Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5)

by Lilian Roberts

  “Are you all right?” Gaston asked softly.

  “Yes, I’m fine, thank you, just a bit tired,” she said keeping her eyes away from his face.

  “You have the most amazing blue eyes I have ever seen, so please don’t keep your head down.” She felt his hot breath brushing the side of her face, but she kept her eyes closed as she repeated to herself over and over again, I must endure…I must endure…

  Chapter 26

  ALL SHE WANTED was for the music to stop so that she could get away from Gaston. She was already planning her next move. She would decline his next request to dance by using the lame excuse of either being too tired or not feeling well. She was still in deep thought when she was startled by Gaston’s strong voice.

  “Sebastian! Come here and meet the girl of my dreams.” Her eyes flew open and turning she realized that Sebastian was only a few inches away from them. Arielle wanted to scream from the excruciating heartache that was pounding in her head, but she kept quiet.

  “Gaston, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all night.” Sebastian sounded joyful. His voice traveled through every fiber of Arielle’s body. His voice hit her like a lifeline pulling her out of a cruel dream. She watched Sebastian walk slowly towards them, his eyes on Gaston. The girl followed on his heels without letting go of his hand.

  “Well, let me meet this dream girl of yours,” Sebastian said with amusement.

  “I’m desperately trying to convince this beautiful girl that I’m the man for her,” Gaston said, his arm snaked around Arielle’s waist making her very uncomfortable. They had stopped dancing, and she knew that Sebastian and the girl were standing in front of them. She kept her eyes to the floor, overtaken by apprehension.

  “Bon soir,” she heard his voice say, and felt a warm ripple flow throughout her body. She slowly lifted her head, and her knees almost gave out when she met his intense gaze. She stared into his familiar emerald eyes. He was studying her intently, and she thought that she saw a faint thrilling look cross his eyes.

  “Bon soir,” she mumbled. Their eyes remained locked. She tried hard to avert her gaze away from his beautiful face, but she couldn’t. It was like she was frozen in place.

  “Sebastian, this is Arielle,” Gaston said smugly. Sebastian reached out and took her hand, lifting it to his lips. Oh, God, help me, I’m going to faint right here right now, she thought and trembled.

  “Arielle, this is Sebastian Gaulle.” Arielle barely heard Gaston’s voice. She smiled awkwardly and finally yanked her eyes away from Sebastian’s face. She pulled her hand away, and he let it go reluctantly. She took a deep breath, and she was sure that her sudden move didn’t escape either one of them.

  “Have we met before?” Sebastian asked. His voice came out a little shaky. That wasn’t a question she anticipated. She was completely taken aback.

  “No, I’m sure we’ve never met,” she replied immediately. He remained quiet for several moments assessing her carefully. He finally looked over at the girl on his side and proceeded to introduce her.

  “Gaston, this is Colette, Colette this is Gaston and…Arielle.” Her name rolled slowly out of his beautiful mouth.

  “Bon soir,” Colette said with what sounded to Arielle like a frivolous, annoying voice. Colette looked at Gaston playfully but never looked in Arielle's direction. Arielle was sure she was judging her brutally because she was hanging off Sebastian’s arm. She should be there, not that bloody girl.

  “Excuse me, but I have to go,” Arielle said, and pulled away from Gaston. He tried to pull her back, but she moved away quickly.

  “Arielle, remember that you owe me one more dance.” She heard Gaston’s amused voice, but she picked up her pace and didn’t look back. She saw Gabrielle dancing. When she reached the opposite side, she saw Eva dancing with Brandon. She smiled as she went around a large column and disappeared from Gaston's and Sebastian’s view. She stood behind a group of young girls who were giggling and whispering in low voices. She couldn’t help hearing their funny conversation.

  She turned her attention to the much younger girl in the group as she sighed deeply. “Sebastian is so gorgeous!” They were ripping hard into the girl that Sebastian was dancing with. Arielle chuckled at their remarks that kept coming one after the other.

  “Look at her, she is falling all over him,” said one of them.

  “Colette Broussard is cheap, she is after his money,” said another.

  “I’d die to be his girl,” the youngest one said again with a deep sigh.

  “I wouldn’t care if he had only a penny in the world,” said the girl that was standing closest to Arielle.

  Arielle chuckled under her breath. She too wished to be the girl in his arms.

  Sebastian was full of life. His beautiful face beamed with joy as he danced with several girls throughout the night. He seemed to enjoy his time with each one of them, and she could tell that he was trying to make them all feel special. She was totally mesmerized. She stood there secretly watching him without moving an inch.

  Gabrielle and Eva stayed on the dance floor through several dances. Arielle finally moved away and started to walk around the room again. She looked toward Sebastian’s direction several times, but she didn’t think he was aware of her existence. It was one of those times that he turned and their eyes locked. His gaze was intense, and she was unprepared for a normal reaction. She knew that she was caught watching him, and her cheeks turned the deepest red. Unexpectedly, he looked away somewhere toward the other side of the room as if she didn’t exist. She was still watching him at a loss for words. He averted his gaze back to the girl in his arms and then bending down he locked them in a kiss that felt like a sharp knife going through Arielle’s heart. She felt moisture in her eyes, and her lower lip quivered. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get through this.

  She finally peeled her eyes away and moved towards the other side of the room always aware of his presence. She stopped underneath a beautiful wreath of flowers and gazed back at the dance floor trying to find Eva or Gabrielle, but she was unsuccessful. She figured that they were still dancing as there were more men than women in the ballroom. She took another look around, and it didn’t take long before their eyes engaged one more time. A very expression overtook Sebastian’s face. This time his gaze remained on her for a while longer, and his eyes narrowed to slits. She looked away and pressed her lips together, but her eyes drifted back in his direction as if a magnet was pulling her his way. He was watched her carefully. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, trying to imagine the type of conversation she could have with him without revealing her true identity.

  She wasn’t sure how long she kept her eyes closed, but the next time she opened them Sebastian was not on the dance floor. She swiftly scanned the room trying to locate him, and suddenly her gaze screeched to a halt. Sebastian and Gaston seemed to be carrying on an animated conversation at the far corner of the ballroom. They seemed to be arguing about something. She wondered what could be causing this type of interaction between two best friends.

  Anxiety swept over her at the sight of both men. She wasn’t sure why, but she had an irrefutable feeling that their discussion had everything to do with her. But then the question was why? Sebastian didn’t seem to care about her at all, so why would this be about her? She kept her eyes deliberately on Gaston, observing his movements, and he seemed to get a bit more aggressive toward Sebastian. As the moments ticked away she had absolutely no clue as to what her next move was going to be. Something told her that she had to start making her way back to where Gabrielle and Eva were now standing.

  She shrugged her shoulders, and moved slowly through the crowd on the dance floor. She turned to take a last look at the two men out of curiosity. They were still pretty much in each other’s face, and she must admit that she felt perplexed. They were best friends, and they had greeted each other earlier in the night with warmth and joyfulness, so why this sudden disagreement? What was the issue that made
them both so angry?

  “What is going on with Gaston and Sebastian?” Eva asked as she approached. Nothing escaped Eva’s immortal radar. Arielle chuckled, thinking about how nothing escaped Eva even when she was a human.

  “I’m not sure what they are arguing about, but I’ve a feeling it may have something to do with me,” she murmured.

  “What gives you that idea?”

  “Like I said, I’m not sure, I just have this intuition.” Her voice was low, trying to remain inconspicuous to bystanders. Eva took her hand and pulled her behind a large group of people where she saw Gabrielle, Anton, Brandon, and Marcus engaged in a joyful discussion, and she heard Gabrielle’s blissful laughter.

  “Ah, there you are!” Anton exclaimed. Arielle saw a wide smile spread across his beautiful face. He moved forward to meet them halfway and taking her hand, he guided her to the dance floor. She felt secure dancing with Anton as she surrendered herself to the wonderful music and to his warm embrace. When the music was over they walked back and her foot was giving her a little trouble, so she decided to sit the next few dances out. Marcus and Anton took Eva and Gabrielle to the dance floor and Brandon was engaged in a conversation with a group of girls. She found herself looking around.

  There was no sign of Sebastian or Gaston. She thought that was a good thing since she didn’t need to get mixed up in a brawl. She walked carefully toward the balcony, mindful of her foot, and stood in front of the open doors. Sadness took her over knowing that at this point Sebastian didn’t care about her at all. She stepped outside and looked up towards the moon, thinking that maybe this was not such a good idea after all.

  She was shocked to hear a voice, Sebastian’s voice, very close to her. “Arielle.”

  She moved quickly to wipe the moisture from her eyes as she spun around and came face to face with the love of her life. He gave her that smile that always hypnotized her, and his eyes were like brilliant emeralds. She was completely speechless.

  “Je suis désolé ai fait je vous effraye?”

  She had to clear her throat before she could answer him. “No, I’m all right, I was just lost in my thoughts.”

  “You are English!” he said with a smile on his face.

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know Gaston?” His English was perfect, and she was shocked by his question.

  “I don’t know Gaston at all. I only met him about an hour ago, and we’ve had a couple of dances together,” she said. She found his question a bit peculiar. “Why do you ask?”

  “That’s very strange,” he said as he raked his hand through his hair, and she detected a frustrated look crossing his eyes.

  “I’m absolutely sure that I’ve no clue as to why this seems to be so strange to you,” she said with a defiant tone in her voice.

  “Gaston and I had a friendly conversation, or at least I should say it started friendly, but when your name came up he told me to keep my hands off because you belonged to him,” he said blankly, and his expression became serious.

  Arielle was dumbfounded. She felt herself becoming overwhelmed by rage. She bit her lower lip and clenched her hands into fists.

  “I don’t belong to Gaston or anyone else,” she shrieked through gritted teeth.

  He was taken aback by her forceful outburst, and looked a little puzzled. “I didn’t mean to make you angry. I was only repeating what Gaston told me.”

  “I find Gaston a little creepy, and I’m quite uncomfortable around him. Is he still here?”

  “He was pretty angry with me and he stormed out, but knowing Gaston I’m sure he’ll be back,” he said with a soft smile.

  “Why did he get angry with you?”

  “I told him that I found you fascinating, and that I was going to ask you to dance. His anger made you a bigger challenge for me.” He started chuckling.

  “I understand,” she said, trying to remain calm. “This is all about the stupid game you two play for fun,” she said emphasizing the words.

  “He told you?” he asked, a little surprised.

  “Yes, he did, and I don’t find it amusing at all. It’s actually a pretty childish game,” she said, gazing into his amazing eyes.

  Sebastian appeared intrigued. “You are very outspoken for a young woman,” he said running his fingers through his hair in what it looked like confusion as well as amusement. He held that soft smile on his amazing face, making her think that she wasn’t far off thinking that he was playing a stupid game with Gaston. She pressed her lips together out of annoyance. He started to say something, but she held her hand up and stopped him.

  Gazing into his eyes, she accentuated boldly her next words. “I don’t belong to any man. I’m not an object. I’m a person. And I’m definitely not negotiable,” she said frostily. “Don’t bother to include me in any of your bloody games.”

  The tone of her voice appeared to startle him. It came out rigid. She felt distraught thinking that she was being thought of as negotiable property. He was still smiling, which infuriated her.

  “Calm down, Arielle,” he whispered close to her ear. “I’m not playing any games with Gaston, and I’m not negotiating anything at all. You fascinate me, and all I want to do is dance with you. Is that so terrible?” His calm voice soothed every part of her soul.

  He seemed to enjoy her anxiety. He reached out and cupped her chin with his hand. He lifted her face until their eyes met. The warmth of his touch made her shiver.

  “Please smile,” he pleaded as an amazing smile touched his bowed lips. “Tell me that you are not mad at me anymore.”

  “I am not mad,” she replied. “All I wanted was for you to understand that you and Gaston can’t use me as an object in your silly games.” Her voice was soft this time but firm.

  “You are unquestionably unique. I’ve never met a girl, or I should say a woman, like you before. There is something very intriguing about you, and I am dying to find out what that something is.” She kept quiet but she was happy with the outcome.

  “Do you speak French?”

  “Yes, quite well,” she replied with a soft smile.

  “Arielle what? What is your surname?”

  “Arielle Young,” she replied as she tried to hold back a chuckle, remembering that it was all make believe. His composure was perfect, and he spoke softly as she lowered her eyes to the floor trying to maintain self-control.

  “There is something very special about you, Arielle. Vous aiment danser?” His hand reached out, and taking her hand, he lifted it to his lips. She felt a scorching sensation down her spine, and her lips quivered. She didn’t have to answer. He pulled her through the balcony doors and onto the dance floor. His arm snaked around the back of her waist and he pulled her closer, gazing into her eyes. She shivered in his embrace. God, she was hoping he didn’t feel that, but she thought he did.

  Her expression seemed to puzzle him. He leaned in and whispered,” Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” she mumbled, and their gazes locked. She saw a flash of alarm cross his eyes and she felt him falter. She remained perfectly still and asked him the same question. “Are you all right?”

  It took him a few minutes to reply, but when he did she felt complete bliss. “There is something extraordinary about your eyes, has anyone ever told you that?”

  “Yes,” she murmured as her heart swelled with emotion. You, she thought but managed not to say it out loud.

  “It’s like looking into the amazing blue waters of the ocean. Has anyone ever told you that?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered, and laughed under her breath as she thought of Sebastian back in the twenty-first century telling her the same thing. She paused as his striking emerald eyes fixed on her face, and his next words startled her.

  “There’s something remarkable about your eyes,” he muttered again with a thoughtful look on his face.

  “Oh, what is that?” she asked, wanting to know everything he was thinking.

  “I’ve no idea, but when I figu
re it out, you’ll be the first to know. I just know one thing, they are remarkable and totally unforgettable.”

  “Are you saying you’ll never forget me because of my eyes?”

  “Yes, I think I’d know you anytime, anywhere from tonight on.”

  Brilliant cheerfulness spread across her face, and she threw her head back as she broke into a hearty laugh. He pulled her even closer.

  “You look absolutely astonishing,” he whispered close to her ear, and she felt dizzy.

  “Where have you been all my life?”

  “I’m sure in England as this is my first trip to France,” she lied, and chuckled.

  “How old are you?”

  “I’m older than you,” she said with a smile.

  “And how old is that?” he pressed on.

  “I am twenty-one, and you?” she asked, completely amused knowing that he was twenty.

  “I am twenty,” he replied, and kept watching her unable to understand what was so amusing to her.

  “See, you are a young boy,” she continued, and he broke into a hearty laugh. He stopped dancing and slipped his arms through hers. He led her out the balcony and down the stairs to the garden. It was a beautiful, warm night, and the stillness that lay over the land was deafening. She could smell the fragrance of flowers, and she smiled with pleasure thinking about where she was, and who was standing right next to her.

  “We never finished our dance,” she said.

  “I’d rather be out here with you. There is plenty of time for dancing.”

  “Your date might be looking for you,” she said.

  “What date?” he asked. Surprised showed on his face.

  “The date or dates, should I say, that you have been dancing with?”

  “They aren’t important, they are just guests.”

  “Do you always lock your guests in passionate kisses?”

  “Jealous are you?” he asked, and watched her closely with his lips faintly parted.

  “You have to know someone and care about them to be jealous. I don’t know you, so I couldn’t possibly be jealous of you.”