Chapter 40: Friends?
A fraction of Ethan's nature had always been there right from the start, but Esme missed the signs. She fell so hard, stupidly in love with her mate, that her other senses had become hazy. The idea of loving and being loved by someone unconditionally was never something Esme could ever imagine having in her life. So, when she met Ethan, her world had expanded into endless possibilities, and she was swept away in the wave's current sinking deeper and darker into the tides of emotions.
From the start, he had planted a seed inside of her and from its roots grew a poisonous weed wrapping around her, ensnaring her, suffocating her until there was no more air left in her lungs. She tried reaching out for help, but it never came, and so her days continued and grew much darker. The pack seemed unaware or feigned ignorance to what was happening between their Alpha and Luna. In the end, there were only two people in the White Sands pack who knew.
The man she initially saw as her salvation twisted into a fate that she knew was only meant for her. Ethan, her mate, was the other half of her soul, hand-picked by the Moon Goddess. If he was the other half to her, then their soul was as dark as the inky night sky. He had something odious inside of him, and she.. was no innocent to the darkness, well she had done some terrible things in her past.
But how could she have known that the one who was meant to cherish her the most would end up punishing her and letting his frustrations out on her?
If her past self knew of what was to come before it happened, Esme knew she would leave the moment he hit her. She knew that was the right thing to do, but it was easier to say than do; Ethan was not some foe she could turn her back on. Ethan is her mate, someone she trusted and loved, and someone who was manipulative enough to make her believe she could not fight back or that she could not live without him. Someone who made the fearless rogue, she-wolf cower and whimper before him until his mood improved.
Esme let out a frustrated sigh and ripped the bed covers away from her, jumping to her feet and pressing the remote control for the blinds to pull back and reveal the early hours of the morning. The city was still dark and illuminated by the lights and night sky. She padded across the heated wooden floor and stopped to stare outside the window. She felt restless, her mind kept thinking of Ethan, and tensed from the feverish pain on her chest from her mate mark didn't help.
Esme felt queasy, wondering where Ethan was now and what he was doing.
"Why don't we go for a walk or run?" Isana suggested quietly; she, too, had a troubled mind.
Her focus went back to her reflection in the window; her hair was messy, her eyes tired and full of emotions she wanted to be rid of. A walk in the cold night air was exactly what she needed. With her mind made up, she walked back to the open spaced living room where she left her backpack on the sofa, needing to change out of her pyjamas. But when Esme reached for her bag, her hand dipped into her chequered trouser pocket for her knife.
"Now, what could possibly be so important that you sleep with something in your pocket?" A silky-smooth voice said from the shadows.
"You know, if this was a safe house, as you said, I imagined the security to be better. But it seems they let any riff-raff in," Esme spoke quietly, the sharpness in her voice not quite there as she intended and was muffled out by fatigue. Her hand relaxed around the knife, leaving her skin to burn and slowly heal itself. She didn't bother looking in Gabriel's direction.
The vampire chuckled and walked into her line of sight. "I came to see if you stayed like I asked," Gabriel replied, then held up a bottle of wine and two glasses. "If you cannot sleep, have a nightcap with me."
Esme turned to look at him, her arms crossing over her chest, feeling underdressed in comparison to the Vampire King. Gabriel stood there in a black and gold waistcoat, his black tie loose, the top two buttons to his shirt undone and looking indescribably delectable. Maybe all she needed to feel better was to look at this sculpted piece of art.
"I was going to go for a walk," Esme replied, refraining from drinking in his features so much. She started to search her bag for some clothes to wear outside, which she found difficult under the vampire's heavy gaze.
Gabriel placed the bottle and glasses on the coffee table. "It is rather late to go wandering the city."
"Well, I can't sleep, Gabriel," She sighed; her mind flashed back to Ethan's disgruntled features, then met the vampire's crystal blue eyes. His brow furrowed, and she saw mild annoyance wash over his features before they were once again passive.
"Have a nightcap with me then. If you still want to go for a walk, my little wolf, then we will go," He smirked at her widened eyes. Esme was not expecting that answer, but as she looked back at the vampire, she couldn't help but feel comforted by his presence.
"Do you wear suits to bed or something?" She asked curiously, sitting down on the sofa in acceptance. So far, she hadn't seen the vampire in anything other than formal wear. She wasn't about to complain but wasn't it uncomfortable?
"Hmmm, I don't think you want me to turn up in my pyjamas," Gabriel purred as he sat down next to her in the dim living room and poured the red wine into their glasses. Esme's dark brow arched inquisitively, and he chuckled. "Sitting in my underwear is not appropriate, miss Esme."
Esme grabbed the glass of wine and looked away, sipping its delicious flavour as her cheeks heated from her imagination running wild at an almost naked Gabriel chilling by her side. From her brief glances and feel of his chest, she could tell that his body was lean with muscle. Clearing her throat, she distracted herself and walked with her glass of wine to find the light switch.
The lights turned on before she made it to the wall, and Esme turned to see Gabriel holding the remote and shaking it in the air, watching her in amusement as she returned back to the sofa. Folding her legs beneath her, she stared into her glass and refused to meet the vampire's eyes. "If you still want to go for a walk after this, I would prefer it if it was on the sun terrace or exploring my penthouse if you wish," Gabriel said quietly.
Esme brows arched together, and she finally looked at him in annoyance. She was used to her freedom now that she had it again and didn't like rules being set over her. If that was the case, then she might as well return to her apartment.
"I only ask this of you for tonight. I have no intention of taking your freedom away," Gabriel said quietly as though he had read her thoughts.
Esme blinked in surprise, and Niko's words returned to her about the King having powers. "You and Nikolaos went to investigate the area you left those bodies, and they were missing. He also informed me that you chased after someone then stopped believing it to be a trap.." He continued, the severity of his voice making her pause her judgement. "This is to make sure you are safe, Esme."
Safe.. She was never going to be safe.
"I agree with the leech," Isana spoke up after listening and evaluating their options and the Vampire King.
"It was you who suggested going for a walk in the first place," Esme replied in mild annoyance at her wolf's change of heart. Though she understood why. Gabriel made a good point.
"A girl can change her mind, you know," Isana joked as Esme took another sip of the wine, eying Gabriel suspiciously.
"Okay, I agree," She drawled, then returned to staring ahead. Her mind was still wandering, and she knew her company was not the best right now, but Gabriel was technically the intruder here. He turned up to the apartment in the middle of the night to check that she didn't leave and brought wine with him. What would he have done if she was asleep? Esme looked at him warily, then frowned after seeing a smirk form on his features and a small chuckle escaping his lips.
"Do you want to talk about what is on your mind?" Gabriel asked quietly, the jest on his features a few moments ago gone as he poured himself another glass of wine. Hers was still half full.
"Are you my therapist?" She snapped and looked away, feeling guilty for lashing out instantly when he was only trying to help. But it was almost like a defence mechanism she couldn't control.
"I'd like to think maybe a friend.." Gabriel replied calmly, bringing Esme's attention back to his face. He looked at her seriously, but she couldn't help the small giggle leaving her lips. He tilted his head to the side, waiting for her to explain. "Why are you laughing? Does it amuse you?"
Esme wiped the lone tear that escaped the corner of her eye. "A friend?" She said in disbelief; though the word didn't seem to quite fit, she didn't know what that even meant.
"Well, I gave you a safe house. Do you not think it is possible to be friends?" He inquired, one of his light eyebrows arching as he watched her over his glass. Esme finished her own and looked back at the handsome vampire.
"Friends.." She whispered, "Alright."
His returning smile almost made her giddy, and she had to look away.
After their drinks, Esme and Gabriel walked on the sun terrace, and he gave her a tour of the rest of his luxurious penthouse. Walking by Gabriel's side soothed the part of her that wanted to run away from her problems and forget about them. But even though they never spoke of what was truly on her mind, she found herself smiling and enjoying the vampire's company more than she would like to admit.
Chapter 41: Plans with another man
The following day, Esme was back at work, looking fresh from a shower, face full of natural-looking make up, and hair falling down in waves around her face from her half-up hairstyle. The claw mark was gone, and she was completely healed. She kept to a basic long-sleeved black dress and heels, though she could still feel eyes looking at her longer than necessary.
This time instead of heading straight to the VIP room, Esme greeted Leo and Rory behind the bar, making herself a quick coffee before leaving for the start of her shift. As her heels clicked against the floors, exiting the bar, Leo called out from behind her, reminding her to meet outside after work to go to the battle bar.
"You lucky git!" Rory whisper-shouted none the wiser that Esme could still hear him down the hallway. "You have a date with Es!?"
Esme halted, her hand near the golden door handle to Gabriel's VIP room. She wanted to hear Leo's response to determine how the evening might go and her attitude towards him. She wasn't as foolish as she was in the past, understanding that a handsome face and charismatic attitude didn't mean anything; he could still be a jerk underneath it all. Esme knew what men could be like.
"Calm down. It's not a date; we are just hanging out," Leo replied calmly. Esme suddenly felt bad for thinking the worst of Leo; she should have known from their conversation on the phone that he would not banter with Rory about how he would get laid or something.
Opening the door to the VIP room, Esme got straight to work, glancing in Gabriel's direction once as he spoke to a few vampires all wearing suits of the highest qualities before setting up glasses of ready to pour some blood into. Even now, she struggled to keep a straight face squeezing the blood from its pouch and into the tumblers. While she did so, Esme started to ponder over the term friend and what that meant with a vampire.
Esme knew she started to stare at Gabriel's side profile, but she couldn't help it. Last night was strange; she felt so close to him, even relaxing by his side, and now he felt so far away and untouchable. He was intimidating and imposing even at this distance; his emotions kept off his face as he listened to the other nobles (or so she guessed) about the imprisonment of a Duke. But even now, Esme wasn't paying attention to their conversation.
It was absurd for a vampire and a werewolf to be friends, but then she thought of Niko in the same light without any issue. Maybe it was more absurd because Gabriel wasn't just any vampire but the first vampire to ever exist. The Vampire King.
What ever did he see in her to become friends? All she seemed to do was give him attitude..
"Penny, for your thoughts?" Luther interrupted her deep thinking and leaned into the bar, his handsome face now obstructing her view.
"Make it 4K, and I'll tell you," Esme smirked but became dumbfounded when Luther pulled out a cheque book. Her response quietened the group of vampires; it wasn't the first time she had stopped conversations because of her commentary. She was, after all, a werewolf working in a vampire bar and in the King's VIP room, no less.
With a dazzling smile, he asked, "What's your last name?"
Esme's jaw went slack, and her lips parted at the vampire's ease to write her first name on the paper. His writing is neat and cursive from years of perfecting.
"You should have said 10K!" Isana whisper-shouted in her mind, almost drooling at the idea. Esme refrained from rolling her eyes at her wolf's comment.
"And if I told you my thoughts were as simple as doing my laundry this evening, would you still write me that cheque?" She questioned while throwing the blood bags into the bin before looking up to meet Luther's green eyes.
"I asked what you were thinking; if that was truly what you were so deep in thought about then, I have no issue with writing you a cheque. Money is of no concern to me," Luther replied, staring at her in amusement. Her gaze shifted from the blonde-haired vampire and to the men behind him, who did not bother to stop staring, almost purposefully trying to make her feel uncomfortable.
The thing was, she didn't care about their staring and more of their impression of her. She didn't want to leave any trace of herself behind where vampires might talk about an outspoken werewolf. It would attract unwanted attention. Esme returned Luther's stare and smiled, "Do not waste your wealth on such useless things. If you must know, I will be doing my laundry tonight, but I shan't take your money for it." Esme walked around the bar and grabbed the golden tray she left the glasses of blood on and turned to place them on the coffee table for the vampires.
After her comment, they did not bother themselves any further with the she-wolf working under Gabriel. She was of no importance, and Gabriel's lack of interest in her appearance made it clear she was not worthy of remembering. Which was precisely what she needed. Whether he did it on purpose or not, she was grateful either way, even if she still felt slightly detached from him after feeling a little closer to him from the previous night.
Returning to the bar, Luther was called over by Gabriel as they discussed the next successor for this dukedom. It was all bizarre listening to such things, especially after coming from a werewolf's world or pack and rogue culture. Tuning them out, Esme lowered herself down and reached in her bag for her phone. She didn't usually check it, but lately, she seemed to be more sociable and have friends.
Flipping the device open, there were two unread messages, one from Leo and the other was from an unknown number. Straightening up, she leaned onto the bar, the phone in her hands as she frowned and tapped the button to open the message.
[ 11pm Message from Unknown]
[ 11pm This is my new number – Gabriel ]
Esme slowly looked up from the screen and stared at Gabriel. Did Niko give him her number? This was the second time now! Her anger dissipated quickly though, Gabriel was Niko's boss and the King, so she would let it slide. At that moment, Gabriel looked up at her and showed the first sign of emotion since seeing her, his brow was furrowed, but he quickly relaxed his features and replied to Luther, still staring at her.
Esme held his gaze, wondering what the vampire was thinking, but his eyes snapped back to the company he was keeping, and she lowered her gaze before her heart rate would increase and all of the vampires would hear it. She saved the new number under Gabriel's name; it might be helpful in the future, then she opened the message from Leo, who sent it earlier, most likely on his break.
[ 2pm Message from Leo ]
[ 2pm I see we both finish at the same time :-) did you want to get some food first? They do some fantastic meals as well! x]
Esme could feel Leo's excitement over their evening even through his messages. She wouldn't lie; she was excited at the idea of all the games, especially the knife throwing.
[ 5:15pm Sounds good to me. See you soon.]
Esme flipped the phone shut and ignored Gabriel's gaze. It seemed to be burning two holes into her head; was her text messaging really loud? Her phone wasn't like a smartphone with a touch screen, so everyone could probably hear her pressing the buttons. She shrugged and put her phone away, busying herself for the next 45 minutes of her shift.
When it was almost 6pm, the meeting had wrapped up, and only Luther and Gabriel were left, sitting, arms resting on the back of the sofa, sharing a bottle of whiskey between them. Did they ever do anything other than drink? Though she couldn't really question it. After double-checking the bar and surrounding areas, she picked up her bag and started to set off towards the double doors.
"Are you returning to your apartment tonight?" Gabriel asked, halting her from leaving. He sounded a little disgruntled, but she could not understand why.
Esme swivelled her head in Gabriel's direction, whose back was still facing her as he looked at the tumbler in his hand. She glanced briefly at Luther, who seemed to be watching them in amusement. "I will be," Esme replied and watched as Gabriel tipped the glass at his mouth. She strode forwards again, believing that to be the end of their conversation.
"Did you not want to drink with us?" Luther asked. Esme stopped again and smiled in his direction, her hand now on the doorknob.
"I would, but I have plans with a friend. Another time maybe?" Luther nodded and looked back at Gabriel when the doors closed behind the little she-wolf.
The glass in Gabriel's hand shattered into pieces cutting his skin and wetting his hand with his blood. The vampire didn't so much as blink as the blue flames in his eyes were set ablaze at the idea of his little wolf having fun with another man.
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