Arielle Immortal Quickening (3 page)

The thought of Eva and Gabrielle made her frown, and tears welled up. Her eyes scanned her surroundings and her breath hitched when she saw the magnificent sliver of the moon peaking at the end of the horizon. She watched mesmerized as the moon started to climb slowly over the ocean and spread its silvery light across the dark waters. It looked like a huge pearl suspended from the dark, unending surface of the sky.

Tuscany’s beauty was mesmerizing. Several boats with their shimmering lights were moving slowly, casting streaks of bright illumination across the waves. She wrapped her arms around her body and stood utterly unmoved. She felt his warmth radiating toward her just before his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her possessively flush against his body. He nuzzled her hair and pressed a soft kiss on her shoulder.

“What are you thinking, my love?”

Arielle bit down on her lower lip and placed her hands over his. There were so many questions and so many emotions that were whirling in her head; she couldn’t differentiate which ones were more important that the other. Turning around without leaving his embrace, she looked up into his beautiful eyes. “I was thinking that school is starting in a couple of months,” she said and swallowed hard. “How is this going to work for Gabby?” A tone of despondency coded her voice. “Do you think that she will be able to come out of this well enough?”

Sebastian listened carefully, searching her eyes, but he remained silent.

“God, I love her so much I can’t imagine what she is going through,” she furthered, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

He didn’t say anything again for a short period of time. Finally he pressed a soft kiss on her lips and whispered, “Everything will go back to normal before you know it.” His voice was so comforting.

There he goes again, Mr. Positive, my Darcy, and my life’s miracle
, she thought. She snuggled even closer to his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck, rising to her toes and pressing his lips with her tongue. Sebastian moaned as her touch resonated through his bones. Pressing his hands to the small of her back, he pulled her even closer and their lips met. They stood there holding each other, lost in their thoughts.

Exhaustion weighed down every part of her body, and when they finally went to bed, she snuggled up to Sebastian in need of his warmth and comfort. Closing her eyes, she laid her hand flat on his chest, and he gathered her into his embrace. She took a deep breath and tried to sort through the worrisome emotions that were invading her head. Her body trembled, and Sebastian tightened his hold. “Go to sleep, baby. I’m right here,” he murmured.

Sebastian watched her uneasiness as she attempted to sleep. He pressed his lips to her cheek and pulled her even closer, as he knew she liked to sleep that way. Two hours passed before he finally felt her relaxing and drifting off to sleep. His mind was working double time as silence closed in around him. He mulled over all the details of the accident and his conversation with Troy. Troy had averted such devastation! But how were they to explain the truth to Ian and Eva? The situation would be both terrifying and difficult for them to understand.

The subject would have to be approached delicately, but that problem was for another day. More important was figuring out who the woman was that caused the accident by standing in the middle of the road. While on the phone with Troy, his mind had immediately gone to Annabel, but his friend reassured him that she looked exactly like a woman the group had encountered earlier the night of the accident at the club. She’d handled the seating arrangements.

Immortal vision was flawless. Despite the darkness and the rain, Troy had to be believed. The woman was not Annabel, as bizarre as it sounded. Of course, Annabel had always known Sebastian and Arielle’s whereabouts, so why would she create this accident if Arielle hadn’t been in the car?

Who was the stranger Troy had seen? What had motivated her to attempt to murder their friends? Neither he nor Troy had thought of a good reason, and rage surged through him as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

Arielle would have to be told about Ian and Eva soon. One of her many superb characteristics was the ability to alleviate the stress of other people and temper their emotions. If only she could do it for herself. She was the most amazing person he had ever met, and he had met an immeasurable number of people in the last five centuries. She was the only woman that gave him knee-weakening intoxication, filling his existence with warmth and tenderness. She was the one and only bright star in his world, and they were perfect for each other. They fit together like hand and glove.

He chuckled at the thought and pulled her even closer. He didn’t like to see her unhappy, and he absolutely hated to see her cry. However, he needed to tell her the truth. He had a little time ahead of him, and he was going to find the right moment to discuss this sensitive matter.

He watched her sleep peacefully in his arms, and she looked beautiful, relaxed, and untroubled. Watching her cry was the worst experience, leaving him powerless and shattered. All he wanted to do was turn the clock back to when they left for Italy and alleviate the hurt and the pain that was consuming her.

Sebastian’s recollection of his transformation from human to immortal was the strongest memory he held of his human life. Ian and Eva’s transformation would take four days; then, it would no longer be a secret. Their needs would completely change. They would become immortals and incredibly physically powerful—beyond any human imagination. Immune to harm of any kind, there will be no need for doctors or hospitals, since every injury would simply regenerate. Their heart would stop beating, and their tear ducts would dry up. Human food would no longer be their preference as they would need the immortal drink of salve to nurse and sustain their bodies.

Glancing down at her sleeping, her head cushioned on his shoulder, he realized he had been frowning for the past hour. Ian and Eva’s immortality lurked at the back of his mind, not allowing him to focus on anything else. The frown returned to his face and his lips twisted in frustration. Through the shadows of the room he gazed at the ceiling and decided not to allow his mind to dwell on tomorrow. Pressing a gentle kiss on her hair, he closed his eyes.

Chapter 3

T
he flight took off early, and they touched down in Brighton a little before noon. Only stopping at their house long enough to drop their luggage off and freshen up, they made it to the hospital in record time. When they arrived at the hospital, they made their way into the ICU waiting room where they met Gabrielle’s parents, as well as Eva’s mother. The three parents were sitting together, talking in low voices. The physical and emotional trauma of the situation was obvious in the fret lines carved into their faces and the exhaustion they wore like a mantle around their shoulders.

As they approached, Dr. Taylor stood up and greeted them warmly. He hugged her with one arm and shook Sebastian’s hand with the other. Arielle hugged him back as tears welled up. She loved him just like a father, and she sobbed in his embrace. She knew perfectly well that his heart was shuddering.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, her voice was breaking.

He patted her tenderly on the back. “I know, dear, and we’re really glad that you, and Sebastian, escaped this nightmare.”

Sebastian hugged Katherine and Madeline. After exchanging warm regards, he walked over to sit next to Dr. Taylor. Arielle leaned down hug Gabby and Eva’s mothers affectionately.

“Weren’t you on vacation, dear?” Mrs. Taylor asked.

“Yes, we were in Italy. We came back as soon as we heard,” Arielle apologized, downheartedly.

“Oh, honey, you didn’t have to do that,” Mrs. Winters assured.

“We most certainly did. Gabby and Eva are like sisters to me. I love them dearly.”

“There…there…there,” Mrs. Taylor said, patting her hands lovingly. “The girls will be all right; I’m sure of that.”

Excusing themselves shortly after, Arielle and Sebastian went to visit Gabby. A nurse buzzed Arielle into the ICU, only allowing her to enter as someone else was already in the room. Without an argument, Sebastian pressed her hand softly and turning away he went back to sit and talk with Mr. Taylor and wait for her. Arielle entered the ICU and the sight of her dearest friend unmoving on the hospital bed sent a wave of wretchedness through her. Gabby looked worse than Arielle had imagined. A tube that was inserted into her mouth helped her breath, and there was an intravenous line hooked to her right hand. The largest cast wrapped her left arm from shoulder to wrist, another covered her left leg from just over the knee to her ankle, and the smallest protected her right foot. An apparatus around her neck appeared to be to prevent Gabrielle from moving her body. Her head was covered in thick gauze, except for her beautiful face. Beneath the bandaids and bruises, she looked pale; her lips were dry and gray. In response, Arielle’s body quivered, as if ice water ran through her veins. Her knees began to quiver at the proof that lives could be instantaneously changed.

Troy looked exhausted. He had been leaning forward, his arms bent and elbows resting on his thighs, when she entered. Hearing her, he raised his chin from where they rested on his interlocked hands. The look they exchanged was filled with nervousness over their friend’s health.

A faint smile painted his lips momentarily, and he stood up, reaching for her. Her eyes filled with tears as she took his hands and saw that his beautiful face was distorted by anguish. His gaze was deeply distressed, and she knew he was in extreme pain. If he had a heart, it would be broken, so she put her arms around him and kissed him softly on the cheek.

“She’s going to be all right,” she murmured. He shrugged his shoulders briefly and motioned for her to sit at the chair next to him without letting go of her hands. Here was this amazing immortal in need of her touch, a simple human, and she was more than happy to accommodate him.

“I’m so glad to see you.” He glanced at the empty doorway. “Is Sebastian here?”

“Yes,” she replied. “He is talking with Mr. Taylor in the waiting room.”

He nodded as his gaze turned back to Gabrielle, and Arielle knew that if he could cry he would be crying right now. She sat still for a few moments as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut to hold in the tears. Finally unable to take it, she stood and walked around the bed. With one hand on the bed rail to support herself, she leaned in to kiss Gabrielle’s chin… the only part of her friend that didn’t have a bruise or cut.

“Gabby, I know you are listening. You need to know that I love you more than you’ll ever know. Troy and Sebastian and your parents are all here. We are waiting on you to heal and wake up.” Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she patted Gabrielle’s hand before moving to sink back into the chair beside Troy. The sobs caught her as her butt touched the seat cushion. The strain of the stress of the past few days was causing her to feel sick. Troy reached over, cupped her chin, and turned her face toward his. He held her until she met his eyes. His features were composed and serene, but she knew he felt anything except calm. “Thank you, Arielle.” His voice broke on her name. “Thank you for being here.”

“I’m so sorry, Troy,” she said sniffing and swallowed hard. “I wish this hadn’t happened.”

Troy leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Me too,” he replied, in a hoarse voice.

Arielle smiled weakly at Troy as she reached across his lap to take the tissue box from the windowsill. Pulling a tissue out, she wiped her tears away and quietly stood up. “I’ll send Sebastian in,” she whispered, and Troy inclined his head. She could feel the blood pounding in her veins as she slipped out of the room. Her legs ached painfully, and she leaned against the wall outside the ICU waiting room, sobbing uncontrollably. She wasn’t sure how long she stood there alone. She saw Sebastian approaching with his smooth walk and a magnificent calmness that covered the planes of his beautiful face. He took her face gently in his hands and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her face in the crook of his neck.

“She looks pretty bad,” she whimpered. She tried hard to stop crying, swallowing back her tears and forcing the salty liquid down her throat.

“Arielle,” he murmured, nuzzling her hair. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I told Troy you will go in.”

“Yes, I was heading that way.” He kissed her gently on the lips, and he walked through the unit’s doors. She stood there waiting for a little while, and when he came out, he looked shaken. He took her hand, and they walked back into the waiting room. She took a deep breath before she reached out and hugged the Taylors and Mrs. Winters again with sincere affection. She could see the pain and the stress that they were experiencing at having their daughters in the hospital. Mrs. Taylor’s eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her face was white.

“I know it will take time, but she will be all right,” Arielle whispered. She looked over at Dr. Taylor who was now sitting in the corner by himself, lost in his thoughts. Here was this accomplished surgeon unable to do a single thing to make his little girl feel any better. She leaned closer to Mrs. Taylor and asked quietly. “How is Dr. Taylor holding up?”