Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7)

by Lilian Roberts

  “Paris! Tomorrow!” she exclaimed.

  “You’re mine,” he whispered. She stayed in his warm embrace and drifted to sleep. Sebastian stayed awake for a little while longer. His gaze swept over her beautiful face. Possessiveness had never felt so solid. He had never wanted anything or anyone as much as he wanted Arielle. She was going to be a never ending desire, a sheer joy in his limitless life.

  He drew breath and pulling his gaze away from her face he stared at the ceiling. He chuckled at the thought of the elaborations he, Ian, and Troy had made to their wedding details. Paul on the other hand would enjoy the normal tradition as Loren was handling everything for their important day.

  Sebastian had read Arielle’s mind and discovered the names of the wedding coordinator, the flower company, and the photographer that the girls chose to handle their weddings. He, Ian, and Troy visited each one of them — including the country club — and made extraordinary agreements that left even the vendors shocked.

  They were to keep their visit and their agreement private from the Lloyds, the Taylors, and Mrs. Winters. They were to charge the families a very small, reasonable amount for their services. The immortals, in turn, left very generous deposits to cover the excess cost. The weddings would have to be extraordinary and they were to provide an extravagant type of services.

  The excitement between the three immortals had been quite infectious. They were going to keep the details a secret never to be shared with Arielle, Eva, and Gabby.

  Sebastian lay in bed, his arms wrapped around what he considered his most essential treasure. Arielle was fast asleep, her warm breath brushing against his chest, sending shivers of pleasure along his spine. He pulled her closer, gazed down at her, passion flaring in his eyes. She was utterly beautiful. He reined back his self-control that could shatter at any moment. She was the most desirable woman he ever set eyes on. He wanted to kiss her until she would forget everything else in the world but him. She had taken center stage in every facet of his life. He nuzzled her hair and sighed contentedly as he drifted to sleep.

  Chapter 21

  A BRIGHT SUN RAY peeked into the room through the curtains and brushed across their sleepy faces. Sebastian opened his eyelids and fell into the sapphire ocean of Arielle’s eyes.

  “Good morning, Lizzy! Did you sleep well?” Sebastian whispered. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on her lips.

  “Mmmm. Good morning, Darcy!” she murmured back, and rolling away from his embrace, she stretched leisurely.

  “We have to leave soon,” Sebastian said quietly.

  Her eyes shot open wide, and she sat up in bed anxiously. She clenched her fingers around the sheet and giggled with pleasure. “We’re going to Paris!” she squealed and fell back on the bed, kicking her feet like a little kid overwhelmed with delight.

  “Yes, we are,” Sebastian, replied softly. Pulled her toward him and kissed the tip of her nose.

  She took a sharp breath and shot out of his arms and out of bed like lightning. “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be ready shortly.”

  She ran to the bathroom and jumped into the shower. “Aaaaaa!!!” She let out a scream as strong hands wrapped around her body and held her tightly.

  “Not without me,” Sebastian whispered against her ear.

  “Sebastian, honestly, one of these days, I will have a heart attack, and you will feel sad. You have to stop moving at supersonic speed. It scares me,” she admonished him playfully.

  “Sorry, baby, I can’t help myself,” he snickered.

  It was not a fast shower, as Arielle thought it would be. It turned out to be a slow encounter filled with steamy passion that suspended every thought she ever had and left her gasping for air while trying to grip onto reality. Sebastian was a tireless immortal with over five hundred years of experience that had one promise to keep and that was make Arielle happy for eternity. Gazing at the expression on her face he smiled wide knowing she was deliriously ecstatic. They dressed in blissful silence.

  Soon they were in the car heading to the airport. It was the same private airport gate

  they used the night of her birthday.

  “The private jet again?” she gasped; he just chuckled but remained silent. “We’re really going to Paris?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said, face serious, eyes glittering.

  “Good morning, Sis…” She heard Loren’s happy voice just as she entered the plane.

  “Loren…What? Hmm…” Eyes wide open, lost for words. Gabrielle, Troy, and Loren were sitting in the cabin, smiling at her. It took a while to understand what was happening, but once they explained, she could hardly contain her enthusiasm.

  “Gabrielle, did you know about this?”

  “No, Troy told me late last night. I wasn’t to ask any questions until we arrived here. I was quite surprised.”

  “Who owns the jet?” Gabby asked, gazing between Arielle and Loren.

  “Sebastian, of course,” Loren replied, and Gabby’s mouth dropped.

  “You have a plane?” she asked, turning toward Sebastian.

  “He has four,” Loren chimed in again.

  Gabby’s jaw dropped and Arielle flinched at Loren’s statement. She stared at Sebastian with wide eyes.

  “You have four planes?” Arielle’s expression was that of disbelief.

  “That’s just a drop in the ocean,” said Loren giggling.

  “What do you mean?” Arielle demanded, glancing at Loren uneasily.

  “Loren, stop,” Sebastian said, glaring at his sister.

  “She’s going to be your wife, Sebastian. She should know who you really are.” Arielle was now gazing at him in utter shock.

  “There is more?”

  “A hell of a lot more,” Loren said, still laughing as she stood up, moved over, hugged her brother in a loving manner, and gave him a huge kiss on the cheek. “Don’t be mad at me, dear brother. I love Arielle and she needs to know all about you.”

  “She knows all about me,” he whispered, watching Arielle carefully. “She knows exactly who I am and how I feel about her. Money isn’t something that would make any difference in our relationship.”

  Loren went back, taking her seat, and this time, she stayed quiet. Arielle rested her eyes on his beautiful face and smiled softly. He was right; she didn’t care about what he had. All she cared about was that this beautiful man loved her and wanted to be her husband.

  “I’m a little puzzled about something,” she said. Sebastian waited for her question with a soft smile.“If you have all these planes, why do you fly with regular airlines when you have to go somewhere?”

  He smiled again and replied slowly, “The planes are to be used by my executives to conduct business around the world. If they are available, I use them. If not, I fly just like everyone else. Today, this plane is in London and available, so here we are.” He chuckled.

  “That’s if he wants to use a plane at all,” Loren added and broke into a soft laughter. Gabrielle and Arielle were trying to absorb the reality of her statement. Immortals could move around the world at an amazing speed, without using human transportation. That wasn’t something they could wrap their minds around. This was something beyond credence.

  Arielle was lost in her thoughts. She felt his hand on her, and he pressed softly, making her face him.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Oh, I was thinking about how incredible you all are. You are able to come and go anywhere, anyway, anyhow you choose without any constrains created by humans. That must be an exhilarating feeling,” she murmured and pressed her lips together. He didn’t say anything; he just pinched the tip of his nose, as if he was troubled by something, but he remained silent.

  The plane landed in Paris, and soon they were on the way to somewhere unknown to her and Gabby. The luxury limousine drove leisurely through the city and arrived to Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.

  “Here is the pulse of Paris design and fashion,” Loren exclaimed. “This is the Faubour
g Saint-Honore district. All you see is a narrow but ultra-coveted artery of the French couture. Most of the great designer boutiques are located here.”

  “Is this where we are going?” Arielle asked quietly. Loren looked at Gabrielle and Arielle with a wide smile spread across her face.

  “No, Sebastian, Troy, and I just wanted to show you the place that you both might want to visit when you come back to Paris with your mothers and search for your wedding gowns. That is, if you don’t find something at the place we are going right now.” Arielle and Gabrielle stared out the window and grabbed each other’s hand in sheer excitement.

  “Right now, we are going to Nemours, a small town about fifty-seven kilometers away from the city to a seventeenth-century mill-turned design studio called ‘Cymbeline Paris.’ Sisters Evelyne, Chantal, and Monique Joubert created it almost forty years ago, and it’s on the top of the list for brides all over the world,” Sebastian said in his velvety voice. “I want you to meet some of our friends and see some of the most beautiful wedding gowns in the world.” His tone was matter of fact while Gabrielle and Arielle were still gasping in clear shock. They seemed to walk in a fog as Sebastian and Troy kept their arms around them and held them close, giving them all the details about each individual they met. They spent an amazing day meeting people and going through some of the most stunning gowns they had ever seen. They couldn’t wait to come back home and tell Eva about this trip. On the way to the limo, Arielle thanked Sebastian one more time.

  “All I want to do is make you happy,” he murmured. His lips found hers and held her to a soft kiss as she heard Loren chuckle.

  Soon they were on their way home. At the airport, they thanked Loren again for coming along. She climbed in her car and waved at them, calling out, “See you Monday at school!”

  Gabrielle and Arielle hugged each other for a long time, unable to wipe smiles from their faces, making Sebastian and Troy very happy. The guys shook hands, and they parted.

  On the way to the car, Arielle leaned in and whispered softly, “Sebastian, everything you are doing for me is like a dream come true, but it feels extremely uncharacteristic of me to use your money.”

  “Arielle, I want you to promise right now that you won’t bring this up ever again. You’re going to be my wife, and what I have will be yours, and what you have will be mine.”

  “But I’ve nothing to give you but my little Volvo still sitting in the garage,” she laughed softly.

  “Oh…But…You…Do…” He uttered the words slowly with an amused voice. She looked at him inquisitively, and she saw a wide smile curve his lips.

  “What are you referring to?” she asked, pretending to not understand what he meant. He just laughed out loud, and taking her hand, he pressed on the gas. She was completely exhausted by the time they went to bed, and after getting comfortable in his arms, she fell asleep before her head hit the pillow. Sebastian chuckled as he gazed at her sleepy face and pulled her body close to his and closed his eyes.

  He was sure that he would never be able to sleep peacefully ever again if he couldn’t feel the warmth of her body against his. She was perfect. She was what made the blood pulse in his veins. Her heart’s rhythm gave his life the tranquility that he never knew. He was overwhelmed with love for this human girl.

  The next day, Arielle called her friends to invite them to spend some time together and to go see a film. Arielle didn’t call Loren because she knew that she was taking Paul to her parents’ house. When everyone was there, Arielle and Gabrielle couldn’t wait to tell Eva all about Paris. They were stunned to find out that Eva and Ian knew all the details about their trip way before they knew about it. They both wondered why their guys couldn’t give them a little clue before they boarded the plane.

  Gabrielle walked over to Troy and sat on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaning in, she pressed her lips to his. Troy pulled her to him, extremely pleased with her gesture. She sank into his embrace, and their lips met again, infusing Troy with her warmth, and he shifted uncomfortably.

  Arielle knew that Gabby had him hot and bothered, especially when they heard his soft moan. Immortals were sexually oriented creatures with a very short fuse. In this room, there were only two humans and four immortals, so it was no surprise that Gabrielle would have to move away from Troy quickly.

  “Why couldn’t you tell me about Paris and the fact that you prearranged this with Sebastian?” Gabrielle asked with glittering eyes.

  “I wanted it to be a surprise, and from what I saw, it really was,” he laughed softly and coughed a couple times, trying to clear his throat. He pushed Gabrielle gently, trying to nudge her off of his lap, but she seemed to enjoy his difficulty. She wouldn’t budge.

  Arielle now couldn’t hold back laughter and Eva joined her. Troy put his arms around Gabrielle and lifted her into his embrace. He rose to his feet, put her down, and pressed his lips on hers.

  “You need to stop,” he whispered. Gabby laughed with delight.

  She left his embrace and walked over to where Arielle and Eva were sitting. Troy’s face was flushed, trying to suppress his wolfish grin. The guys exchanged amused glances.

  Gabrielle’s eyes glimmered; her gaze fixed on Troy’s face. “Chicken…” she whispered, and they all laughed again.

  Troy’s eyebrows furrowed. “Payback is hell,” Troy said, his voice shaky.

  “Promises…Promises…” she murmured and turned to take a seat. She was startled as Troy moved in his immortal speed, lifted her into his arms, and walked to the door.

  “I guess we have to discuss this now,” he said with amusement. Arielle saw Gabrielle’s shocked face.

  “No…no…no…I was only joking,” they heard her say.

  “Who is chicken now?” he chuckled.

  “Sorry, I was only joking,” she said again, a bit embarrassed.

  “You promise no more smart remarks?” He was now completely amused with her.

  “Yes…yes, I promise.” He put her down and held her into his arms, locking them into a hot kiss. Gabby blushed, a little shaken up. Troy put his arm around her waist and drew her back towards their friends. Arielle could still hear Ian and Sebastian trying to hold back laughter.

  “Lessons learned,” Ian said, lovingly at Eva.

  “Well, are we all done here?” Arielle asked, trying to bring the conversation back to normal. She stood up and asked Eva and Gabrielle to follow her out of the room, while the guys turned the telly onto a sports station.

  “How did you like Faubourg Saint-Honore district?” they heard Eva asking.

  “Have you been there?” Arielle asked, surprised.

  “Yes, I went with Ian a few times, and I must say the gowns are amazing, but I’m still going to manifest my wedding gown and your dresses for my wedding, if you don’t mind.”

  “Oh…no, not at all. We loved what you did for us on my birthday so I am sure whatever you manifest for us will be amazing, right, Gabby?” Arielle asked, glancing toward Gabby’s direction.

  “No disagreement here,” Gabrielle replied with a smile.

  “Eva, you have to come with us next time, even though you’ve been there before. It won’t feel right if the three of us aren’t together.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The corners of her mouth lifted into a furtive smile.

  “Great,” Arielle said and proceeded to tell her about all the designers they met and how amazing their bridal gowns were. Eva seemed pleased to see both them so excited.

  “When do you want to go?” Arielle asked.

  “How about the weekend after next?” Gabby chimed in. “I have a couple of tests this week coming up and one the week after.”

  “That’ll work for me as well,” Eva said.

  “Okay, I’ll talk to Loren and Sebastian so they can make the arrangements for us.”

  Chapter 22

  ARIELLE, GABRIELLE, AND EVA had made an agreement that they would stay away from their guys for a whole week
before their wedding day. This was something they thought would be fun and it would make their honeymoon more exciting. The week before Eva was to be married, she moved in with her mother. Arielle and Gabby were sure that it would be a very difficult adjustment for Eva.

  Eating wasn’t something Eva or Ian enjoyed doing since becoming an immortal. Ian’s family flew in from Germany for the ceremony and they were staying with Ian at their house. Ian was unable to keep salve in the house, afraid that his parents would wonder about the strange substance, so they moved Ian’s supply to Gabby’s house and Eva’s supply to Arielle’s house to keep them from running into each other before the wedding day. Gabrielle and Arielle were sure that this separation was hard on both of them, but an agreement was an agreement, and they were going to honor it. They were very familiar with the way immortals loved and that powerful encounters were part of their existence.

  Eva’s wedding dress was absolutely amazing. The beautiful strapless, bone color silk gown was to die for. It was magnificently decorated with roses and jewels. Her veil was trimmed with diamonds. The train was several yards long. She looked just like a princess — stunningly beautiful. Gabrielle, Loren, and Arielle wore the dresses she manifested for them, and they did love them. They were also strapless, made out of rich, shiny blue taffeta trimmed with floral designed lace and tastefully decorated with jewels.

  The day of the wedding was thought to be the most important day in Eva and Ian’s lives and a joyous one for their friends and family.

  They all arrived at the church in plenty of time for dress and makeup. There were rooms designated for the bride and the groom. The wedding dress and the tuxedos had been delivered the day before and were placed in the rooms, creating a lax atmosphere.

  The hour after their arrival was busy in the bridal room. The girls wore their fabulous dresses and then helped Eva with her wedding dress, veil, makeup, and hair. She was so perfect that Gabrielle and Arielle were speechless. She was just like a porcelain doll, stunningly gorgeous.