“What is it, Troy?” she asked. “You look so worried, is there something wrong?”
“Arielle, I’m going to tell Gabrielle about me tonight, about, you know…” he said. “I know I have to do it, but I’m scared to death that she’ll reject me when she finds out.”
Arielle reached out and took Troy’s hands in hers. “Gabrielle loves you more than her own life, Troy,” she said softly. “You don’t need to worry, it’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“She’ll be scared just like I was when Sebastian told me. But I know how Gabrielle feels, and there’s nothing you could say to change that.” She smiled, drew a deep breath, then added, “Go ahead. Ask me how I know.”
Troy looked at her with a quizzical look in his eyes. “How do you know?”
“Because I’m a freak,” Arielle giggled. “I can read some people’s minds, and Gabrielle’s is one of the ones I can read.” She laughed as Troy’s jaw dropped. He was looking at her as if she had two heads.
Troy raised his brows. “What?” he muttered, his gaze frozen on her face.
“I can read minds,” Arielle repeated and chuckled nervously. Troy looked as if he didn’t know whether to believe her or not.
“Can you read my thoughts?” he asked uneasily.
“No, no, you can relax. I can’t read immortal minds, and I’m not sure why I can read some people’s minds and not others, but that’s the way it is.”
Troy laughed softly, clearly relieved.
“Gabrielle doesn’t know this,” Arielle added. “And I would appreciate it very much if you didn’t say anything about it to her until I’m ready to tell her.”
Troy promised not to say anything to Gabrielle.
“Can you read minds?”
“No, I can’t,” he said. “I know that a lot of immortals have that ability, but I’m not one of them.”
“Go ahead and tell her the truth,” Arielle said. “I’ll be there if you need me. She needs to accept you for who you are.”
“Thanks, Arielle.” He gave her a warm hug. He hesitated for a moment, and then he whispered conspiratorially, “I wanted to tell you that I’ve bought an engagement ring for her. But I’ll wait until her birthday to propose.”
“Oh, my God, she’ll be so happy!” Arielle raised her hand and covered her mouth to mute a squeal. Troy smiled gratefully and hugged her warmly.
“Well, I guess we’d better get back to the others before someone wonders what we’re up to,” Troy said. They went back inside, got a couple of beers, and rejoined the others.
Late in the evening, their conversation took an interesting turn toward archeology and Cairo. Paul was just getting ready to make a point when the whole place fell into a stony silence. Everyone looked up and looked at the pub entrance. Two couples were standing at the door. The guys were average looking, but the girls on their arms were stunning. One was tall with beautiful red hair and green eyes. The other was just a little shorter, with long black hair and dark eyes. Their features were flawless, their bodies elegant and graceful. They were both beautiful beyond belief.
Arielle felt a rush of panic. Her body shivered with fear and her hand reached instinctively for her necklace. She was by now familiar with the immortal look, and these girls were unquestionably immortals. An icy feeling washed over her and her mouth went dry. Turning slowly, she looked at Troy and saw the same guarded look in his eyes.
Eva reached over and grabbed Arielle’s hand protectively. Leaning closer, she whispered, “I have the same feeling I had with Savanna. There is evil in here and I think they are here for you.”
Arielle looked back at her and nodded, managing a calm impression. “I’ll be all right,” she murmured, as she clasped her necklace. Eva followed her move and smiled.
What in the world could they be doing here? Arielle thought. Everything about them told her they were up to no good and that she was in for an unpleasant experience.
It’s Annabel, she thought. The very thought made her sick to her stomach. She felt like she couldn’t breathe and began to feel faint. Arielle watched them out of the corner of her eye as they walked in and stood only about two meters away. She put her head down, trying to breathe normally. Normal conversations resumed.
“Get a load of that,” Arielle heard Paul whisper to Ian and Troy.
“Yeah. You don’t see that kind of beauty every day,” Ian said.
“They are something else,” Paul said again. Arielle did her best to remain calm, but she knew the two girls were staring in her direction and it made her very nervous.
“Eva, I would like to get some fresh air,” she said. “Can you come with me?”
“Sure.” They stood up and walked together out to the patio.
“You’ll be okay, Arielle, have faith.” Eva said. “That necklace has amazing powers. I know.”
“Um, thanks,” Arielle muttered, trying to smile but not quite succeeding.
“They may not even be here for you,” Eva said. “Let’s just wait and see what happens.”
“I just don’t like the look of them,” Arielle said. “And I hate confrontation. I have a bad feeling about them.”
“Well, let’s wait and see what happens before we make a mountain out of a mole hill,” Eva said, squeezing Arielle’s hand.
Arielle took a deep breath and filled her lungs with fresh air. She was sure the women were looking for her. But why was Annabel sending all these women to hurt her? Why didn’t she show up herself? She felt that she had entered upon on a long journey through a mysterious world, full of unknown situations and dangerous people. I’ll just have to face them one at a time, she thought. It’s a little scary, never knowing what looms around the next corner.
She took another deep breath, and then she walked back into the pub with Eva by her side. Immediately, her eyes found the two women. Both of them were looking at her, there was no mistake about that. As her eyes narrowed, she saw sarcastic smiles flit across their faces, making her feel very uncomfortable.
Eva and Arielle walked back to their table, where their friends were engulfed in conversation. She tried to push the thoughts that were crowding her head into a special place so she could regain control of her own mind, but it was hard to do. Troy looked at her inquiringly. I must look bewildered, she thought. I’ve got to get a hold of myself.
Eva reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. This gesture made Arielle think that the women must have approached her. Before she could complete this thought, she heard a voice that was soft like velvet.
“You must be Arielle,” the tall girl with the red hair said. There was something vaguely familiar about the tone of her voice. Arielle turned around to face her.
“Yes, I am,” she replied in a voice sturdier than the way she felt. “And you are?”
“My name is Julia Vanhouser, and this is my friend, Paola Gordioli. We are visiting from New Zealand and we were told that we might be able to find Sebastian here.”
Arielle’s body went rigid. Annabel seemed to know that Sebastian wasn’t in Brighton and that Arielle was going to be alone with her human friends.
“Do I know you?” Arielle asked. She kept her voice low, as she was trying to keep this conversation private.
“No, I’m sure you don’t,” Julia said with an unpleasant smile. “But I thought that Sebastian might have talked to you about me. I have been told that you are his latest victim,” she added, casting a meaningful look at the other woman.
“Victim? I’m sure you must be mistaken.”
“Oh? Do you even know who I am?”
“I assure you I have no idea.”
“Well, let me enlighten you, my dear,” she continued venomously. Her voice was low, but loud enough for Arielle’s friends to hear every word. She could see Troy from out of the corner of her eye moving toward her, but the woman didn’t seem to be paying any attention to anyone other than Arielle.
Julia exchanged a glance with her friend. She pulled a
flat gold cigarette case out of her purse and, taking a cork filtered cigarette out, she put it up to her perfect lips with a sexy movement. Her male companion immediately lit it for her. She took a couple of deep drags on the cigarette and inhaled deeply.
Then, glaring into Arielle’s eyes, she blew a thick cloud of smoke in her face. With an obnoxious chuckle she continued, “Sebastian and I were in love for a very long time,” she said. “He was the best bed partner and the best boyfriend I have ever had. It took me a long time to find out that his style is a little, well, peculiar, you might say. He doesn’t like to hang onto women for too long. I know of many girls he dated and then left when he’d had enough of them. I was the only one that he stayed with for a very long time. I’m here to claim him back,” she said. “And I’m not leaving until I accomplish what I came for.”
Arielle felt the floor shift beneath her. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Bile rose in her throat. But she knew that she had to keep her composure and try to end this conversation as politely and as quietly as possible. Waving her hand to clear the smoke in front of her face she said, her voice strong and clear, but inquiring, “I’m not sure what you want from me.”
“I want you to stay away from him.” The look she gave Arielle was full of venom.
Arielle fought not to be intimidated. She knew she couldn’t afford to give Julia that power over her.
“I think that will be Sebastian’s decision, not yours,” she said. She felt Troy’s hand on hers and that made her feel more secure.
“Well, I suggest that you do things my way, unless you want to find yourself in a very unpleasant situation,” Julia said. Her voice was cold and hard. Fear seeped through Arielle’s body and she started to tremble. To her astonishment, Paul jumped up and got in Julia’s face. His voice was firm and strong.
“I think you need to get the hell out of here,” he growled fiercely through his teeth. Troy and Arielle reached over simultaneously and pulled him back, knowing he had no idea who he was dealing with. But he didn’t pay any attention to them and held his ground.
“Get out of my way, you fool!” Julia shrieked, glaring at Paul. He didn’t take kindly to those words. As he moved forward, things went from bad to worse. Everything happened so quickly it was like watching a movie in fast forward. Julia grabbed Paul and threw him clear across the room. He took several people and tables down with him as he hit the floor. Arielle could hear a horrible sound coming from among the broken tables and chairs. Paul was moaning in agony, his arm splayed out in an odd position that suggested it was broken.
“Quick, Paul is hurt!” Arielle cried.
She winced at the thought of the destruction Julia could inflict on this establishment and all the innocent people that had crowded the place just to party for the evening. Troy moved fast. He pulled Paul off the floor and asked Gabrielle to get some help. He was sure several people were hurt. Before Arielle could blink, he was back standing in front of her. Julia and Paola’s dates jumped to protect them, not knowing these women were a thousand times more powerful than anyone in the room, with the exception of Troy. It was an unfortunate decision since they now faced an angry Troy. Within milliseconds the guys were on the floor, unconscious, with several broken bones. Julia and Paola watched Troy move in utter shock. They had no idea how a human could move so fast.
“Amazing,” Arielle murmured.
Troy stared straight into their eyes as both women stood still. They were surprised but still totally unruffled. You could hear a pin fall on the floor as stony silence fell across the room.
“Leave Sebastian alone!” Julia shrieked again, looking past Troy and pinning Arielle with eyes of venom. Arielle glared back at her and pressed her lips tightly together. She could feel a strange emotion taking over her and felt herself getting stronger by the moment. She knew now that no matter what, she wasn’t going to back down.
“Get the hell out of my life,” she screamed at Julia, taking a stand and not moving an inch as Julia took another step towards her. Suddenly, Arielle could feel a huge emotion boiling inside her—a combination of furious anger and frustration, all rolled into a powerful, forceful energy.
Before anyone had a chance to blink, Julia whirled around and snarled as she grabbed Arielle by the shoulders. Arielle lost her step, tripped over her chair and started to fall, but not before she saw several things happen simultaneously, as if in slow motion. Julia was flying across the room, pushed by some invisible, inconceivable power. She hit the wall so hard the whole place shook. The windows on either side of her broke from the force of the impact. She was screaming in pain and her arms looked like they were literally on fire.
In the stony silence that followed, you could hear the sound of bones breaking. Troy grabbed Paola by the throat and threw her forcefully across the room. She landed next to Julia on the floor and growled from pain. Arielle was startled when she finally hit the floor and felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Totally disoriented, she tried to get back up on her own but was unsuccessful. She winced with pain and tried to get up again when she felt Troy’s strong arms reaching for her and pulling her up.
“Are you all right?” he asked, pulling her close. Arielle could hear his voice, but she was in a fog. She felt something warm and wet on the back of her head, and she was sure that something was terribly wrong. She reached with her hand to feel the warm spot and when she brought it back in front of her face, her hand was dripping with blood. Troy took his t-shirt off and used it to put pressure on the back of her head.
“Just hold it tight until I can get the medics,” he said.
Arielle heard Troy giving orders to the people around, asking them to call for the paramedics and to help the folks that were hurt off the floor. She saw him walk over to Julia and Paola. The two were still on the floor. She was astonished to see him lift both of them by the throat and take them outside. She was in terrible pain as she took a look around; the room looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Arielle sighed and sank back for a moment, overwhelmed. Oh, where is Sebastian when I need him?
Chapter 9
THERE WERE BROKEN TABLES AND CHAIRS everywhere. People were beginning to get up from the floor, examining their cuts and bruises. Ian and Eva were among the injured. They had hit the floor when Paul went flying across the room. Arielle’s mind was moving backwards, trying to sort out what had happened, but she couldn’t remember seeing Troy touch Julia at all. Who or what had pushed her that hard? She tried to think clearly but couldn’t. Her head was hurting so bad it was making her eyes water.
“Where’s Paul?” she cried out suddenly, realizing she hadn’t seen him. Gabrielle came over and put her arms around Arielle.
“Where the devil is Paul?” Arielle asked again.
“They took him to the hospital to put a cast on his arm. He has a broken arm and some cuts. What a mess.” She sighed and looked around the room.
“Oh, my God, I feel so bad. It’s all my fault,” Arielle said.
“What in bloody hell are you talking about? How can it be your fault?”
“They came looking for me and look what’s happened,” she said, crying.
“That’s not your fault, Arielle. You need to stop blaming yourself.”
Soon the campus police arrived, and within about ten minutes, they had restored order. Since the two women who had started the fight had disappeared, there were no arrests.
Shortly after the paramedics arrived, they took Arielle, Ian, and Eva, along with seven others, to the hospital.
“What a night,” Arielle whispered to Troy and Gabby. “I don’t think we are ever going to forget Eva and Ian’s engagement night, what do you think?” She smiled softly as the pain hit her again and made her grimace. She felt so bad about Ian and Eva she wanted to cry. Their beautiful night had been ruined, and no matter what Gabrielle said, Arielle couldn’t help but feel responsible.
By the time she got to the emergency room, Arielle was very dizzy. When they pulled Troy’s t-shirt
off of her head, she saw that it was saturated with blood. The doctor gave her twelve stitches. It was a painful process. Finally, Troy and Gabrielle drove everyone home. Arielle hugged Paul and gave him a kiss.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. He smiled and kissed her back.
“If I had to do the same thing again I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute,” he said.
“I love you, Paul. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
She felt his gaze on her face and sensed his concern.
“What is it?” she asked.
How could he answer her without letting her know all the images of longing for her that still filled his head? “I love you too, Arielle,” he said simply. “Remember, you are my best girl.”
Ian and Eva were laughing about the whole thing, which made Arielle begin to feel a bit better.
“Well, this will be a night to remember and share with our kids,” Eva said. Ian laughed.
But Arielle’s thoughts had returned to the two women and what Julia had said to her. She had said that Sebastian had been her lover for a long time. Yet another woman who wanted him back. Did he really get rid of women when he’d had enough of them? If that were true, what would happen to her? Would she fall into the same category? She began to feel sad. Tears filled her eyes. As she was thinking these sad thoughts, Troy asked her if they could have another word in private.
He pulled her into her bedroom and closed the door. “Arielle, I wanted to talk to you in private because Gabrielle still does not know about me. And I want you to think straight, and not make any assumptions based on what Julia said. Sebastian has lived for five hundred years, and if he dated her for a few years, that is like a drop of water in a huge ocean. The fact that he had a lot of girls in the length of time he has roamed this earth isn’t of any importance. Five hundred years is a very long time to be alone. I have had many girls, and many affairs that were longer than a year or two, but they didn’t mean anything to me. I have found true love in Gabrielle, and I know Sebastian has found true love in you.”
Arielle Immortal Seduction (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 2) Page 8
