Arielle Immortal Quickening (8 page)

Sebastian looked back at him and nodded in agreement. “I don’t want you to worry about my business. You need to spend time with Gabrielle. She needs you right now; Nathan and I can handle anything that might come up.” Reaching over, Sebastian patted Troy on the back. A smile crept slowly over Troy’s lips.

“I think we are going to have our hands full with Ian and Eva tonight.”

“Yes, you’re right, but we’ll handle it,” Sebastian grumbled.

Chapter 7

T
roy had placed a called to Ian earlier in the day from the hospital. He had asked him if he could meet with Sebastian and him to discuss something very important.

“Are you both okay?” Ian had asked, his curiosity elevated.

“Yes, we’re fine, but we need to talk, and it can’t wait.” Troy’s voice had been urgent.

There had been a long silence over the phone, and Ian had finally replied hesitantly. “I don’t understand. It sounds like something is terribly wrong.”

“Ian, we must talk, and we would prefer that Eva is not present. Can we come and pick you up?” Troy had asked, urgently.

After another long pause, Ian had asked, “When?”

“I’m at the hospital with Gabrielle, but when I leave here, I’ll go pick up Sebastian, and we’ll swing by your place,” he had said.

“Sure, come on over around seven,” Ian had replied. Troy couldn’t see the tension in Ian’s body, but he could sense it in his voice.

Troy and Sebastian drove to Ian’s house feeling extremely anxious and apprehensive. They tried to design an all-encompassing plan on how to navigate through the next chapter of the issue. They were not sure of how they would be able to eliminate much of Ian’s anxiety and stress while he received the details of the accident. How were they going to explain to Ian what happened that night? How could they tell him he was going to be a different person when he woke up tomorrow?

“Troy, for someone who fears no one and nothing on this earth, I must say that I’m a little nervous about this. How about you?” Sebastian’s voice was somewhat strained as his gaze swept over Troy’s worried face.

“I’ve been anxiously waiting for this moment,” Troy said. “I’ve no choice. You know by tomorrow evening, it’ll all become completely evident to both Eva and Ian.”

Sebastian nodded in agreement.

“I’m not sure that I’m ready to talk to Ian, but I’ll do it since there is no other avenue.” Troy grimaced and paused. He pinched the tip of his nose, truly bothered by the whole thing. “This is something that will not go away, and I hate having to face Ian straight on with such a huge issue.” He looked bewildered as he continued. “I have pondered this in my head over and over again, and I’m sure that if I had to do it again…” His voice trailed. “I’d do the exact same thing,”

A wide grin dismissed Sebastian’s apprehension as he shook his head vigorously. “I believe you would.”

Troy turned and looked at Sebastian. “I’m very fond of Ian and Eva, and I couldn’t let them die, Sebastian. I also know how much they mean to Gabrielle, so I had no other choice,” Troy mumbled. His voice was full of concern. He looked over again, needing Sebastian’s approval.

“Troy, if I were there, I would have done the exact same thing. You had two choices and two choices alone. One was to give them life, and the other would have been certain death for both of them.”

Troy nodded thoughtfully.

“Troy, don’t overthink this. It was the right choice,” Sebastian said assertively.

“I know,” Troy said, looking glum. “Every day since that awful night, I keep reminding myself that it was unavoidable, and I couldn’t let them die. So now, I have to tell them.” Troy looked determined as they reached Ian’s house. Ian was waiting for them, and he got in the car consumed with curiosity. He loved both Troy and Sebastian, and their friendship was very important to him.

“Hey, guys, how is it going?” he asked with a happy smile on his face.

“We are good; how about you, Ian? How is your arm?” Sebastian asked.

“Every day is getting better. It’s much easier for me than for Eva. She is having a hard time getting around, but we manage. Her mom has been wonderful; she comes over, makes dinner, and picks up after us, making it much easier to get through the day.” Ian stifled a chuckle.

“We’re glad to hear that,” Troy and Sebastian said simultaneously. They smiled with true compassion for Ian and Eva. They drove to Hove by the beach, and to Ian’s surprise, they took a seat at a picnic table.

“What are we doing here?” Ian asked. He had a startled look on his face.

“Ian, we have to talk to you about something very serious, and we need to be alone. Are you comfortable being here with us?” Troy asked.

“Yes…I’m fine, I’m just a little surprised, as I thought we might go somewhere to have a drink,” Ian smiled.

“We can do that after we finish talking, and only if you are up to it,” Sebastian said with a chuckle.

“Oh, I’m now very curious as to what you have to say,” Ian said, as his eyes darted from Sebastian to Troy, and then back again.

Troy sucked a deep breath, knowing that he would have to start with a few open-ended questions.

“What do you remember from the accident?” Troy asked, watching Ian’s face very carefully. Ian’s eyes narrowed to slits, and he pressed his lips together. He looked as if he was searching his mind for any information he could recollect from that night’s events.

“That’s the most maddening thing that ever happened to me,” Ian said. “I can remember walking out of the club and getting into the car. I remember part of the drive, as Eva and I were making out in the back seat,” he said, and laughed softly. A grin of sheer mirth painted Troy and Sebastian’s faces, and they broke out into a hearty laugh, along with Ian.

“I can’t remember anything past that particular moment,” Ian continued. “I’ve looked at the car, and I’m absolutely amazed that I’m alive.”

“Ian, that is exactly what we need to talk to you about, the fact that you are alive,” Troy said. A serious but tormented look spread across his face.

“What do you mean?” Ian was unable to decipher the look in Troy’s face.

Troy paused for a short period of time. Finally, he looked straight in Ian’s eyes and asked. “If you were presented by the choice of becoming an immortal like Sebastian and me or dying a human, which one would you choose?” Troy asked with a quivery voice. The straightforwardness of the question took all of them by surprise, but Ian was completely clueless as to where Troy was going with that question.

“Well, that’s pretty easy to answer. I’d rather be alive than dead. I can’t imagine anyone would choose to die.” He stifled something like a snigger.

Ian threw a glance between Troy and Sebastian and blinked. They were not laughing any longer, and their look had turned grave. Ian’s face fell, and his smile faded. “Why are we talking about immortality?”

A stony silence fell between them. Then, Troy rose to his feet, straightening up to his full height, and held Ian’s gaze with his.

“Ian, something happened during the accident, and it can’t be reversed now,” Troy said. His eyes were searching Ian’s contemplative face with agitation.

“What? What happened?” Ian asked.

Troy was obviously distressed as he pinched the tip of his nose again, something immortals did when they felt stress. He looked at Sebastian for encouragement. Sebastian smiled and motioned to go on. Ian was gazing between the two of them, not understanding what Troy was trying to tell him.

This time, Troy’s voice came out soft but firm.

“Ian, there is no easy way to say this.” He drew a sharp breath and continued, “The night of the accident, you and Eva
—
knocked on Death’s door.” Troy uttered the words with a clenched jaw.

Ian looked at him, trying to grasp the meaning of the words. Suddenly, his body went rigid, and his mouth fell open. He gasped, unable to breath. Sebastian moved over and sat next to him, putting his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, trying to ease his stress. Fear and terror had spread across Ian’s face as his body started to quiver. His eyes blinked in quick succession before he hauled in a huge breath. He looked as if he had just watched the fall of the atomic bomb. He was reacting to the unknown like a trapped animal.

He raked a hand through his blond hair and let out a low, throaty sound that evoked dread. Leaping to his feet he walked away from the table, keeping his eyes toward the ocean. His face had tightened with grief and terror at the same time. He remained absolutely unmoved for several long moments. Finally, he turned and held both Sebastian and Troy with a flat stare, then shook his head and coughed several times trying to find his voice. His eyes welled up with tears, something that made Sebastian and Troy quite sad. They knew that after tomorrow, when Ian’s transformation was complete, he would never be able to tear up again.

“Oh, God! Oh, God!” Ian whispered. Troy propped his chin on his hand and glanced at Sebastian cautiously. They both remained silent, giving him time to grasp the fact that he and Eva had died. Ian walked back to the table. Dropping down on the bench, he covered his face with both hands and sobbed like a little boy, unable to stop. Sebastian and Troy remembered going through the exact same emotions and the exact same fear when they had discovered their new identities, centuries ago. They each pressed softly on Ian’s shoulders letting him know that they were both there. They were his friends and ready to support him with any questions he would now have. Ian was still sobbing quietly, trying to absorb what he had just been told.

Finally looking up, he opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again. He couldn’t get his voice passed the lump that was wedged in his throat, and he couldn’t get any air into his lungs. He remained silent, as fear clouded his eyes. His guts were reeling, and his heart sank into despair. Troy and Sebastian were startled by Ian’s high-pitched voice.

“I’m an immortal?” He was still gasping for air.

Troy drew a deep breath. “Yes. Well, by tomorrow you’ll be just like Sebastian and me.”

Ian was now completely alert, and he was starting to understand that he was in fact going to be an immortal, and there were no mismatches between perception and reality.

Forty-five minutes passed before Ian quieted down, but he had not lifted his head up to look at either one of his immortal friends.

“Ian, how are you feeling, buddy?” Troy asked in a soft voice, filled with despondency. Ian finally raised his head and stared directly into Troy’s eyes, clearly sad.

“Ian, you have to understand that I couldn’t let you or Eva die. I’m fond of you, and you both mean a lot to the rest of us. I’m tired of losing people I care about,” Troy’s voice was clearly stressed.

“Now what do I do?” Ian’s shaky voice sounded desperate.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Sebastian said. “There will be some changes that will become quite evident to you and Eva by tomorrow evening. Troy and I think that you and Eva need to go somewhere for a little while, like a vacation, to avoid questions from people around you.”

“What kind of changes? What kind of questions?” Ian asked clearly shocked.

“Ian,” Sebastian began calmly, “your bruises, the scratches, and the cuts will disappear overnight. Your arm and Eva’s leg will heal, and you will have no need for the casts. You can keep the cast on, and nobody will know you’ve been healed. However, you can’t disguise the fact that your bruises will disappear. And those are some bad bruises. It’ll become utterly obvious to everyone around you that something is going on.”

Ian remained silent, pondering Sebastian’s words in his mind. “What else?”

“Your appetite will change. You can eat anything you want to keep the human façade. However, regular food will not be enough to sustain your body’s required energy,” Troy added.

“I don’t understand. What are you implying?” Ian asked totally surprised.

“Salve is what immortals drink to sustain their energy. Using salve will give you what you need to function just like the humans around you. They will never know that you are different from them.”

“I know you guys drink salve. Does it taste awful? How often do I have to drink it?”

“It does have an inimitable taste but it is quite tasty. You will need salve when you feel tired. Human food will not satisfy your hunger, and water will not satisfy your thirst. Salve will be what your body will desire, and what will sustain your strength.”

Ian kept taking deep breathes, eyes wide-open, full of tension and incredulity.

“I’m scared to ask, but I need to know details.”

“Your looks might change a little, but not by much. Fear will have no part in your mind. You’ll be stronger than any human around you. You’ll possess extreme speed and will have the ability to heal yourself from any type of injury. You’ll never get sick, and you’ll never die. By tomorrow evening, your transformation will be complete, and you’ll be an immortal. Your powers will be incredible. You’ll be healthy in body and mind and will belong to the immortal world. We all belong to a secret immortal society that demands the highest moral and ethical standards among us.” Sebastian stated in a matter of fact voice.