Arielle Immortal Passion (13 page)

Arielle looked at Eva and Eva smiled back at her, nodding her head to let Arielle know everything was okay.

Troy was happily listening to Gabrielle tell stories about her exciting summer holidays in Italy, and the fascinating rider that had captured her dreams. He was beaming, excitement lighting his face, knowing that he was Gabrielle’s dream rider. Her dream come true! Sebastian was holding Arielle’s hand, as he always did. She looked at his beautiful face and he looked back at her with his amazing smile, a glint in his eyes.
I loved him so much,
she thought, blissfully.

Arielle stared out the window and remembered how she had thought that she might not ever see him again. She shivered. He gave a quick squeeze to her hand, making her look at him. He didn’t seem to miss a thing when it came to her feelings. She smiled, letting him know that all was fine again.

Chapter 10

T
he house was as magnificent as ever. There was no sign that anything unusual had taken place during the last three days. Arielle’s body trembled as they stepped into the foyer, but Sebastian was there to make sure that she knew it was safe. Arielle and Eva exchanged a look of concern, but Ian was there too, holding Eva safely by his side, giving her the feeling of security she needed.

Alone in their room, Sebastian watched Arielle’s face closely. She was breathtaking, she was his, and she was safe. He pulled her close and sought her lips with his. The kiss was soft and tender at first, but in a millisecond it changed. He angled his head to get better access to her mouth and the kiss deepened to something beyond desire. Fire shot through her veins and it felt like a million butterflies were flickering inside her stomach, while her mind reeled with anticipation.

“What are you thinking, baby?” he muttered, his voice sexy, suggestive.

“Nothing,” she answered truthfully, attempting to gather her wits. She leaned into him and he could feel her panting breath against his face. He inhaled sharply, and she heard his low chuckle. Frowning, she cleared her throat, and her voice came out all quivery. “What’s so funny?”

“You…
just you
—my beautiful girl,” he replied, and drew her to him, crushing her lips beneath his. She held her breath and stifled a groan.

Slowly, he pulled back from the kiss and smiled. “What is it that you want to argue about now?” he asked, his voice husky.

“I want to go back to that room with you,” she said. “I want to get over the fear that is consuming my thoughts.”

Pulling back from the kiss, he turned and walked towards the bathroom, taking his shirt off. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes. I also want to show you a room that was around the corner on that same landing. It looks like someone is living there.”

He stopped mid step and spun around, a startled look on his face. His body was rigid. A silent oath escaped his lips.

“What is it?” she asked, but he seemed lost in thought again. “Sebastian, what’s wrong?”

“There should be no one occupying any part of that wing in this house. It has been empty for centuries now.”

“Well, I don’t think you are right, but let’s go and see.”

“Are you sure you want to do this right now?” he asked. He looked at her with concern.

“Yes,” she said firmly. He put his shirt back on and, bursting with curiosity, he put his arm around her waist, holding her close against his side. They walked down the hall together, taking the same route she and Eva had taken a few days earlier.

She could feel the dampness in her bones and smell the thickness in the air. She began trembling as they took the turn onto the familiar landing. Sebastian tightened his hold on her as she stopped for a few minutes, gathering strength and courage. He watched her carefully and waited patiently. Finally, they began to go down the steps together, slowly. Arielle’s legs were shaking as Sebastian held her steady.

When they got to the bottom of the steps, he opened the door and turned the light on. Arielle smiled at how easy it was for him to find the switch, remembering how much difficulty she and Eva had had.

She saw that they were in a storage room, full of antiques, nothing more. Anyone stuck in there for a long time would have been sure to run out of air and die. The thought made her quiver again, and her breathing became uneven. “Are you ready to leave?” he asked, gently.

“Yes,” she said. She walked up the stairs again, glad that her ordeal was over. At the top of the landing, she turned to the left and, taking Sebastian’s hand, she showed him the door that had amazed her the other day. The door was locked and she was surprised to find that the key wasn’t on the top of the door frame where she had left it.
That’s so strange
, she thought.

“What’s so strange?”

She pressed her lips together as she realized that she had said the words out loud. “We put the key back on the top of the door frame when we left,” she said, pointing to the top of the door, “but it’s not there now.”

“That is strange,” he agreed, as he took a key from his pocket and put it in the lock.

“You have the key to this room?”

“I have a master key that opens every door in this house.” He walked in ahead of her and turned the light on. The room did look lived in. Sebastian looked both worried and surprised. Arielle walked over to the armoire and pulled the doors wide open.

“What do you think about this?” she said, and waved her hand at the vast amount of dresses hanging inside. His head jerked back, shocked, and his mind went numb. He approached the armoire slowly and his jaw set in a hard line.

“What the devil?”

Arielle thought his question an excellent one. But “what in bloody hell
”
would have been an even better question. It was clear that something strange was going on in this room. Arielle looked back at the clothes. Reaching into the closet she shuffled through them.

“Some of these look like they have never been worn.”

“I was sure this wing of the house was closed,” Sebastian said.

“Sebastian, it’s perfectly clear what’s going on. There is ample ventilation. And there’s not a speck of dust anywhere. It doesn’t feel damp, or smell musty in here. Call me crazy, but I would say someone is living in here.”

“I don’t know what to think,” he said. He was quiet for a while, as if totally absorbed in his thoughts.

I’d give anything to be able to read his mind,
Arielle thought. He was clearly distressed.

The lack of any sound in the room became like a vacant canvas on which their silent thoughts and unspoken suspicions could be painted.

Finally, Sebastian flipped his phone open and pushed a button. “Troy, can you please come and meet me at the place we found Eva and Arielle the other day? I need your help.”

“Why do you need Troy?” Arielle asked, when he had hung up. He didn’t answer, but reached over and pulled a large valise out from behind the armoire. Across the top of the trunk the words, “Giovanna Degorali 1584 Florence,” were engraved.

Sebastian examined the valise for a long time. Finally he said, “This valise came from Italy. It’s very expensive. It has to have belonged to someone of very great wealth. I think Troy might be familiar with the name. He comes from an influential Italian family. We need to find out who we are dealing with, and why she is here.”

Arielle was taken aback. Her body shivered with fright, and her lips trembled.
What is Annabel up to now?
she thought. This whole thing seemed to have her signature all over it. Now she was the one who was lost in her thoughts, panic taking over once again.

“I am going to have to take that necklace off when you are with me,” Sebastian said. “I can’t stand the fact that I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

“I was thinking that Annabel has something to do with whomever is living here.”

“I have to agree with you there. But we still need to know who it is.”

In an instant, Arielle went from panicky and bewildered to frantically alert. It seemed like it took forever, but Arielle knew it was only a short time before Troy came walking in, looking at them questioningly.

“What’s up?”

“Come and take a look at this valise, Troy. Do you recognize the name? It’s from Florence, and the name is clearly Italian. From the clothes in this armoire I would say she is a lady of extreme importance.”

Troy picked up the valise and looked at the name on the top. Arielle saw his body quiver. As he looked at them, his eyes were full of concern. “Where did you find this?”

“Right there in the corner,” Sebastian said, pointing next to the armoire. “Eva and Arielle found the room the other day before the incident. Arielle wanted me to see it. She thought someone might be living here, and I have come to the same conclusion.”

“What in the world would someone like her be doing here?” Troy asked. His voice was very serious.

“What do you know about her?” Sebastian asked. “We need to know who we are dealing with.”

Troy sat down on the edge of the bed and started talking in a low voice; his eyes were focused on something far away. He took a deep breath and told them the story.

“Vittorio Degorali, Giovanna’s father, had arranged for her to marry Carlo Valeri in 1564. Vitorio Degorali was a very powerful and devout Catholic, a leader of the church, which at the time was more powerful than the government. Carlo was involved in the political arena and his sole mission was to abolish immortals from the face of this earth.” Troy paused for a moment, and then continued. “I remember the stories about her falling in love with an immortal, Sergio Conture. Carlo would make her father lock her away to keep her from going out. She watched her father and her husband with horror as they hunted down immortals, kept them locked in prisons without any salve, making them weak, and then beheading them in public places. Giovanna told her father that he could never stop her from loving Sergio, and in an outrage, her father took her life.

“Sergio found Giovanna as she was taking her last breath and made her an immortal. She in return, out of absolute hatred, killed her father, her husband, and several other members of their circle. Sergio fell out of love with her and left her a few years later, moving to another continent. She started to socialize with other influential immortal women who were living alone. All they wanted to do was travel and hold orgies with various men. They made friends with artists—painters, sculptors, poets, and philosophers, some human, some immortals. They were all involved in one way or another in the reform movement in Italy to get rid of the leaders and the laws against immortals. These women were in charge of the most important, most intellectual circles. They had a strong influence and a direct effect on all the publications that were issued by the artists in their group. They were not the kind of people that anyone would like to have as a friend. They were hateful and evil. There have been many rumors about Giovanna, and the vast amount of lovers she took. The rumor had it that once she tired of them, they were tortured and they disappeared from the face of the earth.”

Arielle was mortified. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. “Dear God!” she stuttered, and moved closer to Sebastian, staring at Troy in stunned dismay.

“What do you mean they disappeared? Did she have them killed?” she stammered.

“Yes,” Troy said, his voice was barely more than a whisper.

“Well, who is she?” Sebastian asked, his voice unruffled. “I’m absolutely at a loss as to why she would be in my home,” he furthered. “Did you know her?”

Frowning slightly, Troy said, “I’m embarrassed to say that I was her lover for a short time.”

“What?” Arielle shrieked. Sebastian reached over and pulled her close.

Troy glanced between Arielle and Sebastian awkwardly. Then, rising to his feet he shifted from one foot to the other in clear discomfort. “She is a very beautiful woman and I was a very young man then, and new to the immortal circle. She convinced me that she was in love with me. It didn’t take much time for me to find out who she really was and what she was doing— with several men at the same time. I left her feeling used. As the time went by, I realized that I had been infatuated with her but never really in love. I have really never been truly in love with any girl until Gabrielle.” He smiled softly as he spoke her name.

“Troy, I’m sure Annabel has everything to do with this, and is just trying anything she can think of to get me away from Arielle. I’m not worried about facing either one of them. However, I’m worried about Arielle.”

Arielle pressed her lips together, feeling stressed. This new chapter in her life seemed to be getting more complicated by the moment.

“Sebastian, I think we should take Arielle back upstairs, and sit down and talk about this together,” Troy said. “I’ve got several recourses I can use, and I’m sure if we get together on this we can work it out.”

Sebastian looked at Arielle, put his arm gently around her waist, and pulled her towards the door.

“No, Sebastian,” she protested, but he just bent down and took her mouth in a heart-stopping kiss, blocking the words from leaving her mouth.

Troy chuckled, and Arielle pouted. “Arielle, why don’t you stay with Gabrielle while Sebastian and I talk about some of these issues?” Troy suggested.