Pressing her lips together, she picked it up and there were several voice messages from Sebastian. They were all pretty much the same: “I have been trying to call you all night, where are you?”
Arielle stared at the phone, upset that she had forgotten to take it with her when she left the house. She pressed Sebastian’s number on speed dial and he picked up on the first ring.
“Where have you been?” he said anxiously. “I’ve been worried about you. I’ve tried to call you several times but there was no answer.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I dropped it in the closet while getting dressed and went out to dinner without it. But I have been thinking about you every moment since I left,” she murmured. “I miss you so much it hurts.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he replied, clearly relieved. “I miss you too, and I wish you were here. Everything seems so empty, so cold without you. And this bed is not the same anymore,” he chuckled.
“What do you mean?” she said, feigning ignorance.
She could sense his smile through the phone. “I mean, I don’t like being in this bed anymore without you here next to me.”
“I feel the same way,” she said. “I have been trying to go to sleep for a couple of hours now, and I don’t seem to be able to do that. You’ve spoiled me.”
“I love you, Arielle, and I don’t seem to be able to do very well without you anymore.” His words made her smile with happiness.
“When will you be home?”
“As soon as possible. Just a couple more days I think. Where did you go to dinner?”
“We went to Pub du Vin, and met Paul and Loren there. We had a great time!”
“So, are Paul and Loren an item now? I don’t need to be worried about that guy anymore?”
“You never had to worry about Paul. You made all that up in your head.”
“I’m worried about everything that has to do with you. You are the love of my life.”
Arielle laughed and Sebastian laughed along with her.
“Are you in bed?”
“Yes, but I told you that I can’t sleep because you aren’t here. Gabrielle and Eva are spending the night at our house. They didn’t want to go home alone either.”
“That’s great, I’m glad to hear you’re not alone.”
“Sebastian, please hurry home!” She could sense his smile.
“Miss me, baby,” he said, and the phone went dead. She hugged herself, closing her eyes, eager to dream about him.
Chapter 16
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Sebastian and his friends left for the cemetery. They drove for a couple of miles until they came to a forsaken dirt road that stretched between large branched trees and congested vegetation. Part of the drive took them along a steep ravine that led all the way to the cemetery. It was not long before they came up to a large opening, leaving behind the thick foliage.
They hid their cars in the woods and followed the dirt path for another half mile on foot, all the way up to the entrance of the cemetery. The view was breathtaking. Stunning emerald fields stretched as far as their eyes could see. The old cemetery was nestled in the middle of all that splendor and encircled by a short gray stonewall with a wrought iron arch at the entrance.
The cemetery was full of ferns, narcissus, and dusty vaults. The oldest graves were overgrown with vines and wild flowers. Beads of dew covered the leaves and the blades of grass.
Ian had an intense feeling of uneasiness being out of his normal element at such an early hour, the time of day when the earth is in limbo between the darkness of night and the light of day. He shivered as the crisp air blew across his face and the thought of the unknown took over his mind. For a moment, he thought he heard softly murmuring female voices. He looked around, but there was nothing there. At that moment he wished he too was immortal, possessing all the gifts and powers the other guys did. His mind was working double time and he was completely unnerved. He glanced at the other guys, who all looked cool and unruffled. He prayed that today there would be an imminent resolution to Sebastian’s problem. Sebastian was right next to him and he looked very sure about what he needed to do. Sebastian’s love for Arielle was evident and Ian felt warm just thinking of Eva and his love for her. I can go to unforeseen places to protect her, just as Sebastian is doing for Arielle, he thought. He smiled at Sebastian with renewed reassurance, and Sebastian smiled back at him.
The passage from the house led to a mausoleum that was located at the end of the east wall of the cemetery, where low tree branches and the thick foliage could conceal it. Everything was quiet, and there was no sign of Annabel. They walked towards the mausoleum, moving quietly between the graves like ghosts in the night air.
Just as Ian looked to his right at the open field in front of a wooded area, he thought he saw a black figure in the shape of a man. He reached over and touched Sebastian’s hand to get his attention and pointed in that direction. Sebastian turned to talk to the others in that special immortal way he had, his lips moving but not making a sound.
The full moon was silver, nestled like a bright jewel in the middle of the gray sky. The earth was peaceful and the ground still held the warmth from the previous day’s heat. The cemetery was covered in ghostly shadows that stretched out wide in every direction, inspiring in Ian a feeling of awe at the power of nature. Absolute silence covered the cemetery, except for the love songs from the crickets. They all took their places behind the headstones of the graves surrounding the mausoleum and became one with the shadows.
As the minutes ticked by, Ian felt more on edge. The only one he could see was Sebastian, who was crouched right next to him. Sebastian didn’t look anxious or upset, he looked calm and determined. A sudden sound made Ian jump as he looked over in the direction where he had seen the man’s figure. Now there were five people there—two men and three women—moving towards the cemetery. Soft sounds came from their direction, becoming louder as they approached. Sebastian pressed Ian’s hand, letting him know that they should get ready.
The five figures entered the cemetery. Sebastian and Ian could hear their voices and their laughter as they walked towards the entrance to the mausoleum. They were all at the top of the stairs and had started descending toward the door when Sebastian and his friends jumped out from behind the headstones and surrounded them. All five of them froze in place, their eyes wild with shock and anger.
Ian remembered Sebastian telling him that when immortals fight it is always left between the two who are engaged in the fight. Normally, no one interferes unless it is absolutely necessary. He had also told Ian to stay where he was and not get involved in any of the fights because for him they could be deadly.
Annabel was going to be Sebastian’s target, and the others were going to engage with the rest of her friends. Jacques, Dedier, Pier, and Antonius took on the two guys that accompanied Annabel, and the fight was fierce. Ian could not believe the speed, the power, and the hurt that he witnessed. One of the guys hurtled into Jacques and slammed him across the ground onto a headstone. He landed on the damp grass and for a short moment he looked disoriented. Ian’s mouth fell open in a gasp as he saw Jacques scramble to his feet and grab the guy’s arm, which was bleeding profusely. Ian’s eyes went wide when he saw the same guy coming back for Jacques, but Dedier was already there. Lurching at Annabel’s friend, his balled fist barreled through his chest sending him flying across several headstones. Gazing at Jacques, Dedier moved his head, a silent signal of communication between them, and walked over to where the guy had landed. He finished him quickly.
Antonius glanced over his shoulder and saw the other guy coming at him full force. He moved fast, avoiding a direct hit, but the guy’s hand came across his chest and he felt a sharp pain and an immediate warm sensation. A quick look down his chest revealed that he had been cut with a sharp object. Blood soaked the front of his t-shirt. He growled furiously. He whirled around just in time to grab the guy’s arm as it was coming down on him, holding a kni
fe. Antonius twisted hard, and a loud shriek pierced the morning silence as his opponent’s arm broke in two. Antonius wrapped his other arm around his neck, tightening his grip until the guy stopped fighting.
The fight was over and Ian’s eyes grew round with shock when Jacques, Dedier, Pier, and Antonius snapped the two guys’ heads off, causing an electric explosion that could be seen from miles away. Satisfaction painted their faces as the four guys stood back and focused on the fights between the others, making sure their friends were safe.
As Sebastian stared at Annabel, he felt his anger boiling to a level that he had never imagined he could feel. She looked at him and laughed in his face. Her disgust and hostility drove him to a new and dangerous point of insanity. The sound of her voice hit him like a sharp knife. His only desire now was to destroy her. She hurtled herself at him, wrapped her arms around him, and threw him against the hard wall of the mausoleum with such force that he felt his body crushing and blood running down his face.
Stunned, he couldn’t move for a few moments. The pain was extreme, but he shook his head and, pushing away from the wall, he stood up just as Annabel lunged at him once again. He faced the vixen and grabbed her by the throat. With both hands, he lifted her off the ground and pounded her against the mausoleum wall several times. She couldn’t breathe as several of her bones broke with a horrible sound. Blood was oozing out of her mouth and various parts of her body. She shrieked with pain, which made Sebastian even angrier.
Meanwhile, Paola had pierced though Giani’s eyes with her tremendous power, channeling the surge of dark wickedness that characterized her entire way of life. She was unable to control the hatred she had collected, the result of constant evil and mysterious happenings over several centuries. At the same time, Julia had recalled her romance with Troy and was staring at him with unimaginable hatred, bitter over an ugly past history between them. A sudden surge of strength allowed her to grab him, catch him by surprise, and throw him across the yard, where he landed on the headstone of one of the graves.
The sound of crashing bones sent a cold chill down Ian’s back. But to his amazement, Troy got right back up and launched at Julia with so much speed that Ian couldn’t follow the movement of his body at all. He just suddenly saw Troy wrapping both of his hands around Julia’s throat, and then, with incredible strength, snap her head off. Again there was an explosion, much like the last one, but this time it was much closer to Ian and it blinded him for a few seconds.
The fierce struggles between Paola and Giani and Sebastian and Annabel continued, with no mercy shown on either side. Paola looked like she could bend and twist steel girders without difficulty. She tried to generate a high-voltage electric current to destroy Giani, hoping to behead him by wrapping her hands around his throat. But he pulled her hands away and threw her with all his strength against the mausoleum door. It opened from the force of the impact. She landed inside on the floor, unconscious. Troy ran inside and finished her off before she could regain her powers.
That was the moment Annabel was waiting for. Just as Sebastian wrapped his hands around her neck, she struggled and a shot thundered in the quiet. Sebastian felt a sharp, stinging sensation rip into his chest and he let go of her throat as he buckled to his knees and fell to the ground. Annabel, knowing that she had a few minutes before Sebastian would heal, jumped inside the door of the mausoleum.
Troy was on her heels, determined to finish her off for Sebastian, but she swiftly vanished into thin air.
Troy looked around in blank astonishment, his tension rising. But… how can she disappear in front of my eyes? he thought. All the guys ran inside, looking for Annabel, but there was no sign of her.
Ian ran to Sebastian’s side and was horrified to see that he was on the ground, bleeding from his chest. But his eyes were open and he was alert. Ian was so upset he could hardly speak. Gathering all his strength, he said anxiously, “Sebastian, I’m calling for an ambulance. Just stay calm and you will be all right.” His phone was ready in his hand, but Sebastian smiled at him and put his hand over his phone, preventing him from calling.
“Don’t worry, Ian, I’m going to be fine. Just give me a minute.”
“But you’ve been shot!” Ian exclaimed. “You’re bleeding!”
“Don’t worry, buddy. Remember, I’m an immortal. In a very short time this will heal and I can regenerate my wound. Nothing will even show. I’ll be fine.”
Ian nodded, mystified. “Yes, I forgot about that small detail,” he said wryly.
“Where is Annabel?” Sebastian asked as the others came out of the mausoleum.
“She disappeared,” Troy said, jaw set in disgust. “She’s probably going to the house, and there is no way for her to enter from there now, so, she should be coming back soon. We’ll just sit here and wait for her. It shouldn’t take too long.”
Ian sat next to Sebastian, relaxed now that he knew his friend would survive. He pressed Sebastian’s shirt against his wound to stop the bleeding and turned his eyes towards the glorious dawn. The sun was rising slowly and splendidly, looking like a sizzling red ball in the sky. It was a cool morning and the clouds were that mind blowing mixture of orange, pink, and yellow that is so hard to describe. It was amazingly beautiful. The sky filled with bright light. It looked like someone had opened the curtain on nature’s stage.
After waiting approximately forty-five minutes, the guys decided to follow the tunnel to the house and find out what Annabel was doing. It took no time at all with the speed they possessed, and when they got back to the graveyard they told Sebastian she was nowhere to be found.
“Damn her!” Sebastian cried out. He jumped up, completely healed, and ran into the vault like a wild man. “There must have been another exit and we missed it!” His jaw was clenched, his fists balled tightly against his sides. They all entered the mausoleum and looked behind the graves and statues, fervently, checking the walls inch by inch for another secret passage.
It only took a few moments for them to find another passage, behind a statue at the furthest corner of the mausoleum. When they followed it they ended up on the other side of the woods, about a mile away from the cemetery. But there was no sight of Annabel anywhere. Sebastian cursed inwardly, his eyes spitting fire. His anger was fearsome.
“It’s okay, Sebastian, there will be another time. We’re all going to be watching for her. There will be another chance, I promise,” Troy said, his voice firm and reassuring.
“I think your plans worked out quite well for now, don’t you?” Jacques asked.
Sebastian wanted to smile, but he couldn’t. Uneasiness was written across his face. He had committed himself irrevocably to protecting Arielle, and he was quite upset that he had allowed Annabel to slip away. She was a demon, and he couldn’t forget how dreadful her evil nature was. As long as she was alive he knew his beloved Arielle was not safe from harm.
“Let’s go back to the cars,” he said, his voice discouraged for once.
As they walked along, a cool breeze blew on their faces. The conversation took a lighter turn as they talked about the success in getting rid of Annabel’s monstrous friends. They broke out into a joyful laughter, all except Sebastian.
“Four out of five is not such a bad result, Sebastian,” Ian chuckled.
“You’re right, Ian, but I do wish one of the four had been Annabel. You have no idea how bad she really is.”
“I think we all wish that. But it didn’t happen yet, and we need to move on. I’m sure it will happen one of these days. In the meantime, we’ll all look out for Arielle. She’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Troy said.
“The irony is that Annabel was the target, and we ended up killing everyone else. She’s so completely wicked, and I’m really worried about Arielle. She’s the most important person in my life. I couldn’t be in this world if she wasn’t with me.” He chuckled ruefully, knowing how true that statement was, and raked his fingers through his hair. His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched as silence s
tretched and disappointment lingered in the air. He gazed out into the familiar wide space, thinking of his beautiful girl.
It was a beautiful morning in St. Jean de Luz. The sunlight was bright, making the fields look greener. The breeze blew just the right way, filling their nostrils with the wonderful smell of the fresh grass. Ian put his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and said, “When I was growing up, I used to take off my shoes and walk on the grass. It is said that walking on the grass in the early morning hours is good for the soul, especially if you want to revitalize hope and a sense of purpose in your life.”
Sebastian smiled as he remembered Arielle telling him the same thing while they were walking in the park on Christmas Eve. He took off his shoes and the other guys followed suit. The moment his bare feet touched the grass Sebastian felt the tension leave his body. He smiled softly, feeling once again at ease.
“What else did you learn growing up?” Sebastian asked, amused.
“Well, my father always told me that if I tried to see optimism and truth in everything, no matter how insignificant, my ability to face and deal with my problems should become much better.”
“Your father is a wise man,” Sebastian said. “Sometimes I have a hard time controlling my feelings where Arielle is concerned. I have to admit, it’s hard to see the optimism in this situation. I wanted the problem with Annabel to go away, and after all the work we’ve done, she’s still here. It’s very frustrating. I’m having a hard time accepting the fact that I didn’t make a good sweep of the passages in the mausoleum.”
“It’ll all work out, Sebastian. Try to stay positive. We are all here for you, and we will find a solution one of these days,” Antonius said. He remembered all the time he had spent looking for Giovanna and how it had finally come to an end under completely unexpected circumstances.
Arielle Immortal Passion (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 3) Page 20
