Arielle Immortal Fury (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 6) (7 page)

Arielle felt his warm, hard body pressed against hers. Sebastian
moved and took her mouth in another magical kiss. He pulled back to take a deep breath and then plunged right back into the kiss.
Arielle loved being in bed with Sebastian. It was never dull, never the same, always exciting, and always incredible.

His voice was soft and full of wonder. “Are you all right?” he
asked, easing back from the kiss with a gasp.

“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly and moved closer, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. Sebastian grinned widely and held her securely in his embrace.

Arielle closed her eyes and was on the crest of sleep when she heard Sebastian’s velvety voice. “Can we talk about your adventure?”

She coughed to clear her throat and nodded.

“I’m amazed with Eva’s gift. How did it feel to travel through
time?”
he asked, pushing her softly onto her back and lifting himself on one elbow.

Arielle blinked, trying to pull her mind from the depths of sleep.
“It was exhilarating.” She watched him close his eyes, a grin touching
his lips. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, gazing into hers,
spreading heat and want with those magnificent emeralds that she
loved.

“I remember looking into your eyes for the first time,” she said. “I was completely captivated.”

He bent down and ran his tongue over her lips, ending with a soft kiss.

“Then you must remember Gaston?” he asked suddenly.

His name made Arielle snap out of her stupor. Her body stiffened. A cold chill traveled down her spine. Gaston’s image
appeared before her, and she gasped out loud. She had almost forgotten about him.
The excitement of coming back into Sebastian’s arms and their
scorching encounter had wiped Gaston’s memory completely out of her mind.

“What is it, baby?”

“Sebastian, did you know that Gaston was an immortal? Do you know that he’s probably roaming this earth just as you are at this very moment unless something happened to him in the past five hundred years?”

Sebastian’s face paled, and his jaw dropped. He flinched as his brows rose in shock, and his lips twitched. “What?”

“Gaston is an immortal,” she repeated, keeping her gaze locked on Sebastian.

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Sebastian… please.” She laughed out loud as she rolled her
eyes. “I can see an immortal coming with my eyes closed.” She snorted. A long silence followed.

Sebastian’s eyes flashed frigidly. Pausing, he sucked in a breath and said in a barely audible voice, “He was my best friend, and we
spent
countless hours together. He never gave any indication of
extraordinary abilities.” Sebastian shook his head, his frustration evident.

“Do you know that we had our first fight over you?” he asked. “We never fought over girls. If he wanted someone, he could have her, and if I wanted someone, he moved aside. But it didn’t work the
same way
when it came to you. I guess we both knew that you were special,
and
I’m happy to know you are mine.” He beamed, gazing at her, and
she
could read satisfaction and male possessiveness in his eyes, which
was fine with her.

“Sebastian, Gaston never had a chance with me,” she said. “I
was there for one reason and one reason only, and that was you. I wanted
so much to fall in your arms and love you, but I had to restrain
myself
and pretend I didn’t know you,” she said. She moved into his
beautiful masculine body.

“Oh, Arielle, you have no idea how much I wanted you. I fell in love with you the moment I saw your remarkable sapphire eyes.” He
nuzzled his face in her hair. “I love you deeply,” he murmured over and over again. Putting his finger under her chin, he pulled her face up to his and locked them into a fevered kiss. “I asked you about
Gaston
because he came over the next morning before breakfast looking for
you. I asked him to leave as I wasn’t going to step aside and make it
easy for him to pursue you. He wouldn’t hear of it, and he became
enraged. That was the breaking point that severed our friendship. I refused to stand there and listen to his nonsense. He insisted that you told him
that you wanted to be with him.” Sebastian sent her an inquisitive
look.

“I never wanted to be with Gaston. I was yours, and our lives are
intertwined for eternity,” she said and held his gaze. “Sebastian, what if
Gaston is out there somewhere and he finds us? He gives me the
creeps.” She shivered and bit her lower lip. “He told me that he
always gets
what he wants, and I was what he wanted. Do you know that Matt
told
me the same thing before he tried to rape me? Gaston makes me
nervous.”

“I don’t believe that after all this time he will show up here in Brighton,” he said thoughtfully. “I’m sure he thinks that you’re dead and gone. He is not going to be looking for a human soul five
hundred years later.”

“I suppose you’re right. I didn’t think about that.”

“I wouldn’t worry about Gaston.”

“What if he finds out you’re an immortal now from Annabel?”

“He and Annabel never liked each other.”

“Sebastian, it’s possible. Look at all the immortals that have shown up to either claim you or kill me. One more would not tip the
scale of immortality in Brighton,” she said with a bitter chuckle.

“Arielle, I don’t want to believe something like that, but if it
happens, then we’ll have to face it together,” Sebastian said awkwardly. “Can we just forget about Gaston right now and enjoy
this moment?”

She pressed a few kisses on his chest and rested her head back on the crook of his shoulder.

“Marcus was pretty disappointed when Gabrielle left. He found
himself extremely fascinated by her. He thought Gabrielle was the most beautiful girl he had ever met. He loved her humor and vigor for life. He was so excited to find a girl that loved riding as much as
he did.
Marcus was an exceptional rider and loved horses more than
anything else in his life. He was crushed to hear that Gabrielle had a man—or should I say a suitor?— waiting for her back home.”

“She’s amazing,” Arielle said, “but she did have Troy waiting for her.” Sebastian nodded in understanding.

“My brother Anton was enthralled by you. Did you know that?”

“Yes, I did. Marcus told me while we shared a dance. Can you imagine how awkward I felt knowing he was your brother?” she asked.

“Yes, I can, but I happen to know that my brother had
exceptional taste in women. You can’t help the fact that you are irresistible,” he
said, squeezing her tighter, and she giggled. “However, my brother
saw
that I was so taken by you he pulled back. He was an amazing
brother,
and we had an incredible love for each other.” He looked away somewhere in the distance, and if she didn’t know better, Arielle
would have thought that there was mist in his eyes.

“Eva was the one that created a huge distraction for the men,” Arielle said, giggling. “Sebastian, I wish you had seen the line
waiting for a dance with her.” She snorted.

“I know! I heard from my brothers that all three of you created mayhem in the Gaulle residence.” Sebastian was amused. “I vividly remember our walk in the garden and how much I wanted you. You were different, beautiful, graceful, and full of life. There was
something about your eyes. They were brilliant and sparkled like a pair of the
most exquisite sapphires. They have been etched into the core of my soul. Their familiarity has lingered there quietly for many centuries now,” he said easily. “It was on the beach at St Jean de Luz that the familiarity awakened and became an extremely troublesome feeling once again. I was sure that your eyes had something to do with a
very
special moment in my life. I spent countless hours trying to
remember
that special moment, but I wasn’t successful, and now…I
understand.”
He moaned, and his arms tightened around her body like a steel vise. He rested his eyes on her face, and she saw a hint of sadness cross his gaze.

“What is it, baby?” she asked.

“I long for a chance to see my family again,” he said, looking wishful.

“I’m sure that Eva can make your wish come true; however I
can’t afford to lose you. I couldn’t possibly live in this world without you. You are my present, my future, and my life. You complete me.”

“You are never going to lose me. Why would you ever think something like that?” he asked.

“Eva told me that if you made one mistake or said anything that could be associated with the present while you were in the sixteenth century it would alter the future, and you wouldn’t be able to get
back to me. I believe with all my heart that if you saw your family again you would say something that would interfere with the outcome.” She placed her hands on either side of his face, and
pulling him to her, she kissed him passionately.

“Arielle, I’m aware of the danger in altering the future. Nathan has the same ability as Eva, and even though I’ve had the desire to do this several times in the past, I have refrained knowing the consequences.”

Arielle lay perfectly still with her ear to his chest. She heard only
silence. She turned and pressed soft kisses onto his warm chest. She couldn’t understand how a warm, passionate man like Sebastian
could have died at one point in time. She lifted her gaze to meet his and smiled wide.

“Eva gave me a very special gift today.”

“Are you talking about your adventure in Calais?”

“That was enthralling, but there something else that was even
better than the adventure.” Her eyes glittered with awe.

“What?” he asked.

“It was when we danced. I felt your heartbeat, and I was
consumed by infinite pleasure.” She breathed in deeply. She traced his lips with her fingertip, and he quivered.

“Do you remember the first time I touched you in the garden?” she asked.

“Yes, I do.” She felt his finger running softly down her cheek,
across her jawbone, and around her lip line.

“You mean like this?” he purred.

Arielle closed her eyes, bringing the moment back into her mind. She shivered.

“Mmm,” she said. “Did you really look for me?”

“Arielle, you have no idea how long I looked for you.” He
scowled, and his eyes looked more impenetrable than she had ever seen them before. “My brothers and I traveled to England and looked for the Young family in Hampshire.” Arielle’s eyes widened.

“Oh…” her voice trailed.

“I went back home with empty hands and a broken heart. You
had bewitched me, body and soul.”

“Do you remember our first kiss?” she asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“Which century are we talking about?” he asked with
amusement.

“But of course in Calais!” she exclaimed, smiling sweetly.

“Arielle, I went looking for you in another country. I remember every moment we spent together. How could I possibly forget these
lips?” He bent down and pressed his lips against hers hungrily. Reluctantly,
he pulled back. Lying back down, he gathered her in his arms in a protective way, holding a wide grin on his face. In the silence that
followed, they enjoyed each other’s warmth. Sebastian broke the quiet.

“Did you and your friends enjoy Calais and the ball?”

“It was exhausting but worth every moment. Your home was utterly amazing and the gala was a lot of fun,” she said delightfully.

“I would love to hear what Eva, Gabrielle, and you did before you saw me there. Did I miss anything exciting?” he asked with a half-smile.

She laughed gently and turned in his embrace to face him. He arched a brow. “Well?”

She laughed. “I do have a funny story to tell you.”

“I can’t wait.” He popped himself again on one elbow and stared down at her. Her eyes were as amused as ever, and her mouth stretched into a wide smile. She chuckled out loud and started to
speak. “When
we arrived, we were overwhelmed with the beauty of the house and the
brilliance of the ballroom. From the top of the landing, we marveled at
the spectrum of colors created by the silk gowns swaying in the
ballroom. We walked around between your guests, and we noticed how uncomfortable most of the ladies looked.”

“What do you mean?” He raised a brow inquisitively.

“Well, some of the corsets seemed to be a bit too tight.” She giggled. “The ladies looked as if they wouldn’t be able to draw a deep breath if their lives depended on it. We watched them having
difficulty bending down or even sitting. They just stood stiff as pillars most of the time. We were sure that the steel used for the corsets in those days had to be intrusive, if not painful.” She started to laugh softly.

“Very interesting. I don’t think I ever thought of that. Actually, I never noticed,” he said, rubbing his chin with his hand.

Arielle looked out in the distance, trying to recall the details of
the events. Suddenly, a stifled giggle escaped her. Soon another wave of laughter shook her body.

“I’m now quite curious as to what happened,” Sebastian said, staring down at her.

“Well, Eva, Gabrielle, and I were standing behind a group of girls that seemed to be in their twenties. They were quite busy
tearing apart most of the other females in the room. The girl that stood in front of
Eva was a bit plump, wearing a gorgeous blue gown with tiny
buttons extending from the top of her nape to her lower back. She sounded very bitter and extremely jealous of one particular lady that was on the dance floor.”