Chapter 160: Making Arrangements: Part One

Esme shifted mid-run once they were back in the vampire's territory she was becoming accustomed to. The backdrop of the valley from behind her while she swiftly got changed before marching ahead with her bag, not waiting for Marcus to catch up as she passed under the billboard that overlooked the city of Chester. Esme pulled her phone out of her backpack before strapping it on her back and flipping the phone open, searching through her contacts. 

Her heart was pounding in her chest in a blazing fury, in pain, and what she imagined was some sort of adrenaline; it was almost painful how hard and fast it beat. Yet her breathing was even, her face calm except for her burning, onyx colour eyes.  Now that she'd had time to think it through during her run, she knew her patience was too thin to watch and wait. To see what Leo would do.

Just how did he slip into ONYX? A hunter working at a vampire bar was mad, but what made it more bizarre was that he was working under the Vampire King. Did her mate not know about this? Of course, he didn't know. Otherwise, Leo would have been killed instantly. The hunters had abducted him for ten years; that wasn't something Gabriel would let go of. If she was the one to have been kidnapped, she'd plan out revenge. 

But Gabriel hadn't been back that long, and she entered his life soon after-

"He couldn't ignore us," Isana snickered, but she also felt prideful about how they snatched the Vampire King. It made Esme lighten up slightly and slow down her pace, chuckling to herself about how her wolf couldn't bear to be near vampires, and now she was swooning over one.

"Hey! I said he was hot too.." Isana pouted.

"Nyx!" Marcus called after her, interrupting her little conversation with her wolf. Esme looked to her side after her friend caught up to her, grabbing her by her hand. She pulled her hand back and pointed upwards, telling him to wait a moment as she hit the green telephone button on her flip phone and put it against her ear.

"Gravissme? You better not be calling to cancel your shift tonight," Niko answered without a friendly greeting. 

"Niko, why'd you stop!?" A woman's voice moaned in the background. Esme could hear shuffling on the phone and the sliding of a door; she checked the time, it was late afternoon now, but she presumed Niko was working. 

"Es, you don't really need to go through me now with work schedules-"

"When is Leo's next day or night off?" Esme asked, getting straight to the point. Usually, Niko would make a joke in response to her bluntness, but he didn't.

"What's wrong, Es?" He asked instead, sensing something wasn't right. 

"A few things. I need to straighten them out," She replied, glancing at Marcus, whose jaw was set and his own eyes burning angrily. 

Niko released a breath. "Why don't you ask Leo yourself?" He asked though his tone of voice was cautious, almost like he was tiptoeing around her, waiting for the moment she'd snap. One corner of her lips tugged up into a smile; he seemed to know her more than she thought.

"Don't hold out on me now, Niko," She replied, putting a little jest behind her voice though even to her ears, she could still hear the hardness behind it. 

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By now, the pair was back walking the streets of Chester. It was bustling with people still even though most were still at work at this time, but that was the difference between the villages and towns she'd lived in before compared to the city life. 

"He has tomorrow night off.." Niko sighed, relenting to her 'charm'. "Look, Leo's a good kid, don't make it too hard on him-"

"Thanks, Niko!" She cut him off. "Sorry to interrupt your.." She looked up at the sky, trying to find the right words to a possible 'booty call', but she came up with nothing. "date?" 

"Esme, tell me-"

Esme flipped the phone shut and put it in her leather jacket pocket, her eyes darting to the different faces on the street now. She felt paranoid; after finding out Leo's hidden identity, she couldn't help but look at everyone who passed her by as possible threats. That was how it used to be anyway until Gabriel came along, and she relaxed her guard. Esme scoffed at her thoughts; she needed to stay on guard no matter what. She acted on her emotions earlier, like Marcus said. 

It was unlike her. Heck, she'd threatened Marcus so many times and nearly stabbed him over the years, yet with Leo, she was so gobsmacked. It made her blood boil. 

After a tense silence of walking through the streets, the pair made it to ONYX's parking lot. Esme halted at the sudden fist punching into the staff room's back door. She was not shocked by Marcus' sudden punch, she was expecting it, but annoyingly he was blocking her path, keeping his hand against the metal. "Nyx.. What the FUCK?!" He shouted; his chest heaved as he glared at her.

Esme tilted her head up and locked eyes with him, her own hardening. "Lower your voice," She said through gritted teeth, her voice eerily calm. 

"What were you thinking?" He growled, and his wolf's eyes merged through his blue orbs. He needed to calm down, or else he might shift here. 

"You should have spoken to him at the valley," Isana said quietly. "You know how he can get."

"Marcus, let's head up to my apartment first," Esme suggested and started to brush past him, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her by his side. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. 

"You've just put a huge fucking target on your back. You let that Beta go all because he said he would kill Ethan for you?" His grip tightened on her wrist. "And then.. you let Leo go.. What are you planning?"

Esme smirked and tapped the knife against Marcus' groin; she'd unsheathed it the moment he'd punched the door. Marcus looked down and the colour drained from his face making her giggle. "That's not fucking funny.." He muttered, releasing her wrist. 

Esme walked past him. "You should know better than to talk in public. You never know who is watching or listening," She spoke over her shoulder. "I needn't remind you of all people about this. Angry or not.. Look who is letting their emotions get the better of them now..."

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