Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7) (6 page)

Arielle rolled her eyes at their retreating backs. “Bloody duty calls,” she groaned. She bit her lip and glanced at Gabrielle glumly, who grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

They stood there for a long moment in complete silence, lost in their own private thoughts. Gabrielle was the first to break the silence.

“I need to go to the library. Do you want to come?”

“Sure, what else is there to do until our next class?” she replied and sighed moodily. By the time they walked out of the library, it was time to head to their eleven o’clock classes.

Arielle was a bit bored with physics and not very happy being in class without Sebastian. This was not how she planned her day. She stared at the professor impassively, her mind a million miles away, wondering what Sebastian was doing. The memories of their morning’s scorching encounter made her smile and sigh audibly. Several of the students turned and stared at her with amusement. A little embarrassed, she stared back and shrugged her shoulders, pretending boredom.

Time dragged excruciatingly and drearily slow. The clock was moving backward.
Good God
, she thought,
is this class going to ever end?
She intertwined her fingers and tried to think of anything else but physics. Finally, she heard Professor Mayfield voicing the most wonderful and the most anticipated words of the moment. “I’ll see you all next time.”

She leaped out of her seat and ran out of the auditorium. She took a few deep breaths and, straightening her shoulders, she walked unhurriedly toward the cafeteria. She was to meet Gabrielle outside for lunch.

“Arielle,” she heard Gabrielle’s voice calling and, turning to her right, she saw her leaving the medical building, walking toward her at a fast pace. She waved in acknowledgment and smiled wide. She loved Gabrielle like a sister and spending time with her was like balm to a restless soul. At least that is how she felt without Sebastian. Waiting for Gabrielle to catch up, she noticed Christian and Isabella crossing one of the quads, heading for the cafeteria. She chuckled quietly, knowing that they were doing this only for her benefit, for her protection. They absolutely never ate a single item they set on their food tray.

“Hey,” Gabrielle said as she approached. “How was class?” Arielle made a face, and Gabrielle laughed. “I felt the same way,” she admitted as they entered the cafeteria. They stood in line and, after getting a sandwich and a drink, they walked over to the Pavilion. They both had their last class at one o’clock and quite a bit of time to kill. Following Gabby with their food trays in hand, they walked over to the table where Loren, Paul, and Ian were already sitting. A tray filled with food was in front of Paul, but nothing in front of Loren or Ian. Arielle chuckled again, shaking her head. How things had changed. They joined them, and immediately, the group engaged into a lengthy conversation about the weekend coming up. They were trying to pick out a good film and a club for dancing. Eva walked up in the middle of their very lively conversation and took a seat next to Arielle.

“Are we on for the secret society meeting next Tuesday?” Arielle asked in a low voice.

“I can hardly wait,” Eva replied and chuckled blissfully. She glanced around the table and greeted her friends cheerfully. “Where is Sebastian? Where is Troy?” she asked, glancing between Gabby and Arielle.

“They had to meet an Interpol inspector or officer or something like that,” Arielle said blankly.

“You mean you didn’t bug him for details; that’s not like you,” Eva snorted.

“I did, but he didn’t elaborate, so I had to let it go.”

“Do you have an inkling of what is wrong? He wouldn’t be meeting an Interpol officer for a simple issue.”

“I think it has something to do with his company and the issues he had last year. You know Sebastian; he never talks about stuff. He wants to keep me from worrying. What he doesn’t understand is that I’m worried more about him when I don’t know what’s going on.” She pressed her lips together anxiously. “The last time he had problems, he had to go to New Zealand. I’m sure you remember that,” Arielle furthered.

“Yes…yes, I do remember. You don’t need to be anxious. You seem extremely worried, and I can feel it,” Eva said softly. “Sebastian is a very smart guy. He hasn’t become rich by not making sound decisions or knowing how to handle problems,” Eva reminded, nudging her softly on her side with her elbow.

Arielle gazed at Eva and smiled. “I know. I just miss him so much when we are apart.”

“How long ago did they leave?”

“About an hour ago.”

Ian leaned over and pulled Eva closer, getting her attention. They fell into an immortal chitchat. Arielle blew out a breath and picked up her sandwich. She tried to focus on her friends and the conversations. Gabrielle was nibbling on a peach while into a deep discussion with Paul. Loren was listening to them, going back and forth about the new films that were showing, trying to come to an agreement.

Arielle let out a soft snicker; she loved her friends and their conversations. She sank her teeth into her ham and cheese sandwich and took a large bite. She remained quiet while chewing in clear delight. She partook a sip of her beverage and proceeded to finish up her food.

“Arielle!” Paul said, drawing her attention to him. “Will Sebastian be able to go to the cinema tonight?”

“I don’t see why not. He said he’s coming home right after the meeting.”

“All right then. We have agreed on a film and we should meet at seven-thirty at the Towne Square Cinemas,” Loren said, glancing around the table. “It starts at eight, so we should go there just a bit earlier. It is, after all, the weekend, and it’ll be busy.”

They all rose to their feet, and taking back their food trays, they spread out, heading for their classes. Arielle noticed Christian and Isabella walking the opposite way and smiled. What Arielle didn’t know was that Sebastian had asked everyone but Eva, who was already in class when he left, to make sure that Arielle arrived to her classes safely.

Arielle crossed the threshold of the auditorium calmly and smiled at Professor Allworth. He nodded politely and returned her smile. In route to her seat, she reached for her mobile. She stopped mid-step, anxiety spreading quickly across her body. She quickly patted her jean and jacket pockets, but no sign of it. She frantically searched her book bag and her purse with no results. Inside, alarmed, she scowled. She thought back, trying to remember where she left it.
What in bloody hell have I done with it?
Sebastian will text and I won’t be able to see it.

Her thoughts moved wildly.
Where is it?
She remembered that the last time she used it was in the car. She had texted Gabby and then she put it back into her book bag. But she just checked, and it wasn’t there now.
It must be in the car.
She glanced up at the clock and noticed that she had another ten minutes before the lecture began. All the emotions she had held at bay rushed in and she clenched her teeth. Without further thought, she decided to run to the car.

She lifted her head and glanced toward Allworth’s direction, but he was busy thumbing through his papers. Exiting the auditorium, she picked up her pace. Reaching the parking lot, she pointed the fob and pressing down caused the car to blip as it unlocked. She pulled the passenger door open, and leaning halfway inside, she started to search feverishly for her mobile. She smiled when she finally located it wedged between the seat and the center console. She forced her fingers in the small space and pulled it free. She set it on vibrate and, pushing herself out of the car, she straightened up and shut the passenger door. Mobile in her left hand and books in the other, she turned around, ready to run back to class. That was the last thing she remembered.

A little after two o’clock, Gabrielle came out of her class and walked over to the chemistry building to meet Arielle. She leaned casually against the wall and waited patiently. The lecture finally ended and most of the students exited the auditorium in groups. She scanned through the crowd as they hurried to their next destination, but Arielle was still a no show. She gazed down at her watch in disbelief and, pushing away from the wall, she moved toward the door. She entered the auditorium in a bit of a hurry and collided with Professor Allworth, who was exiting with his briefcase clenched in hand. She bit back an oath and blinked, a startled expression on her face.

“Excuse me, sir,” she murmured. She sidestepped to move out of his way and looked around the room. She was startled to realize that the auditorium was absolutely empty.

“What the…” she started to say, but closed her mouth, realizing that Allworth had not moved an inch. Completely puzzled, she humphed.

“Good afternoon, Miss Taylor. Are you searching for someone in particular?” Professor Allworth asked calmly.

“Yes, sir, I was waiting for Arielle Lloyd.”

“Miss Lloyd didn’t come to class today,” he said inflexibly.

“Oh!” she said, totally confused, eyes wide open.

“Is there a problem?” he asked interestingly.

“Well, yes, sir…I watched her enter the auditorium earlier, and we were to meet here at the end of the lecture.” She was still probing around, outright baffled.

“She did come in for a short moment. She seemed to be searching for something, and then she turned around and ran out,” he said gently. “She never came back to class. Is there a problem?”

“Oh! No!” she muttered worriedly and ran her fingers through her hair.

“What is it?” Allworth pressed on and eyed her quizzically.

“She’s…she’s…” Her mind was whirling wildly, unable to say much. She was standing unmoved, glancing around guardedly. She finally saw Eva and Ian crossing the walkway by the administrative building, and she called out frantically.

“Eva!” she practically screamed. Allworth watched her, outright stunned. Eva and Ian followed the sound and saw Gabrielle across the way. They immediately knew something was amiss. They walked in a fast pace toward her and when they reached her, she fell in Eva’s arms.

“Eva, something is terribly wrong. Arielle is nowhere to be found. I was to wait for her here,” she made a hand gesture pointing where she stood a few seconds ago. Her fear was intensified, and her voice came out in a soft whimper. “She never went to the lecture.”

“But…but I watched her go inside,” Eva said astoundingly.

“She did, for a very short moment, and then she left. She seemed to have forgotten something.” They all turned to follow the voice. Allworth was still standing there, watching them with an analyzing expression on his face.

“Oh, no!” Eva murmured, pressing her index fingers against her lips. She shot a glance at Ian, unable to hide her agitation.

“Is the car still in the parking lot?” Ian asked Gabrielle.

“I don’t know. I didn’t check,” Gabrielle replied.

“Let me go and check. She may have had to…” He didn’t finish his sentence; he just darted toward the parking lot. He found the car, but where the hell was Arielle? Ian frowned, trying to put his thoughts in order, and bit back an oath. He turned his head and took a quick glance around, scanning the surroundings cautiously. He then walked around the car slowly, and putting his face against the window, he peered inside, puzzled. Nothing seemed to be out of place. He pulled on the door handle and gaped in astonishment. The car was unlocked.
Well,
he thought to himself,
that is a bit strange.
He had had several conversations with Sebastian in the past about leaving expensive cars unlocked. Sebastian was adamant about locking his car and promoted his opinion to his friends. Ian winced at the thought and gave a last hopeful scan around the parking lot, wishing that he would catch sight of Arielle.

He dug into his jean pocket and, pulling out his mobile, he pressed Arielle’s number. He listened very carefully, using his immortal ability, and caught an unusual faded sound coming from somewhere around him. Surprise shot right through him mixed with intensity. He opened the car door, but the noise was not coming from inside. He closed the door, and his body moved slightly toward the front of the car. By that time, the noise had stopped, and Arielle’s voice mail picked up.

He ended the call and pressed her number again. This time, he followed the noise carefully, and his eyes focused on the ground right below the passenger side. He dropped down on one knee, placed one hand against the car with the other on the ground, and lowered the upper part of his body to peer underneath. His jaw dropped at the sight and cold fingers crawled down his spine. Arielle’s mobile was flashing with each vibration, and books were spread across the ground. He found himself in utter shock. It seemed like they had been pushed under the car purposely in an attempt to conceal them from clear view.

Ian pressed his eyes shut in pure frustration. A loud explicit oath escaped his lips and a sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He raked his fingers through his thick hair, and for the first time, the realization that Arielle was in danger slipped through his skin, saturating every part of his body. He examined the area in a puzzled haze one more time, but everything seemed peaceful, not a hint of a fight outside the car. But what about her books and her mobile? Who shoved them under the car? And why? Where in the world was she? It had been over an hour since the last time he saw her walking into the auditorium. Rising to his feet, he took another careful look around the parking lot and, releasing his strong immortal ability, he tried to sense the presence of another immortal. He was thinking that Annabel may have something to do with this, but nothing there indicated that that was the case.

After a few more seconds had passed in absolute silence, he decided to head back. He reached underneath and scooped up her mobile. He then gathered her books one at a time. The blood froze in his veins when he lifted the last book. Arielle’s gold amulet and the car keys were obscured beneath it. He picked them up and couldn’t help shuddering at the thought that she was out there with no protection at all. Tons of questions clattered his brain. How did she lose it? Was she forced? But if she had it on and she was touched, she would have been protected. What happened to her? How did the amulet end up on the ground? Did the person that took her use a gun?
Oh, my God! Where is she?
He put her mobile and the keys in his pocket, clutching the amulet in one hand and her books in the other. With a few large strides, he crossed a couple of grassy quads and reached the front of the auditorium just as it started to drizzle. He saw that Paul and Loren had joined Eva and Gabrielle, and they were standing in a close huddle. Professor Allworth was still there, interested in Arielle and her whereabouts.