“Good God! Eva, you are spectacular!” Arielle cried out in excitement. Eva gazed in the full-length mirror and blissfully laughed out loud.
“How about you!” Eva said, gazing at the three of them and pointing at the exquisite dresses she manifested for them. They were lovely, especially Loren who had that special immortal appearance. Gabby glanced at Eva and then averted her gaze to Arielle, holding a playful smile.
“What?” Eva asked.
“A far cry from the girl on the beach searching for the bottom of her bathing suit,” Gabby said. Her voice was breaking with laughter, which sent Eva and Arielle into heartfelt laughter.
Loren watched them clueless, unable to grasp the joke. They took a moment to explain and soon she was laughing with them. When they finally stopped laughing, Eva made sure the girls’ appearances were perfect before making some final adjustments to her dress.
Ian was already waiting at the altar with Troy, Sebastian, and Paul lined to his left side, waiting for the bride. Loren was the first to walk down the aisle. This was the first time she was asked to be in a wedding and she seemed to be glowing with pleasure.
Gabrielle was next and Arielle was right behind her. Her eyes fell on the four men standing at the altar next to each other and her breath held in her throat. She gasped quietly. They were all striking. She knew that every female eye inside the church was locked on them. Sebastian’s eyes immediately fastened on Arielle and she saw his lips quirk in that smile that made her heart beat faster. He was the type of a man whose presence would suspend discussions. She felt so completely happy as she kept her eyes on him. She couldn’t believe that this man was hers to love for eternity. He seemed like a fabrication of her imagination. He was rich, distinguished, and outright imaginary.
She took her place next to Gabby, and shortly after that, she heard the bridal music. Everyone’s eyes turned to the entrance. Eva walked in on her uncle’s arm, and both Gabrielle and Arielle gasped out loud. Tears welled up and they reached for each other’s hand. Their gasps were loud enough for the guys and a few of the guests at the front row to turn and stare at them.
Arielle felt a lump climbing slowly up her throat. Eva’s uncle was the twin of Mr. Winters, and it was as if her father had come back to life to walk her down the aisle. Both Gabby and Arielle gulped and tried to control their emotions. They noticed Sebastian and Troy’s concerned looks. Eva was an angel as her immortal face was flawless and her body was that of a goddess. Ian’s eyes were sparkling and his stunning immortal face was jubilant.
The church was charmingly decorated, the flowers were amazing, and the ceremony was lovely. Their vows were so warm and affectionate that Gabrielle and Arielle became quite emotional. When Ian and Eva were pronounced husband and wife, they locked each other into a loving kiss, and with big smiles, they took each other’s hand and walked out beaming from exuberant pleasure. Troy was next. He took Gabrielle’s hand tenderly and walked toward the exit followed by Paul with Loren and Sebastian with Arielle.
“You are stunningly beautiful,” Sebastian murmured.
“I was just about ready to say the same thing to you,” Arielle said. Their eyes locked, and the curve of his lips deepened, and she felt surrounded by his strength.
“What happened in there with you and Gabrielle?” he asked.
“Sebastian, we almost lost it when we saw Eva walk in with her father’s brother by her side. It almost seemed that Mr. Winters was walking Eva down the aisle.”
He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek, squeezing her softly. “I love you, Arielle, and I can’t wait to make you my wife. Your compassion for people is astounding to me, and that is one of the so many qualities I love about you.”
“You do know that every girl here would love to be with you, don’t you?” she whispered in his ear with a soft chuckle.
“I don’t see any other girl here but you.” His arm was now around her waist as they walked into the reception hall.
The reception was magnificent and the decorations were absolutely lovely. Each table had a fabulous floral center piece that carried Eva’s wedding theme and each seat was designated with a beautifully designed name tag. The food was delicious and extraordinarily prepared, followed by scrumptious desserts. Eva's uncle took Eva to the dance floor for the father-daughter dance. It was quite an emotional moment. Eva’s mother was openly crying and that emotion seemed to spread like fire among their guests.
Arielle took a quick look around and didn’t see a single person who didn’t have moisture in their eyes or an expression of sadness on their faces. She averted her gaze to Eva and she felt tenderness for her best friend. Eva couldn’t cry anymore, but distress was clearly spreading across her face. She was trying to carry the memory of her beloved father the best way she knew how.
Gabrielle came up holding Troy’s hand and stood next to Arielle and Sebastian. When the dance was over, Eva left the dance floor and made a point of going to where Gabby and Arielle stood to give them a hug and let them know how much she loved them. Everyone had an amazing time. Gabby and Arielle saw some of their secondary school friends that were attended other universities and hadn’t seen them for a couple years. They chatted and danced for hours.
Paul and Loren never left each other’s arms while Eva and Ian shared their time between the guests, their friends, and their families. Gabrielle and Arielle were on the dance floor with their friends and felt extremely amused watching Sebastian and Troy being surrounded by single girls in a desperate attempt to pick them up. Their guys appeared to be totally overwhelmed.
It was quite amusing to watch the sexy mannerisms used by the girls to entice the immortals to some sort of an exchange back without success. Frustration painted their faces as they stepped away. Arielle and Gabby had been on the dance floor for a while when Sebastian and Troy walked up and cut in.
“Where you ever going to stop dancing and come talk to me?” he asked Arielle quietly.
“Well, I was getting ready to do that when you came up.” Arielle chuckled.
“Not true…it appeared that you forgot all about me.”
“How can that be possible? You aren’t exactly the type of a man that can be forgotten. I saw all those girls that came up and wanted to dance with you. Why did you not dance?” she asked.
He snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “I don’t want to dance with anyone but you,” he said firmly.
“Really?” Her giggling was like remedy for his soul.
“Yes, really.” His arms tightened and she stopped breathing.
“Troy and I waited to see how long it would take you both to come back and dance with us, but we finally realized that we may have to wait all night, so here we are.”
The lighting was soft and the music really amazing. She stretched up on her tippy toes, searching for his lips, and he was more than happy to accommodate her. Their lips melded, their tongues twisted, and they both moaned softly.
“I love you, baby,” he breathed without leaving the kiss. “You make me a happy man.” His scent was intoxicating, and his lips tasted like sweet honey. The kiss deepened and they moved to a slow song with their eyes closed. When the song was over, the four of them walked back to their table.
Loren and Paul were there, whispering sweet nothing to each other, making them smile. Eva and Ian walked up, letting them know that they were getting ready to leave. They hugged each other and wished them a safe and wonderful honeymoon.
“We’ll see you in a couple of weeks.” Ian said with a wide smile on his face, holding Eva lovingly.
“Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do,” said Gabrielle laughingly, and they were surprised to find Sebastian and Troy completely amused by her statement.
“What do you mean by that?” Troy asked.
“You never heard that before?” Gabby asked, totally surprised.
“No, I must say I never have. Have you, Sebastian?” Troy turned to Sebastian.
“No,
I’m not familiar with that expression, but I find it very amusing.”
“Well, you both are pretty easy to amuse I must say,” Arielle said. Troy leaned in and whispered something in Gabby’s ear, and she flushed. They all now turned their attention toward Eva and Ian as they walked away waving and smiling at them.
“Have fun!” Arielle called out.
“We will,” they heard Eva’s jubilant voice.
They were flying to Fiji tonight. They seemed so happy and her friends were extremely joyful for them.
“We will see you in a couple weeks,” the newly married called to their parents as the entered the limousine bound for the airport.
“How human of them…” Arielle said.
Gabby shot her a sincerely stunned glance. “What do you mean?”
Arielle laughed. “Let’s face it, Gabby, they don’t need to catch a plane to Fiji. They can be there before the plane takes off.”
Gabrielle started to laugh, and soon enough Troy, Sebastian, Paul, and Loren joined in. Mrs. Winters approached with her brother-in-law and his wife by his side. She was beaming from head to toe knowing that her daughter was now married to a wonderful young man.
“Her father would be so proud of her,” she said in a soft voice.
“He is…” Arielle entered in a very matter of fact voice that made all of them except for Gabrielle stare at her in wonder. Gabrielle remembered just as well as Arielle did Eva’s summons and her father coming back, stating that he would be by her side every step of the way, so they were sure he was there.
Mrs. Winters smiled and gave Arielle a hug, stating that she was sure her father was watching from above. She introduced them to Mr. Winters’ twin brother and his wife. They seemed to be very kind individuals that loved Eva and her mother immensely. Ian’s sister and parents approached their table, and after short introductions, they talked for a little while about their trip to England and the excitement of the wedding. Ian’s father had lived in England in his younger years, so this definitely wasn’t his first time in the county. It wasn’t long before Arielle and Gabrielle’s parents walked up and, after the introductions to Ian’s parents, they all spent a little more time discussing the beauty of the wedding and the happiness of both Eva and Ian.
Mr. Taylor’s strong, happy voice came from across the room. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other quite a lot in the next few weeks as we have to repeat this a couple more times, right?”
“That’s right…” Arielle’s father replied with a jubilant laughter. He then turned to Sebastian. “Sebastian, my boy, are you ready to take the plunge?” His voice dripped with mirth.
“Yes, sir, I sure am,” he replied with a wide smile on his face, and reaching over, he put his arm around Arielle and pulled her close.
“What about you, Troy?” Mr. Taylor asked, turning to face Troy.
“I’ve been ready,” he muttered, sending a warm smile to Gabrielle.
“Good…good…that’s good to know,” he mumbled and gave Mrs. Taylor a kiss on the cheek. Paul and Loren took off before anyone else did.
Around ten, the remaining guests stood in the country club’s brilliantly lit parking lot talking away when Arielle had a strong feeling that someone was watching her. She shivered as she rapidly scanned the parking lot, trying to pierce through the dark shaded areas, afraid of what she might see, but she couldn’t see anything at all. She bit her lip and tried to suppress the feeling. But it came back much stronger, making her tremble as she pulled herself closer to Sebastian. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and cradled her, thinking that she might be cold.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he whispered, holding her gaze. Bending down, he pressed his lips on her forehead. He didn’t push her for a reply; he just waited. Arielle hesitated because she couldn’t explain the weird feeling, but it was still there. His eyes narrowed, and she heard his soft voice one more time. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure, but I’ve this strange feeling that we’re being watched,” she said. Her voice dropped to a soft whisper. He pulled her closer and held her tighter against his warm body. He rested his soft gaze on her face one more time, lips curved, face relaxed, spreading relief through her.
“There is nobody watching us,” he chuckled, giving her a soft squeeze, and she forced a smile. The conversation continued, and it grew pretty animated now as Gabrielle pressed Troy to tell her the secret location of their honeymoon. Troy kept shaking his head, totally unyielding to her hugs, kisses, and requests. Arielle laughed as she started to relax, and soon enough, she threw herself enthusiastically into the conversation.
“How about taking this argument home?” Troy asked with a chuckle and pulled Gabrielle towards the car.
“I was just about to suggest the same thing,” Sebastian said with a smile.
“Goodbye, Arielle!” She heard her father’s voice and she turned towards the club entrance. She saw her parents descending the main staircase along with Gabrielle’s parents, waving at them. She blinked as the bright lights in the background and the shadows of the night prevented her from having a clear view of their faces. She waved in their direction, smiling. Suddenly a fast movement caught her eyes at the club entrance and she felt her body go rigid. Sheer horror crept up her spine as she zeroed in on the beautiful woman who was standing behind the huge glass doors.
She was Arielle’s most horrifying nightmare. Her face was partly obscured by the shadow of a pillar, but even in the weak lighting, Arielle could make out her smug expression, and she recoiled. A man stood right next to her with his arm around her waist, but she couldn’t see his face. Despite the peculiar familiarity about him, her eyes were glued to the woman. She managed to draw breath as bile climbed up her throat.
Annabel… she gasped as her breath held in her throat and she felt her heartbeat hammering in her chest, creating enormous pain. She started to shake uncontrollably, feeling faint, and the ground seemed to sway under her feet. Sebastian’s strong arms instantly tightened around her body and held her upright. Otherwise she would have sprawled on the ground, utterly petrified.
“Arielle…what’s wrong, baby?” he asked with clear concern. She tried to speak, but all she could do was wheeze over and over again.
“What…?” Sebastian asked again, watching her carefully as she lifted her hand and pointed towards the club entrance. They all turned back, gazing at the direction she pointed, and that’s when she heard both Sebastian and Troy gasp at the same time.
“Annabel…” She heard Sebastian’s voice as he turned to Troy and she saw their lips moving but couldn’t hear a single word. The next few seconds were a blur. Sebastian pulled her in his arms, pressed his lips softly on hers, and passed her to Troy like a rag doll. “I’ll be right back; miss me…” She heard his voice, and he was gone before she had a chance to even see him move. Arielle was frozen, astonishment on her face, gazing in the direction that she last saw Sebastian being swallowed by the night.
“What in bloody hell is going on?” Gabrielle asked in shocked voice. “Where did Sebastian disappear to?” She was now gazing between Arielle and Troy.
“Annabel is here,” Troy said, voice low
“Annabel…?” Gabrielle’s eyes went wide with disbelief.
“Annabel is here,” Troy repeated carefully with his eyes fixed toward the entrance.
“That bloody bitch!” Gabrielle hissed. Troy and Arielle turned toward her, stunned by her icy, frantic voice.
“It’s okay, baby,” Troy whispered. “Arielle is safe. Sebastian went after Annabel and it’s not going to be good for her.”
“How is he going to find her?” Arielle asked Troy. Her heart was hammering her chest, creating enormous pain.
“There is a certain scent that we follow with other immortals, and it’ll not be easy for Annabel to shake Sebastian off her path.”
“I wonder what she was doing here?” Gabrielle mumbled, frowning.
“I’m sure she wanted to frighten Arielle and she
succeeded,” Troy said. He put his arm around Arielle and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m a little surprised that my friends in Italy didn’t give me an advance warning that she was coming this way,” Troy said. He appeared disappointed at the thought and remained silent, shaking his head. He finally gazed down at Gabrielle, who was still watching him in shock. Putting his other arm around her, he pulled her close and pressed his lips on her forehead. “It will be okay, Gabrielle,” he murmured in a soft, unruffled voice. He then averted his gaze at Arielle and realized that something was terribly wrong. She seemed to relax briefly in his arm, but suddenly, she tensed, struggling to take a breath, and shut her eyes in sheer anxiety. He pulled her harder against his side keeping her upright.
“What is it Arielle?” he asked, alarmed.
“The man—the man— with Annabel…I think I know the man,” she whispered, trembling.
“The man? What man? Are you sure there was a man with her?” Troy was searching Arielle’s eyes. “I didn’t see anyone. I only saw Annabel for a short second, and she was gone,” Troy said.
Arielle pressed her lips together in frustration. “You can let go, Troy. I am doing a little better,” she said. She was trying hard to evoke her memory. “There was a man with his arm around her. I’m very sure about that. There were both watching us.” Troy let go of her, and she took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts.
“Are you okay?” Gabrielle asked with a worrisome expression on her face.
“I’m doing much better, but I don’t mind telling you that Annabel is my worst nightmare.” Her name caused bile to rise up her throat, and it was hard to ignore the bitter taste in her mouth. Troy moved closer to face her.
“So who was the man? Was he an immortal? And if so, how do you know him?” Troy kept on trying to learn a few more details.
“The sight of Annabel terrified me, and I didn’t have a good look at him. But I’m almost sure that I know him.” Her eyes darted toward the entrance one more time.
Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7) Page 25