Arielle Immortal Quickening (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 4)

by Lilian Roberts

  “Where did they say they went?” Sebastian asked.

  “When they got back, they told Ian and I that they went to look for the woman that called herself Mrs. Willington, and they checked every inch of the building, as well as the surrounding fields and strictures, but she had vanished.”

  “What about Paul? What did he think about all that?” Arielle asked.

  “Paul and Gabrielle were dancing, so Paul never noticed that Loren was gone for that brief time. I’m sure that it would have been hard to explain why Loren would go with Troy to look for a stranger.”

  Arielle hugged herself, unable to believe the lengths Annabel would go to make sure that Sebastian never had a chance for happiness. She was never going to forgive him for initiating the annulment of their marriage over 500 years ago. The immortal woman would never forgive his rejection to consummate the marriage and the revulsion she saw in his eyes every time they crossed paths. Arielle was sure that Annabel would spend every waking moment trying to make Sebastian miserable.

  Sebastian felt her torment and squeezed her tighter and pressed his lips to her cheek.

  “Don’t worry, baby,” he murmured, before pressing on. “Did you leave the club after that?”

  “No, not after that. Shortly after Troy and Loren came back, the music and the fun expunged the incident from our minds, at least for that night. We stayed late and left around two thirty in the morning. Gabby was insisting on driving. Troy let her drive, because she was completely sober. Her choice of beverage the whole night had been water,” she added. “We had an amazing time, and we were quite animated on the ride back home. Ian and I were kissing in the back seat, and I can’t remember anything after that.”

  “Eva, do you remember what the woman at the club looked like?” Sebastian asked. His voice was quiet with a hint of concern.

  “Yes, she was incredibly beautiful just like all the immortal women I’ve met so far. She had long brown hair and icy blue eyes. Her voice was velvety soft at the beginning, but it turned cold and scary by the end of the conversation. I knew she was another crazy immortal, and so did Troy.”

  Arielle stiffened and swallowed hard. Aggravated and sickened once again by Annabel, she tried to fight the anxious feeling in her gut. She drew in a deep breath and lifted her eyes. Searching Sebastian’s face, she wondered if it could possibly be true. “Do you think it was Annabel?” Collapsing into the chair next to Eva’s bed, she fought to keep her voice steady.

  He was pinching the tip of his nose, and the crease on his forehead deepened.

  “I don’t know.” His eyes now blazed with irritation.

  “Why would she want to kill our friends?” Arielle kept probing.

  “I don’t know, Arielle. I’ll have to talk with Troy; I need to get the details,” Sebastian said. She nodded and, despite her fear, held herself in check. Deep inside, she couldn’t let it go.

  “I have a strong feeling that she was sent by Annabel.” Eva said quietly. Arielle looked up at Sebastian, trying to decipher his thoughts, but she couldn’t. Sebastian, however, was seriously weighing Eva’s words in his mind, trying to draw his own conclusion about the incident.

  “Annabel seems to be able to ruin every occasion for us,” Eva continued, forcing a smile. “Don’t you think?” The question was directed to Sebastian. He closed his eyes momentarily in frustration and nodded in agreement.

  “I have to agree with you,” he said bitterly.

  “I’m glad that Paul and Loren came in their own car and weren’t involved in this mess.” The relief was evident in her voice.

  “Yes, I’m very happy about that. Have they been here to see you?” Arielle asked.

  “Yes, they were here yesterday, along with your parents.” Eva answered with a smile.

  “When are you going home?”

  “The doctor believes I’ll be ready the day after tomorrow, and I can’t wait. I hate being in here.”

  Arielle caught a hint of anticipation in her voice. She was trying hard to read Eva’s thoughts, but she heard only silence. In and of itself, the lack was extraordinary. In all the years the women had known one another, it had never happened. Something had happened during the accident; otherwise, she couldn’t understand the quietness of Eva’s mind.

  “I think we should go and visit Ian for a little while,” Sebastian suggested thoughtfully and clasped Arielle’s hand.

  Eva nodded, reaching a hand toward Arielle. Arielle clasped it, moving to give her friend a long hug and a kiss on the cheek. When they reached the door, Sebastian send a caring looked at Eva.

  “You take care!” His voice was calm with a hint of tenderness.

  “Tell Ian that I love him,” she called out as the door closed behind them.

  When they reached Ian’s room, Arielle stopped and took a deep breath. She sighed inaudibly and moved closer to Sebastian just before they stepped inside. She thought about the strange, beautiful woman that was now creating an unavoidable and quite troublesome concern in her head. Sebastian sensed her apprehension, and his arm encircled her body pulling her even closer. He knew that his embrace was Arielle’s comfort zone.

  “What’s the matter, baby?” he whispered in her ear. His gaze was profound and powerful, boring right into her eyes.

  “Nothing,” she murmured. He lifted her face to his and pressed his lips against hers with true passion.

  “I love you, Arielle… don’t push me aside. I want to know what’s bothering you.” She smiled, grabbing hold of his shirt and pulling him softly down to her, and she kissed him back with the same passion.

  “I’m sorry, baby, I love you, too, but let’s talk about this when we get home.” A warm smile urged him to agree, and they walked into Ian’s room.

  Ian looked pretty much the same way Eva did. Bruised all over with a cast on his left arm, he maintained a great mood. She hugged him with excitement as Sebastian shook his good hand.

  “We’re so happy you didn’t get badly hurt,” Arielle said. Her voice was exuberant. He seemed to be really pleased to see them.

  “Have you talked to your parents? Do they know you are in the hospital?” Arielle asked softly.

  “No, I didn’t want to get my family all upset, since I seem to be doing well. I’ll be out of the hospital in a day or so,” Ian said.

  “It’s the best thing to do under the circumstances,” Sebastian noted.

  “Have you seen Gabrielle?” Ian asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. “She’s not doing well, is she?” He looked wretched.

  “No, not yet, but she’s expected to recover,” Arielle said. She made a great effort to keep her voice from trembling as she gazed at Ian, holding back her tears. She pressed her lips tightly as a vision of Gabby in ICU flashed before her eyes.

  “Troy’s totally devastated,” Ian mumbled sadly. “He hasn’t moved away from Gabrielle’s side since they brought us here.” Misery spread across Ian’s face, and he gave a half-hearted shrug.

  “I understand that,” Arielle agreed, struggling to keep her voice steady. She turned to meet Sebastian’s gaze, looking for his support like a thirsty person staring at a glass of water. He smiled softly and moved even closer. Arielle turned back to look at Ian.

  “I’m really sad that you all had to go through such a horrifying experience,” she murmured.

  “It was just an accident, Arielle. Nobody can prevent accidents from happening. I don’t think anyone expected things to turn out this way.”

  She watched Ian intently, utterly puzzled again. She didn’t hear a single thought coming from Ian’s mind. Ian had always been an open book to me, so why the silence now?

  Sebastian carried the conversation with Ian, while Arielle mulled over the hush of Ian and Eva’s thoughts. She wondered if she was losing her gift or if it was simply a frightening coincidence. A considerable amount of time passed as they hashed over the series of events before the accident before it was time to go.

  “I think we should be going,” Arielle sai
d, looking at Sebastian. “We’ll come back to see you tomorrow.” She bent down and gave Ian a kiss. Sebastian shook his hand again, and they walked to the door.

  “Oh, by the way, Eva said to tell you that she loves you,” Arielle said with a grin.

  A wide smile spread across Ian’s face. “I’m happy to hear that,” he replied. “I wouldn’t know what to do if she didn’t.”

  Arielle chuckled at his statement. “Is that a true revelation, Ian?”

  “Yes, it is,” he replied, pride in his voice. “She means everything to me.” Sebastian pressed Arielle’s hand and gave her a meaningful look.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ian,” Arielle assured with a wave.

  “Thanks for coming,” Ian called as the door closed behind them.

  “I feel the same way about you,” Sebastian whispered and pressed a kiss to her temple.

  Chapter 5

  THEY WALKED DOWN the long hospital corridor in complete silence. Arielle thrust her hands deep into her jean pockets in frustration. Sebastian gave her a side look. The expression on her face was that of irritation.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Reaching over, Sebastian pulled her hand out of her pocket and laced his fingers through hers, patiently waiting for a reply. Arielle’s thoughts were whirling wildly in her head. She was trying to understand why she couldn’t read Eva and Ian’s thoughts, and she exhaled on an audible sigh. Sebastian pressed her hand softly; when she looked up, their eyes locked. He was watching her patiently, waiting for her to say something, anything, but she remained quiet, trying to unravel the mystery in her own mind. She slowly lowered her gaze from his face and looked back toward Ian’s room. Sebastian followed her gaze, and his eyes narrowed to slits.

  “Arielle, please. Baby, what’s wrong,” Sebastian questioned, anxiously. She finally shook her head and released an exasperated breath.

  “Sebastian, I’m really troubled.”

  Sebastian stopped and turned her to face him. He arched his eyebrows and waited. “Are you going to tell me? Or do I need to take that necklace off and read your mind?”

  “No, you don’t need to do that. I think that I’ve lost my ability to read minds. I couldn’t hear anything coming from Eva’s mind, no matter how hard I tried. The same thing happened with Ian,” she mumbled. “I just can’t figure it out. Their thoughts used to be like an open book, but not anymore.”

  The sudden flash of alarm followed by a troubled expression across his typically composed features warned her that she wouldn’t like what he was thinking. “What is it?” she asked, extremely curious.

  Before he had a chance to say anything, she saw a couple of nurses coming down the hall. She reached out to see if she could hear their thoughts, but she again heard complete silence.

  “Well, never mind.” Irritation filled her words.

  “‘Never mind’ what?” Sebastian asked again, utterly calm.

  “I couldn’t hear a single thought from those two nurses, either.

  “Maybe they don’t belong in that special group you told me about,” Sebastian said, trying to reassure her.

  “Well, you may be right or I could be losing my so-called gift.” She chuckled bitterly as they continued down the corridor.

  Sebastian needed to talk to Troy before they left the hospital. Turning the corner towards the entrance to the ICU, they came face-to-face with the doctor who was leaving Gabby’s room. They excused themselves and stepped aside to let the physician walk by them. Arielle turned to face Sebastian with a wide smile on her face. Sebastian’s eyebrows rose quizzically.

  “I could hear the doctor’s thoughts,” she said. “The doctor was thinking about how tired he was and that he was glad Gabby was his last patient for the day.” She grinned and pressed his hands from the overflow of excitement, but it immediately changed to a frown.

  “What is it, baby?” Sebastian asked.

  “I still have the ability to hear people’s thoughts, so why can’t I hear Eva and Ian’s thoughts anymore?” She looked up at him casually, and she noticed that he was disturbed. He opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again; they had reached the ICU.

  “I need to talk with Troy before we go home,” he said. She felt that her last statement about Eva and Ian had drifted right over his head, completely unnoticed. His arm cradled her as he pulled her to him and pressed his lips on hers.

  “I’ll be right back. I know you are tired.” His lips curved up in that special smile that made her body tingle with excitement. She watched him stride into the ICU with that so familiar seamless walk, and she smiled, thinking of how stunning he was. She chuckled under her breath as she thought of all those gorgeous women he could have from his undying world, but he chose to love her. She shook her head in awe, unable to understand his attraction to her, and she went back to say goodbye to Eva.

  Eva smiled wide at her entrance. “Did you tell Ian that I love him?” she asked quickly.

  “I sure did,” Arielle said with a loud chuckle.

  “Well, what did he say?”

  “He said that he was glad about that, because he wouldn’t know what to do if you didn’t love him.”

  Eva’s eyes welled up, and she beamed appreciatively. “I miss him, Arielle, and I’m so grateful that he didn’t get badly hurt. He’s my whole life.”

  “I know, Eva, I’m very happy for both of you.” She leaned over and gave her a big hug. “I love you, Eva, and my heart aches for all of you, especially for Gabby. She’s really hurt.” They held each other, thinking about their best friend.

  Trying to ease the mood, Arielle engaged into a long conversation with Eva about her trip to Tuscany and school coming up. It seemed that they were both trying to stay away from the accident issue. The stillness of Eva’s mind was still a big mystery to her, but she really thought it might be a temporary thing caused by the shock. It had been about twenty minutes, and the nurse came in to give Eva the required medication plus something to help her sleep. She told Arielle that visiting hours were over. Arielle kissed Eva.

  “I’ll be back to see you tomorrow.”

  “If you see my mum out there, please ask her to come in,” Eva said. Arielle nodded and smiled tenderly. “I love you, Arielle, and I’m happy that things didn’t turn out as bad for Ian and myself.”

  “I love you, too, Eva,” she said. “I’m going home, because you need your rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She walked out of the room and found Mrs. Winters, who was still sitting in the waiting room with a cup of coffee. They hugged each other one more time.

  “I’m so happy that Eva wasn’t badly hurt.”

  “Thank you, darling. Me, too.”

  “Eva just asked for you,” Arielle said. She smiled at Arielle affectionately and turned toward Eva’s room.

  Arielle walked back to the ICU looking for Sebastian and peeked inside the door. The Taylors were around Gabby’s bed, but Sebastian wasn’t there. Neither was Troy. She walked back toward the waiting room, thinking she might have missed them, but they were not there either. Her steps brought her to the entrance, and she gazed outside through the huge glass swivel doors. She was surprised to see Sebastian and Troy standing close together in the parking lot, engaged in deep conversation. She watched them for a few moments, deciding that she didn’t want to intrude. Instead, she stood in silence and waited.

  She lifted her face to the sky and watched the few scattered clouds reflecting the bright glow of the sun that was slowly dipping below the horizon, turning the evening sky grey. Arielle was completely exhausted, mentally and physically. They had been up since early in the morning, and after the flight home, they had spent several hours at the hospital. Arielle felt quite tired. She could hardly keep herself upright. She was ready to go home and crawl into bed. Sebastian was never tired. His energy was unparalleled, and she could never keep up with him. He was indefatigable.

  She could tell that whatever they were discussing was quite important. From the expre
ssion on their faces, she knew something was wrong. Right now was not the time to ask questions, so she waited… and waited…and waited. Finally, she gave herself a mental shake and wrapped her arms around herself, reluctantly deciding to go back into the waiting room. She collapsed down on a large sofa, placed her elbows on her knees, and intertwined her fingers. Her chin rested on her hands, and she lost herself in her thoughts.

  Her memories took her back into the ICU, and she drew in a sharp breath at the vivid memory of her best friend’s broken body. She closed her eyes, trying to wipe out the dreadful images. Moisture dripping through her fingertips made her aware that she was quietly weeping, tears running down her cheeks.

  “Hey, baby! Are you ready to go home?” Sebastian’s soft voice startled her.

  “Yes, I am.” She glanced up at Sebastian, and his face fell. Time suspended between them, and for a brief moment, he was lost.

  Finding his voice again, he stammered, “W-What’s wrong?” His jaw was set in a straight line. “Why are you crying, sweetheart? Are you in pain?” he asked as he reached down and hauled her into his arms to hold her close.

  “No, I’m not in physical pain. I was thinking about Gabby,” she replied and drew a shuddering breath.

  “Gabrielle will be all right,” he whispered and pressed her warmly against his chest.

  She was surprised to find that it had been over an hour since she walked into the waiting room.

  “Let’s go home,” he said. Taking her hand, he laced his fingers through hers, and they walked out. Her eyes were still tearing, and her heart was overburdened with sadness. She remained silent until they reached the car. Sebastian squeezed her hand gently as he held the door open for her. Just before she slipped in the passenger seat, he leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

  “I love you, Arielle,” he murmured. “I’m right here. Don’t shut me out,” he added with a soft smile. He slipped in the driver seat, and reaching over, he took her hand in his and held it tight. She looked over, and their eyes locked.