Chapter 123: The Stray Dog

The car was silent for a moment, with the vampire's question looming over them awkwardly. Esme parted her lips to speak, but Marcus spoke first.

"How do you know my name?" Marcus answered with a question. Esme looked at him, noting his back was straight and his muscles tense. She didn't like seeing him look so uncomfortable, but right now, it was better than him returning to the Hellhounds. 

Initially, she wanted Marcus to stay by Camilla's side and inform her of the Hellhound's plans. But after believing he was dead and finding out how hard his life had been since he woke from his coma, Esme couldn't deny his plan. Marcus wanted to be out of the Hellhounds, and by faking his death, they hoped Camilla might take the bait and give up on trying to bring Esme back. 

As much as Esme wanted to kill Rudy for all his past misdeeds, she had to refrain from doing so. Playing with him for a bit was good enough for her, even if she did reveal the darkest side of herself to Gabriel. But Rudy needed to live to tell Camilla she killed her best friend; Esme was sure from the look in his eyes that he believed she was as heartless and monstrous as those rumours had circulated about her. This was precisely what they needed to free themselves from that life.

"Esme told me she ran into you," Gabriel replied nonchalantly as he continued to watch the road. 

"Esme.." Marcus muttered and looked at her, tilting his head to the side. He didn't need to say anything for her to read the question in his eyes: Is that an alias?

"Both names are mine. I am Nyx and Esme.." She lowered her gaze from him, feeling somewhat guilty that Marcus had only known her by the name Nyx. 

"Which is your birth name?" Marcus said through gritted teeth causing Esme to look back at him and see the slight hurt flash behind his eyes before they went cold. 

He already knew. 

Esme felt like he needed a bit more of an explanation. "Esme is my birthname.." Marcus' jaw ticked. He was angry, as he should be. But she didn't want to be called by Esme at the time, and neither did her mother want to hear it. "But it was the name my father gave me. Camilla gave me the name 'Nyx' when I arrived at the Hellhounds."

Marcus glanced at the vampires and back at her. "How much do they know, Nyx? Or should I call you Esme?" He almost spat at her. 

"Call me whichever you see fit. I do not mind," Esme met Gabriel's gaze through the rear-view mirror before she clasped her hands in her lap and looked back at Marcus. "They already knew about the Hellhounds before I even made an appearance. Don't let their youthful appearances fool you."

"Hey!" Luther turned in his seat. "I'm young at heart, sweetheart!"

"Don't call her sweetheart," Marcus and Gabriel snapped at the same time. They glanced at each other before looking away. 

Luther looked between the vampire and werewolf, amusement flickered behind his eyes, but the rest of his features were as hard as a stone. "How interesting," He muttered and stared at Esme. 

Esme cleared her throat. "We are getting off-topic and are nearly in Chester now. If it is okay with you, Gabriel, maybe Marcus should stay at mine?"

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"Why do you need to ask.." Marcus trailed off. Esme knew he'd been following her for some time but didn't know if he was aware that she now had a safehouse at Gabriel's. 

But Esme wasn't paying attention to Marcus; she was watching Gabriel. His grip on the steering wheel had tightened, but his features were smooth and emotionless, like a marble statue. She didn't mind if Gabriel said no; it was his place, and if he felt uncomfortable by Marcus' presence both because he was a Hellhound and because their friendship may be questionable, she didn't want to impose or cause him discomfort. She knew Gabriel would be grilling her tonight about everything either way; in fact, she looked forward to it. 

If Gabriel didn't want Marcus staying in the vampire's building, then it would only mean that he'd stay at her apartment in Lenny's building. 

"He can stay," Gabriel replied, causing Luther to snap his head in his direction. No words were passed between them, but Esme knew it was surprising especially considering she was the only werewolf staying there. She also guessed from the lack of conversation from Luther that he knew a lot more about her than he let on; he didn't seem surprised by Gabriel kissing her.

Esme wondered what he thought about his King and a rogue werewolf getting together. They still hadn't had the 'talk' about their 'relationship', but it all seemed insignificant at the moment. 

"I feel like a stray dog that is being rehomed," Marcus grumbled. 

"Thank you," Esme thanked Gabriel, ignoring Marcus' comment. When they neared the city centre, Esme pulled her wig off and started to take off her fake piercings. She stuffed them in her bag and stared back out of the window to the streets she was becoming accustomed to. 

Once they parked up inside the underground garage, they went to the lift. Luther slid the door open and stepped inside with Marcus. Esme paused before it and fisted her hands by her sides; with her fatigue now starting to take shape, her mind was quicker to shut down to her fears. 

"Nyx?"

Esme looked up to meet Marcus' concerned face, but Gabriel stepped in front of her and pulled her into his arms. Her face was in his chest, and she closed her eyes, ignoring the sound of the door closing. 

"Is she claustrophobic?" She heard Marcus ask. Her hands gripped onto Gabriel's shirt, and she buried her face into his chest more, inhaling his scent that cocooned her frame and relaxed her into a more peaceful state. 

"Something like that," Esme muttered. She wasn't claustrophobic per se, but the lift always reminded her of the cage Ethan used to put her in. 

Esme felt her legs lift off the ground and knew Gabriel was carrying her somewhere. When she was next settled down, she found herself in the usual lounge area with the bar. Marcus paced by the sofa's side, glancing at Esme, and Luther was already sorting out their refreshments behind the bar. 

"Hmm, I need to change shirts," Gabriel murmured, looking down at the make-up stains on his white shirt. He lifted Esme up into his arms again, this time bridal style and started to walk away.

"Why does Nyx need to come with you? Can't you change-"

"Have a drink, Marcus.. I think after playing dead, you need something to warm up a little," Luther blocked his way, handing him a whiskey.

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