Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7)

by Lilian Roberts

  She finally heard a strong curse break the silence, and shortly after their footsteps moved farther away from the bed. Next she heard the door slam shut, the key turn in the lock, and the footsteps fade away. Arielle just stayed there totally unmoved for a few more seconds. Finally, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling in total shock. Oh my God, she finally gasped, new reality sipping deep into her very core.

  Mauritsio’s last statement made contact with her brain cells. She inhaled sharply. She had met these guys before, but where? Deep fear sunk to the pit of her stomach. Fear was a strange thing; it could control every thought, and paralyze every muscle in your body. So this was planned. This is undoubtedly what Sebastian was worried about and he was refusing to tell me. He was trying to protect me. Oh my God… Where is Sebastian?

  Thinking back, she remembered that she was to meet Gabrielle outside the auditorium at two o’clock, right after her last class with Professor Allworth. She was sure that her absence alerted Gabrielle that something was terribly wrong and she would have contacted Sebastian. Based on the conversation of her captors, Sebastian had received a demand note, using her as bait to pressure him in surrendering his secret drawings and documents in exchange for her life. They had no idea that they were dealing with a bunch of unbreakable immortals with superhuman abilities. A horrendous tornado was about to slam and abolish their dirty schemes and their miserable lives.

  The thought that she would not be hurt until they heard back from Sebastian gave her strength. Sebastian’s image filled her senses and warmth enveloped her like a protective shield. She missed him so very much and wanted to hold him. She needed his embrace that provided her sanctuary and put her world back in its axis. Tears filled her eyes and started to stream down her face uncontrollably.

  Rising slowly once again, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and taking a deep breath, she stood up. The miserable and misty weather did very little to raise her mood as she gazed out the window. She approached gradually and, resting her hands on the windowsill, she pressed her nose against the glass.

  She closed her eyes and tried to reach Eva’s thoughts subconsciously. They had always had the ability to exchange thoughts between them by sending and receiving on the transcendent level. They were able to communicate their thoughts sagaciously without having to exchange verbal words. She kept her eyes closed and stood silently for several minutes, but she was unable to make any contact. There was complete silence coming from Eva’s mind. Why isn’t Eva trying to communicate with me? Maybe Sebastian already had a rescue plan in place and their friends had to follow that plan. Yes, that had to be it.

  She walked back slowly and sat on the bed. She was desperate for a quick solution, but she knew it was not going to be easy. She needed to think hard and develop an escape plan. They were coming back to check on her before they left for the airport; that is what they said. Bending her arms, she set her elbows on her thighs, and leaning forward, she rested her face in her hands. She closed her eyes and blew out an exasperated breath.

  Where was Sebastian? Was he on the way? Why Eva didn’t bother to make contact with me? She just couldn’t understand any of it. It had been more than forty-five minutes since they had come into the room, and all she could do was sit and wait until they decided to come back. Maybe she could talk her way out of it. She pursed her lips, flicked her eyes at the locked door, and her face tightened. A sudden thought made her stand up and walk to the door. Maybe they forgot to lock it; she had to try.

  Her fingers traced over the door handle, gripped it tightly and pulled as hard as she good. Nothing happened. The door wouldn’t budge. She stood there gazing at the door as hopelessness closed and stinging stirred behind her eyelids. Tears pooled into her burning eyes and started to stream down her face once again. She was losing hope. There was no way that Sebastian would find her if Eva didn’t try to communicate with her.

  Chapter 8

  SHE TURNED to face the window and froze in place. The sound of the door handle turning drove a cold chill down her spine. She was so lost in her thoughts she never heard footsteps approaching. The door opened behind her, and someone stepped inside. Arielle spun around and came face to face with Mauritsio. He was alone. Surprise flickered in his eyes and shock crept over his face.

  “What the fuck!” he exclaimed. He didn’t expect her to be standing right inside the door. Arielle’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped as she gasped in disbelief. Recognition crashed into her memory the moment she saw his face. He was one of the two Italian men she and Gabrielle met and talked with while Troy and Sebastian were in Brussels. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it back again. Words stuck in her throat and silence stretched for a few moments.

  Mauritsio was still staring at her. He remembered the effect she had on him up close. She was quite beautiful. A lot more beautiful than he remembered from the very first time they met. He couldn’t think beyond the sensation of those deep blue eyes. Her voice snapped him out of his crazy reverie.

  “You…you… you’re Mauritsio,” she stammered, and her voice fell to a measly whisper.

  “You remember my name?” he huffed in clear disbelief.

  She rolled her eyes. “Why are you surprised about that?” she said blankly. “But what are you doing here? Better, what am I doing here?” she furthered.

  He shrugged. “Hum… it is a long story,” he said unemotionally.

  She laughed a throaty laugh. “As you can see, I’m not going anywhere.” Peering around the room she made a circular motion with her hands. “I’ve have all the time in the world, so what am I doing here?”

  He laughed a low scathing sound and shook his head. “I can’t discuss this with you,” he said.

  She paused for a short moment, pondering his words. “You can’t discuss this with me? I am your hostage; I have the right to know. Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?” she breathed quietly.

  “There are many things I want from you, but now is not the time,” he said wickedly.

  “I don’t understand,” she said irritably.

  “Let’s just say that if you just cooperate, you will make this a lot easier for all of us.”

  “Who is all of us? What do you want from me?” she asked once again.

  “No more talk,” he said. “Go and sit down,” he ordered, pointing to the bed at the other side of the room. Lifting his hand, he traced his finger down the side of her face. Arielle recoiled and gave him an icy stare. A furious flush crossed his eyes, noticing her repulsion.

  “You do think you are too good for me, don’t you?” he said, spitting out the words with clenched teeth.

  “I thought you and your friend were nice guys and to think you’re nothing but scum,” she said disgustingly and spat on him.

  “You better shut the fuck up,” he said with a furious growl. “It’s not my fault you’re here. You’re here because that bastard of a boyfriend you have is refusing to go along with the program.”

  “Wh—Wh—What?” she mumbled. “The program? What program are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play dumb. I’m sure you know that he is refusing to turn over the documents we want. If he doesn’t comply, I can assure you that it’s not going to be good for him, and it will even be worse for you,” he said and cursed, never taking his eyes off of her.

  “You’re nothing but thugs,” she said. “You have no idea who you are messing with.”

  “Oh…please enlighten me,” he said and laughed out loud.

  Arielle decided to keep quiet and say nothing more.

  “I would like nothing more than to teach you a lesson. To show you what it means to be with a real man.”

  “I suppose you think you are a real man,” she snorted.

  Mauritsio’s mouth dropped open and his eyes narrowed to slits. “I told you to shut the fuck up,” he said, fire spitting out of his eyes.

  “Or what?” Arielle snorted, not understanding where all that nerve came from.


  He suddenly reached over and grabbed her throat tightly, giving her a meaningful glare. “I’ll throw you on that bed, and I’ll show you what a real man can do, you fucking bitch,” he said through clenched teeth. She raised her arm and slapped his hand away from her throat. Fury flickered in his eyes and, lifting his hand, he backhanded her hard. The stone from his pinky ring tore her cheek and pain shot right through her bones.

  “Bitch!” he growl again as he watched Arielle staggered backward and, losing her balance, she dropped to the floor. Lifting her hand, she touched her cheek and felt something warm and wet. She knew she was bleeding. She pressed her lips together as wrath pooled deep in her stomach and the sound of the blood rushing through her veins pounded in her ears. She had to make her move now. She had to try and help herself out of this situation.

  Blocking the excruciating pain out of her mind, she leaped up and threw herself on him. One balled hand caught him by surprise right between the eyes and her knee connected perfectly with Mauritsio’s groin. The reaction to Arielle’s attack on Mauritsio came both fast and furious. He doubled over in excruciating pain, holding his groin and gasping for air. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Arielle released the breath she was holding and just stared at him with rebellion as he crumbled to the floor.

  “A real man,” she humphed, amassing all the courage she could find, and darted out, shutting the door behind her. She turned the key, locking the door, and taking a few steps back, she stared at the closed panels. She knew that she had a short amount of time before he would recover and start to pound on the door.

  Sweat dripped down her back and blood down her cheek. She swallowed hard. Swiftly turning on her heels, she vaulted toward the staircase.

  She scaled them two at a time. Reaching the landing, she bolted right into a wall of muscles. She stumbled backward, lost her balance, and fell down a staircase. Her body bounced painfully off of each step and finally landed on the basement floor with a loud thump. She groaned in sheer pain. Oh, God, I hope I didn’t break any bones, she thought anxiously. Opening her eyes, she stared up at the landing and saw a man standing there watching her, utterly astonished. She couldn’t make out his face in the poorly lit corridor, but he did seem familiar. She put her hands on the floor and pushed herself up slowly, trying to rise to her feet. The floor swayed beneath her and she crumpled back down to the ground.

  The small spark of hope that slipped through her veins after she left the room was now gone before she had time to decipher it. An expression of wretchedness flashed across her face. She was doomed. The pain was excruciating. She couldn’t feel her limbs; her face burned and her eye felt swollen. She closed her eyes, feeling trapped and discouraged. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn’t respond, and even if they did, where could she go? Her lungs seared and she couldn’t contemplate anything but how to escape. Her heart thudded so loud she could hear it pounding her chest. She heard the man descending the steps unhurriedly. With a few short strides, he was standing right over her, and she swallowed nervously.

  “What do we have here?” he said, his voice stunned. Reaching down, he grabbed her by her shirt and lifted her as if she weighed nothing at all.

  Mustering all the courage she had, she opened her eyes. Their faces were barely a few inches apart. His lips were curved upward in an aggravating half-smile. Arielle stared at him in shock and gasped in surprise. This was the other man she and Gabrielle had met before.

  “You…you are…Vitorio!” she muttered, eyes wide-open, voice barely audible.

  “Yes, that’s me,” he said laughing unevenly. “Good memory, Arielle,” he scoffed. He then moved his gaze behind her in sheer wonder, scanning the hallway for Mauritsio.

  “Wh…where,” he started to say and stopped mid-sentence when loud pounding came from somewhere at the end of the hallway. Vitorio stiffened, and his eyes flicked toward the pounding sound and then swiftly returned to her. Astonishment filled his eyes, and he let out a low, throaty grunt. Fury seethed as awareness settled deep into his mind. Pinning her with an icy stare, he slammed her twice against the wall indignantly, discarding her like unwanted trash.

  Arielle crashed to the floor once again and an agonized groan escaped her lips. Something warm and coppery cascaded over her mouth, down her chin, and soaked the front of her shirt. Oh God! Please help me, she thought. Her face was on fire, her body ached badly, and her throat felt dry. Vitorio stomped past her and headed down the hallway toward the room the desultory pounding originated from without looking back. Arielle’s heart sank and hopelessness spread across every muscle in her body. Her plan of escape had skidded to a dreadful halt.

  Tears streamed down her face, burning the deep laceration on her cheek, creating a penetrating bite. The pain was excruciating, but she couldn’t stop crying. Her thoughts were revolving uncontrollably, unable to find the power to slow down long enough to figure out her next move. Did she have a next move? Her victory had been short lived and rather discouraging. Her mouth set into a straight line and she tried to lift her hand to wipe her face, but the pain was unbearable. She drew in a deep breath and her chest muscles screamed in discomfort. She concentrated on the pain and her brain ordered her to stay still. Where was Sebastian? Why was he taking so long to come to her rescue?

  A loud voice from the room down the hall, snapped her out of her stupor. “What the fuck happened in here?” Vitorio’s voice boomed. “Why are you on the floor? Did you let a little girl make a joke out of you?”

  “That fucking bitch! Where is she?” Mauritsio growled.

  “She’s still here, no thanks to you!” Vitorio scoffed. There was a short pause. “Get off the floor. What’s wrong with you?” Vitorio spat out. Mauritsio was still holding his crotch. Agony and sweat covered his face as he tried to straighten up and failed. His eyes focused on Vitorio.

  Vitorio scrutinized every move Mauritsio made carefully, eyes wide-open, lips curling up into a smirking grin. “Oh! The old trick, perfect blow right into the groin,” Vitorio furthered, unable to hide the amusement from his voice.

  “Damn it! It’s not funny, Vitorio. It hurts like a bitch,” Mauritsio growled and frowned, cursing out loud. “Where is that bitch? I’ll give her what she deserves,” he said, looking around wildly and making a huge effort to stand.

  “I don’t think you’re in a position to give her anything right now,” Vitorio said, and leaning down, he helped him to his feet. He watched him take a couple of steps, moaning painfully. Mauritsio’s dark gaze flicked to Vitorio and scowled; he was unable to suppress his embarrassment.

  “How in the hell did you let her come so close?” Vitorio muttered quizzically.

  “It happened so fast I can’t even remember,” Mauritsio murmured awkwardly.

  “You have to admire her for trying to escape,” Vitorio said now, teasingly.

  “What? You’ve got to be joking,” Mauritsio exclaimed.

  “Just kidding man; I was only kidding.” Vitorio snorted, and giving him a soft push, they headed out of the room.

  “Well, where is she?” Mauritsio asked again.

  “Don’t worry about her,” Vitorio said. “She’ll not be able to walk anywhere for a while.

  “What do you mean?”

  “She fell down the staircase trying to escape and she is in bad shape.”

  “Oh!” Mauritsio walked slowly out of the room still holding his crotch and, turning to his left, he stared down the hallway. All he could see was a coiled body on the floor, not moving at all.

  “I wanted to kill her,” Mauritsio hissed.

  “Well, I’m glad you didn’t. That would make a few people quite angry at you, if you know what I mean.”

  “How bad is she hurt?”

  “She is a bloody mess,” Vitorio continued.

  “Well, Jorrit is not going to like this either,” Mauritsio murmured thoughtfully.

  “Um…what happened isn’t our fault,” Vitorio mattered. “She tried to escape and fell down the
staircase. He’ll understand that,” he furthered.

  Standing over Arielle, they stared down at her. She angled her head upward and gave them a flat stare; she wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of knowing how badly she was injured. She was afraid that her irregular gasping would reveal her state of mind. Gathering all the strength she could muster, she lifted her leg and kicked Mauritsio blindly right between his legs. It was a perfect blow to his groin once again.

  Mauritsio shot her a disbelieving glance and let out an unnerving sound. Arielle stared at him wide-eyed. There was a gasping sound as he finally took a mouthful of air. “Fuck!!” He shrieked and his body doubled from pain. He grabbed his growing with a loud grunt. There was a shocking moment of silence and then he let his right hand fly as hard as he could and backhanded Arielle on the side of her face. Her head jerked backward and hit the wall with a loud thud. Blood shot from the deep laceration on her face and sprayed the front of Mauritsio’s shirt. She groaned severely and closed her eyes. Mauritsio grabbed the corner of his white shirt and stared at the bloodstains with utter revulsion. Fury emanated from his eyes and a deep growl escaped his mouth.

  “I’ll kill you,” he hissed wrathfully and, pulling his hand back, he prepared to strike her once again. She shut her eyes and prepared for the next blow. Stand silence fell and darkness moved in. She had lost consciousness.

  Vitorio grabbed Mauritsio’s hand in the air, just before it made contact with Arielle’s face once again.

  “She’s passed out, man!” he snapped. Staring down at the bloody mess on the girl’s small frame, Vitorio sensed a flash of sadness surging through his veins, making him quiver, but it vanished just as fast as it came.

  Mauritsio stared at him in shock. “Why do you give a fuck about her?” he hissed angrily.

  “We need to leave,” Vitorio replied blankly. “Go change your shirt while I take care of her.” Without another word, he bent down and, with ease, he lifted Arielle into his arms and carried her back into the room. He laid her on the bed and stared down at her for a short moment. He shut his eyes at the unpleasant sight in front of him. The cut on her cheek was pretty deep and bloody, her lips were swollen, and her left eye was black and blue. The exposed parts of her body were badly bruised from the fall and her clothes were stained with blood. “Holy shit!” he thought to himself.