Arielle Immortal Quickening (30 page)

“Don’t be nervous, dear,” Olivia said calmly. She put her finger under Arielle’s chin and lifted her head to meet her gaze.

“Go on…” she said with a soft smile, patting her hands with hers.

“My best friends Eva and Ian ran into Professor Allworth and a female friend of his at the mall yesterday afternoon. Eva noticed that the girl wore an amulet exactly like mine.” She stopped talking and hauled in a deep breath. “I guess I just don’t understand what’s going on, and it’s making me very uncomfortable,” she said. She cleared her throat significantly and continued. “I’ve been struggling to understand Allworth’s involvement with the amulet. You can imagine why I—why I’m so perplexed. I’ve all these questions but no answers. What’s going on? Who is Colt Allworth? And what is his motivation for this intense interest about this amulet?” She clasped her necklace and clenched her teeth. A long silence followed.

The silence in the room was broken by a soft knock at the door, and the butler came in carrying a silver tray with a teapot, three cups, and a plate of crumpets. She was sure that Edwin had likely brought the extra glasses for show, as most immortals preferred not to eat or drink human food. He set the tray carefully on the small table directly in front of them. To Arielle’s surprise, he picked up the decanter and poured tea for all three of them. He set it back down, gave a polite smile, and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.

“Have a crumpet, dear,” said Olivia, picking up the small plate and moving it closer to Arielle’s reach. Arielle took a crumpet and brought it to her mouth. She watched surprised as Olivia took the teacup, lifted it up, and sipped, never averting her eyes from Arielle. Arielle grinned, knowing that the last thing Olivia wanted to do was drink tea. She was certain that Sebastian’s mother was trying to make her feel comfortable.

Sebastian picked up a cup of tea, chuckled, and took a sip. He turned to his mother and started to give her his personal view about Professor Allworth. Arielle assumed that they were giving her time to finish her crumpet and drink some tea. At first, she watched them carefully, listening to their conversation. What had begun as a quiet conversation in English had transformed into rapidly spoken French, a language that she couldn’t speak. Especially since they seemed to be speaking an older dialect. Suddenly, Sebastian stopped talking and glanced her way. She noticed his mouth twitching for a short moment. He then gave her a quick smile and returned his gaze back to his mother.
What’s going on?
she wondered.

The conversation then changed to that now familiar immortal conversation. She was watching them with fascination. Their lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear or understand a single word they were saying. Even odder, something was guarded in the way they communicated with each other. She noticed the worried expression on Sebastian’s face, and she shifted in her seat as her discomfit grew. They both noticed and immediately stopped talking.

Sebastian stood up and started to pace back and forth, pinching the tip of his nose several times. Arielle finished her crumpet and drained the teacup, looking puzzled. She set her cup down and cleared her throat. They both turned toward her at the same time, but her anxiety didn’t seem to be shared by either one of them. They both appeared completely unruffled.
How strange?
she thought, and she blinked.
One minute they are fussing about something, and then they look like the conversation never took place.

“Is everything all right?” Arielle asked politely, looking between Sebastian and his mother.

“Yes, yes, everything is fine,” Sebastian, murmured calmly.

“I was trying to explain the situation with Colt,” Olivia said gently.

The fact that she called Professor Allworth with his first name implied that she knew him well.

“Do you know Professor Allworth?” Arielle asked watching Olivia carefully.

“Yes, dear, I know Colt and his family very well,” she said in a soft voice. There was a pause in which Olivia looked up at Sebastian, who stared back at her. “Arielle,” she started, in a soothing tone. “My acquaintance with Colt and his family was built under very personal and very complicated circumstances. I’ve never had a reason to discuss this association with Sebastian or Loren.”

To Arielle’s surprise, Sebastian and Olivia lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Arielle’s head was now swirling with wild thoughts.
What kind of complicated circumstances was she talking about? Why did she never discuss this with her children?
She remained silent, but she couldn’t hide her unease. She gazed up at Sebastian once again, and he looked intent. She diverted her gaze to Olivia, and she had the same kind of look on her face. Arielle’s mind seemed to be struggling to understand yet another serving of dreadful information. Finally, Arielle broke the silence.

“Olivia, I couldn’t help overhearing some of what was said between you and Sebastian. I couldn’t understand most of it, but it’s obvious that you’re both upset.” Arielle’s expression was edgy. Sebastian had fallen silent, and Olivia was trying to find the right words to reply.

“Well?” Arielle pressed on, darting a quizzical look between Olivia and Sebastian.

Olivia looked up and held Sebastian’s gaze for a short moment. His jaw was set, and his expression was indecipherable.

Arielle waited patiently, trying to understand what was creating so much intensity between the two of them. They had come to Olivia’s home to discuss Colt Allworth, but their visit was turning out to be something completely different. Looking at Olivia, she noticed a flash of pain cross her eyes. Arielle went still.
What in bloody hell is going on?

The faraway look in Olivia’s eyes concerned Arielle, suggesting that the internal battle she fought was a fierce one. Sebastian sat back down, and the armchair sagged beneath his weight. Finally, Olivia shook her head and peered into Arielle’s eyes. When she spoke, her voice was barely audible. “Arielle, dear, this is about a painful time in my life that I have sworn to keep secret. I never shared it with my children, because I truly believed that they didn’t need to know. However, today, due to the issue at hand, I divulged it to Sebastian, and he is quite upset with me. Sebastian doesn’t like secrets, especially between family members.”

“Yes, I know,” Arielle murmured, thinking to herself that this visit was becoming even more complicated.
What issue at hand?

Arielle was watching Olivia intently as she continued.

“A very long time ago,” she whispered, “I was a viable young woman in my early 30s, crazy in love with the most amazing immortal man. His name was Christian.” Arielle raised her eyebrows quizzically. Olivia noticed and understood her unspoken question. “Yes, I was human in those days. Christian and I fell in love in Germany and decided to get married. We went to Paris for our honeymoon and fell in love with its cultural and architectural beauty. And its wonderful nightlife. So we built a beautiful home in the borough of Auteuil-Neuilly-Passy and establish residency there for the next several years. Christian was a remarkable husband, and we were deeply in love. He had acquired several businesses in London, and he had to leave me for two to three weeks a couple of times a year to handle his company’s needs. We drew a large circle of friends, so I was never alone. My parents lived in Germany, and we visited as often as possible. During one of those times that Christian was in London, I had to attend the engagement party of my best friend without him. Going to parties alone wasn’t so unusual in those days, however, that particular day was a turning point in my life.” Olivia paused. She drew in a deep breath and gazed at Sebastian, who was listening without saying a word.

“I left the party long after midnight. Halfway to our home, highwaymen confronted my carriage. They shot my driver and dragged me out of the carriage. They robbed me, raped me, and beat me savagely, leaving me on the side of the road to die.” She paused again and took a deep breath.

Arielle gasped at the word rape. Matt flashed before her eyes, and she looked horrified. She looked at Sebastian, and he was watching her nervously. He thought he understood Arielle’s reaction to his mother’s statement about rape. Arielle pressed her lips together and turned her attention once again to Olivia, just as she had started to speak again.

“I was 34 years old,” she continued in a barely audible voice. “I was sure that I was going to die, and I cried bitterly thinking that I would never see Christian and my family again. I’d been drifting in and out of consciousness when I heard someone speaking to me. Unable to tell if it was a woman or man, I actually thought I was hallucinating. I felt someone lifting me up into his or her arms, and that was the last thing I remembered until much later when I opened my eyes to see a young man sitting next to my bed, watching me carefully. I didn’t recognize him, and I had no idea where I was. Nothing in the room was familiar. To make a long story shorter, he had taken me into his home and took care of me. I had been there for three days, and he assured me that I was fine and ready to go home. How could I be fine only three days later? How could that be possible? How could I be fine after a savage, nearly fatal beating? I remember sitting up on the bed utterly confused and in shock. He was absolutely correct. My body revealed no sign of a brutal attack. I was completely healed, and I couldn’t explain any of it.”

“Oh…my…God!” Arielle mumbled, and her eyebrows flew upward. “I think I know what you are going to say.” Olivia nodded.

“He told me that he couldn’t have let me die.” She pursed her lips and raked her fingers through her hair. “Even though I was familiar with immortality, I went through all the emotions, all the fright, all the agony, that a person would go through, when they find out that they are not human any longer. I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I wanted to run away, but I didn’t have the strength. There was a man in my life who I loved deeply. Christian was coming home in a couple of weeks, and I was alive. It was hard to accept the transformation, but I was very thankful to the man for saving my life. I went home and sulked for the next few days. The young man visited several times helping me go through the changes. It was only two days before Christian arrived home, and I was as ready to face the world with my new identity as I could be.”

“What happened when Mr. Dillon came home?” Arielle asked.

“When I finally found the strength to divulge the details of my horrible experience and my new identity, Christian was fuming with rage. He wanted to find them and kill them, but I couldn’t remember what they looked like or who they were. It had been dark, and I hadn’t clearly seen their faces. He was sad about the loss of Jack, our carriage driver, who had been with us for six years, but thrilled that I was alive.”

“What did he say about your immortality?”

“He was elated! He had told me over and over again that he was never going to let me die. He was never going to move through eternity without me by his side.” She drew in a breath and smiled wide.

Arielle turned her gaze to Sebastian. The sight of him sent a sudden rush of emotions surging through her body. Christian’s words were Sebastian’s words to Arielle each and every time she worried about dying and leaving him behind to move on through eternity without her.

“I have never regretted one day spent with my amazing husband.” Olivia’s words snapped her back to the here and now.

“Oh! God! What about the man that saved your life?”

“Christian invited him to our home, and he became one of our best friends,” she said. Arielle was amazed with Olivia’s story, and reaching out, she took the immortal woman’s hands and smiled warmly.

“I’m so sorry about the ordeal you had to go through, but I’m extremely happy that you’re alive,” she said genuinely. Olivia hugged her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

“So that was my whole conversation with Sebastian. He is upset, because I hadn’t told him. However, that’s not a story I like to recall.”

“I understand,” Arielle whispered, thinking about her own ordeal with Matt and how much she wished that she could make the incident vanish from her life. There was a long silence. Sebastian’s gaze was fixed on Arielle. Arielle cleared her throat and looked at Olivia.

“So how do you know Professor Allworth?” she asked, returning to her original question. Olivia squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“Colt was the young man that saved my life.”

Arielle blinked in astonishment. “Professor Allworth is an immortal?” She now turned to Sebastian once again. “But…you thought he wasn’t. How can you make a mistake like that?” she asked, curiously.

“Arielle, he’s wearing an amulet, and it prevents me from seeing anything about him. That is why I couldn’t read his thoughts.”

“Oh…” Sebastian rose to his feet and approached the sofa; he pulled Arielle up and held her tightly in his embrace.

“Are you all right?” he murmured.

“Perfectly,” she said. “I’m now quite intrigued by Professor Allworth, I never realized he was an immortal either,” she added, thoughtfully.

“No more worries?” he persisted.

“No, not at all. Professor Allworth is a wonderful man. Another big plus is the fact that he is an immortal. How much better can it get?” she chuckled blissfully. “All I have to do now is clear up the issue about my amulet with him.”

“I’ll do that for you,” Olivia chimed in.

“Sebastian, do you think that the other two professors are immortals?”

“I would put a wager on that.”

Pulling away from Sebastian’s embrace, she sat back down next to Olivia while he walked toward the window and stared out into the open.

“Thank you, Olivia,” Arielle whispered. “Can you tell me more about the secret society? I want to learn everything about it.”

“I love to,” she replied. “I’m a member of the Veneti Society, which was established in September of the year 63 BC. Royals have passed the secret code for membership to their successors. Families of higher status did the same thing with their heirs. There are countless mortals and immortals throughout the world who are members and have been members since the very beginning.