“Arielle, I missed you,” Paul said. The hug was equally happy on both sides.
“I missed you, too,” she said with a smile on her face. Sebastian took a seat next to Ian, and she took a seat next to Eva. Sebastian proceeded to describe in detail her unfortunate episode with Professor Allworth.
“You told him that he was boring you?” Eva exclaimed. She held a serious face for just a short second, and then hilarious laughter surged up her throat and she couldn’t stop. Arielle pressed her hands to her face as the laughter became contagious.
“Well…well…well, look who is coming,” Ian said, chuckling quietly. Every head whirled attentively, following Ian’s gaze. Abruptly the laughter stopped, and a palpable silence fell around the table. Professor Allworth and two other men were walking into the pavilion carrying food trays. They were engaged in a lively conversation, and they took a seat a few tables away from theirs. Arielle was in a perfect position to have a full view of their table, and she felt quite uncomfortable. Their conversation slowed down as they dug into their lunch. She took a sip of her drink, and she noticed Colt Allworth leaning over the table, talking in an inaudible voice.
She tried to get Sebastian’s attention, but he was in deep conversation with Ian and Eva. Paul and Loren were whispering sweet nothings to each other, holding hands affectionately, lost in their own world. She sighed, and turned her gaze back on Allworth, stunned to find him watching her, scrutinizing her. She pursed her lips and kept her gaze level with his. Her internal gauge was rising to a frantic level. What in bloody hell does he want from me? It took but a short second and Allworth’s blue eyes narrowed while his jaw tensed. She struggled to remain calm. She could still feel the earlier humiliation at the auditorium. How dare he! she thought again, clenching her teeth.
Allworth stopped talking, leaned back at his chair, eyes fixed on her, and silence seemed to descend at their table. Both men turned slowly and followed his stare directly to her. She was sure that they had been talking about her.
Anxiety flooded over her as the professor and the two men practically hovered over the table, faces close together as they whispered again. Both men turned once again to gaze at her with obvious interest. She was wondering why they were so disturbed by her very existence. They did seem to stare at her, but it was clear to her that their gazes were fixed on her neckline, not her face. Instantaneously, she reached up and clasped the amulet that was nestled at the opening of her blouse tightly. Her movement startled the three of them, and they fell silent. She noticed their eyebrows lifting in wonder, and eventually they turned to face each other.
Could they be interested in my necklace? she wondered. They did look startled when I covered it with my hand. She picked up her sandwich, filled with more questions than answers, and took a large bite. She held it up close to her face, staring at the teeth marks left on the bread. It’s not as tasty as it looks. She was really hungry, though.
Allworth was watching her again, his mouth pressed into a hard line. She took a sip from her soda and hid her frustration behind the can. An inaudible oath left her lips, unable to hold her frustration in check. She tapped her fingers on the table and annoyance tightened Arielle’s face. “Bloody hell!” she mumbled, this time out loud. Here she was again with more questions unanswered than she had before.
She sighed heavily, closed her eyes, and silence descended again in her head. The moment drew out while her mind had shut out every sound around her. A cool breeze blew across her face, sending a wonderful feeling coursing through her body. She leaned back on her seat and, opening her eyes, she gazed at the clear blue sky. The air felt fresh and clean this afternoon, spreading calm over the issues in her head. She smiled and lowered her gaze to find all of her friends watching her carefully. They looked as if she was to make an important announcement, but she didn’t say a word. She was back in her own thoughts.
She knew that neither one of the three men at Allworth’s table belonged to that special group of people in her head, because she had no idea what they were thinking.
“What is it, baby?” Sebastian’s velvety voice startled her. Her gaze rested on his beautiful face, and she smiled. He was reaching across the table, seeking her hand. She took a deep breath, but instead of sliding her hand to meet his, she hugged herself tightly. She was frustrated with her inability to hear Professor Allworth’s conversation.
“What is it?” Eva asked, glancing between Sebastian and Arielle. Her interest was evident, but Arielle kept her mouth shut. She stared straight ahead, gazing between the three men that were huddled over the table, wishing she could hear their discussion. She was sure they were talking about her.
“How strange!” Sebastian murmured. She flicked her gaze on him, hoping that he had caught part of their conversation. Immortal hearing was a thousand times stronger than human.
“What’s so strange?” Paul asked casually, taking the sandwich from his plate and biting down on a mouthful while darting his eyes between Sebastian and Arielle.
“I can’t read their minds,” Sebastian continued, motioning toward the professor’s table. He had forgotten all about Paul’s presence. “That’s very unusual,” Sebastian muttered, drumming his fingers on the table apprehensively.
“What do you mean you can’t read their minds?” Paul asked, his voice elevated to a higher pitch. He had stopped chewing in sheer shock. “You can read people’s minds?” Paul swallowed the food in his mouth too fast, nearly choking. He cleared his throat, his eyes wide open, unable to comprehend Sebastian’s words. He started shrinking back in his seat, face turning bright red. Arielle was sure he was worried about Sebastian reading the hot thoughts in his head about Loren. She couldn’t help chuckling under her breath. Paul pressed his lips together in utter stress.
“Are you a psychic?” Paul asked, watching Sebastian with a thoughtful frown. He was definitely feeling uncomfortable.
“What?” Sebastian asked, absentmindedly.
“Are you a psychic?” Paul repeated the question. “You said you couldn’t read their minds. What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, that…” Sebastian’s voice trailed. He shrugged and tried to find the right words to use to ease Paul’s mind. “I have a gift like Eva does. Sometimes I can read people’s minds, but not all the time,” he said, in a nonchalant tone.
“Astonishing!” Paul murmured. “Bloody astonishing!”
“Don’t worry, Paul,” Sebastian said with a smile. “I’m not concerned about your thoughts.” Paul looked extremely embarrassed.
Sebastian said something to Loren in that immortal way that was inaudible to Paul and Arielle. A few minutes later, Loren leaned closer to Paul and whispered something making him smile. They pushed away from the table, and Paul announced that they had to go. They waved as they started to make their way out of the pavilion.
When they were out of sight, Eva turned to Sebastian. “What are you trying to say?” Eva insisted staring at Sebastian.
“If I can’t read their thoughts, there has to be another explanation,” he was muttering thoughtfully.
“What kind of explanation?” Ian asked, extremely curious.
“They must have something in their possession that prevents me from reading their minds,” he said. “For example, I can’t read Arielle’s thoughts as long as she wears the amulet. So I’m thinking that there has to be something to that effect that keeps their thoughts safe from outside invaders like me.” He looked completely unruffled, but Arielle knew he was pretty stressed. He was pinching the tip of his nose, and he only did that when he was totally bothered.
“Are you sure about that?” Arielle asked, gazing in his eyes, completely transfixed by his words.
“Absolutely,” he nodded. She flinched and averted her gaze back toward Professor Allworth. She finally leaned across the table, lowering her voice to a bare whisper.
“Can you hear their conversation?” she asked, boring into Sebastian’s eyes. She could see them still engaged in deep co
nversation, hovering over the table, and she could sense that Colt Allworth was watching her.
“No, I can’t,” Sebastian, said utterly frustrated. He was able to ready every human’s thoughts with no exception. The only explanation was that they were immortals, but he didn’t want to bring this up and increase Arielle’s fears. He would just keep an eye on them.
“What does he want with me?” she mumbled in exasperation, shaking her head. “Eva, can you see anything about these men? I am going out of my mind,” she said, and bit hard down on her lower lip.
“There is something very interesting about them,” Eva murmured.
“All right!” Arielle exclaimed. “Now we are getting somewhere. What’s so interesting about them?” Her eyes fixed on Eva. “Do you get any weird vibrations?”
“There is something quite odd about them,” her voice thoughtful. “I get a lot of strange visions about them.” Arielle leaned in and touched Eva’s arm, making her look at her.
“What kind of visions?” she whispered anxiously. Eva shook her head and looked as if she was ready to say something, but she didn’t.
“Arielle,” Sebastian called out. She gave him a quick look, waving her hand dismissively, and immediately she averted her gaze back to Eva.
“Eva, wh…” she stopped mid-sentence as she heard Sebastian’s unyielding voice.
“Arielle, we have to go, now.”
“Why?” she asked, obviously annoyed at not being able to get any answers to her question.
Sebastian dismissed the tone of her voice. “We’ll be late for class,” he added softly, staring at her now. “You can talk with Eva later.” He rose to his feet, and walking around the table, he stopped next to her chair.
“Arielle, we’ll talk tonight. We have to go as well,” Eva said and stood up. If there was one thing that she had trusted ever since she was a young child, it was Eva’s premonitions. Eva leaned closer and hugged her, reassuring her that everything was going to be all right. She loved Eva very much! There was a short silence, and Sebastian’s voice snapped her out of my trivial thoughts.
“We have to go,” he said, checking his watch. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her up, holding her close to him. He bent down and pressed his lips on hers. She picked up her tray to return it inside, leaving most of her sandwich untouched.
“You didn’t finish your lunch,” Sebastian murmured, pressing his lips again this time on her cheek.
“It tastes like cardboard,” she replied, loud enough for her friends to break out into a hearty laugh.
“Later…” she said looking at her friends. Eva and Ian were already walking ahead of them. She decided to take a last quick look at Professor Allworth’s table, and she wasn’t surprised this time to find that all three men were watching Sebastian and her with undisguised interest. She pursed her lips and moved closer to Sebastian, looking up at him. Sebastian looked totally unruffled, making her feel secure.
“Let’s go, baby,” he whispered in her ear and pulled her toward the exit of the pavilion.
Dr. Walker, the design and technology professor, was of medium height and in his mid-50s with a very kind face. When they entered the classroom, he was standing behind his desk with a small smile on his face. This was a must-have class for graduation, but not Arielle’s favorite.
“Good day, Miss Lloyd. Good day, Mr. Gaulle,” he said. This was something he did each and every day they entered his class. He addressed every student with his or her last name. He always looked utterly pleased for his excellent memory. They both chuckled quietly; he was a very likable individual. It was not long before the room was full, and everyone had been seated. Professor Walker opened his notes and stood up. He walked slowly around his desk, and standing right in front of it, he started his lecture. He had been speaking for over twenty minutes, and Arielle was bored to death. Occasionally she took a few notes, but for the most part she couldn’t wait until the hour was over. She looked at Sebastian; he looked just as beautiful as ever. She smiled, totally amazed by his endurance and patience, just so he can be with her. How incredible is that? she thought.
Professor Walker paused, he gazed around the room, and continued.
“Each one of you will have to design a prototype product that will be manufactured in the workshop. The product will be forty percent of your final grade,” he said, and paused again. Then he continued with his instruction on how they were going to accomplish that part of their grade. There was silence as he finished his instructions, and no hands were raised when he asked if they had any questions. “Very well,” he said. “That’s all for today.” He closed the book in his hands, and walking around his desk, he took a seat. He didn’t bother to look up as they began to leave.
In the car, Sebastian gazed at her warmly, and a teasing smile curved his luscious lips upward. He pressed the start button, starting the ignition, and he pushed on the gas. The car purred and swiftly left the parking lot.
He turned the stereo on, gazing at her, looking for her approval and she nodded. Bon Jovi’s “I’ll be there for you” filled the air, and she sighed with a smile.
“What is it?” Sebastian asked, turning to look at her.
“Oh! Parts of this song remind me a lot about things you say,” she murmured.
His eyes narrowed, and he looked a little surprised.
“But this song is mostly about leaving someone you love. How can that possibly remind you of me?” he asked, truly surprised. First, she was amazed that he knew the words, but then she knew she had to hurry and explain what she meant.
“No…” Her voice trailed, and she shook her head chuckling softly. “There are a few verses that remind me a lot of you,” she murmured, gazing in his eyes.
“Such as?” he pressed on.
“Such as ‘When you breathe, I want to be the air for you.’ You do say that a lot,” she said, chuckling.
He paused for a few seconds, and then he laughed softly.
“Yes, you’re right. I do say that, and I mean it every time I say it.” He reached over, and taking her hand, he traced the skin with his thumb, sending heat across her body. She turned toward him, her eyes grazing over his face. He met her eyes, and leaning in to press his lips on hers.
“Arielle,” he murmured softly. “I love you so much!”
“Je vous adore,” she whispered, leaning close to his ear, tracing his jaw line with the tip of her tongue. He gasped, and she felt his hand shiver. She smiled and hummed softly to the Bon Jovi tune as she stared out the window. She was startled when her phone rang.
“Hi, Eva, long time no talk,” she laughed out loud.
“Yea! I know, but Ian and I wanted to know if you guys want to meet at the Rock pub in Hove.”
“When?”
“How about eight o’clock tonight?”
“Let me ask Sebastian,” she said. She turned to face Sebastian, and he was nodding in agreement. He had already heard their conversation.
“Yes, he said yes. We’ll see you there at eight,” she said and shut her phone. She heard Sebastian whistling to a song on the radio, and she went back to her thoughts about Professor Allworth. She moved her right hand away from the window and clenched her necklace, tracing the amulet with her fingers. She closed her eyes, and her mind stuttered to a halt as the vivid image of three pairs of eyes glaring at the amulet filled her head. She kept her right hand on the amulet nervously, and suddenly she realized that her amulet was the center of their attention.
I wonder why? she thought to herself.
“What are you whispering?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly.
“Arielle, I heard you clearly saying that you are wondering about something,” he persisted. She sighed deeply and turned to look at his face.
“I was wondering why these men are interested in my amulet,” she said skeptically.
“You think they were interested in the amulet?” he asked, clearly amazed.
“Of course I am!” she said.
Sebastian remained quiet for a short moment.
“Well,” he said in a quiet voice. “I suppose it’s possible…But how can we be sure?”
“It’ll be difficult, but I’m determined to find out.”
Sebastian pressed her hand softly. “The amulet is connected to a very old and very elite group of royals,” he murmured. “It’s hard to believe that anyone in this century would be familiar with its existence…” His voice trailed. She was sure he was right, but what had Colt Allworth been talking about to his two friends.
“Maybe he was upset with me being disrespectful on the first day in class,” she said, pressing her lips together. “Maybe I embarrassed him in front of the class, and he is planning on making my life miserable.” She was growing anxious. “Oh, Sebastian, I hope he doesn’t make it difficult for me to graduate.”
“Arielle, I think you are extending your imagination way out there. He can’t alter the tests. You are so smart that even if you don’t listen to a word he says during his lectures, you will ace your tests.” He was right again. Physics was her strength, and she was going to get through this. When they arrived at home, she fell in his arms, and he held her tightly, providing that sanctuary that she loved.
Chapter 17
THAT SAME EVENING, they met Eva and Ian for drinks at the Rock Pub in Hove. Arielle was anxious to continue her conversation with Eva and hear what she had to say about Professor Allworth.
Eva’s gift to exert her psychic powers and her incredible premonitions about the future was so potent, it bordered insanity, especially now that she was an immortal. Eva and Arielle had had a special spiritual bond ever since they were very young. Their minds moved around the physical and spiritual dimension, beyond the barriers of time and space. They became clairvoyant as children and reached each other mentally. They knew if one of them were in trouble by simply sensing each other’s emotions.
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