The Jaguar Star (Tales of the Were: Jaguar Island Book 4) by Bianca D'Arc (e book reader android .TXT) 📗

men would be working on fight choreography, and the craft services people were already set up under the roof of a very large open-air picnic space off to one side of the clearing.

He was coming back around to the front of the building, though the small garden area, when the first of the passenger vans pulled up. He hung back, leaning against the wall of the building, somewhat hidden by the angle of the cut stone and the nearby bushes. It was in his nature to be cautious, and he wanted to see who was in the first load of passengers.

Most of the other actors had been in the first load, including most of the Merry Men and, last off the small bus, Maid Marian. Katrina. He imagined he could almost breathe in her delicate scent from even this distance.

She was laughing as she stepped off the bus, enjoying a joke with Dennis, who was playing Friar Tuck in this production. Dennis was an older fellow, and by that, Ren knew ol’ Den had already lived the better part of two centuries. He was a very old-fashioned cat who didn’t even have to try to exude charm. It certainly looked like he’d charmed the lone human in the group as he stood by to help her should she somehow need assistance getting out of the van.

Ren would have been jealous if he didn’t know for a fact that Dennis’s mate was waiting for him in the picnic area. His better half was running the craft services department for this gig, and they had been happily mated for longer than Ren had been alive. Hell, they had children older than Ren, himself.

The little human woman couldn’t be in safer hands, yet something inside made Ren want to go to her side and usher her through her first day on a real movie set. He knew her history. He knew she was new to all this. He’d taken the time to look up her prior acting credits, scant as they were, and he’d even sourced images from her school productions all the way back to tenth grade.

She’d been a cute kid who’d grown into a gorgeous woman. Her talent had been strong as a youngster, but like many gifted kids, she’d become disillusioned by the reality of beating the streets, looking for work as a young actor. He didn’t blame her. He remembered how it had been, himself, before he’d struck gold by chance.

Ren had been cast in a television series that he hadn’t taken too seriously, expecting the ridiculously over-the-top storyline to get cancelled mid-way into its first season. Shockingly, it hadn’t. Something about the show had caught on, and they’d done five seasons before the whole thing began to unravel.

Ren had gone from that to feature films, which was a major leap into a new realm for him. He’d enjoyed the challenge but still hadn’t expected too much. His rise to stardom had been a surprise, but he’d enjoyed the ride. It was coming down from the intensity of his fame that was going to be problematic, but he’d deal with that when he had to. For now, he could still work for a few years on projects he could pick and choose. That was enough.

Katrina was getting a second chance to grab her own brass ring, and Ren felt sort of bittersweet about it. She seemed balanced enough to handle the fame that might come her way. He’d bet she wouldn’t be one of those women who go all bitch-diva once they achieve a little success. She just didn’t seem the type, based on what he’d learned about her and her background.

She had a good, solid family behind her. They’d keep her real, if nothing else. He was already sure that she’d come out of this gig with a healthy career ahead of her. He hadn’t seen her act yet, but she definitely looked the part. If she could just read the lines and give them the merest shadow of emotion, she’d get more work out of this.

If, however, she turned out to have real acting chops under that innocent-looking exterior, well then… The sky was the limit for someone like her. She was beautiful enough to be a leading lady, but her looks were also versatile enough for character work—if she had the talent. In his heart of hearts, he found himself rooting for her.

Shaking off the strange thoughts, Ren straightened from his leaning position against the side of the building. All the jaguars in the cast immediately saw him. The humans were mostly oblivious. He nodded to his Clanmates and began walking after them, catching up with them as they neared the picnic area where the food was being served.

He joined the chow line at the end and followed along, gathering a tray, plate and utensils before attacking the breakfast offerings in their chafing dishes. Greg and Liatha Mendez queued up behind Ren and said hello.

“How are we set for this morning’s work?” Ren asked, always interested in what Greg had up his sleeve as far as fight choreography went.

“This site is great. We can work behind the building. There’s a big enough field that’s shielded on three sides, and I doubt any paparazzi will be able to spy on us,” he said in a low voice.

“Yeah, I took a look around when I first got here a little bit ago,” Ren admitted.

“You’re getting even better at stealth, my friend. I didn’t even scent you,” Greg said with a low chuckle, his words quiet enough so that only Ren and Liatha could hear.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Ren said jovially. “I’ve been working on being unseen. That skill will come in handy when I finally retire in a few years.”

It had been Greg who had offered to teach Ren advanced stealth techniques. Not only was Greg a martial artist and weapons master of international acclaim, he was also a master of shifter skills like stealth and