
She'd probably give a huge inspirational speech and then throw
a party. She would give out free food and stuff and then bitch and
moan about cleaning up.

He couldn't help but chuckle
as he envisioned Aradia running around, trying to unite people, and
pulling off risky but brilliant political tactics in like nano
seconds. He envisioned her running around in her causal but chic
outfits trying to be a teenager and yet a Queen at the same time.
He remembered her shrill laugh, her biting wit, her poor eating
habits, her tendency to twirl her hair around her neat little
finger whenever she was thinking. Right before his very eyes there
seemed to be a vision of Aradia turning her head towards him,
flipping her golden red hair back, and her cute pink mouth
splitting into a pearly white smile.

Sighing a little, Tristan
put his hand against his face.
Unbelievable! I confess to hating the wench and yet here I am
missing her.

He hated to admit but he
did. He did miss trading insults with Aradia. He did miss mocking
all her efforts of helping the hidden people. Most of all, he
missed the surprise he always felt seeing all her efforts pay
off.

Yet what can I do?
Tristan speculated,
I
don't know where Aradia is or even if she's acting normal. Who knew
getting your heart broken could completely destroy you?

"Then it's
settled!"

Hearing his father speak was
what brought Tristan's attention back to the meeting.

King Rian cleared his
throat. "According to my page Dallen, Aradia has been acting
extremely disrespectful these past months and the only reason for
this is because she is suffering from a broken heart!"

"How can we expect her to be
a part of the council when she acts like forlorn teenage girl?"
Brannon cried out.

"Hello?" Tobias pointed out
while rolling his eyes, "it was you who said we should give her a
position on the council in the first place."

"Only because you all agreed
with me," Brannon argued.

"Well that was only because
we saw her as a potential political influence," Adolfo muttered but
everyone heard him and nodded.

King Rian massaged his
temples and then slammed his fist on the table. "Yeah well this is
what we get for putting our trust in a snot-nosed, whiny, preachy
child! We should have never given her a seat of power on the
council regardless whose idea it was. In light of her latest
antics, we have but one chance to rectify our mistake."

The rest of the council
nodded resolutely. Tristan just watched in trepidation. Titania
could sense the tension in him and that what was going to happen
wasn't going to be good.

"If the council is in
agreement with me," King Rian said, "then we have no choice but to
revoke Aradia's position of power on the High Hidden Council. We
must take away her title of Witch Queen, and expel her from the
council."

Titania gasped and covered
her mouth with her hands even Tristan couldn't believe it. His
father had made no secret that he had been against Aradia having a
position in power but there was no way he could deny all good that
she had done.

The other council members
nodded once again. King Rian cleared his throat and smiled. "Well
if we are agreed then I put it towards an actual
motion."

The tension in the room was
now so thick you could cut it with a knife. Neither Roy nor Melina
moved or said anything. They, like Tristan and Titania, were too
stunned.

"All those in favor of
revoking Aradia's title and position and demoting her to the rank
of the lowest civilian," King Rian stated, "raise your
hand..."

Brannon and the others had
barely raised their hand before a loud cry was heard.

"Father, wait!"

Every head, most especially
King Rian's, turned quickly towards the sound. Tristan was amazed
at how fast he had stood up in defense of Aradia. Now that he had
and was being stared at by everyone in the lodge he couldn't very
well excuse his statement and sit back down. For a few awful
moments, he just stood still and awkward facing his crowd of
onlookers.

Until finally King Rian
said, with a patronizing sneer, "Yes son, what is it?"

Tristan gulped.
"Uh...well...that is...I mean."

"If you have something to
say then I suggest you say it."

Tristan still struggled and
sputtered.

King Rian then turned his
face away and said, "well if they are no further arguments then all
those in favor of revoking Aradia's title as
Witch-Queen..."

"Father, wait! Just wait a
minute!"

King Rian narrowed his eyes
as he turned to his son once more.

This time Tristan was ready
and knew what to say. He cleared his throat and began, "I know
Aradia has been acting strangely lately but don't you think it's a
bit extreme to take away her title."

He took another breath
before going on. "I mean she has done a lot of good for the hidden
people of Salem. She has helped our society to advance by
introducing laws to keep or people safe. All this in addition to
helping promoting tolerance in effort to deter the violence
existing among us. Don't you think after everything she has done
for us she deserves a little bit of clemency? I mean to take away
her title would be like exiling her from the hidden community. To
suffer such humiliation would be making her a social pariah. No
hidden in Salem would dare approach her after this. In friendship
or in anything!"

The council listened to this
and then turned to King Rian. He merely signed and said, "I am
sorry son, but a leader no matter what their age must always act
like one. Whether she chose the title or not, Aradia was meant to
be a leader to this community. As a leader she must control her
emotions and always put her people's needs in front of her own. No
hidden leader is allowed to make mistakes and Aradia is no
exception. She cannot afford to make mistakes and we cannot allow
her to. Everything has consequences Tristian, shirking your duty
and becoming a social pariah is just one of them."

"But what if Aradia comes
back?" Tristan asked, almost pathetically. He knew he was grasping
at straws by now but he had to try. "What if all this is just
temporary? What if Aradia comes to her senses and wants to come
back?"

King Rian sighed. "You
weren't listening to a thing Dallen said did you?"

"What?"'

He sighed once again. "He
just said that he personally saw Aradia leave Salem with her new
boyfriend. It seems that Aradia's new favorite band is performing
in Central Park, and the vampire she has been seen with has VIP
tickets."