Arielle Immortal Quickening (14 page)

And then she would open her eyes to the most beautiful face on this earth. She loved to watch his lips curve irrepressibly, and his emerald eyes shimmer. Looking into those gorgeous eyes, she wanted to cry out to the world how much she loved him. Time would suspend and emotions would seize every single nerve of their bodies, while sensation wreathed their minds and souls. Pure pleasure was his specialty, and she reveled in it. He drove her to the highest point of awareness, until she exploded into shards of passion.

Later she would lay back and watch him kick the covers back, jump out of bed, and walk to the shower.
What a sight!

They had a firm agreement that neither one of them would leave the bed in the morning without waking the other up. Their eyes were to gaze at each other’s face first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and they did stay true to that commitment. She would go back to sleep, and by the time she would wake up again, he would be gone. A fragrant freesia was left on the pillow and a short note
“miss me”
in his very delicate sixteenth century script.

He had spent a very long time away from the office because of his deep desire to be with Arielle. Even though he had Nathan to run the everyday problems, he had to get back and run his business. Troy had joined Sebastian’s team at IIRL, and they liked to leave early in the morning for the office.

Arielle spent a lot of time with Gabrielle at the hospital. Troy would stop by every day around noon faithfully and would sit with her for a while. Their love was heartwarming, and his devotion to Gabrielle was unbending. Many of their friends stopped by to cheer her up with happy news and let her know how badly she was missed. Paul and Loren came to visit several times, and she was always happy to see them, and so was Arielle.

Gabrielle was getting better every day, and Arielle could see that Gabby was looking forward to her visits. They spend a lot of affectionate and quality time together. Arielle was the one that talked most of the time, and she could see that her jokes and her stories were uplifting. She saw enjoyment spread across Gabby’s face; she guessed the healing power of humor was actually true. Her mission everyday was to use the opportunity to take Gabby’s mind away from her trauma and raise her spirit. She was sure that she was succeeding in doing exactly that.

Arielle understood that an overwhelming life experience triggers a frightening sense of security loss that is devastating, even if the event is perceived as unpredictable and uncontrollable. She felt agony that was piercing through her very soul, and it erupted inside her as full-blown fright.

It had been a few weeks since Ian and Eva left for Italy. They kept in touch, and she was very happy to hear that they were adapting to their new identities quite well. Arielle took advantage of Sebastian’s busy schedule to also spend some quality time with her parents. Her mother prepared some of her favorite lunches, and she enjoyed leisurely walks with her father once again in the garden. She remembered vividly the feeling of walking next to her father as a little girl, holding his hand. She was tickled to death to find that the feeling was just as warm and just as splendid now that she was grown up. She could see a little moisture at the corner of her father’s eyes, and she was sure it was from just pure pleasure.

It was during one of those visits to her parents that her phone rang and she saw Eva’s name on the screen. She eagerly answered.

“Eva!” she exclaimed. “How are you? I missed you so much!”

“Hi, Arielle, I missed you, too. This place is paradise. I don’t think I want to come home,” she said, and laughed out loud. Arielle was incredibly pleased to hear Eva’s care free laughter.

“Well, tell me about you and Ian! I can’t wait to hear the details,” Arielle said, eagerly.

“I honestly don’t know where to start, but first let me say that Geneva is amazing!”

“She is that and more,” Arielle agreed. “You sound so happy!”

“Arielle, I’m very happy but a bit nervous as well. Sebastian’s suggestion to come to Italy was perfect. Geneva was very helpful. I’m not sure how would have coped with all these changes.”

Arielle could hear the anxieties under the nonchalant tone in Eva’s voice as she continued. “Geneva became the perfect link between our human and immortal lives. She is very supportive, just as Sebastian said she would be. She provided answers to every little question that came up following the completion of our transformation,” she said, apparently extremely astounded by Geneva’s abilities and piquing Arielle’s curiosity about details. Eva was silent for a long moment. Arielle didn’t really mind the quietness; it gave her time to come up with her next question.

“Can you tell me anything about your transformation? Or is that a secret?” Arielle asked curiously.

“I’m not sure that I can give you any details, because the actual transformation wasn’t anything transparent to either one of us. But I can tell you that our senses were on high alert, not knowing what to expect. At first, there was nothing unusual, but shortly before midnight I had the most extraordinary feeling that something was happening to my body, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.” Her voice was breaking up, but she drew a deep breath and continued. “I know that sounds weird, but when I looked over at Ian, he wore the same surprised expression on his face.” “What happened then?” Arielle asked intensely, trying to control her breathing.

“Well, we braced ourselves for the unknown, and what took place after that was unfathomable.”

“What…what do you mean by that?” Arielle asked.

“Well, soon after that, we became aware that our limbs had healed, and we watched in astonishment as each other’s bruises, deep cuts, and scrapes, disappeared. Arielle, it was as if someone waved an invisible magic wand across our bodies and wiped away every mark, every pain, every fear, and every anxiety that was overwhelming us since before we left Brighton.”

“Wow! That’s amazing. How are you feeling now?”

“Honestly, I don’t feel any different. I actually feel great, just as Sebastian said I would. It is pretty outlandish!”

“Wow!” Arielle whispered again, utterly mesmerized. “What did you do after you healed?”

“Oh, this is the fun part,” she said, and chuckled. “We didn’t realize the strength that we now possess so when Ian and I decided to take off the casts, we barely got our hands around them, and they crushed between our fingers into fine white powder. It was astonishing to say the least.”

“Unbelievable…” Arielle’s voice trailed. This was as crazy as responses could get, yet it was factual.

“Arielle, it’s the most extraordinary feeling!” Eva continued. “We are perfectly healthy, and we feel great! We would never know that we’re different that we were before, but for the amazing abilities that we now possess.”

Arielle heard the enthusiasm in Eva’s voice and smiled wide.

“I’m so happy to hear that,” she, replied, warmly. “I want to tell you one more thing about Geneva.”

“What?”

“She worships the ground Sebastian walks on. This woman is blindly devoted to him,” Eva said, chuckling.

Arielle didn’t respond right away; she was thinking about her own blind devotion to him. He was so protective, so caring; he would never let anything happen to her or to her friends.

“Well, I can’t blame Geneva for feeling the way she does. I’m pretty devoted to him as well,” Arielle said, and smiled. “When are you coming home?”

“Well, we know that school is starting soon, so I guess it’ll have to be sooner than we want to leave this place,” she replied, regretfully.

“Well, I can’t wait to see you both. I love you so much!” she said.

“We love you, too, Arielle.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Arielle said, her voice filled with mirth.

Eva snorted. “I wouldn’t think of it.”

Arielle smiled at Eva’s words right after she hung up. She was again thinking about the incredible magnitude Sebastian’s existence created for every person that crossed his path.

The fourth week, she was sitting next to Gabrielle’s bed running her mouth about something completely unimportant. Gabby was looking quite well compared to the first three weeks. She didn’t have the bandages around her head, the brace around her neck, or the tubes that went through her mouth and nose. She could now breathe on her own, but she still couldn’t eat solid foods.

She had the cast on her leg, the casts on both arms, and the bandages around her thigh where she’d needed fifty stitches. Her face looked brighter, less stressed, and Arielle could see a faint smile here and there. That smile was more apparent when Troy was there. Arielle could sense the incredible love they shared. Gabby was still under heavy medication so the soreness, the ache and the discomfort wasn’t as bad as it could have been. There were no permanent damages that would create lasting complications for her, and that was the best and most desirable result.

Gabby’s abrupt question startled her. “I haven’t seen Eva and or Ian? How are they?” Her eyes were probing Arielle’s face for answers. Arielle wasn’t ready to share with her any details about Eva or Ian at this time.

“Did Troy tell you anything about the accident?” she asked Gabby.

“Um…Troy told me that they sustained some broken bones and bad bruises, but otherwise, they faired extremely well,” Gabby said.

Arielle reached over and touched her hand gently. “Yes, that’s true. They both have casts bounding their limbs, and it’s very difficult for them to get around. They ask about you every day, and I’ll let them know when you can receive calls.”

“Oh, I’ve missed them,” she whispered sadly.

“Gabby, when they were hospitalized, they came in ICU more than a few times to see you, but you were in a coma. They were both very worried about you. By the time you gained consciousness, they were released. Right now, you need to rest, and don’t worry about anything else,” Arielle said and squeezed her hand gently.

“I understand,” she muttered and nodded agreeably. Arielle changed the subject quickly. She didn’t want Gabby to think about anything unpleasant or anything that was associated with the accident. Soon they were engaged in more happy subjects.

Loren stopped by and brought Gabrielle a beautiful bouquet of exotic flowers. Gabby was visibly pleased and gave Loren a huge hug of appreciation. Loren’s gaze swept over Gabby carefully and smiled wide.

“You look fantastic!” she said.

Gabby sighed and smiled. “Thank you, Loren. I wish I could say that I feel fantastic, but I don’t.”

“All in good time,” Loren reassured her. Reaching over, she squeezed Gabby’s hands tenderly. She stayed for a little while and chatted away about some funny incidents between Paul and herself, bringing joy and cheerfulness to the room.

Arielle left with Loren around two o’clock in the afternoon, and they decided to go downtown and do some shopping. She loved Loren’s impeccable taste in clothes, and they exchanged ideas and opinions on several of their purchases. They enjoyed spending time together and talking about Paul, Sebastian, and their relationships. They had just walked out of a clothing store when Arielle heard Loren’s immortal velvety voice.

“Arielle, I want to thank you for something that has made a big difference in my life.”

“Oh…” Arielle turned her inquisitive gaze at Loren.

“It’s your friendship,” she said simply. “It has brought the most amazing and the most extraordinary feeling into my life. I was never blessed with a sister, or even a friend that I could trust with my personal relationships. When I first met you, I envied the bond that you share with Eva and Gabrielle. At the time I couldn’t even imagine how amazing it would be to share my inner thoughts with someone and know that I could trust them with my life.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “You see, it has always been my parents and Sebastian, and there are things that I just couldn’t possibly share with either one of them.” She paused. “But now I have you!” she exclaimed, pointing both hands toward Arielle. “How lucky can a girl be?”

Arielle shifted to face her, and the look in Loren’s face was intense.

“Well, yes, you do now have me,” Arielle said, chuckling.

“Thank you,” Loren murmured, sincerely. “It means the world to me.” Arielle’s lips curved into a happy smile as she turned and headed toward the parking lot with Loren at her heels.

“Loren, don’t feel alone,” Arielle said. “I remember when it was easy to talk to my mum about every thought and every problem I encountered in my young life.” Arielle stopped talking for a short moment and then hmmphed. “One day, I woke up and realized that I was grown up, and things had changed. I was struggling to keep explicit thoughts to myself, unable and totally embarrassed to talk about them. That’s where my two best friends Eva and Gabby came in. They became my secret sharers. Their minds became the secret vaults that kept every intimate thought I had safely locked away,” she said, and sighed deeply.

They stopped walking again and gazed in each other eyes, and then they hugged warmly.

“I’m thankful to have you in my life,” Loren muttered, and Arielle knew she was sincere.

“I feel the same way, Loren; would you like to come by the house for a little while? Sebastian would love to see you. He adores you!”

“I’d love to do that, but only for a short time. I’m meeting Paul around seven thirty.” She giggled at the sound of his name just like a little girl, and Arielle felt happy for her.

When they arrived at the house, Sebastian was already there and in the shower. They could hear him joyfully whistling an old tune, and they both laughed out loud.

“There’s salve in the fridge, so go ahead and help yourself, and I’ll go in and let him know that you’re here,” Arielle muttered.

Loren turned and walked into the kitchen, and Arielle went into the bedroom calling his name.

Chapter 12