She heard the growl again, followed by the sound of breaking glass.
"Fine," the first voice said. "Have your tantrum. We'll wait outside."
The bathroom door opened to show her two men who were well over six feet tall. One had short black hair and the other had long black hair pulled into a ponytail. They stopped between her and the door to eye her warily.
"Is he all right?" she asked them.
The one with long hair gave her a strange look. "You ought to go on and get out of here. You've caused enough trouble for one night."
But oddly enough, she didn't want to leave. "I..." She forgot her words as the bathroom door opened to show her Wren again as he left the room to enter the hallway, too.
His shirt was wet, making parts of it cling to a very well-muscled chest. He had a towel draped over one shoulder and his head was down. The gesture reminded her more of a predator that was watching the world warily, waiting to pounce, than someone who was bashful or shy.
He approached her slowly, methodically. Something about his movements was reminiscent of a cat right before he brushed up against his owner to nuzzle her or mark her as his.
Wren wiped at his face with the back of his hand before he cut a sinister glare at the men.
"Leave," he growled.
The one with long hair stiffened as if he hated the idea of being ordered about.
"C'mon, Justin," the short-haired man, who must be Colt, said in a conciliatory tone. "Wren still needs time to cool down."
Justin let out a low, sinister growl of his own before he headed back into the bar.
Colt passed a warning look to her, then headed off to the counter.
Marguerite swallowed as she approached Wren slowly. This close she could tell that his baggy shirt covered a lean, hard body. His skin was a deep tawny gold that was so inviting that it should be illegal.
There was something about him that appeared completely uncivilized. He even looked like he'd slept in his clothes. It was obvious this man didn't care what anyone thought of him. He didn't follow fashion or any rule of civility. From what she'd overheard while they'd been in the bathroom, it didn't even appear he was moderately sociable at all.
In theory she should be repulsed by him, and yet she wasn't. All she wanted to do was brush back the mop of blond hair and see if he was as handsome as she suspected.
"I'm so sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't know Blaine was going to do that to you."
He didn't speak. Instead he took a step toward her, so close now that she could feel the heat from his body. He reached out toward her. He paused his hand just before he made contact with her cheek and held it there, hovering while those eerie blue eyes scorched her.
Wren wanted to touch her so badly that he could taste it. He'd never wanted anything more. But then, he knew that he shouldn't.
She was human.
And she was beautiful. Her hair appeared softer than down. Her skin glowed with vital warmth. He would give anything for one tiny taste of that skin to see if she were as delectable as she appeared.
But he couldn't.
An animal like him could never touch something as fragile as her. It was in his nature to destroy, never nurture. He let his hand fall away.
"Are you Nick's friend he used to talk about?" she asked quietly.
Wren cocked his head at her unexpected question. "You knew Nick?"
She nodded. "I went to school with him. We used to study together. He said that he had a friend here named Wren who always kicked his butt at pool. Was that you?"
Wren looked over at the pool tables and nodded as he remembered his friend. Not that Nick had really known anything about Wren. But at least Nick had tried to befriend him. It'd been a nice change of pace.
"It was me," he whispered, not sure why he bothered when he seldom spoke to anyone.
But he wanted to speak to her. He loved the soft, gentle lilt of her voice. She appeared so tender. So feminine. A foreign, alien part of himself actually wanted to cuddle with her.
He leaned forward ever so slightly so that he could discreetly inhale the scent of her. Her skin was warm and sweet and held traces of talcum powder and a spicy wood scent of lotion. It made him hard and aching.
He'd never kissed a woman, but for the first time he wanted to. Her parted lips looked so inviting.
So delicious...
"Wren?"
He turned his head as he heard Nicolette Peltier's voice behind him.
The older Frenchwoman approached them from the bar's office. He could sense that Nicolette wanted to reach out and pull him away from the human, but like the others who made Sanctuary their home, Nicolette was afraid of him. His kind was unpredictable. Deadly.
Everyone feared him. Except for the woman before him.
But then, she had no idea that he was a tigard walking in the skin of a human.
"I should go now," he said to her, moving away.
The woman reached out and touched his arm. His groin jerked in response as that touch branded him. It was all he could do to suppress the animal that wanted to take her for his own. Normally, he gave in to those urges.
Tonight he couldn't. To do so could hurt her, and that was the last thing he wanted.
"I'm really sorry about what happened," she said softly. "It was inexcusable and I hope they didn't get you into any trouble or hurt you."
He didn't say anything as she glanced at Nicolette, then turned around and left.
She was gone. It went through him like a knife.
"Come, Wren," Nicolette said. "I think it best if you end your shift now and retire for the night."
Wren didn't argue. He did need some time out of his human form, especially given how volatile he felt right then. It was as if his body were electrified. Elevated. He'd never felt anything like this in his life.
Without another word, he headed for the kitchen, which had a door that led to the building next door where the animal-weres made their home.
Peltier House had long been a refuge for creatures like himself... creatures who had been thrown out of their clans for all manner of reasons. As Aimee so often said, they were all refugees and misfits.
Wren was more so than most. He'd never had an animal clan that he belonged to. Neither tiger nor leopard would tolerate his mixed presence. He was a mutant hybrid who should never have been allowed to live.
Here lately he could tell even the bears weren't fond of him, either. They damned sure didn't trust him. It was subtle. They would gather up their cubs whenever they climbed on him. Or they would do like tonight and isolate him anytime they suspected that he might be getting angry.
That was why he'd valued Nick so much. Nick had treated Wren like he was normal.
"What the hell? " Nick would say. "We're all screwed up some way. At least you bathe and I don't have to fight you for chicks. In my book, that makes you all right."
Nick had held a unique view of the world.
Wren pulled his wet shirt off as he headed up the stairs. Marvin came bounding up behind him. He'd only climbed halfway up when a bad feeling went through him.
The woman...
She was in trouble.
Wren mentally willed a black T-shirt on his body as he sensed imminent threat for her. Without a word to Marvin, he flashed himself out of the building, onto the street.