Arielle Immortal Quickening (6 page)

“I’ll be right back. I know you are tired.” His lips curved up in that special smile that made her body tingle with excitement. She watched him stride into the ICU with that so familiar seamless walk, and she smiled, thinking of how stunning he was. She chuckled under her breath as she thought of all those gorgeous women he could have from his undying world, but he chose to love her. She shook her head in awe, unable to understand his attraction to her, and she went back to say goodbye to Eva.

Eva smiled wide at her entrance. “Did you tell Ian that I love him?” she asked quickly.

“I sure did,” Arielle said with a loud chuckle.

“Well, what did he say?”

“He said that he was glad about that, because he wouldn’t know what to do if you didn’t love him.”

Eva’s eyes welled up, and she beamed appreciatively. “I miss him, Arielle, and I’m so grateful that he didn’t get badly hurt. He’s my whole life.”

“I know, Eva, I’m very happy for both of you.” She leaned over and gave her a big hug. “I love you, Eva, and my heart aches for all of you, especially for Gabby. She’s really hurt.” They held each other, thinking about their best friend.

Trying to ease the mood, Arielle engaged into a long conversation with Eva about her trip to Tuscany and school coming up. It seemed that they were both trying to stay away from the accident issue. The stillness of Eva’s mind was still a big mystery to her, but she really thought it might be a temporary thing caused by the shock. It had been about twenty minutes, and the nurse came in to give Eva the required medication plus something to help her sleep. She told Arielle that visiting hours were over. Arielle kissed Eva.

“I’ll be back to see you tomorrow.”

“If you see my mum out there, please ask her to come in,” Eva said. Arielle nodded and smiled tenderly. “I love you, Arielle, and I’m happy that things didn’t turn out as bad for Ian and myself.”

“I love you, too, Eva,” she said. “I’m going home, because you need your rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She walked out of the room and found Mrs. Winters, who was still sitting in the waiting room with a cup of coffee. They hugged each other one more time.

“I’m so happy that Eva wasn’t badly hurt.”

“Thank you, darling. Me, too.”

“Eva just asked for you,” Arielle said. She smiled at Arielle affectionately and turned toward Eva’s room.

Arielle walked back to the ICU looking for Sebastian and peeked inside the door. The Taylors were around Gabby’s bed, but Sebastian wasn’t there. Neither was Troy. She walked back toward the waiting room, thinking she might have missed them, but they were not there either. Her steps brought her to the entrance, and she gazed outside through the huge glass swivel doors. She was surprised to see Sebastian and Troy standing close together in the parking lot, engaged in deep conversation. She watched them for a few moments, deciding that she didn’t want to intrude. Instead, she stood in silence and waited.

She lifted her face to the sky and watched the few scattered clouds reflecting the bright glow of the sun that was slowly dipping below the horizon, turning the evening sky grey. Arielle was completely exhausted, mentally and physically. They had been up since early in the morning, and after the flight home, they had spent several hours at the hospital. Arielle felt quite tired. She could hardly keep herself upright. She was ready to go home and crawl into bed. Sebastian was never tired. His energy was unparalleled, and she could never keep up with him. He was indefatigable.

She could tell that whatever they were discussing was quite important. From the expression on their faces, she knew something was wrong. Right now was not the time to ask questions, so she waited…and waited…and waited. Finally, she gave herself a mental shake and wrapped her arms around herself, reluctantly deciding to go back into the waiting room. She collapsed down on a large sofa, placed her elbows on her knees, and intertwined her fingers. Her chin rested on her hands, and she lost herself in her thoughts.

Her memories took her back into the ICU, and she drew in a sharp breath at the vivid memory of her best friend’s broken body. She closed her eyes, trying to wipe out the dreadful images. Moisture dripping through her fingertips made her aware that she was quietly weeping, tears running down her cheeks.

“Hey, baby! Are you ready to go home?” Sebastian’s soft voice startled her.

“Yes, I am.” She glanced up at Sebastian, and his face fell. Time suspended between them, and for a brief moment, he was lost.

Finding his voice again, he stammered, “W-What’s wrong?” His jaw was set in a straight line. “Why are you crying, sweetheart? Are you in pain?” he asked as he reached down and hauled her into his arms to hold her close.

“No, I’m not in physical pain. I was thinking about Gabby,” she replied and drew a shuddering breath.

“Gabrielle will be all right,” he whispered and pressed her warmly against his chest.

She was surprised to find that it had been over an hour since she walked into the waiting room.

“Let’s go home,” he said. Taking her hand, he laced his fingers through hers, and they walked out. Her eyes were still tearing, and her heart was overburden with sadness. She remained silent until they reached the car. Sebastian squeezed her hand gently as he held the door open for her. Just before she slipped in the passenger seat, he leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

“I love you, Arielle,” he murmured. “I’m right here. Don’t shut me out,” he added with a soft smile. He slipped in the driver seat, and reaching over, he took her hand in his and held it tight. She looked over, and their eyes locked.

“Sebastian, I love you. I couldn’t go through this day without you,” she whispered, “You’re my sanctuary.”

They drove home with their fingers intertwined in complete silence. He didn’t seem to want to intrude in her thoughts, but he knew they were lingering between Gabby, Ian, and Eva. The sky was turning darker, and a light mist hit the windshield. They barely missed the downpour as they pulled into the garage. Arielle took a warm bath before she got in bed, and he was there to hold her and make sure she slept feeling safe, encircled in his warm embrace.

Arielle woke up in terror, drenched in sweat. She was shaking and sobbing at the same time. Sebastian switched the light on and pulled her in his arms, trying to comfort her.

“It’s only a dream…it’s only a dream?” he murmured softly in her ear.

“Oh, Sebastian, it was the worst dream ever!” She pulled herself as close to him as possible in a desperate attempt to forget her freakish nightmare. She started to sob again as he held her closer.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Oh. It was horrible! Horrible!” She shut her eyes and bit down on her lower lip hard as her body started to shiver. She felt her heart hammering against her chest. She was sure he could hear the pounding. She gazed at him while trying frantically to take a breath.

“It’s only a dream, baby!” he whispered with his arms securely fastened around her, searching her face with eyes full of love and warmth and also concern. She drew in a shuddering breath and felt a bitter taste lingering in her mouth that was sending sick waves across her body. She compressed her lips and took several deep breaths, pushing back tears.

Her high-pitched, timorous voice startled her.

“I dreamed that Gabby and I were driving home when we noticed that we were being chased by a faceless person in a black car. The chase became frantic as I swerved through small winding roads, unknown locations, and thick foliage, just trying to get away from the car that was chasing us. We ended up in a cemetery with no way out and nowhere to go. We bolted out of the car and started running with the stranger right on our heels. I tripped and rolled down a small hill. When I stood up and looked around, Gabby was nowhere to be seen.”

Sebastian could feel her blood pounding in her veins, and her body stiffened with fear. He tightened his hold on her and nuzzled her hair, trying to calm her down as her voice came out utterly stress-filled.

“I was ready to get up and start running again when I heard Gabby screaming my name. I took a quick look back, and I saw a man with no face in a dark trench coat pulling Gabby up to the top of the hill. She had stretched her arm out towards me, looking desperate and screaming for help. I started running after them, climbing back up the hill, but when I got to the top, there was no sign of either one of them. I kept calling her name as I was running between the graves, sensing an unseen presence beside me. I took another fall, landing on top of a freshly dug grave.” She shivered at the thought, and she must have looked completely terrified, because he was looking at her with worry.

“What did you see?” His voice sounded hollow.

“I pulled myself up, and I was a hair width away from a huge headstone that read ‘Gabrielle Taylor’.” She started to sob as she forced herself to take lungfuls of air. She tried to slow the pulse hammering her neck and wrists, making it painful to breathe.

“Arielle, baby, it was only a dream. Anytime people go through deep emotional events as you did with your friends, they have those types of dreams. Dreams are free and harmless, and you need to find the strength to accept what happened and just be there for your friends.”

He put his finger under her chin and pulled her face to his. His hand pushed the hair away from her face, and he wiped the tears away with the other hand while pressing his lips softly against hers.

“Please lie down and try to sleep. I’ll be right here with you. There’s nothing to be afraid off.”

She lay back down, and he switched the light off. They rested in each other’s arms, and she felt a surge of love course through her body. She softly touched the hollow at the bottom of his throat, and he moaned in satisfaction. His lips trailed her cheekbone, and he pulled her even closer.

Her nearness was stimulating him to a physical pain. His mouth moved against hers, and she moaned with desire. Her lips parted, and their breaths fused in a scorching kiss. He swallowed hard, and his hands moved to her lower back and pulled her flush against him. His lips moved lower and pressed against the slow beating pulse of her throat. Her breathing slowed, and her head fell back against the pillow. Sebastian lifted his head, and his eyes widened as he stared at her beautiful face. He groaned in sheer frustration, realizing that Arielle had drifted off to sleep, consumed by exhaustion.

Sebastian lay with eyes wide-open, feeling overwhelmed with desire. He tried to relax following the heated moments just before she fell asleep, and he groaned once again, completely annoyance. He knew she was physically and emotionally tired, and he wanted her to sleep, but the heat of her body’s nearness was driving him mad. He could feel her breath caressing his face, infusing his very core as he zeroed in on the rhythm of her heart. He wished his heartbeat hadn’t stopped beating over five centuries ago.

It had been over a couple of hours, and he finally got out of bed giving up on sleep. Sebastian moved quietly to the next room and heard the rain pounded the huge window. He picked up a book and sank down in his favorite recliner. He recalled his conversation with Troy, and suddenly he was consumed by anxiety. He knew that Arielle didn’t have the complete truth about the accident. Earlier today, Troy had agreed that both would talk to Ian and reveal the astonishing facts.

Ian’s life would be turned completely upside down, but it had to be done. They were hoping the revelation wouldn’t make him fall apart. The next person would have to be Arielle. She possessed the gift of making people feel safe and secure, something he adored about her. Arielle would be the person to help them reveal the truth to Eva. How were they going to explain something so mindboggling, so bewildering? Sebastian knew they had to reveal the truth in the next two days, because it would soon become obvious to Ian and Eva that something implausible was happening and would change their lives forever.

Chapter 6

S
ebastian and Arielle arrived at the hospital around ten o’clock in the morning on the third day after the accident. As they stepped off the elevator on the floor of ICU, they noticed an unusual commotion around Gabby’s room. The Taylors were standing outside her room talking in low voices. A nurse and doctor hurried passed the parents and entered Gabby’s room. A few seconds later, Troy walked out of the room with a wide smile highlighting his face.

“She is awake! She held my hand! She smiled!” Troy exclaimed, just like a little boy. His voice was jubilant, and he hugged Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Her parents were crying, and Arielle burst into tears of joy. She was startled when Troy turned, pulled her up in his arms, and planted a huge kiss on her cheek. She laughed out loud, caught in his enthusiasm, as tears of joy rolled down her face. The doctor came out smiling and told them that Gabby was going to be fine.

Eva and Ian were released from the hospital around two in the afternoon on the same day, and Eva’s mother took them home. Gabby was to be moved out of ICU and into a private room the next day. The staff wouldn’t allow many visitors, but they all got to see her and that was wonderful. She wasn’t completely alert, but she was aware that the people who loved her were by her side. Everyone felt exuberant even though they knew she was still a long way from recovery. They stayed with her for a couple of hours, as her need for rest was evident.