The Fugitive

Nah-ah, I don't think so! 

Esme growled and reached out, grabbing Marcus' hand to stop him, but he blocked her hand with his other hand in, which she then held and flipped over his arm, twisting it to the point of popping his shoulder out. Marcus swiftly back kicked her in the stomach then swept his leg beneath her ankles, all the while his arm was still held behind him. Esme fell backwards, but she hopped back into a crouch and kicked him behind the knees, and he fell hard to the ground. 

Esme released his hand and jumped on top of Marcus, wanting to restrain him from leaving, but his strength overpowered hers, and he rolled her over. Marcus slammed her wrists above her head, holding them together, and his knees held her hips down as he hovered over her. His long locks fell over them, almost like a black curtain hiding them from the outside world as Marcus smirked at her. His eyes glowed back at her, the amber hues shimmering in the light as he growled into her face that turned into a lazy smile. 

"It's been a while since we've had a little tumble," He teased, then jumped off the forest floor and jumped again, completely disappearing from her sight. "If you want to know more, ask for me at the Hub. I'll be waiting for you."

Esme blinked and relaxed her body further into the dirt and leaves of the forest floor. The lavender smell was gone, and she was left there feeling confused about the situation. Marcus was alive. She wanted to have a normal conversation with him, catch up over coffee or something, find out how the hell he rose from the dead. 

But nothing about her and Marcus was simple; they were Hellhounds. She knew he just wanted to exit like a badass and leave her reeling, it was part of his infuriating character, but this wasn't the time to do that. 

For so long, she thought he was dead, and now she saw him in the flesh, tackled him down and even let him win just so she could see him hovering over her. Not in any romantic or sexual way, but just to see that he was real, staring back at her, even as he 'restrained' her. Both of them knew she was letting him, and maybe that was why he relented and told her where she could meet him. Esme knew him well, they were out of the White Sands pack territory, and he would have made her play hide and seek for longer if she hadn't jumped him.

Esme covered her eyes and rubbed the inner corners of them as she stared up at the cloudy cerulean skies. She had to remind herself, as much as her heart warmed at finding her friend alive, he was also one of the most dangerous men she knew. One she hadn't seen in years. Even if he tried to save her back then, it didn't mean he could be trusted now. She had to be very careful approaching him, even if all she wanted to do was hug him and ask what the hell happened.

But Marcus was still an assassin like her, and he hid in the shadows, watching her for some time. He was hiding something or wanted something from her, and she needed to find out what that was. 

"Right now, I'd suggest getting cleaned up before our shift starts," Isana added, and Esme glanced at how high the sun was in the sky.

"Shit!" She said aloud and pushed off from the ground, darting in the direction of the valley, shifting mid-run into her wolf. They'd run for almost an hour before Isana managed to get her to her senses. It was fine, but she knew without checking her phone for the time that she would be late. 

Esme had to run for another hour before getting back to the valley and then into the city, as well as needing to shower after getting sweaty and rolling around on the forest floor. She hoped her tardiness would not affect her too badly. She also cringed a little at the idea of Gabriel smelling Marcus on her.

"Oh, he gon' flip out! Good luck, girl! I'm outta here!" Isana dramatically announced and hid the corner of her mind again. 

"Pussy," She insulted back as she climbed up the hill and ran towards the spot her bag was hidden. She inhaled deeply and shifted back into her human form, trying not to cringe at the state her body was in. Dirt covered her body and hair, along with a few leaves. She quickly got changed and started shuffling her hands in her hair, shaking off the dirt and picking out the leaves. 

Esme rushed through the streets and headed towards the apartment closest to her. She almost laughed in disbelief at the idea that she had two apartments, both of them of such high luxury; it was a massive change from how she had been living over the last few years. Esme rushed through the rotating glass doors and nodded at the men behind the reception desk before getting into an elevator. Esme impatiently shifted from each foot as she listened to the classical music playing and stared up as the floor numbers increased. 

As soon as she stepped out, she rushed to her apartment, barely closing the door behind her before she started stripping and was in the shower. Esme yelped as the cold water sprayed over her head but luckily the temperature changed quickly. Two minutes later, she stepped back out and bit her lip feeling bad for not truly appreciating the luxury apartment. She threw her towel in the bath and changed into her clothes from earlier.

Esme rushed back out, darting down the streets with her hair still dripping from her shower. She flipped her phone open and cursed under her breath at the missed calls by both Niko and Gabriel. She still had to respond to Niko's missed calls yesterday, so she hit the dial button and placed the phone next to her ear. 

"Esme!" She heard his footsteps and the sounds of the gentle music playing in the bar fade away as he probably went to the staff room or the hallway. "Are you okay? Where are you?!"

Esme gulped and felt a pang in her chest, feeling bad that she didn't at least message him. She couldn't help it, though! She wasn't used to people caring!

"Shit, Niko. I'm sorry. Did Gabriel not explain about yesterday?" She replied as she walked in and out of the crowded streets. 

It was 1:12pm on a Saturday, so of course, the high street was busy and slowing her down when she was over two hours late. 

"Gabriel?" Niko's voice dropped, and she heard a slight edge to it. "No. He did not."

"I was working with him yesterday," She blushed and hoped the King would come up with something because 'sleeping with the boss' didn't count. 

Niko sighed, and she heard another pair of footsteps on the phone. "What about today? Where are you?"

Esme reached the double doors to ONYX and used the fob to get in. The bouncers were obviously off duty due to the sunlight. "I'm here, I just-"

The call went silent, and Niko appeared before her. He looked over her appearance with a frown then looked displeased. "Are you telling me.. That you are actually two hours late to a shift?" He narrowed his eyes at her and raked his hand through his brown locks. 

Esme put her phone in her pocket and sighed. "Something happened..." She trailed off, trying to think of a way to explain her friend's 'fake' death and reappearing act.