Chapter 22: Not my king.
Both vampire and werewolf paused on the couch from Gabriel's words. Only the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the city outside could be heard, along with what sounded like a small waterfall. Although Esme was intrigued and would love a tour of the place, she would need to decline his offer gently, she did not belong there, and she certainly couldn't stay with a vampire.
A vampire..
No matter how good looking or divine he smelt, he was still a vampire, and she needed to keep her distance.
"Stay here whenever you find yourself in such a predicament again," Gabriel spoke again, as though he was reiterating what he just said. Esme tilted her head to the side with a frown forming on her face in confusion.
"I could not possibly stay here-"
"So, you would rather stay on the street and turn up to work looking like that?" Gabriel snapped.
Was he angry?
Why was he angry?
"Look, I am sorry I turned up looking a mess, jeese; like I said, it wasn't exactly my night, but next time I'll just call in sick, how about that?" Esme stood up; she felt irritated at herself. For a moment there, she believed Gabriel was looking out for her. She scoffed and picked her bag up from the floor.
She was nothing but a speck of dust to the vampire's existence. Even though she worked in such a luxurious place and wore those snazzy clothes, it was nothing but a lie. She would leave in a few months, return to her usual squalor with nothing but her backpack, and possibly take that designer leather jacket.
"Sit down, Esme," Gabriel said quietly, but his voice spoke volumes, resounding loudly in the high-ceilinged penthouse, almost echoing. Esme paused, feeling his voice ripple through her body. She sat down and looked at Gabriel, not realising her wolf's eyes shone brightly back at him.
"I do not care about how you turned up to work; I was talking about your injuries Esme. Even if you fought rogues, this is still a city of vampires. The blood from your scratch could lure vampires to you. As you may be aware, we can be sadistic creatures.. What I mean to say is I am offering you somewhere to go to when you can't return to your place," Gabriel stated simply.
Esme pursed her lips at Gabriel's offer, wondering if she should really take it. She eyed the penthouse warily and shook her head. "And what if I came back bloodied or killed someone?" She stared back at his strikingly handsome face.
"Then it is better you return here than your apartment or the streets where another might seek vengeance on you," Gabriel replied nonchalantly, holding her gaze.
"Why would you do this for me? What do you want in return?" She asked suspiciously, eying him warily.
"You should have a shower and stay here for today. Let me show you to the guest-"
"What do you want, Gabriel?" Esme interrupted, narrowing her eyes. There was no way he was doing this out of his generosity. She was a werewolf and a low ranking one at that-
"Technically a rogue Luna?" Isana added, trying to lighten Esme's darkening mood, which usually led to inner thoughts that cut deep into her self-esteem.
Gabriel smirked at how perceptive she was. "I hear rogues pass information on to each other."
"So you want me to collect intel about werewolves and tell the vampires.. Are you trying to get me killed?" She exclaimed, overexaggerating the situation on purpose.
Gabriel scoffed and stood up, walking to the bar, removing his suit jacket, and flinging it onto the sofa opposite her. "Stop being dramatic. You could be more useful though than working at the bar.." He leaned over the bar and returned with a crystal glass tumbler, throwing a lemon in it along with some fresh water from the jug.
"Thank you," She automatically replied after receiving the glass of water. Her brows drew together as she looked at it. How did he know she was thirsty? Maybe it was a vampire thing. "Look, I need a proper job, and I'm a lone wolf; I don't play well with others."
"Is that why you are on the run?" His question caught her off guard.
Esme almost choked on the water she drank, covering her mouth as she cleared her throat. "The run, you say? Who is being dramatic now? Is that how you perceive all rogues? That they are on the run, oh vampire king?" She smirked, hoping to cover up how uncomfortable she felt from the conversation's change in direction.
Gabriel appeared next to her, sitting on her armrest, leaning his hand on the back seat. Twisting his torso slightly, he stared down at her. Esme's eyes wandered momentarily to his exposed chest, the top two buttons undone. She locked gazes with him after he smirked,
"Do not play dumb. Did you think a she-wolf living among vampires would not attract my attention? Linsberg, Ryton, Asfoy and wasn't the first town called Port Era?" As Gabriel listed the names of towns Esme previously resided at, she felt the colour drain from her face. "You seem to forget who I am, Esme. I am the King. All vampires are under my rule. I receive reports daily but the one of a rogue staying in not just one of my towns but four.. Well, it stands out from the crowd. Care to explain?"
Esme's eyes glowed again, but she looked away and concentrated on the floor to ceiling window for a moment before composing herself. Looking back at the vampire who had been watching every little movement of her body, she chuckled and stood up, almost falling back in the seat again after seeing how close they were, but she locked her knees and reached her hand out.
"Gabriel," She caressed his sharp jawline and almost bit her lip after smelling his insane scent and staring into his alluring blue eyes. "Intimidation does not work on me. Why do I need to explain my circumstances to you?"
Gabriel's lips parted, revealing parts of his fangs as his eyes gleamed with arrogance, lowering to look at her lips before snapping to look into hers again. "Because I AM the King." His eyes pierced into hers, and she found it more and more challenging to pull away, becoming heady from their close proximity. But she knew her face wasn't portraying anything except for an enticing smile.
"You are not my King," She purred, refraining from smirking at the anger flaring in his eyes. The specks of red burning brightly.
With one finger under her chin, he tilted her head up even more, leaning closer to her, so their foreheads were almost touching. "While you live here. I am," He growled, grasping her chin with his thumb and staring back at her luscious pink lips.
Her lips parted, but she clamped them shut and glared at him, refusing to say anything.
Esme was like fireworks, so captivating and beautiful, bold, direct and dangerous. Gabriel could see the fire burning in her eyes; her defiance was blatant. No one dared to look at him in such a way nor say such bold comments to him. People trembled in fear or daren't raise their eyes to him.
Was it because she did not know just how dangerous and cruel he really was? Would her ferocious gaze shrivel in fear if he showed her his world?
His eyes flickered between hers. No, he could not bear that sight. Esme's boldness was what made her unique. His gaze swept back to the giant claw marks on the side of her cheek, going from her chin all the way to her ear.
"Vincent, show Miss Esme to one of the guest rooms. She will be staying here until she has recovered," Gabriel said softly and released her from his hold, stepping away from the couch and returning to lean his hands on the bar, not daring to look at the she-wolf again. He closed his eyes, reminding himself that Esme was a werewolf.
His voice had been so quiet, Esme was shocked to see another man standing to the side. How long had he been there?! "This way, Miss Esme," He gestured with his hands away from the couch, bowing his head. Esme swept over his features quickly before jumping up and picking her bag up again.
Vincent had short blonde hair nearly turning white that was swept back neatly with his black suit and white gloves. He also had crow's feet around his denim-coloured eyes, making him appear more human than a vampire; he was not what she expected of a bloodsucking butler.
But then, she had only met young looking, handsome vampires. Of course, Vincent was still good-looking, but he looked to be in his mid-fifties, meaning he could have quite possibly once been human. "Just Esme," She muttered before turning her gaze back to Gabriel's back. "This conversation is not over."
Gabriel chuckled, still not looking at her. "Of course, it isn't. I still have to show you your apartment."
Esme parted her lips to object but stopped herself, deciding it was better to cool down first before she really did say something that would anger a vampire one hundred times stronger than her. Plus, she kind of wanted to have a shower; her body felt sticky and filthy, she was still yet to look in the mirror and needed to wash this 'street' smell from her hair.
"I will see you soon then." Esme followed the butler and was instantly distracted by the décor of the penthouse.
There was a waterfall water feature on the other side of the bar with another large lounge area with low drop mirror chandeliers. She passed down the long floor, coming across a white piano set atop a fur rug in the corner of a curved staircase that led to another floor overlooking the one she was on. On the opposite side to the curved staircase was another floor below leading somewhere and at the far end of this floor was another door, but she was led up the stairs.
To say she was impressed was quite an understatement; the second floor, if that was what she could call it, had a balcony to overlook the lounges. But its grandeur had not stopped showing another open-spaced lounge with bookcases, like a chilled library with a brown leather armchair and a coffee table looking out of the large window. Another staircase led up to a door on another floor above the library, but they stayed on the floor she was on.
Vincent led Esme past the library and to the first black door on her right; he opened it and gestured for her to enter. "If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call me," He bowed and left, closing the door behind him.
Esme stopped and stared at the guest room in awe.
"Can't we stay here forever?" Isana breathed in glee.
Chapter 23: Bothersome
Esme dropped her bag before the double bed at the centre of the room, she could already tell the sheets were of the most expensive cotton, and as much as she wanted to jump on them, she did not wish to dirty them. Kicking off her boots, she was still eying the large room in awe; this guest room could fit her whole studio apartment in. Like the rest of the penthouse, its décor was of monochrome colours, modern art on the walls, and a blue loveseat next to a thin mirror.
Stripping out of her dirty clothes, she walked into the bathroom and rolled her eyes at how glamourous it was.
"Hey, take advantage of everything while we are here! Pamper yourself! There's even expensive shampoo and soaps!" Isana gushed while Esme chuckled, walking past the large copper freestanding bathtub and opening the door to the shower that had one of those large waterfall showerheads she used to love using.
Turning it on, Esme screeched at the cold water spraying down on her. She jumped to the side and kept testing the temperature with her hand until it warmed up. Once it was warm, Esme sighed in relief and took her time in the shower, watching in disturbed interest as the flow of red water from blood swirled into the drain. She slowly raked her hands through her long thick locks with the shampoo provided; feeling pampered from the luxury brand, she tried not to think too much about her old shower at the packhouse.
Esme did not wish to disturb her peaceful mind from thinking of her past self living in that mansion on the cliff.
After washing herself, Esme wrapped a towel over her body and hair before swiping at the fogged mirror from the steam of the warm shower. She cringed at how her face looked. It wasn't just the brutal claw marks that were deep and definitely weren't from a house cat, as Esme stated to Lenny, but there was bruising on her cheek, corner of her eye and her temple. Well, she had been roughed up a little; at least she didn't break her nose. Her wounds should be gone by the evening.
Esme strolled out of the bathroom and into the bedroom and opened her bag for new clothes to wear. Once changed into skinny black jeans and a skin-tight black turtle neck jumper, she let her hair down from the towel and searched for a hairdryer. In her search, Esme realised her dirty clothes from earlier were nowhere in the room. With her damp hair falling down her shoulders, she opened the door slightly and popped her head out, looking around.
"Is everything to your liking, miss?" Vincent appeared before her, ready to serve.
"Erm.." Esme peered into the guest room again, wondering if she had misplaced her clothes. "I've lost my clothes.."
"Oh yes, please do not be alarmed. His Majesty said he could still smell the blood and streets from your clothes and asked me to clean them for you. I will have them ready by the evening," Vincent smiled politely.
"Oh," Esme replied, a little dumbfounded. "Thank you, Vincent."
Vincent parted his lips in surprise before swiftly composing himself and smiling politely. "Is there anything else you need help with, miss?" He asked
"Er, it's just Esme. Is Gabriel around?" She queried, wondering what else to ask of a butler while brushing her fingers through her damp hair.
"I'm afraid he was pulled away on some urgent business, miss Esme. The hairdryer is in the bathroom countertop below the sink."
"Ah, okay, I'll catch him later then," Esme replied, wondering if she would be paid for just chilling at his penthouse. What a strange situation. She would have to keep herself busy until he returned. "Thank you for your help."
"You are welcome, miss. Please do call if you need anything. There is a games room, cinema room, swimming pool, spa area and other rooms that His Majesty has allowed you to enter." Vincent bowed and vanished.
Esme's brows rose from his comment; that must have been where downstairs led to. She couldn't imagine a vampire going swimming. Chuckling to herself, she closed the door behind her and headed to the bathroom to dry her hair. As soon as she was done, she pulled her book from her bag and leaned comfortably on the loveseat. Even though she felt tired, she still felt wary about being in a vampire's place. If he wanted to, Gabriel could easily kill her, and the only exit from what she'd seen so far was the golden elevator.
"Hmm, I don't think he would kill us, though," Isana murmured, thinking back to their previous encounters with him.
"I never expected you to stand up for a vampire, Is," Esme replied while tapping her thumb on the book from where she held it.
"That makes two of us. But the bloodsucker would have killed us by now. Just think.. He knew about our existence before even arriving here," Isana continued pensively.
"Hmm." Esme hummed aloud and turned the page to her book. She wanted to escape her worries for a while and read the fantasy book in her hands. With her thoughts slowly absorbing the world of the book, she found herself relaxing further into the loveseat, her body's tense muscles releasing and soon after leaning the side of her head against the backseat, she fell asleep.
Hours later, on the other side of her door, standing there and waiting for Esme's response, was Gabriel. He knocked on the door again, wondering why she was taking so long, but then when he had been approaching the room, he couldn't hear anything. Was she even in the penthouse?
Gabriel turned the doorknob and opened the door gently, peeping inside, but she was not on the bed. Nor could he hear her in the bathroom, but he knew Esme had not left because her backpack was still there. Then as he was about to leave, he found her fast asleep on the loveseat. She lay there curled up on the cushioned seat clutching a book to her chest.
Gabriel tilted his head to the side and closed the door behind him. From what he had learnt about Esme so far was that she was not one to relax. She slept on the streets instead of returning home; thinking about it now still angered him. Even though she denied it, Esme was on the run; she couldn't fool him. Rogues settled down in areas where packs didn't reside, some still travelled like Esme, but even then, they only moved on every one to two years.
He wondered just who she was running from. Was it a pack, a mate, other rogues or possibly hunters? It made her seem like some type of criminal being hunted down for a heinous crime. Yet as he slowly approached her and stared at her relaxed, innocent-looking features, he couldn't picture her doing something so wrong. He scoffed, a pretty innocent face didn't mean anything, and even then, she was nothing but a rogue who was fighting to survive.
But even as his thoughts turned sour, his brows drawing together, his eyes were still softly looking at her. Closing his eyes, he tested her mind again, but like a guarded wall, he still could not enter. Gabriel sighed and raked his hand through his white locks. "Even now, you are not fully resting. It must be tiring," He whispered gently before leaning down and gently lifting her into his arms. Esme still clung onto the book causing his lips to twitch in amusement.
He refrained from groaning when he could smell her scent even more and felt the softness of her tiny body in his arms. Though his brows drew together when he realised just how skinny she was. Didn't werewolves eat twice as much as humans?
Gabriel stopped walking after feeling her stir slightly. "No.." Esme mumbled in her sleep, frowning at what might have turned into an unpleasant dream but then she did something that made Gabriel tense. Esme smelled his chest and sighed before snuggling her head into his shirt.
"How bothersome," He muttered before pulling back the bedsheet and placing her delicate body on the bed, covering her as his gaze swept back to the claw marks on her face. "Very bothersome."
Clicking his tongue, he turned on his heel and left the guest room, ignoring the burning gaze he felt on his back. Vincent was very curious to see him take in a she-wolf like she was some sort of stray, but already he could see the vampire getting attached to her. Now it seemed his butler was even more curious since Gabriel was seen exiting her room.
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