Arielle Immortal Passion (17 page)

“What are you wishing for now?” Ian asked, clearly moved by Sebastian’s words.

Sebastian turned toward Ian and regarded him carefully. “I wish that I could be human, so I could enjoy a normal life with her. Give her children,” he said, and his voice broke, but he recovered quickly. “I want to make her happy and grow old with her. The bottom line, Ian, is that we are always in search of something that might make life better, richer, worthwhile! The loss and the birth of life, the lessons learned while on life’s journey, the trials we overcome and the goals we achieve, is what I find to be the most extraordinary part of life.”

Ian looked mesmerized, and was somewhat lost for words. He finally coughed to clear his voice, and settling into his chair more comfortably, he glanced up and realized that Sebastian was studying him intently. Ian cleared his throat again and smiling quizzically, he said, “But, Sebastian, you couldn’t possibly argue the fact that eternity is preferable to death. Endless life would not be meaningless to me as long as I had Eva to walk along with me. You also can’t argue that all the desires we have for the future and those that thrust our lives forward would still be there, and that there would be more time to achieve them, and even create more along the way.”

Sebastian inclined his head, and now smiled gently. “The true fact, Ian, is that all those things that you call desires and those that move you forward will really become trivial as they lose their supposed incentive. And the interests you set in your life will lessen, because immortality is an endless walk to nowhere.”

Keeping his eyes on Ian’s face, he continued, as if he were talking to himself, his gaze was distant. “Your life as an immortal just keeps going on and on until you lose track of time. You lose track of your desires and your priorities. You are there and you will be there for centuries to come while everyone around you begins new life, evolves and eventually dies. But not before they bring new life in this world, with new views, and new goals. You see, it is an ongoing process,” he said waving his hand dismissively, and snorting wryly. “Immortals are not allowed to partake in this wonderful process of life because they have been given the dreadful gift of eternity.” His lips twisted, and he grimaced lightly, as a rush of memories pushed though his head.

Ian tried, but couldn’t decipher any of Sebastian’s thoughts. What he understood was that the thought of immortality wasn’t a small concept to absorb. They remained silent for a long moment. Ian’s eyes flickered over the vast rows of bookshelves that stood like silent guards on either side of the room. He wondered how old some of the books were, who had touched each book, and when. He leaned against the backrest of the recliner and rested his arms on the armrests.

“Have you read any of these books?” he asked.

“Would you be surprised if I told you that I have read almost all of them more than once?”

Ian’s eyebrows shot up. “You can’t be serious,” he said quietly.

“Ian, five hundred plus years is a very long time. I had all the time in the world and it did get boring quite often,” he said with a disdainful sound.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of car pulling into the driveway. Glancing at each other, they stood up and went out to meet Sebastian’s friend. Though Sebastian talked with Jacques often, he hadn’t seen him for a couple weeks. “Thanks for coming,
mon ami
,” Sebastian said, giving his friend a warm embrace. He introduced Ian to Jacques, and the two exchanged a sincere handshake.

“What’s up Sebastian? You look worried,” Jacques said.

“It shows?” he snorted.

“Yes, it shows,” Jacques echoed, and chuckled. “Actually, you look pissed off, what’s up?”

“It’s Annabel,” he said darkly.

“What has she done to make you this mad?” Jacques asked.

Sebastian looked surprised for a moment, but then he shook his head, and smiled lightly. “Well, you and I have talked about Annabel before, but now her intrusion into Arielle’s life and mine has reached a dangerous level.” Sebastian’s face darkened. “She appears out of nowhere and tries to hurt Arielle, scaring her to death. She has vowed to destroy my life, as you very well know, but now she wants to do that by killing Arielle. She has tried to harm her on five different occasions. One of those times she almost succeeded in killing her and Eva, Ian’s fiancée,” he said, and waved his hand in Ian’s direction.

A long silence fell between the two friends. “I think she’s living in this house,” Sebastian added abruptly.

“What?” Jacques said, eyes widening. “In this house? Where?”

“Yesterday, due to the incident that almost killed Arielle and Eva a couple of days ago, we discovered that someone has been living in one of the rooms in the west wing without my knowledge. I don’t know if it’s Annabel, or a friend of hers, or both. We’re just not sure how many people have access to this house and for that matter how they get in and out without been detected. They must be getting in through a secret passage. So the whole matter has reached a new, and yes maddening, level. Pier and Jon are already here,” he added.

“Great!” Jacques said. “It’ll be good to see them, no matter what the circumstances.”

“We have a few other guys here to help as well. I will introduce them all to you in the next few hours. You are familiar with the house so I don’t need to escort you upstairs, but we are on our way up as well. Go ahead and pick a room that is not occupied, and relax for a little while. I have a feeling we may have a long night ahead. I’m sure you’re tired after all that driving, and I do appreciate you coming all this way. Let’s meet down here again around 3:30.”

“All right, Sebastian. Sounds good.”

Jacques and Ian followed Sebastian upstairs, and Ian left them when he reached his room.

“I’ll see you both at 3:30,” he said. They nodded, and Ian shut the door behind him. Then, Sebastian left Jacques at the door of the room he had chosen, and walked toward his own room to gather his thoughts.

Everyone was here now, and Sebastian was sure that with their help he would be able to accomplish a great deal. How long it would take was another question, but no matter what it took, he knew he had to see it through. He swallowed the lump in his throat, thinking of Annabel and wondering what was to come. Thinking about Arielle’s safety made his chest ache. He couldn’t let anything happen to her! She was the center of his universe, the person he lived and breathed for, and the passion and the excitement that she brought into his life, was growing more powerful and more intoxicating every minute of every day.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he lay in bed and closed his eyes. One thing was for sure, if he had to, he knew that he would give his own life to make sure that she was safe.

At 3:30 everyone gathered in the library, waiting for Sebastian. They all seem to be getting along just fine and exchanging stories of their escapades. Ian was amazed at the stories he was hearing, and enjoying every moment of it.

After a few moments, Sebastian walked in and greeted everyone. “Thank you all for coming,” he said. His voice was calm, low, and direct. “As you know by now, Troy, Ian, and I came here to celebrate our engagements to three amazing women. We had a wonderful time here the first week, but then strange things started to happen. For those of you who don’t know, Annabel is the woman I was forced to marry due to family commitments back in the 1600s. Our annulment two years after the wedding set her off on a maddening quest to cause me whatever grief she could. She has tried to seriously injure Arielle four times but wasn’t able to succeed thanks to a very powerful necklace that my mother gave Arielle for her protection. When Arielle is wearing the necklace, anyone who touches her with the intent to harm her will be repelled, including immortals.”

“On her fifth attempt, Annabel didn’t try to touch Arielle, she just lured her and her friend Eva into a dark room in the west wing of the house, with no way out and no ventilation. She locked them in there and left them there to die. And she almost succeeded in getting them killed. We got to them in time only because Eva possesses some incredible powers that helped us find them just in time.”

Everyone listened carefully as Sebastian spoke, totally engrossed in what he was saying. “I have banned Annabel from this house and I know she is not getting in through the doors because there is someone here watching at all times. There has to be a secret entrance, or perhaps several, that she is using to get in. The west wing has been empty for centuries now, used only for storage and nothing more. Just before the last incident, the girls found a room that looked occupied by someone—most likely a woman with an Italian name—someone completely unknown to me. I say a woman because I found a suitcase in the closet with a woman’s name on it. I asked for Troy’s help in case he was familiar with this woman,” he said. “To my surprise, Troy said that he has had a short affair with Giovanna Degrali hundreds of years ago but nothing more. We thought maybe some of you might know of her as well.”

An uncomfortable silence fell in the room as Troy’s friends looked at each other, dismay in their eyes. Their surprise was evident.

“What?” Sebastian and Troy asked at the same time.

“Did you say Giovanna Degrali?” Antonius snarled. His voice was cold, hard, infuriated.

“Yes. Do you know her?”

“Oh, yes—I know her!” he said furiously, lips pulled back, teeth grinding painfully. The veins were bulging in his neck, and his face was suddenly jerked by revulsion. “I’ve spent most of my life looking for that bitch, and when I find her I will destroy her with my bare hands.” His hands came up balled into tight fists and thrust into the air. Sebastian and Troy looked surprised, their eyes widened.

“How do you know her?” Sebastian asked.

“I’ll be the last person she will ever see before I rip her body to pieces,” Antonius said. The hatred in his voice was unmistakable, astonishingly rigid and cruel.

“How do you know her?” Sebastian asked again.

Antonius spoke slowly, his voice full of venom. “This goes back long before I met Troy. They told me that she had my brother Paolo killed. But I am sure she did it herself. He was my best friend. He was brilliant. Fluent in six languages, high-spirited, loved the arts. And a very successful surgeon.”

“How well did
you
know her?” Sebastian asked.

“Giovanna was a very interesting woman. She was the daughter of one of the most powerful families in Italy, a sixteenth century version of the perfect socialite. Her father had her killed because she was in love with an immortal, and he was not going to allow something like that to take place in his high society circle. Her lover was very upset and determined to keep her with him for eternity. So, he got to her on time and gave her immortality. A couple of years later, he found out how evil and selfish she was, and he left her. Afterward, she became much worse. It was as if she hated every man on this earth. Her reputation became that of a true demon. She lured men into her life and then ripped their hearts out once she knew they were in love with her. She is completely incapable of falling in love with anyone herself.”

Troy listened, nodding in agreement. So far, Antonius’s story was exactly like the story Troy he had told.

“My brother and I met her at a party one night. Giovanna pursued him with an incredible passion. I tried to warn him by telling him all the stories that surrounded her, to keep him away from her. But he didn’t listen to me. She was very convincing, and he ended up falling for her. She was good to him for a short time, and then she got tired of him. Suddenly, he vanished. Giani and I looked for him for months, following every lead we could get. We did find the truth, but it was long after she was gone from our circles. An old boyfriend of hers that had survived her virulent madness told us the details of Paolo’s death. He didn’t know if she had used a sword or stabbed him with a dagger, but she dismembered him and discarded his body parts everywhere for the animals and the birds to find.” He paused for a moment, overcome with emotion. He took a deep breath and continued, “I have vowed to avenge his death and that is exactly what I’m going to do when I find her. We ran into her once in Bologna a century ago and the three of us hurt her real bad. We were pretty close to snapping her head off when several of her friends jumped in and she escaped during the confusion. I have gone to every place I have been told that she has visited and I seem to always miss her by a day or an hour.”

As Antonius spoke, bitterness dripped off of every word. A dark look crossed his eyes, and an agonizing pain shot through his chest. He took a quick look around the room, and resting his gaze on Sebastian he hissed, “Are you telling me that she may be living in this house now?”

Sebastian nodded, lost for words. An uncomfortable glimmer passed through his eyes and he drew in a deep breath. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” he said. “And your story sounds exactly like Troy’s. He was her lover for a short time, and from what you’ve told us he’s lucky to be here today.” He looked at Troy and they both smiled.

“Well, let’s go!” Antonius said, a steel edge in his voice.

Sebastian’s mouth twisted, and raising his hand up he warded Antonius off.

“There is no one here that does not understand your anger, Antonius,” he said. “However, I think we should do this the right way. Let’s all go quietly to the room where Giovanna’s luggage was located. If she is there, we’ll deal with her. If she isn’t, we can locate the passage and then wait for her or whomever she is with to enter. I think all of us working together have a better chance of destroying her. Don’t you agree?”