Chapter 130: Blood Is Not Thicker Than Water

{ Author's note: The following chapter/s will be revealing a plot in HUNTED volume 1. I have realised a little too late that I cannot write about Gabriel without this being mentioned with all the facts. Lesson learned for this noobie author, I hope I will not be ruining anyone's reading experience from this little exposure. }

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After a lazy morning in bed, Esme and Gabriel strolled out to the lounge area where Marcus was waiting, wearing the clothes he wore the night before. Esme quietly made a cooked breakfast after the butler went to the shops again and dished it out for her and Marcus. If she was going to be staying in the ONYX building, she would have to fill up the empty kitchen.

They sat at the stools to the kitchen counter, eating while Gabriel had a black coffee and answered his phone after taking a bite from Esme's toast. While the vampire walked away speaking on the phone in Latin, Esme paused mid-bite of her toast and stared after her mate.

"habes anything? (Did you find anything?)." Gabriel spoke quietly. Esme frowned and continued to listen to the phone call.

"No, I non potuerunt ivenire, Davian. (I could not find, Davian.) And there is no sign of Cass. Should I search castle rock?" Vinnie asked on the other end of the line. 

Was Cass the vampire who smells of strawberries? And why could she understand parts of what they were saying? Or were they switching between Latin and English?

"That would be too obvious," Gabriel muttered as he sat down on the sofa.

"You not going to finish that?" Marcus asked, regaining Esme's attention. 

She looked at her toast, then back at Marcus. "Can you understand what Gabriel has been saying?" She asked instead, putting her toast onto her plate.

Marcus looked at her like she was crazy. "Why would I understand what he is saying? I have no idea what language he is even speaking in." He flicked her forehead then returned to his meal.

"Esme.. Do you think the bond has made you understand Latin?" Isana wondered

"Maybe?" Esme shrugged. "Who knows? This bond is new for us both."

Once they finished their breakfast and cleared up, Esme, Marcus and Gabriel went back to his penthouse. The butler provided Marcus with fresh clothes, and Esme cleaned up in Gabriel's room, returning to the lounge area in some black jeans and a casual t-shirt. Marcus did a double-take, his eyes widening when he saw her bare arms. 

"Your scars.." He murmured, raising his eyes from her arms and to her face. 

Esme awkwardly smiled and held her hands behind her back. She forgot Marcus had also seen her scars; it wasn't that she was shy but more so strange that she was wearing a t-shirt. She was used to covering up now; in fact, maybe she should go put a jacket on? Esme started to turn around, nearly bumping into Gabriel, who held her in place, his hands on her shoulders. "Oh no, you don't." He snaked his arm around Esme's shoulders, turning her back around, and pulling her down to sit on the sofa together across from the bar. 

"If you want to wear short sleeves, nothing is stopping you now." Gabriel took her chin in his thumb and index finger, tilting her head up, staring into her eyes. "I didn't take you for a scaredy-cat, Es," He purred, instantly making Esme lean closer to him, her gaze lowering to his lips.

"Alright, enough of the lovey-dovey stuff!" Luther interrupted from the side. "You need to keep a low profile. It's fine in front of us, but.." He looked from Esme and to Gabriel's darkening face. "Anyway.. just chill out. Acting like newlyweds or something.."

"They technically are.." Marcus muttered, crossing his arms as he slumped down on the sofa next to the golden-haired vampire. It was a strange sight to see them sitting next to each other so comfortably, but it must be even more bizarre for them to see the Vampire King and the rogue she-wolf almost kissing in front of them. 

"If a mate bond between a vampire and a werewolf is real.. or similar to a werewolf's bond. I've seen Nyx's mark; she said she marked you. Let's see it then." Marcus waited expectantly; Luther and Marcus grew curious when Gabriel started to undo his shirt and pulled it aside. 

Esme was too absorbed in Gabriel's body to pay attention to their gasps, admiring the ridges of his abdomen, his taut chest muscles and then finally looking at the small crescent moon under his left collarbone. 

"That's unbelievable.." Marcus trailed off, looking between the newly mated pair. "I wonder what powers you'd have between you.."

Luther didn't seem as shocked. "In all my years, I must say it is a first. But if it would happen to anyone, then it had to be the vampire of all vampires, really."

Gabriel rebuttoned his shirt, and Esme made sure to look away though his small chuckle indicated he caught her looking or had read her mind. Even though she did want to jump him and spend possibly a week or two in bed with him, there were still more pressing issues to worry about.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Luther. There was another mated pair before me. A certain bitch of vampire and an Alpha King," Gabriel muttered with a darkened gaze that made the room grow suddenly colder. 

Esme didn't know what about that story made her mate angry, but she was surprised to hear that there was another mated pair of a vampire and a werewolf. It must have been long ago because the most recent histories never reported such a couple. But her mate was a thousand plus year-old vampire, so he'd pretty much seen it all. Though she wondered who that 'bitch' was.

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"Gabriel?" Esme turned her head back to look at him, but he stayed quiet on the matter. So instead, she probed in a different direction, hoping to get some answers. "Who is Cass? Is this the vampire we need to be worried about?"

Gabriel's eyes widened. "Where did you hear that name?" Gabriel asked with slight irritation to his voice. She searched the bond and could feel he was not annoyed at her, but she couldn't tell by what. 

"I heard Vinnie say the name earlier on the phone," Esme replied, searching his eyes. 

Luther made a whistling sound and got up to go to the bar. "Should we leave you to explain?" Esme watched Luther glance in Marcus' direction from behind the sofa.

"Marcus stays," Esme said, leaving no room for arguments. Gabriel chuckled and gripped her chin again and left a gentle kiss on her lips before releasing her and settling back down on the sofa. "I take that as you agreeing to my command?" She said breathlessly.

Gabriel grinned at Esme's comment and brushed her hair away from her face, putting it behind her ear. "How did you hear his name earlier? We were speaking in Latin." His hand brushed against her cheek before he dropped it onto the back seat of the sofa behind her.

"I somehow caught onto your conversation. I'm not sure if I can understand Latin now.." She murmured.

"*Do you think it has something to do with being bonded now?* Gabriel asked quietly; his voice was like warm honey.

"* I think so. But I can't be certain. Maybe we should test it out.. Once you tell me about Cass, that is..*" Esme replied and glanced in Luther and Marcus' direction after feeling their heavy gazes on her. "What?"

"Has she ever spoken Latin before?" Luther looked at Marcus as he sat back down, handing the werewolf a bottle of beer. 

"Never.." Marcus watched her in wonder, making her cheeks heat up and look back at Gabriel.

"We don't need to test it, little wolf. *You just spoke in Latin with me,*" Gabriel replied with a small smile. 

The fuuuuucck...

"That's so fricken cool. So, I basically get your superpowers, right? Let me try mind- umpth."

Gabriel kissed her before she could finish her sentence. "That is a secret I do not wish to reveal to your werewolf friend." His voice growled in her mind as he nipped her lip lightly before releasing her. 

"Cass is short for Cassius," Gabriel began as he received a glass of blood from Luther. "He is my brother."

Esme parted her lips, and she looked at Luther for guidance, expecting him to say that Gabriel was joking. But she knew he wasn't; it was just another unbelievable thing. "Why has it never been mentioned that THEE Vampire King has a brother?" She asked while her mind started to race. "And what happened for you to be so estranged with him?" 

What would Cassius do? Was he Gabriel's only real rival?

Esme would never judge, though, about their estrangement; her own family history proved that blood was not always thicker than water. Her gaze flickered to Marcus before returning to her vampire. 

"It's a long story," Gabriel replied quietly, taking a long gulp from his blood. "One that started with a woman and ended with her death."

"You fought over a woman? And he's holding a grudge?"

"I killed her," Gabriel interrupted before Esme could continue. She paused, feeling her mouth go dry.

Gabriel killed this woman.

"Did you.. love her?" She whispered; her eyes were dead set on him.

"Yes, and so did he."

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