by Bianca D’Arc
Katrina had to admit he had a point. “It is beautiful,” she admitted in a quiet voice that was tinged with wonder.
“I’m glad you like it because my house is right around the bend, and this view is why I chose the spot to build on.”
He started the Jeep rolling again, and she looked all around, wanting to see what his home would look like. It certainly didn’t seem like there was a house anywhere nearby. All she could see, so far, was the same jungle they’d just come through. Dense, green, and alive with creatures she could only just barely discern.
They rounded a curve, and there it was. A large expanse of glass with a door to one side. This had to be the entrance to Ren’s rather unconventional home. It blended in well with the surrounding foliage, but the glass reflected the sun as they neared, and nothing could camouflage that. Of course, from far away, it would be hard to see.
“Wow,” she said, almost involuntarily.
Ren chuckled. “Glad you like it. The inside is even better. All that glass makes you feel like you’re still outside with all the creature comforts of a modern home. We’re straddling the rim of the volcano here, so this side gets the ocean view. The other side looks down on the crater. Either way, I find the views stunning.”
Ren pulled the Jeep in next to the house in a covered area that was so overhung with palms and foliage, it looked like part of the scenery. He switched off the engine and hopped out, coming around to help Katrina climb down, though she didn’t really need much help. She’d dressed casually for the plane ride in one of her favorite outfits. It was soft jersey knit. Wide-legged pants and top were coordinated and cut in such a way that with just a bit of jewelry and the right shoes it could be moderately dressy.
She’d felt good in the outfit meeting those VIPs at the mansion, even if her clothes were off the rack and theirs had to have been tailor made. Such things didn’t seem to matter to any of them, which was a huge relief. Mark, Shelly, Nick and Sully were all genuinely nice, and Katrina was still a bit starstruck.
As they walked out of the parking area toward the front of the house, Katrina stopped short. Sitting not far from the front door was a row of three giant jungle cats. Spotted, furry, sharp-toothed felines of a frightening variety that she had only ever seen in photos and on nature documentaries. Never up close and running around loose!
Ren stopped a step in front of her and turned his back on the cats to face her. She kept her eyes on the cats, shocked he would present his vulnerable back to such creatures. Was he crazy? She didn’t want to watch Ren struck down by a pounce from behind.
“It’s okay. They’re friendly,” he told her. He held up his hands, palms outward, as if to calm her.
“Seriously?” She heard the way her voice went up in pitch as fear made her voice shake, but she couldn’t do anything about it. Her entire body was primed with adrenaline as a fight-or-flight reaction overtook her. “Is this some kind of eccentric billionaire thing? Keeping wild jungle cats as pets and letting them roam around loose on a private island?”
Ren laughed. He actually laughed! She couldn’t believe it. He shook his head and chuckled.
“Sorry. I’m not laughing at you, but Mark would get a kick out of your reaction, I’m sure,” Ren told her. “Look, just come inside. I promise they won’t harm you, and they aren’t coming in with us.”
Confusingly, he seemed to be directing that last bit toward the cats, as if they could understand him. Something was really strange about this entire situation. The cats were sitting right near the door to the house. Katrina really didn’t want to get any closer to them than she was now, but the Jeep was no protection since it had no roof. The house was the only indoor area where she might be able to get away from the threat posed by those sharp claws and wicked-looking teeth.
“Give us some space, guys,” he said, turning to look at the cats and pointing away from the door.
As if they heard and understood, the cats got up and moved a few feet in the direction he pointed, then sat, all in a row, watching them. The smallest of the cats winked one eye at Katrina, but cats didn’t intentionally wink. It must have gotten a speck of dust in its eye, she reasoned.
Katrina realized that Ren had no fear of the animals. She wasn’t sure whether that was really brave or really stupid, but as long as he was standing between her and the furry menace, she was willing to walk swiftly toward the door.
Once inside, she watched the cats through the glass. It was unnerving, the intelligence she saw in their eyes as they stared back at her. Ren closed the door, and then, one by one, the cats nodded toward the house then melted back into the jungle. Katrina let go of the breath she’d been unconsciously holding, her body still on high alert, her knees still trembling.
“What the heck was that all about?” she wondered aloud, unable to censor her racing thoughts.
Ren shook his head as he walked into her range of vision. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think they would do that.”
“You know them. You knew they were here,” she accused. “You could’ve warned me! I thought I was crazy imagining that I kept seeing leopard spots whooshing through the jungle.”
“Jaguar, not leopard,” he said softly.
“What’s the difference?”
He chuckled. “An entire continent?”
“Seriously?” She faced him, her hands on her hips. “Does it really matter? They’re big. They’re dangerous.”
“They’re my friends,” he said softly, “and it does matter. Their origins are in South America, and the southern U.S. Leopards are from the other side of the ocean. They share the spots, but not much else.”
“Are you some kind of zoologist all of a sudden?” She was shocked at her words and tone. The fright had loosed her tongue, and she had gotten over her awe of being in the presence of Rendal Smith, mega-movie star, some time ago, apparently.
He continued to chuckle at her responses, which annoyed her to no end. “No, I just know a lot about jaguars. I’d like to tell you more about them, in fact.” He gestured toward the interior of the house, and she moved in the direction he pointed, catching sight of the view from the other side of the house.
It was as if the building straddled the edge of the volcano. Just as he’d said, one side had the amazing view of the ocean and the other… Her breath caught as she was drawn to the lush view of the crater and the green sea of leaves, dotted with bright patches of color from flowers, fruits and colonies of brightly feathered birds flitting around the slopes of the enormous crater.
Ren led her onto an outdoor deck that overlooked the steep drop-off of the crater wall. She didn’t think the jaguars could get to them there, so she was willing to stand outside on the protected area with him. There was a couch, some chairs and side tables, as well as a grill area off to one side.
She was still too keyed up to sit down, so she took a closer look at the view all around. Ren seemed suddenly ill at ease, but the adrenaline that was only just starting to fade in her bloodstream kept her hyper aware of her surroundings. She didn’t sense any threats. The cats were nowhere in sight, which helped calm her racing senses, but Ren was posing another sort of threat to her mental balance as he paced a short distance away from her.
“I hadn’t planned to tell you like this,” Ren said suddenly, running one hand through his hair in frustration. “I wanted to ease you into the knowledge of what we are, but our friends clearly had other ideas.”
“Our friends? What do you mean?” she demanded in a shaky voice that steadied as she regained control of her body a little at a time.
“The cats,” he went on. “You know them. They came to show their acceptance of you being here, on the island, and here, in my home. They were welcoming you. Didn’t you see Franny winking at you?”
“Franny?” She heard the way her pitch escalated in surprise and almost winced, but he was talking nonsense! Wasn’t he? She had to be sure before she ran for the hills. “Are you implying that those cats…?” She couldn�
�t finish the thought after all. It was just a little too crazy.
“They are our friends. They’re just in their other form right now. We…our people…have a dual nature. We are human. And we are jaguar.” Ren came to stand next to her, taking her hand in his. “Do you remember me talking about the legends of the jaguar from my mother’s homeland? My mother is a jaguar shifter. As am I.”
“You’re a what now?” Katrina asked weakly, confused by what he seemed to be saying.
“Maybe it’s better if I just show you,” Ren said, his hands going to the buttons on his shirt.
Chapter Fifteen
Ren was taking off his shirt? Katrina backed away. She might’ve had some naughty fantasies about seeing Ren naked, but not quite this way.
“Mark said I should just do it quick, so you wouldn’t have time to get scared, but I think that train has left the station,” Ren muttered as he stripped off his shirt. Katrina backed away as he kicked off his shoes and started taking off his pants. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you, no matter what form I’m in. I’d never hurt you, kitten. Believe that.”
Then he dropped his pants, and he was stark naked…but not for long. A swirl of gold mist seemed to envelop his body, and Katrina’s fear turned to puzzlement, then a feeling of awe overcame her as the golden mist took him completely from her sight. Swirling motion that never stopped within the golden shimmer resolved after a moment into one of the giant spotted cats she’d seen outside.
A jaguar. A giant freaking jaguar. Sitting calmly in the middle of Ren’s veranda. Where Ren had just disappeared.
Unless somebody was playing some kind of ridiculously elaborate joke on her, Ren had just turned into a big, deadly, beautiful cat.
Holy shit.
The cat that had been Ren moved toward her, and Katrina found herself frozen. Not with fear, exactly, but her heart was racing as the impossible began to seem all too possible.
“Either I’m about to get eaten by a jungle cat or you’re Ren and you’re going to be nice,” she muttered. The cat stopped and made a sort of chuffing sound that reminded her of laughter. “Are you laughing at me?” The cat’s massive head bobbed up and down in agreement. “Holy cow! Do you understand me?” Again, the cat nodded, then one eye closed in a very obvious wink. Apparently, jaguars did know how to wink. The display of teeth that followed felt more like a smile than a threat—unless she was going completely crazy.
Katrina reached behind her for the couch and sat down as her knees gave way. Her gaze was glued to the giant cat. Its spots were almost mesmerizing.
After a few moments, the cat that was Ren stood up slowly and moved toward her. She sat completely still, holding her breath. He wasn’t making any threatening moves, and he kept his head up, his posture as calm as possible. He wasn’t stalking her…exactly. He movements toward her felt more cautious than menacing.
When he was right up close to her, he stopped, sitting up on his haunches, his head about even with her chin. He really was gigantic. And his fur looked so soft. His eyes were the same mesmerizing green that had made Ren an international superstar. She wondered idly if it was magic that made his eyes sizzle and spark off the light the way they did.
“You are Ren, aren’t you,” she said with more confidence, wonder creeping into her tone. She reached out hesitantly. Her fingers literally itched to feel if he was real. To feel the softness of his fur beneath her hands. “Can I touch you?” she whispered.
Ren answered without words, lowering his head to butt against her raised palm. He was so soft! And warm. Living, breathing… Real. Sweet Mother in Heaven.
“If I wasn’t living this right now, I wouldn’t believe it,” she breathed, using both hands to stroke the fur around Ren’s ears. “I don’t understand any of this, but you are real, and I’m not hallucinating. At least, I don’t think I am. I don’t feel like I’ve been drugged or anything.” The jaguar made that chuffing sound and she found herself smiling back at him. “You’re stunning, you know. Soft, powerful…and your spots almost make me dizzy.”
The cat’s tongue licked out and scratched her arm with its roughness, as if to remind her that he wasn’t all soft fur and interesting spots. He was a cat, with the requisite rough tongue and sharp, killer teeth. She lowered her hands and met his gaze.
“This is some whopper of a secret you’ve been keeping, Ren. What I don’t understand is why you’re showing me this. Why did you bring me here, to the island, and reveal this to me? We’ve only just met. I’m nobody special. I’m almost afraid to learn the reasons behind your actions. I didn’t think you were planning to hurt me, but if you can hide this, what else are you hiding?” Nerves and a resigned sort of bravado made her spine stiffen as she sat.
The jaguar stepped back and then leapt onto the couch, in the space next to her. A mist surrounded his furry form, and a moment later, it was Ren—in the flesh—seated at her side. He was naked, and his eyes still sparked with that green, magical light that had made him so famous throughout the world.
“I have nothing left to hide,” he told her. “Not from you, kitten.” He reached out, placing one arm around the back of the couch, just behind her. “I asked you to come to the island so you could learn about my people.”
“Why?” she whispered, almost fearing the answer.
“Because you’re special to me,” he replied at once, flooring her with the certainty in his tone. “My kind mate for life, and we often know the one person meant for us within moments—sometimes days—of meeting them. I confess, it took me a few days because I was in denial. I’ve been searching for my One, you see, for most of my adult life. I’d pretty much given up hope of finding her.” He turned to face her on the couch. “Of finding you.”
Her breath caught as she met the flashing green of his eyes. “You can’t be serious.” Her words came out in a shocked whisper.
“I’m completely serious,” he countered. “I would never have introduced you to my family or shown you the secrets of my Clan if I wasn’t. I’ve never revealed what I am to anyone before. You’re the first, and the only. You’re my One. The only mate I will ever have… If you agree.”
“And if I don’t agree? Can’t you just pick someone else?” she asked.
Ren shook his head. “No, it doesn’t work like that. The Goddess we serve ordained only one person in all the world for each shifter. We spend most of our lives looking for our other half. Many shifters never find that perfect mate and live their lives alone and searching. Never finding true happiness.” The sadness in his tone touched her heart. “If you reject me, I will never find another. I will go to my grave loving you and you alone.”
He was serious. She was floored by the certainty in his tone. She knew he was a great actor, but she didn’t think anything he’d just said to her was a line of any kind. What he was saying was real, though how she was so sure about that, she didn’t know. It was that last bit that really caught her attention, though.
“You love me?” The words came out almost as a squeak, and she winced.
Ren smiled at her. It was a full smile. The famous smile that had made a million women fall instantly in love with him on the big screen, plus something more. Something meant only for her that made the smile more intimate and compelling.
“I fought the attraction because I didn’t believe it could be so easy to find my mate after so many years of fruitless searching, but yes, my heart is yours, Kat. If you want it. One thing you should know about shifters is that once we commit our hearts, we never stray. Ever. I will never love another woman, now that I’ve finally found you.” Again, the seriousness of his tone rang true throughout her entire being. “I know this is a lot to take in, and it’s why I wanted you here, on the island, where you could take the time to think things through in peace.”
“And couldn’t run away,” she added, seeing a bit of the humor in his plan.
Ren chuckled. “That too,” he agreed. “Plus, everyone on the island knows what we are. You can ask them any
questions you want, and they’ll help you understand.”
Katrina had to admit, it was hard to concentrate on his words when he was sitting there naked…and aroused. She hadn’t meant to glance downward, but once she had, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from doing so, again and again. He was impressive in so many ways, she shouldn’t have been surprised to see that he was as well built in that department as he was in every other.
Ren seemed to realize what was happening as her cheeks heated with a blush. He inched closer, moving his arm from the back of the couch to surround her shoulders. A moment later, he was right up next to her, his head angling in for the kiss she wanted more than her next breath.
Kissing Ren had become an addiction. At first, it might have only been for the movie, but after a few takes, kissing him had felt like coming home to a place she’d never been before. Welcoming. Strange and exciting, but wonderful in every way.
She melted into him, kissing him back, tentatively at first. Did she really want to get entangled in this man’s life any further than she already was? The answer that came back almost immediately was a resounding yes. He was offering her entrée into a strange and magnificent world that she hadn’t even known existed.
Ren was so much more than just a movie star. That was impressive enough, but the whole shifter thing, as he called it, was something new and dangerous and exciting. It also answered so many questions she’d had without even realizing it.
But questions were for later. When she could think without her brain shorting out from the pleasure of his kiss. Ren tucked her more securely into his arms, and she realized again that he was completely nude. His hot skin under her fingers was something she ached to explore, and finally, there was no audience to their kisses. She was free to respond freely, without worrying about how it would look on film. Without worrying about giving too much away of her personal feelings.
For, if she was being honest with herself, she had been falling under Ren’s spell since almost the first moment she’d met him. She’d been half in love with him for days, though it had seemed impossible at the time. Now, though, he was giving her heart explicit permission to run wild, and even though her head cautioned her to take things slow, her wayward heart wasn’t listening.
