The last thing Marcus wanted to do was to be taking Khaat out now. First of all, she was, technically, overdue, to have twins. She was constantly uncomfortable now, and although she hadn't said much about it, he knew she was more than miserable. He felt for her, actually. It wasn't something he'd have volunteered for. Anytime.
Second of all, it was an ungodly hour of the morning. 4:30. The coffee and tea supplier for Sparks had decided to make a massive price hike, and it was costing Sparks entirely too much. Khaat needed to select a new supplier and send some owls to get the new supplies coming. The only way she could go out right now was when the wizarding world was largely asleep. She was too much on James Blood's list.
The brutal werewolf wanted her badly, and, while Marcus didn't know if Blood wanted Khaat dead or alive, he didn't much care either. He didn't intend to let him have her. That limited when and how he let her go out. Especially now. The other thing that made him uncomfortable was that, although she went out rarely, it was always at these predawn hours, and it was always to Sparks. It was the one thing that had been come too predictable, and it made the risk ungodly high.
He was very protective. Although it was Spring, the early mornings were still very cold. He insisted she dress warm and in dark colors to try to help hide her a bit more. He approved of the black leggings and the gray tunic sweater she'd chosen. He hated the heels on her boots. They were impractical as hell. He used his wand and shortened the heels to kitten heels, which earned him a daggered glare from her. He flashed her a quick 'What-are-you-going-to-do-about-it?' careless smile. Then he found her black wool jacket and helped her with it.
"You stay with me," he told her with iron firmness, keenly aware of the risk and finding himself, for some reason annoyingly uncomfortable. He just didn't like this trip this morning at all. Nothing about it felt right. "You don't let go, you don't wander off, and if I tell you to go, you go--straight home. You don't question, you don't wait. You leave me if I say so. You understand me?"
"It'll be fine," she said. "You aren't normally a worrywart. What's with you? Are you ready? Lets go and get back."