He nodded. "I'll get on it right away."
"Get three."
"Ris—" Ilianna said.
I cut her off with a sharp movement of my hand. "You're wearing one, Ilianna. I don't care if it goes against some witch rule. I want you protected."
She didn't look happy, but she didn't argue, either. I squeezed Tao's arm again and headed out. Hunter was still standing where I'd left her. I guess it had been too much to hope that she'd given up and left.
I waved her forward. She turned around and walked down the stairs, her black stilettos making little sound on the metal stairs. A woman who walked so lightly in heels that high was, in my estimation, extremely dangerous. But then, the mere fact that she was the head of the Directorate suggested that. You couldn't maintain control for as long as she had by being anything but.
"McDonald's is one street over," I said as we hit the pavement. "On the corner of Swan and Botherambo streets."
She glanced at me. "Botherambo?"
"Yeah. Odd name." I shrugged. "They do good coffee."
Or rather, it was far better than the stuff the old bar they'd ripped down and replaced used to produce. The older folk in the area were still boycotting McDonald's to protest losing their local watering hole, but I couldn't see the point. Especially since those of us who liked to party late could get something to eat at all hours.
Hunter didn't say anything else and neither did I. Her scent rolled across the night—a faint mix of jasmine, bergamot, and sandalwood that was surprisingly pleasant, even for a nose as sensitive as a werewolf's. Or a half-were's, as was the case.
The chrome-and-glass building that housed McDonald's soon came into sight. The big golden M dominated the rooftop and spread warmth through the darkness. Nearby, Swan Street was surprisingly busy, especially considering the early hour and the fact it was a weekday morning. The constant rumble of noise was regularly punctuated by the clatter of trains scooting across the old brick bridge, the bright light coming from the carriage interiors creating crazed patterns on the streets below.
Hunter held the side door open by her fingertips until I was through.
"What would you like?" I asked.
She somehow managed to look down her nose at me, even though she was several inches shorter. "I'd like not to be here, but I suppose a skinny latte will do."