Tales of Aradia The Last Witch Volume (15 page)

“Oh, you’re a real player. And I thought…”

“What?” she replied. “You thought what!”

“Nothing,” he said, eyes down, turning to leave.
“Never mind. I’m going to be late for class.”

He tried to stomp off, but this time Aradia grabbed
his arm. “Oh that’s typical,” she said. “You beat around the bush,
make a big deal about it, but when it comes time to man up,
suddenly you don’t have anything to say. What’s your problem?”

“Nothing’s my problem,” he muttered.

“Yeah? Then why the hell are you picking a fight with
me in the middle of the hallway?”

The second bell rang, indicating that they were now
late for class.
At least now we’ll be able to finish this fight
in private
.

Roy shook his head again and tried to pull away, but
Aradia wasn’t letting go. She was confident that he would
bruise.

“This is seriously not cool, Roy. I am not okay with
this.”

“With what?” he asked.

“With you acting all overprotective and jealous.”

“I’m not jealous!” Roy bellowed defensively.

“Oh, of course not,” Aradia sneered derisively. “In
order to be jealous, you’d have to like me, and you can’t admit
that now, can you.”

He actually pried at her fingers with his free hand,
but she still wasn’t letting go.

“Please, Aradia…”

“Begging? Begging a girl to let go of your arm? Real
macho. Real tough.” She knew she’d regret this later, but she was
so irate she didn’t care. “I’ve been totally honest with you. You
think it was easy, having those conversations with you and Dax?
Baring my soul to both of you like that? Hell no. But I did it,
because it was the honest thing to do. But you? You won’t even be
honest with how you feel about me.”

“Aradia, you know–”

“Of course I know! Everybody in school knows how you
feel about me. But you won’t just say it!”

“Hey! I asked you if you liked me and you didn’t
answer either.”

“Fine then! I like you! Or I did until this
conversation. Does that make you happy?”

Roy was stunned into silence.

“Of course you don’t have anything to say,” Aradia
replied, finally releasing his arm. She didn’t notice that the hand
on that arm had turned purple. “What a shocker.”

She stormed off to Algebra, leaving Roy staring after
her. His mouth opened and closed randomly, as if contemplating
speech, but no sound came out.

"So," Dax said upon entering the greenhouse, "What's
up?"

He made sure to shut the door behind him. As he did
so Aradia got shivers up her spine.
He even makes slamming a
door sound sexy
. She reminded herself that any Study Hall
student could get a pass to visit the greenhouse, so they could
theoretically have company any moment.

"I just wanted to ask if you are okay," Aradia
stated, trying to sound sensitive.

"Of course I am,” he replied. “Should I not be?"

"Well," Aradia ventured cautiously, "I did go out on
a date yesterday. With Roy. You know?"

Dax smiled. "I was aware. How did it go, by the
way?"

Aradia stared in disbelief.

"Dax," she asked slowly and clearly as if she were
speaking to somebody who was only just learning English. "Can
vampires get high? Because I kind of feel like you are."

He laughed and said, "Aradia, I do like you, and I
will not deny the thought of you being with that werewolf makes me
want to get him neutered, but I don't own you. You are neither my
property nor my girlfriend. You are entitled to do whatever you
want."

Aradia just gaped, completely astonished at his
attitude.

"Seriously?" she asked him.

“You said so yourself when you proposed our
alternating dates program,” he replied. “I agreed with you then, as
I do now. I’m sure Roy has been just as agreeable, no?”

Aradia started to answer, but Dax cut her off. “Don’t
reply to that question. That was base of me.”

Aradia replied, “I’m sure you’ve already heard about
our little rumble during break today.”

“Rumors? Gossip? I’m too old for such things.”

She laughed so hard she snorted. “Seriously, Dax, it
is such a relief that you are being so mature about this
situation.”

"I can’t say where this is going, with us," he added
with a shrug. "If things between us do progress, and you are my
girlfriend, I would expect certain changes in behavior.”

“Like no dating other guys?” she replied with a
smile.

“That’s a prime example,” he agreed deadpan. “But
other than that... What it comes down to, Aradia, is that I do not
believe in telling women what to do. I don’t believe in telling
anyone what to do. I’ve lived a long time, and I’ve learned not to
force these kinds of decisions on people. I do not intend to start
with you.”

Aradia suspected that there was a lot more to Dax's
explanation than he let on. However, she was so happy with his
outlook and so emotionally exhausted that she decided to leave the
deeper meaning questions for another day.

"But Dax, you do know what my going out on a date
with Roy means don't you?"

He raised his eyebrow, wondering if she was
deliberately baiting him.

Aradia rushed on. "It means that now I am all
yours!"

Dax smiled seductively. "Interesting choice of words,
Aradia love. Do you have any idea how tempting that sounds?"

Aradia blushed and said, "You know you are the only
who is capable of making do this."

"Do what?"

"Blush," Aradia said giggling.

"I intrigue you."

Aradia laughed softly and then asked, "So what do you
want to do for our date?"

“I was thinking you might like to meet my family,” he
said. “For dinner.”

“That’s funny,” she replied. “That’s what Roy and I
did.”

“I know,” Dax replied. “The rumors thing I said
earlier, completely untrue. I don’t
engage
in gossip, but I
have excellent hearing.”

She giggled. She’d been doing that a lot. “I love how
you make me laugh,” she said.

“Honestly, I was already planning this as a date,” he
said. “It’s long overdue, really, given how many dates we’ve
already been on.”

Aradia was silent for a moment and then asked, "You
don't have twenty cousins, do you?"

Dax laughed, sounding astounded, and said, "Certainly
not!"

"Then sure, I would love to,” Aradia said with a big
grin on her face.

On Saturday, Dax picked up Aradia at 4:00 sharp in
his grey BMW 335d. He had driven her halfway to the Dayton manor
when Aradia had an epiphany.

"Wait a minute, Dax! I just remembered. I have
already met your family."

Dax laughed and said, "I was wondering when you were
going to figure that out."

"So what? Are you trying to trick me again?" Aradia
replied testily.

"No," said Dax, slightly amused. "It is true you have
met some of my family. You know Xan, of course, but the only time
you met my father, you were bleeding all over the couch."

"Oh yeah," said Aradia blushing again. “Sorry about
that. The couch, I mean.”

"It's alright," said Dax. "Father replaced it. I
liked the old one more. It reclined. This one has a storage spot
for the remotes, though, so it balances, more or less.”

“It is so weird hearing a vampire talk about the pros
and cons of different sofas.”

“Everybody has to sit somewhere. As for the other
bit, you still have never had a proper dinner with my family. Now
you will."

Once they got to the manor, they walked hand in hand
to the door.

"Do you think your parents will like me?" Aradia
asked nervously.

"Not as much as I do," Dax smiled at her. Aradia just
giggled in response.

In biology, Aradia was partnered
with Dax again. She expected him to bombard her with questions, and
randomly drop acid-like comments about Roy. Amazingly, he said
nothing but he did not ignore her or give her the cold shoulder. He
acted as casually as he always did, and Aradia was not sure what
that was supposed to mean.

She wanted to read his mind, but
the only way she could do that is if she caught him off guard and
kissed him. She could not do that in the middle of
class.

It was as the class was ending that
Aradia leaned towards him and said, "Meet me in the greenhouse in
five okay?"

"Your wish is my command my lady,"
he smiled at her as he walked away.

Aradia thought to herself as she
watched him walk away, if all vampires are as charming as Dax then
it was obvious why so many women fantasize about them and why they
never seemed to have any shortage of food.

"So," Dax said as soon as he
entered the greenhouse, "What's up?"

He made sure to shut the door
behind him. As he did so Aradia got shivers up her spine and
thought to herself, dear god he even makes slamming a door sound
sexy.

"I just wanted to ask if you are
okay." Aradia asked trying to sound sensitive.

He shrugged and said, "Of course I
am. Why would I not be?"

"Well," Aradia ventured cautiously.
"I did go out on a date yesterday with Roy you know?"

"Yeah I know," said Dax, "How was
it by the way?"

Aradia stared at Dax in
disbelief.

"Dax," she asked softly as if she
was speaking to a mental patient. "Can vampires get high? Because
seriously that's the only way I can explain how you are
behaving."

Dax laughed and then said, "Look
Aradia I do like you and I will not deny the thought of you being
with that werewolf Roy makes me want to get him neutered but the
fact is I don't own you. You are not my property or my girlfriend
therefore you are entitled to do whatever you want."

Aradia just gaped, completely
astonished at his attitude.

"Seriously?" she asked
him.

"Of course," he added with a shrug.
"If you were my girlfriend I would expect certain changes in such
behavior like no more hanging out with other blokes without
supervision. But other than that...Well the truth is Aradia I do
not believe in telling women or people in general what to do and I
do not intend to start with you"

Aradia suspected that there was a
lot more to Dax's explanation that he let on. However, she was
already impressed with Dax's attitude about this whole situation
and decided to leave that matter for another day.

"But Dax," Aradia asked, "You know
what my going out on a date with Roy means don't you?"

He raised his eyebrow wondering if
she was deliberately baiting him.

Aradia rushed on. "It means that
now I am all yours!"

Dax smiled seductively. "Aradia
love, do you have any idea how tempting that sounds?"

Aradia blushed and said, "You know
you are the only who is capable of making do this."

"Do what?"

"Blush," Aradia said
giggling.

Dax chuckled sounding, and looking
even sexier then he usually did

"What can I say love?" Dax asked
rhetorically. "I intrigue you."

Aradia laughed softly and then
asked, "So what do you want to do for our date?"

Dax shrugged, but after a few
moments, he smiled.

He then snapped his fingers, and
said, "I know! Since you met Roy's family how would you like to
meet mine?"

Aradia was silent for a moment and
then asked, "You don't have twenty cousins do you?"

Dax laughed sounding astounded and
said, "Good lord no!"

"Then sure I would love to," Aradia
said smiling.

On Saturday, Dax picked up Aradia
in his new blue hybrid BMW and took her to his manor. It was as
they were driving to the manor when suddenly something occurred to
Aradia.

"Wait a minute Dax; I just
remembered I have already met your family."

Dax laughed and said, "I was
wondering when you were going to figure that out."

"So what? Are you trying to trick
me again?" Aradia shouted angrily.

"No," said Dax sounding slightly
amused. "It is true you have met my family but it was only briefly.
I mean yeah you met Xan but the only time you ever met my father
was when you were bleeding all over the couch."

"Oh yeah," said Aradia blushing
again.

"It's alright," said Dax, "The fact
is you have never had a proper dinner with my family and now you
will."

He smiled after saying this while
Aradia smiled in return. Once they got to the manor, they walked
hand in hand to the door.

"Do you think your parents will
like me?" Aradia asked nervously.

"Not as much as I do," Dax smiled
at her and Aradia just giggled in response.

They were still holding hands they
walked into the manor, and the first thing she saw was Xan, leaning
against the staircase.

He saw Aradia and then said in a
spooky drawl, "Welcome to Castle Dayton. I am Xan
Dayton"

"Ah," Aradia said sarcastically.
"Idiotic children of the night. What annoying shit they
say."

Dax burst out laughing while Xan
just scowled. All of a sudden, they heard two female voices coming
from upstairs. Aradia looked up, and saw two of the most beautiful
women she had ever seen in her life.

One of the girls had long straight
blonde hair pulled behind her ears, freckles, a pale pointy super
model face complete with the runway model expression of
indifference. She was wearing a long sleeved black sweatshirt, and
long black shiny leather leggings. She wore a peace sign necklace,
and a silver bead like belt hanging around her waist.