Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8)

by Lilian Roberts

  Her eyes inched over each item in the room all over again. There was a small dresser against the opposite wall, a nightstand next to the bed, and two chairs. Suddenly, through the shadows, her gaze stopped on the portholes above her head and she froze as Gaston’s face emerged in her mind and she cursed inwardly. She sat up in the dark and lifted her hands to wipe moisture that was trickling down her face.

  Her fear was now so dense; it blocked her thoughts one more time. Her hands balled into tight fists and her nails cut through the skin of her palms, spreading pain across her muscles. She welcomed the darkness inside the cabin; it helped conceal her emotional stress. She was at a total disadvantage with Gaston, without her necklace, however she still had Eva. I have to remain calm, she thought to herself. I need to find out where he’s taking me. I need to get something that will help Sebastian and my friends find me. She struggled to focus her thoughts on Eva, but Sebastian’s face kept filling her mind. Sebastian! She whimpered his name, and felt his image envelope every fiber in her body. Her lips move again, repeating his name over and over again and she started to sob quietly. God, what am I going to do? Will they ever find me? Panic coursed through her nerves and fear traveled like lightning, searing every pore in her body.

  She had a wild thought of trying to escape, but how could she even opt on an escape plan if she didn’t know where she was? According to Gaston she’d slept most of the way to this boat and for how long she had no idea; she’d lost complete track of time.

  Footstep in the corridor made her skin crawl. She kept her eyes shut, hoping that Gaston would leave her alone. She heard the doorknob turn and the door creaked as it opened. She heard him approach and he stopped next to the bed. He had to be very close because she could smell that intoxicating immortal scent. Only in this case it was turning her stomach inside out.

  “We’re here, princess,” he whispered in her ear and brushed his lips against her earlobe. Arielle stifled a scream and opened her eyes slowly. “Please don’t be scared of me and don’t scream. I’m not going to hurt you, I’ve told you that over and over again. I’m in love with you, I wouldn’t hurt a single hair in your head,” he said, and his eyes locked with hers. Arielle recoiled, and yanked her eyes away, avoiding his immortal power to compel her. He gave her his hand to help her out of bed but she pushed him away.

  “Where are we?” she mumbled without moving.

  “I’ll tell you later. Right now we need to get out of the boat,” he said, voice firm. He took a step back and kept his eyes on her. Arielle sat up and swung her legs over the bed. She groaned and came to her feet, not realizing she was still in a deep haze from being sedated. She wobbled and lost her balance. Gaston reflexively closed his arms around her and pulled her against his hard body to steady her. He cursed inwardly, as severe desire spread through every muscle in his body.

  Mortified anger flooded her mind and she tried to pull away. His arms locked around her unyielding like a steel cage, his male hardness pressed against her body. His mouth found hers and his kiss was hard, passionate, and fervent. He moaned and Arielle understood that he was kissing her into forfeit and she wasn’t going to let him succeed, so she locked her lips against his. Her disbelief was intermingled with something much bigger, a suffocating revulsion. Gaston noticed tears running down her face and immediately he let her go. He pulled back, as resentment against Sebastian grew even larger. He bit his lower lip, and turning around, he walked toward the door.

  “Come on Arielle, we need to leave this boat,” he said, without looking back.

  “Gaston,” she screamed, and he froze. His jaw clenched, his muscles clenched but he didn’t turn back to look at her.

  “What is it, Arielle,” he asked, voice low and calm.

  “Where in bloody hell are you taking me?” she cried out. “You can’t do this, I’m not going along with your sick plan,” she said, and started to sob. Gaston turned around slowly and glare at her, frustration spread across his face. Arielle gasped as he moved using his immortal speed and he was now standing right in front of her. He met her gaze and trapped her in his arms one more time.

  “I hate to disagree with your statement, my beautiful princess, but you are going to be with me for a very long time. Therefore you might as well get over yourself and relax. You have nothing to say about this.”

  Arielle gritted her teeth and humphed. “That’s ridiculous!” she shrieked. “I’m not going to be with you. I’m in love with Sebastian.”

  Jealousy coursed through Gaston’s body and hit him like a ton of bricks.

  “We’ll see about that,” he said through clenched teeth. He took her arm and pulled her toward the exit. He helped her up the stairs and they were now standing on the top of the deck. She looked around and saw several men moving about the boat but she couldn’t see their faces. The night was warm and clear. The moon looked like a huge preciouses stone, nestled in the middle of an enormous silver platter. The sky was crammed with millions of brilliant starts. Under different circumstances, she would smile at the splendor of the night but not tonight. The huge boat had docked against a long poorly lit pier, that lead to somewhere in the distance. Gaston grabbed her wrist and lead her to the side of the boat, and helped her step over onto the pier. There was no need to try and jerk her hand back; his grip was hard as steel and she twitched from pain.

  “You’re hurting me,” she whimpered.

  “Then stop fighting me,” he said quietly.

  How is Sebastian ever going to find me? She reached for Eva’s thoughts and mentally invited her in her head to see, what Arielle was experiencing. She continued to walk next to Gaston with Oliver close behind them. As they reached the end of the pier, she could smell the ocean and the strong scent of moist soil filled her nostrils making her flinch.

  She tried to survey the area, but it was dark and even in the moonlight she couldn’t see anything. Turning to her left, she noticed a set of headlights that were heading their way. A large limo pulled up and the driver jumped out to greet Gaston and Oliver with their first names. He moved around and held the doors open for them.

  “Get in,” Gaston said softly, but his voice was hard, so she climbed in without any arguments.

  She cleared her throat and asked quietly. “So, where are we going?” she waited for an answer, but he didn’t reply. She turned to face him in the dim overhead light and all she could see was lust in his eyes and she recoiled. The hurling started all over again in the pit of her stomach as the car rolled into the dark street of this unknown place. She was sure Gaston had used something like chloroform to put her to sleep. Just before she lost consciousness, she remembered the sweet smell when he pressed a piece of cloth over her face. She was still feeling the aftermath of that; her vision was fading in and out. She stared out the window, trying to see something that would give her a small clue of their location, but even with the moonlight there was nothing to see, nothing but trees, water, trees, and more water. Her awareness was telling her that she was here with Gaston, but her body was refusing to believe it. Her jaw muscles tightened and she was sure that if her friends couldn’t find her, the result would be dreadful. She closed her eyes and mentally tried to connect with Eva.

  “Eva, are you there?”

  “Yes, Arielle, I’m here, we’re all here,” she replied. “Are you with Annabel?”

  “No, it’s not Annabel, It’s Gaston.”

  “Gaston!”

  “Yes, Gaston. Oh, God, Eva help me.”

  “I need you to see something that'll help us find you.”

  “I’ll try my best to find something. Don’t leave me.”

  “I won’t, Arielle. Don’t worry, we’ll find you.”

  “Tell Sebastian I love him.”

  “He says the same back.”

  At Eva’s reply, Arielle felt a twinge in her chest, and pressing her lips together, she let out a sigh.

  Gaston and Oliver turned and looked at her intently. Their immortal ability made them aware of he
r anxiety. Oliver stared at her thinking how beautiful Arielle was and smiled delightfully. Gaston reached over, and putting his hand over Arielle’s shoulders, he leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid off, I’ll never let anything happen to you. I love you…” and brushed his lips softly against her ear. Arielle recoiled. “We’re almost there,” he added, a bit louder.

  “Where is there?” she stammered.

  “Fortitude is a virtue, my princess,” he chuckled.

  “Stop calling me that,” she said fiercely, and glared back at him. Gaston gazed across at Oliver and smiled.

  “I can see this is going to be a challenge for you mate,” said Oliver with a throaty laugh, “but I’m sure you’re prepared to fully enjoy the ride,” he furthered, and they both laughed.

  Chapter 15

  ARIELLE HAD NO IDEA what all that was about. She dragged in a deep breath, and turning her eyes to the window, she stared out into the darkness. She got lost in her thoughts, as Sebastian’s flawless face emerged before her eyes and she sensed his deep green emeralds enveloping her. She shivered with excitement as she recalled their last encounter. Her love for him was so powerful; she could feel it in her bones, in her soul, in her very existence. She couldn’t live without him. She was trying to convince herself that she was entangled in a dreadful nightmare and soon she would wake up. She eased back on the seat and closed her eyes, hoping the nightmare would go away, but sadly, when she opened them again, she was still seated in the car next to Gaston. Restless thoughts whirled wildly again, as she had no idea what the next step was going to be.

  The car stopped and her wits came back, slamming her brain into complete awareness.

  “Eva, the car's stopped,” she sent a mental update.

  “Play along, Arielle, until we find out where you are.”

  “Come on, princess,” she heard Gaston’s strong voice, as his hand grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car. Arielle pressed her lips together in sheer distaste of the word “princess”; she hated the sound of it. Her muscles locked as she felt Oliver’s hand pressing against the lower of her back. She looked back at him in utter shock and noticed a creepy smile on his face. She didn’t like the look in his eyes, but Gaston didn’t seem to pay any attention to any of that. She was now out of the car, as an awakening sensation soared across her body and mind.

  She was standing on a round cobblestone driveway in front of an enormous house that at first sight seemed to be nestled in the middle of a thick forest. Besides the huge structure that was brilliantly lit, all she could see were trees and more trees that surrounded every inch of the property. A large marble staircase led up to a tall double door with bright light fixtures on either side of the wall. They walked up the steps and stopped in front of the doors just as they opened, framing a large man. His eyes swept over them and a smile painted his face.

  “Mr. Stapleton, Mr. Bertaud, I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve everything set up, per your request,” he said respectfully. His eyes swept over Arielle and, stepping to the side, he motioned with his hand. “Please come in.”

  “Thank you, Edward,” Oliver said, and patted him on the back.

  “Another immortal,” Arielle mumbled, groaning. She’d forgotten the impeccable hearing immortals possessed. Edward flushed at the comment and looked up at Oliver. He made some kind of motion so Edward remained silent, sending an acid look her way.

  “Is this your house?” she asked looking up at Gaston. He turned to look at her and shook his head.

  “No, it belongs to Oliver and we’re his guest,” he said, and looked away.

  “Oh,” she said, and humphed.

  “Arielle, please make yourself comfortable and anything you need, please let Cecil know,” Oliver said, pointing somewhere to the left, but Arielle dismissed his comment, keeping her head stubbornly straight ahead.

  “I don’t need anything from you,” she said sharply.

  Oliver’s voice came out calm and unruffled. “Just in case you do need something, Cecil will be at your disposal.” He chuckled at Arielle’s repudiation. Arielle kept her gaze straight ahead, trying to ignore their existence, and humphed disgustingly. Everything inside the house looked lavish, elegant, typical of immortals, but Arielle wasn’t impressed. She felt Gaston’s arm on her lower back pushing her softly toward the staircase that lead to the upper level. She could hear the low chuckles from the guys behind her and her anger flared.

  A beautiful girl was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. She was sure that she was another immortal. “Cecil, this is Arielle,” Gaston said, as they approached her, “Arielle this is Cecil, she’ll be at your beck and call.” Cecil gazed at Arielle without saying a word, her face unreadable. Gaston’s hand burned her skin as he pressed softly against her back, encouraging her to follow Cecil. Her eyes glanced up, and she started to ascent the stairs and fell in behind the girl. She was sure that she was following her to what would be her prison.

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” Gaston called from the bottom of the stairs. Arielle didn’t turn to look at him, didn’t acknowledged his statement. When they reached the top of the landing, Cecil turned to the left and walked down a long corridor. Arielle peered into all the rooms they passed and she noticed a couple of women moving about. They stopped as she passed and she felt their stares piercing through her. Just from the quick look she gave them, she knew that they were immortals. She inwardly cursed. This house is crawling with immortals.

  “Eva, are you getting all this?”

  “Yes, I’m still here. Try to find something that'll give us a start. We’re all here waiting with bated breath.”

  “I need you, Eva; I need you now more than ever.”

  “Remain calm, I’m here, I’ll not leave you.”

  “What do I do with Gaston? He seems to want to touch me all the time. I hate him, Eva, he makes me sick.”

  “Try to endure. A kiss and embrace won’t harm you. He’ll not try anything more than that. Remember, he’s an immortal. They prefer the girl’s consent when they're in love, and he’s in love with you. He’ll give you the time you need. Immortals need total submission before they move to a final encounter. That'll give us time to find you.”

  “Here you are,” Cecil’s velvety voice broke her mental connection with Eva. Arielle gave her a quick unhappy look that she seemed to totally dismiss. Her face was expressionless as she walked into the room and turned the light on. Arielle blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the bright light, and walked inside grudgingly. She stopped in the middle of the room and looked around giving it a careful stare. It was quite large for a bedroom. Rich blue, elegant draperies covered three large windows. A stunning dresser rested against the wall with large ornamental chairs on either side. A bed occupied a large amount of space with nightstands on either side. A full-length mirror covered one of 4 ornate panels that seemed to be part of a wall closet. Across from the bed, a large plasma telly hang from the wall, and a few paintings decorated the empty wall spaces. Fresh flower arrangements rested on three different small tables.

  Arielle turned and faced Cecil, who was standing at the door waiting for Arielle to dismiss her. Arielle ignored her and, turning back, she walked over to a chair and sat down without saying a word. Cecil took that as a dismissal and walked out, closing the door behind her. Arielle’s head snapped upward and stared at the door in utter shock. She clearly heard the lock fall in place. Good god! I’m a prisoner! The thought crashed against the walls of her mind and reality sunk to the bit of her stomach like an oversized bolder. Profound wretchedness settled deep into her bones. She fell on the bed and started to sob uncontrollably.

  When she next opened her eyes, the clock by the nightstand displayed 3:30 in the morning. It was still dark outside. She got out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. She needed to take a shower and try to find something that would help Sebastian to locate her. She let the hot water run on her aching body for what it seemed to b
e eternity, as her thoughts journeyed to a happier place, Brighton.

  Tears rolled down her face as she finally turned the water off. She was ready to start searching for clues. She wrapped herself in a bath towel and walked back into the bedroom. She strolled around the room slowly. She looked out the window but it was still dark. In the distance she could see the ocean, the moon a huge reflecting, gleaming sphere that splattered silver spurts all across the waves. Everything else looked dark. There were no lights in the distance, nothing that would convey the existence of other life anywhere near this place. She pulled the curtains closed; disappointed, she turned around and went back to the bathroom to pick up her clothes.

  She was shocked to find them gone. She tried to recall what she’d done with them, but was sure they were on the bathroom floor just before she walked into the shower. Cecil must’ve slipped inside the bathroom while she was in the shower and taken them away. What if it was Gaston? She felt an eerie sensation that made her skin crawl. She walked back in the bedroom and sat on the bed, trying to reflect. She slipped under the covers still wrapped in the bath towel and soon drifted off.

  Next time she opened her eyes, it was daylight. She could see a slither of light coming from the closed curtains. She sat up and realized she was still wrapped in the bath towel. She slit off the bed and noticed a tray with a glass of milk and what it looked like toast and a ball of fruit. She ran her fingers through her hair, pondering all the questions that were flooding her mind. Who came in while I was asleep? Was it Gaston or Cecil? When? She finally realized that she needed something to wear. She couldn’t keep that bath towel wrapped around her for however long she was going to be kept in this room. Reluctantly, she walked over to the dresser.

  She pulled the top drawer open and her jaw dropped. Several pairs of expensive underwear and bras were carefully folded and put in place. She pulled the second and third draws open in utter shock. Lingerie upon lingerie, sleepwear, nightshirts, and anything a girl might want. Each item neatly folded and carefully stored. Astounded she looked through them only to find them all in her size. Stunned she walked over to the closet pulling the doors open, and she gasped out loud. The closet was filled with clothes, her size. Dresses, Jeans, T-shirts, sweaters, and much more. A large section held very elegant shoes and sandals her size. She staggered backward totally thunderstruck.