“After all these years of eluding me… you’re finally mine,” he said, his words calm but his voice deeply unsettling.
After all these years? Surely he couldn’t mean…
“Thank you, Felding,” Domingo said, still not addressing him directly. Then he gave a quick wave of his hand, and two men appeared at his sides, bringing with them two pairs of heavy-looking shackles.
“My apologies. Protocol, you must understand. More than one prize has tried escaping during a transaction. I wouldn’t want you disappearing on me again.”
“You murdered my parents, didn’t you?” she accused, emboldened by the mix of fear and hatred roiling inside her.
“A mere formality, but yes. You see, when I learned of their existence, I contacted them, expressing my interest in adding a jaguar to my collection. Namely, if they would let me have their only child. Being typical parents with no regard for the higher purpose that is my calling, they refused my demands. They thought they could disappear, thought they could run, but I eventually caught up to them,” he said, removing his glasses and revealing cold gray eyes behind blond lashes. “Imagine my dismay when I arrived to find the child in question gone.”
Sofia still remembered that day. It haunted her dreams on a daily basis. Coming home from visiting a friend’s house for the weekend. Hearing gunfire, her mother screaming, then flames that consumed the small house at the end of the street. She wanted to run to them, wanted to see them one last time, but she did as she’d always been instructed in case something happened and followed the example set for her by her parents.
She ran. Ran for days and days until she could no longer run anymore.
While Domingo spoke, the men put the shackles on her hands and feet. But she couldn’t feel them. All she could feel was the burning desire for revenge.
“Which is why I hired Felding. Apparently, he has a knack for finding lost things, and even though it took him longer than I would have liked, he found you and brought you in, pretending a presumed relationship with your late parents and acting under the guise of a godfather. Lamentably, others caught wind of my plan while I was out of the country, so we arranged for the exchange to take place while you were away, staged as a kidnapping so as to not raise suspicions of the disappearance of his so-called “goddaughter.” However, the bodyguard Felding hired proved much more meddlesome than we planned.” He grinned. “But now that he is out of the way—”
He was interrupted as the sound of crashes and yelling came from outside. Sofia turned to look at the front door at the same time as her godfather and Domingo.
“It would seem we have guests,” Domingo said. “Time to leave.”
* * *
Kel could scent the fear on the guards outside as he and the dragons tore into them. Still invisible, except for a glimmering sheen that could only be seen when they moved, the dragons went straight for the bulk of them. Cars were tossed like newspapers, men swept away and flung into the air with the swipe of their tails, and pillars and columns were knocked or tumbled over like toy bricks.
It was nice to have allies for once.
As for Kel, the second they were a safe distance from the ground, he’d leapt from Tor’s grasp and charged through the entrance in his tiger form, searching for Sofia. With one breath, one scent, he could take in everything all at once. Knew exactly how long ago she’d walked through the front door and in what direction she had gone.
Unsurprisingly, the parlor was littered with men, shouting and panicking and making their way to the front where the mayhem was. Then all at once, they stopped to look at the huge white Siberian tiger before them.
At the back of the litany of guards, headed for a side door that led toward the back of the house, was a small group. At the head, he could see Sofia being dragged by a tall man in a dark suit.
Suddenly, the parlor became chaos. Numerous men aimed their weapons at Kel and began firing. Several of them shifted into their animal forms, snarling and charging in his direction.
But all Kel could think of was Sofia. Regardless of the odds or the numbers, he’d save his mate.
Years of training and experience kicking in, Kel leapt to the side to avoid the barrage of gunfire, ducking behind tables and couches as he made his way toward the back door where Sofia had disappeared. Two wolves lunged at him in unison, and he lashed at them with one wide, lethal swipe of his razor-sharp claws, tearing through both of them and sending them flying to the side.
As soon as he was closer to the men armed with a vast array of guns, he grabbed a huge, embroidered couch with his fangs and hurled it toward them. Those that weren’t caught by the heavy sofa dove to the sides to avoid it.
But no sooner had he disarmed the mass of them when more came rushing from the back of the house.
Dammit, how many are there?
As if in response to his thoughts, the entire entryway tore open as Tor charged into the house, barely fitting despite the height of the ceiling. With one swipe of his tail, the newcomers were flung into the wall with a crash.
“We’ll take care of this. Get Sofia,” Tor said as he breathed fire into the house and knocked away a wolf with the back of his hand like it was a plush toy.
At that, Kel bolted for the back door, ignoring the remaining men still shouting and firing at him. It would take much more than a few bullet wounds to stop a tiger from protecting its mate.
He ran through the back door, still following Sofia’s scent as he made his way through a maze of hallways that wound toward the rear of the house. Between the yells and crashing and pounding of the dragons, he could hear what sounded like a helicopter engine, revving and increasing speed.
Kel crashed through another door and found a pathway leading down a long staircase into a wide backyard. In the middle of it was a small helicopter, and in it, he could see Sofia being held by two men in the back, with Domingo and a pilot in the front. From the looks of it, they were ready to take off.
Running at blinding speed, his tiger making powerful strides that covered several meters at a time, Kel rushed at the chopper. Several guards stepped in his way and aimed their guns to stop him, but he swatted them down like flies. As he did, the helicopter lifted off the ground, the pilot pointing at the enraged, giant tiger as they ascended.
Balling all his energy, his entire body coiling up like a spring, Kel leapt into the air with incredible height and speed. As he did, he shifted back into his human form and reached for one of the metal rails that made up the landing gear. Just barely, he caught it with his right hand, holding on as the helicopter jostled from the added weight of his body.
I’m almost there, Sofia.
One of the men guarding her let her go to look over the edge and see what had happened, and Kel reached up and pulled him down by his suit jacket, sending the man careening down and plummeting into a small pond in the backyard of the mansion below. Then, with one motion, he pulled himself up the rail and grabbed onto the cabin.
Inside, Domingo was shouting commands to the pilot, while Sofia pushed against the other man at her side. With catlike reflexes, he jumped into the cabin. The guard in the back pointed his gun at Kel, and he grabbed it and tossed it aside just as Sofia head-butted the man and shoved him out.
The pilot drew a weapon as well and turned around to fire, when Domingo yanked the controls in front of him and the helicopter lurched to the side, tossing the pilot and almost sending Kel off balance. Extending his claws, he grabbed the upholstery of the bench seat, anchoring him to it and keeping him inside.
The helicopter finally steadied, and Kel lunged at Domingo when he turned around, pointing a high-caliber revolver at Sofia.
“Don’t make another move, tiger, or I’ll shoot. I know what you’re here for, but don’t test my patience,” he shouted, his voice rising above the cacophony of the aircraft’s engine.
Sofia backed away, still in chains, while Kel readied himself to leap for the gun.
“I mean it. This weapon is loaded
with bullets of my own design. A special shifter poison that’s one hundred percent lethal against every shifter breed on the planet. I know because I’ve tested it personally,” he said, grinning with satisfaction as he kept the gun pointed at Sofia with one hand and the helicopter steady with the other.
Every second Domingo had the gun pointed at his mate, Kel’s tiger roared inside him, calling for the man’s blood for threatening her. All he needed was the opportune moment.
Suddenly, in a deafening crash, the door to Sofia’s right was wrenched open, and Perry’s tail wrapped around her and pulled her from the helicopter.
“No!” Domingo exclaimed as his prized bounty was stolen from him. “If I can’t have her, no one can!” he screamed furiously, pointing at Sofia as Perry flew away.
Kel had two options. Tackle Domingo and disarm him but risk Domingo getting a shot off and hitting Perry or Sofia with the deadly poison, or go directly for the only thing left that could harm his mate.
With every bit of strength he had, Kel leapt for the gun in Domingo’s hand. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he heard the hammer cock, then release as Domingo aimed it at Sofia.
Kel could hear her yelling out to him as Perry turned to shield her with his body. His hand took hold of the revolver, and he could feel the cold metal in his fingers as he wrenched it away just as the hammer made contact, the click of metal on metal ringing in his ears. He heard the gunpowder ignite just as he blocked the gun with his body, and nanoseconds later, he felt searing pain shoot through him as the bullet slammed into his body, passing through it like white-hot light.
Sofia is safe.
That was all that mattered.
Adrenaline still running through his body, Kel pulled the gun free from Domingo’s grip, sending it careening from the copter. But the poison was fast, and before he could do anything else, he felt his heart palpitate in his own chest viciously and with incredible pain, then seize. Then Domingo shoved Kel, sending him plummeting downward.
Kel noted with complete calm the ground far beneath him as he lost his grip. A second later, he heard the sound of a loud crash as Tor’s tail connected with the helicopter, smashing it and sending it diving earthward as Tor let out a furious yell.
Second by second, Kel felt his senses giving out, his body reacting to the lethal poison coursing through his veins and arteries.
He looked up one last time to see Sofia, crying out his name and reaching for him fruitlessly as Perry swept down to catch him and stop his descent.
But it didn’t matter. If gravity didn’t finish him off, whatever toxins Domingo had used sure would.
Sofia is safe. Sofia is safe. Sofia is safe.
The thought repeated in his head over and over as he ceased to be able to hear the sounds of his friends or even his own voice. He vaguely felt large claws grasp him as his sight gave out, his vision narrowing until all light faded. A moment later, he could sense he was being laid down on grassy earth, followed by the touch of two smaller, softer hands grabbing his.
And then darkness.
12
Kel awoke to a bright light before him. He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t respond. So instead, he focused his strength and gradually opened his eyes to the sight of a clear blue sky and a blazing sun bearing down on him. Beneath him, he could feel soft, fresh grass, and he could swear he could hear birds chirping nearby.
Was he dead?
“No, dumbass. You’re not dead,” a voice growled at him jarringly.
Suddenly, Kel felt a spark of energy at the sound, and he perked his head up to see Sofia kneeling next to him and holding his hand in hers, eyes red with tears. Behind her, Perry and Tor both stood over him, watching intently.
“Kel, you’re alive!” Sofia exclaimed, coming over him and hugging him tightly. Still feeling incredibly weak, he managed to reach an arm around her and hold her as well, grateful his mate was all right and here with him.
“What happened?” he choked out, every part of him aching unlike anything he’d ever felt.
“You acted like an idiot. That’s what,” Tor said, frowning as he crossed his arms sternly.
“Cut him a little slack, Tor,” Perry exclaimed, crouching next to Kel, his silver hair catching the sunlight behind him. “What Tor is trying to say is we were worried about you and we’re glad you’re all right.”
“Yes, we are,” Sofia said, nestled into his side. Every second he could feel her touch and know she was okay, he could feel strength coming back to him.
Tor just huffed and looked away. But Kel could see the worry lines on his face.
With Sofia’s help, he sat up a little, giving him a better view of everything. Thankfully, someone had draped a sheet over him, so he wasn’t naked, lying in the middle of a field. He took a quick glance around and noticed the havoc they had wreaked only moments ago.
Damn, it felt like it had been forever since all that happened.
And suddenly, he remembered the bullet. The poison. His heart stopping.
How was he still alive?
“Funny thing, dragon blood. We’re still discovering new things about it even centuries later,” Perry said. Kel could feel it was in response to his thoughts, but he was speaking cryptically again.
“The dragons told me about how tigers were created while we waited for you to come to,” Sofia said, her arm still wrapped around him.
“Yes,” Perry chimed in. “An infusion of dragon’s blood into an able-bodied cat shifter mating pair. The result, a tiger cub. Or at least that’s the initial origin. We have yet to see if tigers themselves are able to be created naturally,” Perry explained, going off on a tangent.
Kel already knew all of this, though. How was he different?
“The difference between you and your brothers was the type of dragon blood used. In your case, that of a blue dragon. For years, I’ve suspected it’s the primary reason for the differences between you and Jace and Carter. Somehow, the infusion was particularly strong, which is why you’re a white tiger, I believe,” Perry said.
Dragons came in six colors, each with a unique set of powers that only they had. Blue dragons had the ability to heal anyone, even bring them back from the brink of death, and as such, they tended to be the most benevolent and self-sacrificing of the different breeds.
Or so he’d been told.
“Another fascinating feature is that some blue dragons themselves have incredible regenerative powers, beyond that of any known shifters,” Perry exclaimed.
Tor interrupted. “What he’s trying to say is you’re special. Obviously.”
Grateful he wasn’t dead and very happy to have Sofia at his side, Kel’s thoughts turned to the criminals who perpetrated this.
“What about Arnal and Felding?” he asked.
Once we were certain you were going to pull out okay, Tor took the liberty of extracting Domingo from the helicopter wreckage. Thankfully, he’s alive, and we’re going to have all the shifters he has caged up released. Once that’s done, I’m sure Tor will have lots to discuss with him.”
Kel knew what that meant. Interrogation, red dragon style. Tor didn’t have any problem with using extreme methods if it meant protecting others and bringing justice to the shifters that threatened the safety of society.
If Kel had to guess, he’d say Jace had Tor’s red dragon blood with his strength and Carter had Perry’s with his intelligence for solving crimes.
“In the meantime, Felding has been quite cooperative. We’ll be locking him up indefinitely and see what information he can give us on the other illegal operations he’s involved with,” Perry said.
Now that all that was sorted, all Kel could think about was his beautiful mate at his side. Using what little strength he had, he pushed himself up to standing, wrapping the sheet around him and tying it like a towel.
“Thanks, guys. Mind if we have a minute?” Kel asked.
Tor and Perry both nodded and walked off to handle the large-scale cleanup operation happe
ning around them. Dozens of men that Kel recognized as working for the dragons were busying themselves around the property, handcuffing people, seeing to the wounded, and securing the perimeter. Amongst them, he could see the towering form of his older brother Jace assisting in the work, and he made a note to thank him later for the help.
But right now, the only person on his mind was Sofia.
They walked a few dozen feet to a small bench in the shade behind the mansion. With each step, Kel could feel himself getting better but also could still sense the remnants of the poison in his veins, slowly clearing out.
He needed a vacation after this.
They both did.
Kel and Sofia plopped down onto the bench, and Kel pulled her in close to him. For a moment, they just relaxed, taking deep breaths and letting the world move on without them, enjoying the reverie and solace of silent touch.
“So… how are you doing?” Kel asked, not sure where to start, his mind full of feelings and emotions and unsaid things.
“I should ask you the same question,” Sofia replied as she burrowed into his side.
“I’m great… now that you’re safe.”
“You keep saying that, you know? Half the time you were out, we could hear you repeating it over and over. Is that what you were dreaming about?” Sofia remarked.
“Oh, wow, that’s embarrassing,” Kel said with a chuckle, imagining what that must have looked like. Even now, as the dark haze that had settled over his mind cleared, he could still hear the thought resounding in the back of his head.
“Not nearly as bad as what I did this morning,” Sofia said, her tone becoming sad. “I’m so sorry, Kel. I panicked. Do you forgive me?”
All of that felt like it was forever ago, as if in another life. He’d almost forgotten about it completely.
“Of course. There’s nothing to forgive. You only did it to protect me. I’m sorry I didn’t listen and came back anyway,” he said.
A Tiger's Destiny (Tiger Protectors Book 3) Page 10