The Fugitive - Chapter 153

Esme’s head snapped in Einar’s direction, her footsteps slowing as he smiled sadly. Her brows arched together as she tried to work out what was going on inside of that head of his. She didn’t know Einar well, but there was always something familiar about him that made her comfortable around him and somehow trust him. Which with her track record, never happened; the hybrid beside her was powerful, and even Gabriel warned her about him, and they were considered friends. But why was he looking like that?

She let go of his arm as they stopped and stared at one another. Einar’s mystical eyes almost sparkled with worldly knowledge, cheekiness and what looked like a glimmer of sadness. But that flickered by swiftly, hiding whatever emotions he was truly feeling. “Why would someone crushing on me annoy you?” She asked, raising a brow questionably.

“Am I not allowed to be worried about my favourite she-wolf?” Einar replied smoothly, his lips tugging into a bright smile, and his eyes gleamed in mischief.

Esme sighed, shaking her head and letting it go. They weren’t close enough for her to try and read into whatever that was. She looked back at Leo again and covered her mouth, stopping herself from laughing loudly as she saw him openly flirting with two women at the same time. “Yeah.. he’s crushing on me, alright!” Esme snorted and turned away, patting Einar on the back as she brushed past him. Einar glanced in Leo’s direction, his expression unreadable, but he followed Esme to the corner table, where she could see everyone.

Her eyes were locked on Marcus as he looked between her and the hybrid who unbuttoned his suit jacket before sitting down. Esme then looked at Leo again; she knew he wasn’t crushing on her. They already spoke about it; he was just a huge flirt. That flirt who was a good friend, even as a human, who understood her struggles without knowing her story. They could relate to one another to a certain degree.

“Can you show me your tattoos then?” The woman on the right purred as she leaned across the bar, giving Leo a better view of her cleavage.

“I don’t like to show them, but seeing as you asked me so nicely..” He winked as he rolled his left sleeve up.

Exactly, he wasn’t crushing on her. Esme didn’t know he had tattoos, not that it would come up between them. She watched as the woman on his right trailed her finger along the inked skin of his left arm, it was a sleeve tattoo of some sort, but she couldn’t tell exactly what from here.

“You know if you are going to smile, I’d rather it be because of my company.”

Esme’s focus went back to Einar, and her lips relaxed, not realising she’d been smiling. “So, why are you here?” She asked, getting straight to the point.

Einar leaned his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand as he tilted his head to the side slightly. “I am here to see you, of course.. I need to make sure you will follow through with your promise.. As I said before.. this will be for your own good.” His eyes held hers locked in place while he stared at her seriously.

Esme forced her eyes to look down before she felt burnt from his gaze. His eyes always seemed to peel back the layers of her walls and made her feel naked like there was nothing she could hide from him. She shivered, and instinctively her hand went to her left wrist, pausing when she realised her usual band was not on her wrist. She blinked in confusion.

“We haven’t had it for a few days now,” Isana said quietly. “Gabriel removed it, and it hasn’t been on since.”

It was a little shocking that she didn’t realise this; her little habit seemed to have gone away, that was until this moment. So instead of feeling panicked about feeling so bare in front of the warlock, she sought the courage deep within her to raise her eyes to meet his once more and calmly replied, “I already agreed I would if that is all.. Then give me the location and be on your way. I’m sure a powerful warlock like yourself is busy.. especially with a type 1 staying at yours.”

Einar’s eyes lit up in amusement, and his free hand resting against the table began to tap his fingers. “You always make it sound so simple. And where are your manners, Nyx? I am dying of thirst here, you know.”

Always? This was their third time meeting, minus the incident with her stroking him in his cat form. With a sigh, she pushed up from the table, leaning over it slightly. Einar tilted his head back as he watched her in amusement. “If you were thirsty.. Why didn’t you order at the bar?” She asked irritably.

“It didn’t cross my mind. I thought my dearest Nyx would order it for me.” He grinned brightly, irritating Esme further, but she counted to three in her mind and calmed down. He was a powerful warlock, old and cunning.

“What. Would. You. Like?” Esme asked through gritted teeth while her eyes threatened him to annoy her further.

“Oh, don’t be like that!” He lowered his hand and leaned his arms on the table, smiling up at her. “You shouldn’t hold back on your nature. If you want to threaten me, you can. It’s okay.”

What the.. This.. Esme was dumbfounded for words; her tongue felt twisted as she gaped at him. “And if I said get your own damn drink?” She tilted her head to the side.

“Then you will have to deal with my presence a lot longer..” He trailed off, reading her puzzled expression before pointing his head in the bar’s direction. “The women here will flock to me the moment I am up there. My looks can be a little troublesome sometimes. But seeing as you sadly want me gone.. I thought I’d be a good friend and sit here patiently.”

Esme blinked slowly from Einar’s logic. She thought his arrogance was something else, but when she looked at the bar, she realised the hybrid was right. Mostly all the women who weren’t talking to Leo, or attempting to talk to the brooding Marcus, were watching them. “If I leave you here, it won’t guarantee you will be safe either..” Esme trailed off after seeing Einar open his mouth, ready with a smart answer. She held her hand up, giving up on this argument. “What do you want?”

“Hmmm, whatever you normally have. I’m sure you know what is best here-”

“Esme.”

The pair looked at the bar where Niko was standing, his arms crossed as he glared at her. The vampire sighed and quietly spoke as he walked away, his intent for her to hear him. “I didn’t realise we paid you to chat with your friends.”

“Niko..” She started to walk to the bar, ignoring the hybrid now. “If you want, we can grab a bite to eat after-”

“I am busy,” Niko replied sharply as he disappeared down the corridor that led to the VIP rooms.

“You know, I think there’s only so much Nikki can take..” Rory whispered to Hana as Esme stopped by the bar. She frowned but went to the array of spirits at the back of the bar, pretending not to hear their commentary.

“Maybe they weren’t ever a thing, though.. Es doesn’t even seem bothered by Leo and her friend’s looks,” Hana whispered back.

Ugh, gossip again. Esme ignored it all; her friends, minus the humans, knew she was with Gabriel. She wasn’t sure to what extent Niko knew about her and Gabriel’s relationship, but whatever was bothering him stirred up the gossip more about her. It never really bothered her before; at first, it was her and Niko were ‘in a relationship’, then it was her and Leo, and now it looked like she was some sort of player, and Niko was heartbroken.

“Humans are so dramatic,” Isana remarked, internally rolling her eyes.