“Somehow I don’t see much in those symbols,” he said.
“Ahh…Sebastian there's a huge secret world behind each letter in this little book,” Eva replied. Loren and Isabella came closer as they seemed to be mesmerized with Eva’s knowledge. Eva’s face unwavering while her finger moved slowly across the page and her eyes scanned each letter and each symbol carefully.
“All right, I think I want to try and see if I can make contact with her,” she whispered to Sebastian. “How long has she been gone?”
“3 hours and 15 minutes now,” he replied without hesitation.
Everyone moved into the study and sat down waiting for Eva to give them some kind of information so they could help. Eva remained in the kitchen by herself for a while. She finally walked into the room and sat next to Ian.
“What happened?” Sebastian asked anxiously.
“From what I can gather she’s either sleeping or unconscious because there’s no activity with her brain. I can’t meet her thoughts. Maybe Annabel drugged her until she gets to her desired destination. Don’t worry Sebastian, I’ll communicate with Arielle. We just have to be patient.” She looked around and finally she said. “If any of you have something else to do you can go on, Sebastian will call you when we have something.”
“We are not going anywhere,” Isabella said and Christian agreed. Sebastian acknowledged them thankfully.
Loren walked up to Sebastian and put her arms around him and he held her tightly. She pressed a soft kiss on his cheek and whispered, “I love you Sebastian. Please don’t worry; we’ll get Arielle back.” He nodded and sat in the big chair waiting.
“Eva, can you tell me now a little about this ability you and Arielle have to link your thoughts?” Christian asked, again. “Like I said before, I’m very interested in Mentalism.”
“Indeed,” Eva said. She seemed to have forgotten his previous statement.
“Yes, I studied about it at the university with a special group of students who were interested in the incredible indicators that the brain can provide, channeling from one mind to the other.” Everyone but Eva looked at Christian in fascination.
“Very well,” said Eva, and started to explain. “Each of the two people who want to link their thoughts concentrate their energy within their mind and soul almost like accelerating their sixth sense. The sixth sense is the secret and unique ability to read someone else’s thoughts. You literally channel into the other person’s mind and you can vividly see places the person you're channeling with is passing, such as names, streets, and places that will lead you to them. Sometimes the signs aren’t very clear and then others are so clear they can rattle the mind to high anxiety.” Eva took a deep breath, ran her tongue over her dry lips, sighed and added, “I’ve had the ability to reach into the subconscious of people I was looking for and find them. Arielle and I were in different places when we tried this. We had the ability to channel unspoken thoughts and feelings and communicate through space. Something called Telepathy; what you called Mentalism. I knew exactly where to go to find Arielle. We then knew that what this little book told was the absolute truth.”
“So, you can work your way into someone’s mind, and uncover the key to their thoughts and probe to locate your target, right?” Christian quantified.
“Exactly,” Eva said, smiling. They all seemed to be obsessed with the idea of Eva connecting with Arielle. Christian and Isabella stood up and smiled sympathetically at Sebastian.
“Sebastian,” Christian said. “I’m a bit familiar with this subject and the fact that Eva and Arielle possess that amazing ability makes me feel very sure it’ll all work out. Maybe it would be best if Isabella and I went home. We don’t know how long it’ll take for Eva and Arielle to communicate. Call me when you know where you want us to be. We’ll be available to you at any time.”
Sebastian nodded in agreement. He turned to Eva and smiled.
“Eva, that’s absolutely amazing!” Christian said.
Eva tried to enter Arielle’s thoughts but she’d been getting utter silence.
“It’s—” Eva started to say but stopped mid-sentence and shifted uncomfortably. A shocked look in her eyes didn’t escape Sebastian who moved quickly closer and stared intently at Eva. She lifted her hand to her mouth and ran her finger lightly across her lips. She hauled in a deep breath and disbelief spread across her face. Her hand movement over her lips became forceful, while disgust spread across her face. The feeling of lips pressing hard against Eva’s was so palpable that she gasped aloud.
She looked as if she was suddenly aware of someone’s presence. Eva was absolutely certain that she’d entered Arielle’s consciousness. Someone was with her and that someone wasn’t Annabel. It wasn’t but a second later and she felt a jolt that nearly threw her out of her chair. Arielle’s thoughts and emotions were pouring into her head. “No…no…let me go!” Eva mouthed, as she lifted her hands and thrashed out into the thin air, as if she was pushing against something or someone. Eva recoiled as Arielle’s emotions kept coming filled with anguish and disgust. “What have you done?” Arielle’s voice was elevated. “You’re crazy! Where are you taking me?” Eva felt each and every emotion piercing her very soul.
Eva’s body reacted to Arielle’s anxiety; as she jumped out of her chair, waving her hands wildly, pushing hard against the thin air. Stony silence fell in the room, while everyone stood motionless, watching Eva.
Christian and Isabella had reached the front door, but stopped. Ian and Loren stared in shock while Ian dropped to his knees in front of Eva and, taking her hands in his, tried to stop her from thrashing against the empty space in front of her. Sebastian watched her face intently. Eva’s eyes were wide open and abruptly she pulled her hands away from Ian. He blinked in shock but remained quiet. They knew Eva had connected with Arielle’s inner thoughts. Eva finally dropped her face into her hands and, hauling in a deep breath, exhaled forcefully.
“What happened, Eva?” Sebastian asked in desperation.
Eva looked up slowly, confused. “She’s fighting to keep someone from touching her.”
“Who? Who is trying to touch her?” Sebastian asked again, faced filled with tension.
“I don’t know…I don’t know...“ she repeated, voice fragmenting. She’d tried to pierce through Arielle’s very soul. Her eyes scanned the room and suddenly she smiled. “She knows…she knows I’m trying to communicate with her,” she said softly. Sebastian exhaled deeply. “She’s letting me see that she’s in some type of vessel,” Eva murmured. “I can see water through large portholes. It looks like she’s held in a cabin.”
Everyone in the room was frozen in place. The silence stretched but nobody moved. Eva looked like she was on a rollercoaster.
Abruptly, her eyes widened, her jaw tightened and she started to hyperventilate. She grabbed her chest, gasping out loud, trying to breathe, hissing, as if she was suffocating. Her eyes shone with fear and stunned shock. Ian jumped out of his seat and together with Sebastian pulled her up from her seat. She was dead weight.
“What’s wrong baby?” Ian asked fearfully.
“I can’t breathe…I can’t breathe,” she gasped and shortly after that she collapsed. Loren ran into the kitchen and grabbed a towel. She soaked it in cold water and running back placed it on Eva’s forehead. A little while later Eva opened her eyes and looked around feeling weak. She brushed her hair away from her face let out a huge lungful of air.
“Are you all right?” Ian asked hovering over her excitedly. He pressed his lips softly on her forehead and waited for a reply. Eva blinked, as discontent pounded her thoughts.
“I’m fine,” she said, tilting her head back. “I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t see the person who’s holding Arielle.”
“What happened? You had a hard time breathing and you passed out,” Sebastian said.
“I’m sure that whoever is on that boat sedated her to keep her from fighting. I felt every bit of it.”
“W
hy would anybody want to do that?”
“I don’t know, Sebastian, I don’t know. We have to wait for her to wake up.”
Sebastian exhaled, consumed by anxiety. He walked over to the big chair and slumped down, dropped his face in his hands and let out a deep sigh.
Chapter 13
“THIS IS SURREAL,” Christian whispered to Isabella. They decided against leaving the house for the time being. The raw experience of the channeling between Arielle and Eva mesmerized them, and they wanted to see it through.
Eva shifted uncomfortably. She clasped her hands firmly and gave Ian a pleading look. Ian seemed to understand her sign and moving closer. He put his arm around her and held her tightly. Eva’s look didn’t escape any of her friends. Sebastian was going out of his mind; he needed something to distract him, so he picked up the remote and turned the telly on. He was sure that they were all tense, waiting for something to happen.
“There’s plenty of Salve in the fridge,” Sebastian said softly. The news on the tube seemed to absorb their attention for a short time, easing the tension in the room. He drank a glass of Salve and paced a few times, before finally sitting back down, lost in thought.
Eva felt Sebastian’s distress and wanted so badly to be able to do something. It had been about an hour since the last channeling with Arielle. Eva was in deep conversation now with everyone about school coming up in the fall. She was in the middle of discussing the classes she was going to take when she seemed to be drifting away and she flinched.
Loren was watching Eva carefully, her gaze moved from Eva to Sebastian, who was still lost in thought, and then back to Eva. Eva’s face was flashed as she moved her hand up and with her finger rubbed her lips back and forth, as if she was trying to wipe something away.
“Why do you keep doing that?” Ian whispered in her ear, leaning much closer. Eva set her lips against his ear. making sure that what she said to Ian didn’t reach Sebastian’s ears.
“Someone’s touching Arielle,” she murmured. “I can feel their lips pressing against hers and their hands touching her body.”
Ian recoiled. He stared in Sebastian’s direction, wanting to make sure he didn’t hear any of it. He was still sitting silent, overwhelmed with devastating emotions, face hard, jaw clenched.
Sebastian heard the quiet and noticed that the vigorous conversation between his friends about school had suddenly stopped. He jerked his head up and he noticed that they were all watching Eva. He turned and gazed at her for what it seemed to be eternity. His eyebrows lifted in amazement as he watch her wiping her lips over and over again. Something she did a while ago before she channeled with Arielle. He jumped up and, walking to the other side of the room, stood in front of Eva once again.
“Eva,” he said, but she seemed to be lost in her thoughts. “Eva,” he called out anxiously. Eva lifted her gaze and the expression in her eyes sent chills down his spine. Eyes widen further, breathing elevated. He could almost read her thoughts.
“It’s not Annabel…right?” he asked, anxiety choking his words.
“No,” Eva gasped.
“Who is it Eva?” body muscles clenched, voice icy cold.
“Gaston,” Eva mumbled. “It’s Gaston.”
The loud growl that escaped Sebastian hit the walls like lightning and bounced back several times making everyone in the room recoil. He fell to his knees, pressing his hands hard against his temples. Rage painted his face and the sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach rose quickly stopping at the bottom of his throat, shearing every fiber in his body, burning every nerve like a blazing fire.
Eva tried to focus on the thread that connected her thoughts with Arielle. The connection broke, leaving her with a sickening sensation. She looked up to meet Sebastian’s gaze.
“Don’t worry, Sebastian, give it a little time. We’ll find her. Arielle's very smart. She knows how to keep away from his gaze.”
“God…Where's he taking her?”
“She doesn’t know. All she's sending to me is water. They're still on the boat. She and I will reestablish this connection once she knows where he’s taking her.”
“Gaston holds a strong resentment against me,” Sebastian mumbled bitterly.
“I knew that son of a bitch was going to do something,” Loren cried out. “I told Arielle to tell you about him three weeks ago, when he showed up at the Lanes parking lot.”
“Oh, Loren, how I wish you'd told me,” he said sadly. “I didn’t find out about Gaston until last night and it was too late to form any type of plan. I just didn’t think he would be so bold as to come into the house when I was here.” He looked lost in thought again, as he drew a huge breath and his voice came out in a throaty sound. “I know that he’s madly in love with her so, I’m fairly sure that he isn’t going to hurt her.” He winced.
“I wouldn’t trust him, Sebastian,” Ian said.
“I don’t trust him, Ian, not for a moment, but I have to think this way to keep my sanity,” he replied. “I’m very sure he’ll try to compel her, but Arielle's smart. We talked about that in detail last night, and I hope that she remembers all I told her. She knows how to keep her eyes away from his gaze. However, that can’t go on for too long. He’ll get to the point that he just might hurt her.” He grimaced. “That’s why we need to do something. I need to find her, God! I need to find her soon,” he mumbled.
“What if he keeps her drugged?” Isabella asked quietly. Everyone looked at her in surprise.
New fear took over Sebastian’s expression and he growled. “I didn’t think about that, Oh…God!” he said again.
His friends heard the pain in his voice and watched him with extreme concern. Silence stretched between them. Sebastian looked tired and completely drained.
“Sebastian, I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t try anything without her consent. You know the immortals oath is sacred, and he’s not going to break it unless he doesn’t care about his own life and I find that hard to believe. But even if he decided to do that eventually, that will give us time to find her.” Eva said.
Sebastian stared at her thoughtful but at the end he had to agree.
“Who is Gaston?” Christian asked inquisitively.
“Gaston was my best childhood friend,” Sebastian replied. “This resentment started way back in the 1500s in Calais. That’s when he fell madly in love with Arielle.”
Christian and Isabella gasped in astonishment. Christian hauled in a deep breath.
“How in bloody hell did he ever meet Arielle in Calais?” Christian asked, astounded. “Sebastian, you must understand that you sound a bit crazy to Isabella and me, making a statement like that,” he furthered.
“A statement like what?” Sebastian asked, watching Christian, as if he should know what he was talking about.
“Are you serious?” Christian exclaimed. “How could Gaston have met Arielle 500 plus years ago? She's human!”
Eva knew now that there was no way she could get out of providing details on the time travel adventure in Calais.
“It was Arielle’s birthday present from me,” she chimed in. “I wanted her to meet Sebastian when he was a mortal man. So we decided to go and attend his parent’s annual gala. Sebastian was 20 years of age at the time.”
Christian, Isabella, and even Loren were hanging on every word, utterly shocked.
“You can time-travel!” Isabella cried out, watching Eva intently.
“Yes,” Eva said. She looked around and smiled at their shocked astonishment.
“Well…” Loren’s voice trailed off. “Now I’ve heard everything.”
Sebastian looked around unable to hold back his sadness. However, the ability of Eva to communicate with Arielle gave him the reassurance he needed so desperately right now. He looked up at Eva, a smile barely touching his lips.
“Sebastian, why don’t we all go home so you can rest a bit? I’ll keep you informed as soon as I’m able to link with Arielle. You're just a text away, and we can be here in a
matter of seconds, you do need to rest!” She emphasized. “We’ve been going at this since this morning. It may take a while for Gaston to get to their destination. That’s when Arielle will be able to find out a name, a landmark, or a place that’ll give us an idea of where to start.”
Sebastian knew Eva was right. Patience would have to be the most important thing right now. He nodded in agreement.
“I’ll stay here with you,” Loren said. Sebastian smiled softly at his sister. He was happy that she decided to stay. He didn’t want to be alone.
“Thanks, Loren,” he said and put his arm around her. He thanked his friends for coming and spending the day with him. He needed their support and advice.
Eva hugged him tightly. “I love you Sebastian. We’ll have Arielle home soon. I promise you that,” she said encouragingly.
“I love you Eva, thank you,” he whispered in her ear. Eva smiled as they walked out.
Sebastian hugged Isabella and shook hands with Christian and Ian, then stood at the closed door unmoved for several minutes. He finally looked up and met Loren’s gaze.
“Come and sit here with me,” she said softly and motioned for him to join her at the sofa. “It’s going to be all right. Eva seems to be able to communicate with Arielle. When we find out where he’s taking her, then we'll tear the place apart and bring her home.”
“Thanks, Loren. Right now, I need all the encouragement I can get,” he said, and set his hand on hers. “I feel so alone, and so hurt, I can’t live without her.” He gritted his teeth, as an icy cold sensation coursed down his spine. “God…it hurts so bad!” he groaned. “Loren, I can’t be in this house without her, I can’t sleep or even imagine waking up without her in my arms.” He sighed deeply, as waking doom surged through his mind. He remained silent, buried in his thoughts and Loren closed her hands around his in a sisterly attempt to ease his pain.
Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8) Page 17