Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (21 page)

SATURDAY MORNING,
Arielle moved quietly, trying to leave the bed before Sebastian woke up. She glanced at his sleeping face and smiled, ignoring the impulse to bend down and kiss him. She was terribly aware of his proximity; a quiver skimmed down her spine. She needed to take a shower and get ready. She had promised Olivia that she would attend the secret society assembly at 11:00 with her. Olivia had graciously offered to introduce her as a new member, and she had agreed.

She pushed the covers away and was almost out of bed when Sebastian’s hands snaked around her waist and pulled her back into bed. She shrieked.

“One of these days you’ll give me a heart attack,” she said,
feigning displeasure.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, and then covered her lips with his. Arielle fought to ignore the desire he invoked in her, and pushing softly against his chest ended the kiss. She drew a breath, eyes fixed on his beautiful face.

“Your mother will be here in an hour,” she said, trying to catch
her breath. “I need to get ready, and I’d like to eat something before she–” His lips covered her mouth like a tornado, all stormy heat and passion, making her tumble into oblivion. He broke the kiss and she gasped.

“What did you want to say?”

She shook her head to clear it and swallowed a groan. “I want to be ready before she arrives,” she said, not hiding the frustration in her voice. His muscular body still enveloped her, and she couldn’t shake the pleasurable sensation that coursed through her.

He released her suddenly and pulled back, his lips curving into an amazing smile. Arielle opened her eyes blinking. The realization that if she didn’t leave the bed quickly she would be caught up in his alluring lovemaking, made her move faster.

“What are you doing to me?” she gasped.
I need to get up.
I need to do it quickly
. He was temptation personified, and any other
morning she
would be happy to surrender but not today. Wiggling playfully, she pulled away and flung back the covers, jumping out of bed. Sprinting to the bathroom, she heard his joyful laughter and grinned.
God, he is so
amazing!
She closed the shower door behind her sluggishly, and
turning
the hot water on she groaned. The power of her love for this
incredible man blew her mind.

As she sat at the breakfast table, she smiled and dug into a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. A pitcher of orange juice, a tea pot filled with hot water, and the morning paper took up the remaining space on the table. She poured some orange juice and lifted the glass to her
mouth. She froze in place as Sebastian walked into the kitchen shirtless, wearing only a pair of black silk boxers. Her breath caught
in her throat. He was devastatingly handsome. Sebastian held her gaze for a long moment. She got lost in the deep green ocean of his eyes. He walked around the table –
more like prowled around
, she thought – and bending down he took her mouth in a passionate kiss.

“Good morning, baby” he said, his eyes filled with mirth. He
was keenly aware that she was flustered, and he laughed delightfully at his effect on her. He poured a glass of salve, picked up the morning paper, and sank into his favorite leather chair in the study. It gave him a full view of Arielle. She lowered her eyes and tried to finish
her breakfast. Olivia was picking her up at 9:30 and she had only about twenty minutes left. She got up, took a mug out of the cabinet, and poured some tea for herself. She took a long sip and moaned
blissfully.

Sebastian looked up from the paper and smiled. “Is it good?”

She nodded, eyes sparkling. “I made it,” she called out, “of
course it’s good.”

He snorted and turned his gaze back to the paper. Arielle humphed but didn’t say a word. When she had finished her
breakfast, she rushed back into the bedroom and retrieved the little black book she needed for the assembly. She slipped on a lightweight jacket and walked back into the kitchen. She decided to clean the table before she took her teacup and joined Sebastian in the study.

He tilted his head up as she walked into the study. Their eyes locked. His face beamed with exuberance and his lips curved into that beautiful smile that she loved. He took another sip of salve and leaned forward. He purred. “Are you ready, baby?”

“Yes,” was all she could say. Her eyes fixed on his face. His light sandy hair fell over his forehead giving him a sexy look. She blinked and looked away, turning her thoughts away from Sebastian. She
was anxious about the assembly. She wanted to learn everything she could about the mystical powers of the amulet and the group’s activities. The amulet had convinced her that she could protect
herself from the immortal threats that plagued her life. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the car pull up, but she did hear the doorbell.

“I’ll get that,” Sebastian said, rising to his feet. Arielle drained
her teacup and picked up her little black book, but waited a moment to give Sebastian some privacy with his mother.

Sebastian held the door open and smiled wide at the beautiful woman that stood at his door. His mother wore an expression of pleasure on her face.

“Good morning, Mother,” he said joyfully, and moved aside to let her in.

“Good morning, darling,” Olivia said, and walking in she
embraced Sebastian warmly. He returned her embrace and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Olivia said, holding his gaze. “After all you are Arielle’s protector now. Your past has become her present nightmare. It might do you some good to learn a few things about the powers she holds in that small piece of jewelry hanging from her neck.”

Sliding his hands into his pocket, he chuckled. “No, thank you, Mother.”

“But why not?” she persisted.

“Mother, I’m Arielle’s protector, and that is a job I love. She is
extremely precious to me and someone I couldn’t live without, but Arielle can handle this meeting on her own.”

“Darling,” she said, cupping his face affectionately, “this
meeting is
not the regular monthly meeting I attend. This meeting has been
especially scheduled to introduce new members that have inherited the special amulets and black books to the head of the assembly. He
is going to schedule followup meetings with them to give each one a chance to learn all about the powers held in these books and amulets.”

Sebastian pretended to consider her words for a moment, but quickly shook his head and said, “The truth is that I wanted to go with her, but she said no. She wants to do this on her own.”

“Well, do you want to know what I think?”

“What?”

“I think she didn’t want to put you in a difficult position of having to say no,” she said meaningfully.

“Well, that might be true, but I still say no. Thank you, Mother. Arielle is incredibly smart and very capable of handling this on her own.” He laughed quietly. “However, she did mention a few days back that she would love to have Eva there.”

“Eva? Her best friend?”

“Yes, Eva is extremely gifted. They have been reading the little black book together,” he said quietly. “They would love to unlock the secrets of the hieroglyphics in those pages. They were
mesmerized by the ancient symbols. It has become a passion for both of them.”

“Well, that’s very noteworthy. I’ll make sure she is welcome to accompany Arielle at her followup meetings.”

He was getting ready to reply when soft footsteps made them both turn and watch Arielle approach. Sebastian’s alluring gaze locked with hers and seized her breath for a pregnant moment. The
memories of last night’s encounter made her cheeks blush.
Recovering quickly she turned her gaze to Olivia. “Good morning, Olivia,” she said gleefully.

“Good morning, dear,” Olivia replied, and they embraced
warmly.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I’m quite excited about this,” she said earnestly.

Sebastian closed his arms about her, and set his lips on hers. She pulled away softly. He could see that she was trying not to become excited. He loved that he had that effect on her.

“I’ll see you later,” he said, lips brushing her ear. His hands
released her reluctantly.

She smiled at him and followed Olivia to the car. They both
turned and smiled at Sebastian as he waved goodbye.

They fell into in an easy conversation during the ride. “So, how is school?” Olivia asked, casting a quick glance at Arielle.

“Well, um, it’s going fine, but I want the semester to end,” she said evasively.

“Why is that? Don’t you enjoy school?”

“I like school, but…” her voice trailed.

“But, let me guess,” Olivia chuckled. “You want to spend more time with Sebastian?”

She seemed to read Arielle’s silence as a positive reply, and reached over to pat her arm affectionately. “I’m sure he feels the
same way, dear. I have never seen Sebastian happier in all the years I’ve known him, and that is a very long time.”

Arielle’s immediate thought was to correct Olivia’s assumption, but she stopped the words before they were out of her mouth. “Um,
that’s one of the more important reasons, but I’m also dying to
graduate and move on with my plans for the future.”

“Plans?”

“Yes,” Arielle replied. There was a hint of surprise in her voice that Olivia did not seem to remember that they had discussed this topic the night they first met.

Olivia glanced at her inquisitively. Arielle reconsidered her reaction to Olivia’s question. She cleared her throat and went on to explain. “I’m planning to get a job once I’m out of school. I’ve
already applied for an
internship in a couple of engineering firms. I’d like to gain
experience that will help me find a great job.”

Olivia listened intently and smiled affectionately. “Have you talked to Sebastian about this?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, of course I have.” She gazed out the window for a short
moment before turning back she looked at Olivia. “I’m expecting
replies soon, but it could be a few weeks.”

Olivia’s smile deepened, but didn’t say anything else on that subject. Silence followed and Arielle returned to gazing out of the window. They were leaving the city and driving out toward the
country.

Olivia appeared to not understand Arielle's desire to find work, so she changed the subject. “How far is this place?” Arielle asked.

“It’s about an hour's drive, and worth every moment of it,”
Olivia replied softly. “We’re pretty close now.”

Arielle smiled and looked back out of the window. She thought about their earlier conversation.
I thought I would have heard back from one of the firms by now,
she thought, feeling a pang of disappointment.

“Sebastian said your birthday is coming up. Are you doing anything special?” Olivia suddenly asked, breaking her train of thought.

Arielle attempted to reel her thoughts back. “I’m not sure yet,” she replied. She turned the conversation to other trivial subjects, which occupied them for the remainder of the drive.

The car finally turned into a beautiful, two-lane Parisian-style street with street lamps and a stunning canopy of trees on either side. At the very end of the street sat an impressive iron gate. Olivia
pulled up to the gate and stopped. Lowering the window, she reached toward the
small monitor on the wall. She set her palm flat on the screen and waited. Arielle observed an electrical current flashing across the flat
screen.

Waiting for the gate to open, Arielle turned to her right and focused on the stone plaque on the entrance column. It read, “Burgejion Estate.” The words were beautifully etched in Gothic
script on the gray stone. A sudden surge of alertness raced through her brain like a lightning
bolt, and then faded away as fast as it came. She pressed her lips together and paused, permitting the name Burgejion to sink back into her brain, searching to recall the familiarity of the name to no
avail. She finally gave up and shrugged the thought away.

She tapped her fingertips on the top of her little black book and
glanced around. The gate opened and Olivia pressed on the gas.
Arielle
turned toward Olivia. “Who is Burgejion?” she asked as the gates
closed behind them.

“He is the owner of the estate, and the head of the secret society along with Colt.”

Arielle’s mouth dropped open. “Colt Allworth? My professor?”

“Yes, I thought Sebastian told you. Didn’t he?”

She remained quiet for a long moment, and then she shook her head. “Wow! No, he never said anything about that.” She pondered Olivia’s words. “Please tell me about Burgejion.”

“His family’s name goes back to the fifth century, maybe way before that.”

Arielle stared at Olivia’s profile in shock. “The fifth century!” she exclaimed.

“Yes,” Olivia said, “and maybe before that.”

Arielle's instincts were telling her that she was entering a spellbinding new arena. It was hard enough for her to grasp the fact
that Sebastian had
been roaming this earth for
six hundred years;
she was definitely
unable to grasp the incredible amount of time that had passed between the
fifth century and today. She fell back into deep thoughts as they drove deeper into the estate. When they finally reached the clearing, Arielle’s jaw dropped and she let out a cry of wonder. She drew a
deep breath as her eyes fell on an enormous structure that stretched in front of
them. It was surrounded by smaller structures expanding
significantly out into the distance. She could barely believe that a place like this existed so close to home.