Then, when her folks were ready for retirement, they would hand over the reins to her and her future husband. They had it all worked out. Unfortunately, Katrina had never envisioned her parents’ hopes for her would actually turn out as they had planned. She’d prayed they wouldn’t.
Katrina had always wanted to work in the arts. She’d studied voice and acting in school. Her parents had indulged her whims, as long as she kept working part-time for them. They might have preferred her to study business a bit more seriously, but they had also been proud of her abilities to entertain. She gave them credit for always being there, at her performances. They’d always brought her flowers on opening night of any production she’d been in. They’d even catered cast parties and showcased photos of her in her various roles on the walls of the restaurant.
But, after she graduated from school and tried for a couple of years to make it as a professional in Manhattan, and failed… Well, they’d been there to help her pick up the pieces. They loved her, and she loved them. They just never fully realized how important theatre had been to her.
Oh, they’d made all the right noises about supporting her career choice, but she knew they hadn’t really been surprised when she’d failed to be able to support herself. It had been a bitter pill to swallow, going back to the restaurant. Giving up on her dreams. Taking the job they had always wanted her to have and conforming to their ideas of how her future should unfold.
Then, out of the blue, Sonia had walked into her life and changed it forever. Even if this production didn’t work out the way she hoped, Katrina knew she could never go back to the restaurant. Not after getting a taste of what it was really like to be part of a film production.
She’d find a way—even if this didn’t work out—to stay in the field, somehow. But, if her fairy godmother had her way, Katrina’s career might very well be launched in the right direction, in the next couple of months. The stars were finally aligning in her favor, and not just the celestial ones. Having a movie star of Rendall Smith’s caliber as her very first leading man in a screen role was downright magical.
As his voice washed over her from just a few feet away, she almost wanted to pinch herself to be absolutely certain she wasn’t dreaming. He was magic. His presence—his sheer star power—was going to make this film a raging success. She could feel it in her bones.
If she could just live up to his standard, and not make a fool of herself in some way, she might just be able to make a name for herself out of this project. At the very least, it was finally—finally—a real screen credit she could put on her resume. At long last, she was finally a professional actor, earning a real wage in pursuit of her craft. Acting alongside some amazing performers, though of course, in her mind, they were all eclipsed by him. Ren. Sexy, studly, stupefying Ren. Lord have mercy.
Chapter Two
Ren could feel her thinking about him. Of course, that didn’t make any sense at all. Clairvoyance and mind reading had never been among his many gifts. Still, something made him think Kat was sitting there, all prim and proper, thinking about him.
He knew he would have to kiss her as part of the script. The climactic love scene wasn’t completely risqué, but it wasn’t tame, either. There were a couple of other steamy spots in the story, as well, but the climactic love scene was the longest and most detailed. It came near the end of the movie. The big payoff for the emotional story line, right before the final battle scene.
Sonia had pared down the shooting schedule to keep costs as low as possible and take advantage of a short break in his own scheduled commitments. They were going to film everything in just a few weeks. Sonia would then work with the post-production team, calling on the actors only when necessary to fix something.
Ren had intended to spend these precious weeks off with his Clan on Jaguar Island, where he kept a residence. Only his desire to help Sonia get established—and his Alpha’s request that he do all in his power to help her—had made him change his plans. Ren wasn’t stuck up about his success, but he knew this movie didn’t have much of a chance of gaining international attention without his presence. Sonia had been quietly earning a name for herself, but she needed that one big success to really launch her into prominence.
Billionaire Mark Pepard, who also happened to be the jaguar Alpha, had prevailed on Ren to help her out. Sonia had been a key ally for the forces of Light the last time they had faced off against the Destroyer of Worlds. Sonia had come back to the mortal realm due to the rumors of the Destroyer’s return. So far, the Destroyer—a fey sorceress named Elspeth—had not shown herself, but many were coming to believe that she had, indeed, found a way back to the mortal realm from her banishment.
There was no way to be absolutely certain Elspeth was back until she showed herself in some way, but the signs were ominous. Her followers in the ancient order of the Venifucus brotherhood were growing ever more active and bold in their actions. The evil group had been thought to be extinct, but they had come back strong. Perhaps, stronger than ever, which boded ill for the side of Light.
The jaguar people were making a comeback of sorts, as well. They had been decimated by the drug wars in South America, but the billionaire Alpha of
