Arielle Immortal Passion (12 page)

They had no idea how long they had been sitting on the cold floor leaning against the door, but it was at least a couple of hours. The air was thick and heavy. It was getting hard to breathe. Arielle could hear Eva’s breathing accelerate and the whimpering noise she made as she swallowed hard and inhaled, trying to get fresh air into her lungs. The stony silence in the room sent chills up the back of Arielle’s neck and down her spine.
Things like this don’t happen to real people, s
he thought.
This is something that only happens in fiction. Who would ever believe that a crazy immortal would lock us in here and leave us to die?
She knew she had to think, and she had to think quickly.

“Eva… Eva…”

“What?” Eva whispered, her voice faint and weak.

“Isn’t there any way you can try to engage Sebastian’s mind with your powers? Warn him that we are in danger?”

“I can try, but I don’t know if it’ll work.”

“Well, trying anything will be better than doing nothing. Please try.”

Eva held Arielle’s hands tightly, pressed her eyes closed, and asked Arielle to close her eyes and concentrate on Sebastian. Arielle did as Eva suggested, and it wasn’t hard to clear her mind of everything but Sebastian’s existence. As she closed her eyes and pictured him, she heard Eva’s voice, soft and weak, beginning to chant.

“
This simple wish is mine to cast; please guide him to us and make this spell last; I call upon thee to give me your might; protect all that surrounds us by the dragon’s light.”

She repeated the spell three times and when she was done she stopped for a short minute. Then, she began chanting again in a strange tongue.

“Anima mea, turbata et valde sed tu domine, usqueguo.”

She repeated these words over and over. Finally she dropped her arms to her side, and with tears in her eyes she said. “This is the best I can do. This spell is supposed to bring the person we’ve asked for to us. He will find the way. We must just have faith in that.”

“I have faith, Eva. I just hope he finds us in time.”

Time passed as they listened for every single sound, every single noise they could hear, even the tiniest hint that help might be on the way. But there was nothing.

The air was getting thicker. Arielle began slipping in and out of consciousness. She could hear Eva’s heavy breathing beside her. Eva was coughing now, but the sound of it seemed a mile away from Arielle’s mind. She couldn’t believe that their lives were going to end this way, in this horrible, cold room. Sebastian’s beautiful face appeared in her mind and she smiled, thinking how lucky she had been to find true love even if it was to be for just a short time.

“Eva,” she whispered. “Eva!” She could see that Eva’s chest was barely moving. Arielle was freezing, and she discovered she couldn’t cry anymore. There were no more tears to shed, her eyes were completely dry. She was sure that the fear and the cold had frozen every part of her body. She wanted to scream again, she wanted to hear Eva’s voice, but she had no more strength for anything anymore. Eva was completely silent.

She tried to breathe, but she couldn’t draw air into her lungs. She was suffocating and coldness was seizing her body one limb at a time, slowly, and painfully. She started to fall into the final darkness when she thought she heard voices. They seemed to be coming from far away and getting louder and louder, but she couldn’t move and she was sure that she must be dead.

“Arielle! Eva! Arielle! Eva!” she could hear Sebastian’s musical voice and could see his beautiful face, but they were just images, nothing real.
Death is upon me,
she thought, and she let herself give in to the last breath as she held Eva closer to her body.

Chapter 9

W
hen she opened her eyes, bright lights blurred her vision, sending cold panic down her spine. She blinked in a shocked reaction, and quickly shut her eyes again. A sick feeling flooded her thoughts. Where was she? Was she dead?

Her breathing was shallow as cold fear coursed through her body and settled in her throat, making it hard to breathe. The silence was deafening and she felt tired… so very tired. She tried hard to push her thoughts through the muddled confusion that was consuming her whole body and soul.

Suddenly, she became aware of the steady beep of a monitor that was breaking the silence, and she could hear the lows and the highs as they registered on the monitor screen. How could that be possible? She couldn’t hear that before? What in the world was happening to her?

She forced her eyes open and gasped.

Blinking back the tears that were stinging her eyes, her gaze darted around the room, absorbing the white, sterile walls. Her breathing stopped when her eyes landed on Sebastian’s face, and she gasped out loud, sure that he was an illusion.

She closed her eyes again and let a deep sigh escape. “Sebastian,” she murmured. “Oh, God, where is Eva?” She felt a conciliatory hand on hers, and she quivered.

“Eva,” she said softly. She heard a soft voice telling her that she needed to stay quiet, that Eva was fine.

She kept her eyes closed for a long while. The next time she opened them, she took a deep breath and let out a soft sigh. She turned her head and got lost into the green oasis of Sebastian’s eyes.

“You’re real!” she exclaimed, and their eyes locked.

“Yes, baby, I’m real,” he said, and standing up he straightened to his full length. Then leaning over her, he softly brushed his mouth over hers. She closed her eyes and absorbed his warm breath against her lips.

“Sebastian, where am I? What happened?”

Sebastian hovered over her for a short moment, then he sat back in the chair next to her bed.

“You’re in the hospital, baby,”

“What happened? How did I get here?” she asked again, in a voice barely audible. She could feel the warmth of his hand and struggled to keep her eyes open.

“Sebastian,” she whispered again.

“Try and sleep, baby,” he said. “I’ll be right here.” She drifted off to sleep, and when she came to, he was still sitting there holding her hand.

“What happened?” she whispered, opening her eyes all the way this time, fully and suddenly awake.

“Arielle, you scared me to death.”

“Am I sick? Why am I here?”

“You’ll be fine. We’ll be going home in a couple of days.” She felt a chill come over her, but she was not sure why. She only knew that she needed him to hold her.

“Hold me, please!” she pleaded.

Gathering her in his arms, he held her close. “Oh God, Arielle, I thought I had lost you.” His loving eyes were caressing her and his lips lightly touched hers. She closed her eyes again and stayed in his arms, trying to remember what had happened. Eva’s face flashed in front of her.

“Sebastian, where’s Eva? The last thing I remember she was not moving…”

“Eva is fine,” he soothed. “She’ll be going home the same time you do. Both of you needed some help, but you’re going to be okay.”

“But what happened? Where did you find us?”

“You were trapped in a room below the house. We found you just in time.” Arielle pressed her eyes tightly shut, trying to think, as her frustration grew and muddled visions slammed into her brain. It took a few minutes, but then, quite abruptly, she recalled what had happened, and she started to tremble. She opened her mouth to speak but fear crammed the words, and nothing came out. She felt a sharp pang deep in her gut and panic raced through her. A wave of emotions coursed through her mind, and she stopped breathing. She must have looked as terrified as she felt, because Sebastian was looking back at her with a very worried look.

“What is it, baby?”

She was quiet for a very long moment and then she muttered, practically under her breath, “Sebastian, we were lured into that room. Eva was shoved in the back, she fell on top of me and we tumbled to the floor. Then, the door slammed shut behind us. Then someone turned the key and locked us inside.”

“But the door wasn’t locked when we found you.”

“What?” she asked, incredulously.

“The door wasn’t locked,” he repeated.

“But… what?” she said again, as her voice hitched another notch.

“I said that the door wasn’t locked,” he said again.

“That’s impossible. Eva and I tried to push the door open for a very long time. We could hear her laughing outside the door. She told me that I wasn’t going to have you, that I was going to die.”

“What are you saying, Arielle?”

“I’m saying that Annabel locked us in that room and left us to die. Eva was there, she’ll tell you. Annabel was hoping you wouldn’t find us in time. I’m wondering why Eva couldn’t see this coming. She saw the other attacks coming. Maybe it’s something about the house. I just can’t understand it.”

Sebastian was quiet, frustration clear on his face. Arielle watched him rise to his feet. He started to pace back and forth as he pinched the tip of his nose. She closed her eyes and tried to wipe Annabel from her thoughts.

“How are you doing, Arielle?” It was Troy, who had just come into the room.

“I think I’m fine,” she said, trying to smile.

“Hang in there, Arielle. They said you are going to be fine and we are so glad to hear that. Gabrielle will be here shortly, she just stopped in to see Eva. You girls certainly gave us a scare.” He was now standing next to her bed, pressing her hand and smiling reassuringly.

He turned to Sebastian. They talked quietly for a few seconds. Arielle could see Troy’s face changing as he shook his head, and he too pinched the tip of his nose. Arielle recognized the immortal sign of extreme stress. Finally, he gave her a soft smile and with a short wave he walked out of the room. Sebastian still looked upset and worried, but he didn’t say anything. He tried to wipe the frustration off of his face, but he wasn’t very successful. He just kept pacing back and forth across the room.

“Eva used a spell and called for you to find us,” Arielle said, trying to get his attention. “I was hoping she would connect with you in time.”

He turned to look at her. He had stopped pacing now and his gaze was filled with apprehension.

“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

He walked back to her bedside and sat at the end of the bed. “We were riding when I got this incredible feeling that you needed my help. It was a feeling like I had never had before. Something guided me back to the house, down to the room where you were.”

“That’s extraordinary,” Arielle said. She shook her head, and added, “I missed you, Sebastian, and I thought I would never see you again.”

His lips pressed into a hard line and she caught a glimpse of fury that flashed across his eyes, but it was gone just as fast as it came. He closed his eyes and stood still for a long moment. When he opened them again, his lips curved into that beautiful smile that he knew she loved so much.

“Kiss me,” she said. Her voice caressed the core of his soul. He leaned over her, cupped her chin in one hand, and his mouth came down on hers with passion. She felt a mixture of desire, passion, fury, and frustration in that kiss. Pulling slightly back, he searched her face. “I love you, Arielle. I’m sorry,” he whispered.

She waved off his apology. “You have nothing to be sorry about. It’s my fault that I didn’t listen to you. This was a sobering experience for me.”

Sebastian was clearly upset as he tried hard to stay focused. He pinched the tip of his nose again and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing, really, I was just thinking about what you said.”

“We should have been more careful about where we went. Next time I will know better,” she said.

He shot out of his chair as if he was on fire. “Next time!” he exclaimed, eyes wide open, jaw set in a hard line.

“Yes, next time I’ll be more careful,” she replied, a bit defiantly.

Sebastian sank down onto the chair and put his head in his hands. “There isn’t going to be a next time,” he said blankly, without looking at her.

“But…” she started to protest, utterly startled. Sebastian moved faster than lighting, swooped down and took her mouth in a long kiss, preventing her from further protesting against his decision. Arielle struggled to breathe, and she finally gave up.

When Sebastian came up for air, he gazed into her eyes and said firmly, “Let’s wait till we all get home, and we’ll talk about this a bit more. We’re leaving in a couple of days for home and everything should go back to normal.”

She promised herself that she would stay quiet, but his statement struck a chord. “What do you mean, go back to normal? If this is our home shouldn’t this be as normal as anywhere else?”

Sebastian nodded in agreement. “You’re right about that. But as you found out yourself, there have to be some changes before it’s safe again.”

“What are you trying to say?” Arielle asked.

“Please calm down,” he said softly. “We’ll talk about it when we’re back home. I’ll feel much better about that.” He rose to his feet, and walking to the window he looked out.

In the silence that followed, Arielle thought about those last moments in the small room, and shuddered. She stayed quiet, but she was not happy at all. Sebastian seemed lost in his own thoughts. She needed him to hold her, not to argue with her. She wanted to hear his voice assuring her that she was safe, and that he loved her. None of this was happening, and she was getting more anxious by the minute. What was he thinking about? Why didn’t he feel that their house was a “normal” place for them to be? Vague, dark, upsetting thoughts flooded her mind.

Just then the nurse walked in smiling, until she got closer to Arielle. “What’s wrong dear, are you in pain?”

Arielle shook her head, hoping the nurse wouldn’t say anything more. But she did. “Why are you crying? Do you need something?”

“No, thank you,” Arielle whispered.

“You need to take this,” she said, giving her a small glass of water and a little cup holding a sleeping pill. She swallowed the pill as the nurse fluffed her pillows, straightened the covers over her, and smiled sweetly. “All right, dear, if you need me, just ring the bell. The doctor said you’re going home tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Arielle said again, quietly.

The nurse was barely out of the room when Sebastian was suddenly standing over her, looking into her eyes anxiously. “Why are you crying, Arielle?”

“I’m crying because you are ignoring me. Have I done something to upset you?”

His arms pushed under her body, encircling her. He brought his face close to hers. He pulled her closer and kissed her tenderly. Heat emanated from his touch. “Arielle, I’m worried. I’m worried to death that I’ve put you in so much danger, and I’m not sure what to do about it. I’m trying to think of ways I can protect you, and I don’t seem to be able to do that. My being with you is what keeps you in danger, but I couldn’t fathom being away from you, not even for a moment. I love you more than life,” he said, his voice filled with sadness.

“Well, if you’re worried about me, then you had better stay where you are and keep loving me. Because there’s nothing else that I’ll accept as a solution, unless you want to see me destroyed.” Her mouth was hungry for him after their time apart, and their kiss turned scorching and intense. He moaned softly as his mouth devoured hers, and his grip became tighter.

“Isn’t this better?” he asked, with a soft sigh.

“Yes it is,” she whispered, completely out of breath.

“That whole bizarre experience was the scariest thing I’ve been through in my life,” she said. She kissed him again, and then fell into a blissful sleep.

The next morning, Arielle and Eva were released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, and they were on their way home, grateful for the early release. They had one more day of warmth and sunshine to enjoy. “Then it’s back to Brighton, to that dreary, wet, unfriendly weather.” Arielle said, chuckling at the thought.

It was a Friday morning. The six of them were in high spirits and Gabrielle was trying to entertain everyone as she usually did with her funny stories. God knows she had plenty of those. They were all laughing happily and carrying on. Sebastian seemed happy too, and didn’t show the stress that he had revealed in the hospital when he heard about Annabel’s latest attempt to harm Arielle.