Tales of Aradia The Last Witch Volume 3 (14 page)

She fished into her pocket,
pulled out a white slip of paper, and brandished in front of
Xan.

Xan sighed before closing
the distance between them, and taking Brenna in his
arms.

"It's funny," Xan whispered
into Brenna's hair. "I have lived for over one hundred and fifty
years and yet no woman has ever enchanted me before as you
have."

"One hundred and fifty
years?" Brenna repeated, "Man I always knew I had a thing for older
guys but..."

They both chuckled while
holding each other a bit longer.

"I am so glad you are not
trying to talk me out of doing this Xan," Brenna mumbled while
burying her face into his shoulder.

"I would never do that," Xan
said smiling.

Brenna raised her head to
smile up at him. Suddenly, she jerked forward and collapsed into
Xan's arms that swiftly scooped her up and laid her down on one of
the club's many couches.

As he straightened up, he
put his stun gun back in his pocket.

"Stun you, take the piece of
paper, confront your ex, and kill him, in order to save Aradia and
to protect you," he muttered. "Now that's something I would
definitely do!"

Carefully, he pried open
Brenna's hand and yanked the paper out.

He took one glance at it and
shoved it into the pocket of his jeans. "And it is exactly what am
I going to do!"

Aradia gazed around, trying
to figure out what to do. She promptly decided to use all her
strength to try to bend the bars of the cage, but it was as her
hands wrapped around them when she immediately leapt back howling
in pain. Instinctively, she looked at her hands and gasped aloud
seeing burn marks in the shapes of runes on her hands.

"What the hell..." She
started to say.

"It's funny," said Holden
suddenly appearing and leaning against the doorway. "For all the
power and importance you have as the last witch you still have many
weaknesses. For example, the witch runes like the symbols inscribed
on the bars of your cage if they are used on any surface then any
hidden witch is unable to touch anything. At least, not without
having the flesh roasted right off of you!"

He chuckled as Aradia spun
around to face him.

She scowled. "What is it
with bad guys and weird torturing methods? It's like it turns them
on or something."

Holden stopped chuckling. "I
am not torturing you even though I am seriously tempted especially
with your attitude."

"Oh really?" said Aradia, "I
would have thought being trapped in a room with you could be
classified as torture."

Holden was definitely not
smiling anymore. Instead, he inhaled a long deep breath, and began
to circle Aradia's cage.

"You know traditionally in
my pack," said Holden, "If a woman were to speak that way to her
betters, she would be beaten within an inch of life!"

"Yeah well," Aradia argued
with a shrug. "I am not a member of your pack and quite frankly you
and your traditions can kiss my little pink witch ass!"

After a few seconds of
awkward silence, Holden threw his head back and howled with
laughter.

"Forget trading you for
Brenna," he said while wiping away the tears of laughter from his
eyes. "I am so keeping you both!"

"Say what?" Aradia
asked.

"My intention was to trade
you for my wife but," he paused while grinning crudely. "After
spending a few seconds with you and your sassy mouth ain't no way
in hell I am getting rid of you."

"Besides," he added, "What
guy wouldn't pass up an opportunity to have it both
ways?"

Aradia looked at him blankly
until finally saying, "What in the name of Jesus's mother makes you
think I would even consider letting you keep me as a
prisoner?"

"Because," He explained as
his crude grin grew wider. "After I am done with you no man in his
right mind would want what is left of you."

Aradia stiffened as Holden
walked slowly towards the cage. He was barely one inch away from
the bars before Aradia seized him by the shirt, pulled, and began
to bash his head against the bars of the cage.

"Dude, I was raped once!"
Aradia snapped angrily as she threw him onto the floor. "There is
no way in hell I am letting it happen again!"

Holden rubbed his face that
now bore the impression of the bars.

He smirked as he stood up.
"Honey, what makes you think you got a choice?"

He then plunged his hand
into his coat, feeling around for something. His face went blank
when he discovered he could not find it. Aradia, however, was now
smiling as she waved the key to the cage right in front of his
face.

"The witch's hand," Aradia
said with a smirk. "Is truly faster than the eye!"

In barely a flash of a
second Holden rushed towards Aradia who quickly dug the key into
the lock, unlocked it, and swung the cage door right into Holden's
face! He leapt back clutching his nose, and moaning in pain. Aradia
wasted no time in using the cage door for suspension. Grimacing
from the runes as it burned her hands once again, she held on to
the bars and kicked both of her feet into Holden's chest. He then
skidded on his back, moaning in even more pain. Aradia, however,
just let go of the bars and looked around quickly trying to spot an
exit. Finally, she saw the sign and her spirits arose in elation
only to fall once again upon realizing she would have to climb a
long tall iron catwalk to get to it. Worst of all, Holden now lay
at the foot of staircase of the catwalk. She breathed deeply,
gathered her courage, and ran towards him. Holden was still on his
back rubbing his nose when Aradia reached him. He looked up in
surprise and even more so, when Aradia leapt right over his entire
six-foot length body as easily as a gymnast would leap over a
vault. She grabbed onto the railing to steady herself as she began
to race up the stairs.

However, once she reached
the top of the catwalk her legs began to grow weak.

She stumbled in confusion
and muttering, "What...What the..."

From below, Holden laughed
softly. "Did I forget to mention that in addition to burning your
hands the runes also cripple your powers for the next two hours
while making you weak as a stuffed animal?"

"And wouldn't you know it,"
he said as he began to walk up the stairs. "I just love playing
with stuffed animals."

His voice grew softer and
more taunting as he started to reach her. "I just love playing with
them, toying with them, ripping them apart, and tearing off their
heads and..."

"What are you? A sociopathic
sissy?" Aradia snapped.

She was struggling to get
away, but even trying to crawl was proving to be
difficult.

"Jesus," she moaned, "What
did you to do me?"

"Oh me? I did nothing,"
Holden said sneeringly, "At least nothing in comparison to what I
am going to do to you."

He was now towering over her
and smiling like a sadistic executioner looking forward to wielding
the axe. Aradia slowly turned her head to face him.

"Any last words before I
brutally ravage you witch girl?" Holden asked while shedding off
his coat.

"Yeah," Aradia snapped, "Go
to hell!"

Holden scowled, but only for
a second as he reached for Aradia. However, from out of nowhere a
whirlwind of grey sped towards him, and threw him back several
feet. Aradia had barely any time to look up before she realized it
was Xan.

"You okay?" was all he asked
as he glanced down at Aradia.

Aradia paused only to say,
"What took you so long?"

Xan chuckled.
"Traffic."

He then glanced back at
Holden who was starting to get up.

Xan's smile melted into a
serious straight line before saying, "Excuse me for a minute Rai,
but I got some business to attend to."

Walking this time instead of
using his vampire speed, Xan approached Holden.

He stood facing him with his
feet apart, fangs and claws drawn, and looking extremely fierce.
Holden, however, chuckled as he stood to face Xan.

For a while, neither one of
them said anything until finally Holden said, "I take it if you are
here then my wife is not."

"If you are referring to my
girlfriend, your ex-wife, than hell yeah she is not here," Xan
snapped.

"Why not?"

Xan explained shrugging.
"Quite frankly, I think she's better off by my side than yours and
I intend to keep it that way."

Holden practically spat out,
"Better off by your side? What do you mean? What can you offer her
that I cannot? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. If she remains my wife
she can have power, status, and people catering to her every damn
need and..."

"And be beaten almost every
single day, treated like she is less than dirt, be given no
respect," Xan interrupted, "But worst of all not be loved by a man
she is supposed to be married to!"

"I do love her!" Holden
furiously protested.

"Bull!" Xan shouted, "You
just want to own her! It bugs the hell out of you that there is one
woman in the whole world who sees you for what you really are: a
scumbag! So you figure that if you can't make her love you than at
least you can own her, and make her life hell. Like owning a wild
horse whom you whip every day just because you can't ever ride
it!"

"Oh, but I have ridden her
you know," Holden said with a crude smile.

"So have I!" Xan snapped,
"And to be perfectly honest I think my ride was much more enjoyable
than yours!"

Holden scowled, but Xan
interrupted him before he could say anything else. "But my point is
this Holden, I want you to get over losing Brenna, get over
yourself, and get the hell out of Salem!"

"Make me!" Holden
shouted.

"Oh I was hoping you would
say that!"

Aradia had barely any time
to gasp before Holden transformed into his werewolf form, and Xan
raced towards him. Standing on his hind legs and using his paws
like fists, Holden dealt Xan a heavy blow. He staggered, but only
for a little while. He even managed to turn it to his advantage.
Spinning into somewhat of a handstand and using both of his legs,
Xan kicked Holden right in the face! Straightening up in a mere
second, Xan threw him another kick causing him to fall over the
catwalk's railing!

Hearing Holden's cry, Aradia
sighed with relief but through the black holes of the iron
catwalk's floor, she saw Holden land on his hind legs as easily as
a cat!

Amazingly, Xan chuckled as
he turned to Aradia. "Sorry to disappoint you Rai but killing a
hidden is never that easy!"

"But then again," he added
as he stared down at Holden. "That's what makes it so much
fun!"

Without another word, Xan
leapt over the railing, and he too landed on his feet ready to face
off with Holden. Slowly they circled each other like enemy
predators, neither one of them saying a word.

Until finally Holden
growled, "I am going to make you pay bloodsucker for stealing my
wife!"

Xan laughed as he said,
"Dude I didn't steal Brenna away from you! I earned
her!"

Holden howled from the
insult, and lunged towards Xan who easily dodged the blow with a
smile on his face. However, he realized very late that it had been
a ploy! Using almost the same tactic that Xan had first used Holden
dropped almost to the floor, and used his right hind leg to kick
Xan in his face, scratching him deeply! Xan cried out and staggered
clutching his brand new facial wound. Almost immediately, Holden
exploited the opportunity, and the wound he made. He straightened
up, and socked Xan in the very same spot!

Xan almost collapsed
completely from the pain, but realizing that Holden was going to
exploit that as well Xan threw up his own arms to protect himself.
For a while the two of them struggled, Xan lying on the floor with
his hands trying to choke Holden who kneeled atop of him with his
own hairy ones around Xan's throat. For a while, they were in a
deadlock until Xan rocked onto his side and threw Holden over him.
This, however, did not cause Holden to let go of him. His hands
still clutched his throat as they both rolled to the left. Once
they hit the wall, Xan used both his legs to kick Holden off him!
Holden leapt back, but used his hind legs to help skid him to a
stop. As Xan struggled to get to his feet Holden lunged once again,
and grabbing hold of Xan's middle and managed to plunge them both
right through the wall!

Now they were fighting in
the boiler room ignoring the random jets of hot steam, and
struggling against the railing of the stairs leading to the
floor.

Xan tried hard to get Holden
off him. He even went so far as to think of Brenna to motivate
himself into getting more strength. As noble as that was, it did no
good for Holden still hovered over him with his hands around his
throat. He was now grinning like a real wolf standing over fresh
kill!