Arielle Immortal Quickening (26 page)

“Sorry that I missed your call. Did you need something?”

“No—not really, I just wanted to tell you that some girl was looking for you yesterday afternoon,” he said, indifferently.

“Really? Did she say who she was?” she asked, feigning interest.

“No. However, I did ask, but she didn’t give me her name. She said she would be back today. She said she wanted to talk with you alone.”

“What did she look like?” Arielle asked, and started to walk toward the engineering building with Robert at her heels.

“Arielle, I would love for you to introduce me to that girl! She was absolutely perfect. She was so beautiful that I could hardly gather my thoughts. She reminded me a lot of Loren,” he said, and she could hear a soft chuckle in his voice. Arielle stopped dead on her tracks. Her eyes twitched slightly, and the smile faded off of her face. Terror took over every muscle in her body as bile climbed up her throat slowly. Only one name entered her thoughts, and it was making her nauseous.

“Annabel!” she muttered, terrified.

“Arielle, are you all right?” She heard Robert’s concerned voice. “Is there something wrong?” She looked directly at Robert, and he was watching her carefully.

“No, no, I’m fine,” she said, and waved her hand dismissively. She thoughtfully looked at her watch. “Thanks, Robert. I need to get to class,” she murmured, fear creeping up her spine.

“Okay then. I’ll see you later in the lab,” he said with a wave.

She walked toward class, drowning in her thoughts. She had almost forgotten all about Annabel.
Oh…My…God… that bloody bitch is back!
Anxiety washed over her, closing her throat and making it hard to breathe. She felt her knees go weak, and she leaned against the building wall to support herself. She closed her eyes tightly, concentrating on inhaling and exhaling. Calm was beyond her reach, though. She was trembling at the thought of Annabel showing up.

Trying to collect her thoughts, she rested for several minutes before mentally giving herself a shake. Even if Annabel was stalking her, she just needed to stay close to her immortal friends. She would need their support if the she-devil decided to show up.

She walked into class just a minute before the door closed. She stood still for a short moment and looked around the auditorium, which was already full. Her initial thought was to get out of there and go back home.

“Arielle! Up here!” The voice broke her thoughts, and looking up, she saw Gabby and her other friends gesturing for her to come to them. She didn’t hesitate; she smiled wide and dashed up the steps until she reached the top row.

She took a deep breath and exhaled quietly, letting her body relax at the sight of Eva, Ian, and Loren. Three incredible immortals that always made her feel completely safe, and they were now enveloping her with the same comforting sensation. She squeezed by Ian and Eva, who had taken the seats by the aisle, and slid in the empty seat between Gabby and Loren. Paul leaned over and gave her a warm smile. She was unable to hide the relief that was emanating from deep inside. She was happy to be sitting among her amazing friends.

Eva leaned across and whispered, “We need to talk,”

“Yes, I can’t wait,” Arielle murmured back.

“What’s going on?” Gabby asked. Arielle knew that Loren and Paul were tuned to the conversation. She set her books in front of her, and her purse dropped on the floor with an inaudible thud.

“Well?” Gabby insisted.

“Oh… Eva and Ian ran into Professor Allworth yesterday at the mall,” she murmured dully. “And I want to hear all the details about that meeting.”

Arielle wished Allworth was the only concern she had right now. In reality, she was really more worried about Annabel, who wanted to kill her. She was sickened by the thought.

Professor Dewhurst was sitting behind his desk—which harbored piles of chemistry books in various editions—as he waited for everyone to find a seat. He finally stood and walked slowly to a position directly behind the podium. Silence fell in the auditorium, and he proceeded by taking roll call. He then opened the chemistry book in front of him and started reading in a firm voice. He appeared extremely pleased to have them all there to listen to his lecture.

Dewhurst was an older man with silver hair and a very kind face. His class was not the most energetic one, and most of the students would completely disengage halfway through the lecture. However, he was a no-nonsense professor that expected nothing but perfection during finals. She was always very attentive; however, today several things bothered her, and she was not able to focus. She was relieved to hear Professor Dewhurst’s voice.

“That’s all for today. Have a good day.” He snapped his book closed and walked back to take a seat behind his large desk. Within seconds, everyone stood up and started toward the exit. When outside, she walked away from the crowd, followed by her friends. She didn’t want to talk about Annabel in front of Paul. He was still completely unaware of the true identity of his immortal friends. The six of them walked toward the cafeteria when they heard Paul’s voice.

“Loren and I have another class in five minutes, so we have to go,” he said smiling, and they both walked away.

“Well, our next class is not until eleven, so let’s go to the pavilion,” Ian said. Gabby and Arielle walked to the pavilion after waiting in the cafeteria line to purchase a couple of drinks. They found Eva and Ian sitting at a small table close to the water.

Arielle decided to discuss the e-mail first and then tell them all about Annabel. “Okay, Eva, I’m ready to hear the details. Are there any details?” Arielle asked, taking a seat next to her. “Tell me all about yesterday.” She kept her eyes on Eva, eagerly waiting for her to speak.

“What happened yesterday?” Gabby asked, looking oblivious.

“I told you in class.” Arielle said affably. “Eva and Ian ran into Professor Allworth at the mall yesterday. A girl was hanging off of his arm, and they looked pretty chummy.”

“Oh…” Gabby’s voice trailed. Arielle went on to tell her about the content in Eva’s e-mail and tried to bring her up to the moment quickly. She then turned back to Eva. “Was the girl young? Did she look more like his girlfriend or family?” Arielle wasn’t sure why she was asking such a dumb question.

“Oh, she was no family,” Eva chuckled. “The way she was hanging off of his arm and the way they were looking at each other, I can tell you indisputably that she was no family.” Eva and Ian were now exchanging amused looks. She leaned forward and added cautiously. “What really surprised us was his reaction when he realized that we were staring at the amulet on the girl’s neck.”

“What do you mean?” Arielle muttered.

“I mean, he looked extremely upset and in a big hurry to get rid of us,” Eva said.

Arielle’s eyebrows rose high. “I wonder why?”

“I don’t know, but it became obvious to us that he wanted us to go away, and we did.” She appeared thoughtful and remained silent for a short time.

“Did you get any vibes from being so close to them?”

“Arielle, I think I told you before; I don’t see anything bad around Professor Allworth, and that is why I’m so puzzled with his reaction to us.”

“Did the girl say anything?” Arielle asked.

“No, she was glancing between Allworth and us, but she never said a word.”

Arielle bit her lower lip and looked noticeably stumped. “I thought this amulet was rare. I can’t believe that she had the exact same one. How…? Where…?” Arielle’s eyes narrowed to slits.

“I don’t know,” Eva said. “Maybe Olivia can unravel the mystery of the pendant.”

Arielle harrumphed. “Well, I’m going with Sebastian to visit his mother this afternoon. Maybe I’ll find out what is going on with this necklace,” she said. Her voice was laced with bafflement. She lifted the soda can to her lips and sipped while taking a look around them. Laughter and happy conversations filled the air. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the day.

Ian and Gabrielle engaged in a conversation about their medical vocations. Arielle gazed out toward the lake and winced as Annabel’s face flashed before her eyes. Her fingers drummed the top of the table tensely, and she drew in a shaky breath. Eva noticed and, reaching out, she placed her hand over Arielle’s to stop the drumming. Arielle blinked, and turning back, she stared at Eva inquisitively. Eva raised a brow and waited.

“What?” Arielle asked.

“What’s going on in there?” Eva said, pointing at Arielle’s head. “You look extremely nervous and quite upset.”

“I…” Arielle started to say, and then she stopped and took a deep breath. She looked troubled and stared once again out in the distance getting lost in her thoughts. It was apparent to Eva that something was disturbing her.

“Arielle, what’s bothering you?” Eva’s voice brought her abruptly back, and she noticed that Eva was watching her carefully.

“Allworth is not my number one concern right now.”

“Oh!” Eva exclaimed, looking completely puzzled. “Then what is it?” She kept her gaze on Arielle’s troubled face, waiting for a reply.

Arielle drew a nervous breath and ran her tongue over her dry lips before she began to speak. “I saw Robert in the parking lot this morning, and he told me that a girl was looking for me.”

“What’s so strange about that?” Eva asked.

“He said she was unbelievably beautiful and she reminded him a lot of Loren,” she said, her voice shaking. Silence lingered for a few moments. She took another deep breath. “I think it’s Annabel.” Her voice was barely audible, and she felt a little sick. The name seemed to draw Gabrielle and Ian’s attention.

“Annabel!” exclaimed Eva. “Excellent!” She let out an unforgiving laugh.

“Why excellent?” Arielle asked completely startled by Eva’s outburst.

“Well…have you already forgotten that she tried to kill us both at Saint Jean de Luz?”

“No, I haven’t forgotten,” she said disdainfully as Annabel’s face flashed before her eyes.

“Well then, we have a score to settle with her. Don’t you think?” Eva asked.

Arielle looked shocked. She crossed her legs nervously and intertwined her fingers around her knees. She had a bad feeling about a meeting between Annabel and Eva.

“I’m looking forward to facing that bloody bitch! And this time things will be on an equal level,” Eva said fiercely. “There’s payback as they say, and I’m ready to pay her back.”

Gabby and Ian were now glancing between Eva and Arielle.

“I was wondering if you can take me home?” Arielle muttered. “I don’t want to drive home alone. Sebastian may not get there before me.” Her voice was fretful.

Immediately Ian chimed in. “I’ll drive your car home,” he said. “You can ride with Eva.” Gabby reached over and took Arielle’s hand, pressing it supportively. The pavilion was crowded, Arielle noticed as she took a quick look around. She couldn’t suppress the feeling that Annabel was somewhere nearby, spying on her.

“What are you looking for?” Gabby inquired.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” she replied untruthfully.

Eva leaned closer and put her hand of Arielle’s shoulder soothingly.

“Arielle, she is not here,” Eva said. “Even if she did show up, Ian and I will protect you, so please don’t worry.” Arielle managed a smile and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chapter 21

I
t was time for their next class, so they stood up and left the pavilion. Gabby walked next to her, chatting away cheerfully.

“I need to go shopping for new clothes,” she said. “Do you all want to go shopping with me?”

“No, not today, Gabby,” Arielle said. “I have to go home and meet Sebastian. We are going to see Olivia.”

“Oh, you did say that earlier. All right then, let’s make plans for another day.”

“I’d like that,” Arielle said, and Eva agreed. Ian seemed to be totally disengaged from their girly conversation, and he walked along whistling quietly. Arielle couldn’t have visualized a better bunch of friends. They lifted her spirits, and she felt extremely lucky. She and Eva had to attend a biological science lecture, while Ian and Gabby had lab together. Just before they walked away, Ian leaned close to Arielle and whispered warmly, “Don’t worry, Arielle.”

She looked up at him, and he winked at her. She was struck by how beautiful he really was. She watched him in amazement. The realization that both Ian and Eva were now immortals was a bit hard to swallow but not hard to accept. She loved them dearly, and their friendship was one that she treasured.

She grinned at him, and whispered back, “Thank you, Ian.” At the end of the lecture, Professor Caruthers gave them next week’s assignments. They were to prepare a paper that should not exceed fifteen hundred words in length, providing an overview of the points that were discussed during the last four lectures.

Undertones of discontent filled the air, and Arielle grunted in displeasure. “Bloody hell,” she whispered, “I hate presentations.”

Eva chuckled as they gathered their books and left the lecture hall. They met Gabby and Ian at the south tower located near the parking lot. Arielle handed Ian her car keys.

“I appreciate you help, Ian.”

“No problem at all,” he said grinning. He pulled Eva in his arms and locked in a hot kiss. “Don’t be long,” he murmured against her lips, and hugged her tightly.