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

Italian. I was raised a Catholic. God is a dude,” she told him, smiling a bit to ease what might be a contentious situation, but Ren chuckled.

“Our beliefs are not totally incompatible,” he said. “Catholics believe in the Mother Mary, if I’m not mistaken, right?” Slowly, Katrina nodded. “I’ve heard about Italian witches, called strega, who serve the Goddess in Her guise as the Blessed Mother. Some of them work pretty closely with the Vatican. Or so I’ve been told.”

“Really?” Katrina was both surprised and a little in awe. That the Vatican would knowingly work with witches seemed odd, indeed. “Does the Pope know they’re witches?”

“I don’t know about the Pope, for certain, but I’ve heard some very highly placed Cardinals are well aware of what the ladies believe and the power they wield. As long as they serve the Light—the good side of the ongoing war between good and evil—they are not only tolerated but welcomed. These women can do things on the magical plane that the more earthly clergymen cannot. Because, yeah…the battle of good versus evil isn’t just the plot for a movie. It’s real life, and it’s been going on for eons. We’re in the middle of a flare up right now, as a matter of fact.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Katrina commented when he paused.

“It’s not.” Ren turned to her, his expression serious. “Just so we’re clear. I serve the Light. Part of the reason the jaguar people as a whole have been in decline is because the forces of evil have been targeting our lands and people for centuries. We fight back, wherever and whenever we find evil. We’re among the strongest of shifters, so it’s our duty to fight to protect others who may be weaker.”

“That’s a noble cause,” she replied immediately, feeling it in her bones. Still, she worried about the idea of Ren having to fight anyone. Of course, she’d learned he did all his own stunts, including the fight scenes and he seemed to have real knowledge about how to do all those fancy martial arts moves. “You’re not just acting when you do martial arts, are you?”

Ren chuckled and shook his head. “We don’t really use ranks, but I’d probably be equivalent to a master, if we did. I help teach the younger generation. We all use our various talents and gifts to do what we can in the war against the darkness.”

“So, Greg is sort of a grand master, huh?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah. He can kick all our asses with one hand tied behind his back. We all learn from Greg. Even Nick.”

She wondered what made Nick so special. “Nick is like the second in command?”

“He’s the head of security for Pepard Industries, but he’s also the Beta of our Clan, which means he’s the enforcer and the might behind the Alpha. Not that Mark is a lightweight, but when they work side by side, they’re unstoppable. Mark’s the brains, and Nick’s the brawn, so to speak, but they’re both pretty sharp either way,” Ren explained. “They’re going to want to throw a party for us,” he warned her with a grin. “A mating celebration, just for the Clan. So they can all welcome you into the group and get to know you a little. It’s also an opportunity for us to run as a group and cement the bonds between both of our forms. Cats—especially jaguars—tend to be solitary. Gathering together here, on this island, is still a bit of an experiment, but it seems to be working well, so far. Just as long as we all see each other as part of one big extended family, that seems to placate our inner jaguars’ more territorial nature.”

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a vehicle in front of the house, partially blocking the lovely sunset view. Two women got out of the open-topped Jeep and grinned at them through the glass as they approached the door. It was Franny and Deidre.

Ren stood to meet them as they walked right in the unlocked door as if they had the run of the place. He hugged both women, giving Deidre an extra little squeeze as he lifted her off the ground a bit. He turned toward Katrina, one arm still around Deidre’s shoulders.

“In case it wasn’t made clear before, Dee is my little sister. We don’t really advertise the relationship at work because some people might see her as a route to me, which wouldn’t be good for either of us,” he clarified, letting go of Deidre and ushering both newcomers to the table.

“I had no idea you were related, but now that you mention it, you’ve definitely got a family resemblance going there,” Katrina replied, happily surprised by the revelation.

Deidre laughed. “Oh, we all know Ren’s the prettiest one in the family. His legions of fans following his every move remind us, if any of us ever begin to forget.” Deidre reached out to touch Katrina’s hand on top of the table as she sat in the seat next to her. “Welcome to the family, Kat. I’ve never seen my big brother so at peace with himself, or so happy.”

The heartfelt words touch Katrina deeply. She turned her hand over to grasp Deidre’s and squeezed gently.

“Sorry if we scared you a bit the other day. We just wanted to show you how welcome you are,” Franny put in. “And frankly, I figured Ren would have prepared you a little better by that point, but I guess I was wrong.” She shook her head and shot Ren a sorrowful look.

“That really was you?” Katrina asked, surprised.

“In the fur,” Franny replied, grinning.

“I was scared,” Katrina admitted with a slight blush, “but also really impressed. Your jaguar form is really gorgeous, you know? Just as pretty as your human half, but a lot more mysterious and deadly-looking.” Katrina feared she wasn’t expressing herself well, but Franny seemed to preen under her words, so she guessed she’d gotten it right.

“I like that.