by L. A. Jones
Today’s lab was a veritable nightmare for her. Calvin, her usual lab partner and straight A student, had been forced to bail on her because of the flu.
She welcomed the distraction when she heard the door creak open, and glanced up to see who was coming in late. She felt her heart flutter when she saw it was Dax Dayton. He strolled in and handed a note to Ms. Flora, who barely glanced at it before waving him to take a seat. Aradia returned to her work knowing that he would probably sit at the front as he usually did. However, Dax walked right past the first row of seats, and slowly edged up to the empty spot at Aradia's table.
He smiled at her in a way she had never seen before. He was sinfully handsome. "Is this seat taken?" he asked.
"As a matter of fact, it is," Aradia snapped before returning to her work.
Dax still smiled as he sat in the chair. "Taken by me, then."
Aradia rolled her eyes, but a faint smile of amusement began to curl upon her lips. “You any good at biology?”
“I have a working knowledge,” he replied.
“Alright then,” she ceded. “You can stay.”
"So," Dax asked, weaving his hands together and stretching them out until the bones cracked. “What are we supposed to do?"
Aradia shrugged and said, "Damned if I know."
Dax seemed surprised. She hastily added, “I’m a lousy student, okay?"
“It’s nice to learn a weakness in you,” he said with a shrug. "Even you’re not completely perfect."
"You got that right," Aradia muttered.
Dax grabbed the microscope and after peering into the lens he said, "Lilium bulbiferum."
"What?" Aradia asked, frantically grabbing the microscope back and peering into it again.
"We are given slides of plant cells to identify. This particular slide is taken from a Lilium bulbiferum stem."
"Oh!" Aradia nodded eagerly, finally understanding, and jotting the information down in her lab worksheet. “You know, lilies are really beautiful plants. You can find them almost everywhere from Europe to southeastern Asia, and through most of Canada and the United States. Usually people just think of them as garden flowers, but some are even harvested for their edible bulbs.”
Dax was shocked at how easy it was to get her talking. “So, not much of a student?”
She blushed slightly. “I’m not. Sometimes I find stuff interesting, so I research it myself. I can’t stand following somebody else’s set course plan, though.”
“You know,” he replied, switching you the slides and adjusting the magnification, “Einstein was the same way. He actually failed math in school. He said it bored him.”
“I think there may have been a compliment in there,” she replied, and finally returned his smile.
They made remarkable progress. Aradia quickly realized that Dax was an even better lab partner than Calvin.
She was just starting to get comfortable with the idea that maybe he was more than eye candy when she noticed a weird sniffing sound. She stiffened and realized that Dax was smelling her hair.
She whipped her head around angrily, planning to tell him off in front of their classmates, but instead her face colliding forehead-to-nose with his.
“Oh!” she cried as her hand instinctively went to her mouth. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?”
Dax raised his own hand to his nose, but did not seem to be in any pain. He had a wicked and satisfied grin on his face. “That’s quite alright.”
Right, Aradia reminded herself. Vampire. I wonder if that sort of thing can hurt him at all.
Realizing he was fine, and determined to salvage her dignity, Aradia tore her face away from his and muttered under her breath, "You’re a lot more charming from a few feet’s distance. You could at least buy me dinner before you break out the weird freakiness."
Dax chuckled and said, "No wonder Tristan and Roy are completely besotted with you. You are positively charming."
Aradia snorted and looked up at him, already planning an insult, but instead her eyes locked with his. For a few delicious seconds, the two of them just sat staring at each other.
Dax finally broke the hot and heavy silence between them. "But speaking of dinner, would you like to have it? With me that is?"
Play it cool, Rai! Aradia shrugged casually and said, "I'll think about it."
"Okay then," Dax responded, still grinning just as wickedly as ever.
For the rest of class their conversation stayed mostly focused on the work at hand. Too soon for Aradia’s liking, the bell rang. She found herself hoping that maybe Calvin would take another day off from school. To recover from his illness, of course, she thought.
Aradia dropped her pen as she shuffled her books into her rucksack. She set her bag on the table and turned to get the pen, but Dax was already there. He raised it towards Aradia's outstretched hand, taking his slow and careful time, grazing his hand against her pants leg.
It’s a damn pen, Aradia reminded herself as her heart raced at his sensuality. Settle down there. When she finally took the pen, Dax said softly and seductively, “My Aradia, what long and beautiful legs you have.”
Aradia swore her heart stopped a moment as she chuckled nervously. Dax then took her wrist and raised himself up slowly. He was gazing into her eyes, and Aradia was staring up at him completely entranced. He still had his hand on her wrist, and was now rubbing his thumb over it slowly. Aradia felt tingles all up and down her spine.
"Now," he said, his voice as soft and silky as a designer scarf. "Have you thought about it yet?"
"Yeah," Aradia said slowly.
"So you will have dinner with me?" he asked, leaning in closer still.
Aradia took a deep breath and said, "Make it a movie."
The acting was terrible, the dialogue was horrible, and the plot was stupid in the movie they picked. It was both Aradia’s and Dax’s second choice. Aradia had wanted to see a Paul Rudd romantic comedy; Dax’s first pick was the Salem Film Revival showing of Dracula’s Daughter. Instead they ended up with a lame remake of a movie which Aradia thought was originally based on a TV show.
It was enough to make Aradia want to demand her money back and rob the movie theater while she was at it. Dax kept his face impassive, as he often did, but Aradia suspected strongly that he was doing his best not to throw his soda at the screen. They still managed to sit through the film, sharing a bucket of popcorn in the process. Aradia had to admit, although the movie was complete tripe, it was worth it just to feel Dax’s cool fingertips constantly brush against hers.
While they and the other moviegoers were shuffling out, quickly and eagerly, Aradia voiced her opinions.
"That," she said in a loud voice that prevented any argument. "Has got to be without a doubt the biggest load of cinematic pig crap I have ever seen in my life!"
People stopped and stared at her in complete awkwardness. Dax, though, was completely amused.
In fact, he chuckled, looked to the crowd, and said, "It's not like it isn't true."
Aradia was already smiling at the fact that he’d backed her up. Her smile grew when he intertwined his fingers with her own. She was practically giddy as they walked hand in hand towards the exit.
They’d made it outside the movie theater and into the cool of the night air when a loud angry voice came from behind them. "Hey!"
With a start Aradia let go of Dax’s hand and spun around to face the speaker, terrified that it was Roy. Thankfully, it was not Roy confronting them. Unthankfully, the voice belonged to Kaiser, the alpha of a werewolf pack Roy had warned her about. He and several of his cronies were advancing upon the two of them. He was several inches shorter than any of his cohorts, and not nearly as impressive in build. Roy had warned her not to be deceived by his appearance. “He’s one of the meanest, nastiest mutts you will ever meet. Don’t cross him,” Roy had warned.
Oops.
The pack looked threatening and mad as hell.
Dax turned to them. If he sensed their intentions,
and Aradia had to assume he did, he did not show it. Politely he replied, “Yes, can I help you?”
Kaiser marched straight to Dax and stared up at him with murder in his eyes. Incidentally, that was precisely the topic he wished to discuss. “I don’t know why you leaches targeted my dad, but you’re going to either tell me who did it, or pay for it yourself. I think we’re pretty much all tired of taking crap from you vampires. Aren’t we boys.” His goons growled their assent.
“I honestly don’t know what you are talking about,” Dax answered nonchalantly.
“Like hell you don’t!” snapped Kaiser.
“You’re talking about the Vampire Murders, aren’t you?” Aradia asked.
The werewolf and his crew whipped to look at her warily. Dax immediately intervened. “Relax, gentlemen. Whatever else is going on here, she knows about us. She is hidden.”
Aradia noticed the werewolves’ noses flaring as they took her scent. I will never get used to that, she thought. Despite the circumstances, she was relieved that they did not push the issue of her lineage. They seemed satisfied that they were not violating hidden code by having this candid argument in front of her.
"Yeah," Kaiser replied, “yeah we’re talking about the fact that one of your boyfriend’s clanmates killed my father.”
“There are actually several clans active in the vicinity of Salem,” Dax replied as if he were standing at a chalkboard. “Unlike werewolves, vampires are not territorial. The vampire you seek could hail from any of them, or he could be an unaffiliated rogue.”
“You say that like I care. One of your people did it, and unless they confess to the crime we are going to make every vampire's living death in Salem hell!"
Aradia watched the two males stare each other down for a while. Finally, as if caught by a sudden realization, Dax said, "Oh. I am sorry but is this the part where I am supposed to be intimidated by you?”
That was dumb, Aradia thought. Kind of hot, in a cocky way, but really dumb.
She didn’t need mind-reading to know what was about to happen. Before Kaiser could lunge, she jumped to plant herself firmly between them. She held up her arms and pleaded, "C'mon you guys, chill out, okay?”
"Stay out of this, bitch!" The werewolf snapped as he angrily shoved Aradia's hand away.
Dax moved like a spider. From the moment the confrontation had begun, he’d known how it had to play out. He would firmly, but carefully, nudge Aradia aside. She would be disoriented, but would easily catch herself. He would quickly engage Kaiser, before he could shift into his wolf form. After subduing their leader, he would threaten the pack. They would disband, and he and Aradia would leave, unharmed.
However, he never got the chance to execute his plan.
In swatting at Aradia, Kaiser had left himself precariously balanced. Aradia grabbed Kaiser’s outstretched arm and twisted it so swiftly and viciously that before he had a chance to react, he was on the ground. His friends were taken just as by surprise as he was. Aradia knew she only had moments before this erupted into an all-out brawl, so she pressed her edge while she had it. She flipped the pack’s leader onto his belly and jammed her knee into his lower back. She took hold of a handful of his scruffy hair and yanked his head as far back as she dared. He would be in pain if he struggled, but more importantly, he was facing his crew and his ear was right next to her mouth.
"Now listen up, you thug!" Aradia whispered angrily. "I wish I could say something to help you feel better. The truth is I can’t possibly understood what you are going through, so I won't insult you by saying I do.”
“You–” he interrupted her, but she gave his head a yank and with her other hand squeezed at his throat. “When it’s time for you to talk, I’ll tell you. I do realize the magnitude in how you want to find the guy who killed your dad and make him pay."
She surveyed his pack, making eye contact with each one before going on. "But that is no excuse for vigilante justice that is why we have laws to prevent crimes in the first place. When they fail, we have laws to punish the perpetrators. Now it’s time to talk. Do you understand?"
The werewolf nodded feebly. He hadn’t strictly obeyed her command, but she him go.
The werewolf's face reddened as he got up rubbing his shoulder where he’d slammed into the pavement. He glared at Aradia murderously.
"C'mon Aradia, let's go," Dax said casually as he threw his arm around her shoulders and steered her down the street.
“Not yet,” she said.
Dax broke from his normal stoicism enough to reveal that he was nervous about where she was going with this.
She said to Kaiser, “I’ll help you get justice, real justice. You find anything or hear anything that can help us find who did this, you come to me first. I can be your ally. You keep up your macho bigotry, though, and I swear I’ll be your worst enemy. It’s your choice.”
At this point Kaiser had all but completely forgotten Dax. Now he stared Aradia down. She returned his stare. Finally he gave a brief, sharp nod.
Aradia was satisfied by that. “Alright, Dax. Now we can go.”
Aradia was quiet for most of the walk home. Dax did not know her well yet, but he knew her well enough to realize that silence was completely out of her character.
"You are pensive," he finally stated.
Aradia shrugged Dax’s arm off her shoulders. She walked two steps in front of him with her eyes on the ground and her mind deep in thought.
She then turned to look at Dax as somberly as she’d ever looked at him. "Tell me neither you nor anyone you know did it."
"Did what?”
"You know what I mean," Aradia responded coldly.
“You’re asking if I killed that boy’s father,” Dax replied. “Given what I thought I knew about you, I am surprised by your lack of trust.”
“I’m asking you to remove any doubt from my mind. Tell me you don’t know who did it and I’ll believe you. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t bother asking.”
He seemed about to say something, but then stopped.
With the hints of a smile at the corners of his mouth, he replied, “I affirm on all I’ve ever loved, I know nothing of the responsible party’s identity.”
She chewed on that for a moment before saying, “Look, just tell me you don’t know who killed Kaiser’s dad.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know who killed Kaiser’s dad.”
Her demeanor towards him warmed about twenty degrees. “Okay, good. Look, that guy and his friends and probably everyone in Salem think that a vampire killed that poor man, but that's not true. A vampire is not responsible."
Dax raised an eyebrow, which for him represented utter bewilderment.
“If you are confident of this, why did you suspect me?”
“It doesn’t hurt to double check,” she said.
“Do you have knowledge of who did it?” he asked. In truth, he did not care much about the murder for its own sake, but he was curious about all things Aradia, and she clearly felt passionately about this subject.
"No."
"So," Dax argued, "you can't say for sure that it was not a vampire."
"I think I can," said Aradia.
Dax’s eyebrow climbed higher. “How?”
“I’m new to this whole hidden thing, but I’ve picked up a lot already. Vampires are slick and egotistical. You’re one of the few I like, and even you’re kind of a douche sometimes.”
Dax smiled like nobody had ever smiled at being called a douche before. “You are unique.”
He was obviously amused. Aradia couldn’t help but find his expression damned sexy.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“I have lived many lives,” he replied without missing a beat.
“I guess we’re not there yet,” she replied. “Okay, that’s fine. Here’s how I see it. Roy says he doesn’t know of anybody ever being turned into a vampire from personal experience, but there’s a ton of you around. I figure most of you have to be pretty old.
”
“A fair assessment,” Dax granted. “By human standards.”
“Well I don’t think you get that old by being sloppy. You’d get caught by the law, either human or hidden.”
“Go on,” Dax replied.
"Vampires are overconfident," Aradia teased.
Dax played along and pulled a face.
"But they aren’t stupid. Look, I’m still learning, so you tell me. How many vampires do you know who would be stupid enough to feed on someone, a werewolf at that, and leave a body with two puncture wounds lying about?”
“There are those who would do just that,” he replied. “Though few would feed on a werewolf. They taste worse than wet dog smells.”
She rolled her eyes and continued, “The real point of committing a crime is getting away with it. You don’t leave obvious evidence and expect to get away with murder."
"True, in general," Dax agreed. "But you oversimplify the scenario. The killing could have been committed with the intention of sending a message. Or the assailant could have intentionally left evidence, knowing people such as yourself would overthink the situation. Or maybe it was simply a fledgling."
Those are good points, Aradia had to admit. I hadn’t thought of that. Still, her gut instinct was that she was onto something. She was curious about the last bit. “A what?”
“A vampire which has just been turned,” Dax explained.
Aradia nodded her understanding. Then she argued, "According to my father, there was no sign of forced entry, and the police believe the perpetrator entered through the front door. At eleven at night, I doubt the victim would have opened his door to a fledgling."
"He would if she were a woman," Dax stated simply, earning a nasty glare from Aradia.
“Or,” he went on, “if the fledgling were formerly a mortal the victim had known. The wolf could have inadvertently issued an invitation without realizing the change.”
“The relationship between the two victims suggests a non-random nature to the murders,” Aradia argued. “It seems thought out, so I doubt the fledgling hypothesis. So far no one has taken credit, though, so if they’re trying to send a message, we haven’t received it yet.”
