Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8) (23 page)

“THIS IS SURREAL,”
Christian whispered to Isabella. They decided against leaving the house for the time being. The raw experience of the channeling between Arielle and Eva mesmerized them, and they wanted to see it through.

Eva shifted uncomfortably. She clasped her hands firmly and gave Ian a pleading look. Ian seemed to understand her sign and moving closer. He put his arm around her and held her tightly. Eva’s look didn’t escape any of her friends. Sebastian was going out of his mind; he needed something to distract him, so he picked up the remote and turned the telly on. He was sure that they were all tense, waiting for something to happen.

“There’s plenty of Salve in the fridge,” Sebastian said softly. The news on the tube seemed to absorb their attention for a short time, easing the tension in the room. He drank a glass of Salve and paced a few times, before finally sitting back down, lost in thought.

Eva felt Sebastian’s distress and wanted so badly to be able to do something. It had been about an hour since the last channeling with Arielle. Eva was in deep conversation now with everyone about school coming up in the fall. She was in the middle of discussing the classes she was going to take when she seemed to be drifting away and she flinched.

Loren was watching Eva carefully, her gaze moved from Eva to Sebastian, who was still lost in thought, and then back to Eva. Eva’s face was flashed as she moved her hand up and with her finger rubbed her lips back and forth, as if she was trying to wipe something away.

“Why do you keep doing that?” Ian whispered in her ear, leaning much closer. Eva set her lips against his ear. making sure that what she said to Ian didn’t reach Sebastian’s ears.

“Someone’s touching Arielle,” she murmured. “I can feel their lips pressing against hers and their hands touching her body.”

Ian recoiled. He stared in Sebastian’s direction, wanting to make sure he didn’t hear any of it. He was still sitting silent, overwhelmed with devastating emotions, face hard, jaw clenched.

Sebastian heard the quiet and noticed that the vigorous conversation between his friends about school had suddenly stopped. He jerked his head up and he noticed that they were all watching Eva. He turned and gazed at her for what it seemed to be eternity. His eyebrows lifted in amazement as he watch her wiping her lips over and over again. Something she did a while ago before she channeled with Arielle. He jumped up and, walking to the other side of the room, stood in front of Eva once again.

“Eva,” he said, but she seemed to be lost in her thoughts. “Eva,” he called out anxiously. Eva lifted her gaze and the expression in her eyes sent chills down his spine. Eyes widen further, breathing elevated. He could almost read her thoughts.

“It’s not Annabel…right?” he asked, anxiety choking his words.

“No,” Eva gasped.

“Who is it Eva?” body muscles clenched, voice icy cold.

“Gaston,” Eva mumbled. “It’s Gaston.”

The loud growl that escaped Sebastian hit the walls like lightning and bounced back several times making everyone in the room recoil. He fell to his knees, pressing his hands hard against his temples. Rage painted his face and the sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach rose quickly stopping at the bottom of his throat, shearing every fiber in his body, burning every nerve like a blazing fire.

Eva tried to focus on the thread that connected her thoughts with Arielle. The connection broke, leaving her with a sickening sensation. She looked up to meet Sebastian’s gaze.

“Don’t worry, Sebastian, give it a little time. We’ll find her. Arielle's very smart. She knows how to keep away from his gaze.”

“God…Where's he taking her?”

“She doesn’t know. All she's sending to me is water. They're still on the boat. She and I will reestablish this connection once she knows where he’s taking her.”

“Gaston holds a strong resentment against me,” Sebastian mumbled bitterly.

“I knew that son of a bitch was going to do something,” Loren cried out. “I told Arielle to tell you about him three weeks ago, when he showed up at the Lanes parking lot.”

“Oh, Loren, how I wish you'd told me,” he said sadly. “I didn’t find out about Gaston until last night and it was too late to form any type of plan. I just didn’t think he would be so bold as to come into the house when I was here.” He looked lost in thought again, as he drew a huge breath and his voice came out in a throaty sound. “I know that he’s madly in love with her so, I’m fairly sure that he isn’t going to hurt her.” He winced.

“I wouldn’t trust him, Sebastian,” Ian said.

“I don’t trust him, Ian, not for a moment, but I have to think this way to keep my sanity,” he replied. “I’m very sure he’ll try to compel her, but Arielle's smart. We talked about that in detail last night, and I hope that she remembers all I told her. She knows how to keep her eyes away from his gaze. However, that can’t go on for too long. He’ll get to the point that he just might hurt her.” He grimaced. “That’s why we need to do something. I need to find her, God! I need to find her soon,” he mumbled.

“What if he keeps her drugged?” Isabella asked quietly. Everyone looked at her in surprise.

New fear took over Sebastian’s expression and he growled. “I didn’t think about that, Oh…God!” he said again.

His friends heard the pain in his voice and watched him with extreme concern. Silence stretched between them. Sebastian looked tired and completely drained.

“Sebastian, I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t try anything without her consent. You know the immortals oath is sacred, and he’s not going to break it unless he doesn’t care about his own life and I find that hard to believe. But even if he decided to do that eventually, that will give us time to find her.” Eva said.

Sebastian stared at her thoughtful but at the end he had to agree.

“Who is Gaston?” Christian asked inquisitively.

“Gaston was my best childhood friend,” Sebastian replied. “This resentment started way back in the 1500s in Calais. That’s when he fell madly in love with Arielle.”

Christian and Isabella gasped in astonishment. Christian hauled in a deep breath.

“How in bloody hell did he ever meet Arielle in Calais?” Christian asked, astounded. “Sebastian, you must understand that you sound a bit crazy to Isabella and me, making a statement like that,” he furthered.

“A statement like what?” Sebastian asked, watching Christian, as if he should know what he was talking about.

“Are you serious?” Christian exclaimed. “How could Gaston have met Arielle 500 plus years ago? She's human!”

Eva knew now that there was no way she could get out of providing details on the time travel adventure in Calais.

“It was Arielle’s birthday present from me,” she chimed in. “I wanted her to meet Sebastian when he was a mortal man. So we decided to go and attend his parent’s annual gala. Sebastian was 20 years of age at the time.”

Christian, Isabella, and even Loren were hanging on every word, utterly shocked.

“You can time-travel!” Isabella cried out, watching Eva intently.

“Yes,” Eva said. She looked around and smiled at their shocked astonishment.

“Well…” Loren’s voice trailed off. “Now I’ve heard everything.”

Sebastian looked around unable to hold back his sadness. However, the ability of Eva to communicate with Arielle gave him the reassurance he needed so desperately right now. He looked up at Eva, a smile barely touching his lips.

“Sebastian, why don’t we all go home so you can rest a bit? I’ll keep you informed as soon as I’m able to link with Arielle. You're just a text away, and we can be here in a matter of seconds, you do need to rest!” She emphasized. “We’ve been going at this since this morning. It may take a while for Gaston to get to their destination. That’s when Arielle will be able to find out a name, a landmark, or a place that’ll give us an idea of where to start.”

Sebastian knew Eva was right. Patience would have to be the most important thing right now. He nodded in agreement.

“I’ll stay here with you,” Loren said. Sebastian smiled softly at his sister. He was happy that she decided to stay. He didn’t want to be alone.

“Thanks, Loren,” he said and put his arm around her. He thanked his friends for coming and spending the day with him. He needed their support and advice.

Eva hugged him tightly. “I love you Sebastian. We’ll have Arielle home soon. I promise you that,” she said encouragingly.

“I love you Eva, thank you,” he whispered in her ear. Eva smiled as they walked out.

Sebastian hugged Isabella and shook hands with Christian and Ian, then stood at the closed door unmoved for several minutes. He finally looked up and met Loren’s gaze.

“Come and sit here with me,” she said softly and motioned for him to join her at the sofa. “It’s going to be all right. Eva seems to be able to communicate with Arielle. When we find out where he’s taking her, then we'll tear the place apart and bring her home.”

“Thanks, Loren. Right now, I need all the encouragement I can get,” he said, and set his hand on hers. “I feel so alone, and so hurt, I can’t live without her.” He gritted his teeth, as an icy cold sensation coursed down his spine. “God…it hurts so bad!” he groaned. “Loren, I can’t be in this house without her, I can’t sleep or even imagine waking up without her in my arms.” He sighed deeply, as waking doom surged through his mind. He remained silent, buried in his thoughts and Loren closed her hands around his in a sisterly attempt to ease his pain.

Sebastian’s wretchedness ran intensely within his very soul. As an immortal he had never before experienced this mind-blowing, sheering pain. Eva had promised to call him as soon as she was able to resume contact with Arielle. He drew in a deep breath and dragged himself out of that sofa. He needed some air; he was suffocating in his horrifying thoughts.

Loren sprang out of her seat to follow Sebastian. When she stepped into the kitchen her jaw dropped and her body stiffened. “What in bloody hell happened here?” she cried out, glaring at the countless pieces of bloody sharp glass that were spread across the floor.

Sebastian gazed back at Loren for a short moment; eyes filled with despair, hands clenched into tight fists, but remained silent. He finally muttered something inaudible and, turning around, he disappeared through the door leading into the garden.

He walked through the trees and with a few long strides, reached the edge of the property and stood under a large Hawthorn tree. He leaned against its trunk, focusing his gaze toward the fine line where the sky met the ocean. He wanted to be alone; he wanted to reflect and get his thoughts in order. The revelation that Gaston was the person who’d placed Sebastian’s life into a crushing cyclone wasn’t a big surprise. What was astounding was Gaston’s boldness to strike inside their home. His lips twisted and his stomach clenched, as every muscle in his body turned hard as steel. The fury was so intense that he could've crashed a bolder into fine dust.

He was pondering scenarios of confrontation when suddenly Arielle’s shockingly blue, blue sapphires emerged in front of him and his breath held in his throat. He growled angrily at the thought of Gaston being in close proximity of Arielle’s soft satin skin, elegant curves, flawless face, and sensuous lips. His arms ached for her, his senses painfully consumed by the mere thought of her. At this point there was nothing he wanted more than to have her home safe. He was sure that Gaston was unaware of Arielle’s gifts and her ability to mentally communicate with Eva. He had no idea about all the spells Arielle had learned attending the secret society with his mother and how to use those spells to help her in difficult circumstances. Those abilities were a plus for Arielle and a disaster for Gaston.

All that Sebastian needed was Eva’s word as to where Gaston took Arielle. Armed with that information, he would contact all their friends, and have them assist in getting her home. He decided to text the guys just to give them advance warning about the situation. He pulled his mobile out of his jean pocket and text a few words to Pierre, his oldest and dearest friend.

“Pierre, I need your help.”

It took but a couple of minutes before he received a reply.

“What’s wrong?”

“
An old friend from my mortal years has kidnapped Arielle. He’s utterly obsessed with her.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“No, not yet, but I’m in the process of finding out.”

He was startled when his phone rang.

“Hello!” he answered anxiously. Pierre’s voice was on the other end.

“How about if I contact the others and we come to Brighton to be with you? I think more brains will bring better results. After all, I need the break.”

“I welcome your offer, old friend,” Sebastian replied. “I need a few more ideas. If you want to come, I’ll be grateful.”

“All right Sebastian, don’t worry, man, we’ll find her.”

“Thanks,” he said, closed the phone. and slipped it into his pocket. A little while later he heard back from Jacques, Antonius, Giani, Gerard, and Jon. They were all on the way. Hope filled Sebastian’s lungs and hauled in a deep breath.

Loren looked out the window and saw him leaning against the tree and felt a painful twitch in her gut. She studied his expression and was sure that she understood the anxiety sheering his very existence. She chose to leave him alone and decided to clean the mess off the kitchen floor. She needed to give him time to cool down and come back inside. By the time she put the broom away Sebastian walked in and she ran to him. She put her arms around him and held him close.

“We’ll find her Sebastian, please don’t worry,” she said. He held her and they stood in a warm embrace trying to find comfort in each other.

“Please don’t say anything to mother,” he said quietly. “I don’t want her to worry.”

“I won’t, but what about Arielle’s parents? What if they call?”

“They're away for 10 days with Gabrielle’s parents and Eva’s mother. They usually don’t call when they're away.”

“Oh, that’s good!”

“Yes, it actually is. It’s one less thing to worry about right now,” he said, letting go off Loren and walking to the fridge to get another glass of Salve.