Chapter 46: Battle Bar: Games (2) [Bonus ]

Esme winked at him, and he shook his head before setting up the rack on their appointed pool table, the feltlike cloth a dark red in colour illuminated by an emerald coloured linear light suspended from the ceiling. Esme eyed the dim-lit room while sipping her iced cola. This area was filled with a few pool tables, some with small groups of friends and others with crowds. She quite liked their quiet corner, although the noise carried over to them along with the music blaring out of the speakers.

Leo finished setting up the rack, pulling the triangle away before handing Esme a cue. "Are you any good at pool?" He inquired while chalking his cue tip.

Esme leaned her cue against the black wall and pulled on her fingerless leather gloves, watching him like she was about to put him in his place. "Nope!" She grinned and gestured for him to take first break.

Leo leaned forwards at one end of the table, aiming steadily with the cue and murmured under his breath, "Why do I get the feeling you're about to hustle me.." He hit the white ball to the triangle of balls, and they parted, sending a few into the corner pockets.

When it was Esme's turn, she assessed the table, then shrugged, leaning forwards and aiming with the cue. But paused from knocking it forwards after hearing a sharp intake of breath and feeling not only Leo's eyes on her back or possibly ass but several people. She ignored the sudden attention she was feeling and pushed the cue forwards, not even aiming at anything in particular, but it hit its mark at least. When the she-wolf straightened up, she realised why Leo was now looking at her in concern.

Esme pulled the bottom of her leather jacket down more though she knew it was covering her back. Unlike the others in the pool area who were commenting on her rear, Leo was walking towards her, his ordinarily chirpy face a little solemn. "Es.." He scratched the back of his head; he seemed to contemplate on whether to ask what was on his mind. "Your back.." He trailed off, searching her eyes, reading whatever reflected back at him, and he dropped his question.

Esme glanced away and spoke quietly, "I was attacked by a bear. Claw went in my back and his snout on my right shoulder." Her mind flickered back to the scene, her lying on the ground sobbing, Ethan's claw cutting through her flesh purposely slowly as he whispered nonsense in her ear. "Anyway.. I survived!" She plastered a smile on and pointed her cue at the pool table for Leo to take his turn.

She looked back at him after silence followed her gesture. He was examining her face with an unreadable expression on his own, as though he was trying to figure her out. But he already sensed she'd been abused, so there wasn't much more he needed to work out about her. Esme knew Leo had seen only a portion of her scarred back, but even by that amount, he could clearly see it was a claw mark and not from the use of a knife.

"You'll have to tell me that story sometime," Leo began slowly, and she watched as he worked on his expression changing to look more like the Leo she had seen so regularly, happy with a beaming smile. "It is indeed something to celebrate!" He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her close while holding his cue. "I knew you were strong. I'm surprised you didn't use your knife on such a beast."

Esme grimaced then smiled up at him. "Well, I didn't carry it around with me back then."

"Yet even now, in public, you still have it on you.." Leo chuckled and unwrapped his arm from her, looking down at her back before going back to the pool table.

"You never know when it comes in handy," Esme replied casually, folding her arms against her chest as she leaned her back and one leg against the wall, hugging the cue stick to herself.

Leo finished his go and smirked at her, "As long as you don't use that thing on me if we ever argue."

Esme shook her head with a light chuckle, unfolding herself from the wall. "That depends on what you did," She winked. "You should know by now I am a little crazy. Are you sure you want to be such good friends?"

Leo backed away, his hands raised. "Hey.. I seem to attract the crazies.. it's all good."

Esme grinned and returned to the game. Unlike with their table tennis, this game went on for much longer, and it turned out neither of them was particularly good. But it was pleasant spending time with Leo outside of work, their conversation flowing smoothly, and when they were quiet, it wasn't awkward. They seemed to understand each other much better now, and again it made her heart throb at the idea of leaving someone like him behind.

Maybe she could stay in contact with him..

"If anything.. Leo might understand more than anyone why you'd drop off the face of the earth," Isana muttered, her wolf against the idea of staying in contact with him. It wasn't because she didn't like him but because they couldn't afford any mistakes.

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"If anyone did come to Chester.. he wouldn't tell anyone we were still in contact.." Esme trailed off, also thinking about Gabriel and Niko. No, no wolves would attempt to go to ONYX; her pack weren't that brave. They'd do their research and realise it was a vampire city..

Esme's thoughts abruptly quietened as she now stood next to Leo wide-eyed in wonder at the area for knife throwing. There were targets at different ranges and on the walls. Their section had a wall in between the others, and she knew why; it was so that any knifes bouncing off the targets would not go into another players area that could ultimately put them in a dangerous position when collecting their blades. Leo nudged her, and she realised her mouth was wide, smiling like a kid in a candy store.

"Did you want to go first?" Leo asked while unlocking the little caged box with the knives locked away.

"Yes!" Esme instantly replied and almost skipped to where Leo stood.

"So, it can either be a point system or-"

"Can we just throw for now? I think we should warm up first," She interrupted, her gaze looking at the targets with a gleam to her eyes. Without waiting for a response, she positioned herself at the white line, placing five knives on the metal table to her side and aiming with the one in her hand. With a quick flick of the wrist, the dagger zipped forwards and stabbed into the bullseye of the closest target.

Leo whistled from behind her. "Ha, beginners' luck?" She couldn't see herself holding back in this one. Even then, she tried to aim for the outer circle, but her trained eye and body seemed to disagree.

She never missed her mark.

"I know you want to go crazy, so just do it. You've been excited about this one the most," Leo cheered from the sidelines. She bit her lip in trepidation but shrugged; if he feared her after this, so be it.

Esme picked up another five knives from the cage. "You've got some on the table there.." Leo trailed off after watching her grab the five knives from the table. A total of ten in her hands, five in each and with incredible speed and graceful movement, Leo watched as Esme hit different targets, short distance, long-distance, high on the wall. She spun a few times, putting extra weight into her throws, and Leo found himself entranced.

Esme tilted her head to the side after the final knife hit its target; all of them were bullseyes. Excitement and adrenaline were pumping through her blood and to her head, but after her little explosion of movements, her breath was still normal. Esme felt more than a pair of eyes on her, and she turned around to see a few people who had been walking past carrying their drinks and stopped wide-eyed at her little act.

Esme ignored them and turned to Leo, whose face was full of shock and awe. "I'm gonna look so shit now!" He mockingly complained, a broad grin on his face. Esme released a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding since feeling his gaze on her. She was relieved he wasn't appalled.

"I mean, this is like a sport, right?" Isana spoke up in her mind.

Esme set off retrieving the knives, using a ladder with Leo's help to get the blades on the higher part of the wall. "True.. But he knows I carry a knife around," Esme smirked, wondering what was going through his mind now.

When she returned to the side, sitting down with her cola, she watched as Leo aligned himself up and she almost spat out her drink in shock. He hit five targets, all bullseyes; he turned his head to look at her, a cocky smirk on his features.

"How.."

Leo shrugged.. "This ain't my first rodeo."

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