“Thanks Giani,” Sebastian said, relief in his voice. He leaned closer and setting his hands on the table, held his mobile tightly. He stared at the black screen for a moment and then pressed the start button.
His screensaver came on and a pair of beautiful sapphire eyes brightened the screen. A smile tagged the corners of his mouth and sheer warmth surged through his body like a tidal wave at the sight of Arielle’s face.
He saw two text messages. The first was from Arielle. He’d received that while standing in the middle of the bedroom facing the girl just before he killed her.
He clicked on the second text and a strong jolt made him quiver. He stared at the screen silently, expression overwhelmed with contempt and revulsion. He finally swallowed hard and his head slumped on the table. The phone dropped from his hands with a crackling noise, sliding across the surface and stopping at the edge, just before crashing to the ground. Sebastian was growling in utter despair.
Troy picked up the phone and looked at the screen. His face twisted with anger and hatred flickered in his eyes.
“What?” Antonius and Giani asked at the same time. Troy handed them the phone and they gazed at the screen in complete shock. It was a text message from Annabel.
Hello, my love. I thought you might want to know that our marriage is now consummated. We're bonded together forever. You belong to me.
Sebastian raised his head and gazed into his friends’ worried eyes. He knew intuitively the meaning of Annabel’s text message. He was feeling hollow and his eyes were full of hate. Annabel had devastated his life in a matter of minutes.
“I can’t face Arielle,” he said. Face submersed with despair. “She wouldn’t want me after—“
“You’re dead wrong,” Antonius interrupted.
“You don’t understand, Antonius,” Sebastian said, gazing at the screensaver. “I made a promise to Arielle that she would be the only one for eternity. My love is still pure, however my body's been tainted. In good consciousness, I couldn’t touch Arielle because she's wholesome, loving, sensual, and good. Annabel has put her dirty mark on me and I’ve no rights to be with someone like Arielle. I feel nauseated,” Sebastian muttered. What made it worse was the fact that he didn’t believe that he could exist without her.
“Sebastian!” Troy said, clearly frustrated. “You’re the same good man Arielle fell in love with, the same man who loves her, with every fiber in your body. This doesn’t change a thing.” He emphasized his last words.
“Why then do I feel so different? Why do I feel that I just can’t lay in the same bed with Arielle any longer?” Sebastian’s voice was filled with anxiety.
Troy got to his feet. “Don’t be ridiculous!” he yelled, staring down at Sebastian, unable to hold back. “You must stop this, I beg of you as a friend. You can’t do that to Arielle.”
“Troy, I’ve never been scared of anything, but I’m scared to death to face Arielle,” he murmured. He looked on the brink of a breakdown.
“Sebastian, can I ask you a question?” Giani chimed in. Sebastian turned, his gaze rested on Giani’s face without replying. Giani ignored the silence and continued. “What if Arielle was raped?” he asked softly.
Sebastian recoiled; a horrified sigh escaped his lip. He stared out in the distance, transfixed by his tense thoughts. He was startled again by Giani’s firm voice.
“Would you leave her? Would you refuse to touch her again for something she had no control over?”
Sebastian remained silent. He pressed the button on his mobile and Arielle’s picture filled the screen. He stood still, engulfed by the irresistible appeal of her face. He thought he smelled freesia and smiled.
“Well? Would you?” Giani insisted.
“No—no I wouldn’t, I love her too much,” Sebastian whispered.
“So what’s the difference here? Annabel took something from you without your knowledge; you had no part in it, so how can you say that you're dirty? Do you understand where I’m going with this?” Giani asked, but this time he waited for a reply.
Troy and Antonius nodded their agreement.
Sebastian looked panicked. “But why do I feel so bad?” he murmured.
“Because you were violated,” Troy said. “You had nothing to say about Annabel’s actions and that’s why you feel bad. Don’t let Arielle get involved in this mess. Let it go…let it go…” he repeated.
“I’ll try,” Sebastian promised. His face was lined with wretched sadness. “Maybe we should head home now,” he said, standing.
“Maybe we should wait a little while longer. You need to get over the unpleasant letdown, and face your up-coming wedding and future with Arielle.”
Sebastian agreed and sat back down. Troy moved to sit next to him.
“Remember, Sebastian, Arielle's a very sensitive girl and she’ll notice changes in you, so make sure you don’t dwell on this. Don’t let the best thing in your life slip away. Don’t let Annabel succeeded in destroying your relationship. I’m not going to say anything more except that you must let the past remain in the past.” Troy watched him attentively.
“Of course, I know you’re right. She’s my life and I couldn’t breathe if she wasn’t in it. I just couldn’t touch her right now, not until I scrub myself down and wash away Annabel’s stench.” He smiled and breathed deeply. They were getting ready to get up and leave when Antonius phone went off. He flipped the phone and listened intently for a while and finally put the phone back in his jean pocket, cursing explicitly.
“What’s going on?” Sebastian asked watching Antonius intently.
“Bitch…” he cried out.
“What happened?” Giani asked.
“That bitch is gone again!!! She tricked us! Gerard and Arturo waited across the street for her return. She didn’t come through the front door, but they saw her for a brief moment standing in the front room. She looked around with a shocked look on her face and disappeared quickly, turning the lights off, bringing the house into complete darkness. They ran inside, but she disappeared just as fast as she appeared. They did a methodical search throughout the cellar and found a couple more passages in the cellar. One was under the staircase and the other in the torture room behind the large chair that was pushed against the wall. Both lead out to several blocks away from the house. She was gone,” Antonius said. He pursed his lips one more time and cursed aloud.
“This is my life story, invariably,” Sebastian chuckled bitterly.
“This woman is either really good or just very lucky,” Giani said and they all agreed.
“I'd rather go home first, and clean up, but that may be even more suspicious to Arielle.” Sebastian was thinking aloud.
“You're absolutely right, you’re still sluggish and you need time to heal completely; I’m sure Arielle will understand,” Troy said.
Sebastian nodded in agreement and they were on their way. He’d lost a lot of blood and needed more energy, more Salve. His head still ached from the hard hit he’d received from Annabel’s thugs.
Chapter 4
GABRIELLE AND ARIELLE sprang from the sofa anxiously at the sound of voices. Arielle’s arms were aching for Sebastian. She ran full speed with the sole purpose of falling into his splendid embrace. The guys were walking in as the girls reached the foyer. Antonius stepped in front of Sebastian in attempt to help him to the sofa and Arielle ran right into him, unable to stop her forward momentum. She staggered for a moment, trying to regain her balance. Antonius spun around and, putting his arms around her, held her steady to her feet. Arielle stood still, a little disoriented and staring into Antonius’ eyes. Running into Antonius’ body felt like hitting a brick wall.
“Excuse me,” she muttered, embarrassed.
“Are you all right?” Antonius asked.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied, with a soft smile. Antonius step aside and Sebastian came into Arielle’s full view. She froze, shocked at his bloody appearance. Stunned silence fell, as their eyes met. Sebastian’s face l
it up as a soft smile tagged the corners of his mouth. Her heart started hammering in her chest making it painful to breathe. Her exultation evaporated and her face fell at the sight of him.
His face was shattered and pale. His lips twisted in agony, his expression distorted. The exposed parts of his skin were covered in dry blood, his body weak and unbalanced between Troy and Giani. She approached slowly and stood in front of him, gazing deep into his emerald eyes, but he seemed to be looking vacantly somewhere in the distance. Arielle’s heart sank and tears came to her eyes.
“Sebastian!” she cried out unable to hold back. He was more than startled and seemed to snap out of his blankness. He took several deep breaths before he could speak.
“Hey baby!” he whispered softly. That sweet velvety voice didn’t reflect the way he looked. “Did you miss me?” he asked, and the corners of his mouth lifted into the smile he held only for her.
“Sebastian, what happened?” she murmured, and carefully wrapped her arms around him overwhelmed with the need to hold him. To her utter astonishment he didn’t encircled her in his arms as she anticipated. Her heart was now beating franticly. Something had changed in Sebastian and the path she’d set for her life back in St Jean De Luz was in jeopardy.
Sebastian’s mind was in turmoil. Arielle’s touch practically set him on fire, and his desire for her was making him crazy, but he had no right to touch her. The stench of Annabel was still all over his body and he felt nauseated. How was he ever going to get over this ghastly part of his life? He looked at Arielle’s beautiful face and felt her shudder. She stepped away from him, expression filled with hurt and disappointment, visibly shaken. Sebastian couldn’t believe he was the cause of the awful look that painted the face he lived for. God! What was happening to him? He couldn’t make any sense of it. Sebastian took a deep breath and gazed at Arielle anxiously.
“I love you, Arielle,” he murmured.
She gazed into his eyes again and lifting herself up on her tiptoes pressed his lips with hers softly. The intensity of the kiss wasn't what she'd hoped for. It was a bit of a letdown but she still moaned breathlessly, as warmth spread across every fiber of her body. She pulled back slowly and gazed at him a little closer.
“Oh…my…God…is that dried blood all over your arms?” she exclaimed, and before anyone could comment any further she continued. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, baby, just need a little time to completely recover.”
“Recover from what? What happened?” Arielle had a bad feeling about this.
“He's fine, Arielle,” Antonius interrupted, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her away from Sebastian. “He needs his energy back and a little more time to heal completely.”
She was silent and a bit stunned as they all walked into the study and helped Sebastian to the sofa. Troy dashed out and came back with a glass of Salve. Arielle watched as if she was seeing a movie unfold. Her mind was in turmoil. She found it extremely strange that he had on jeans and a shirt, rather than the nice suit he'd on when he dashed after Annabel. Why? What happened to his suit? Why does he look so filthy and dipped in blood?
Sebastian lifted his hand to take the glass from Troy and his shirt fell open in the front, revealing three awful looking long lacerations and a lot of dried blood all over his chest. They were much better than the deep gashes he received from Annabel’s dagger earlier that evening, and would eventually disappear, but they still looked horrific. Arielle gasped and placed her hands over her mouth to mute the scream that rose to her lips. Cold hands of horror spread across every fiber of her body making her quiver. She knew something terrible had happened but she was afraid to ask. Tears filled her eyes and she froze.
Troy looked up at her with a soft smile. “He’ll be fine, Arielle, I promise. Give him time to regain his strength. He’ll be back to normal soon and you’ll never be able to tell the difference. He’ll be the same ugly guy we all love.” Troy chuckled.
She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze, hoping he could see her gratitude.
He wiped her tears away. “There’s no need to cry; he’s fine. Remember that we’re immortals; we heal, and there are no scars left to remind us of our bad episodes.”
Troy was smiling but she saw a dark shadow cross his eyes, making her wonder if there was more to the episode that just a fight.
“Arielle—” Sebastian’s voice jolted her to reality.
“Sebastian,” she whispered with tremendous concern, as she walked and sat next to him. She reached over and pulled his shirt together covering his exposed chest.
“Did you miss me?” he whispered, his voice pained.
“Oh…My…God…Sebastian, I couldn’t breathe,” she murmured. She laid her head gently against his chest and he held her lightly. She felt a surge of exhilaration. He took another sip of Salve and she noticed warmth in those beautiful emerald eyes and the corners of his lovely bowed lips curved up. Her breath held in her throat as a surge of adoration for this man swept through her body. It was a few minutes later when he stood, still looking pretty tired, and taking her hand, announced that they were going home. Just before they walked out the door he thanked all the guys by shaking their hands. He walked to Gabrielle, took her in his arms, and smiled gratefully.
“Thank you, Gabrielle, you're an exceptional woman. Troy's a very a lucky guy.” He gave her a peck on the cheek while she held a wide smile on her face.
Sebastian averted his gaze to Arielle and their eyes locked. A declaration of desire sent a wave of heat through Arielle’s body, as he placed his arm around her waist and pulling her a little closer, nuzzled her hair.
“You're my world,” he whispered, and they walked out the door. Arielle drove home but Sebastian didn’t seem to want to talk about the incident at all and she didn’t press for answers. She was hoping to get the chance to find out the details when they were home alone. She was lost in her thoughts when his musical voice made her look at his amazing face and she felt peaceful. He was the sanctuary of her existence. There was nothing that could hurt her when he was next to her. She reached over and, taking his hand, pressed it softly.
“Are you okay, baby?” she murmured.
“Yes, I'm fine,” he whispered. Arielle could tell he was a bit different compared to when he left her standing at the club parking lot. His touch, his kiss, and his manner around her, had changed. Stony silence fell between them again. She finally took a deep breath and said.
“I’m really worried about you. What happened?”
“I don’t want you to worry about me,” he replied without looking at her. “I’ll always be by your side and I’m here now.”
She tried to feel the warmth and the security he always provided for her but something in his voice was missing. She smiled solemnly. “Are you feeling any better?”
“Yes, I just need to take a shower and I’ll feel much better,” he replied.
Arielle turned to look at him and the dark shadow that crossed his eyes didn’t escape her. It was the same shadow she’d see in Troy’s eyes when she’d asked him for details. Something happened tonight; she could feel it, but she didn’t want to push him right now. She thought it might have something to do with an immortal healing process. She pulled into the garage and just as she prepared to shut the engine off she watched, astonished, as Sebastian literally dashed out of the car and in the house without looking back.
She was completely dumbfounded, unable to explain what in bloody hell was going on. Stress and anxiety filled her. She took her time getting out of the car and entered the house with measured steps.
Sebastian was already in the shower with the bathroom door closed. She stood in the middle of the bedroom, upset, as this was not a typical occurrence in their relationship. Any other day he would've taken her in his arms and walked into the shower with her, but not tonight. Something happened with Annabel and she had to find out. This wasn’t the Sebastian she knew.
Arielle pulled her mobi
le out of her pocket, walked out of the bedroom and called Troy.
“Hello, Arielle,” Troy’s voice came across the wire softly. Her name must’ve shown up on his mobile screen.
“Troy, you must tell me what happened tonight. Sebastian’s acting very strange and I’m a little lost and hurt. He’s avoiding me as if he’s afraid to touch me.” She was desperate for information.
“Arielle, you have to be patient, Sebastian will come clean when he’s ready. Give him time and most of all trust in him. I can tell you one thing that’s completely true; he’s irrevocably in love with you.” Troy stopped talking and there was a long silence across the wire.
“Okay, Troy, thanks for talking to me,” her voice broke.
“Trust him,” were Troy’s last words before the phone went dead.
Arielle got ready for bed and waited for Sebastian to come out of the shower for what seemed to be an eternity. She laid back, put her hands behind her head, and closed her eyes. Her head was filled with wild and crazy thoughts. It was clear to her that Sebastian was avoiding any type of physical touch with her. Tears filled her eyes and her heart was breaking; rejection by Sebastian was like death. She must’ve been completely worn out because she dozed off and didn’t wake until 3:00 in the morning.
The bedroom was dark and quiet and Sebastian wasn’t in bed. She wanted to get out of bed and go looking for him, but decided to give him time to resolve whatever the problem was.
At 4:00 in the morning, she just couldn’t wait any longer. She jumped out of bed and walked in the dark from one room to the next looking for him but he wasn’t in the house. She looked in the garage and his car was still there, so she hoped he was outside in the back sitting in the garden as he liked to do when something bothered him.
Her heart was breaking; she wished he'd share with her the details that were keeping him so distant. She put on a jacket and stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind her. The air was crisp, making her shiver and button up the jacket. He wasn’t in the garden either and she pursed her lips, her mind whirling wildly, trying to understand what was happening in their lives. She was now standing at the end of the property, looking out toward the ocean, feeling utterly distraught.
Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8) Page 5
