When the door opened wider and Sonia ushered in the small human woman, Ren had to catch his breath. She was… She was more than he had expected.
Small. Petite was a good word, though it probably wouldn’t apply if he hadn’t been a shifter. Compared to his people, she definitely was petite. Short, even.
Luxurious brown hair and sparkling brown eyes that tended toward a light tan or even gold at the centers. She was exceptional. Sonia was right. This human girl had an unmistakable air of innocence about her that made her seem almost fragile, though not in a physical way. It was more a…sort of…spiritual thing. He couldn’t find a better word for it, but she wore her innocence like a mantle.
In a sea full of sharks, she was an angel fish. Ren was surprised at his own whimsical thoughts. In reality, in a room full of magical folk, she was the lone human innocent, who seemed to know nothing of their kind.
Everybody stilled and looked toward the newcomers, following Ren’s lead. Sonia put her arm around the girl’s shoulders and brought her forward, into the room.
“Cast and crew, I’d like you to meet your Maid Marian, Kat Valiant.” Sonia went around the table, introducing each person by name and their position in the production. Kat smiled and nodded politely, though her eyes seemed to stray, every once in a while, to Ren.
Damn. Kat seemed nervous when Sonia got to him. “And Ren needs no introduction, I’m sure. Rendall Smith, your leading lady for the next few weeks, Katrina.”
“Katrina?” he repeated, surprised.
“Sorry. That’s my given name. My agent shortened it to Kat,” she explained, her voice low and musical to his senses. Not in the same way as Sonia’s lilting soprano. The fey had a tinkling tone, not unlike soft chimes. Kat’s voice was more like a haunting melody…and once again, he was thinking whimsical thoughts. Ren tugged his mind back on track. He couldn’t afford too much whimsy. Not with a vulnerable human to protect.
That thought stopped him. Since when had he become her protector? Ren didn’t know when the change from nuisance to fragile-human-needing-protection had occurred, but he knew it had. Drat.
It was her innocence. If she didn’t need someone to look out for her in this room full of overwhelmingly magical personalities, he’d eat his hat. Ren still didn’t want the complication of a human woman going gaga and following him around like a lovesick sheep. It had happened too many times in the past to be at all appealing. But he also didn’t want anyone to dim the bright, fragile spirit of the woman he’d just met. Et voila—somehow, he’d just become her knight errant. Her protector. Robin Hood to her Maid Marian.
Maybe it was just the role getting to him. That had happened, on rare occasions. Or, maybe, Sonia was much better at casting than he’d given her credit for.
“I’m a great admirer of your work, Mr. Smith,” Kat said, her words caressing his senses. Sonia had to have noticed the musicality of Kat’s voice. Perhaps that was the deciding factor in her casting choice.
“Please, call me Ren,” he told Kat. “Won’t you sit here?” He graciously indicated the seat next to him that had been held for her.
“Thank you.”
He held the chair out for her as she sat in a show of gallantry that wasn’t completely at odds with his usual behavior but definitely raised some eyebrows among those who knew him best. His sister, for one, shot him a questioning look as the human woman sat, but Ren just shook his head. Now was not the time for questions he would have a hard time answering, even to himself. He retook his seat, next to her, and Sonia brought the meeting to order.
“Our purpose today is just to get a feel for the script,” Sonia told everybody as she took her own seat. “I’ll set the scene, and then, I want you all to just run the lines. We’ll stop for notes, every once in a while, when I have something to explain or describe. Sound good?” Nods all around. “Great. Then, let’s begin.” Sonia went on to describe the opening shot of the film, as she intended it to be.
Ren had to admit, he liked Sonia’s vision. Then again, the fey had always earned great renown as artists of all kinds. Sonia’s specialty had always been the visual arts, she claimed, and though motion pictures were new since her last time in the mortal realm, she’d taken to movies like the proverbial duck to water.
The reading began as many others he had participated in over the years. He did his best to put his co-star out of his mind. It was difficult, since she was sitting right next to him, and her delicate scent wafted to his sensitive nose every time she shifted in her seat or turned a page.
The first few scenes were all his. The script sought to establish his back story first, explaining how a nobleman’s son had turned to a life of crime. It went through his meetings with each of the Merry Men who were featured in this retelling of the famous tale.
Ren had to admit the story really came to life, the way Sonia had written it. In addition to directing, she was also the screenwriter for this project. Ren liked the way she had taken a well-known legend and given it a fresh spin. There was plenty of action, a lot of adventure and, later in the script, plenty of romance and intrigue.
He had liked it from the first time he’d read it. Now, hearing the voices of the actors who would bring it to life, he sensed something he had felt only a few times before in his career. He sensed that this movie would be a phenomenal hit. Not only that, it would likely stand the test of time. He very much began to believe that this movie would become, in time, a classic.
Katrina could hardly believe that she was sitting next to Rendall Smith. Not only that, but they were reading lines. Together. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see the action as the actors around her read through the introductory scenes that were full of adventure and a few battles.
Rendall—he’d asked her to call him Ren—had a powerful voice. It had always affected her when she’d seen his movies or heard him speak in interviews. Classically trained, she had no doubt, he knew how to use his voice to full advantage. She dared not close her eyes while she was supposed to be working, but she wanted to. She wanted to let the sound of his voice wash over her. She wanted to drink in the rich tones that felt like a caress. So much better in person than they were in recording.
Like a living purr. A low-thrumming growl when he was displeased. A full-throated yowl when he was fighting and a seductive rumble when he was calm. Damn. Just the man’s voice touched places deep down inside her that she had been barely aware of until now.
She’d gotten tongue-tied on meeting him. So much so that she’d forgotten her newly shortened name. It was Kat now. Kat Valiant was her new stage name. Shortened by her agent, Mel, to be more commercial. She’d gotten a shiny new union card with that name on it, gained through some arcane means on a less-said-the-better basis, and a fully executed contract. Katrina had shown up at the designated place in Virginia at the designated time and found the director, Sonia, already there.
Before the reading, Sonia had introduced her to Francesca, the makeup artist, who was simply stunning. Katrina felt short and plain next to the tall, auburn-haired beauty. Francesca wore her makeup expertly, which Katrina supposed was only to be expected. Still, she had to have some amazing bone structure beneath the paint to pull off such a sophisticated look. Katrina had wondered why Francesca wasn’t an actress or model. She definitely had the looks for it.