Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (23 page)

“We believe that the world’s prosperity depends on the
successful performance of each activity. In past centuries, even as far back as the very point of creation, people believed that in the midst of chaos there was always a small area of mandate. They also believed that
only within that small area was possibility. It is very easy for chaos to subvert life, and it takes a lot of effort and hard work to keep the order.”

He smiled confidently and gazed into the audience, pinning each
new member with a meaningful gaze. “Many intelligent people throughout the centuries sought this secret knowledge, and
journeyed through their
daily lives holding the secrets bestowed upon them close to their hearts.” With that he finished speaking and closed the book in front of him.

The meeting was over, but Arielle remained unmoved, lost in
that
secretive world that Burgejion had just cracked the door open to, a world she now desperately wanted to enter. She wanted to learn
more about the powers she held, and how to better understand and
control them. She also wanted to solve the puzzle of Burgejion’s
identity. Why was she so startled by his presence?

Olivia’s hand on hers brought her thoughts back to the room. Burgejion was already walking away from the podium, book tucked under his arm and a soft smile on his face.

“I will see you shortly in the courtroom down the hall,” he said to the assembly. He stepped down from the platform and walked quickly down the aisle, exiting the room without looking back. Arielle was still trying to absorb all that she had heard when Olivia’s soft voice reached her. She inhaled deeply as she averted her gaze to look at Olivia.

“Do you think you would like to continue and learn all about your book and amulet? Or would you like to go home now?”

“I made a commitment to learn all I can about this. I can’t think of a better way to face all those crazy women that are trying to get back into Sebastian’s life,” she whispered. Olivia patted her hand softly.

“Then let's go so you can meet Burgejion.”

“He seems young to be leading this assembly.”

“That’s the curse of immortality, we never get older.” She sighed and stood up. Arielle followed, taking a quick look around. She noticed that the room was nearly empty. They walked out into the
corridor and
continued straight across through another door that took them deeper into a different corridor. At the end, there was a door wide open. Arielle walked across the threshold and gasped. Crossing the
threshold was
like passing from twilight to daylight. She was enveloped in
illumination
and soothing warmth. She blinked in amazement as her jaw
dropped.
She threw her head back in awe and tried to drink it all in. It was a grand room with amazing furnishings, engulfed in walls with
beautiful
wood paneling, huge windows, and walnut bookcases. Books with rich leather binders covered the shelves. There had to be more than 10,000 books in that room if Arielle had to guess. A stunning
painting by Michelangelo hung over an ornate fireplace that stood against the far wall directly opposite the entrance.

Bright colors upholstered several walnut sofas and chairs, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere. A ray of sun slipped through the
windows and bounced between the stunning glass figurines displayed around the room sparking a striking hue of colors. She was amazed by the spectacular coffered ceiling. Her eyes traveled down to the window, which revealed a magnificent courtyard that completed the beauty of the view from inside the room.

The cloak hoods were drawn back. Bright, smiling faces and chatter filled the room. Olivia stopped to talk to several
acquaintances. She introduced Arielle as Sebastian’s fiancée. She then fell deep into a conversation with a lady friend, and Arielle excused herself to walk toward one of the large windows. She stopped and gazed out into the courtyard. A huge fountain sat in the middle of the courtyard
encircled by three concrete benches. An abundance of gorgeous flowers and foliage created a stunning view. Turning away from the window, she noticed that a large number of the members were
immortals. Her ability to recognize immortals was even better than before, and here they were relaxed, unconsciously letting go of the desire to blend in,
making them easier to spot. Some were quite young, others of middle age. She pondered the number of centuries represented in this large cozy room. It was overwhelming to consider. She
continued to stand there gazing at the center of the room. Olivia was now engaged in a quiet conversation with Allworth and his girlfriend. Burgejion was surrounded by a large number of younger people who seemed to
have a lot of questions for him. She waited patiently while her eyes swept over him, taking in his beautiful mahogany hair, strong features, and piercing hazel eyes. She considered again the feeling of
familiarity he invoked in her, a feeling that had set her nerves on edge in an alarming way. Suddenly, his gaze drifted her way and locked with hers. Her body tensed as she saw him excuse himself and walk away from the circle, moving slowly toward her with a
calculated stride. She averted her gaze to her feet, experiencing something akin to panic as she tried to think of what to say.

“Hello.” His soft, immortal voice caressed her ears. “Are you all right?” She lifted her head up and met his gaze. His brilliant hazel eyes were filled with curiosity. Arielle swallowed hard.

“I’m fine, thank you,” she said, voice quivering.

“I’m Brandon,” he said, and extended his hand waiting patiently for
Arielle to take it. Glancing between his hand and his face, she
reluctantly surrendered her hand. His fingers gripped it softly, warmly. His touch made her shiver as she felt the smoothness of his skin. He held her hand while he asked. “Who are you?” His voice betrayed great interest.

“I’m Arielle,” she mumbled.

“Oh, are you here with Olivia?”

“Yes,” she replied, averting her gaze toward Olivia, who was still engaged in a deep conversation.

“Why do I have this irrepressible feeling that we’ve met before?”

She stared at him, swallowing hard
. What in bloody hell is wrong
with me?
she thought. “No, no,” she said quickly, shaking her head awkwardly. She felt as if she were trying to convince herself more
than him. “I’m sure we’ve never met before,” she said firmly.

He cocked his head to the side, eyes roaming her face carefully. “You look very familiar,” he added thoughtfully. “I have faultless
instincts,” he continued, her hand still in his. “My instincts tell me
that we have met.” It was an indisputable declaration.

Arielle cleared her throat a bit flustered. “I’m sure that I would’ve remembered if we had met before,” she said softly, and
pulled her hand from his grip. Brandon watched in silence.

He stared at her for a long time, his expression serious. He
appeared to be searching his memory for some indication that they had met.
He ran his long fingers through his hair, looking frustrated. Brandon looked at her again, eyes narrowed, gaze searching her eyes inexorably.

Arielle shivered. She was sure that he was pouring all of his immortal stimulation on her, leaving her breathless, anxious, and guilty. No person on this earth ever left her breathless except
Sebastian. Her common sense told her that she needed to change the discussion to a more comfortable topic. She cleared her throat, and drew a long breath.

“I’m anxious to learn everything about the black book,” she said, making a great effort to sound nonchalant. His eyes never left her face. He remained still for a very long moment as she waited for him to say something.

“I should be able to remember you.”

Arielle appeared baffled. “I don’t understand what you mean,”
she said awkwardly, biting her lower lip. She was sure they had
never met before.

“It’s your eyes,” he said. “They are beautiful, quite memorable. I should be able to remember where we met before. All I need is a
little time to remember when and where.”

Arielle was shocked. This was the exact statement she had heard from Sebastian.
What in bloody hell is going on?
She realized that she had to end this as quickly as she could. She shrugged her shoulders,
hoping that her gesture would make him stop extending the
conversation. She looked in Olivia’s direction trying to get her attention, but she was still engaged in conversation with Allworth. She pressed her lips together and turned to look at Brandon once again.

“Will you be coming back for the followup meetings?” he asked, holding her gaze.

Without hesitation she replied, “I’m planning on it, yes.”

“I promise you that the next time we meet I’ll be able to tell you exactly where we met.” He laughed joyfully.

“Um, okay,” she said, voice measured.

“It was nice meeting you—again,” he said, emphasizing the last word and inclined his head toward her. He then turned and walked away.

Arielle watched his broad back as he leisurely strode to the other
side of the room and began a conversation with a middle aged
immortal gentleman.

Once he was at a safe distance from her, she secured her
emotions and breathed normally. A downpour of thoughts swirled around her brain, making her anxious.

Why do I feel so guilty?
she thought, eyes narrowed.
Why do I feel breathless when he looks at me? This is wrong, I shouldn’t feel this way. Sebastian should be the only man to leave me breathless.
She was utterly confused.
But what if he is compelling me to feel this way?
Exasperation washed over her, and turning around she decided to join Olivia.

As she approached, Olivia turned and smiled wide. Reaching out she took Arielle’s hand and pulled her closer. “There you are, dear, let me introduce you to Allworth’s sister, Samantha.” Arielle
looked at the young girl and smiled warmly. Samantha took a step forward and embraced Arielle kindly. She had to be around eighteen years old.

“Did you have a nice talk with Brandon?” Allworth asked.

Arielle blinked and suppressed her anxiety. She mumbled, “Yes, thank you.”

They looked at her as if expecting her to elaborate, but she didn’t say anything further. She was not sure why she was so hesitant to go into detail about Brandon. Something about him made her nervous
but not in a bad way. They talked for a little while longer with Allworth and Samantha, and then Olivia took her around to
introduce her to all
her friends and the new members. They were just about through
with the introductions when she sensed his nearness, but she didn’t turn around. Brandon stood right behind her.

“Olivia, how are you?” Olivia turned around and gave him her hand as she smiled.

“Brandon, darling, you were introduced to Arielle, right?”

“Oh, yes, we had a nice little chat,” he said softly, as he turned and pinned her with a meaningful gaze. “I’m excited that she’ll be attending the followup meetings.”

Arielle kept her eyes away from his face. His nearness was affecting her again in a way she didn’t like. Suddenly, she had an idea.

“I was wondering if I could have a friend of mine attend the meetings?” she asked.

“Why is that?” Brandon said, eyes narrowing.

“She is my best friend. Her name is Eva, she’s an immortal, and she can see the future,” she said excitedly. She searched Brandon’s
eyes for his reaction and he looked quite intrigued. He then turned toward Olivia’s direction and there seemed to be some type of communications between them that escaped Arielle. She stood there
holding her breath and waiting for them to finish. Suddenly, his gaze landed back on Arielle’s face and he smiled widely, flashing a set of beautiful, white teeth. Arielle's heart raced inexplicably.

“I remember now, Olivia mentioned her name during a
telephone
conversation we had last week.” He paused for a short moment. “I simply forgot all about that,” he chuckled gently. “Tell me a little
more about her,” he said, his gaze deepening.

“She has some extraordinary powers, and she could talk with the dead, though not anymore. When she changed to an immortal, she lost that power.”

 “Well, that’s easy to explain,” Brandon stated. “Being an
immortal makes her dead to the human race.”

Arielle bit her lower lip anxiously at the sound of his statement. He did notice but didn’t make any further remarks.

“Eva has been trying to help me understand some of the symbols
in the book. My amulet and the book fascinate her. I’d like to see if you could help us improve and expand the ability we have
developed between us.”

“What kind of ability?” he asked interestedly.

“We can link our minds telepathically.”

“Oh!” he exclaimed.

“That tells me that you are gifted as well. So yes, please bring her
along,” he said, giving her one of his most dazzling smiles, stealing the breath from her lungs. He laughed blissfully, and then said
goodbye as he headed for the door.

It wasn’t long after that when Olivia took her leave saying
goodbye to her friends as she walked to the door. Arielle fell in step with her. After leaving the cloaks in the locker, they walked outside.

It was a sunny day. Arielle lifted her face toward the sky and closed her eyes. She felt the warmth of the sunshine on her face as
she took a
deep breath. All she wanted now was to be with Sebastian. She
stretched her arms out and smiled, savoring the moment.

“Another beautiful day.” Olivia’s voice sounded miles away. Arielle made no reply. She just smiled.