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

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