Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8) (26 page)

“I must say that your story is an extraordinary one,” Oliver said. “What are the odds of something like this happening to one of us?”

“What do you mean?” Gaston asked curiously.

“I mean, when have you ever heard anything quite like this? Arielle’s time-travels weaved such a tight web around your immortal life, that you can’t breathe, you can’t think, you’re trapped.”

Gaston’s face-hardened. “It’s complicated, but there’s nothing I can do now, I’m doomed.”

“I hope you’ve thought of the consequences and the detestation that you’ll have to overcome,” Oliver continued. His gaze fell on Gaston’s face. He looked as if he was evaluating Oliver’s words.

“What exactly are you referring to?”

“Gaston, you’re not only taking her away from Sebastian. You’re depriving her of her family and close friends. She’ll loath you for days and years to come.”

“I’ll take care of that,” he said smirking.

“Don’t even think about breaking the immortal code, because the consequences of that are severe. You know if you do that, you’ll perish in a matter of time.”

“Yes, I know, and I’ll try everything possible before I get to that point. I want her and I’ll have her no matter what I have to do. I’m determined to risk it all.” His expression was blank. Oliver shrugged and stared down into his glass. Gaston swirled his drink inside the glass in complete silence and sipped slowly without saying another word. The discussion veered to other subjects, but Oliver could tell that Gaston was mentally disengaged, and he shook his head in wonder.

“I think, I’ll go check on Arielle,” Gaston said, and stood, leaving his glass on the small table next to his chair.

“I’ll go with you if you don’t mind,” Oliver said. Gaston didn’t reply, he just moved eagerly toward the stairs that led to the lower level. He crossed the corridor with short strides, Oliver on his heels. He stopped in front of the narrow door and turned the nob quietly. He swung the door wide open and crossing the threshold he reaching to his left and turned the light on.

Oliver walked closer to take a closer look at the girl who’d stolen his best friend’s soul and mind. He stopped next to the bed and looked down on her, his gaze sweeping over the soft motionless body that was lying unconscious. A wide smile spread across Oliver’s face as his eyes traced the gorgeous curves, the bare shoulders, the swells under the t-shirt. His gaze lingered for a long time over that beautiful sight. He forced himself to move his gaze slowly to her face. Her complexion was creamy white, like alabaster. Her hair a radiant wave of sunburn spread across the pillow. Her features were refined; her lips were full and luscious slightly parted, reflecting a shade of pink. Her nose was petite and quite sexy. Her eyes were closed but her lushes were long and he was sure they would complement the gorgeous blue eyes Gaston spoke of so often. A faint aroma of freesia reached his nostrils and he shivered. Silent waves of excitement coursed through his body, and quickly he stepped away from the bed, letting out a muted curse. She was anangel! She was that, and much more, he was sure. After this, he wholeheartedly understood Gaston’s obsession.

“We should be arriving in 30 minutes,” Oliver said, his gazed roaming over Arielle’s body one more time and, swallowing another curse, he turned away. “I’m going upstairs,” he said, his jaw clenched. He walked outside and climbed the steps quickly. Oliver was shocked by the powerful urge that swept over him when his eyes fell on Arielle. He shook his head one more time and groaned in disbelief. This was his best friend’s obsession, not his.

Gaston remained behind for a few more minutes. He kept his gaze on Arielle’s face. He was dead set to sway her his way. He was ready to offer his body and soul and he wanted to convince her to give him the same in return. This was something he had to have, as he just couldn’t live without her. That was one fact he couldn’t escape any longer. He spent years after she left Calais to try to get over her, but he never did. Deep inside she had remained his one and only desire. He swooped down and pressed his thirsty lips on hers. He ran his hand softly over the swells under her shirt and hauling in a frustrated breath he swung back and left the room closing the door behind him. He climbed the steps and crossed the deck with a few strides, cursing out loud. He reached the small table that held his brandy and with a deep groan he picked up the glass and drained it.

***

Arielle open her eyes slowly. Her mind was in a thick fog; thinking, feeling or understanding seemed to be nonexistent emotions. She tried to lift her arms, but she couldn’t. It felt as if she was trying to lift solid blocks of concrete. Her eyes were burning, her temples were throbbing and her throat was dry. She pressed her eyelids shut hoping that she would snap out of this dreadful dream. She ran her tongue over her dry lips and tried to blink several times to clear the thin film that was obstructing her vision.
This has to be one hell of a bloody dream,
She thought, and chuckled.
I
’m trapped in this horrific nightmare and I can’
t wake up.
Her intuitive intensified, as images started to trickle into her mind slowly at first and then they reeled wildly until they skidded to a halt. She gasped as the recent memories poured in. She was still lying in the same bed but the room was now dark.
How long have I been lying here?

Her eyes inched over each item in the room all over again. There was a small dresser against the opposite wall, a nightstand next to the bed, and two chairs. Suddenly, through the shadows, her gaze stopped on the portholes above her head and she froze as Gaston’s face emerged in her mind and she cursed inwardly. She sat up in the dark and lifted her hands to wipe moisture that was trickling down her face.

Her fear was now so dense; it blocked her thoughts one more time. Her hands balled into tight fists and her nails cut through the skin of her palms, spreading pain across her muscles. She welcomed the darkness inside the cabin; it helped conceal her emotional stress. She was at a total disadvantage with Gaston, without her necklace, however she still had Eva.
I have to remain calm,
she thought to herself.
I need to find out where he’s taking me. I need to get something that will help Sebastian and my friends find me.
She struggled to focus her thoughts on Eva, but Sebastian’s face kept filling her mind.
Sebastian!
She whimpered his name, and felt his image envelope every fiber in her body. Her lips move again, repeating his name over and over again and she started to sob quietly.
God, what am I going to do? Will they ever find me?
Panic coursed through her nerves and fear traveled like lightning, searing every pore in her body.

She had a wild thought of trying to escape, but how could she even opt on an escape plan if she didn’t know where she was? According to Gaston she’d slept most of the way to this boat and for how long she had no idea; she’d lost complete track of time.

Footstep in the corridor made her skin crawl. She kept her eyes shut, hoping that Gaston would leave her alone. She heard the doorknob turn and the door creaked as it opened. She heard him approach and he stopped next to the bed. He had to be very close because she could smell that intoxicating immortal scent. Only in this case it was turning her stomach inside out.

“We’re here, princess,” he whispered in her ear and brushed his lips against her earlobe. Arielle stifled a scream and opened her eyes slowly. “Please don’t be scared of me and don’t scream. I’m not going to hurt you, I’ve told you that over and over again. I’m in love with you, I wouldn’t hurt a single hair in your head,” he said, and his eyes locked with hers. Arielle recoiled, and yanked her eyes away, avoiding his immortal power to compel her. He gave her his hand to help her out of bed but she pushed him away.

“Where are we?” she mumbled without moving.

“I’ll tell you later. Right now we need to get out of the boat,” he said, voice firm. He took a step back and kept his eyes on her. Arielle sat up and swung her legs over the bed. She groaned and came to her feet, not realizing she was still in a deep haze from being sedated. She wobbled and lost her balance. Gaston reflexively closed his arms around her and pulled her against his hard body to steady her. He cursed inwardly, as severe desire spread through every muscle in his body.

Mortified anger flooded her mind and she tried to pull away. His arms locked around her unyielding like a steel cage, his male hardness pressed against her body. His mouth found hers and his kiss was hard, passionate, and fervent. He moaned and Arielle understood that he was kissing her into forfeit and she wasn’t going to let him succeed, so she locked her lips against his. Her disbelief was intermingled with something much bigger, a suffocating revulsion. Gaston noticed tears running down her face and immediately he let her go. He pulled back, as resentment against Sebastian grew even larger. He bit his lower lip, and turning around, he walked toward the door.

“Come on Arielle, we need to leave this boat,” he said, without looking back.

“Gaston,” she screamed, and he froze. His jaw clenched, his muscles clenched but he didn’t turn back to look at her.

“What is it, Arielle,” he asked, voice low and calm.

“Where in bloody hell are you taking me?” she cried out. “You can’t do this, I’m not going along with your sick plan,” she said, and started to sob. Gaston turned around slowly and glare at her, frustration spread across his face. Arielle gasped as he moved using his immortal speed and he was now standing right in front of her. He met her gaze and trapped her in his arms one more time.

“I hate to disagree with your statement, my beautiful princess, but you are going to be with me for a very long time. Therefore you might as well get over yourself and relax. You have nothing to say about this.”

Arielle gritted her teeth and
humphed
. “That’s ridiculous!” she shrieked. “I’m not going to be with you. I’m in love with Sebastian.”

Jealousy coursed through Gaston’s body and hit him like a ton of bricks.

“We’ll see about that,” he said through clenched teeth. He took her arm and pulled her toward the exit. He helped her up the stairs and they were now standing on the top of the deck. She looked around and saw several men moving about the boat but she couldn’t see their faces. The night was warm and clear. The moon looked like a huge preciouses stone, nestled in the middle of an enormous silver platter. The sky was crammed with millions of brilliant starts. Under different circumstances, she would smile at the splendor of the night but not tonight. The huge boat had docked against a long poorly lit pier, that lead to somewhere in the distance. Gaston grabbed her wrist and lead her to the side of the boat, and helped her step over onto the pier. There was no need to try and jerk her hand back; his grip was hard as steel and she twitched from pain.

“You’re hurting me,” she whimpered.

“Then stop fighting me,” he said quietly.

How is Sebastian ever going to find me?
She reached for Eva’s thoughts and mentally invited her in her head to see, what Arielle was experiencing. She continued to walk next to Gaston with Oliver close behind them. As they reached the end of the pier, she could smell the ocean and the strong scent of moist soil filled her nostrils making her flinch.

She tried to survey the area, but it was dark and even in the moonlight she couldn’t see anything. Turning to her left, she noticed a set of headlights that were heading their way. A large limo pulled up and the driver jumped out to greet Gaston and Oliver with their first names. He moved around and held the doors open for them.

“Get in,” Gaston said softly, but his voice was hard, so she climbed in without any arguments.

She cleared her throat and asked quietly. “So, where are we going?” she waited for an answer, but he didn’t reply. She turned to face him in the dim overhead light and all she could see was lust in his eyes and she recoiled. The hurling started all over again in the pit of her stomach as the car rolled into the dark street of this unknown place. She was sure Gaston had used something like chloroform to put her to sleep. Just before she lost consciousness, she remembered the sweet smell when he pressed a piece of cloth over her face. She was still feeling the aftermath of that; her vision was fading in and out. She stared out the window, trying to see something that would give her a small clue of their location, but even with the moonlight there was nothing to see, nothing but trees, water, trees, and more water. Her awareness was telling her that she was here with Gaston, but her body was refusing to believe it. Her jaw muscles tightened and she was sure that if her friends couldn’t find her, the result would be dreadful. She closed her eyes and mentally tried to connect with Eva.

“
Eva, are you there?”

“
Yes, Arielle, I
’m here,
we
’re all here,”
she replied. “
Are you with Annabel?”

“
No, it’s not Annabel, It’
s Gaston.”

“Gaston!”

“
Yes, Gaston. Oh, God, Eva help me.”

“
I need you to see something that'll help us find you.”

“
I
’ll try my best to find something. Don’
t leave me.”

“
I won’t, Arielle. Don’
t worry, we
’ll find you.”

“
Tell Sebastian I love him.”

“
He says the same back.”

At Eva’s reply, Arielle felt a twinge in her chest, and pressing her lips together, she let out a sigh.

Gaston and Oliver turned and looked at her intently. Their immortal ability made them aware of her anxiety. Oliver stared at her thinking how beautiful Arielle was and smiled delightfully. Gaston reached over, and putting his hand over Arielle’s shoulders, he leaned closer and whispered in her ear.