“I’ve not seen you in a while,” Arielle said.
“You’re right; just the different hours I guess,” he agreed. “But we’re all going out tonight, so it will be like old times.”
“Where’s my brother?” Loren asked, looking past Arielle as if searching for Sebastian.
“He’s not here. He received a call last evening about the company's security being breached. He and Troy went to the office to assess the damage.”
“Oh, no!” Loren exclaimed, closing her eyes briefly. “What happened?”
“I don’t really know, and I will not know until he comes home this evening. I believe it is something similar to the issue he had last year, the one that took him to New Zealand,” Arielle said quietly. She could hear the emptiness in her voice.
“Gosh, I’m sorry, Arielle,” Loren said. “I remember that he was gone for a long time. Is he going away again?” She displayed a sisterly concern that touched Arielle.
“Hard to say,” Arielle replied. “But I have a feeling this issue will not be resolved from here.”
Loren smiled softly. “I’m sure that Sebastian will do the right thing.”
Arielle nodded. “I know I am being selfish, but I don’t want him to go away.”
“Will you feel like going out tonight?” Paul asked.
“I don’t think that going out tonight is realistic, but you never know.” Arielle glanced at Gabrielle, who had left the line and was standing right next to her with a dubious expression on her face.
“Hi, Paul. Hi, Lauren,” Gabby said, pleasure in her voice.
“Hi, Gabby,” Paul gave her a quick hug before he and Loren sat back down. Paul and Gabrielle fell into conversation about their next class while Loren and Arielle talked about Sebastian.
“We’re going to get some lunch,” Arielle finally said. “Come on, Gabby, let's go.” She planted a kiss on Paul’s cheek and bent down to hug Loren warmly. “We’ll see you later,” she called as she turned and walked back toward the food line with Gabby on her heels.
“Wait up,” Paul called out. They both turned at the same time. “I’m hungry. I’ll walk with you.” Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on Loren’s lips. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back,” he told her. He walked fast to catch up with Arielle and Gabrielle.
“I guess we are the only ones in the group that need real food,” he said, glancing between them. They both stared back at him. His face looked befuddled. They couldn’t help it; they burst out into laughter.
Paul picked up his lunch and walked back to where Loren was waiting for him. Arielle and Gabrielle found a table to share with Eva and Ian. They ate their lunch while the immortals pretended to enjoy a soft drink. Arielle said goodbye to her friends when it was time for her one-thirty class.
She had walked by couple buildings on her way from the cafeteria when she noticed that Christian and his girlfriend were walking in the same direction only a few feet away from her. Reflexively, she raised her hand to her neck and touched her necklace. She picked up her pace and entered her classroom building quickly. She had no idea where they went, because she never looked back.
I must be going out of my mind, but I have had enough crazy people trying to kill me. The two seemed to be everywhere she went. She had seen them enough to be certain they were immortals. Their appearance and the way they moved gave them away. She was sure that she was not mistaken.
Arielle had talked to Sebastian about Christian, and his reaction had been unexpected. He seemed comfortable with the new guy and his girl being around Arielle at all times. Sebastian’s instincts were always faultless, and she trusted him completely. But he was usually more worried about her than Arielle was about herself. She scowled at the thought and tried to get Christian out of her mind.
She left school around four o’clock. The weather was cool, and it had been drizzling all day. She opened her backpack and took her iPod out. Scrolling down until she found her favorite song, Arielle put her earbuds in and smiled wide. She turned the music up and buttoned her jacket before heading to the parking lot. She glanced up to see dark clouds overhead. It looked like the rain was getting ready to come down heavy. She picked up her pace and reached her car just in time to avoid the downpour.
She thought about the errands she needed to run before she headed home. She needed to stop at the grocery store, pick up her laundry from the cleaners, and get some gas. She was surprised that she hadn’t heard a word from Sebastian, but she guessed that he had been busy. While waiting at the red light, she noticed a beautiful black Mercedes behind her. She couldn’t see the driver, because the windows were too dark. A sporty little Mercedes was the car she had wanted to have ever since she was a teenager. But she had nothing to complain about while driving a gorgeous red Porsche. She loved the amazing car. Above all, it was a gift from the man that meant everything. She chuckled at the thought, and when the light turned, she pressed on the gas.
A couple hours later, her errands were complete and Arielle was stopped at another red light close to home. When she happened to look at her rear view mirror, she was jolted by a strange sensation. The same Mercedes waited a few cars behind her. Her thoughts swirled wildly. She had been driving around town stopping at several locations, so why was the same car right behind her? Her eyes narrowed, and anxiety crept into her head. The light turned green. She drove forward. After a short distance, she reached her street and took a sharp turn. Her eyes flicked from the road to the rear view mirror just in time to see the black Mercedes continue straight past her street. She let out a loud gasp.
She pulled into the garage and lowered the door behind her. For a long moment, she sat in the car scowling at the bizarre thoughts that invaded her mind. It has to be a strange coincidence. But how can the same car be right behind me after all those stops I made? Something didn’t feel right, but she didn’t have an explanation. She let herself in through the side door. Walking into the kitchen, she set the groceries on the counter. She then picked up the dry cleaning and carried it through the main hall to the bedroom. As she laid the dry cleaning on her bed, the black sports car kept invading her thoughts.
“Oh, relax,” she told herself out loud. “You are freaking out for no reason at all.” She hung Sebastian’s shirts up and changed into her sweats. Walking around the bed, she picked up her book from the nightstand. She was going to read until Sebastian either came home or called. She was deep in thought when she noticed bright lights through the window shades. She peeked through the closed blinds and gasped aloud. A car’s headlights passing by reflected off the chrome of the same black Mercedes that was now parked on the street across from her house. Her mind whirled. A thousand reasons why that car could be there invaded her mind, but she kept coming back to Annabel. Arielle assumed that Annabel must have found out where they lived, and she sent her goons to kill her.
Arielle ran her tongue over her dry lips and felt bile rising up her throat. Whoever was driving that car had followed her home, and now he, she, or they were sitting in that car right outside the house. She was consumed with fear. Terror spread through her body, immobilizing every limb. She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing glued to the window when she heard another car approaching and saw Sebastian pulling up to the house. He drove into the garage. She pulled herself together and ran toward the garage. She jerked the door open and fell right into Sebastian’s arms as he was trying to cross the threshold.
“Well, hello to you, too,” he said, looking startled as he enfolded her in his embrace. After a short moment, he realized that she was shaking like a leaf. He looked down at her apprehensively.
“What’s wrong, baby? Did something happen at school?” Arielle took a few deep breaths and slowly explained with a few broken syllables about the black Mercedes. She saw his face go pale, and his eyes narrow to slits.
He set her down and ran to the bedroom window. Arielle followed. He pulled the blinds open, but the car was gone. “I noticed the car when I pulled up, but I
didn't think anything of it,” he said.
He took Arielle’s hand and pulled her with him as he walked into the study. He sat them down on the sofa. His arm moved around her shoulders, and he pulled her close, dropping kisses on her forehead. Soon, she was feeling better, knowing he was with her.
“When did you first notice the car?”
“After I left school, I headed for the grocery store. I stopped at a red light, and I noticed a black Mercedes stopped right behind me. I really didn’t think much about it until I was almost home. Then, I stopped at a red light down the street, and when I happened to look at my rear view mirror, I noticed the same Mercedes a couple cars behind mine. I was alarmed and frankly quite scared, because I knew that they had being following me for a while. I had to run a lot of errands, and I had to make several stops.”
Arielle took a deep breath. “When I finally turned into our street, the car went straight, and I thought that it had to be just a weird coincidence. I’d let my imagination run wild again. I was thinking of Annabel,” she said. The exasperated tone in her voice didn’t escape Sebastian. “I was in the bedroom changing clothes when I heard the humming of an engine. I peeked through the blinds, and I saw the same black car right outside our house. I was so scared I didn’t know what to do. I hate to think what could have happened if you hadn’t come home when you did.”
Arielle took another deep breath and held Sebastian’s gaze. Letting her go, he stood up and started to pace back and forth. He pinched the tip of his nose, looking baffled.
“Do you think Annabel is behind all this?” Arielle asked, pressing her lips together. She tried to pretend that she was relaxing, but she was failing miserably.
“I’m not sure…but one thing I know is that immortals don’t work this way. I don’t want to make any assumptions here,” he said and gazed into her eyes. “Maybe it was a weird coincidence, or it might be a guy from school that likes you.”
Arielle snorted. She was sure that Sebastian didn’t believe a word he was saying, but he was clearly trying to make her feel better.
“How was school today?” he asked. She decided to let him change the subject.
“Fine, school was fine. But what about you? What happened at the office? I’ve been waiting for you to call or text.”
“I’m sorry. I was in meetings all day.”
“Something must be terribly wrong; you don’t fool me. I know you better than you think. You didn’t sleep last night after the call, and you were out the door very early this morning.”
“It’s just business, baby. I don’t want you to worry about.” He really did not want to discuss the Russian mafia problem with Arielle right now.
“Is that nothing going to take you away from me any time soon?”
“I have to wait and see.” He was staring at their entwined hands, clearly perplexed.
“Sebastian, what are you thinking? You are scaring me. Please talk to me.” He walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. He bent down and pressed his lips softly on hers. She fell completely apart. She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled the sweet immortal scent. His embrace always provided the safe haven she needed in times of unrest. She loved him immensely. Gazing into his brilliant emerald eyes, she kissed him back with passion and want.
“What is it, my love?” she asked him.
“Just a lot going on at work that needs to be resolved, so we don’t find ourselves in the same impasse we did last year.”
“Did they steal secret documents again?”
“No, they have hackers that are trying to get through company security and steal classified information. I had a meeting with Nathan, Troy, and all the company officials. We are working on a new system to repair weak servers, change passwords, enhance physical security, and boost counter-intelligence, so we are protected from external invasion. We feel that we have a foolproof system right now, but several of our top systems analysts are working on an even better solution. There will be a presentation tomorrow morning, and I’ll decide on the best solution provided. We’ll take it from there.”
“Well, it sounds like you are doing everything possible, not that I expected anything different from you,” she said and smiled. “But what about Annabel? Do you think she is here?”
“No, I really don’t. I have a feeling this is a totally different issue.”
“A different issue? What do you mean?”
“I mean I think the car had something to do with the company documents and me. I’m almost one hundred present sure it has nothing to do with you. We’re dealing with the Russian mafia, and they work in very brutal ways.”
Arielle was speechless. She never imagined anything like that.
“What do you mean brutal ways? You are scaring me.”
“Arielle, don’t worry about me. You know they can’t hurt me. I have an army of immortals that I can call on if I need help. I’m sure Nathan, Troy, and I can handle this.”
“Is Nathan back from his honeymoon?”
“Yes, they came back early, because Jasmine, his wife, got sick. They’ll take a second honeymoon at a later date.”
“There you go…” her voice trailed. She turned and started to walk away, mumbling. She sounded despondent. Sebastian caught her wrist and pulled her back to face him.
“What are you mumbling about? And why do you look so upset?” he asked gently.
“Sebastian, Jasmine is human, and I’m sure she feels horrible for spoiling their honeymoon. That’s what happens when you get involved with us. We humans are breakable.”
“Now, you are being totally ridiculous. Falling in love has nothing to do with what you are but everything to do with who you are. I’d rather be with you that any other person in the whole world.” He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she stopped breathing. “I want you to stop talking like that. It hurts me to see you upset, because I love you,” he said. He shook her lightly and took her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I was just making a measly comment,” she said.
“Well…don’t do that anymore.” His lips traced her jaw line. “I want you to stop worrying about things. I’m here, and if I have to go away, I’ll make sure you are protected.”
Reassured, she stepped out of his embrace and walked back into the kitchen to take a bottle of water out of the fridge. She poured a glass of salve for him, and they went to sit in the library. Sebastian turned the telly on to the Discovery Channel, and she heard him exclaim in amazement. She turned to the telly screen and noticed that the documentary was about extended CIA studies involving stolen secretive documents. They were analyzing the motivations of a criminal mind to invade private locations and to lift documents, either for personal use or just to sell them for profit.
Sebastian would be glued to the telly for as long as the program lasted, so she walked back to the bedroom and picked up her book from where she dropped it earlier. She carried Lady Susan by Jane Austen back to the library and settled in the big recliner. It didn’t take long for her to become lost in the story.
Sebastian averted his gaze from the telly to Arielle. A book rested on her lap, and her eyes were fastened on the pages. He was astonished by how much he loved her and how excited he was just watching her get lost in a book. His heart filled with warmth and exhilaration knowing that she was going to be his wife. It was essential for him to know that she was safe and happy in order to feel complete. Her mere existence made him feel as if he had a faint heartbeat, something that was totally impossible. He guessed that the strength of his love for her made his heart swell with joy. All he wanted to do now was take her to bed and make love to her on a soulful level. Being in bed with Arielle was like fireworks. He could almost hear her moans.
Arielle felt the weight of his gaze on her, but she didn’t look up. His voice reached her, soft as whisper. “Another Austen book, baby?” His tone was playful.
She looked up at him, and something about his eyes made her feel happy. “Yes, another Austen book,” she said and smiled gen
tly.
“What is it about?”
“It’s about Lady Susan, a widow who’s thirty-five years old and uses flirtation and seduction to gain her way through life. She is extremely cold towards her daughter for whom she feels little or no affection.”
“She sounds cruel, not like the typical Austen love stories.”
“I have read that Jane Austen wrote this book based on a true character that lived in her neighborhood. That alone makes it a great story. There’s a lot of love in this book, just like in all the others.”
He laughed at her enthusiasm and averted his eyes back to the telly. Arielle was about a third of the way into the book when she heard him turn the telly off and stand up. He walked over to her and took the book from her hands. He pulled her up to him, and his lips found hers in a feverish kiss as his hands moved over her body, caressing every inch of her. Arielle moaned as she heard his breathless voice through the kiss.
“Are you ready for bed?”
She threw her arms around his neck submissively, and without another word, he carried her to bed. God, she thought to herself, what an extraordinary feeling! She could scream with euphoria every time she was in his arms. Making love with him caused her to feel emotions that overwhelmed logic. The act always filled her with a rare feeling of satisfaction. When they finally lay in each other’s arms ready to sleep, she kept pondering how he felt making love to her. She would love to be able to get inside his head like he could get in hers and get an answer to her question. Unable to hold back, she asked him out of pure curiosity.
“Sebastian?”
“Yes, baby,” she heard his passionate voice say.
“How do feel when we make love?” she asked softly.
He seemed to stop breathing; she couldn’t hear a sound from him. She finally heard him cough softly, trying to clear his throat.
“Arielle, you make me prickle with anticipation, you shoot fire through my body, and my every impulse is focused on how to give you sexual fulfillment. I ache for you so badly that I can hardly wait to become physical with you. Your mouth on my skin drive me out of my mind, especially when you press your lips against the hollow of my throat.”
Arielle Immortal Fury (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 6) Page 12
