[h2]Esme Stirling[/h2]

Esme had fallen silent as Duke spoke. As she sat next to him, she scanned his face as he rambled nervously about Sarah. She almost laughed softly when he mentioned he didn’t go around hanging out with demons often, but apparently, the Winchesters were. If only he knew what had transpired between Dean and Cason and just how much Dean disliked Cason, he’d probably think differently. She also didn’t consider Sarah a pet by any means. She didn’t think she could consider a Hellhound as a pet at all. Esme saw her as an invisible friend, protector, and as a shield from the emotions she felt daily, but she hated having to keep her a secret from the others since they weren’t comfortable with her being around but was sure they knew she was there at that moment. In the back of her mind, she knew Sarah could turn on her at any moment, and there was nothing she could do about it. 

When Duke brushed his thumb over the back of her hand, she looked down at their hands briefly. A light laugh escaped her and a small smile came to her lips when he said to keep Sarah on a leash if that was a thing. Sadly, it wasn’t, but she knew Sarah knew she didn’t want Duke or the others harmed. As far as she could tell, as long as they held a bond, Sarah would do as she asked and keep her happy. But she would make sure she kept her distance from him so he wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable with her being around. As he helped her lie back, she looked at him and relaxed some as her back rested her against the headboard. When he called her Sweetheart, her smile grew slightly, but soon faded as she laid her head on his shoulder as he continued. A silent sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes. Even with him saying she could lay it on him, she was afraid to, for fear of it being too much and running him off. “You may think differently after I tell you.” she whispered, almost too softly to hear.

What she had to tell him was far heavier than her telling him she had a Hellhound for a bodyguard and she knew that. Yes, knowing someone had a Hellhound at their side was extremely heavy news to someone, especially a hunter, but telling someone you weren’t a normal human was even heavier news. She had already laid the news of her being an Empath on him, which told him she knew every emotion he felt. He took that news fairly easily, but how would he take what she was about to tell him now? Though she knew if she didn’t tell him now, he would find time to ask her about it. “Recent events have shed light on something about myself.” she breathed.
Gripping Duke’s hand tighter as she opened her eyes, Esme gently pulled him closer to her so she could hold him close when she told him. Once he was closer to her, she lifted his hand that was in hers, then rested their hands on her stomach as she gently leaned into him.

Bringing up her other hand, she rested it on his arm before her eyes closed again. She was preparing herself to calm him if needed, though she was hoping just being close would keep him from freaking out too much. She knew there was no way this news wouldn’t affect him in some way. “What happened at Bobby’s…… Has shown I may be Psychic.” she told him. She felt silent, fighting with herself on if she should tell him more or not, but knew he would more than likely ask why she thought she was Psychic. She knew she would have to tell him what happened for him to understand, and it caused her to grip his arm a bit. Esme would have to tell him about the events in the shortest way she could. “At Bobby’s, a horde of demons looking to take Annabeth attacked us. We put up a good fight, but there were too many. They overpowered us and held all of us in Bobby’s living room…...” she told him in a hushed tone before trailing off. She could see the night playing all over again behind her closed lids and she sighed heavily as a shiver ran through her. 

The image of Dean laying motionless on the floor with blood pooling under his head still haunted her and would, for some time. She gripped Duke's arm as the image lingered behind her closed lids. “The demons had roughed us up, broken my arm and ki….. Killed Dean by hitting him in the head with a crowbar.” she spoke slowly and softly, pausing at some parts. “The emotions in the house were high, and I felt them all. Sadness, anger, defeat, and the strongest of them all, rage. They hit me hard and overwhelmed me with so many in one room and so close together. I thought the rage would build up and take me over, but no, it was something else that built up within me. It kept building and building, causing my skin to heat up and heat radiate off me to where it burned the demon holding me.” She paused, giving herself a chance to breathe and collect her thoughts before continuing. “I tried to keep control, but it was too much for me to handle and I lost my hold on it.”

“I became a….. A demon nuke…… I fried every demon that was too slow to smoke out.” she mumbled, tensing up and giving a shiver. Now thinking back on it and actually talking about it caused her to fear herself a bit, not to mention, she had almost done it again at the roadblock the demons made earlier. “Cason only survived because Sarah shielded him with her body, but didn’t come out of it unscathed. He was burned pretty badly.” Interlocking her fingers with his with a sigh, she opened her eyes slowly and tilted her head so she could look up at him. Now that Duke knew what she was and what she’d done, she didn’t know if he’d run from her or even look at her. She had dropped a lot on him in the short time they had been together. If he ran or needed some space to wrap his head around it all, she wouldn’t blame him in the least. She half wanted to run herself or just hide herself away, so she didn’t have to worry about losing control again. 

She knew the blast could have easily taken out the others as well and still didn’t quite understand how or why it only targeted the demons, and that’s what scared her more than anything. She had always feared rage taking her over and causing her to harm someone or someone she cared for. Now, she had this to worry about as well. That was if Sarah wasn’t around to block out anything that may overwhelm her.