Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (28 page)

Eva turned her immortal powers onto herself next. When she
was finished she looked more like a porcelain doll than a real person.

“Eva, you look fantastic!” Arielle exclaimed. “I don’t think I have ever seen a person more beautiful that you.”

Eva chuckled, extremely pleased. “Oh, it’s just my immortal looks,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “But, look at the two of you!” she added, pointing at Arielle and Gabrielle. “You both look unbelievably gorgeous.”

Thrill surged through Arielle at Eva’s words. Gratitude filled the air.

“So, how did I do?” Eva asked, watching her best friend's
awestruck faces, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

Gabrielle and Arielle were speechless. They didn’t seem to notice Eva’s question. After a long pause, they began to parade back and forth in front of each other, stopping in front of the full-length mirror
just to stare, unable to believe the striking girls that looked back at them.

Eva giggled. “One more thing,” she called out, loud enough to snap them out of their reverie.

They both stopped moving, and turning around they faced Eva with quizzical looks in their faces, eyes wide open.

Eva gave them an apologetic glance followed by laughter. “Now
that I have your attention,” she said, “we need to be rid of all jewelry, engagement rings, etc. It’s a sorority rule for this competition.”

“How about my necklace?” Arielle said, reaching up and placing her hand over the amulet. “I’m not taking it off.”

“I’ll be with you, Arielle, you don’t need that necklace,” Eva said. “The rules of the contest are that we make this as authentic as possible.”

They both took their jewelry off and placed it in Eva’s jewelry
box. They walked together to the foyer looking at each other and smiling in exhilaration.

“Are you ready to go?” Eva asked.

“Yes, we sure are,” Arielle replied, running her hands over the amazing skirt of her gown and looking totally mesmerized.

Gabby moved over to Eva’s left and Arielle stood to her right. Eva reached out and took their hands. Arielle thought that Eva was doing something to complete the manifestation.

“All right,” Eva said. “Are you ready? Hold on to my hands
tightly!” Arielle smiled, thinking of her mind-blowing dress. What
would Sebastian think when he saw her after the contest? The
thought made her giddy.

Suddenly, an enormous pull literally ripped the air out of her lungs. A blinding flash traveling faster than the wave of an explosion
ricocheted across her eyes, forcing them shut. A strong, swirling sensation tore her consciousness away from her brain. She was
utterly disoriented. She wanted to scream but not a single muscle in her body wanted to cooperate.
What in bloody hell is happening to me?
she started to think, but before that thought had a chance to travel across the waves of her brain, another flash brighter that the first tore right underneath
her eyelids. Inexplicable pressure rendered her numb. She
desperately tried to inhale, unaware that she was moving through time and space in nanoseconds.

Suddenly, there was complete stillness. She remained unmoving
while her brain restarted slowly, releasing adrenaline into her bloodstream. Her heart rate picked up and her muscles tightened,
shooting a throbbing ache to her temples. A distant noise gripped her attention, but she couldn’t identify it. She inhaled a mouthful of air and slowly tried to open her eyes, but her lids felt weighted and would not cooperate. This had to be a bizarre dream. Her head throbbed and her muscles ached. She finally snapped her eyes open and stared in dismay because nothing within her vision looked familiar. She pressed her
eyes shut once again and barreled through her thoughts.
This is a bloody dream,
she thought as panic shot through her once again. A
soft voice
gripped her attention and she forced her lids open. Wheeling, she
turned her attention to the person alongside of her and met a pair of familiar eyes that were smiling warmly at her.

“Eva!” she cried out, as memories seared through her brain and
made her quiver. “Wha…What…” she struggled to say, her voice
weak. Glancing over Eva’s shoulder she saw Gabby looking disoriented.
Something is just not right
, she thought to herself. Lowering her gaze she noted that she was still holding hands with Eva. She frowned, and then looking up she stared into Eva’s eyes without saying a word. Numerous questions and emotions scattered about her head. She seized the moment to take another look around but just like the first time nothing registered. Shocked and thoroughly baffled, she
turned to face Eva once again. “Wh…where are we? What
happened?” she stammered.

Gabby’s yelping drew her attention and, glancing over, she
noticed the excited look on Gabby’s face. She was about to look back at Eva
when Gabby started to jump up and down like a small child
clapping her hands and giggling uncontrollably.

Arielle’s jaw dropped at the sight. “What in bloo–?” she started to say when Gabby began to call out over and over again with
overwhelming excitement, “Oh. My. God. Eva! You did it…you did it…you bloody did it!” A wave of excitement slammed into Arielle and she realized
that her ability to sense Gabrielle’s thoughts and feelings had
returned.

Arielle’s mind wondered at Gabby’s words until Eva’s restrained voice reeled her back. “Calm down, Gabby, you’re scaring Arielle.”

You’re scaring Arielle?
Eva’s words slammed into Arielle’s brain waking up every nerve in her body. Arielle pressed her lips together and straightening up she took another careful look around.

They were standing in the middle of a poorly lit street that didn’t look familiar at all. She was sure that they were not in Brighton any
longer, but where in bloody hell were they? She didn’t finish the
thought because a range of intense emotions disconnected her from her surroundings. Astonished she looked back at Gabrielle, thinking she would explain, but she was wrong. Averting her gaze to Eva she was surprised to find her smiling blissfully.

“Eva, where are we?” Arielle whispered, totally stunned. She
kept
looking around in perplexity. She was too scared to make any assumptions. The street looked like an old city built hundreds of
years before their time. Happy people were buzzing around them shouting in French, dressed in outfits of a different era.

Arielle squeezed Eva’s hand and started to say something when she was suddenly yanked aside by Eva’s strong arm to avoid being
trampled by a couple of carriages that rode passed. Eva’s strong
hands held Gabrielle and Arielle steady as their jaws dropped. They both felt completely dazed. Arielle dragged in a gasp.

“Eva, where in bloody hell are we?” she finally asked, finding
her voice again.

“Happy birthday, Arielle,” she heard both Gabrielle and Eva say
in unison with ecstatic voices. Their wish seemed to go by unnoticed because Arielle’s mind was too occupied trying to grasp her surroundings.

“I don’t understand. Where are we?” Arielle asked again
completely out of breath.

“We’re in Calais,” Eva said excitingly.

“Calais, France?” Arielle shrieked.

“Yes,” Eva’s voice pressed on with a hint of humor. “This is the calendar year of our lord fifteen hundred,” she announced,
laughingly
waving her hand vaguely, her voice that of an MC at an important
celebration. A bright smile touched her lips.

“Fifteen hundred?” Arielle screamed as her breath hitched, and she felt Eva’s hand softly pressing hers.

“Keep your voice down,” she said feigning scolding.

“But how?” Arielle couldn’t find the right words to ask the
questions that were burning her thoughts.

Eva turned to face her. She took her hands in hers and explained
in a few words where they were and how they got here. “We are
here
for the sole purpose of attending the annual Gaulle ball.” Arielle
watched
Eva in disbelief that was slowly being replaced by excitement.
Fascination overtook her.

“Are you saying that we are here so I can meet Sebastian before he became an immortal?” she asked, intrigued.

“Yes, that’s the whole purpose of the gift,” Eva chuckled.

“And what do I say?” she asked. Fretfulness consumed her.

“You are forbidden to tell him anything about our present lives
and the fact that you know him at all. You are here to observe and
interact if you wish as someone that he just met for the first time.”

“Oh, my God, how am I going to be able to treat him like a
stranger?” Panic shot through her.

“That’s exactly what you have to do, Arielle, you can’t alter history or you’ll jeopardize our lives, and the ability for us to get
back to our
lives as we know them. Do you understand?” Eva studied her
carefully. “If you can’t do that you must tell me right now, and we’ll not even bother to do this.” Eva’s face was serious.

Arielle hesitated for a short moment, and gathered her wits. She said nervously, “No…no…I...I can do it.” She took another slow glance around staring at the people around them that were chatting enthusiastically. She leaned closer to Eva and pressed her hand. “I
can’t believe it,” Arielle said, in a hushed voice. “Are we going to meet his family?” Her eyes fixed on Eva.

“Yes, Arielle, that is exactly what we’re going to do,” Eva said
calmly. “Furthermore, we’ll meet Sebastian when he was a simple mortal,” she said gleefully. “What do you think about that?”

Arielle was silent, trying to imagine Sebastian as a mortal. She drew a deep breath, and exclaimed, “This is extraordinary!” Eva and Gabrielle laughed aloud. “This is the kind of dream that fairytales are made of.” Her voice dropped to a mere whisper.

“Eva did a little research and found out something very
interesting about Sebastian. Do you want to hear it, Arielle? ” Gabrielle asked.

“What?” She gazed upon her two best friends inquisitively.

“Well, he is a marquis, and if that isn’t enough he has inherited the whole Gaulle fortune,” Gabby said excitedly.

“Rubbish?” Arielle said, and laughed aloud. “Do you really
expect me to believe that? Because if that’s what you’re thinking save it.” She laughed again and rolled her eyes.

“Arielle, your fiancé is beyond rich, he is mega rich,” Gabrielle pressed on.

“Oh, get out. That is bloody crazy,” Arielle said, and broke out
into
a hearty laugh. Neither one of her friends laughed with her.
Gabrielle turned away from Arielle and faced Eva.

“Eva, tell her,” she pleaded.

“That’s absolutely true. Sebastian is a marquis,” Eva said in a low voice.

“You are serious? Aren’t you?” Arielle stood, gazing between
Eva and Gabrielle.

“Well, he doesn’t want us to know about this, so let's keep it that way all right?” asked Eva’s supple sweet voice.

Arielle’s head was spinning. She thought she knew everything about him. She knew he was rich, but she never knew how rich. She didn't know that he held titles. He never talked about himself in that way. Eva’s voice got her out of her dreaming stage. Eva was ready to move to the next step of their adventure. She looked at Arielle and Gabrielle with an easy smile fixed on her lips.

“All right, here are the invitations that I manifested, and I’ll
manifest a carriage to take us to the estate. Are you both ready?”

“Yes,” Gabrielle and Arielle exclaimed as she handed them each an invitation. Arielle tried to read it, but it was twilight already and
the faint moonlight spread over the poorly lit streets, making it
impossible to read. She moved a few feet away and stood under a lamppost. She took a closer look at the invitation. It was handwritten in French in beautiful calligraphy.

“Why is this handwritten?” Gabrielle asked, surprised.

“That is the way invitations were written when it came to high society,” Eva stated, chuckling. Arielle held it closer and run her
finger over each word that caressed her soul with incredible warmth.

M. et Mme Marcus Gaulle

Invitez-affable vous cette année de notre seigneur

Quinze soixante-quinze à la nuit annuelle de gala

D'a du plaisir et au plaisir

Au château Risban

32 rue Brassese

Calais

“What does it say?” Gabrielle asked. Arielle walked back and stood next to Eva and Gabrielle. She started to translate for her
friend in a low
voice, “It says, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Gaulle affably invite you this year of our lord, fifteen seventy-five, to the annual gala, a night of pleasure and enjoyment at the Chateau Risban, thirty-two Rue Brassese, Calais.”

Arielle was deep in thought when Eva’s voice startled her. “Arielle!”

“What?” she said, and flashed her a smile.

“I need to tell you about the portals and that we need to stay close so we are in agreement when we have to leave. We have now
used the
portal of five in the afternoon to come here, and we will have to
leave at exactly five tomorrow afternoon.”

“Oh, but what about the guys back home?” Gabrielle asked.

“Won’t they wonder where we are?” Arielle asked.

“No, of course not, time here is just a fraction of the time back in our century year. Even if we were to spend a couple of days here it will still be a matter of minutes in our time,” Eva spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Wow!” Arielle exclaimed. “I just can’t even begin to imagine how that works, but I am very excited to be involved in this
adventure.” Gabrielle was beaming with enthusiasm.