A Tiger's Destiny (Tiger Protectors Book 3) (11 page)

He nodded. “And I can’t wait to give you my mark.”

“What’s it going to be?” she asked, eyes wide.

He thought about it a moment. “I’ll let you be surprised. See what I feel in the heat of the moment.”

She frowned. “But what if I end up with something like a pistachio? You think about them an awful lot.”

“Not when I’m with you,” he said. “You’re all I can think of. Far more addictive than my favorite snack. Although, a pistachio would be the highest compliment, in my opinion.”

“Don’t you dare,” she grumbled.

He pulled back to look down at her, blue eyes soft and warm. “It doesn’t matter, though, right? As long as you’re mine and I’m yours forever.”

She nodded, resting her head against his chest. “Yes, that’s all that matters.”

“Good,” he said, swooping her up in his arms. “Then I’m going to take this to the bedroom. I got a mate to claim.”

She giggled and held her breath, knowing this was going to be hot.

S
ofia was
light as air in Kel’s arms as he carried her to the bedroom.
His
bedroom.

Somehow, everything about this had come together more right than he could have ever imagined.

He laid her down on the huge, soft bed he rarely slept on, grateful he’d just chosen the most expensive model in the catalog on principle. Sofia deserved the best of everything.

She was still wearing the clothes from this morning, and the scents on it reminded him of the people who had chased her, apparently for years.

Extending a single claw on his finger, he sliced carefully down the middle of her blouse and took it off of her, tossing it to the side as she blushed. Next, he cut off the button on her jeans and cut a slit down the sides of both legs, then did likewise to them, too, leaving her there in nothing but her bra and panties.

He’d ask later if he could burn the scraps, too. But he had more important things to do right now.

“No more running, then?” Kel asked as he tore off the hilariously small shirt he had on and straddled her on the bed, loving the delicious feel of her generous figure beneath him.

“No more running. But that doesn’t mean you get to be the boss all the time,” she said coyly, writhing beneath him and teasing with her curves.

“When it comes to this…” he said, coming down and placing a long kiss between her breasts as his hands found the corners of her hips and caressed them, “I’ll make it feel so good you won’t need to worry about it.”

Sofia opened her mouth to say something more but was cut off by a gentle gasp being drawn from her lips as he pulled her bra lower and licked over her nipple.

She was so soft, everywhere. So perfect.

Damn, he’d gotten lucky.

He pulled off her bra and just marveled at her beauty for a moment, running a hand through her dark hair and holding her gently behind her neck as his other hand caressed the soft flesh of her breast.

“Are you going to sit there looking, or are you going to claim me?” she challenged playfully as she tilted her head and rested it fully against his hand, as if she couldn’t get enough of his touch.

Kel growled in response and ran his hand down between her legs and underneath her panties, quickly moving into a slow rhythm that made Sofia moan and bite her upper lip as her body arched beneath him.

Hell yes, he’d claim her.

Kel could feel her getting wetter as he stroked her clit over and over, her body warming as she shuddered with each touch and her breath caught. As he continued to stimulate her with his hand, he came down to her neck, kissing her there fervently and licking the soft lobe of her ear, further adding to her arousal.

It didn’t take long for her to climax, her entire body tensing against him as he held her close while she rode out the throes of ecstasy that overtook her.

His tiger was so close, responding to her being so near, responding to her pleasure and eager to take its mate.

You and me both, big guy
.

Once she was able to relax again, Kel slipped off her panties, leaving her beautiful and completely bare to him.

She looked great in a cute shirt and jeans, but she looked by far the best naked.

Kel came off of her and moved between her legs, eager to give her just one more, when he was interrupted by Sofia’s hand on his shoulder.

“Next time, Kel,” she said, looking at him with a smile, then her gaze trailing lower to his waist. “Right now, I just need you inside me. I need to know I’ll be yours.”

“So you’re saying I’m too good of a lover?” Kel replied playfully as he kissed along her neck again, adoring her body with every touch.

“I promise there will be plenty of time over the rest of our lives for you to pleasure me,” she said with a sultry laugh. “But there’s only one thing I really want right now. So don’t make me tackle you and pull off those pants that have been teasing me ever since we got here,” she added, turning and whispering sexily into his ear.

This kitty knew what she wanted. Kel liked that.

He’d just make sure he gave her double next time to make up for it. It was only fair.

Kel stood off the bed and undid the pants that had been handed to him earlier. The longer he’d been around Sofia, though, the harder he’d gotten, making the fit progressively worse.

He undid the zipper and came free of the incredibly restrictive clothing. How he’d fit in those damn pants, he’d never know.

All he knew was his mate needed him.

And he needed his mate.

He came back onto the bed and positioned himself between Sofia’s legs, so impossibly turned on just at the sight of her that it blew his mind. Then, with one slow push, he came inside, completely overtaken by her softness and wetness surrounding him.

“That’s it,” she murmured, sounding pleased. “Even better than I remember,” she added as she wrapped her soft legs around his waist, locking them together.

Kel had to agree. Knowing things would be final between them, knowing she’d forever be his made this more special, more amazing.

With a smooth motion, he began to move inside her, thrusting slowly and controlling the speed he went to further his mate’s pleasure. As he did, Sofia gasped beneath him. Her scent was everywhere, as wild and erotic as she was, and he had to hold himself back if he wanted to make it last for her.

He began to move faster, and as he did, Sofia gripped him with her hands tightly, signaling how close she was. The slick heat between them created a delicious friction that was beyond description, their bodies connecting together over and over again, creating burning pleasure.

Kel reached a finger down to where their hips met and stroked once over her clit, pushing her over the edge.

Sofia gripped him tightly as he felt her come around him, pulsing and throbbing with release, release so hot it seared his soul with happiness. She cried out his name to the heavens as he held her, feeling the sensations that rocked her body, and he watched with wonder the beauty of seeing his mate come.

In a few moments, he’d make that title official.

Before she’d fully relaxed from the orgasm, Kel began to move inside her again, intensifying his speed as Sofia voiced her pleasure, the sound of her quickening moans music to his ears.

By now, Kel’s entire body was aflame with desire, so taut that only the desire to come with his mate, the two of them together, kept him in one piece. As his rhythm quickened and Sofia began to move her hips into his in time with him, his tiger roared and his claws extended on his right hand. Without thought or planning, his hand trailed down her leg to her ankle at his side, and his fingers traced ever so lightly over her skin, marking her as his.

Both of them covered in a light sheen of sweat from exertion, both at the very edge of their limits, Kel pushed one last time into his mate, all the way to the hilt, and held there as they became one.

Instantly, Sofia’s back arched off the bed and her hands dug into the sheets at her sides as she convulsed in sweet release. A moment later, Kel felt his own senses slip past all resistance into a freefall of pleasure. His body jerked as he came inside her, pumping with incredible power as the two of them were overcome by the ecstasy of the moment.

All Kel could feel was the build from their lovemaking coming off him in waves, combined with the overwhelming love he felt for Sofia, which only further intensified it. Even as both of their bodies relaxed together, Kel held her tight, not wanting to let go and wanting to savor the moment as long as it possibly could be held.

They were mates, bound by the same mystical force that had brought them together and the same power that kept the universe in order.

Sofia gave out a long, happy sigh and relaxed on the bed. Kel leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips, committing this experience to memory and looking forward to many more like this in the future. After they both exchanged sincere “I love yous,” he came out of her, went to the bathroom, quickly cleaned off, and grabbed two robes for them to use.

He came to the bed and wrapped one of the robes around his mate, wanting her to stay warm. She sat up and shrugged it on, radiant with afterglow.

Kel noticed the clock and saw it wasn’t even nighttime yet. Sofia had to be hungry.

“So, mate, how about lunch and then a shower?” he offered, wholly focused on his mate’s happiness.

“And then an encore?” she asked eagerly between tired breaths.

Kel couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, and then an encore.”

He picked up his mate and carried her into the kitchen, setting her on a comfortable padded stool while he rummaged around for whatever he had.

It looked like chocolate chip pancakes were the order for the day.

“That was amazing, Kel. Thank you,” Sofia said as she watched him gather a bowl, eggs, and other ingredients.

Now that they were mated, there was something he needed to tell her.

“Oh, by the way, Sofia. My real name’s Kelly.”

“What! Are you serious?” she said, flabbergasted.

Kel just nodded as he cracked eggs and began to whisk them.

“You just mated me and now you bring that up?” she teased, narrowing her eyes at him in mock offense.

“I didn’t think it would be a deal breaker,” he replied with a shrug. “I figured my lovemaking skills would make up for that minor detail.”

“Well, what if it is a deal breaker?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him but unable to keep from smiling.

“Well, then you’re too late,” he retorted, coming up to give her a kiss on the forehead. “You’re stuck with me.”

“I know. And I couldn’t be happier,” she said, wrapping her arms around his midsection and nuzzling into him. A second later, she perked her head, though, as if remembering something. “Oh, the mate mark, where is it?” she asked, looking over her body.

Oh yeah, he almost forgot about that.

“You’ll just have to see for yourself,” he said, though he was curious to see it too, since he hadn’t really thought it out. The tiger in him just took over that part.

Sofia looked down at her leg with a little gasp as she found it. Kel peered down as well and saw a small tiger’s eye right above the bump of her ankle, which made him think of the color of his tiger.

Damn, what had his tiger been thinking?

He was about to groan in humiliation when he heard Sofia’s exclamation.

“Wow, that’s really cool,” she said.

“I guess my tiger was trying to make a statement about always having its eye on you or something stupid,” Kel mumbled, going back to making pancakes before his mate changed her mind about being his mate. But he was interrupted by arms being thrown around him from behind.

“Where are you going, big guy?” she said, holding him tight.

“Going to die. Of embarrassment,” he replied.

“Stop it, Kel. It’s sweet, because you’ve always seen me differently from anyone else. I love it. And more importantly, I love you. I always will, honey,” she said, her soft, warm body against his like heaven.

He turned around and wrapped his arms around her. “And I love you, too, Sofia. Thank you for making me the luckiest tiger on the planet.”

“And making me the luckiest jaguar on the planet, though I guess that’s a given,” she said cheerily.

Kel returned to making pancakes, and the two of them spent the evening eating, watching TV, sharing stories from their childhoods, and then topping the day off with a repeat of the heated passion from earlier. And all throughout, Kel couldn’t help but wonder what had brought them together and given them more happiness in three days than either had been given their entire lives.

He supposed he’d just have to blame destiny.

K
el was
apprehensive as he walked up the front walk to the dragon’s mansion with Sofia on his arm. He’d been here more often lately, but he still felt a little off about it every time. He just had such mixed emotions about the place and what had happened here.

Or maybe he was just feeling extra protective, now that his mate was pregnant. Yeah, that was probably it.

Sofia was practically glowing, despite the morning sickness she’d had, and was now about 12 weeks along with their cub. Tiger or Jaguar, Kel would love it no matter what. Sofia was wearing a blue jacket and her curls lifted gently in the breeze as they waited for the door to open.

Kel’s breath caught at her beauty. He didn’t know how she seemed to keep getting more beautiful to him every day, despite already being the most beautiful woman he’d met from the start.

Finally, the lock on the door clicked and swung open, and Perry opened the door, looking dressed up in slacks and a white button up shirt, but no tie. He wore reading glasses over his silver eyes and his hair was pulled back in a braid. Kel didn’t know how he dealt with having such long hair all the time, but he suspected the dragon had a vain spot about it.

“Rude,” Perry said, reading his thoughts as he led them inside.

“Whoops,” Kel said, as Sofia hit his arm playfully. “So what are we doing here? I got your text, but—”

He stopped talking as he saw Tor waiting just inside, also in slacks and a white button up shirt, leaning on a table in the entry way. Beside him were Kel’s brothers, Jace and Carter, and their mates.

Jace and Carter both had dark hair, but Jace’s was longer and more unruly, and he had piercing orange eyes. Carter on the other hand had green eyes and very short, dark hair. They were built similarly, but Jace still dressed in all leather like he had as a bounty hunter and Carter looked very much like a detective, always in a suit. Both of his brothers seemed to be glowing with happiness as they stood there with their arms around their mates.

Kel had to admit things had worked out pretty well for them. Far better than he could have imagined when they were younger. Carter walked forward and pulled Kel into a hug and then hugged Sofia, and his mate Amy came to do the same, followed by Jace and his mate Amber.

Carter and Amy were partners in the police, and Jace had met Amber when she’d been kidnapped by a bounty he’d been collecting.

It was interesting that somehow their jobs had all played a part in finding their mates. But as introductions finished, and Kel wrapped his mate’s hand in his own, he was just glad it had all worked out.

“Shall we adjourn to the dining room?” Perry asked, waving a hand.

The brothers looked at each other curiously, none of them knowing why they were there, but followed the dragons anyway.

Kel and Tor sat at the head of the table, and the tigers and their mates spread out down the sides. The table was too big for the amount that was gathered, but that was usual. Looking around, Kel realized how lonely the huge house must be, despite its luxury.

He noticed for the first time that Tor’s hair was actually done, combed to the side so that his handsome face was more striking, his blue eyes thoughtful. Perry also looked well.

What was going on?

Perry called for dinner to be served, and still didn’t tell them why they were there, even as multiple courses went by. So Kel just relaxed and enjoyed the company of his mate, his brothers and the dragons who he had gotten along much better with ever since meeting Sofia.

For the first time in his life, it really felt like he had a complete family, and hadn’t lost out on anything.

When dinner was wrapping up, Perry called for wine to be served with dessert, but then his eyes flicked to Sofia and he waved it away, calling for sparkling cider instead.

Kel had told his brothers about the pregnancy, but not the dragons yet. His brother’s mates were all pregnant as well, so presumably tigers had pretty strong reproductive capacity. His eyes narrowed.

Was this why the dragons wanted them here?

“Before Kel gets any more paranoid thoughts, we should probably explain why we invited you here,” Perry said, with a nod from Tor. “Not that the pleasure of your company wasn’t enough, but we did have a purpose.”

“Of course,” Jace mused, his arm around his very pregnant mate. Kel suspected there were twins in there, but he kept it to himself. He figured remarking on the size of a pregnant woman could never go well.

Sofia’s hand squeezed his and he squeezed it back. Three times, to signal ‘I love you’.

Then they waited.

Perry stood and paced at the head of the table, arms behind his back. “Now that the three of you are settled, with wonderful women at your sides, Tor and I face a bit of a conundrum,” he said, looking down at them with sparkling gray eyes. “Not that we aren’t happy for you, but we have more work than before, and we also have the issue of looking for a mate to deal with.”

Kel’s eyes opened in shock and he darted glances around at his brothers. Did any of them know how dragons really found mates?

“It’s quite hard to find the mate of a dragon pair,” Perry said. “And we haven’t been in any rush, due to wanting things to calm down first. But now that those in our charge are taken care of, it seems to be the right time.”

Tor nodded again, looking stern.

Shouldn’t either of them look more excited about this whole dating thing? Then again, if this was the first time they’d looked, despite being around a couple hundred years, they were probably bound to be rusty.

Carter’s hand closed protectively around his mate, as if he was anticipating the dragons asking them to do something dangerous. “I’m afraid it’s not a good time to help with more dragon work,” Carter said. “Not with the state our mates our in.”

Tor laughed and Perry shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. We can find help with dragon work, and we can do more of it ourselves. No, what we need is your help looking out for something called a dragon heart.”

“A what?” Jace spat. “A who?”

Tor folded his arms. “We can’t mate with just anyone. Only a human who displays extreme, sacrificial bravery. So keep your eyes on the news. And let us know if you see anything.”

Carter grinned. “So you want us to set you up.”

“No,” Perry snapped. “But we’d be willing to pay highly for any info you find. One million dollars to any of you who can find us a mate.”

Jace laughed and Kel nearly dropped the pistachio he was cracking. Then he looked at the dragons in disbelief. “No offense, Per, but I’m not sure a million dollars is worth it,” he teased.

Perry looked confused, but Tor just gave Kel a glare to tell him to cut it out.

Carter sat back in his chair, still looking shocked. “But why now? I still don’t get it.”

Perry sat back down and rested his elbows on the table, looking pensive. “Things are getting out of control in our world. If we find the right mate, a dragon heart, then when we mate her, she’ll gain one of the dragon powers. It’s essentially almost like having another dragon.”

Kel sighed. “So some poor woman you can use to be stronger?” He pulled a pistachio from his pocket. “Should have figured that was it.”

Tor stood indignantly but Perry pulled him back down. “So, what do you all think? It shouldn’t be dangerous work, finding someone brave, bringing them in for an interview. And it should free up our time to work on catching criminals, now that you three are all too busy being lovey dovey to do so.”

Carter barked out a laugh and Amy sat forward, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Perhaps this is something that we as mates could do?” she asked, looking at Sofia and then at Amber.

Amber nodded, pursing her lips. “I think so. But wait, are you two partners?” she asked, pointing at Perry and Tor.

Tor sputtered and Perry just grinned. “Only in work. When we mate, we focus entirely on the woman. Become one in pleasing her. Dragons do…everything together.”

Amber’s jaw dropped. “Um. Okay. That’s hot.” Jace raised an eyebrow, and she put up her hands. “Not for me, just in general I mean.” She leaned against his shoulder. “You’re more than enough for me.”

Amy tilted her head thoughtfully. “I think we can do this. I don’t mind helping. The dragons called backup for us, after all.”

Sofia spoke up from beside him. “They did a lot for us as well.” Kel wanted to protest, not wanting to give his mate any work, but she held up a hand, silencing him. “Stop it. I’m pregnant, not disabled. A little bit of internet searching or watching the news won’t hurt me.”

Kel grumbled but let it go. When Sofia put her mind to something, she did it.

He supposed he and his brothers should just be grateful that they all found such caring, kind mates.

“So that’s it then,” Perry said, standing and raising a glass for them to toast. “We’ll all work together?”

The others raised their glasses, grinning at one another. “Together.”

Then they drank, talked, and had an amazing evening together.

Later, after they’d said their goodbyes and left, Kel walked out onto the grounds with Sofia. His brothers were ahead of him, disappearing into the night toward their cars, and the night was lit with moonlight.

Sofia turned to him and he lifted her up against him for a kiss, loving the quiet stillness of the night.

When he let her go, she was breathless. He loved that he could do that to her. She put a hand up to run it through his hair. He sighed at the feel of it, and then started thinking of all the things he could do to her when they got home.

She wound her arms around his waist as they started to walk again. “I think it’ll be good to help them,” she said. “I think it’s nice to try and give them the happiness we have.”

He pulled her close, making her laugh. “Well, I don’t know that they can shoot that high, I mean, we’re pretty unbelievably happy.”

“Yeah,” she said. “But it’s not a competition.”

“True,” he growled. “But I won, if it was.”

She giggled and put her arm through his. “Only if I won too.”

“Fair enough.” He reached into his pocket and she heard the rustle of nut shells.

“I was meaning to ask you, and I keep forgetting. What’s the story with the pistachios?”

“Oh that?” he asked. “Just a calorie thing. I always needed to eat more than my brothers, because of my size and muscle or whatever. So I got in the habit of carrying them around. Plus it’s something to do with my hands.”

“Ah,” she said.

He opened the door to their car and helped her in, and then came around the other side. “You know, I don’t find myself doing it that much anymore though.” He winked as he started the car and waited for her to buckle up. “I’ve found better things to do with my hands.”

She blushed and looked ahead at the road. “In that case, we better get home as soon as possible.”

He threw back his head in a hearty laugh and then pulled out onto the drive.

He was one lucky tiger.

T
hanks
so much for reading Kel and Sofia’s story! If you liked it, please consider leaving me a review, it really helps me as an author and keeps me going! Let me know if you’re wanting Tor and Perry’s book as well! I love to hear what fans want next!

If you didn’t read Jace or Carter’s story, you can get them here:

A Tiger’s Bounty

A Tiger’s Treasure

If I get enough readers asking for Perry and Tor, then we might have some more dragons soon!

The dragon world is a little different, and after some feedback from fans, I decided to do something special and include a FREE BONUS book at the back of this one, to remind readers of how things work in the dragon world!

Then you can know everything you need to know about my dragons before the next book comes out!

Turn over to enjoy your free copy of Double Dragons!