Arielle Immortal Seduction (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 2)

by Lilian Roberts

  “There you go again, with that word, eternity,” she said. “But, Sebastian, I can’t be with you for eternity. I’m only human, and I’ll die someday. For us to be together for eternity is only a dream. It’s not something that can ever happen.”

  “Oh, but it will,” he said mysteriously.

  “I don’t understand. Don’t you want to let me know how you are going to achieve this dream?”

  “Let me worry about that. I don’t want you to worry about anything.” His hands slipped behind her back, palms burning, and he pulled her close. Their lips met in a loving kiss, full of longing and delight. He encircled her in his arms and they drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 13

  THE MORNING OF CHRISTMAS EVE WAS QUIET and wonderful. When Arielle awoke, Sebastian’s gorgeous face was only a couple of inches away from hers. She smiled and sighed in complete and utter happiness, gently touched his soft lips, and watched as he opened his eyes.

  “Good morning, my love,” she whispered.

  “I love you,” was his reply, his lips already curved into the smile she loved so well. She got up and went to the shower, letting the warm water roll over her body. It felt so great.

  Life was good, and the most incredible man on earth was waiting for her in the next room. He loved her, and he was going to be her husband. She just couldn’t believe it. Could it really be true?

  She wrapped herself in a large towel as she stepped out of the shower. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She was in high spirits, overjoyed even, and Sebastian had everything to do with that. She wanted to make him happy. She wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. He walked into the bathroom, put his arms around her, and held her for a little while.

  “Why didn’t you wait for me?” he asked. “I love taking showers with you.”

  “I wanted to make sure we get to enjoy the day outside,” she said, smiling. “And I know what happens when we get into bed or in the shower together.”

  “Are you all ready tired of me?” he asked, his voice plaintive.

  Arielle dropped the towel and turned to face him, shocked by his remark. He watched her carefully, a playful smile on his face. “What?” he asked in mock innocence.

  “I’m stunned that you would even bother to ask such a question of me. I’m not tired of you, and I’ll never be tired of you.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and his mouth moved eagerly against hers.

  “I was only joking, baby. What do you want to do today?”

  “I want to take a walk and enjoy the Christmas spirit and the sunshine with you and you alone.”

  “All right then that is what we are going to do.” He walked to the shower and started to whistle an old tune. Arielle recognized the melody but couldn’t recall the name of the song. I didn’t know he liked rock and roll, she thought. I thought he was more the classical music type. She wasn’t sure why they had never discussed music with each other. She knew some of his favorite artists, but they hadn’t ever really made music a topic of discussion. That will be something for us to talk about when we take our walk, she thought. She chose a warm blue dress that made her feel happy. Then, she put her hair up in a ponytail and sat on the bed, waiting for him.

  When he walked out of the bathroom he took her breath away. His hair was dripping water onto his beautiful face and a little towel was wrapped around his waist. He looked like the perfect representation of a beautiful Greek god, created by a famous sculptor. Only this god was smiling at her, showing a set of perfect white teeth and desire in his emerald eyes. She smiled back, unable to take her eyes away from him. Any other day she knew she would end up in bed with him but not today. It was almost Christmas. He put on a pair of jeans and a beautiful blue shirt, and they were on their way.

  Outside, the sidewalk was sparkling in the sunshine. Cars were everywhere and people were walking, holding shopping bags in their hands, laughing, and talking excitedly. She could hear church bells somewhere far away. It made life seem unpretentious and sensible. She was happy to be walking next to her perfect dream of a man, holding his hand as they crossed the street and walked towards the park. They passed several stores with festively decorated windows, and tons of people rushing in and out.

  It was an exceptionally beautiful day. Brighton was bathed in sunny conditions for this time of the year. It was a bit cool, but for the most part the day was made to order for Sebastian and Arielle. Not a single cloud in the sky.

  “What a perfect day,” Arielle exclaimed and smiled at Sebastian. “Come, let’s go to the park.” She took his hand and pulled him toward the park entrance. Underneath the trees everything seemed so peaceful and green. There was a large lake that extended for a few miles into the middle of the park. When they reached a small open area close to the water, Arielle took her shoes off. She closed her eyes and smiled, letting her feet feel the cool grass. When she opened them again she saw that Sebastian was watching her with curiosity.

  “Sebastian, go ahead and take your shoes off. Feel the grass, it’s a bit cool but it’s wonderful. Trust me.” He hesitated at first, but eventually he took his shoes off and stood on the grass barefoot, taking small steps in place.

  “Close your eyes and just enjoy the feeling,” she urged.

  He did as she suggested. She saw a smile steal across his face.

  “So, what do you think?” she asked.

  “I’m amazed that I never thought of doing this in all the time I have been on this earth. I never thought that something so simple could make me feel so wonderful. Arielle, you’re such a gift to me.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly. He was happy to respond.

  They sat on the grass together, enjoying their surroundings. A light breeze softly caressed their faces, and the birds chirped happily as they flew from tree to tree, an incredible fragrance from the beautiful flowers filling their nostrils. The lake was picturesque. It looked like a soft blue piece of fabric elusively rippling in the breeze. Ducks and their babies splashed and dove, looking for fish. Children played with their little toy boats on the water. Arielle sighed with pleasure at the sight of the awesome colors and the variety of the foliage. She squeezed Sebastian’s hand.

  “What is it?” he whispered.

  “The beauty of nature, you, and, oh, just everything around us, look. It’s so beautiful.”

  Sebastian smiled and held her tight. “I can’t see anything more beautiful than you.”

  She kissed him warmly and ran her finger down his back. A deep moan of pleasure escaped him. She took his hand and brought it up to her lips, which is when she noticed the ring again. It was so beautiful and mysterious looking. It looked like a ring that might belong to a knight.

  “What is the meaning of this ring?”

  Sebastian was quiet for a minute. Then he answered slowly, “It’s not a family crest,” he said. “But it’s a lifeline for me. It protects me from being burned by the sun. Do you remember when you asked me what can kill an immortal?”

  She stopped and swallowed hard as she looked at him in horror. “Yes,” she gulped.

  “The sun can kill an immortal,” he said. “It’s poison to me. This ring shields me with its power so that I can walk outside and enjoy a sunny day. I can never be without it.”

  His face was sad again, and Arielle had no idea what he was thinking. She was sure that if he wanted her to know he would say something, so she didn’t press for any more details.

  She touched the ring and couldn’t help feeling fascinated that something so small could save a person’s life. It must be magical, like the necklace, she thought. She smiled and ran her finger over it, back and forth, thankful that it was keeping her love safe from harm. She looked at him with warmth and understanding.

  “On a lighter note…” she said with a giggle. “I made a bet with myself that I could go for more than five minutes without looking at your gorgeous face. And I lost the bet miserably. I could only make it fo
r ten seconds.” She laughed out loud and he laughed with her. Then, he reached over and pulled her close for a kiss.

  She stood up and walked down to the water’s edge to watch the little children guiding their small sailboats, imagining they were captains of real ships. She could read their minds and chuckled at their sweet, innocent thoughts. They were thinking of the perils their boats would be facing—the stormy skies and high waves that would try to sink them—and how they would prevail.

  Sebastian was now standing next to her, and he noticed the thoughtful look in her eyes.

  “What’s on your mind?” he asked, watching her intently.

  “Oh, I was just watching the children, thinking about the changes that we go through as we move from young children to adolescence, and then to adulthood.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked. She turned toward him, and their eyes met. She leaned in and pressed her lips softly on his, and he moaned again softly.

  “I was watching the children and thinking about my own life and the changes I have gone through in the twenty-one years I have been on this earth.”

  “I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

  “Well, children are fascinating. I used to read a lot, and I would get completely lost in the stories I was reading. I used to create my own mystical worlds and invisible friends. I was enthralled by the stories, but at the same time pretty scared of the unknown. Then as I grew into adolescence, I felt more mature. I thought about the future and what was to come. I thought about boys, and challenges, and new responsibilities. I became more creative and flexible about overcoming the fear that every time I turned around I was facing another trial.” She chuckled. “I think that stage of my life was one of the most intriguing and one of the most complicated. I wanted to start making plans for the future, but I always found myself searching for something,” she said, biting her lip and pausing.

  “What were you looking for?”

  “Sebastian, I don’t want you to laugh, but I have realized that what I was looking for, and what was missing from my life was, well you. Just you.” Sebastian pulled her to him and their lips met softly. When she pulled back from the kiss, she looked at him and smiled.

  “What about you?” she asked. “You had a normal mortal life up to age twenty-two. How did you feel about the changes you went through?”

  Sebastian looked thoughtful and a bit sad as he recalled his mortal years. “I have to agree with you,” he said. “I went through the same changes you did. I think that my transition from childhood to adolescence was pretty much the same as for any other person. I was happy and ready to take on responsibility and experience my independence. However, the transition from adolescence to adulthood was very dramatic for me. That was the time that I needed my parents’ advice about how to handle the opportunities that were coming my way. But that never happened, and those needs were drowned by the emotions surrounding their loss.” He stopped talking and looked at his feet despondently.

  Arielle watched him for a short moment and then reached out and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry, Sebastian, I didn’t mean for you to recall sad thoughts,” she said quietly.

  He looked up and smiled, pressing his lips on her forehead. They stood there for a few moments, watching the colorful little sailboats float on the calm blue waters, creating a beautiful picture before them. Then, holding hands, they walked across the grass barefoot, carrying their shoes for a couple of miles, talking about everything and nothing, and laughing out loud. Sebastian seemed happy, and Arielle didn’t want the day to end. They purchased an ice cream cone and to her surprise, this time they shared it.

  “Arielle, I can enjoy human food any time I wish,” he said. “I just prefer the salve because it keeps me energetic and strong.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, it’s really no problem at all.”

  He would never know how happy Arielle was to hear this news. She knew that sooner or later her parents would invite him to dinner, and it would have been awfully strange if he never wanted to eat anything. She laughed happily, but he had no clue why she was laughing. He couldn’t read her thoughts as long as she had her necklace on, and she thought that was just fine.

  He pulled her towards him and faced her. “What’s so funny?” he frowned. “You’ll have to tell me what you are thinking. I have to know what’s on your mind.”

  “All I ever do is think about you, so you don’t have to worry about my thoughts,” she smiled as she reached up, searching for his lips. He bent down and locked them in a passionate kiss.

  After they had been walking for a couple of hours, they decided to start back toward the hotel. Arielle felt warm and sheltered just being with him, walking with their arms around each other.

  “Thank you for one of the most beautiful and relaxing mornings I have ever had,” Sebastian said. Arielle squeezed his hand lovingly, and they walked the rest of the way in a state of profound contentment and delight.

  It was noon when they entered the lobby, eager to get ready for the party. The lobby was full of happy people making plans for Christmas Eve. But as they approached the gigantic Christmas tree that was taking up a huge part of the center floor, they stopped in their tracks. Arielle looked up at Sebastian’s face and she could see rage instantly erasing the serene look he had worn all morning. His lips were pulled back in fury, and instantaneously his arm pulled her closer and he used his body to shield her. Fear seized her as she looked in horror at the three women standing in the middle of the lobby. A cold chill ran down her spine and she shivered as she felt her legs go limp. This was becoming a continuous nightmare. How many times would she have to deal with these women?

  Annabel, Julia, and Paola were standing there like three gorgeous goddesses, smiling coldly, their eyes set on her. Julia spoke out first with a sickening smile on her face.

  “Sebastian, my love, I’ve finally found you, and look who I’ve brought with me,” she said, pointing at Annabel. The coldness and disdain in her voice was nauseating.

  “What do you want, Annabel?” Sebastian said in a cold, hard voice. He ignored Julia completely.

  “Oh, you know me. I’ve heard so much about your new love. I had to come and see the miserable, breakable human being for myself. I see now that she’s the same girl that came to the house looking for you. What a little liar you are, telling me you were just a friend,” she said, turning her eyes toward Arielle with a look of disgust. “I know about the ring you’re wearing too. And you should know that what you dream of will never happen, not as long as I’m around.”

  People around them began to slow down as they passed through the lobby, wanting to witness the outcome of the standoff while trying to be inconspicuous about being intently interested in what was going on. Arielle felt anxious, she knew this encounter was not going well at all.

  “Annabel, this is not going to end well for you. Don’t push me in front of all these people. I need you to leave right now and take these two horrible creatures with you.”

  Julia’s face turned hard at these words and her eyes were full of revulsion. “Don’t you speak about me in the third person, Sebastian. I am right here. If there is something you want to say, say it to me.”

  “You miserable, distasteful creature,” he said, spitting out the words in disgust. “Get out of my sight before you wish you had never met me.”

  Julia seemed to ignore his remark as she turned toward Arielle.

  “How is your head, breakable human? I should have done a better job with you last time,” she said, glaring at Arielle.

  Suddenly, Arielle heard a loud growl as Sebastian let go of her, grabbed Julia by the throat, and squeezed her so tight Arielle was sure she had stopped breathing. Nobody in the lobby, including Arielle, was able to follow much of the activity that followed. It all happened so fast, almost like a movie in fast forward. Julia tried desperately to get herself loose but to no avail. Paola jumped in to help her, but she found herself flying across the lobby as Seb
astian shoved her hard. She hit the far wall with so much force that Arielle heard a horrible sound and was sure several of her bones had shattered. Annabel used this moment of confusion to her advantage to move toward Arielle, whose mind went completely blank as a cold chill took over her body. She was terrified, and she seemed to be frozen in place. She took a step back just as Annabel’s hand was reaching out toward her.

  “There’s no way that you’ll ever have him. I’ll destroy you,” Annabel hissed in a low voice, her eyes dripping poison, oblivious to everyone but Sebastian and Arielle.

  What happened next shocked Arielle to her very core. As Annabel’s arm brushed Arielle’s body, Arielle saw her go flying across the room and land on her back against the far wall of the lobby, right next to Paola. She was holding onto her arm, which was literally on fire, and screaming with pain, her face distorted with anguish and shock.

  Arielle knew what had happened. It was a repeat of what had happened at the pub. She saw Sebastian turning as he dropped Julia, who was unconscious on the floor. Arielle looked around. There was not a single soul in the room who wasn’t standing in shock. They may not have been able to follow all that had taken place, but they could certainly see the aftermath.

  Sebastian and Arielle watched as Annabel and Paola tried unsuccessfully to stand up. Julia was holding her throat, trying to breathe. Sebastian moved close to Arielle and put his arm around her, holding her steady against him as she shook uncontrollably.

  By now Julia was standing up, her eyes were full of loathing, and she made sure Arielle could feel it. She walked away from them toward Annabel and Paola, who were helping each other stand up. Annabel was still growling with pain, holding her arm and shaking her head. She gave Arielle a look full of venom and walked towards the exit, Julia and Paola at her heels. Just before they went through the door she stopped, and completely ignoring every living soul in the lobby, looked hard at Sebastian and then at Arielle.