[h2]Esme[/h2]
 Esme had looked over at Cason before stepping under Duke’s other arm and shook her head at Cason’s words. She wasn’t expecting an apology from him, but she did wonder what he wanted to talk about and if it was the same thing she wanted to talk about. Knowing Cason, it was probably something completely different. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I knew this wouldn’t be a cakewalk when I demanded you let me help.” Esme told him before Duke spoke. She sighed softly as she adjusted her grip around Duke as Cason answered, which made her smile tiredly and almost laugh. When she caught Cason smirking over at her, Esme kept her smile and shook her head lightly, realizing that Cason was trying to lighten the mood a bit. She was glad that Cason was trying to lighten the mood, knowing Duke would need it. Getting Duke back to his usual self was one of her main goals. If Esme couldn’t do that, she knew that she would more than likely lose him, and that was something she wouldn’t be able to come back from on her own. Duke had become her weakness, and she knew if Ryker and the other demons knew, they would use him against her. 

Esme knew things would get difficult during and after saying goodbye to Mika, but she was still grateful that they wouldn’t be burning two bodies. That would be far too much for the group to handle. It was already hard enough having lost Mika. Before the three walked to the door, Esme had slipped the angle blade she was still holding into her belt and placed her hand on Duke’s chest. As they walked through the door and into the lot, Esme looked over at Cason as he spoke about how he was willing to ride in Duke’s truck, then said he would drive it. She softly laughed, but it faded as Duke spoke about having to hot-wire his truck to start it. “Instead of just keeping your keys, I should have removed the starter.” she said softly. Esme wasn’t sure if that would have kept this from happening, but it would have at least given her more time to get to him before he ran off and got himself into this mess. However, she would have also never run into Venrik and learned the name of the demon that started the experiments on her in the asylum. 

Then again, did knowing his name really help her out now? Esme had no idea where Ryker was or what he even looked like, and who was to say she could kill him if they ever found him. There was also the possibility that he’d learn she was alive if he didn’t already know, come for her, beat her, and start the experiments all over again. The thought of having to go through all that again scared the hell out of her.



[h3]At the hospital[/h3]
Esme sat in a chair beside the bed Duke lay in. She had two nurses tending to her shoulder after a small fight getting her jacket and flannel off. When they finished with her shoulder, they moved to her burnt hand. After they removed the bandana from her hand, she shoved it into her jacket pocket while she told them a story about what happened when they asked her. Esme spouted a bit of nonsense in her tired state, and they all seemed to buy it for the most part. Probably thinking she was internally struggling by how calm she was acting and staring off at nothing in particular while they tended to her wounds. Esme had barely glanced at Cason as the nurses wanted to look him over, which she usually would have smirked at.  Esme had receded into her thoughts, going over everything that went on and what she had learned, causing her to tune out everything the nurses said and did to her. As her thoughts drifted to Ryker, she grew uneasy, and it was her turn to want to run even though she didn’t know his whereabouts. She didn’t want the others, especially Duke, to get tangled up in this part of her past.

Part of her wanted to run and draw this threat away from the group. Esme didn’t even want to call Sassy and tell her about it, even though she knew the woman needed to know and be prepared for whatever could come their way. She was pulled from her thoughts with a sharp intake of breath at Duke’s voice. As he spoke, she looked down at her hands after she realized the nurses working on her were gone. His words made her sigh heavily and close her eyes. Esme knew Duke felt like he really messed up with his actions, especially by punching her in the nose. “I don’t hate you, Duke. But you’re lucky I was worried about you. Otherwise, I’d be kicking your ass right now.” she said tiredly.  What I do hate is how you let everything bottle up until it comes out in one giant explosion. I hate that you won’t talk to me before it gets to the point where you….” Esme cut herself off as she grabbed her jacket off the arm of the chair, carefully swung it around behind her, and draped it over her shoulders. Opening her eyes, she looked at the nurse, who was finishing up with Duke’s cast. 

When the nurse finished and told them they should be discharged soon, Esme nodded before the nurse left the room. Esme looked at Duke with tired eyes. “To the point where you feel you have to run and find something to take your emotions out on or find something to kill you.” she finished with some difficulty. She turned her eyes back to her lap, fidgeting with the bandage on her hand, her hair falling to cover her face. “I know you thought it was Cason that grabbed you and that you’d never lay a hand on me, but you did because you bottled your anger. You can’t keep this up. It was Dean and me this time. Who’s it going to be the next time you lose control? How far will it go before someone can stop you if I can’t use my empathy or I’m not there?” she told him. Esme refused to let the frustrated tears welling up in her eyes fall. She looked up from her lap and looked at Duke, her tired, teary eyes holding worry for what could happen. “And if you ended up getting yourself…. Before we could get to you. I wouldn’t survive that, Duke.” Esme let out a shaky breath and fell silent.