Chapter 3: Helping a leech

Seriously, why the frick did she have to be curious and get involved. The hunters probably knew this was a city infested with the vampires, yet they were arrogant enough to openly attack one where any vampire could smell the blood. Or maybe that was what they wanted, to lure others over. How stupid, there were only two of them.. Weren't there?

Esme glanced up at the rooftops and searched the surrounding area in case she missed any other hunters. Now, she couldn't possibly back down and let them have their fun. She may not like vampires, but she despises hunters. They didn't want any creature to live, vampire, werewolf, shapeshifter it didn't matter, they hunted them down to get rid of the 'evil' in the world.

With a sigh, she sprinted over to the vampire's location and crouched down beside him, hidden behind the wheelie bins.

"Hey, is that another one!?" She heard them speak loudly, their steps now pausing as they were probably figuring out what their next course of action was.

Esme looked at the vampire on the ground, quickly inspecting his wound. He was bleeding out and not healing. But he seemed unfazed if it weren't for the occasional grimace shown on his sharp features until he stared at her in surprise. The she-wolf didn't bother explaining herself; instead, she dropped her bag, unzipped her jacket, pulled off her boots and threw her blouse in a pile next to him. She hated revealing her body in front of anyone, but she couldn't afford to shred all her clothes into pieces.

"Look away, leech," She growled under her breath, knowing too well that he'd hear her.

Esme reached behind her for her knife staring through the small gap between the two wheelies. She waited a moment before scooting to the side and throwing the knife in their direction. It stabbed one hunter in the shoulder, flinging him backwards, who groaned in pain.

Esme didn't wait any longer and pulled her jeans down as her eyes glowed a brilliant amber, and her bones began to snap and twist. The skin on her back started to rip as dark brown fur sprouted from underneath. Within seconds she shifted into a dark brown wolf with a little white patch on her chest. Esme was not the biggest wolf out there, which wasn't surprising considering her size, but that didn't mean she wasn't lethal.

She leapt out of her position, instantly ducking from an arrow shot in her direction. She growled and raced forwards, making the hunter flustered as he scrambled to place another arrow in the crossbow. But it was too late as the dark wolf jumped on him, going straight for his jugular and locking down her jaw, drawing blood. His scream failed, and his body went slack beneath her.

Esme turned her head to the side, her eyes blazing, blood dripping down from her sharp teeth as she stalked towards the other hunter. He pulled the knife out of his shoulder and threw it back at her; she flinched as it grazed the top of her ear. Her blade was made from pure silver, an element that weakened a werewolf. Which was precisely the reason why she had it.

"What a shitty hunter. His aim is terrible," Isana remarked. She enjoyed watching the crazy humans being taken out.

"It's better than his aim being good. I don't fancy getting stabbed," Esme commented as she sprung towards this last hunter knocking the crossbow out of his hands and using her jaw to jerk his head to the side, causing his neck to snap. The hunter's body slumped to the ground. Esme wasn't always violent, but she preferred to get it over and done with quickly when it was called for.

Esme jogged up and down a couple of alleys, assessing her surroundings, satisfied there was no more danger and no humans to see a huge wolf pacing up and down the back alleys of Chester. She returned to stand in front of the wheelie bins and shifted on the spot. Leaning over the side, Esme extended her hand towards the vampire while keeping her naked body out of his line of sight. "Clothes," She commanded, then wiped away the blood drying on her mouth.

After a few moments of listening to his laboured breathing, she felt her clothes placed in her hand. Esme quickly redressed and returned to the vampire on the ground; she crouched down and put her backpack on her shoulders, watching him with furrowed brows. He was in a sorry state; she leaned closer and went to check his wound but jumped back after he hissed his fangs at her.

"You know when someone saves your sorry ass, you're meant to say thank you. Not hiss at them," Esme snapped back before asking through clenched teeth. "Let me see your injury."

"No," He breathed, somewhat begrudgingly. It seemed the vampire wasn't happy with a werewolf, a rogue of all creatures, to save him.

Esme tilted her head to the side, "Really? I'm offering you my help." She stood up with her hands raised, backing away. "But by all means, stay here until the sun comes up," She continued sarcastically and started to turn away, wiping her hands as though she was getting rid of dust.

"Wait," He called out to her. Esme stopped and refrained from sighing.

Why couldn't she just let the damn vampire sort himself out? She just risked her life for him, exposing herself more to whoever she just helped. At least the hunters wouldn't be a problem; they couldn't know about a rogue residing in Chester. Lone wolves were targeted more than a pack; they were 'easy prey' to the hunters.

Esme returned to the vampire's side, lowering herself down again, and looked at his chest. The wound was deep. "They tried to stake you?" She questioned for him to nod his head. She stared back at him, wondering how the hell they jumped a vampire.

"They managed to drug me. It's why my healing is slow," He said through gritted teeth, answering Esme's questioning gaze.

"I didn't think leeches could be drugged," Isana murmured Esme's thoughts.

"Hmm, I don't expect vampires to go blabbing about their weak points. I wouldn't. It's not like we know a lot about them anyway. But I do wonder what the drug is though, it might come in handy surviving in a vampire run city.." Esme replied thoughtfully to her wolf as she nodded her head in response to the vampire's comment.

"Okay, well, we need to get out of here first. We are sitting near two dead bodies," Esme stated as she leaned towards him, about to help him up, but he held his hand up to stop her. The vampire sighed and pushed himself off the ground, his attire of shirt and trousers now looking bloodied with his brown hair dishevelled. He leaned back against the brick wall, gasping. "Hold on," She murmured as she reached into her bag and pulled her blanket out, handing it over to him.

The brown-haired vampire looked at the blanket questionably. "To cover up all of this.." She waved her hands in front of his chest. "Do you have a phone?"

He put the blanket around his shoulders and stared at her like she was an imbecile. "If I had my phone, I wouldn't rely on a werewolf to help me," He snapped back. Esme glared at him but bit her tongue before reaching in her pocket for her phone, then cursed under her breath. It ran out of battery. She hardly ever used it, but now that she needed it, it was dead.

"Where to then?" She asked with a shrug before walking over to collect her dagger. She sheathed it behind her ignoring the burning sensation on her hand.

"Follow me," He replied, taking a step forward and almost collapsing into the bins; he steadied himself, leaning his hand on the bin's surface. Esme grabbed him and let him lean on her, feeling his full weight almost making them both fall.

After a bit of bickering between the pair, the vampire finally relented and let her help him. He was at least a foot taller than her, making the whole scenario look ridiculous. At least if anyone asked, she could pretend that he was drunk and just needed help home. They walked past the bodies and paused after hearing the crackling noise of a radio.

"Diego, John, where are you?"

"Diego, John, do you copy?!"

Esme and the vampire looked at one another before picking up their pace and escaping the alleyway. They needed to get out of the area quickly; they couldn't stay there whether the hunters found the bodies or police. The pair moved down the street, crossed over the road, and took more than enough turns in and out of back alleys to stay clear of curious eyes.

Although his wounds were covered, and they looked nothing more than a couple of friends drunkenly walking around the city, they didn't want to take any risks.

"Don't worry. My men will sort out the bodies," The man murmured quietly. Esme glanced at him and looked away. This vampire had men to sort out such things for him. He must be someone high up in the vampire hierarchy. From what she knew of the creatures, they were arrogant, but they had a system in place that made the younger vampires and lower-ranked vampires fall in line. Esme didn't know the specifics about the system, but how could she? She didn't really need to know until now.

"May I ask.. what your name is?" He questioned, interrupting her thoughts and the comfortable silence that seemed to have settled on them. His voice was now somewhat polite, and Esme was a little taken back. The vampire's personality seemed to have done a 180-degree turn.

Seeing her reluctance to respond, the man continued, "My name is Niko. I'm sorry about earlier, but.. any other werewolf would have taken advantage of the situation."

"Well, Niko. Who says I won't?" She replied with a smirk as they hobbled their way down yet another alleyway. She had no idea where they were going, but Niko seemed to be more at ease. Maybe they were getting closer to where he lived. But considering he was just as wary about her as she was to him, Esme was sure Niko was leading her to the safe spot he could rest before returning to his usual residence.

Niko chuckled at her response. "I meant.. violently," He muttered.

Esme nodded; she understood why he thought that way, but she wanted to lighten the mood. Even if he was a vampire, she didn't want to keep bickering with him; it was too much hassle on top of helping the guy.

They rounded a corner and were once again on the main road. But this time, the buildings and the area they were in seemed to be on the richer side of the city. Esme was about to ask the vampire if they were in the right place, but then she remembered the expensive clothes he wore and that he was a vampire.

Unless the vampires were new, most were on the more decadent side of life. But that's what happens when you're bloody immortal. Esme's features then hardened as they approached a nightclub on the corner of the street, its car park on view first. She looked up at the tall building, admiring how stylish and sophisticated looking it was.

"Is this your place?" Esme blurted out as she read the name "ONYX" on the building.

"A friend's, but I work here," Niko grinned, momentarily taking Esme's breath away. She cleared her throat and looked at the bouncers by the door.

"It looks dead," She murmured, earning an eye roll from Niko.

"It's still early. Only VIP.. Why am I explaining this to you?" He stared down at her in disbelief that he was sharing such information with her.

"Boss?"

"Boss!"

The two security guards standing in front of the entrance rushed over, but Niko held his hand up, "Stop," He said in a low voice, "Don't leave your posts."

They nodded their heads once then looked at the she-wolf by his side, their eyes subtly widening before they composed themselves once more. They opened the glass doors behind them, and Niko began to lean away from her as he started to make his way to a door away from the main floor's double doors. He was still severely injured, and after swinging the door open, he nearly lost his balance as he stepped towards the stairs leading down to another floor.

Esme rushed forwards and caught him as he gripped onto the railing. "You don't need to go any further," He said through gritted teeth.

"I'll help you down the stairs at least," She murmured, taking his arm over her shoulder once more.

What in the hell was wrong with her? From the smell of blood mixed with alcohol, she already knew it was a vampire club. She needed to leave, but something was telling her that this was quite the opportunity she should take advantage of.

They made it down the stairs, leading to a long bar, its décor dark and stylish, and looking all the more expensive, the longer Esme stared at everything. Even the floor looked to be made out of marble. She was afraid to touch anything, let alone feel out of place with not only by her clothes but because she was a werewolf. A werewolf without a pack entering the vampire's lair.

Although it wasn't busy, there were still vampires looking in their direction. Most likely because the scene looked misplaced, a small she-wolf helping an injured vampire. Even though she felt very anxious and threatened by entering such a dangerous place, she didn't let it show on her face. If anything, she walked in there confidently because why should she be fearful.

The pair walked through a small archway leading to a deserted dancefloor, and on the far end was a golden, smart, 1920's looking elevator. Its doors were of a golden cage. Once they stopped in front of it, Niko pulled out a key that let the doors open. He turned to her and pulled the blanket off his shoulders, handing it back to her. "Thank you."

Esme nodded her head once and started to shove the blanket in her bag before turning around to leave.

"What is the name of my rescuer?" Niko's low voice reached her ears from behind her. He said the word rescuer a little louder than the others, and she could see why. It was to help her leave without getting into any trouble with the other vampires.

Esme turned her head to look at him, "Esme, oh, and you owe me one." She smirked, watching Niko's eyes narrow subtly before one side of his lips curled up. She turned and started walking away like she owned the place, her head held up high as vampires gathered around her, giving her enough space to walk without being touched. They glared at her, and she stared back at them, unblinking, challenging them to make a move.

Nobody did.