“I love you, Arielle!” he said as they glided around to the music.
“I love you too, Paul. You are my best friend,” she said.
In reply he squeezed her tighter, making her giggle.
“Tonight you’ll be my dance partner,” he said.
She closed her eyes as they moved around the dance floor and his beautiful face appeared before her, making her smile with pleasure. The song ended and she walked over to talk to her mother. Tristan and his father, André Roux, were standing there talking with her.
“Hi, Arielle, you look so grown up tonight,” Mr. Roux said with a smile. She thanked him and made some polite small talk as she took Tristan to the dance floor again. He held her tight and she let herself move to the music with her eyes closed. She was lost in her thoughts when a musical voice behind her made her breath halt in her throat, and her body shivered.
“May I cut in?”
She spun around and there he stood – her beautiful dream, the love of her life.
“But-but-but – how? When?” she stuttered, unable to complete a sentence.
“Did you really think that I would miss your birthday?” He smiled.
She was so surprised that at first she almost couldn’t move. But then she flew into his arms and buried her face in his chest, crying from sheer joy. He held her tight against his chest, and then with a sudden move, he pulled her even closer to him and she stopped breathing. He was the best gift she could ever wish for.
He pushed her away from him softly and looked her up and down.
“You look absolutely fabulous,” he said. “That dress makes you look very sophisticated, and with the high heels your face is closer to mine. How about that? I don’t have to bend down to kiss you tonight,” he added, smiling at her tenderly. He looked so pleased, and she could hear the satisfaction in his voice.
Then he pulled her back into his arms, bent down, and pressed his lips on hers in a long, hot kiss.
“Happy birthday, baby,” he murmured without moving his lips from hers. Suddenly she noticed that Tristan was looking from her to Sebastian and back again, apparently wondering what was going on and who this guy was.
“Oh Tristan, I’m so sorry. This is Sebastian, my boyfriend. Sebastian, this is Tristan, one of my dearest friends.”
They shook hands and smiled a bit awkwardly at each other. Then Tristan excused himself and walked off, looking a bit shaken. But she couldn’t spend much time worrying about Tristan. All she could think of was the fact that her own personal miracle was there.
She fell back into his arms and as he held her they started to move to the music.
“Dancing with you has been a dream of mine ever since the first day I laid eyes on you,” he said. “And now here we are. Dreams do come true!” He held her at arm’s length and gazed at her again with complete satisfaction. “You seem to become more beautiful each time I see you, Arielle,” he said. “How do you do that? You are going to drive me mad, you do know that, don’t you?” he added, smiling.
“I wish I could believe you,” she said. “But as it turns out, you are the beautiful one and I’m… well, I’m just me.”
“Just in case you haven’t noticed,” he said, “there are a lot of guys here that would like to be in my place. If you don’t see that, then you must be blind.”
“Sebastian, that’s not true,” she protested.
“Remember, I can read everyone’s mind,” he said, and suddenly he went very still as an unsettling realization seeped into his bones and shook him. His eyes dropped down to her neckline and he frowned.
“What?” she asked anxiously.
“I can read your thoughts...” he said, his words trailing off. “Where is your necklace, Arielle?” he asked, his voice tense.
“Sebastian, nothing is going to happen to me inside my own home,” she insisted. “And furthermore, how lucky can I be? You’re here! So stop worrying about me.”
“Arielle, I’m not joking. Why don’t you have it on?”
“Whatever for? I’m not going outside,” she said stubbornly. But glancing up at his worried face, she added gently, “It didn’t go with the dress, and I felt safe enough inside my house.”
“Well, I don’t like it,” he said. He cradled her chin in his hand, and lifting her face to his, peered into her eyes. “But I’ll let it go this time, since it’s your birthday,” he murmured, and took her mouth in a passionate kiss. He pulled her back into his arms and held her tightly. After a long pause, he sucked in a deep breath and added, more seriously, “What about Tristan? Do I have to compete with him?”
“Tristan is just a friend,” she answered.
“That’s not what he thinks,” Sebastian said. “He is in love with you, Arielle. And so is the guy that is standing over at the bar looking at us.”
“Paul? He’s my best friend at school besides Eva and Gabrielle. He’s in my chemistry class.”
“What about Tristan? I’ve never heard you talk about him.”
“Tristan is the son of my parents’ best friends, the Rouxes. He’s a surgeon and he lives in Paris. He’s leaving for Africa on Tuesday with a group called Doctors Without Borders. They help poor people in other countries. I’ve read about them, have you? Tristan is a very nice guy,” she added.
“I am very familiar with that group of doctors. That makes it even harder to compete,” Sebastian said a bit sulkily.
“Please, Sebastian! You know how I feel about you.” She closed her eyes, blissful just to be with him, and moved to the music, feeling the warmth of his beautiful body, not quite believing yet that he was really there. But then suddenly Eva’s words from earlier in the evening made her body go stiff. Sebastian felt her tension and, pushing her softly, he held her at arm’s length. She smiled, trying to hide her fearful thoughts from him, but she knew there was no point since he knew exactly what she was thinking. So she fell back into his arms and he tightened his grip on her.
“I can see that Eva has warned you about someone. What exactly did she say?”
“She said that someone was coming, but nothing specific,” she murmured.
“Well, she was right about that,” he grinned, and looking down at her, let his gaze rest on her beautiful face.
“What do you mean?”
He chuckled, and pulled her even closer. He ran his fingers along her spine, spreading a blistering shiver through her muscles. “I’m someone… and I’m here,” he purred, brushing his lips across her ear.
“Yes, you are,” she replied. “And nothing could be more wonderful,” she sighed, tightening her arms around his neck.
“Why then do you keep thinking about danger?” he asked, lifting her face again to his until their lips met.
“Well, she did say there would be danger,” she whispered. Suddenly Annabel Draper’s sickening face filled her thoughts, and her heartbeat sped up. She hoped that Sebastian couldn’t feel it, but he did. His lips pressed into hers.
“What is it?” he asked without moving his lips away from hers.
“Annabel. I thought of Annabel and I got scared,” she admitted.
“Why would you ever think of her on a night like this?” Sebastian asked.
“I’m not sure, I can’t explain it,” she replied, looking up to meet his eyes.
“Please don’t worry about Annabel,” he said with a teasing smile. “This is the best night of your life. You are officially a woman, and you are all mine.” There was an amazing smile on his sensuous lips as he spoke.
When the music stopped he took her by the hand and pulled her out onto the balcony. “I love you, baby. Happy birthday,” he said, and drew her into a scorching kiss. Arielle smiled in complete ecstasy. She loved him so much. What an amazing man! He was so absolutely beautiful. And he was all hers. That had to be the best birthday gift ever.
Pulling away from his arms, she took his hand and led him toward the doors to the ballroom. “You are about to meet my friends, and maybe I’m crazy, but I do want you t
o talk to Troy. I told you my theory about him, but I may be wrong.”
“Wrong about what, baby?”
“Sebastian, he’s an immortal. I’m almost sure that I’m right about that. However, he doesn’t dazzle me like you do when I look into his eyes.” She paused for a short moment and went on. “I can see by the look in your eyes that you don’t believe me, but please do this for me. Go talk to him.”
“Arielle, I choose to dazzle you because I enjoy looking at your face when you become disoriented. Every immortal has the same power and they can use it by choice. If he’s an immortal, he probably just chose not to dazzle you.”
“Can you please talk with him?”
“Sure,” he said, “I’m just as curious as you are.”
At this point Sebastian didn’t know how much Annabel knew about his relationship with Arielle. He had been sure that she would find out eventually, but he didn’t think it would be this soon. However, Annabel did know that Sebastian’s love for Arielle was the real thing, and that he was planning to marry this “horrible human.” And so she was determined to hurt both him and Arielle, and her plans were already in the works.
Annabel had met with Savanna and Julia, two other women who detested Sebastian just as much as she did. They were willing to put into place all the powers they possessed to exact revenge on Sebastian by hurting Arielle. Annabel had been watching Arielle, and she had decided that her birthday party was the perfect place for her to strike. She arranged with Savanna, who had been waiting for centuries to take revenge on Sebastian, to show up at the party with the sole purpose of killing Arielle, and Savanna was elated at being given the chance to destroy someone that Sebastian truly loved. Like Annabel, Savanna was pure evil, and like Annabel, she had only one thought. Retaliation.
Arielle and Sebastian moved over to where Gabrielle and Eva were standing. She had given Sebastian permission to dazzle them, and she could hardly wait to see their reaction.
“Gabrielle! Eva! This is Sebastian,” she said.
They both turned toward him at the same time, and as soon as they met his eyes they both went numb. They could hardly talk; they looked dazed, unable to move. Arielle could hardly control her laughter.
“Sebastian, these are my best friends since fourth grade,” she said, giggling. He smiled at them with his amazing smile, and as he took their hands they both seemed to forget where they were and what they were doing. They both tried to say something, but neither was able to utter a single word. Arielle took Sebastian’s hand and they walked away, leaving Eva and Gabrielle flustered and confused. “We’ll be back soon, don’t worry,” Arielle promised her friends, knowing that they needed a break to recover.
As she and Sebastian walked away they both broke into laughter, knowing what had just happened. It was just too funny to watch.
Arielle continued to lead Sebastian around the room, introducing him to everyone. He seemed to create an astonishing reaction in the women, and she knew that his good looks were the reason for that. She had seen the same thing happen when Troy had come into the room.
Finally they made their way to her parents, and Sebastian instantly fell into an easy and very pleasant conversation with them. Arielle’s parents too had fallen in love with Sebastian, just as she had thought they would. Her father made a point of coming over to her and telling her that she had made a great choice.
“Well done, Arielle,” he said. “He is charming, and I feel we can trust him to take good care of you. You can’t know yet what a great relief that is to a father.” He smiled and kissed her gently on the cheek. She was so happy to hear him speak these words! She respected her father immensely and his opinion mattered a lot to her. She was sure that nothing would ever change her mind about Sebastian, but all the same it was great to have her parents’ approval. At that moment, Arielle felt as if her life couldn’t get any better.
Next, they moved over to where Paul, Ian, and Troy were standing, and she introduced them all to Sebastian. They all shook hands and made polite conversation. Ian was always animated, happy and laughing. Troy was a bit more reserved. Sebastian took the time to stay and talk with them, and by the end of the evening she noticed him talking with Troy alone on the balcony. They seemed to be in deep conversation for a long time and she could hardly wait to hear what they had been talking about. But she stayed close to Gabrielle and Eva chatting about this and that. All the while she kept looking in Sebastian’s direction. Finally the men all shook hands and smiled at each other. As they walked back toward her and her friends, Arielle saw Troy look directly at her, a warm smile on his face. She smiled back, took Sebastian’s hand, and moved back onto the dance floor with him.
“Well, was I right?” she asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
“Yes, you were,” he said, with a smile. “I think he is a bit shocked to find out that I’m an immortal also and that you recognized his scent. He’s a very nice guy. I’m really happy to know that he will be near you when I’m not here.”
“Sebastian, this is huge!” she said. “How in the world did he end up here?”
“Let’s talk about that when we’re alone,” he said, smiling over her shoulder at someone who was dancing near them.
“All right, I’ll wait. I can’t say that it will be easy, but I’ll wait.”
Sebastian laughed out loud, squeezing her tight and twirling her around the floor. She rested her head on his beautiful chest. He was her best birthday present and she wanted to enjoy him. She was daydreaming of bliss to come when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Startled, she looked over and saw her father asking to take Sebastian away for a few minutes to meet some of his friends. She let go of him reluctantly. He gave her an adoring look and one more squeeze as he leaned in and whispered, “Miss me.” Then he walked away with her father.
Arielle was so happy about him being there that she could hardly contain her emotions. As she walked dreamily back towards Ian and Paul, she caught a glimpse of Eva in the corner of the living room, looking extremely worried, and motioning anxiously for her to come over. As she got closer, Arielle could see that Eva was having difficulty breathing. She reached over and held Eva’s hand.
“What is it, Eva?” she asked, staring at her face. She looked as if she were in a trance.
Eva leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Danger. I can see danger approaching the house!”
Terrified, Arielle’s body went rigid. She stared towards the ballroom entrance, but saw nothing unusual. Her mind began to race as conflicting feelings overwhelmed her. Eva’s visions had always been accurate before. Who was coming? Could it be Annabel? She looked around in a complete panic. Her breath was coming in uneven gasps. She was trying to decide if she should run and find Sebastian. She looked back at Eva, whose expression gave her warning only a second before panic did. She pressed her eyes closed and gulped mouthfuls of air, trying to calm herself down. She felt she was being totally irrational. She was in her own house, among her family and friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Then, before anyone could move, they heard the doorbell ring. Arielle froze in place as she saw her mother move toward the door. Soon she walked back to where Arielle was standing, followed by a beautiful young woman with dark hair and a seamless walk. Their eyes met. Arielle had never seen her before. But Eva’s look didn’t escape her; her eyes were filled with horror. She looked back at the woman who was approaching and she heard her mother’s voice. “This is Savanna,” she said. “She says she is a friend of Sebastian’s.”
Arielle understood the look on Eva’s face. Savanna’s perfect features, her seamless walk, and her incredible beauty all suggested that she wasn’t human. Still, Arielle had no idea who she was. Instinctively she reached up to touch her necklace and was horrified as she remembered that she had left it in her jewelry box. She turned to look at Troy with a desperate look, and he seemed to understand that something was not quite right. Eva was still standing next to her, unable to move, and Troy was moving
closer, never taking his eyes off of Arielle.
Arielle’s mother smiled politely and walked away, completely unaware of the danger Arielle might be in. Arielle turned toward Savanna and said, her voice a bit shaky, “Oh, can I help you?”
“I’m an old friend of Sebastian’s,” Savanna said. Her voice was soft as velvet and her smile was absolutely beautiful. “I was told he was here, and I came to see him,” she lied.
Somehow her smile seemed just a bit too friendly, but it never touched her eyes. “How do you know Sebastian?” Arielle asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“He was my boyfriend for a very long time. The last time we saw each other was in Spain at the Garniere ball with the Dillons,” she said. Her smile remained as if pasted on her face, and she never took her eyes off of Arielle. Arielle was extremely uncomfortable. “We had a wonderful night together, and he asked me to look for him if I ever found myself bored and somewhere close to him. I found out he was here, so here I am,” she lied again, chuckling softly. Her laughter was full of insinuation.
“Who told you where to find him?” Arielle asked, her heart hammering in her chest. Here was yet another woman from his past, looking for Sebastian, wanting to claim him. Arielle shifted her gaze slowly from Savanna’s face to Troy’s. Savanna followed her gaze and turned to look at Troy, but, oblivious to the fact that she was looking at another immortal, seemed totally unruffled by his presence. Then Arielle turned back to Savanna, who was looking intently into her eyes.
“So, you must be Arielle?” she asked, her voice completely composed.
Arielle took a couple of deep breaths, then answered in a low and shaky voice, “Yes, I’m Arielle. And you are in my house.” Savanna looked completely unmoved by her words. Arielle, not wanting to create a spectacle in front of her guests, decided to walk to the dining room without thinking about her safety. Savanna followed her with Troy and Eva keeping a sharp eye on both of them.
Arielle Immortal Awakening (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 1) Page 23