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

“I don’t think so, but either way, it’s too late to do anything about it now,” he told her, sighing heavily as he placed the phone on the night table and shook his head. “Sonia’s magic is potent, and the compulsion to sleep is getting the better of me.”

“Me too,” she admitted, then turned for the bathroom. “I just need to wash my face. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t take too long. I have a feeling we’ll be asleep in the next few minutes whether we’re ready or not,” he warned.

His words at the forefront of her mind, Katrina rushed through her night routine of makeup removal and moisturizer. She brushed her teeth, used the toilet, and then went back out into the bedroom. Ren was still sitting on the edge of the bed, but his eyes were heavy-lidded.

“Come here, kitten,” he said, holding out one hand toward her.

Katrina went to him, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her down to the bed. He arranged them both under the covers, holding her in his arms as her eyes closed.

“I wanted to make love to you again tonight, but I hadn’t counted on being magically sideswiped,” he told her, his words whispering over the shell of her ear, causing delightful sensations that she was too weary to act on.

“It’s okay,” she whispered back.

Between one thought and the next, she was asleep.

*

Much to Katrina’s relief, she woke the next morning, safe in Ren’s arms. It felt like they hadn’t moved at all during the night, yet she wasn’t stiff or achy on waking. She felt refreshed and ready to face whatever the day would bring. She felt Ren move to turn off the alarm on his phone that had played gentle sounds to wake them.

He rolled away and sat up on the side of the bed, poking at the phone with his fingers. He was probably checking messages to see what they’d missed during their magic-induced slumber, if anything. A minute later, he turned back to her, leaned in and kissed her soundly. Things were just getting interesting when he pulled away.

“It pains me to say that I don’t have time this morning to make love to you the way I would wish. We’re doing dawn scenes in the forest, and I’m already late.”

His deep voice rolled over her as his words penetrated the sensual fog in her mind. Disappointment filled her, but she knew they weren’t there for playtime. They both had work to do. She knew her planner would reveal that she had a costume session in just a half hour, so she didn’t have time to waste either.

“It’s okay. We’re here to work, after all. We’ll have time later.” She got out of bed on her side and headed for the bathroom.

She was still a little groggy, but she knew they both needed a quick shower. The bathing chamber had a large walk-in shower in addition to the massive tub they’d christened yesterday. She got the water going and stepped under the spray, unsurprised when Ren joined her a moment later.

Despite her wishes to the contrary, they really didn’t have time to linger. Ren refrained from starting anything they couldn’t finish, though just being close to him under the warm spray of water was sending her senses into the hot zone. He kissed her again, apologizing gently, then left her alone in the shower.

Katrina washed her hair quickly and finished with her morning routine, drying off and wrapping a towel around herself as she entered the bedroom. Ren was already gone. Disappointed but knowing she was running late, she dressed quickly and consulted her planner briefly before heading out of the suite. She had a full schedule today, and the costume fitting was just the first of many things she had to do today.

*

Many hours later, Katrina and Ren were together in the forest surrounding the castle, filming scenes that involved them both, as well as Robin Hood’s Merry Men. While she had been told that there were wolf shifters—real live werewolves—in the forest, patrolling and guarding them all, she hadn’t yet seen any. At least, not that she knew.

So, it came as quite a shock when a wolf bounded out of the trees and barked once for attention. Sonia immediately called a halt to the filming and went over to the wolf, which quickly morphed into a man. A very big, very tall, very naked man.

Katrina looked around and realized that she was the only non-shifter on the set right now. Everybody else seemed to be taking the newcomer’s nakedness for granted, barely noticing how ripped and muscled the guy was. Okay, Adela seemed to be sizing him up a bit, but over the attraction was a layer of concern for whatever it was that had made him break cover and speak so urgently with Sonia and Greg, who had joined them.

“That’s the Alpha of the wolf Pack,” Ren told Katrina quietly, standing close by her side. “I suspect we’ve got some trouble on the perimeter, which means I want you to stick close to me. If there’s danger, I’ll see you to safety. You’re my number one priority, okay?”

Mutely, she nodded her agreement, apprehension filling her at whatever might come next. She was totally out of her depth with all these magical folk, and her imagination was running wild at what might possibly get them all looking so grim.

Ren touched her chin gently, raising her gaze to meet his. His smile was gentle and reassuring.

“Don’t worry, kitten. I’ll protect you. It’s probably just one of the paparazzi. I know they’ve been trying to sneak onto the estate to see what we’re up to. It’ll be all right.”

His words calmed her a bit, but her thoughts went back to that big, bald-headed man that had hassled her in Virginia. Even paparazzi could be scary.

Chapter Twenty-One

The Alpha wolf shifted back into his furry form and bounded away,