Arielle Immortal Awakening (12 page)

It has taken me centuries to feel secure about who I am and what I want.
This was Sebastian’s last thought as he heard the flight attendant announce their preparation for landing at Heathrow.

It was raining in London when they landed. Sebastian drove to meet his friend Nathan, as planned. Nathan was also immortal, and was the head of foreign affairs in Sebastian’s company. After a brief meeting, Sebastian went to his hotel suite to rest and refresh for the annual ball at the Dillon estate.

The Dillon ball was a grand annual affair that Sebastian had attended every year with Nathan. It seemed that this would be the last year he and Nathan would be going to the ball alone. Nathan had met the girl of his dreams and they were making wedding plans.

When they arrived at the ball, Loren Dillon, the Dillons’ only daughter, met them at the door. She had met Sebastian five centuries ago. They had become close friends and she had brought him home to meet her family. The Dillons fell in love with Sebastian and he with the Dillons. Sebastian had been alone, scared, and had great difficulty in understanding how to handle his new life as an immortal. The Dillons helped him with his struggles and answered his questions, and he in turn found love in the Dillons, and the warm sanctuary that he needed more than anything else in his life. The Dillons claimed him as their own son, and he was more than happy to claim them as his immortal parents. He adored Loren as a sister, and throughout the centuries he had become quite the protective brother.

Loren was a tall, gorgeous girl with long black hair and beautiful blue eyes. When she saw him walk in, she ran toward him and fell into his arms. “I am so happy to see you both!” she squealed. “Mother said you were coming, and I just couldn’t wait, I have missed you so much!”

Sebastian held her tight in his arms and planted a big kiss on her cheek. “You are still just as beautiful as ever,” he said.

Loren hugged Nathan, and told him how happy she was to see him again. Then she took them both by the hand and pulled them across the room.

The ballroom was full of people drinking and socializing. Nathan and Sebastian knew most of them, so they walked through the crowd smiling, shaking hands, and waving until they got to the place where Sebastian’s mother was sitting with some of her friends. She stood up when she saw them approaching, and stretched her arms out to embrace them.

“Welcome! I’ve missed you both so much! I wish you would come and visit more often,” she said.

Sebastian returned the hug and smiled at her warmly. “Don’t worry, Mum, I will try to come more often in the future.”

Now she turned to Nathan. With a smile showing at the corner of her mouth, in a soft but mock-stern voice, she said, “And you - you live here! So you have no excuse for not visiting more often.” She gave him a look as if daring him to disagree with her, but of course he didn’t. He just chuckled and said, “I’m sorry too, Mrs. Dillon, but Sebastian keeps me awfully busy.” He cast a look at Sebastian and they both laughed out loud.

Olivia Dillon was a very beautiful woman. Sebastian loved her like his real mother, and she had always given him good advice and great guidance. As soon as Loren took Nathan to the dance floor, she motioned for him to come closer and made him sit right next to her. When she fixed her eyes on him, she knew right away that something was wrong.

“Well, what is it?” she asked him. Her voice was tender and caring.

“I have to talk with you, mother,” he said. “It’s really very important.”

“Oh! Can it wait until tomorrow? Let’s say around 11:30? If not, we can go upstairs and talk about it now.”

“No, it can wait,” he said. “I’ll be here a couple of days. And I had planned to come back tomorrow for this specific reason.”

“All right then, tomorrow around 11:30. Now, let’s enjoy the party, what do you say?”

“Yes, I would love that,” he said.

Loren came back toward them, pulling Nathan, who was following her like a puppy. “All right, it’s your turn to dance,” she called to Sebastian as she took his hand and pulled him to the dance floor. He let the music fill his mind and closed his eyes. How he wished he could be holding Arielle in his arms and kissing her warm, sensuous lips!

“Sebastian!” Startled, he realized Loren was calling his name.

He opened his eyes and looked at her with a warm smile.

“I am so sorry, Loren. My mind is preoccupied and I just got carried away.”

“Is she pretty?”

“Yes,” he said, chuckling, “she’s gorgeous.” And he gave her a big squeeze, making her giggle. When the music stopped he kissed her, and walked over to the other guests to make small talk.

He returned to the hotel late that night, anxious about the next day. He wanted to fall asleep and dream of Arielle, but of course as an immortal he couldn’t dream. He closed his eyes and was startled by the vision that filled his mind: he saw Arielle standing there, with tears in her eyes. Why was she crying? She looked as if she were trying to tell him something, but he couldn’t hear her voice. His eyes snapped wide open and he felt shaken by that strong vision. What did it all mean?

Chapter 11

I
t was 11:20 when he arrived at the Dillon estate the next morning. Everything looked quiet compared to the night before. He used his key, let himself into the foyer, and called out for his mother. Edwin, the faithful butler, appeared and motioned Sebastian to follow him through the huge halls, through the study, and into the garden.

Olivia Dillon was sitting in her chair reading a book. She looked up and smiled wide when she saw him approach.

“Good morning, dear! Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you, mother,” he said.

“Come take a seat next to me and let’s discuss what’s bothering you so much. Nothing is entirely fixed in life, you know that,” she said. “Disaster may come, but we can always find ways to circumvent it.”

Sebastian had first met Olivia Dillon in 1643 while visiting Württemberg, in the southwestern part of Germany, east of the Upper Rhine. Württemberg was a beautiful Alpine town with lovely painted houses, exquisite cafés, and great nightlife. It was very well known among the immortals.

The Dillons were a very influential immortal family with great ties in high places. Olivia Dillon had extraordinary powers and had been happy to make Sebastian a new addition to their family. She gave him advice and guided him to the right people and the right places. He looked up to her and loved her like his real mother. She was the person he had turned to every time he needed help or advice. This was one of those times, and he knew she would know what to do.

“What is it? Let’s talk about it,” Olivia said. Her voice was full of concern.

“Mother, I’m in love for the first time in nearly five centuries. I’ve found the perfect girl for me. I want to marry her and make her my wife. Her name is Arielle.”

“Sebastian! It’s about time,” Olivia exclaimed joyfully. “I’ve been waiting to hear those words for centuries. Then what’s making you so unhappy and so worried?”

“Well, I have a couple of issues that I would like to talk to you about. The first and most important is Annabel. She’s not willing to let me go, and I’m afraid for Arielle’s safety.” He paused and then continued. “She hasn’t been much of a problem for me up to now, but she vowed to destroy my life if I ever fell in love with another woman. I’ve no idea how she finds out who I’m dating and how important my relationships are, but she seems to be very well informed and it complicates my life.”

“I always thought she would become a big problem someday,” Olivia murmured.

“And what is the other issue?”

“My other issue is the fact that Arielle has no idea of who I am—and more important, what I am. What if she doesn’t accept me when she finds out? I love her so much! A rejection would crush me completely.”

“Why would she ever reject you? I don’t understand.” Olivia’s gaze had grown inquisitive.

“Mother, Arielle is a human.”

“Oh…indeed!” she said. Then she sat quietly for a long time. Finally she got up and asked Sebastian to follow her. They entered the house and went straight upstairs to the master bedroom. She walked up to the dresser, opened the bottom drawer, and pulled out a black leather box. She placed it on the top of the dresser and, taking a small key from a hidden place on the back of the mirror, she unlocked it and took out of it a small leather book and a little black velvet pouch.

“This will have to be the answer for now,” she said quietly.

Then she asked him to sit with her on the huge sofa by the window. Out of the little pouch she pulled a shiny cold pendant with a gorgeous blue stone in the very center. As he looked closely, he could see an amazing carving of a strange looking beetle in the middle of the stone.

“This is a real scarabaeus that belonged to the Egyptian Pharaoh Djoser of the third dynasty,” Olivia said. “This beetle is the guardian of the holder. The Quintessence—the four elemental forces in the universe: Earth, Fire, Air, and Water - created it. The scarab was placed in the very center of the pendant, representing the heart that holds the mind and the soul of the individual who wears it. The owner is protected from all evil and anything bad that could harm them as long as it’s on their body.”

She handed him the book. “Open it,” she said.

A large pentagram took up the whole first page.

“This is the book of elements. It holds some very powerful spells. If Arielle ever decides to use the book she will have to study the contents very carefully as it can bring disastrous results if not used correctly. The pentagram represents the five elements of the spiritual and physical self: Spirit, Water, Earth, Air, and Fire. Magic could be very dangerous, coming into physical contact with spirits. When the spell is cast it will destroy the enemy; in this case, Annabel.” She sat quietly for a short time, letting him absorb her words.

“Make sure that Arielle does not part with this necklace until we have a permanent solution for Annabel. It has to be on her body at all times.” She paused and then added, “One other very important thing is that Arielle must know the truth about you before you give her the necklace, and especially the book. The stone is very powerful and will keep her safe. And the book is priceless.” She paused again and added, “I’ll try to think of some other ways we can help you without having Arielle use the spells in the book, but it will take me some time to think about this.” She didn’t say so, but deep inside she knew just as Sebastian did that the ultimate solution would have to be Annabel’s complete annihilation.

“I wish you had come to me a long time ago, Sebastian. If you had, I know that by now I would have had a good solution to this problem.”

“Mother, I assure you that I would have come to you if I had ever experienced an emotion anything like this before,” he said. “I’ve lived without it for five centuries, so it’s a very extraordinary and special feeling. I feel that it completes my very existence. I love her.”

“So what’s your next step?” Olivia asked.

“Well, I guess first I will have to make sure that Arielle knows the truth about me, and that she still wants to be with me after she knows who I really am. One thing I know for sure is that she loves me, so that gives me hope.”

“I’d love to meet her,” Olivia said with a pleasant smile.

“Oh, I’m counting on that,” he said, smiling back at her.

Olivia had the extraordinary power of looking into the future. Now as she looked at Sebastian, she debated whether she should bring up what she could clearly see going on in his head. Finally she sighed and grinned. Her face displayed a brilliant smile, and he could see that she was thoroughly enjoying the moment.

“Are you going to actually do what I’m seeing in your head?”

“Well, I figure what’s another year of college? Maybe three? After all, I’ve already waited for hundreds of years.” And they both broke into hearty laughter.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Olivia said. “And since you are going to be in England for the next year or so, I hope you will make yourself more visible in this home. Maybe you can persuade Loren to attend university too. It would give her something to do.”

“There is no question that you will be seeing more of me,” Sebastian said. “I want you to meet Arielle, and I’m going to look for a place to live before long. I feel a lot better now that I know Arielle will be safe, thanks to you. I also know that if I don’t have to worry about Annabel hurting Arielle I can handle anything she throws my way.”

“Make sure you stay very close to Arielle,” Olivia said. “And remember, there are other ways to hurt her besides just physical ones. You will have to protect her in every way you can.” For a short moment she said nothing and Sebastian waited patiently. “I wonder why Annabel wants to hold on to something that has been dead for centuries now,” she mused, adding, “I always thought that your father made a big mistake choosing her for you.”

Sebastian was so overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude that he reached out and embraced his second mother.

“Can you stay for a nice drink of salve?” she asked.

“Yes, of course,” Sebastian replied.

“And now tell me about Arielle,” she urged as she poured their drinks.

“She is one of the loveliest creature on this earth. She is absolutely the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on, and graceful in everything she does,” he said, smiling happily and sighing.

“Well, she sounds just perfect!” Olivia said, handing him a glass. “You sound so happy, and I can see that you really love her.”

“I don’t think I was really alive in the last five centuries,” he said, chuckling. “I think I was just roaming this earth looking for someone who would make me happy. But I never experienced anything like what I’ve found in Arielle.”

“What will you do if she can’t accept you for who you are?”

Sebastian didn’t answer for a moment. “I don’t think I would be able to find any reason or any purpose to exist,” he finally said. “I feel like I can’t breathe when she is not with me, and it has only been four days since I’ve seen her. I don’t feel
anything
without her. She has given purpose to my life. She is the woman I want to be with for as long as I live.”

“Remember, she is a human,” Olivia said gently. “She will get older. She might get sick, and eventually, she will die.”

“If anything ever happens to Arielle, it will be the end of me. I couldn’t possibly exist without her.” Sebastian said.

“I want you to think hard about what it will be like when she starts having difficulty with
you
remaining young while she is getting old,” Olivia said thoughtfully. “It will be hard for her to accept, no matter how hard you try to make her understand that you still want to be with her.”

“I know… I have thought about that as well, but I don’t have a solution. And I don’t mind telling you that I am scared when I think about all these things,” he sighed.

“Well, for now try to just be happy and face the issues as they come. It is a lot easier if you don’t have everything mapped out way in advance.”

They sat in the garden for a while longer. It was a perfect day, and Sebastian enjoyed just being there in the calming presence of his mother.

He left the house early in the afternoon feeling much better. He knew he now had something in his possession that would keep Arielle safe from Annabel’s wrath, and that brought him huge relief from the worry he had been suffering.

That left only one main concern—that Arielle would feel the same way about him after she found out about his immortality.

He went back to the hotel and got ready for the meeting he had scheduled for that afternoon. There would be another round of meetings tomorrow, and then he would be on his way back to Arielle. He couldn’t wait!

The meetings were important because Sebastian was the owner and CEO for IIRL, the family business that had started centuries ago to acquire land all over the world, but had now evolved into manufacturing new products for various businesses around the globe. They had buildings and laboratories in many countries, and they were quite well known. Sebastian’s business associates didn’t know anything about the immortal friends that he had put in key positions to run the company. All they knew about him was that he was a good businessman and a great boss even though he was very young.

When he had finally finished all he had to do in London, he happily headed back to France. When the plane landed in St. Jean de Luz it was 2:00 in the afternoon. He didn’t want to waste any time: he wanted to get home in time to get ready for Arielle’s party. He could hardly stop smiling as he drove home from the airport, thinking of nothing but her.

He went straight to his room, took a shower, and laid down for a few minutes, wanting to unwind until it was time to go. After his time in London he felt sure that he had found at least a temporary solution for the worst nightmare of his life.

Around 7:30 he got out of bed and got ready for the party. He was standing in front of the mirror, whistling a joyful tune when Annabel suddenly appeared.

He knew this encounter was not going to be pleasant, but he kept his cool and pretended that her presence didn’t affect him at all. He was frustrated at not being able to prevent her from showing up any time she wanted to and invading his privacy. He considered Annabel’s ability to move effortlessly from one place to another a curse. Unfortunately this is exactly what she chose to do tonight. She had been waiting for Sebastian at his house, and chose this moment to confront him.