He held her hand and his lips curved into that smile that she now felt she needed in order to breathe, the smile that filled her heart with joy.
“I’m sorry you had to come back so soon,” she said. “But I’m glad you are here. I must look terrible. I don’t feel all that good,” she murmured with a weak smile.
He leaned down and pressed his lips softly on hers. She could taste the sweetness of his scent and she was elated.
“You are the most beautiful girl I know, Arielle. You are my life and the reason I get up every morning.” His velvety voice made her heart skip with joy.
“Don’t kiss me,” she protested. “You might get sick.”
“Oh, but didn’t I tell you? That’s one of my gifts,” he whispered. “I never get sick.” he chuckled.
All she could do was smile.
It was late in the afternoon when the doctor walked into the room with her father, his face showing extreme concern.
“Arielle, how do you feel?” the doctor asked.
“A little better.”
“I need to ask you a couple of questions that nobody would have the answers to but you,” he continued. She looked at him, worried about what he was going to ask and how she should answer.
“Where did you get those cuts on your arm?”
She felt anxious as Sebastian’s hand pressed on hers. She sucked in a couple of deep breaths and her voice came out hesitantly. “I scraped myself against something, but I don’t remember what,” she lied. “Why do you ask?”
“Try to remember,” the doctor said. “These cuts were full of a rare and deadly poison. You could have died within two days if you hadn’t gotten here in time. It’s a very slow working, fatal poison that subjects its victim to excruciating pain.” Fear consumed her as she heard his words, and her heart was hammering in her chest. The pain was still strong and her face grew distorted as she tried to keep her breathing normal. She felt Sebastian’s hand pressing hers softly, and when she looked at him distress was etched across his beautiful face.
“I have one more question,” the doctor continued. “Where did you get that huge bruise on your chest? Do you know that you have three broken ribs? How could you stand it? Didn’t you feel any pain?”
“I did have some pain, but I didn’t think anything was broken,” she said. “I was driving the day before my party and I didn’t have my seat belt on. I had to make a sudden stop and I hit the steering wheel with my chest. It didn’t bother me that much and I didn’t even notice the bruise.”
“Unbelievable,” the doctor muttered and shook his head. Then he added, “You’ll need to take better care of yourself, young lady, if you want to live the rest of your life unscathed.”
“Unbelievable,” he murmured again as he walked out of the room shaking his head. Her parents were also puzzled, wondering what was happening to their daughter. They were relieved that she was okay, but still worried about what had happened.
“Arielle, are you trying to kill your old man? Please do me a favor and be more careful,” her father said. He was pretty upset.
“I’m so sorry, Daddy, I had no idea about the poison. And the bruise was not that bad, honest!”
She smiled as he shook his head in disbelief. Then they both kissed her on the forehead and walked out of the room, smiling and waving goodbye.
Stony silence fell in the room as Sebastian and Arielle stared at each other, thinking over what the doctor had said.
“A rare poison? Is that what she used to try to kill me? How am I ever going to protect myself from her?” she wondered frantically.
His face was only a centimeter away from hers as she placed her right hand on the nape of his neck and held him close so she could breathe his sweet scent.
“She almost succeeded in killing you,” he growled. “Don’t ever take that necklace off again.” His eyes were filled with horror, and his expression frightened her. “If you’d had that necklace on she would never have been able to get close to you.”
“I’m okay, Sebastian, please calm down. You’re scaring me,” she whispered.
“You are not okay,” he said. “You would be in incredible pain if not for the medication you’re on. You have three broken ribs and you went through a very painful procedure to take all that poison out of you. Whatever do you mean by saying you are okay?” His voice was tense and angry, but she knew that his anger was due to the fact that he loved her so much. So she just smiled and pulled his head closer to steal another kiss.
“What am I going to do with you?” he said. “Nothing scares you. And you tolerate pain as if it were nothing at all.” She tried to smile, but again she felt a wave of fatigue.
“You need to rest,” he said. “When the fever is gone you can get up and spend some time with me. I’m going to leave now so you can get some rest.”
“Oh Sebastian, please don’t go,” she whispered as she closed her eyes.
She felt his lips on hers; she smelled that wonderful scent of his and heard his voice murmur close to her ear. “Sleep, my sweet angel! I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
The next morning she woke feeling rejuvenated. The medicines and the sedative that the doctor had prescribed had made her fall into a deep, deep sleep. When she opened her eyes she knew instantly that she felt much better. Sebastian was standing by the window talking with her dad. Her mum was standing over her bed, smiling. She bent down and gave Arielle a hug. “Your fever is gone!” she whispered ecstatically. “I’m so glad you seem to have turned the corner.”
Both Sebastian and her dad turned toward her and she heard her dad’s voice. “Well, little girl, you certainly gave your old man a bad scare. You can’t be doing this. I worry about you, I want you to be happy and healthy.”
“Thanks, Daddy, I’ll try to do that since this doesn’t seem to work for you,” she said, chuckling softly, then wincing from the pain. Her dad and Sebastian laughed, too.
Her dad smiled again and kissed her on the cheek. Then he and her mum walked out of the room.
She looked into Sebastian’s beautiful eyes and she felt so happy to be alive. “I’m delighted that you’re alive as well,” he said softly. He must have been reading her thoughts again. She immediately groped around her neck and was horrified to realize that her necklace was missing.
“My necklace!” she cried out.
“Don’t worry, baby, your mum has it,” he said calmly. “They removed your jewelry when they brought you into the hospital. I must admit I love being able to read your thoughts again. Seeing that you love me as much as you do makes me extremely happy.”
He sat on the side of the bed, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to his body gently. His lips pressed hers.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m famished. But I also want to go home. When am I going home?”
“I think the doctor is coming to see you in a little while. We’ll make sure to ask him that.”
“When do you have to go back?” she asked.
“I’ll stay with you until you are home and you feel one hundred percent better. I’ll go get someone to bring you something to eat.”
“Only if you can do that with your mind,” she said, “because I don’t want to let you go.”
He chuckled and as he pressed her a little tighter against him she giggled with pleasure.
“You must be one of the prescribed medications I need,” she said. “Your touch makes me feel so much better.”
He laughed, pleased that she was joking again, and she laughed too.
“Well, you are the perfect medicine for me, so I’m glad to know that I’m the perfect medicine for you as well,” he murmured.
“I am sorry you had to fly right back here again,” she said.
“Nothing is more important to me than you. I would come to the ends of the earth to be with you.”
“I love you, Sebastian,” she murmured.
“Thank you for that. I need you to love m
e,” he said.
She was sure that plenty of girls would love to love him and that there were plenty more who did love him. She was still quite amazed that of all the girls in the world, he had chosen her.
Early that afternoon the doctor came and examined her carefully.
“Well, Arielle,” he said. “You are a very lucky girl. I think you are doing just fine. You can go home this afternoon if you want to.”
“Yes, I would love to go home. Thank you, Doctor!” She smiled.
The plan was for her to stay with her parents for a few days until she was completely well. Before leaving the hospital, she made sure the necklace was back on her neck, and the first day at home she just kept to her bed. She was still quite weak, and now that she was home she had to either take care of herself or let her parents help her.
Her friends came over to visit and she was happy to see all of them. When she saw Sebastian talking with Troy she could see Troy’s face changing to a look of shock. She was sure Sebastian must be telling him about the poison. While the guys were sitting in the living room talking, Eva and Gabrielle stayed with Arielle in her room. When she told them about the poison, Gabby gasped, but Eva just gave her a knowing look.
“I saw it coming. I just didn’t know exactly how it was going to happen,” she said.
“I know, Eva, and I do believe in your visions. Every one of them has come true. This woman is absolutely crazy, trying to get me out of the way.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“There are a lot of things we can do to protect you. And I promise you, Arielle, I will be working on that,” Eva said.
“Oh, Eva, please,“ she said. “I don’t want you to go back into all those dark spells. Don’t summon any spirits. Just be happy with Ian and spend time with him. I’ll be fine,” she assured her.
“I can do both,” Eva said emphatically, a very serious look on her face.
“Okay then. I’ll let you protect me,” Arielle said, laughing quietly. And as they looked into each other’s eyes they laughed again, appreciating the sincerity and depth of their friendship.
Late in the afternoon her friends left, and she and Sebastian took a walk in the garden.
“It was so good of you to come, Sebastian,” she said. “But you need to go back. I’m okay now,” she whispered.
“Don’t you want me here?”
“I want you to stay forever, but I know you have your work. And I’m okay now. Besides, you’ve already been here for nearly another week.”
“You are the reason I get up in the morning, Arielle.”
“Well, I know that you can’t read my mind anymore,” she said, touching her necklace, “but by now you should have no doubts about how I feel.” She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. He just smiled and nodded.
His phone rang and, pulling it out of his pocket, he looked at the screen. Giving her a loving squeeze and a soft kiss on her lips, he walked away to answer it. She heard him talking to someone in French. He was very animated and seemed a little upset. Suddenly he closed the phone with an angry gesture, a tense look darkening his handsome face.
“Is something wrong?” she asked when he returned.
“Nothing that should interfere with the time I have with you. Just business,” he said. But there was a nervous edge to his voice, not at all the usual loveliness. “I think I’ll go back to the hotel to make my flight arrangements for tomorrow. You get into bed and I’ll come back later,” he said.
“I am a little tired,” she whispered as he leaned in and kissed her passionately. As the kiss ended, he gazed deep into her eyes and smiled softly.
Trying to catch her breath, she watched him walk away. Every move he made was so seamless. And as she watched him leave, she missed him already.
Back in her room she lay back down and closed her eyes. When she awoke, it was dark and the clock on the nightstand showed one-fifteen a.m. She had slept right through dinner and whatever else had happened since five o’clock in the afternoon.
She sat up in the dark and wondered what had happened to Sebastian. He hadn’t come back. Did it have something to do with the phone call he had received earlier that afternoon? Suddenly she felt a jolt in her spine and a sick feeling that Annabel might have had something to do with that call. Fear took over her body and she couldn’t seem to be able to stop herself from panicking. Her fingers moved quickly to touch the necklace that was to keep her safe, making sure it was still there. She tried to lie back down and stay under the covers, but she couldn’t relax.
Noises outside her window seemed ominous, so she got up, still holding her pillow and walked quietly over to the balcony doors, peering out carefully from behind the closed curtains. It was nothing, nothing at all – just the wind making the limbs of trees brush against the side of the house. She told herself to stop her imagination from going wild. She got back into bed and eventually went back to sleep.
The next morning she woke to the smell of coffee. She got up slowly and walked down to the kitchen where her parents were having breakfast.
“Good morning, darling, how do you feel?” her mother asked.
“I actually feel great,” she said. “I can’t believe I’ve gone through a whole week of feeling miserable.”
“Well that is good news,” her father said, never looking up from the newspaper.
“Sit down and have some breakfast. That will make you feel even better,” her mother urged. She couldn’t argue with that because she was starving.
“Mum, I’ve a few more things that I would like to take over to the flat,” she said. “Can you take me there later?”
“Sure, darling, any time you’re ready. Would you like to have lunch with us first?”
“Yes, that’ll be fine.”
“What ever happened to Sebastian?” her father asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “He received a call yesterday afternoon and had to go. He said he would come back here, but he never did.”
“Oh well, sometimes things like that happen when you are involved in business,” her father said.
“Do you know what business he is in?” she asked curiously.
“Yes, we talked about it yesterday while you were sleeping. He’s the owner of one of the largest corporations in Europe. He’s involved with important landowners who are running businesses throughout the world. That is a very big burden for someone as young as he is. He’s a fascinating young man, and extremely smart. I sure would love to have someone like him running my business, but from what I can tell he’s quite wealthy. He would never be interested in my world,” he added, chuckling.
Just then her phone buzzed and she saw Sebastian’s name pop up on the screen. “Hello!” she said. “What happened to you?”
“Something very important came up, Arielle, I’m sorry. I can’t talk about it over the phone. I’m coming over.” Then the phone went dead.
Her thoughts instantly jumped to Annabel, and again a cold shiver ran down her spine. His voice sounded low and troubled; she was extremely anxious. This was the first time he had ever ended a call without saying, “Miss me.”
She sat back down and kept quiet, waiting and wondering, full of concern.
“Is there something wrong?” both of her parents asked at once.
“I’m not sure what is going on,” she said. “He’s on his way here.”
A few minutes later she heard the front door bell ring. He was standing in the doorway, his face as beautiful as ever, but his eyes troubled and dark.
“What is it?” she asked, worried. She took his hand and they walked into the living room. Then he put his arms around her and pulled her close.
“Arielle, I need to leave tonight for Australia and from there to New Zealand,” he said.
“Australia? New Zealand? What happened? How long will you be gone?”
“I have a long trip ahead of me. I have to fly from Paris through Singapore for refueling, and from there to Sydney. It’s about twenty-three hours altogether. It
’ll be exhausting, but I have to do it. I can’t say much more about it right now, but we have a very serious situation at our headquarters here in London. I met with some of the board members as well as a couple of Interpol agents, and we tried to work out a plan of action during the night.” He sighed and shook his head.
“Why is Interpol involved? What happened? Please tell me, Sebastian. I’m going out of my mind.”
He pulled her to the sofa and asked her to sit down. “I can’t discuss the details, but we have had a major break-in at the London office. Very valuable secret documents and product designs that we are developing in Australia and New Zealand were stolen. The designs can be used to create weapons of a catastrophic magnitude.”
“Why do you have to go there?” she asked. “Can’t you have the authorities work on it?”
“Arielle, Nathan and I are the perfect people to handle this. Remember, you are the only one who knows about our immortality. We’re stronger and faster than humans. I can read people’s minds, and Nathan can see ahead into the future. We have powers that no one in our business world is aware of.”
“Is Nathan going too?”
“Yes, he’s going too. We have been working together for centuries. He’s one of my closest business associates.”
“Why don’t you ever talk about him?”
“Well, his personal interests are different than mine, but when it comes to business we are perfect for each other. Our gifts as immortals are a little bit different, and they complement each other, making us a great team. We have some information from people who were on duty when this happened, and that is where we will start the hunt.” Seeing that she was still worried he added, “You don’t need to worry about me, I’ll be perfectly fine. We have to get those documents back, and we’ll be able to get them back faster than Interpol or any other agency out there. These documents are very dangerous in the wrong hands and very important to the success of all the companies we hold and the people who work for us.”
“Oh, it’s dreadful!” she said. “Sebastian, I’ll be worried about you no matter what you say.” She took his face in her hands and tenderly gazed into his beautiful eyes. “I can understand that your special gifts will be a great advantage for you, but I still don’t like it. How long are you going to be gone?” Her face fell into a frown.
Arielle Immortal Awakening (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 1) Page 26