Marguerite froze as she recognized that deep, hypnotic voice. She looked over her shoulder to see Wren standing back from her. Wearing a loose denim shirt and jeans, he was the best thing she'd seen in days. His blond hair was a bit shaggy, and the blue of his shirt made his eyes practically glow. He completely took her breath away.
Before she could think better of it, she literally threw herself into his arms and held him close, needing to feel warmth from someone.
His timing couldn't have been better.
Wren was shocked by her reaction. He wrapped his arms around her as she clutched him to her. No one had ever been so happy to see him before. He swallowed as unfamiliar emotions tore through him.
"I'm so glad you're here," she whispered.
"I noticed."
She pulled back with a grimace and he sensed her instant dismay. Wren offered her a smile as his heart pounded with a foreign ache. "It was a joke, Maggie."
Her expression softened back into one of joy. "How did you know I was here?"
He hesitated as he tried to think of a plausible lie. "You weren't home."
"Yeah, but I could have been anywhere in New Orleans."
Wren rubbed his neck nervously. He had to distract her away from this line of questioning before he let something slip.
"I like coming here." That was a complete lie. He actually hated zoos. He couldn't stand to see the animals who were caged. As one of them, he could hear their thoughts and sense their discomfort. Not that all of them were unhappy with their situation. There were a number of animals who liked the attention and who were grateful to have a safe environment.
But others...
They were like him. Predators. And they despised cages of any sort.
When he was a child, his mother had always threatened to sell him to the zoo.
"It's a freak. They'd pay good money to have something like it on display. Just imagine how much money we could make." His father had been the only thing that had kept Wren out of such a place as this.
Wren ground his teeth as he looked away from the white tigers. They were the number one attraction at the zoo here. His mother hadn't been wrong.
He hated her for that.
Pushing those thoughts away, he turned back toward Maggie. "Why are you here?"
She gave him a winsome smile. "I told you I have a thing for tigers." She looked past him, into the pit where the white tigers were playing. "I think Rex and Zulu are the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen and I love to come over and watch them."
Her words amused him. "You like white tigers, huh?"
She nodded. "I would give anything to pet one."
He smiled at the irony of that. Little did she know, she'd already done it. "They're not so hard to tame."
She laughed. "Yeah, right. They'd probably eat anyone dumb enough to go near them."
Maybe, but not when the hand stroking them was one as gentle and delicate as hers. Any tiger would lie down at her feet...
At least he would.
Wren took those beautiful hands into his. Her skin was like warm velvet against his, and it reminded him of just how soft the rest of her body was. He could sense a deep sadness inside her, and it made his own heart ache for her. "Why aren't you studying?"
She sighed as if the weight of the entire universe was on her shoulders. "I couldn't concentrate. I had a crappy call with my father a little while ago and I was trying to zen myself into some semblance of a happy place."
His stomach shrank at her words. He hadn't meant to disturb her. "You want me to leave you alone?"
She shook her head. "No. I found my happy place the minute I saw you."
His heart stopped beating as he heard words he'd never thought to hear from anyone. This was such an impossible relationship. Were-Hunters didn't choose their mates; the Fates did that without any input from them.
Whenever a Were-Hunter was to be mated, a mating mark would appear on their hands. It almost always appeared after sex, which was one of the reasons why un-mated Were-Hunters were promiscuous. The more they slept around, the more likely they were to find their mate. But there was no visible mark to show him that Maggie was his.
The only mark was the one in his heart that craved her.
He didn't speak as she bicycled their hands with her fingers laced with his. The smile on her face warmed every part of him.
Her hair was pulled back, with a single strand of it loose to fall down the side of her face to her neck. He longed to brush his lips against that spot so that he could inhale her precious scent.
Her eyes were full of passion and caring. She was without a doubt the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life.
A group of schoolkids ran past them, laughing and shouting as they saw the two male tigers.
Wren barely noticed the kids. "What are your plans today?"
She shrugged. "I'm open. What about you?"
"It's my day off."
"Really?"
He nodded, then gave her a devilish grin. "Want to go get naked?"
Marguerite squeaked at his offer as she felt heat scald her face. But the truth was, she wanted nothing more. "Is that all I am to you?" she asked in a teasing tone.
"No," he said with sincerity burning deep in his eyes. "You're much more to me than that."
She swallowed at the deepness of his voice. At the needful look on his face. She was completely captivated by him. He let go of her hands to cup her face and tilt it up toward his. Marguerite closed her eyes in expectation of his kiss.
His lips brushed hers.
Until a scream rent the air.