Arielle Immortal Quickening (7 page)

Working her way around all the tubes and casts with great difficulty, Arielle gave Gabby a loving hug. She felt a weight lifting and elation taking over her whole existence. Her best friend was on her way to healing. They left for home around three-thirty, and it was in the parking lot that she wrapped her arms around Sebastian’s neck and pulled him down to her, crushing his lips with hers in exhilaration.

“Mmmmm… what’s this for?” he purred, without breaking the kiss.

“I just simply love you,” she said, breathlessly. “Do I have to have a special reason to do that?” Sebastian laughed in bliss, a flash of excitement caressing his eyes. He pressed her softly against the car, and she saw a soft smile curve the corner of his mouth upward. He was astonishingly, breathtakingly, beautiful. She wound her arms around his neck and stretched up on her toes. Her lips closed over his in a kiss full of sexual delight. He broke the kiss and drew in a deep breath.

“Be careful,” he warned her with amusement in his voice. “I’m still trying to recover from last night.”

“Last night? What happened last night?” Her brows lifted inquisitively.

“Nothing happened last night; that’s exactly my point,” he said humorously. “You fell asleep before you finished what you started.” A beautiful smile still lingered on his moist lips.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “I was so tired. I couldn’t help it.” He opened the car door, and she slipped into the passenger seat. He walked around the car without taking his eyes off of her, his lips curved up in that amazing smile that elevated her pulse. He got in the driver’s seat, and she couldn’t help pulling him close and pressing her lips against his with extreme passion one more time.

“Mmmmmm… Be careful you are getting to a dangerous place.” Reaching over, he took her hand and held it tightly. “I’m expecting a supreme performance tonight.” Her body was tingling with excitement and worship for the most beautiful man on this earth that loved her. They drove home, and she talked nonstop about everything that flooded her mind. He was willing to listen with no complaints. He laughed with that jovial laugh he used every time she ran her mouth uncontrollably.

“Do you know how happy you make me when you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked. He was gazing into her eyes, releasing all his dazzling power. She immediately lost her train of thought, and her throat grew hotter and tighter, making it hard for her to breath. She did hear him laugh again as he looked away, giving her time to recover.

“I hate when you do that and I’m not prepared,” she scolded him. When they walked in the house, Sebastian still held a glorious smile on his beautiful face. He walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of salve from the fridge.

She stepped in the shower, reaching and turning the faucet on. Before the water made contact with her body, his arms were tightly fastened around her. She shrieked and then broke out in a hearty laugh, amazed at the speed he possessed. She turned around without leaving his embrace. Reaching up, she asked for a kiss, and he was more than happy to please her.

“I love you!” he whispered. His breath was warm against her face, and she inhaled his amazing, immortal scent in delight. Their kiss was feverish, and she realized that she missed their scorching encounters. The last three days had been consumed solely by the accident.

His hands glided down the length of her spine. Reaching her lower back, he lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around him, pressing him closer to her aching heat. His lips found the pulse of her lifeline at the bottom of her throat and nibbled passionately. She moaned, and the sound resonated through his bones. She raked her fingers through his hair, and he groaned. She placed her hands on either side of his face and crushed his lips beneath hers.

Sebastian deepened the kiss, and Arielle thought she was going die from pleasure. Her lips parted, and his tongue slipped into the softness of her mouth.
Oh, God, she tastes like pure honey!
He dove into the kiss like a wildcat after its prey. His hands stroked her silky skin, sending ripples of heat across every nerve in her body. The toe-curling kiss made Sebastian groan deep in his throat, and Arielle felt it to the core of her soul.

Sebastian lost control, joining them in a swift, calculated move. Arielle groaned into his mouth, lost in her passion. When they reached the crest of rapture, their bodies combusted in a blistering inferno. They held on to each other as their minds returned from the journey to oblivion. Wrapping herself in a bath towel, she lay in bed utterly exhausted, happy and sated. Sebastian pulled her in his arms, and she closed her eyes in bliss.

Later in the afternoon, Troy showed up to pick up Sebastian. When she glanced at the clock, she saw it was after five-thirty.

“Where are you going?” she asked, unable to hide her shock.

Sebastian had never said a word about Troy coming over or mentioned that he had plans to go out. She sensed something going on as she watched them glance at each other with guarded expressions. Their lips moved in the immortals’ special way, and she knew they were talking to each other, but she couldn’t hear or understand the exchange.

“It’s important that we talk to Ian this afternoon. This is something that can’t wait,” Troy said. His voice was low and very cautious.

“Why Ian? What’s up?” She could see that he was struggling to find the right words to provide some kind of explanation, but he was unsuccessful.

“Arielle, I promise we’ll discuss this when I get back,” Sebastian said. She was sure that her incredulous expression didn’t escape him. He moved closer and gathered her to him, locking them into a tender kiss.

“Trust me,” he whispered. Arielle met his eyes and nodded briskly.

“Miss me,” he whispered close to her ear. His lips brushed her cheekbone, making her shiver. Then, he was gone. They were halfway out the door when Sebastian’s mobile phone rang. He answered in a low voice and kept walking toward Troy’s car.

She stood at the doorway watching them. The phone conversation seemed to be quite important, because Sebastian didn’t get in the car. He paced back and forth on the pavement and chatted for a long time. She tried to read his expression, but he was looking down. He finally stopped pacing and turned, facing away from her. He put his free hand on the car and leaned against it, remaining completely still for the next several minutes. She saw Troy observing him warily, and she knew that Troy—as an immortal— could hear every part of that conversation. She noticed that Troy’s face lost the smile he’d been carrying when he walked out the door.

She panicked. Stepping outside, she started to walk toward them. It was the moment she reached Sebastian that he shut the phone and turned around. He was surprised to see her standing right behind him.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked.

“What is going on? Who was on the phone?”

Sebastian cleared his throat. “Oh, don’t worry, it’s nothing personal. It’s just business,” he said, forcing a smile, but it didn’t escape her. She knew him better that he thought she did. She knew something was terribly wrong, but she had to wait until they were alone. He reached over and pulling her closer, he pressed his lips on hers.

“I’ll be home soon, baby; please don’t worry.”

She turned around and walked back to the house. The car doors slammed shut. The engine revved with intensity and sped away, leaving her surrounded by total stillness. She sucked a deep breath and let the front door shut behind her. Standing in the middle of the foyer alone, speechless, she was unable to understand what could be so important that had to be handled tonight. And what about the phone call?

She pressed her lips together in confusion, and she finally shrugged her shoulders. She had to trust in Sebastian if she didn’t want to go out of her mind. He would tell her the truth when he came home. Picking up a pear from the fridge, she sank her teeth into it and walked into the bedroom, looking for her journal.

Arielle had thought a great deal about her journal in the last few months, but she never found the time. She always felt healing when writing down her innermost thoughts. The book revealed her private reflections of the special moments in her life. Reading back was like looking through the mirror of her soul.

Climbing onto the bed she leaned against her pillows, and pulled her legs up, so she could balance her journal on top of her knees. Flipping through the pages, she stopped at her last entry and was shocked to find that her last entry was made in St. Jean de Luz. There was so much she wanted to capture in those pages, so she grasped this time, while Sebastian was away to reflect her deep thoughts. The pen started to glide on the blank sheet.

June 17

“It has been quite a while since I brought my life’s deepest thoughts to you. You have let me bring my passions, my dreams, and my wishes to your pages, and you have embraced each and every thought, without passing any judgment, without making me feel humiliated. So I’m back, bringing some extraordinary emotions that have blossomed from the incredible love between Sebastian and me However, other things took place that have literally shaken up my world and turned it upside down.

I have been absolutely stunned as to how my life and my friends’ lives changed in a blink of an eye. While Sebastian and I were in Italy on a summer holiday, a horrible accident almost took Gabrielle’s life and landed Ian and Eva in the hospital. I had no resources to deal with the stress that had consumed every bit of my existence.

Gabby and Eva are two people that I love dearly. They are my best friends and my secret sharers. Literally, they are two of the most important people in my life. This was beyond my control, even though I was overwhelmed by the desire to fix everything and get our lives back to what they were prior to the accident. How was I going to deal with the anxiety I was feeling?

I was thinking about Gabby and her terrible condition. I was feeling completely stressed viewing her physical injuries and knowing the imperceptible emotional trauma that would become part of her life, apart from the actual physical harm she endured. I couldn’t accept the fact that a person I loved was lying in ICU fighting for her life. I am happy to report that she is out of danger now and on the way to complete recovery.

Eva and Ian are going home from the hospital with just a few bruises and a couple of broken limbs. School will be starting in a couple of months, but Gabby will not be returning with us. She will be attending school for a few weeks from home via the Internet. I will miss her terribly, but I’m sure that we will all be together again soon.

There is something that I find very strange and has been bothering me quite a lot. When I visited Eva and Ian at the hospital, I couldn’t hear their thoughts any longer. I find that very bizarre, because I had been able to hear Eva’s thoughts ever since we were little girls. I was also able to hear Ian’s thoughts since we first met. To me, their minds and their thoughts were like open books. So why do I get complete silence from both minds? What happened to change all that?

I don’t think it’s me, because I still get the constant noise and the weird thoughts that pour in my head daily while out and about among people. It has to be something else, but what? Sebastian has been my steady rock, my sanctuary. He has supported me and saved me from an emotional breakdown. I don’t think I would have been able to make it through if he wasn’t there to extent his solid support. Our love has grown, and I know that I couldn’t live without him. Once I figure out what happened with Ian and Eva, I will come back and share with you all about it, my dear, faithful, silent friend.

Arielle closed her journal and put it away. She picked up her book and decided to read until Sebastian came home.

Troy pulled away, but he kept a watchful eye on Sebastian.

“Is this the same issue as last year?” he asked.

Sebastian gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. “Yes, it’s exactly like last year, and it’s the same bunch of scums and lowlifes that are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.” Sebastian growled his anger.

“Do you know who those people are?” Troy asked again.

“No, I’ve no idea. There are many of them, and they have cells in every country that we have buildings and laboratories. One thing I’m sure of is that they are either connected to the Russian mafia or they
are
the Russian mafia. One person is seated at the very top and pulls the strings, moving these lowlifes in whatever direction he decides to send them, like puppets.” An angry firestorm was churning deep in his soul. He cursed again, only this time out loud. “I’m sure that they are trying to place cells inside every company building and every laboratory around the world.”

“I thought that you took care of those cells last year,” Troy said, his gaze sweeping over Sebastian’s anxious face.

Sebastian swore again. “That is what I thought, but Interpol dropped the ball last year. They failed,” he snapped and shifted in his seat. “They were supposed to get to the man who created this issue, but they never did.” The tone of his voice was held disgust. “Nathan and I spent five weeks removing every mole from every building around the globe. Our security is unbreakable, but I was sure they would find another way, and they might have.” Sebastian’s concern was evident.

“Who was the man on the phone?” Troy asked.

“Oh, that was Dylan Jamison, the head of the British intelligence. He is a nice guy but not very dynamic. Nathan and I met him last year, and we actually handed him several of the men involved in last year’s incident. We never heard anything about the outcome.”

“Are we going to meet with him soon?” Troy asked.

“Not exactly. We have to wait. Dillon said he is in the process of gathering important documentation. He has set up some kind of surveillance, and he’ll let me know as soon as he has all the necessary data,” Sebastian said. “I’ll call Nathan to make sure that he keeps an eye for anything strange that might come up.”

Troy knew that Sebastian was upset. “We have to concentrate on Ian and Eva right now, don’t you think?”