“Sebastian, I love you. I couldn’t go through this day without you,” she whispered, “You’re my sanctuary.”
They drove home with their fingers intertwined in complete silence. He didn’t seem to want to intrude in her thoughts, but he knew they were lingering between Gabby, Ian, and Eva. The sky was turning darker, and a light mist hit the windshield. They barely missed the downpour as they pulled into the garage. Arielle took a warm bath before she got in bed, and he was there to hold her and make sure she slept feeling safe, encircled in his warm embrace.
Arielle woke up in terror, drenched in sweat. She was shaking and sobbing at the same time. Sebastian switched the light on and pulled her in his arms, trying to comfort her.
“It’s only a dream…it’s only a dream?” he murmured softly in her ear.
“Oh, Sebastian, it was the worst dream ever!” She pulled herself as close to him as possible in a desperate attempt to forget her freakish nightmare. She started to sob again as he held her closer.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Oh. It was horrible! Horrible!” She shut her eyes and bit down on her lower lip hard as her body started to shiver. She felt her heart hammering against her chest. She was sure he could hear the pounding. She gazed at him while trying frantically to take a breath.
“It’s only a dream, baby!” he whispered with his arms securely fastened around her, searching her face with eyes full of love and warmth and also concern. She drew in a shuddering breath and felt a bitter taste lingering in her mouth that was sending sick waves across her body. She compressed her lips and took several deep breaths, pushing back tears.
Her high-pitched, timorous voice startled her.
“I dreamed that Gabby and I were driving home when we noticed that we were being chased by a faceless person in a black car. The chase became frantic as I swerved through small winding roads, unknown locations, and thick foliage, just trying to get away from the car that was chasing us. We ended up in a cemetery with no way out and nowhere to go. We bolted out of the car and started running with the stranger right on our heels. I tripped and rolled down a small hill. When I stood up and looked around, Gabby was nowhere to be seen.”
Sebastian could feel her blood pounding in her veins, and her body stiffened with fear. He tightened his hold on her and nuzzled her hair, trying to calm her down as her voice came out utterly stress-filled.
“I was ready to get up and start running again when I heard Gabby screaming my name. I took a quick look back, and I saw a man with no face in a dark trench coat pulling Gabby up to the top of the hill. She had stretched her arm out towards me, looking desperate and screaming for help. I started running after them, climbing back up the hill, but when I got to the top, there was no sign of either one of them. I kept calling her name as I was running between the graves, sensing an unseen presence beside me. I took another fall, landing on top of a freshly dug grave.” She shivered at the thought, and she must have looked completely terrified, because he was looking at her with worry.
“What did you see?” His voice sounded hollow.
“I pulled myself up, and I was a hair width away from a huge headstone that read ‘Gabrielle Taylor’.” She started to sob as she forced herself to take lungfuls of air. She tried to slow the pulse hammering her neck and wrists, making it painful to breathe.
“Arielle, baby, it was only a dream. Anytime people go through deep emotional events as you did with your friends, they have those types of dreams. Dreams are free and harmless, and you need to find the strength to accept what happened and just be there for your friends.”
He put his finger under her chin and pulled her face to his. His hand pushed the hair away from her face, and he wiped the tears away with the other hand while pressing his lips softly against hers.
“Please lie down and try to sleep. I’ll be right here with you. There’s nothing to be afraid off.”
She lay back down, and he switched the light off. They rested in each other’s arms, and she felt a surge of love course through her body. She softly touched the hollow at the bottom of his throat, and he moaned in satisfaction. His lips trailed her cheekbone, and he pulled her even closer.
Her nearness was stimulating him to a physical pain. His mouth moved against hers, and she moaned with desire. Her lips parted, and their breaths fused in a scorching kiss. He swallowed hard, and his hands moved to her lower back and pulled her flush against him. His lips moved lower and pressed against the slow beating pulse of her throat. Her breathing slowed, and her head fell back against the pillow. Sebastian lifted his head, and his eyes widened as he stared at her beautiful face. He groaned in sheer frustration, realizing that Arielle had drifted off to sleep, consumed by exhaustion.
Sebastian lay with eyes wide-open, feeling overwhelmed with desire. He tried to relax following the heated moments just before she fell asleep, and he groaned once again, completely annoyed. He knew she was physically and emotionally tired, and he wanted her to sleep, but the heat of her body’s nearness was driving him mad. He could feel her breath caressing his face, infusing his very core as he zeroed in on the rhythm of her heart. He wished his heartbeat hadn’t stopped beating over five centuries ago.
It had been over a couple of hours, and he finally got out of bed, giving up on sleep. Sebastian moved quietly to the next room and heard the rain pounded the huge window. He picked up a book and sank down in his favorite recliner. He recalled his conversation with Troy, and suddenly he was consumed by anxiety. He knew that Arielle didn’t have the complete truth about the accident. Earlier today, Troy had agreed that both would talk to Ian and reveal the astonishing facts.
Ian’s life would be turned completely upside down, but it had to be done. They were hoping the revelation wouldn’t make him fall apart. The next person would have to be Arielle. She possessed the gift of making people feel safe and secure, something he adored about her. Arielle would be the person to help them reveal the truth to Eva. How were they going to explain something so mindboggling, so bewildering? Sebastian knew they had to reveal the truth in the next two days, because it would soon become obvious to Ian and Eva that something implausible was happening and would change their lives forever.
Chapter 6
SEBASTIAN AND ARIELLE ARRIVED at the hospital around ten o’clock in the morning on the third day after the accident. As they stepped off the elevator on the floor of ICU, they noticed an unusual commotion around Gabby’s room. The Taylors were standing outside her room talking in low voices. A nurse and doctor hurried passed the parents and entered Gabby’s room. A few seconds later, Troy walked out of the room with a wide smile highlighting his face.
“She is awake! She held my hand! She smiled!” Troy exclaimed, just like a little boy. His voice was jubilant, and he hugged Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Her parents were crying, and Arielle burst into tears of joy. She was startled when Troy turned, pulled her up in his arms, and planted a huge kiss on her cheek. She laughed out loud, caught in his enthusiasm, as tears of joy rolled down her face. The doctor came out smiling and told them that Gabby was going to be fine.
Eva and Ian were released from the hospital around two in the afternoon on the same day, and Eva’s mother took them home. Gabby was to be moved out of ICU and into a private room the next day. The staff wouldn’t allow many visitors, but they all got to see her and that was wonderful. She wasn’t completely alert, but she was aware that the people who loved her were by her side. Everyone felt exuberant even though they knew she was still a long way from recovery. They stayed with her for a couple of hours, as her need for rest was evident.
Working her way around all the tubes and casts with great difficulty, Arielle gave Gabby a loving hug. She felt a weight lifting and elation taking over her whole existence. Her best friend was on her way to healing. They left for home around three-thirty, and it was in the parking lot that she wrapped her arms around Sebastian’s neck and pulled him down to her, crushing his lips with hers in exhilaratio
n.
“Mmmmm… what’s this for?” he purred, without breaking the kiss.
“I just simply love you,” she said, breathlessly. “Do I have to have a special reason to do that?” Sebastian laughed in bliss, a flash of excitement caressing his eyes. He pressed her softly against the car, and she saw a soft smile curve the corner of his mouth upward. He was astonishingly, breathtakingly, beautiful. She wound her arms around his neck and stretched up on her toes. Her lips closed over his in a kiss full of sexual delight. He broke the kiss and drew in a deep breath.
“Be careful,” he warned her with amusement in his voice. “I’m still trying to recover from last night.”
“Last night? What happened last night?” Her brows lifted inquisitively.
“Nothing happened last night; that’s exactly my point,” he said humorously. “You fell asleep before you finished what you started.” A beautiful smile still lingered on his moist lips.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “I was so tired. I couldn’t help it.” He opened the car door, and she slipped into the passenger seat. He walked around the car without taking his eyes off of her, his lips curved up in that amazing smile that elevated her pulse. He got in the driver’s seat, and she couldn’t help pulling him close and pressing her lips against his with extreme passion one more time.
“Mmmmmm… Be careful you are getting to a dangerous place.” Reaching over, he took her hand and held it tightly. “I’m expecting a supreme performance tonight.” Her body was tingling with excitement and worship for the most beautiful man on this earth that loved her. They drove home, and she talked nonstop about everything that flooded her mind. He was willing to listen with no complaints. He laughed with that jovial laugh he used every time she ran her mouth uncontrollably.
“Do you know how happy you make me when you do that?”
“Do what?” she asked. He was gazing into her eyes, releasing all his dazzling power. She immediately lost her train of thought, and her throat grew hotter and tighter, making it hard for her to breath. She did hear him laugh again as he looked away, giving her time to recover.
“I hate when you do that and I’m not prepared,” she scolded him. When they walked in the house, Sebastian still held a glorious smile on his beautiful face. He walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of salve from the fridge.
She stepped in the shower, reaching and turning the faucet on. Before the water made contact with her body, his arms were tightly fastened around her. She shrieked and then broke out in a hearty laugh, amazed at the speed he possessed. She turned around without leaving his embrace. Reaching up, she asked for a kiss, and he was more than happy to please her.
“I love you!” he whispered. His breath was warm against her face, and she inhaled his amazing, immortal scent in delight. Their kiss was feverish, and she realized that she missed their scorching encounters. The last three days had been consumed solely by the accident.
His hands glided down the length of her spine. Reaching her lower back, he lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around him, pressing him closer to her aching heat. His lips found the pulse of her lifeline at the bottom of her throat and nibbled passionately. She moaned, and the sound resonated through his bones. She raked her fingers through his hair, and he groaned. She placed her hands on either side of his face and crushed his lips beneath hers.
Sebastian deepened the kiss, and Arielle thought she was going die from pleasure. Her lips parted, and his tongue slipped into the softness of her mouth. Oh, God, she tastes like pure honey! He dove into the kiss like a wildcat after its prey. His hands stroked her silky skin, sending ripples of heat across every nerve in her body. The toe-curling kiss made Sebastian groan deep in his throat, and Arielle felt it to the core of her soul.
Sebastian lost control, joining them in a swift, calculated move. Arielle groaned into his mouth, lost in her passion. When they reached the crest of rapture, their bodies combusted in a blistering inferno. They held on to each other as their minds returned from the journey to oblivion. Wrapping herself in a bath towel, she lay in bed utterly exhausted, happy and sated. Sebastian pulled her in his arms, and she closed her eyes in bliss.
Later in the afternoon, Troy showed up to pick up Sebastian. When she glanced at the clock, she saw it was after five-thirty.
“Where are you going?” she asked, unable to hide her shock.
Sebastian had never said a word about Troy coming over or mentioned that he had plans to go out. She sensed something going on as she watched them glance at each other with guarded expressions. Their lips moved in the immortals’ special way, and she knew they were talking to each other, but she couldn’t hear or understand the exchange.
“It’s important that we talk to Ian this afternoon. This is something that can’t wait,” Troy said. His voice was low and very cautious.
“Why Ian? What’s up?” She could see that he was struggling to find the right words to provide some kind of explanation, but he was unsuccessful.
“Arielle, I promise we’ll discuss this when I get back,” Sebastian said. She was sure that her incredulous expression didn’t escape him. He moved closer and gathered her to him, locking them into a tender kiss.
“Trust me,” he whispered. Arielle met his eyes and nodded briskly.
“Miss me,” he whispered close to her ear. His lips brushed her cheekbone, making her shiver. Then, he was gone. They were halfway out the door when Sebastian’s mobile phone rang. He answered in a low voice and kept walking toward Troy’s car.
She stood at the doorway watching them. The phone conversation seemed to be quite important, because Sebastian didn’t get in the car. He paced back and forth on the pavement and chatted for a long time. She tried to read his expression, but he was looking down. He finally stopped pacing and turned, facing away from her. He put his free hand on the car and leaned against it, remaining completely still for the next several minutes. She saw Troy observing him warily, and she knew that Troy—as an immortal— could hear every part of that conversation. She noticed that Troy’s face lost the smile he’d been carrying when he walked out the door.
She panicked. Stepping outside, she started to walk toward them. It was the moment she reached Sebastian that he shut the phone and turned around. He was surprised to see her standing right behind him.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked.
“What is going on? Who was on the phone?”
Sebastian cleared his throat. “Oh, don’t worry, it’s nothing personal. It’s just business,” he said, forcing a smile, but it didn’t escape her. She knew him better that he thought she did. She knew something was terribly wrong, but she had to wait until they were alone. He reached over and pulling her closer, he pressed his lips on hers.
“I’ll be home soon, baby; please don’t worry.”
She turned around and walked back to the house. The car doors slammed shut. The engine revved with intensity and sped away, leaving her surrounded by total stillness. She sucked a deep breath and let the front door shut behind her. Standing in the middle of the foyer alone, speechless, she was unable to understand what could be so important that had to be handled tonight. And what about the phone call?
She pressed her lips together in confusion, and she finally shrugged her shoulders. She had to trust in Sebastian if she didn’t want to go out of her mind. He would tell her the truth when he came home. Picking up a pear from the fridge, she sank her teeth into it and walked into the bedroom, looking for her journal.
Arielle had thought a great deal about her journal in the last few months, but she never found the time. She always felt healing when writing down her innermost thoughts. The book revealed her private reflections of the special moments in her life. Reading back was like looking through the mirror of her soul.
Climbing onto the bed she leaned against her pillows, and pulled her legs up, so she could balance her journal on top of her knees. Flipping through the pages, she stopped at her last entry and was shocked to find that her
last entry was made in St. Jean de Luz. There was so much she wanted to capture in those pages, so she grasped this time, while Sebastian was away to reflect her deep thoughts. The pen started to glide on the blank sheet.
June 17th,
“It has been quite a while since I brought my life’s deepest thoughts to you. You have let me bring my passions, my dreams, and my wishes to your pages, and you have embraced each and every thought, without passing any judgment, without making me feel humiliated. So I’m back, bringing some extraordinary emotions that have blossomed from the incredible love between Sebastian and me. However, other things took place that have literally shaken up my world and turned it upside down.
I have been absolutely stunned as to how my life and my friends’ lives changed in a blink of an eye. While Sebastian and I were in Italy on a summer holiday, a horrible accident almost took Gabrielle’s life and landed Ian and Eva in the hospital. I had no resources to deal with the stress that had consumed every bit of my existence.
Gabby and Eva are two people that I love dearly. They are my best friends and my secret sharers. Literally, they are two of the most important people in my life. This was beyond my control, even though I was overwhelmed by the desire to fix everything and get our lives back to what they were prior to the accident. How was I going to deal with the anxiety I was feeling?
I was thinking about Gabby and her terrible condition. I was feeling completely stressed viewing her physical injuries and knowing the imperceptible emotional trauma that would become part of her life, apart from the actual physical harm she endured. I couldn’t accept the fact that a person I loved was lying in ICU fighting for her life. I am happy to report that she is out of danger now and on the way to complete recovery.
Arielle Immortal Quickening (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 4) Page 5
