Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7) (11 page)

Minutes seemed to tick by and panic settled in, paralyzing every muscle in her body. Nothing made sense. The sensation deepened and she tried to block the anxiety unsuccessfully. Something was terribly wrong, but the wall between her physical body and her consciousness seemed to be temporarily impenetrable.

She lay on that bed motionless, but for how long, she wasn’t sure. Muddling through her vague thoughts, she tried to make sense of her present situation. She searched around the room one more time and inhaled deeply. She couldn’t gather her bearings. Silence dragged for what she thought was a century.
A century. Century.
The word seemed to be moving inside her brain and bouncing around like a Ping-Pong ball.
Why does that word seem to strike a chord?

Her heart pounded against her chest, her brain spinning out of control.
God, what is happening to me? Where am I? Why can’t I muddle through this fog in my head?
Abruptly, she was startled by a set of deep emerald eyes, intercepting her thoughts and steeling her breath away. The striking face of a man emerged from the depths of her soul and found its way through to the forefront of her vision and jolted her mind to consciousness. It was almost like throwing an enormous surge of power into an electrical device by plugging it into a wall socket.

Arielle was paralyzed by the vision. “Sebastian!” she cried out, brought back from oblivion to reality. She closed her eyes as a surge of warmth and passion for him gushed through her veins and settled deep in the pit of her stomach.
Where is he? Does he know that I am here? Is he trying to find me?
A wave of shattering pain ripped right through her body, leaving her empty, lonely, and scared.
Oh Sebastian, where are you?
She whimpered anxiously and started to sob.

Vivid memories started trickling into her brain. The last thing she remembered was fighting for breath. Someone had grabbed her while standing at the campus parking lot by the car. She recalled the frantic struggle to break free from her attacker’s chokehold. She winced at the thought, and her body tensed as panic settled deep into her bones. Lifting her arm, she glanced at her wristwatch. It was 2:35 in the afternoon. It had been over an hour and a half since she had walked back to the car to retrieve her mobile phone. “Who did this?”

Supported by her elbows, she pushed against the bed and propped herself up gradually. She searched for something that appeared familiar, but nothing was coming back. A wave of anguish ripped through her, ramming her heart into her throat.
Where in bloody hell am I?

She inhaled deeply, scrambling to distinguish between reality and a dream. She sat up, and her eyes flicked to the window. It was raining, and the sky was a dark gray.
Who could possible want to keep me a prisoner and why?

It didn’t take long and, suddenly, she gasped for breath. Icy fingers crawled slowly down her spine as a name, distorted but very familiar, flashed in front of her like a bright neon sign. Bile rose to her throat quickly, and nausea threatened.
Annabel! Annabel! Oh, God, it’s Annabel.
This was the year for their wedding and she was not going to allow her to marry Sebastian.

She fell back on the bed and threw her arm over her eyes. Tears streamed down the sides of her face and into her ears as fear raced across her body, and her hand moved swiftly to her neck. Her eyes widened in sheer shock and horror invaded every fiber of her body. Her necklace was not there.
Oh…God…,
she muttered, hopelessness taking over. Reality crashed into her skull like a thunderbolt and pressure generated a stinging pain behind her eyelids. She was trembling with fright, knowing that she was alone and helpless against an unbreakable immortal.

Forced gasps escaped her and scattered through the stillness of the room. “Why would she bring me here?” she thought out loud, scrutinizing her surroundings like a wild animal trapped in a steel cage.
And where is here?
Fear surged though her body and her muscles tensed to a painful point. Desperation and terror seeped deep into her bone marrow, and her heart pounded the walls of her chest like a sledgehammer.

She couldn’t just lie here; she had to do something to escape, but how? She sprang up, swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and struggled to her feet only to almost collapse. The floor swayed beneath her feet and she grabbed on to the nightstand to steady herself.

Trembling, she tried to bring in her mind a glimpse of something to help her, something like her book bag or her mobile, but the room was sadly bare but for the furnishings.
How am I to contact anyone?
She stood in the middle of the room unmoved with a lot of undefined, perplexing, and diverse feelings. She felt isolated and desperate.

Words couldn’t define the rush of emotions that surged through her body and shook her thoughts. She was trying hard to embrace the uncertainty that was enveloping her, and all she could feel was her world crumbling at her feet and disappearing into another universe. Looking through a vortex portal into this new universe, all she saw was chaos and devastation. She couldn’t distinguish between reality and fantasy. Her heart was pounding her chest in a painful way. She needed Sebastian to lean on; she needed the safe sanctuary he provided, the warmth of his embrace, and his soft voice telling her that everything was going to be fine.

Turmoil was brewing inside her mind, spreading fear and uncertainty. Carefully, she searched around once again and observed her surroundings. She could hear the rain hit against the window and took a deep breath. The room was large and furnished poorly. A ghastly bedspread covered the four poster bed where she had been lying a few moments ago. A small nightstand was right next to the bed with a glass lamp on it and a dirty lampshade. A five-drawer dresser was pushed against the opposite wall from the bed and a window dominated the other side of the room. Two old, shabby armchairs were on either side of the window with a small square table between them.

Walked slowly toward a partly open door, and the worn-out floor squeaked painfully under her footsteps. Standing unmoved for a long moment, she finally reached up and pushed the door wide-open. The florescent fixture on the ceiling briefly blinded her when she switched it on and peered inside. The light gave her a clear view of a very small bathroom. Mold grew at the edges of the floor tiles and around the small shower area. She flinched at the sickening sight and closed the door, twisting her lips in disgust. She turned around and crept up to the door. Not sure if it would be locked, she had to try, and it was locked. Disappointment settled deep into her stomach and, putting her ear against the panel, she listened guardedly.

She caught an unclear sound of a man speaking loudly, but the sound never sharpened into real words. Perspiration seemed to seep through her skin, making her body feel damp. She rubbed her hands together and swallowed hard, trying to overcome the fear that crept through her mind.
Where in bloody hell am I? How am I ever going to leave this place?
She needed to try and connect with Eva. She was now her only source of communication. She couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing Sebastian again.

Annabel was determined to destroy Sebastian, and she had promised that she would kill her, so she needed to escape from the room before Annabel made good on her threat. She had absolutely no chance at all against a strong immortal without her amulet. Thinking about it, she was absolutely baffled. She tried hard to force her attention to the earlier events. She touched her neck and grimaced. She could almost feel the warmth of the pendant against her skin but her neck was bare.
Where and how did I lose it? Maybe while I was fumbling behind the passenger seat? But how could the clasp get unfastened? I should have felt that.
Frowning, she realized with certainty that she lost it before she was taken. If she had it on, things might had turned out differently, and she might off not been in this predicament right now.
What about my mobile and my books?
She thought out loud.
Did someone find them or did my captor pick them up? Oh God!
She had so many unanswered questions.

Turning around, she walked toward the other side of the room. Her eyes drifted around. She noticed the hideous wallpaper that was covering the walls and humphed. She needed to stay strong, but how could she do that when there was not a single item around to give comfort to her nerves? Clenching her fists to her side, she stood and stared out the rain-streaked window. The sky darkened, matching the way she felt inside. Tears pooled and began to flow freely down her face. There were iron bars installed on the outside of the window.
Why?
Who did that? Why? Why?...
That view appeared to seal the fate of any person held in that room. And right now, imprisonment seemed to be her fate. She blinked back the displeasure of her situation.

She was suffocating, unable to breathe, and terror crept right through her bones. Forcing air into her lungs, she stepped closer to the window. She reached up, snapped the latch upward, and pushed the window leaves wide open. Stretching her arms through the bars, she let the rain soak through her skin as she began to sob intensely.

A trembling sigh escaped her lips and she raised her eyes toward the thick blanket of clouds in a silent prayer. She begged for courage to find sagacity and abolish any deviation between her mind and body in order to face her captor with new strength. She was grateful that she was still alive, but she was frantically longing for Sebastian, her family, and her friends. She shut her eyes tightly and shuddered at the thought that this may be the end of everything. A light breeze whooshed through the open window, and a strange feeling coursed across her skin, as if invisible gentle fingers stroked her pale face.

She glanced back at the sky and gasped. A small circle of clear blue sky was peeking through that thick blanket of clouds.
How could that be possible?
It was not there a second ago, almost like an answer to her silent prayer, that there was hope in sight. God was smiling at her and she smiled back through the mist of her soggy eyes. The pounding of the rain on the window wasn’t promising any relief from the nasty weather.

Her head whipped around and faced the door as heavy footsteps snapped her out of her reverie. Her mouth fell open and, weighing the situation, she moved quickly. She closed the window and threw herself on the bed, shutting her eyes and remaining totally unmoving, professing unconsciousness. Her adrenalin was elevated and her nerves were shattered.

Her ears were tuned to every sound, minor or otherwise. She heard the key turn slowly, and the lock released. The door opened, and male voices become clear and concise.

“She’s still unconscious!” Mauritsio said in a stunned voice as he walked into the room.

“She should be coming around shortly,” Vitorio replied. The floor creaked under the weight of the heavy footsteps as they approached the bed. Arielle heard their heavy accents, and something tried to break through her memory barrier, but it died just as fast as it came.

“
Certo lei e bella
…” Mauritsio murmured, staring down at Arielle. She had absolutely no idea what the man said, but she knew enough to understand that he spoke Italian. She wanted badly to open her eyes, but she kept her muscles still and relaxed.

“Do you think she would remember us?” Mauritsio asked Vitorio.

What?
Arielle thought to herself. Her mind was in outright turmoil. She obviously had met these men before.
But when? Where?
She was listening now extra carefully to every word spoken in that room.

“If not for Jorrit, I would give this little girl something to remember me by.” Mauritsio’s voice was raspy filled with something sinister.

Vitorio’s eyes narrowed and blew out an exasperated breath. “Yeah, I suppose you would, but unfortunately for you, that’s out of the question now,” he said sternly. His voice was sharp, his words strong. “She’s not to be touched and that’s final.”

“I don’t have to be happy about it,” Mauritsio added stubbornly.

Arielle didn’t like the sound of that at all, but she remained still. Her confused brain locked onto the strange name.
Who was Jorrit? What did they want with her?

“She’s quite beautiful…” Vitorio said. Arielle could feel both of the men standing right before the bed, most likely staring down at her. “But orders are orders, and we don’t want to take a chance to piss off Jorrit,” Vitorio furthered.

“Yeah…yeah…yeah… I hear you. But a man is allowed to fantasize, Vitorio.”

The blood pounded Arielle’s eardrums as her anxiety increased and she was having difficulty breathing. She frantically searched the far corners of her memory to recall the names Jorrit and Vitorio, but nothing came through. Her frustration was becoming an obsession, threatening to reveal the fact that she wasn’t really unconscious.

She was experiencing a strong feeling of anger that was penetrating through her brain. Anger, fury, rage, and all those negative emotions bundled up into one huge ball of wrath that was nearly choking her to death. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to open her eyes and see their faces or just leap out of that bed and slam herself against the man nearest to the bed and watch their reaction.

A forewarning made her pause, and she remained absolutely still, keeping her eyes shut and her mind alert.
Jorrit… Vitorio… Jorrit… Vitorio
… She kept repeating over and over again silently.

“Let’s go; she is still out. We’ll check on her before we leave for the airport to pick up Vasily’s men from Belarus?” Vitorio said.

What? What?
Arielle thought she was hallucinating. Everything she heard sounded absolutely ridiculous. She was losing her mind. There was no other explanation.
Leave for the airport? Who was Vasily? Why was he sending men to Brighton? Belarus? What in bloody hell was going on?
She just couldn’t make heads or tails out of this conversation. This didn’t sound like Annabel’s men. Her name never came up, and all the other names and places were of no significance to her. Finally, she heard the floor squeak again as they turned and started to walk away. It sounded like they paused in the middle of the room and the next statement sent shockwaves right through her body, and reality made her flesh crawl.