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."
"However, we cannot ignore how influential you still are and with that in mind," he trailed off as if what he needed to say was very physically painful.
Luckily, the vampire leader finished up for him. "With that in mind we wish to grant you your own title and position on the High Hidden Council of Salem."
Aradia's mouth dropped open. "Huh?"
"You heard me," the vampire leader snapped, his bad attitude and irritable temper suggesting that apparently the decision was not popular with any of them.
"I don't what to say," Aradia stammered.
"Well that's a first," Tristan's dad grumbled.
Ignoring his comment, Aradia decided to press for details. "If I were to accept this position what would I able to do?"
All members of the council fidgeted uncomfortably before finally the shape-shifter coughed and explained. "Well you would have power much like ours that is to propose laws, support laws, or change them. Anything really. Our ways maybe different from the humans but one thing remains universal: majority rules."
"Okay that sounds fair," Aradia, said nodding but then her face grew thoughtful. "What would my title be?"
They all fidgeted until the shape-shifter once again went on to explain. "Well it was a hard decision, but after carefully gathered reports we are under the impression that you do not like being referred to as 'the last witch' am I right?"
"You would too if you were the last of your kind," Aradia muttered.
"I will take that as a yes," said the shape shifter, "So after careful consideration we have decided that, should you chose to accept it, we wish to grant you the title of 'Aradia the Witch Queen.'"
Aradia's jaw dropped.
"Witch Queen?" Aradia stuttered, "But why? I am not of royal blood or anything."
"Obviously," Tristan's father muttered.
"Our reasoning is since you are the last of your kind you already have special ranking so it makes perfect sense to regard you as royalty," The shape shifter said finishing up.
"And besides," Tristan's father added bitterly. "You try making up a flattering respectable title on such short notice. It is not as easy as it sounds."
Aradia was still stunned.
She stood quietly for a few more minutes until finally she asked, "Can I have some time to think about this?"
As if the experience of giving her such a title was not painful, the thought of prolonging such an effort made the entire council look as if they were being tortured. Regardless, they all agreed to give Aradia time to think about it.
She smiled as she said, "Thank you so much! But don't worry I will make the decision way before I chose a consort."
"You know," Tristan's father added while Aradia began to walk to the door. "We were kind of hoping that that you being granted a title and position would make you forget about this whole consort business."
Aradia snorted as she said over her shoulder, "Believe me sire, it is never that easy."
She then walked out the door to tell Dax everything that had happened.