Arielle Immortal Resolve (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 8) (29 page)

Arielle, that’s great! That’s a huge clue. There are very few islands in Fiji with mountains or high elevations.

Fiji!
Eva thought. She resisted the need to scream. Her inward shock was overwhelming, but she kept the need in check. She didn’t want to frighten Arielle any further than she already was. She knew there were over 300 islands in Fiji, which made their search a bit more complicated.

Fantastic! I'll contact Sebastian; let me know if you see anything that might make the search easier. We’ll ready to leave for Fiji at once. Everyone's here. Be brave; try to keep Gaston clueless.

Excitement flooded Arielle’s mind and she felt overwhelmed. She tried again to open the window. She was so obsessed with getting some fresh air that suddenly she felt smothered. She was trapped and needed to be outside. She started to hyperventilate and staggered to the bed. She inhaled huge amounts of air, and exhaled deeply. She did that several times, but it didn’t seem to help and she fainted. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked several times. She lay in bed, trying to recall the last thing she remembered. Footsteps alerted her and she sat up facing the door. The knob turned slowly. Gaston pushed the door wide-open, expression filled with joy.

“How are you feeling?” he said softly.

“As well as can be expected considering I can’t even open the window to get some fresh air,” she replied with a frown.

Gaston approached. “Would you like to take a walk?”

“Outside?” she cried out.

“Of course. Where else?” he said, chuckling. He looked at the table and saw the tray of food completely untouched.

“Not hungry, love?” he added, as if it was natural. He stood by the bed looking down at her. “Arielle, you have to try and adjust to your new life. I wish I could make you understand how happy I can make you. I can give you the world and more,” he said, and sat next to her.

“I want to go home. I miss my parents and friends,” she whimpered not looking at him.

“You can have all that back, with one request,” he said, the smile never leaving his face.

“What is that?”

“You’ll have to give up Sebastian. You’re never going to marry him and he’s never going to be in your life.” Arielle winced, but she didn’t say anything. “I’m in your life now. You...are...mine…” he said, his voice was soft but firm.

I
’ll never be yours,
she thought. She remained quiet, following Eva’s advice to keep him clueless. He was suddenly on his feet and pulled her up, trapping her in his embrace.

“What’s wrong with me?” he asked. “Why don’t you want me?”

“Gaston, I’m not ready to give you an answer right now. I need time,” she said and pressed her lips together.

“I need to know your thoughts right now,” he pressed.

She kept her face blank and her voice came out calm and steady. “Gaston, you’re beautiful, you’re astonishing, any girl would die to be with you, but not
me
. At least not right now. I’m in love with Sebastian. I’ve already given myself to him, body and soul. I can’t just change the way I feel just because you asked me,” she stated.

“I do understand that you need time,” he murmured. “But I want you to know that I don’t want any other girl. I’ve only ever wanted you and you alone,” he said, trying to reason with her. “I’ll give you all the time that you need, and oh! How I wish you’d change your mind. It'll be much more gratifying that way,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Arielle recoiled. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Arielle, I’m not going to hurt you, I love you and I’m not going to force you into anything. However, I’m here to stay, so it’s your decision on how you want to go about this, I mean about us. I'll wait for you, for as long as you want me to wait,” His voice dropped to a mere whisper.

“You might have to wait for a long time,” she warned.

His eyes narrowed to slits and then he smiled wide. “I’ll wait…” his voice trailed. “Remember that I’ve all the time in the world,” he said and chuckled.

Eva’s advice was working wonderfully. Arielle needed to remain calm and let Gaston believe that she needed time to adjust. She needed that time to find some more clues for Eva. So when his hand cradled her jaw and pulled her face up to meet his, she didn’t resist. His lips pressed against hers softly and then he let her go.

“That’s better,” he said. “There’s no need to fight me, I’ll never hurt you,” he said, again softly.

She nodded and he kissed her again.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. Arielle couldn’t see any reason to resist food any longer. She was starving.

“Yes,” she replied.

Gaston smiled, pleased, and, taking her hand, pulled her toward the small table with the food tray.

“Is this okay or would you like something else?”

“No, that’s fine,” she replied. She sat in the chair and Gaston took a seat across from her.

“Gaston, can I ask you a question?” Arielle said.

“Anything at all,” he replied, eagerly, happy that she was finally talking.

“Why did you lock me in the room for two days?”

“Oh, that,” he said and waved his hand dismissively. “I didn’t want you to wander in the dark before you got familiar with the house and the surroundings,” he said softly.

“Oh,” was all she said. She sank her teeth into the sandwich and he watched her blissfully. She drained the milk and ate half the fruit in the bowl.

“I love you,” he murmured. “I’ll never get tired of telling you that.”

She forced a half smile and that seemed to be enough to send Gaston to silly blissfulness. When she was finished eating, she stood and went to wash her hands.

“Would you like to take that walk now? I’ll show you the house and the property,” he offered.

“Yes, I’d love that,” she said eagerly. “I need some fresh air.” She was going to look for obvious clues. She wiped her mouth and stepped out of the bathroom. Gaston took her hand, a smile on his face and led her out the door.

He showed her the house and introduced her to the help. She noticed that there were 4 women and 3 men who took care of the house. They were very nice, very friendly and all of them immortal. So in total there were 11 immortals in the house, including Cecil, Edward, Oliver and Gaston. She was gathering all that information and passing it telepathically to Eva.

They finally stepped outside into the glorious day. Arielle inhaled a large amount of fresh air and it seemed to give her amazing strength, renewing her mind and body. They walked slowly toward the end of the property and she was astounded. The density of the forest was totally breathtaking. She could smell the ocean and it made her smile.

“Why are you smiling?” Gaston asked. He'd been watching her face and her changing expressions.

“Oh, several reasons,” she said.

“Can you share any of those reasons?” he asked, imploringly. She remained quiet for a short time. When she spoke her voice was soft like a whisper.

“I can hear the waves lapping against the sand, smell the salt of the ocean and feel the breeze from the trees brush against my skin,” she said.

Gaston squeezed her hand and she looked up at him. His face was blissful and jubilant. “All I can see is you,” he murmured, and she laughed. Her laugh stroked his very soul. He couldn’t remember another moment in his long life that he felt as happy as he did right then and there.

However Arielle’s thoughts were far from Gaston; they were resting on another flawless face and she sighed inwardly. She looked back and saw Oliver watching her intently from a window on the second floor. An uneasy shiver coursed through her body and fear spread.

“What’s wrong with your friend?” she asked, looking up at Gaston.

“Who do you mean?”

“Oliver, of course,” she said, pressing her lips together.

“Why? Did he say something to you when I was gone?”

“No, I never saw him, but when I do see him, he has a creepy look on his face,” she said.

“Don’t worry about Oliver. He's happily married. He just admires a beautiful girl when he sees one.” He chuckled.

”Where are we?” she murmured. She tried to make her voice totally indifferent.

“We're on a beautiful island. Away from any person who would interfere with you and me getting to know each other,” Gaston said softly.

“What island?” she asked. “Gaston, I can’t leave and I can’t tell anyone else, so why can’t you tell me?” Arielle’s voice was a little shaken but filled with anticipation that she might be able to tell Eva her location tonight. “Are you going to keep me in the dark for as long as we're together?” she asked casually.

He seemed to bonder the thought. “I'll tell you tomorrow.”

“All right,” she agreed, not wanting to alarm him.

They spent a considerable amount of time walking through the beautiful manicured gardens, the twisting paths that stretched among the flowerbeds, and the perfectly trimmed hedges. Three large fountains made the view even prettier. When they reached the edge of the property her breath caught from the stunning beauty of the forest that stretched ahead. Arielle’s eyes traveled across the large trees plush with dense foliage, countless trunks and branches covered with moss.

Gaston took her hand and pulled her down a small trail filled with green sprouts, swaths of beautiful ferns and amazing vegetation growing in frenzied abundance. She heard the sound of running water and soon they came upon a wide creek with crystal clear water rushing down from the mountain toward the ocean. The beauty of the place was something she couldn’t get over. They were deep into the woods when she noticed a gray building nestled in the middle of the forest. It looked like a church with a narrow structure attached to the right of it. The narrow structure was taller than rest of the building but the thick trees prevented her from being able to see the top.

“What's this building?” she asked Gaston, pointing at the structure.

“That’s a very old church, with a tall bell tower. It’s not in use any longer. Just a beautiful structure that remains as an old landmark,” he said quietly.

“Does it have a bell on the top?”

“Yes, the belfry reaches way above the trees. The density of the forest doesn’t give you a clear view from the ground.

“Can we go there?” she asked.

“How about doing that tomorrow,” he suggested. “It's getting late and I have another commitment in about an hour.”

She nodded agreeably and he seemed very pleased. Anxiety crept over Arielle. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep up the charade.

“Are you tired?” he asked.

“I’m not,” she said softly. There was a long pause and then he took her hand again and turned toward the house. When he left her at her door, he drew her closer, leaning in, he pressed a passionate kiss on her lips. Arielle tensed then raised her head and kissed him back. Utter shock coursed through Gaston’s body and his breath shivered.

“Thank you,” he murmured. “I’ll come back later. We’ll have dinner downstairs in the dining room. Will that be all right with you?” he asked softly. She nodded in agreement and he walked away in sheer shock.

Gaston couldn’t contain himself. He couldn’t believe the change in Arielle.

When the door closed, Arielle let out a low growl. She fell on the bed and closed her eyes hauling in a deep breath. Her resentment toward Gaston grew by the minute. The frustration over having her life interrupted in such a horrible manner was mammoth. She wanted to believe she was living a nightmare, and any second now she’d wake to discover that the recent events were just a dreadful hallucination. She wanted to be back in Sebastian’s arms. She wanted to get lost once again in that deep green ocean that made life worth living. She wanted to be there for her wedding day. Scorching tears welled, burning the inside of her eyelids and searing soft skin as they trickled down her face. She got out of bed and walked over to the window.

Gaston, on the other hand was delighted with the outcome. He had absolutely no reason to suspect anything unusual. They were in a remote island, thousands of miles away from Brighton, and Arielle had absolutely no way of communicating with a single soul. He smiled, trying to convince himself that maybe Arielle realized there was no way out of this situation. This was now her new life. So he thought…

Chapter 17

GRITTING HER TEETH,
Eva speed-dialed Sebastian. “She’s in Fiji,” she said breathlessly.

“Fiji!” His voice hitched, and his body stiffened.

“Yes,” Eva said. “She’s not sure where in Fiji, but she thinks the island’s name may begin with the letter V.”

“Why in bloody hell Fiji?” he cried aloud. The surprising awareness that they actually had a firm location overwhelmed him. Swallowing a curse, Sebastian drew a deep breath. “Is she all right?”

Eva understood his state of mind. “She’s fine Sebastian. She also said that there's a tall mountain behind the house. As you very well know there aren’t very many mountainous islands in Fiji. That's a great clue and we should be able to minimize the number of Islands we need to search,” she said.

“I agree. I’ll do a little research and have the details when you get here,” he said.