Gabriel followed her like an obedient puppy, intrigued with the idea of going to the woods in the middle of the night. He was now accustomed to living in the city and staying in that cell at the hunter's compound, but since meeting Esme, she'd more than once brought him away from ONYX and the city lights, intentionally or not. Now, after catching up to her and ignoring Luther, Gabriel watched as she even brazenly climbed into his red sports car, keys in hand and sat behind the driver's seat.
"Are you sure you can drive a beast like this?" Gabriel asked, climbing into the passenger seat. He was more concerned about Esme getting hurt than anything. A car was only a car, he could replace it whenever, but he never wanted his love injured. Plus, the car she drove the night before looked to be at least twenty years old and falling apart.
"If I can ride a beast like you, I'm sure I can drive this bad boy," Esme winked, inciting a smirk from the vampire. He leaned over her, gently grabbing her chin and planting a kiss on her lips before pulling back and putting her seatbelt on.
"Safety first, love," Gabriel purred and sat back. "Okay, just don't go too fast."
"Stop being a scaredy-cat," Esme joked as she turned the engine on and set off through the garage and pulled out of ONYX. Surprisingly, she handled the car well. Gabriel glanced at her, finding her handling the gearbox rather sexy, his sexy little minx.
They drove out of the city centre and started going past the run-down area of Chester, which also flanked near a forest. Esme seemed to know Chester quite well, even the 'slums' of the place. But he didn't expect any less; she'd been on the run for two years, her rather shifty character of always looking out for escape routes was what kept her from her past catching up to her.
"I lived down here for a bit before SOMEONE snooped around my apartment," Esme explained as she pulled up to the curb near a bus stop. "Marcus sacrificed those wolves just to get my attention." She shook her head. "Anyway, let's go from here."
Esme climbed out of the car, her bare feet touching the tarmac and then the pavement and grass. Gabriel shook his head. His little wolf was cold; he could see the goosebumps on her legs and the perkiness of her nipples under his white dress shirt. "Why didn't you put a little more clothing on?" He asked, putting his arm over her shoulders and rubbing her arm up and down to warm her up.
"Hmm, I have you to keep me warm, and anyway, there's no point in dressing up, I'm only going to be stripping down again," Esme replied as she moved closer to his body, subtly smelling his scent and looking away when she realised, he caught her. Her face heated, but she cutely acted like it didn't bother her, and she wasn't embarrassed.
Gabriel chuckled and kissed the top of her head; he couldn't wait to see more sides to his mate. She was tough, reckless, and always said what was on her mind, but there was this whole other side to her that only he and possibly Marcus had seen. His chest tightened slightly in jealousy over Marcus, but he knew in time, there were bound to be parts of Esme that even her friend hadn't seen.
They continued to walk into the woods where the floor was barely visible, and the trees loomed over them, the full moon casting shadows on their faces through the trees. Esme walked ahead and reached behind her, clasping Gabriel's hand, intertwining their fingers as she smiled brightly at him. Gabriel stared at her, almost in a daze; her deep alluring brown eyes twinkled, reflecting the stars. It was almost like he would be sucked into her very own universe, but he wouldn't complain if it ever did happen.
The smile on her face and the cheerfulness she was emitting incited his own happiness. After learning about her traumatic past, he'd made a promise to himself to always put a smile on her face. But right now, it seemed like she was doing that without his help; he shook his head as she tugged on his hand, walking ahead of him and dragging him behind her. He couldn't help but watch her and the radiant star he saw her as.
Esme stopped just before the cliff that overlooked the valley. The moon shone brightly, lighting up the grass and trees in an almost fantastical glow of silvery-blue hues. Esme stared at the view, her shoulders relaxing as the fresh air blew her hair away from her face. Gabriel stared at her then looked back at the scenery that he'd seen during the day, but at night it was almost like a different world. The river that sparkled under the moon's cover was brighter with the help of the fireflies dancing across the surface.
"So far, this has been one of my favourite views in all the places I've been," Esme said with a sigh, her face aglow, her cheeks slightly pink from the chill. "It really is a beautiful sight, especially at night."
"You've been here a lot since coming to Chester?" Gabriel asked; he hadn't been around Esme a lot near the beginning, but he presumed she would come here whenever she felt too cooped up. He could see from looking at her now that she enjoyed the wilderness, as she should; a part of her was a wolf. There weren't many packs that lived in cities, and if they did, it was bound to be for werewolves only, so nudity was the norm among them.
"Of course, it clears my mind, and I can run around naked-"
"Hmm, now that is a view I'd enjoy," Gabriel interrupted with a smirk before bringing her hand up to kiss her knuckles.
"You've already enjoyed the view; stop being greedy," She giggled from the burning lust behind his eyes then shook her head. "Anyway.. the view is greater now that I've shared it with you."
Esme elbowed his ribs, and he chuckled as he pulled her back into his body, leaning down and resting his head on her shoulder. "No," She whispered as her hand caressed his jaw. "Your company makes it better."
Gabriel kissed her neck and kept his face in the crook of her neck for a while, looking at the view with one eye open, enjoying her in his arms without anyone interrupting them. Esme giggled and shook her head slightly. "Is wants to come out," She murmured. "Apparently, I'm hogging your company too much."
How did that work? Gabriel chuckled at how bizarre and comfortable he felt spending time with her wolf.
He unwrapped his arms from her and stepped back after she tapped his hands and turned away from the view. She undid the buttons to the shirt she wore and threw his shirt at his face playfully. Gabriel caught it and stared at her stunning figure, feeling his cock twitch again as he looked at her hardened dark nipples. But he controlled himself as he met her playful eyes. She let him check her out and raised a brow at him before her body started to tremble.
Gabriel watched in awe as the petite she-wolf he was used to seeing transformed into a large black wolf. Her size surprised him the most; he knew werewolves were large, he'd seen plenty, but for some reason, he expected Esme to turn into a regular-sized wolf, probably because of how small she was. Still, he was amazed at seeing his mate in wolf form.
He read her thoughts and could hear Esme bickering with Isana over control of her body. Then the black wolf, his mate, strolled over to him, sniffing the floor and then his body before licking his face. Gabriel chuckled as his hands went to her silky fur then stared into her glowing amber eyes. "Hello, Isana," He spoke softly into her mind.
Isana's tail started wagging. "Gabriel! What do you think? Aren't I beautiful?" She asked playfully before spinning around on the spot, her head held up high.
Gabriel chuckled and nodded. "You are beautiful and magnificent," He replied before falling back onto the ground, the air rushing out of his lungs. Isana had tackled him to the ground, her ears alert, pointing up and her tail still wagging, a paw on his chest.
"Don't you want to see what I can do?!" She almost squealed in excitement.
"Calm down, Is. You'll scare him off otherwise," Esme's voice echoed in their minds. It sounded distant, but he could still hear her.
"You can't scare me off," Gabriel said aloud and moved his arm over his head after Isana licked his face again. Her kisses were adorable, but his face was getting a little too wet now.
The black wolf hopped up and turned around, lowering herself again, turning her head to look at him expectantly. Gabriel pushed himself up into a sitting position and tilted his head to the side, wondering what Isana wanted.
"Don't you want to see the view through our eyes?" Isana asked mysteriously.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes slightly, his curiosity piquing at what she meant. He walked towards her slowly, lured in by her words. Then when he was a step away, Isana stood up, grabbed his arm by her mouth and threw him over her back.
"Hold on tight!" Isana shouted in excitement before leaping forwards and jumping down the cliff. Gabriel's eyes widened as the wind blew across his face, and he gripped onto her fur at her neck.