Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (13 page)

It had been more than four weeks since Gabrielle and Troy had returned to school. When Troy didn’t go to the office, he would walk around campus holding Gabrielle’s hand with exuberance painted
on his face. Gabrielle looked absolutely beautiful; nothing in her
appearance would make anyone believe that she had been to hell and back just a few months ago. She did appear anxious about
getting into a car at times, but they all knew she was dealing with a traumatic
experience, and it would take a while for her to get over her fear.
They spent a lot of time together as a group.

Gabrielle’s schedule was not exactly the same as Arielle’s, but
many of their classes were around the same time, so they rode
together when Troy and Sebastian went to the office. They always met up with Ian, Eva, Paul, and Loren around noon at the cafeteria pavilion to hang out.

Gabrielle wanted to know all about Arielle's Italian vacation with Sebastian, and about all the little things she had missed while in the hospital. Arielle was happy to fill her friend in on what she missed.
She wasn't happy to notice that Christian was just about everywhere she went, though since talking to Eva she'd stopped obsessing about
him.

Eva and Arielle knew that they would eventually have to talk to
Gabrielle about Ian's and Eva’s transformation, but they were
waiting for the right moment.

It was October and Arielle’s birthday was coming up. The year before, her parents threw a huge party for her twenty-first birthday,
but this year they were going to be in Spain with friends. Arielle decided to keep quiet and not bring it up. She couldn’t believe that there had been a whole year since Gabrielle, Arielle, and Eva found
true love. There had been countless times that the three of them discussed their desire for one huge celebration day with three weddings. That did sound great, however, they were realizing that each one of them had a different date in mind based on when they met their guys, and the
importance of those particular dates to each one of them. The
decided three weddings were ultimately better than one.

They spent a lot of time discussing the details of their weddings. They never shared those discussions with Ian, Troy, or Sebastian. They wanted to make it a pleasant surprise for them. Sebastian kept asking Arielle to set a date for the wedding, but to his frustration, Arielle always changed the subject.

“Arielle, I’m starting to think that you aren’t interested in
marrying me any longer,” Sebastian said one day, clearly frustrated.

“Sebastian, please be serious,” she chuckled. “That’s not the case at all.”

“Well, then what is it? What’s keeping you from setting a date,” he asked. He looked sad. Arielle threw her arms around his neck and searched for his lips.

He pulled away and gazed deeply into her eyes. “You are not
going
to distract me or change the subject again. I need an answer,”
Sebastian insisted firmly.

“I love you, Sebastian, I’m working on it, and I’ll let you know when I’m ready,” she replied with a soft smile. He sighed, and
walked away a bit irritated. Arielle dismissed the incident with a smile. She was actively working with her mother and her best friends, and the date had been firmed for August 6 the following year.

She met Sebastian on August and she wanted to have her
wedding on that Saturday, August 6. Eva met Ian in June, so her preference was June 11. Gabrielle wanted July 9. The three of them were actively working to set the ceremonies on their desired dates. Their parents were members of the same country club, so their weddings would take place at the same location.

Arielle, Gabrielle, and Eva were intrigued with the club's surroundings. The massive sixteenth-century building was nestled in
the middle of a beautiful rolling countryside with acres of ancient woodlands, and miles of dramatic cliffs and coastline. The grounds were magnificent
with flowered gardens and impeccably groomed lawns that
stretched as far as the eye could see. The girls were sure that their husbands-to-be would love the location.

It was on one of those girl nights that Eva and Arielle decided to
break the news to Gabrielle. They agreed to meet at Eva’s place
while the guys went to a polo game. Arielle had to stop by her parent’s house first, so she arrived a little late. Gabrielle was already there, busy taking a tour of Eva’s newly decorated house. Arielle watched
Gabrielle’s face change expressions as she moved from room to
room.
Arielle was completely aware of the manifesting abilities of
immortals. Eva and Ian had materialized decorations that were impeccable. The
furniture comprised expensive antiques; the decorating had been
detailed down to the smallest item. You couldn’t find a house that
looked as beautiful, not even in a magazine, thought Arielle. She understood Gabrielle’s confusion, but she said nothing.

Gabrielle couldn’t believe how much Eva had transformed the
home since the last time she'd visited. She admired all the amazing new furniture and the freshly painted walls. The rooms seemed
larger, and
the study was now filled with wall-to-wall bookcases. The
decorations
were absolutely amazing. Arielle felt Gabrielle experiencing an
unusual familiarity as she looked around. Gabby wasn’t sure what the feeling was about, but it was there.

They decided to continue their chat on the beach. They walked through the garden into the backyard, their conversation animated
with nonstop talking and laughter just like old times. They
reminisced about funny memories from earlier outings to the beach. They took a small path that lead to the narrow wooden stairway that would take them to the soft, cool sand. Arielle held two bottles of wine. Gabrielle
carried beach towels and Eva had a small basket with finger
sandwiches and three bottles of water.

Still reading her mind, Arielle knew that Gabrielle was oblivious to the fact that Eva and Arielle had planned this small outing for a purpose. They spread their beach towels on the sand and sat facing
each other with a glass of wine in their hands. Arielle knew Eva
wasn’t particularly interested in the wine, but she was playing her part for Gabby's benefit as she had been for quite a while.

“Gabrielle, how is it going with Troy?” Eva winked, and laughed at the insinuation.

“Oh, I must say that it has been a scorching atmosphere in our house.” Gabby was unable to stop herself from laughing too.

“You don’t say,” Arielle snorted, exchanging a meaningful grin with Eva.

“You would think that I was gone for a couple of years. Troy is
relentless, physically incredible, and with limitless desire. He's a
flawless lover. I don’t think I can find enough words to tell you how mind-blowing our encounters have been since I moved back home,” she said conspiratorially.

“Shocking, just shocking,” Arielle said, shaking her head with
mock
disapproval. Gabrielle’s eyes widened and she went still, but quickly figured out that her friends were just having fun with her and burst out into a joyful giggle. Eva poured a little more wine as they
chitchatted.

Eva went silent for a long moment. Finally, after taking a deep breath, she penetrated right through Gabrielle’s eyes. “Gabby,” Eva said, “we need to talk about something very important.” Eva’s voice was velvety soft. Her eyes glittered with anticipation. Arielle knew that Eva was happy with who she was now. Eternity with Ian was a huge gift that prior to the accident had been a mere human dream.
Arielle was startled by Gabrielle’s voice. “Eva, have I told you that
you look amazing? What have you done to yourself? Something is very different about you, but I can’t quite figure it out,” Gabrielle said, her face serious.

“That’s what I want to talk to you about,” Eva replied

“Oh, did you have some kind of plastic surgery?” Gabrielle chuckled.

“No, not quite, but there is something very different about me, and you are about to find out.”

“Okay, I’m ready, what is it? Does Arielle know?” she asked, and turned to gaze at Arielle.

“Yes,” Eva replied, “Arielle does know. She kept my sanity in
check while you were in the hospital. She helped Ian and myself through this very difficult time,” Eva replied.

“Wow, my curiosity is piqued. It sounds serious, what is it?”

“Something happened the night of the accident, and it changed Ian and I forever, and I literally mean forever.”

Gabrielle squinted at Eva, trying to see a clue to what Eva meant. “What are you implying?” She watched Eva’s face very carefully, trying to decipher the meaning of her words. She turned and looked at Arielle inquisitively, and then averted her gaze back to Eva.

“Come out with it, Eva, you are driving me crazy,” Gabrielle pressed on.

Eva pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders, determined to seem casual, but she was failing miserably.

“The night of the accident, both Ian and I didn’t survive the
impact.” There was stony silence for several moments following her statement. Arielle watched Gabrielle’s face. Her expression was a mix of astonishment, horror, and confusion. She opened her mouth and started to say something but closed it again. She remained quiet for a while longer absorbing Eva’s words. Arielle thought she looked
as if she couldn’t quite follow the conversation as if the words moved smoothly right over her like an indistinguishable, vague
whirr.

“You didn’t what?”

“I said the night of the accident Ian and I died.”

Gabrielle gasped, her eyes widened, and then panic hit her.
Arielle
noticed a shadow crossing her eyes just before she sprang up, and walked over to the edge of the water. She remained completely
unmoved, staring out toward the horizon.

Gabrielle’s mind whirled wildly, causing an unpleasant
sensation in Arielle as Gabby tried to remember the night of the accident. She
couldn’t recall a single thing. She fought to grasp the reality of the
outcome. She shut her eyes and kept them shut for a long moment.

Spinning around, she looked directly at Eva. “What in bloody
hell are you talking about?”

Eva’s eyes were remarkably dark. “On the night of the accident Ian and I died.”

Gabby was way too quiet. She gazed at Eva with wide eyes. Her head pounded. Her brain fought to accept the information she had just been given.

“You died?” she asked, her voice rising to a high pitch.

“Yes,” Eva replied calmly. “Ian and I died, and if not for Troy, you would have attended our funerals weeks ago rather than
enjoying a glass of wine with me right now.”

“Troy?” she asked nervously. “What did Troy do?”

“Good heavens, Gabby, what do you think he did? Isn’t it
obvious? Or are you completely obtuse?”

Gabrielle wrapped her arms around her body and started to sob. She was trembling and struggling to breathe. Troy was hard enough
to accept, but this was Eva. This was her best friend, the girl she grew up with, and the girl that shared her most private secrets.
Someone she had known as a human her entire life.

“So…you are…you are…” she just couldn’t finish the question.

“Yes, Gabby, I’m an immortal, and so is Ian.”

Gabby stared at her for a very long moment.
God
, she thought,
why did this happen?
She remained quiet, as if she was expecting an
answer. Suddenly a question flashed in her mind,
Would I prefer Eva dead?
The thought made her shiver. Arielle shivered too, sharing in the thought.
No!
The answer came clearly as if someone was
shouting it out loud, loud enough to snap her out of the stupor she was in.
So maybe she is an immortal, but she is here, and she’s still my best friend,
Gabby thought and grinned.

Her eyes moved from Eva to Arielle, and then back to Eva. She got up to pace nervously. She finally strode back to the beach towel and looked down at Eva. Eva kept still, and so did Arielle, waiting for Gabby to speak. She finally did.

“I just don’t seem to be able to wrap my mind around this, but Eva, I love you, and I’m happy you’re here with me and Arielle.”
Gabby was
smiling softly. Tears ran down her face. She sat on the beach towel and gazed into Eva’s eyes. “How do you feel about being an
immortal?” she asked, wiping the tears away.

“Ian and I are very comfortable with our new identity now, though it was difficult at first. Sebastian and Troy have been
amazing. They have helped us understand all the incredible abilities we possess. As hard as it is to grasp, we are really happy, and have created a plan of what we want our lives to become. We look at it every day. This is a terrifying journey for both of us, and I want you to understand that we would be very scared if Troy and Sebastian were not there.”

Gabrielle was listening, still gawking at her silently.

“We owe our lives to Troy. He didn’t let us pass on, he didn’t let our families and friends suffer. He didn’t want you all to have to
attend two funerals, he wanted us together for eternity,” Eva said, with a soft, happy voice. “It has been a frightening journey indeed,” Eva finished.

Gabrielle gave her a wide-eyed nod. “Yes, I suppose it would
have been pretty frightening.” Gabrielle’s voice was barely audible.

Eva and Arielle moved closer and put their arms around Gabrielle.

“Are you all right?” Eva asked softly.

“I’m all right. I’m getting used to this immortal world, look at the man I’m planning on marrying,” she said bemused. She was
silent for a
little while, and then she went on. “Geez, our group is getting wilder and wilder.” They laughed loudly, knowing she was absolutely right.