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

honorable and intelligent man. He had all the qualities she valued, and so far, she hadn’t really seen anything she didn’t like.

He came toward her, holding something in one hand. The devilish look in his oh-so-green eyes made her wonder what he was up to. She cocked her head to watch his approach.

“I noticed your pearls while we were on the island, and I asked one of my Clanmates to adjust this for you.” He lifted his hands to the pearls around her neck, lifting the eighteen-inch strand of baroque beauties that had been her grandmother’s prized possession.

A flash of gold and green dazzled her eyes as he attached something between the lowest knotted pair of pearls. When he stepped back, she looked down. There was a golden shape with inset stones now attached to the strand of pearls. An enhancer, she’d heard such things called. She went to the nearest mirror to take a look and caught her breath.

Ren came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“It’s a jaguar,” she whispered, fingering the delicate golden figure that was studded with black diamonds for the whorls of the jaguar’s coat and emeralds for the eyes.

“What could be more fitting for my mate?” Ren asked, his warm breath brushing past her ear as he squeezed her shoulders gently. “Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” She turned in his arms and reached up to kiss him.

The kiss would have turned into something much more, but the moment it went from thankful to smoldering, a gong could be heard in the distance. Ren pulled back.

“We’re being called to appear,” he told her playfully. “But we’ll pick this up after dinner, okay?”

“Definitely,” she told him. “Thank you for the lovely gift. It’s stunning.”

“No more so than the woman who wears it,” he told her gallantly as he ushered her out of the room and down the stairs toward the main hall, where the company was to gather before going in, together, to dinner.

Chapter Eighteen

Everybody was dressed to the nines. Then Sonia appeared in a gossamer creation that made her look like something out of a magic forest, and Katrina had the thought that she really wasn’t in Kansas anymore. She was in the company of magical beings, and she felt a tiny bit like the ugly duckling. Of course, Ren’s arm around her waist made her realize that she was part of this world now, even if she hadn’t grown up knowing about it.

She exchanged greetings quietly with the gathered shifters that she’d come to know during her brief stay on Jaguar Island, but it was clear they were all waiting for something…or someone. All talking ceased as the doors to a room at the back of the main hall opened wide. A man stood in the space between the two open doors, and Katrina’s breath caught at the air of danger about him.

He wasn’t big or bulky, but he had a darkness about him that made her shiver. Ren tightened his grip on her waist, and she felt reassured by his presence. The man had blue eyes that pierced like laser beams as they scanned over the assembled group, then came to rest on her. She couldn’t look away as the man moved forward, into the foyer, walking right up to her. At the last moment, his gaze went from her to Ren, who stood just behind her. Then, his gaze moved to Sonia, who stood just a few feet to Katrina’s left.

“I see you bring me a dove among the wildcats,” the man said, his voice echoing in the big space.

“She is not for you,” Sonia said, her own voice sounding like musical chimes, ringing in harmony.

A stare-down ensued for a moment until the man smiled and shook his head.

“I can see that. I’d heard the infamous jaguar star had found his mate.” The man held out his hand to Ren. “My congratulations to you, Rendall, and to you, young lady, for finding that which most of us dream of but never find.” His gaze swept from Ren back to her, but this time, it held no danger, merely a hint of a pleased sort of envy that was both harmless and complimentary.

Ren and the man shook hands, and then, he offered his hand to Katrina. She took his but was surprised when he lifted her fingers for a gentle kiss. This guy really was from another era, and there was nothing phony or contrived about the gesture.

“Monty, this is the Maid Marian of our production and, as you surmised, Ren’s newfound mate, Katrina,” Sonia made the introductions.

“This is your honeymoon?” the older man seemed surprised, looking from Katrina to Sonia and then to Ren.

“Actually, yes. In a way,” Ren said, sounding a bit bemused. “We haven’t really discussed all the particulars, but I suspect my mate would like a human-style wedding for her family, and we’ll probably have to deal with the publicity surrounding our match.” Ren sighed, and Katrina almost gasped. She hadn’t really thought through the idea of joining her life to someone who was already so famous. “But my Clan welcomed her this past weekend, and in the eyes of my people, we are already mated.”

“Lord Montague Whittaker, at your service,” he said formally to Katrina. She felt her eyes widening at his old-world charm and the fact that the man was part of the nobility. She’d never met an honest-to-goodness nobleman before.

“Katrina Valiando,” she replied, flustered into giving her real name. “I mean,” she tried to fix her mistake, “Kat Valiant.” She shrugged and bowed her head slightly. “My agent suggested the change, and I’m still getting used to it.”

“Valiando…” The nobleman seemed to think. “I remember a knight of that name from Italy. A brave fighting man. Though small of stature, he was mightier than most of his kind, and he had strong ties to Rome and the Church. One of his descendants, the last time I bothered to check on the