Unleash the Night (Dark-Hunter 8)

"Did they feed you while you were in there?" she asked. "Would you like to stop somewhere on the way back and get something to eat?"

He nodded.

"What would you like?"

"I don't care. I'll eat anything not Tylenol or chocolate."

"That's a strange list."

"Not to me."

Okay... he was an odd man.

Marguerite headed out of the parking lot while Wren pulled his things out of the manilla envelope that the police had given him. "Was it bad in there?"

He paused to look up at her. "It certainly wasn't the highlight of my life."

She smiled at his sarcasm. "What happened to cause the jail fight?"

He slid his wallet into his pocket. "They thought it would be fun to knock around the 'kid' and show off their manhood. I thought it would be fun to knock a couple of them unconscious."

Well, she could understand that. He did have a unique take on things. "Do you always get into fights like this?"

"No," he said in a low tone as he snapped his Timex onto his arm. "I don't like to fight. I'd rather be left alone. But if someone else starts it..."

"You finish it."

He nodded. "My father used to say that it's not enough to just beat an attacker off. You have to hurt them enough that they'll know not to tangle with you anymore. Or preferably, kill them."

"Sounds like our fathers have a lot in common."

Wren didn't comment. Instead, he gestured toward the left. "McDonald's would be good."

She wrinkled her nose at the thought. "You really eat there?"

"It's good stuff."

She cringed at the thought. She'd only seen their food in commercials and had never really considered trying it out for herself. "I don't know about that. I'm not sure I like the idea of fast food." But she pulled in and got in line at the drive-thru.

Wren gave her a suspicious look. "Don't tell me you've never eaten here."

"Never."

"Where do you eat then?"

"Restaurants or at the campus meal hall." She pulled around to the speaker and lowered her window. "This is so weird, to get food like this."

He grinned at her before he leaned over her lap and answered the woman who had asked what they wanted. "I'll have twelve Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, three Double Quarter Pounders with Cheese, four apple pies, six large fries, and a large vanilla shake." He looked at her. "You want something?"

She arched both brows as she stared at him and his unbelievably large order. "You're not seriously going to eat all that by yourself, are you?"

He looked stricken by her words. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"No," she said quickly. "Not if you're hungry. I've just never seen anyone eat like that before."

He gave her a confused frown. "I do it all the time."

"And you stay so thin? I'd be bigger than a house."

"Would you like anything else?" the voice asked over the intercom.

She glanced over the menu. "I'll have a cheeseburger meal with a Coke."

Marguerite's eyes actually widened at the total before the server told them to drive around. Who knew fast food could be so expensive?

Wren pulled out his wallet and handed Marguerite the money to pay for it. He sat back in his seat and watched the way the light played in her dark hair. She was so beautiful to him.

While they waited, he reached out to touch her cheek with the back of his fingers. The softness of her skin amazed him. It also made him hard and aching for her.

She turned her head to smile at him. The expression hit him like a sledgehammer and left him oddly dazed. She cocked her head as if studying him in turn. "How do you get your hair to do that?"

"I don't know. You just kind of twist it and it holds."

"How do you wash it?"

He shrugged. "Same as anyone else. You put shampoo on it and run water through it."

Frowning, she reached out to touch a strand. She smiled and wrinkled her nose. "It feels so strange. Kind of like wool." She dropped her hand and pulled up to the window.

Wren sat quietly as he thought about her words. He'd started wearing the dreadlocks to keep other people away from him, and it'd worked. Most people curled their lips in repugnance and immediately cut him a wide berth, which was fine by him. He'd never really liked being touched. But he wouldn't mind Maggie stroking his hair.

His skin...

She handed him the change, then his food. Wren opened a Big Mac and took care to eat it like a human, but it was really hard. His kind only ate every three to four days, and he was extremely hungry. In truth, this wasn't enough food. It was only enough to tide him over until he could get back to Sanctuary and eat the rest of what he needed.

He picked up a fry and offered it to her.

Smiling, she took it from his hand and ate it.

Wren watched her closely. She had no idea what a feat that had been for him. His kind didn't share food with anyone or anything when they were hungry. They would fight to the death for a tiny morsel. Yet he wanted to take care of her. It was such a peculiar feeling.

If he didn't know better, he'd think she was his mate. But Katagaria didn't mate to humans. It wasn't possible.

Marguerite drove through the congested streets as she watched Wren from the corner of her eye. He didn't speak as he ate. But then, he didn't speak much anyway.

He was such a fascinating contradiction. She still couldn't get over that he had one of the most exclusive lawyers in New Orleans at his beck and call.