Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8) (19 page)

“I just couldn’t stand not knowing what you were thinking.” His lips curved up into that beautiful smile and a blinding brilliance crossed his eyes.

“Arielle…how many times do I have to tell you there’s no other person out there who would ever make me feel the way you do? It’s like our souls were looking for each other, and they finally met, and nothing is going to keep them apart. I love you, baby, I need your eyes to get my energy, I need your touch to feel whole and I need you to make my body feel like a real man should feel.” He clipped the necklace back on, and gathered her in his arms, as they laid next to each other in utter bliss. “Thank you for loving me,” he whispered softly in her ear, as they drifted off to sleep.

***

It seemed awfully quiet without Gabrielle home, but Loren, Eva, and Arielle spent a lot of time shopping and getting ready for Arielle’s wedding day. The weather was warm but they still seemed to get the usual amount of rainy days that brought a little melancholy in everyone’s day.

In Arielle’s case, Sebastian kept her happy at all times with his wonderful attitude. They kept up with their evening walks on the beach even after a rainy day. They were now only three weeks away from their wedding day and they both were on edge. The funny part was listening to Sebastian going on and on about having to be away from her for a whole week. He did actually sound exactly like Troy and Ian, just like a little boy with a temper issue. It was one of those evenings when they were taking a walk on the beach that he stopped and, gazing in her eyes, smiled softly.

“I think the idea of brides and grooms being apart the week before the wedding is utterly silly,” he said, for the millionth time, and she laughed, reaching up to meet his lips in a blissful kiss.

“Well, you'll have to live with that, as you have no choice at all,” she said, with an indulging smile. He pulled her tighter against him while his eyes stared deep into her soul.

“I guess you forgot with whom you're dealing,” he whispered through the kiss. A wide smile spread across his face. “I can take you away, somewhere on the other side of the world and marry you. You wouldn’t be able to prevent me from doing that no matter how hard you tried. What do you think about that?”

His eyes searched hers for an answer and she broke into a hearty laugh, knowing he was right. She threw her arms around his neck and their lips met passionately, reassuring him that she was ready to follow him to end of the earth.

They walked for a couple of hours holding hands, fingers intertwined, hearts filled with delight in silence. It was in that silence that she recalled the Lanes parking lot incident and repressed a reaction to the cold chill that ran down her spine. It'd been well over three weeks since Gaston popped unexpectedly into her life. She'd successfully blocked every thought about the incident by staying extremely busy. She helped Gabrielle with the last details of her wedding and she was pleased to see that Gabby’s wedding day was absolutely faultless. Once Gabby left for her honeymoon, Arielle concentrated on the last minute items for her own wedding that was less than a month away.

Tonight the long, quiet, blissful walk with Sebastian unexpectedly brought back every unpleasant moment of that day. A rush of thoughts came blasting in like a roaring river in a rainstorm. Instinctively her hands moved up and covered her ears. She pressed hard, trying to prevent the noise from painfully pounding her temples. Loren’s words kept hammering her thoughts now. “You must tell Sebastian! You must tell Sebastian! He has the right to know!” Gaston’s compelling was something she'd prefer to conceal from Sebastian because she didn’t know how to explain that part. This would make him angry. She was afraid of his reaction and what he might decide to do about Gaston.

She hadn’t finished her last thought and was startled by Sebastian’s hands reaching around her neck. She heard the snap of the clasp and saw the necklace fall into Sebastian’s hands.

“You’ve been distracted for over a half an hour. Is there something bothering you, baby?” he asked, his voice soft.

She felt the weight of his gaze and stopped walking. He turned her to face him, gathered her in his arms and bending his head, kissed her gently at first and then the kiss deepened to a more passionate, more scorching kiss that spread wild desire though every nerve and muscle in their bodies. The want was so palatable that she gasped and he moaned still tangled in that embrace and kiss.

He finally pulled back and, inhaling deeply, cupped her face with his hands and bored through her eyes. Arielle gasped aloud and her brain went into panic mode. She was totally unprepared to discuss the details. All she could think about was Gaston’s compelling actions that made her succumb to his embrace and the passionate kiss that was now creating this alarming anxiety.

Sebastian’s gaze grew intense and a shocking expression spread across his face. His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing to slits, hands clenching to fists, and a loud growl of rage escaping his tight lips.

“When were you planning on telling me about this?” he roared wrathfully.

The tone of his voice set Arielle a few steps back, while their gazes remained locked. His lips were pulled back in rage, he broke the embrace and drop his hands to his side. He moved back, creating a bigger distance between them. His expression was that of pain, mistrust. and agony.

“You made out with him?” he asked, screaming in utter disbelief. Arielle froze in place. Her body started to quiver. She sent a quick glance his direction and quickly averted her gaze down to her feet. She tried to speak but nothing came out of her mouth. She heard him haul a deep breath and his cold voice sheared through her skin, bringing prickling tears to her eyes.

“So?” he screamed again. “What have you to say for yourself?”

Arielle remained silent through his ranting and yelling, stunned by his reaction. She finally hauled all the strength she could unearth and resisting the urge to just stomp away, she moved forward and halted a hair’s-breath from him. She lifted her face and her eyes scanned his face. Defiance locked her jaw, as she felt anger surging through her body.

“You always ask me to trust you,” she said bitterly. Her face was flushed and hot tears of anger streamed down her cheeks. “Where's your trust in me?” she said through clenched teeth. “Or have you set rules that apply to you and are different for me?” Her gaze held his and his look was that of shock.

“What are you saying?” he asked, confused. “Arielle! I saw clearly what happened in your eyes. You can’t deny any of it.”

Arielle met his gaze again and pressed her lips together in exasperation. She looked out toward the ocean and hauled in a deep breath. Silence stretched and she finally turned to face him, face full of defiance. “I’m not trying to deny anything,” she spit out the words. “And no…no…no…” she screamed in fury. “You didn’t see what happened. All you did see was what you chose to see and then you exploded in anger like a child,” she accused.

Sebastian pulled back in stunned shock and flinched at her anger.

“Arielle, I saw you in his embrace, and you didn’t look like you were fighting your way out of it or the kiss, you were fully engaged, face filled with anticipation,” he growled. His face was stretched with anxiety, teeth clenched. He put his hands against his eyes and pressed hard, trying to erase the vision of Arielle and Gaston intertwined in a loving embrace. A barely audible curse escaped his lips and she winced. She waited until he was quiet then reached for him overwhelmed with unclear emotions about his reaction. Her gaze was fixed on his face, as he abruptly pulled back. He looked down still clenching her necklace tightly in his hand. He was lost in thought as he bounced the necklace back and forth from one hand to the other. Time stretched, as she waited patiently for his next move, he finally drew a deep breath, resolve in his emerald eyes.

Moving fast, he gripped Arielle’s hand, pulled it close and holding it open, dropped the necklace in it and pressed her fingers softly to close around it. Then he flashed a quick glance at her one last time, and turning around, stomped away like a spoiled child.

Arielle threw her hands up in the air and let out an exasperated breath. She was feeling a surge of fury spreading across her nerves; she looked around at the empty beach and slumped down onto the sand. She pulled her knees tightly up to her chest, hands braced around them. She sighed and dropped her head down. Her thoughts reeled and fear hung over her. He was leaving her and she was sure this time it would be for good. He told her once that if he thought that she didn’t love him any longer he would disappear. Tears blinded her and frustration surfaced.

“I thought you trusted me, but you’re a liar.”She whimpered aloud without realizing it and groaned bitterly. She didn’t fathom that Sebastian heard every word she said even though he was almost home. He stopped in his tracks just before he crossed the threshold and heard her quiet whisper once again.

“You only saw a small part, your anger about Gaston blinded your vision. I guess you don’t love me enough...” she said talking to herself aloud. His muscles tightened at those words and his chest clenched. “Sebastian!” she cried. His breath caught at the sadness in her voice. “I was right after all,” she said again. “You were just a dream! Gaston succeeded without having to lift a finger,” she sighed bitterly and sobbed.

She sat there for what it seemed to be centuries. She finally stood, wiped her eyes, and decided to go home. It was now twilight and the water looked dark and uninviting. She turned with a heavy heart and gasped as she fell right into his arms.

“Sebastian!” she exclaimed. “Sebastian! I thought you were gone.”

“I was, but I heard what you said,” he murmured. “I’m not a liar Arielle, and if I didn’t see what really happened, I’d like to see it now.” His eyes narrowed, voice compelling. She gazed up and their eyes locked.

Chapter 11

“OKAY THEN, I WANT
you to see everything that took place, not just the embrace or the kiss,” she whispered.

She remained silent while he bored into her eyes and she recalled every detail about her meeting with Gaston. It had been a while and they were still standing, their bodies a hair’s-breath apart in a stunned silence. She watched intently as his expression changed slowly from anger and fury to remorse, to apology, to the “forgive me” look.

She was filled with warmth and love for this man, the only man in her life. The man she wanted like no other, the man who took her to incredible heights in bed, reaching emotions of ultimate ecstasy. She was sure she couldn’t live without him. His arms tighten around her and he crushed her against his hard, muscular body. His mouth found hers in a hungry, obsessive kiss and she moved into him, surrendering mind and soul. They clung to each other like magnets, heat and fire pulsing between their bodies like opposite conductors.

“Why didn’t you tell me, baby?”

“I was afraid of what you might do. It's so close to our wedding day and I didn’t want any problems. After all, he really didn’t hurt me.”

“Didn’t hurt you? What are you saying? He compelled you to want him,” he said softly. “What if he took you somewhere, what if he went a lot further than just a kiss and an embrace?” his lips were stretched in sheer anxiety. “I can see that he's obsessed with you and he might even break the immortal code.”

She watched him carefully. “Can he make me love him and forget you?” she enunciated each word.

“Yes, he can,” he said thoughtfully.

She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“I love you so much!” she whispered, lifting herself on tiptoes to touch his lips. He bent down and kissed her hard, possessively, selfishly.

“I have to do something,” he murmured looking ahead. “I can’t let him do this. Gaston harbors a lot of anger against me and he'll do everything he can to persuade you.”

She watched his expression change to distress. She tugged his shirt, making him look down at her. “Sebastian, there's not a person in this world who could make me stop loving you. I can’t live without you. I can’t breathe without you. I need you with me to feel whole.”

Sebastian squeezed her tightly as they walked in the house. “I feel the same way baby, that’s why I have to do something. Loosing you would be the end of me.”

His mouth found hers again and the kiss became deeper, limitless.

They readied for bed without any more discussion about Gaston. Once in bed, Arielle pull the covers back and stretched leisurely. suppressing a yawn. Sebastian was watching her intently, wide smile spread across his face. His arms slipped around her and he pulled her hard against him. “I’ll kill anyone who touches you,” he murmured lips against hers.

Arielle move into him seductively and he loved every minute of it.

“Can he compel me to do things I don’t want to do forever? Or just for a small period of time?” she asked full of curiosity. Their gazes were locked.

He winced and groaned but replied, “Yes he can, but…” he paused.

“But…but…what?” she asked eagerly.

“Immortals regard the breaking of the sacred code a very serious matter. It’s an oath that should remain unbreakable as long as the immortal roams this earth. When an immortal compels a human to love them, he has to use a lot of his body energy. He will need an enormous amount of Salve to prevent his energy from draining his body quickly. The intake of vast amounts of Salve in the long run will create problems for his self-preservation and the body will slowly perish.”