[h2]Esme Stirling[/h2]

Esme watched Duke as he reacted to the news of Sarah being a Hellhound. Her grip on Sarah tightened a little when she saw Duke’s eyes go wide, scoot away from her, and then spoke. Yes, she knew he’d more than likely flip out over the news, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t affect her any. She inwardly cringed as she listened to his words and saw the concern in his very wide eyes, then nodded softly at what he was saying. She scanned his face as he stared between her and Sarah, wishing at that moment she could read his thoughts on what she had told him, and also wished she could reach out and help him through this. Though she knew this was something he was going to have to work out on his own, she couldn’t make him okay with having a Hellhound around if he wasn’t. When he stopped scooting back, she watched him intently, then realized what he was doing. He was waiting for Sarah to attack him as most would do, and she couldn’t blame him for expecting it to happen. 

Her eyes never left Duke as he waited for Sarah to jump up and attack him, but when he realized she wasn’t going to and was loving on her, it was easy to spot. When he spoke, she lifted her head slightly from Sarah’s and listened to him, then gave a small nod before she had tried to lean back against the headboard and failed. When Duke quickly scooted closer from her hiss in pain, she quietly sighed at the same time he did and listened to him once more, giving a weak smile at his chuckle. It wasn’t hard to see how shaky he was knowing there was a Hellhound lying in the bed with them, but she hoped that her being between them would calm him a bit. She lifted her head from Sarah’s and was about to answer his questions when he reached out and brushed his fingers down her cheek, her eyes closing briefly at his show of acceptance and her smile growing a little. She could see just how hard he was trying to keep himself together, and it made her feel for him.

Esme hadn’t taken the news of the Hellhounds being around that calmly either when Cason first brought them around. In fact, it terrified her having them around at first. Then, oddly enough, she came to enjoy having them around and lost most of her fear of them. Releasing Sarah’s head after giving her cheek a scratch, Esme focused on Duke as she reached over and took one of his hands in hers. As she did, Sarah rested her head gently on Esme’s lap and softly nuzzled into her stomach. Esme held Duke’s hand a moment before she started to answer his questions. “Yes, she listens to me, but I haven’t asked her to do too much.” she started softly. “I once asked her to keep Cason away from me so I could get some sleep. Even though I was asleep, I could actually hear her growl at him for getting too close to the bed as I slept.” she told him, holding back a small laugh at the memory. “Then when she jumped up on the bed, I only gave her a look, letting her know you weren’t to be harmed.” 

She looked over at Sarah briefly and met Duke’s gaze once more. “Yes, she’s just laying there. Somehow, she and I have formed a bond, but I’m not sure if the bond would last if Cason were to remove the mark he gave me so I could see Hellhounds.” Her gaze dropped to their hands, then fell on the black mark on her hand with a sigh as she ran her thumb over his hand. Cason could easily come and take the mark off her hand if he wanted to, and she’d only be able to hear the Hounds. “I know this was a bomb to hit you with and I’m sorry for that, but I didn’t want to keep it from you with Cason bringing her into the room and then leaving her. If you’re not comfortable with her being so close, I can have her move somewhere else. Or if you’re uncomfortable with her being in here, I can have her go somewhere else.” As if on cue, Sarah lifted her head from Esme’s lap, gently nuzzled her cheek, and slipped off the bed to lie on the floor on Esme’s side of the bed. Esme turned her head and watched Sarah with a small smile. 

“Thank you, Sarah. We’ll just have to do things slowly.” she spoke warmly to her before she turned her gaze back to their hands. “The others aren’t thrilled I’ve allowed her to stay so close. So, I can understand if you feel the same way.” Esme lifted her head and looked back at Duke, now feeling his fear with Sarah on the floor. Her features were soft as she met his gaze once again. “But yes, I’m okay, just a little sore in some places.” she said, bringing her other arm and hand to rest across her stomach and side. “There is something else I think you should know, but I’m a little afraid to tell you right now. I think I should wait until you’ve calmed down about finding out what Sarah is. I don’t want to throw too much at you all at once.” With that being said, she took in a breath and slowly let it out as she tried to once again lay back against the headboard, wincing and gripping her side when the pain shot through her side and stomach.