Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5)

by Lilian Roberts

  “We know that she’s an amazing lover because that’s another immortal gift. And I’m thankful for that,” Gabrielle chimed in.

  Paul smiled. “Gabrielle, I never thought I’d hear something like that from you,” he noted, feigning disapproval.

  Gabrielle’ adopted an expression of mock disappointment. “Well then, you don’t know me well enough,” she said, lifting her nose up teasingly and letting a wide smile curve her lips. Paul held Gabrielle’s gaze for a long moment and then grinned. He opened his mouth to say something but he was quickly interrupted.

  “We’re fascinating and tireless,” Eva said, bragging a little. Three heads swiveled in her direction. Arielle was struck by the crisp tone in Eva’s voice. There was a long pause, and suddenly laughter erupted in the study when they realized that Eva was only jesting with them.

  The mood had improved immensely. They all went back into the kitchen to get drinks.

  “I have to tell you,” Paul said chuckling, “when I saw Loren coming toward me at the restaurant, I completely freaked out. I couldn’t understand how someone could move with that kind of speed. She was a blur!” He shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t pressure her to explain because she told me that she was going to do that today. But wow! I never expected this.”

  “I’ve been with Troy for a year now and I still get freaked out when he moves that fast,” Gabrielle said.

  “Me too,” Arielle added. She moved closer to Paul and put her arm around him, giving him a friendly squeeze.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  Looking into his beautiful blue eyes, she said, “Loren is coming over in a few minutes. She is my sister now, so please–” She didn’t get to finish her statement because Paul waved his arm dismissively.

  “Don’t worry, Arielle, Loren is who I want to be with for the rest of my life. I appreciate all that you have done, but I’m okay.” Paul rose to his feet and walked over to Eva. “Eva, I’m horrified to know that you could kill me with your little finger,” he said, awestruck.

  “Yes, I could, so don’t tempt me,” Eva said, using the same superior tone she used to fool them earlier. This time the laughter came more quickly. Eva hugged Paul as Gabrielle and Arielle looked at each other in delight.

  “You did great,” Gabrielle whispered in Arielle's ear.

  Loren arrived around 3:10, and Paul wanted to be the one to open the door. The girls walked into the study to give them privacy, but not before they saw Paul pull her into his arms and initiate a sweltering kiss.

  “Hi, Loren!” they called out, giggling in unison as they watched her face light up. Paul and Loren remained in the kitchen talking for more than an hour before coming into the study, holding each other in a tight embrace. Loren immediately let go of Paul and hugged Eva and Gabrielle warmly, giving them a look of appreciation. Then, she walked over to Arielle and they embraced fondly.

  “I love you, Arielle,” Loren said quietly. “I’ll never forget what you did for me for as long as I live, and that is a hell of a long time.” She snorted, holding the most amazing smile on her stunning face.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m thirsty,” Arielle said as she walked back into the kitchen with everyone on her heels. They engaged in a spirited conversation about immortality. Arielle relaxed against the counter, her expression easy.

  She moved toward the fridge to grab a couple of sodas for herself and Gabrielle when she heard Paul’s mystified voice but didn't catch what he said.

  She looked back at him. “What?”

  He had a wide smirk on his face. “I can’t believe that there are only three of us left in the group without any amazing powers.” He had a faraway look in his eyes. “Three breakable humans and five indestructible immortals, unbelievable!”

  “Yep, I’m sorry to say that you were the last one to find out.” Arielle took a sip of her soda and licked her lips. Her mind whirled trying to remember how long it had been since Loren and Paul met each other. Gosh! she thought, come Christmas it will be a year. She shook her head in disbelief; time was slipping through their fingers.

  “So, are you still in love?” Arielle asked, chuckling as she gazed warmly at Loren and Paul. They both smiled at her, their faces reflecting eternal love. With the pressure of the situation lifted, they could all sit down and spend quality time with each other. Arielle was startled to hear the garage door open, and soon her beautiful miracle walked in.

  He stood in the doorway and waved at the group. “Hi.” A wide smile was plastered across his gorgeous face. Walking into the room he greeted everyone, hugging the girls and shaking hands with Paul. He then walked up to Arielle and smiled down into her eyes. Pulling her fully to him, he covered her lips with his. Arielle shivered with excitement, savoring the kiss and his warm embrace. It was as if everyone disappeared and they were the only two people on the planet. His hands burned to move under her shirt, but he forced himself to stop. He reluctantly lifted his head ending the kiss. Arielle’s eyes blinked open. Their eyes met and she noticed the dark, heated gaze burning in his eyes. He winked blissfully. “Mmm, I missed you,” he whispered.

  “Me too,” she said, trying to take a breath. Looking around she noticed her friends watching them with mirth in their eyes. Arielle blushed and pulled away from Sebastian. Letting go of Arielle, Sebastian walked up to Loren and planted a kiss on both cheeks.

  “What’s up, sis?”

  “Not much,” she said shyly, glancing at Paul.

  Sebastian gazed into her eyes quizzically. “Are you okay?”

  “I couldn’t be any better.”

  “Oh, how so?”

  “Well, it all has to do with Arielle,” she said, glancing between Paul and Arielle.

  Sebastian’s brows furrowed. He walked back to Arielle, his eyes never leaving hers. When he reached her, he pulled her back into his arms. “So, do I have to thank you for something again?”

  “No, it was nothing,” she said. She leaned in and whispered into his ear. “Stop that right now. Not here.”

  Sebastian grinned. He planted a soft kiss on her lips and then let her go. He turned around to face Paul. “How about you, Paul? How are you doing?”

  Paul put his arm around Loren and pulled her to him. “I’m fine, just fine,” he said, staring directly into Loren’s eyes.

  Sebastian glanced away as the couple exchanged a heated look but smiled. Arielle knew that he was glad at seeing his sister happy. Clearing his throat he looked around the room and smiled. “What were you all talking about?”

  “Funny you should ask,” Paul replied quickly, taking everyone by surprise. “We were discussing immortality.”

  Sebastian arched his brow. “Oh, that happens to be one of my most favorite subjects.” He grinned widely, making them laugh. He took a glass of salve from the fridge and walked toward the other room. “I’ll leave you all to your discussions. I’m going to watch the end of the golf match on the telly. Paul, if you want to come with me you’re welcome,” he said and disappeared into the other room.

  Arielle heard him turn the telly on and watched Paul follow him into the family room. The girls remained in the kitchen and continued their chitchat. Arielle made sure Paul was out of earshot before leaning over to Loren and saying conspiratorially, “Remember not to tell Paul that you know anything about the proposal.”

  “I promise,” Loren said softly. She gave Arielle a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “What proposal?” Eva asked.

  “Shh,” Arielle whispered, putting her finger on her lips. Taking a look back toward the family room, she leaned closer to Eva and said, “Paul confided in me that he is planning to propose to Loren on Christmas Day, and I had to betray him. Loren didn’t believe that Paul loved her enough to stay after he found out that she is an immortal. I don’t want her to say anything, I want for her to act surprised, and to not spoil his moment.”

  “Oh, how exciting.” An overjoyed smile stretched across E
va’s face.

  It was around five o’clock when they all decided to go home. Arielle thanked Gabrielle and Eva for their support. She was glad that Paul and Loren were going to be fine, in part due to the help she received from her amazing friends. She watched them get in their cars.

  Eva yelled out, “See you all tomorrow.”

  Arielle smiled and waved. When everyone was out of sight, she shut the door. She closed her eyes thinking that it had been a successful unveiling. She was startled to find herself swept up off the floor and into Sebastian’s arms. He had been nowhere near her.

  “You scare the hell out of me every time you do that.” Sebastian didn't reply, focusing instead on helping Arielle out of her clothes. She found herself naked and in the shower with him before she even had a chance to see his face.

  “I don’t need a shower,” she said with a sulking look.

  “But I do, and I need your help.”

  “But–” He bent down and muted her objections by kissing her. He pulled her tighter against him and she gasped, tilting her head back.

  “I missed you,” he murmured, trailing kisses down the warm column of her throat. He groaned when he felt her pulse pounding against his lips. He acted as if he were on fire and searching for an oasis to ease his thirst.

  “I love you,” she said, her words ending in a gasping sigh.

  He hauled in a ragged breath and wordlessly pulled her flush against him. “Oh, you feel wonderful,” she whispered, and surrendered.

  It was later in bed that he wanted to know all the details about Paul and Loren. Arielle accommodated him, talking nonstop for almost forty minutes, rarely taking a breath, making Sebastian laugh.

  “Was Paul terribly shocked?”

  “No, he actually shocked me by taking the whole thing quite well. He’s so in love with Loren he can’t see straight. I think he was more shocked about Eva than he was about Loren.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep, I can’t remember the exact words, but he said something like if immortals are not human and they never die how can they be normal? And that got Eva going, and she told him to watch it with a look that insinuated she could break him in two.”

  “What did he say?” Sebastian asked, amused.

  “He told Eva that he was only joking.”

  “How did Loren react?”

  “Oh, Sebastian this is great, I had Loren come at three. Paul was here at two and before I could really explain, Eva and Gabrielle showed up to help. We had plenty of time to shock the hell out of Paul and get him ready for Loren’s arrival.” She could laugh about it now, but she recalled how worried she had been at first.

  “If you could only see Loren’s face when Paul opened the door and let her in you would absolutely die. I’m sure that she thought he would recoil from her. She had such an uneasy look on her face, but you could see she was longing for him too. It took but a second and he reached out and pulled her in his arms. He gave her a kiss that made me shiver, and I wasn’t even close.” She laughed as she closed her eyes, seeing a vivid picture of the moment in her mind. Sebastian pulled her closer and encircled her in his arms, holding her face to his.

  “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

  “I think I do.”

  “Trust me, you don’t have a clue.”

  “Well, then tell me?”

  “I couldn’t possibly explain in words or even actions the depth of my feelings for you. If I could, it would be like a volcano erupting, and it would devour both of us in eternal scorching, burning heat.”

  “Intriguing.” Arielle grinned and rested her head on his chest. He held her tight. She felt safe, happy, and complete.

  “When are we going to your parents for dinner?’

  “They wanted us to go tomorrow night, is that okay?”

  “Sure!” he said, and framing her face in his hands he kissed her gently. “Are you hungry, baby? Do you want me to order something for you?”

  “No, I think I’ll put a pizza in the oven, and that’ll be enough for me tonight. Can we watch a film?”

  “Sure.”

  “I stopped at the video store on my way home and rented Green Zone.”

  “Is it good?”

  “I don’t know, but Gabby said they watched it and they loved it.”

  “All right.”

  Arielle tried to jump out of bed, but his amazing speed stopped her cold.

  “Where do you think you are going?”

  “I’ll be right back. I’m going to put the pizza in the oven. I also need to call my mum and let her know that tomorrow night is fine for dinner.” He let go, but not before he said, “If you’re not back soon, I’m coming to get you.” His lips curved into that amazing smile that she loved. She bent down and pressed her lips on his tenderly. When she lifted her head, his eyes were blazing with passion.

  “That’s not going to help the fire that you started inside of me,” he said, a sensual smile on his face.

  She looked down at him and giggled. He was lying naked on her bed, looking like a Greek god with his immortal beauty. She suppressed a craving to jump back into bed with him. Instead, she let out a deep sigh and moved leisurely toward the kitchen. His laughter followed after her.

  “You think I’m joking, don’t you?” he called out. She looked back, and shuffled her feet in a sluggish way. He laughed harder. She walked around the kitchen slowly, giggling. She was going to make him wait. She picked up her phone and told her mum that they were able to make it for dinner. She put the phone down, and slid the pizza into the oven. Afterward, she moved over to the window and gazed out, giggling more thinking about Sebastian waiting. She was sure that he was getting impatient, so she decided to go back to the bedroom. She turned around and collided with hard wall of muscles.

  “Ah, you scared the crap out of me,” she gasped.

  “I told you I was going to come and get you.” He wrapped his hands around her and pressed her back against the counter. She felt the weight of his beautiful body. Joy and desire made her legs quiver. If he weren't holding her as tightly as he was, she would have been on the floor.

  His tongue circled her lips unhurriedly, eventually entering in her mouth. His hands pulled her hips against him as he let loose a growl of passion. She felt his body trembling as his mouth moved slowly across her jaw and down the column of her throat. She threw her head back as he moved lower until he reached her soft mounds. His lips were soft on her skin, giving her the most exquisite feeling that spread across her body like wild fire. She arched herself against his mouth and he growled fervently. His hands stroked her curvatures. Her breathing became uneven as she stroked the planes of his back slowly, methodically. By the time she reached his lower back, he was on fire. He was unstoppable. His mouth moved against hers and she writhed in his arms. A hard hiss escaped his lips when her legs wrapped around his waist tightly. With a hard thrust he entered her body and she gasped with delight. Making love with him raised a feeling so rapturous that tears welled up in her eyes. She loved him so much that it was hard to imagine her life without him.

  It was an hour later that they sat on the bed to watch the film. Arielle had a couple of pieces of pizza and he had a tall glass of salve. The film was really good, but she was so tired she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She settled in his arms and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 16

  SATURDAY MORNING, Arielle moved quietly, trying to leave the bed before Sebastian woke up. She glanced at his sleeping face and smiled, ignoring the impulse to bend down and kiss him. She was terribly aware of his proximity; a quiver skimmed down her spine. She needed to take a shower and get ready. She had promised Olivia that she would attend the secret society assembly at 11:00 with her. Olivia had graciously offered to introduce her as a new member, and she had agreed.

  She pushed the covers away and was almost out of bed when Sebastian’s hands snaked around her waist and pulled her back into bed. She shrieked.

  “One of these days you�
��ll give me a heart attack,” she said, feigning displeasure.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, and then covered her lips with his. Arielle fought to ignore the desire he invoked in her, and pushing softly against his chest ended the kiss. She drew a breath, eyes fixed on his beautiful face.

  “Your mother will be here in an hour,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “I need to get ready, and I’d like to eat something before she–” His lips covered her mouth like a tornado, all stormy heat and passion, making her tumble into oblivion. He broke the kiss and she gasped.

  “What did you want to say?”

  She shook her head to clear it and swallowed a groan. “I want to be ready before she arrives,” she said, not hiding the frustration in her voice. His muscular body still enveloped her, and she couldn’t shake the pleasurable sensation that coursed through her.

  He released her suddenly and pulled back, his lips curving into an amazing smile. Arielle opened her eyes blinking. The realization that if she didn’t leave the bed quickly she would be caught up in his alluring lovemaking, made her move faster.

  “What are you doing to me?” she gasped. I need to get up. I need to do it quickly. He was temptation personified, and any other morning she would be happy to surrender but not today. Wiggling playfully, she pulled away and flung back the covers, jumping out of bed. Sprinting to the bathroom, she heard his joyful laughter and grinned. God, he is so amazing! She closed the shower door behind her sluggishly, and turning the hot water on she groaned. The power of her love for this incredible man blew her mind.

  As she sat at the breakfast table, she smiled and dug into a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. A pitcher of orange juice, a tea pot filled with hot water, and the morning paper took up the remaining space on the table. She poured some orange juice and lifted the glass to her mouth. She froze in place as Sebastian walked into the kitchen shirtless, wearing only a pair of black silk boxers. Her breath caught in her throat. He was devastatingly handsome. Sebastian held her gaze for a long moment. She got lost in the deep green ocean of his eyes. He walked around the table – more like prowled around, she thought – and bending down he took her mouth in a passionate kiss.