Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8) (27 page)

“There’s nothing to be afraid off, I’ll never let anything happen to you. I love you…” and brushed his lips softly against her ear. Arielle recoiled. “We’re almost there,” he added, a bit louder.

“Where is there?” she stammered.

“Fortitude is a virtue, my princess,” he chuckled.

“Stop calling me that,” she said fiercely, and glared back at him. Gaston gazed across at Oliver and smiled.

“I can see this is going to be a challenge for you mate,” said Oliver with a throaty laugh, “but I’m sure you’re prepared to fully enjoy the ride,” he furthered, and they both laughed.

Chapter 15

ARIELLE HAD NO IDEA
what all that was about. She dragged in a deep breath, and turning her eyes to the window, she stared out into the darkness. She got lost in her thoughts, as Sebastian’s flawless face emerged before her eyes and she sensed his deep green emeralds enveloping her. She shivered with excitement as she recalled their last encounter. Her love for him was so powerful; she could feel it in her bones, in her soul, in her very existence. She couldn’t live without him. She was trying to convince herself that she was entangled in a dreadful nightmare and soon she would wake up. She eased back on the seat and closed her eyes, hoping the nightmare would go away, but sadly, when she opened them again, she was still seated in the car next to Gaston. Restless thoughts whirled wildly again, as she had no idea what the next step was going to be.

The car stopped and her wits came back, slamming her brain into complete awareness.

“
Eva, the car's stopped,”
she sent a mental update.

“
Play along, Arielle, until we find out where you are.”

“Come on, princess,” she heard Gaston’s strong voice, as his hand grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car. Arielle pressed her lips together in sheer distaste of the word
“
princess
”;
she hated the sound of it. Her muscles locked as she felt Oliver’s hand pressing against the lower of her back. She looked back at him in utter shock and noticed a creepy smile on his face. She didn’t like the look in his eyes, but Gaston didn’t seem to pay any attention to any of that. She was now out of the car, as an awakening sensation soared across her body and mind.

She was standing on a round cobblestone driveway in front of an enormous house that at first sight seemed to be nestled in the middle of a thick forest. Besides the huge structure that was brilliantly lit, all she could see were trees and more trees that surrounded every inch of the property. A large marble staircase led up to a tall double door with bright light fixtures on either side of the wall. They walked up the steps and stopped in front of the doors just as they opened, framing a large man. His eyes swept over them and a smile painted his face.

“Mr. Stapleton, Mr. Bertaud, I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve everything set up, per your request,” he said respectfully. His eyes swept over Arielle and, stepping to the side, he motioned with his hand. “Please come in.”

“Thank you, Edward,” Oliver said, and patted him on the back.

“Another immortal,” Arielle mumbled, groaning. She’d forgotten the impeccable hearing immortals possessed. Edward flushed at the comment and looked up at Oliver. He made some kind of motion so Edward remained silent, sending an acid look her way.

“Is this your house?” she asked looking up at Gaston. He turned to look at her and shook his head.

“No, it belongs to Oliver and we’re his guest,” he said, and looked away.

“Oh,” she said, and
humphed
.

“Arielle, please make yourself comfortable and anything you need, please let Cecil know,” Oliver said, pointing somewhere to the left, but Arielle dismissed his comment, keeping her head stubbornly straight ahead.

“I don’t need anything from you,” she said sharply.

Oliver’s voice came out calm and unruffled. “Just in case you do need something, Cecil will be at your disposal.” He chuckled at Arielle’s repudiation. Arielle kept her gaze straight ahead, trying to ignore their existence, and
humphed
disgustingly. Everything inside the house looked lavish, elegant, typical of immortals, but Arielle wasn’t impressed. She felt Gaston’s arm on her lower back pushing her softly toward the staircase that lead to the upper level. She could hear the low chuckles from the guys behind her and her anger flared.

A beautiful girl was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. She was sure that she was another immortal. “Cecil, this is Arielle,” Gaston said, as they approached her, “Arielle this is Cecil, she’ll be at your beck and call.” Cecil gazed at Arielle without saying a word, her face unreadable. Gaston’s hand burned her skin as he pressed softly against her back, encouraging her to follow Cecil. Her eyes glanced up, and she started to ascent the stairs and fell in behind the girl. She was sure that she was following her to what would be her prison.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Gaston called from the bottom of the stairs. Arielle didn’t turn to look at him, didn’t acknowledged his statement. When they reached the top of the landing, Cecil turned to the left and walked down a long corridor. Arielle peered into all the rooms they passed and she noticed a couple of women moving about. They stopped as she passed and she felt their stares piercing through her. Just from the quick look she gave them, she knew that they were immortals. She inwardly cursed.
This house is crawling with immortals
.

“
Eva, are you getting all this?”

“
Yes, I
’m still here. Try to find something that'll give us a start. We’re all here waiting with bated breath.”

“
I need you, Eva; I need you now more than ever.”

“
Remain calm, I’m here, I’ll not leave you.”

“
What do I do with Gaston? He seems to want to touch me all the time. I hate him, Eva, he makes me sick.”

“
Try to endure. A kiss and embrace won’t harm you. He’ll not try anything more than that. Remember, he’s an immortal. They prefer the girl’s consent when they're in love, and he’s in love with you. He’ll give you the time you need. Immortals need total submission before they move to a final encounter. That'll give us time to find you.”

“Here you are,” Cecil’s velvety voice broke her mental connection with Eva. Arielle gave her a quick unhappy look that she seemed to totally dismiss. Her face was expressionless as she walked into the room and turned the light on. Arielle blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the bright light, and walked inside grudgingly. She stopped in the middle of the room and looked around giving it a careful stare. It was quite large for a bedroom. Rich blue, elegant draperies covered three large windows. A stunning dresser rested against the wall with large ornamental chairs on either side. A bed occupied a large amount of space with nightstands on either side. A full-length mirror covered one of 4 ornate panels that seemed to be part of a wall closet. Across from the bed, a large plasma telly hang from the wall, and a few paintings decorated the empty wall spaces. Fresh flower arrangements rested on three different small tables.

Arielle turned and faced Cecil, who was standing at the door waiting for Arielle to dismiss her. Arielle ignored her and, turning back, she walked over to a chair and sat down without saying a word. Cecil took that as a dismissal and walked out, closing the door behind her. Arielle’s head snapped upward and stared at the door in utter shock. She clearly heard the lock fall in place.
Good god! I
’m a prisoner!
The thought crashed against the walls of her mind and reality sunk to the bit of her stomach like an oversized bolder. Profound wretchedness settled deep into her bones. She fell on the bed and started to sob uncontrollably.

When she next opened her eyes, the clock by the nightstand displayed 3:30 in the morning. It was still dark outside. She got out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. She needed to take a shower and try to find something that would help Sebastian to locate her. She let the hot water run on her aching body for what it seemed to be eternity, as her thoughts journeyed to a happier place,
Brighton
.

Tears rolled down her face as she finally turned the water off. She was ready to start searching for clues. She wrapped herself in a bath towel and walked back into the bedroom. She strolled around the room slowly. She looked out the window but it was still dark. In the distance she could see the ocean, the moon a huge reflecting, gleaming sphere that splattered silver spurts all across the waves. Everything else looked dark. There were no lights in the distance, nothing that would convey the existence of other life anywhere near this place. She pulled the curtains closed; disappointed, she turned around and went back to the bathroom to pick up her clothes.

She was shocked to find them gone. She tried to recall what she’d done with them, but was sure they were on the bathroom floor just before she walked into the shower. Cecil must’ve slipped inside the bathroom while she was in the shower and taken them away. What if it was Gaston? She felt an eerie sensation that made her skin crawl. She walked back in the bedroom and sat on the bed, trying to reflect. She slipped under the covers still wrapped in the bath towel and soon drifted off.

Next time she opened her eyes, it was daylight. She could see a slither of light coming from the closed curtains. She sat up and realized she was still wrapped in the bath towel. She slit off the bed and noticed a tray with a glass of milk and what it looked like toast and a ball of fruit. She ran her fingers through her hair, pondering all the questions that were flooding her mind.
Who came in while I was asleep? Was it Gaston or Cecil? When?
She finally realized that she needed something to wear. She couldn’t keep that bath towel wrapped around her for however long she was going to be kept in this room. Reluctantly, she walked over to the dresser.

She pulled the top drawer open and her jaw dropped. Several pairs of expensive underwear and bras were carefully folded and put in place. She pulled the second and third draws open in utter shock. Lingerie upon lingerie, sleepwear, nightshirts, and anything a girl might want. Each item neatly folded and carefully stored. Astounded she looked through them only to find them all in her size. Stunned she walked over to the closet pulling the doors open, and she gasped out loud. The closet was filled with clothes, her size. Dresses, Jeans, T-shirts, sweaters, and much more. A large section held very elegant shoes and sandals her size. She staggered backward totally thunderstruck.

“
Oh
…
my
…
god
…
Eva! Eva! You
’ll not believe this.
Are you there?”

“
I
’m here Arielle, did you find something?”

“
Eva, I
’m shocked beyond belief. The dresser drawers are full of expensive lingerie; sleep wear, bras, and underwear, all in my size. The closet is full of new clothes and shoes in my size!”

“
It sounds like he had it all planed out, Arielle.”

“
I
’m suffocating in here, Eva.”

“
Try to find something. Maybe a tag on the clothes that would show the shop they were purchased from.”

“
What if he manifested everything?”
Arielle thought.

“
Well that might be true, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I know you’ll find something. Be patient and try to check everything in detail.”

“
All right, I will.”

Arielle broke the connection with Eva and sat back on the bed. She wasn’t going to use any of the lingerie Gaston bought for her. Cheating was the word that slammed into her mind. She thought she would be cheating on Sebastian by putting on gifts Gaston purchased for her. She sat there for a long time pondering the thought and finally realized she couldn’t walk around with that bath towel. Her clothes were gone so she had absolutely no choice but to wear something.

She chose a pair of underwear and a bra. Next she walked to the closet and picked a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, noting the time on the clock with the corner of her eye. It was 10:30 and she was completely alone. Her stomach growled, but she wasn’t going to touch the food. She needed time to search for clues. She walked over to the door and turned the knob. It was locked. Inwardly she cursed and turning around she walked over to the window and pulled the curtains open. She blinked as the sun flooded the room. The view took her breath away.

The garden was a lush green with a large variety of flowers and rich breathtaking colors. At the end of the property stood a thick layer of huge trees and over the treetops in the distance she could see the ocean meeting the clear blue sky at the end of the horizon. The white sandy beach welcomed the waves that rolled in and kissed the sand. It was hard to pull her eyes away from that magnificent sight, but she needed to study her surroundings. She walked to the other side, pulled the curtains open and gasped. She was looking at a tall mountain in the far distance and a dense forest of tall trees between the end of the property and the mountain. Again she couldn’t see any sign of life. She tried to open the windows but they seemed to have a special lock that wouldn’t budge. She mouthed an oath that startled her. She was utterly upset and overwhelmed with the unknown.