“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered, gazing into his tired eyes. “I’ll be back soon.” He smiled sweetly. She was out the door and on the way back to the house, anxious to get this revelation with Paul over with.
Chapter 14
SHE ARRIVED AT HOME a few minutes before 2:00 and headed to her room to freshen up, a tense anticipation twisting in her stomach. She hated doing this but somehow it always ended up in her lap. Her gaze fell to the mirror above the dresser and the anxious expression on her face made her frown. She closed her eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths. Her lids felt swollen, and opening her eyes took great effort.
The doorbell snapped her out of her reverie. She took a couple more deep breaths, and then went for the door. Paul was standing at the threshold with a wide smile spread across his handsome face.
“Hi, Paul, come in.” She reached for him and he laid a kiss on her lips that made both of them laugh out loud.
“I sure missed you,” he said, his smile showing his pleasure at seeing Arielle again.
“Me too. I’m so glad you are here.”
“I must say,” Paul said, “I’ve been waiting impatiently to hear what you want to talk to me about.”
“Come in and sit down before we get into what we want to tell each other. Would you like something to drink?” she asked as she led the way into the kitchen. “I only have soda and tea.”
“Ah, soda would be just fine.” He followed her into the kitchen and perched on a stool at the counter. Arielle pulled a couple of sodas out of the fridge and handed him one.
He popped the top and took a sip, gazing at her with a smile. His voice came out steady and clear. “So what’s up?”
“I thought you wanted to talk to me?” Arielle asked.
“I do, but you go first,” he said, and clasped his hands on the counter top.
Arielle took a seat across from him. Reaching over the counter, she enfolded his hands in hers and stared into his clear blue eyes.
“You are making me nervous. What’s wrong?”
“Paul, how do you really feel about Loren?” Her question took him aback, and she noticed a shadow flicker across his eyes.
“Why?” he asked, gazing at her intently.
“Work with me,” she chuckled. “I’ve reasons for asking.”
“Well, I’m deeply in love with her, and I’m planning to propose to her on Christmas Day. What’s this all about?”
Arielle met his gaze and pressed his hands warmly.
“Is there anything in this world that could change the way you feel about her or alter your plans?”
“What do you mean when you say change my plans?” He looked confused.
“This is the thing,” Arielle said, meeting Paul’s gaze. She took a deep breath as she considered a better way to ask the question. She bit her lower lip and exhaled. It was difficult finding an easy way to move into the main issue.
“Arielle, what’s the thing? What’s going on?” Paul asked.
“Paul, have you ever had any thoughts about immortality?” she asked calmly.
His eyes widened. He looked at her baffled. “How do you mean? Medically or scientifically?”
“Neither,” she said, and groaned. She pressed her lips together and tried again. “What I’m asking is…have you ever thought of living forever, like for eternity.”
“Well, that’s quite an intriguing question. But speaking honestly, that’s not something that occupies my thoughts on a regular basis.” He chuckled, watching her sardonically. “But that’s quite an amazing idea. I truly couldn’t think of a single soul on this planet that wouldn’t wish for eternal life.”
Arielle looked down at her hands and pressed her lips together. She knew that in the next few minutes Paul’s life would change forever.
Paul cleared his throat, bringing Arielle's attention back to the moment. She looked up at him just as she heard his voice say skeptically, “However…” his voice trailed. He paused for a short moment. “It’s funny that you asked me something like that,” he said, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“What do you mean?” Arielle probed.
“However…eternity with Loren sounds amazing,” he said, and voilà there it was; Arielle had the opening she needed.
“Let me ask you a question,” she said, gazing into his eyes. “What if Loren was an immortal and she could live forever?”
“Is that a hypothetical question or are you trying to say something?”
She felt the weight of his gaze as she tried to look unaffected by his words. He shook his head, pursed his lips, and she finally heard him say, “I don’t quite understand the question.”
“Let me try another way,” she came back passionately. “Would you love Loren any less if you found out that she was an immortal?”
“An immortal?” he repeated slowly. Suddenly, he looked intently in her eyes. “What do you mean by an immortal? I don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“Paul,” she said patiently, “what if Loren could live forever?”
He shrugged. “Let’s pretend that I’m understanding what you’re asking,” he chuckled. “And I assure you that I don’t. If Loren was an immortal, it would be totally unfair to me.”
“Why is that?”
“If she could live forever that means I would die and she would still live on. I don’t think that would be fair. So no…I wouldn’t like it if she were an immortal,” he said firmly. “But truly, Arielle, what in bloody hell are you trying to say? I’m totally confused.”
Arielle frowned. She was not coming across as well as she hoped. She considered her choice of words and couldn’t think of a better way to get through to him.
“What if you found out that Loren had special powers that were beyond human understanding. Would you love her any less?”
“Of course not, she’s the girl of my dreams, she’s absolutely amazing, fascinating, exciting, and I’m going to love her until the end of time.” His voice dropped to a soft whisper. “Arielle, I’m irrevocably in love with her. Now that you know how I feel, tell me what’s going on without any insinuations.”
“It’ll be difficult to hear what I have to say, and I’m a little nervous about that.” She was just about ready to speak when she heard the doorbell. Thank God! she thought. She ran to the door and let Gabrielle and Eva inside. She felt relief at that she now had supporters. Paul rose to his feet and welcomed both of them with open arms.
“How about this? Like old times,” he said with a bright smile. “I’m glad to see you because I was getting a little worried with Arielle’s riddles and enigmas.”
“What were you all talking about?” Eva asked, pretending that she didn't know anything.
“We were talking about immortality,” Paul said, beginning to laugh even harder. He quickly noticed that the girls were not laughing. He immediately stopped, and looked at them puzzlement in his gaze. An eerie silence fell between them.
“What? Don’t tell me that you all believe in this stuff?” he said, a bit shocked by their expressions.
“Absolutely,” Arielle heard Eva’s sweet voice say as bliss spread across her beautiful face. Arielle was amazed at how quickly Eva was adapting to her new identity, and how proud she was of herself.
“Paul, the three of us are here for the same purpose. We are here to save your relationship with Loren as we happen to know that she loves you immensely,” Arielle said.
“There’s nothing wrong with our relationship, and nothing will ever get between Loren and I,” he said firmly. “Oh, my gosh, Arielle, you are driving me crazy, Please say what is it that you are trying to say before I go out of mind. What’s this big secret that Loren is keeping from me?”
Arielle covered Paul’s hands again with her own. She stood there quietly gazing in his questioning eyes. The silence was awkward. She took a couple deep breaths and came out with it.
“I’m really happy to hear you say that because you must know who Loren really is.” Ariell
e studied his face closely. “Loren is an…immortal,” she said, speaking slowly and clearly, emphasizing the last word.
A mixture of fright, amazement, and apprehension appeared on Paul's face. He was frozen in place. His beautiful blue eyes had turned dark and murky. He stared at their hands, still intertwined on the counter top. He finally pulled his hands back, and looked around the room thoughtfully. He ran his hand petulantly through his hair, and then stared at Arielle’s face, eyes in high alert, body rigid, face grim.
“That’s absurd!” It was all that he could say. Arielle, Eva, and Gabrielle remained absolutely still. They wanted to give him time to absorb Arielle’s words. Although Paul was quiet his body and facial expression spoke volumes.
Gabrielle’s voice startled Paul, but he kept his gaze on something in the distance, refusing to make direct eye contact with Gabrielle.
“Paul, please listen. You do know that we three love you like a brother. We would never do anything to hurt you. Do you at least believe that?”
Paul’s eyes turned and rested on Gabrielle’s face. His emotions seemed to shift from distress to uneasiness.
“Of course I believe you,” he said, and pressed his hand against his forehead.
“Paul, listen to me, please,” Gabrielle said in a firm voice. “Loren is an immortal. She is an awesome girl that loves you immensely, but she has eternal life.” His gentle look immediately changed to that of horror.
“She’s a vampire!” he shrieked. All three girls choked back a laugh and rolled their eyes, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“A vampire?” he screamed this time.
“Come on, Paul!” Arielle said, holding back laughter. “There are no such creatures as vampires.”
“Then, what are you saying?”
Arielle took advantage of his shock to continue. “Let me make this very clear, Loren is not a vampire. She is a girl that will live for eternity. She possesses amazing gifts that you and I will never have.”
Paul’s face went pale like an artist’s palette wiped clean after a painting session. She knew that he was in shock by the look of disbelief frozen on his face. Arielle took another deep breath and looked over at Gabrielle and Eva who were sitting quietly watching them. They both smiled at her with an approving look on their faces, and so she pressed on.
“Paul, we just can’t pretend that Loren is like you and me because she isn’t, and you had to find out the truth sooner or later.” Paul looked at her and there was a faraway look in his eyes. She knew that look, she had seen it before on herself as well as on Gabrielle and Eva. He was disoriented and unable to comprehend the meaning of her words. She could see fine lines of distress covering his forehead. He kept rubbing his hands together nervously.
“How do you know?” he whispered.
“She is Sebastian’s sister…and Sebastian is an immortal,” Arielle said calmly. He winced at the unexpected statement.
“Sebastian!” his jaw dropped. His eyes fastened on her face. The disbelief in his voice startled even her.
“Yes,” she replied firmly.
“Does everyone know that?” he asked, astonishment plain on his face as he looked around.
“No, and this isn’t something we should divulge. However, there are a few more immortals here, and they are people that you know and love.”
Paul stood up and started to pace nervously, face drawn with anxiety. He finally stopped and shaking he head he gazed deep into Arielle’s eyes.
“Like who?” he asked, his voice barely audible.
Arielle remained silent as she desperately searched for words that would make this revelation easier to swallow. Paul stood still and waited. His eyes assessed the girls as if trying to decipher their thoughts. He finally turned back to Arielle. “Like who?” he insisted keenly.
“Like… like…” Arielle stumbled over her words. “Like…Troy… Eva…Ian…” her voice trailed as she delivered each name in a slow, worrisome voice.
“Eva!” he shrieked. “Ian! Troy!” He gasped.
“Yes,” Arielle said. Paul got up and walked to the study. The three girls exchanged glances and then followed.
“I suppose you’re all going to explain what the hell is going on here,” Paul said, watching the three of them, begging them with his eyes to give him something to hold onto, to tell him something that made sense. The women all took a seat. Arielle began the story of how she learned the truth about Sebastian, making sure not to skip over any detail. She proceeded to explain how Gabrielle came to learn about Troy, and eventually turned to the horrible accident that changed the lives of Eva and Ian forever.
Paul's face paled the more Arielle talked. He was clearly fighting an urge to throw up. He rose to his feet again and walked in front of the huge window. He stared out toward the ocean and took deep breaths. For several minutes, he merely stood there with his hands in his pockets. Gabrielle, Eva, and Arielle remained quiet, waiting.
Before long, Paul spun around, his expression dark. Through clenched teeth, he said, “So, we’re dealing with people that aren’t human, that never die, and other than that, you’re telling me they are normal. Come on, be real!”
“Careful, Paul, I’m one of those people, and I’m right here.” Eva sounded upset. Paul averted his gaze away from her.
“I’m sorry, Eva,” he mumbled apologetically, but he would not meet her eyes. He stared off in the distance for a few moments, and then suddenly he snapped out of his deep thoughts and looked at Eva. “I didn’t mean anything by it, I’m just shocked by the whole thing. I hope you understand, this isn’t an easy thing to swallow. It’s actually quite astonishing.”
“Yes, I do understand. We have all been at the place you’re at right now. I understand completely.”
Paul smiled, his expression changing to one of relief. “I’ve been thrust into an entirely unusual and scary area. I’m not sure how I can process something like this.”
Arielle jumped in. “Different yes, but scary...no,” she said smiling, her thoughts on her miracle man. Arielle looked down at her watch anxiously; it was almost three. Loren would be arriving shortly. Will Paul be ready to face her? she thought to herself. Rising to her feet, she walked up to Paul and taking his hand, she said softly, “Paul, remember, we all love each other very much, and we would never purposely hurt each other, do you agree?”
“Of course” Paul blinked surprised. “I’m astounded that you would even ask that.”
“I’m sorry, Paul,” Arielle said. “I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Eva stood up and paced across the room. She finally stopped in front of Paul, and peered into his eyes. “I hope all this will never alter your love for–”
Paul interrupted her mid-sentence by waving his hands in dismissal. “Nothing will ever come between Loren and me. I only wish she had told me herself.”
“Paul, let me tell you what I know to be the absolute truth,” Arielle said. “Loren is deeply in love with you. She was scared to death that if you found out that she was an immortal you wouldn’t love her anymore. Immortals have an amazing ability to will people to do anything they want them to do. Loren could have compelled you to fall in love with her, but that’s not what immortals do when they find their soul mates. They want to be loved for who they are, just as we all do.” She ran her tongue over her dry lips, and took a deep breath. She looked at her friend anxiously, and asked, “Can you understand?”
Chapter 15
PAUL CONSIDERED ARIELLE'S WORDS. She turned and went back to take a seat next to Gabrielle while Paul watched her silently. He took a seat behind Sebastian’s desk, shaking his head in confusion. Leaning forward, he set both his forearms on the desk and clasped his hands together as conflicting emotions ran across his face.
Arielle continued to gaze at him from across the room with an unwavering expression. “Loren has not been able to sleep since the moment you saw her move with her immortal speed at the restaurant. She wanted badly to be with you, so she tried to get
to you as fast as she could. She wanted to be in your arms, and made a mistake that she regrets. Oh, how I wish you would forget all about immortality and love her for being Loren, a gorgeous girl that happened to be given a gift that she never asked for.” Arielle pursed her lips and forced a smile.
“What do you mean she was given a gift she didn’t ask for?”
“Someone gave the gift of immortality to Loren rather than letting her die. It was the same with her parents. They didn’t ask to be immortals. The choice was made for them, and they have to live with their immortality, and all that comes with it.”
“That’s extraordinary!”
“They really are just like you and me. They fall in love, and they hurt just like we do. There are some differences, but nothing that would interfere with your love and your life together.”
Paul rested his chin in his hands. He gazed at the three girls for a long moment, eyes narrowed, and when he spoke his voice was smooth. “So, she’s going to live forever, and what about me?” His question lingered between them.
Finally, Arielle broke the silence. “Gabrielle and I are in the same boat with you, but we both choose to spend every moment we have left on this earth with Sebastian and Troy. I’m sure that our lives would be empty if they were not here.”
Paul listened carefully, his expression still showing confusion, but he nodded slowly in agreement. A soft look spread across his face, and Arielle knew that he was thinking about Loren. He finally coughed to clear his throat before saying, “I knew there was something extraordinary about Loren. She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, present company excluded,” he quickly added and chuckled. The girls laughed with him.
“She’s absolutely incredible in everything she does.” He snickered as his cheeks flamed.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed,” Arielle said. “We’re familiar with immortal passion.”
Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) Page 13