Free A Tiger's Destiny (Tiger Protectors Book 3) by Terry Bolryder

said, shifting the car into drive. He floored the gas pedal, and the heavy SUV lurched forward, crashing through the old wooden doors and splintering them into hundreds of pieces. As they burst into the clearing, Sofia got a quick glimpse of the uproar that had happened outside.
    Two black cars were parked about twenty yards from the house. One had two of its tires blown out, and the other had flames coming from the engine compartment. Around the space between the cars and the house were men lying motionless on the ground or nursing injuries. And the house that had once been an old, abandoned ranch home was ablaze in fire that would probably consume the structure in minutes.
    As afraid as she’d been for Kel’s safety, she realized he’d probably gotten through a lot tougher situations than this.
    Why had she worried in the first place?
    He was probably the most capable person she’d ever known. For once, she could relax, knowing someone else would take care of things. It was an amazing feeling.
    “So where are we going?” Sofia asked as the SUV sped down the dirt road, headed for the interstate.
    Kel paused for a moment, his countenance turning serious again, as if needing to swallow the words before he could say them.
    “There’s only one place that’s truly safe, for the time being…” he said, his words hanging in the air solemnly. “We need the help of the dragons on this.”
    Sofia’s breath caught. “Dragons?” She’d never met, or even seen, a dragon before. Part of her still couldn’t believe they were in fact real. And if they were, the prospect of them being as terrible as all the rumors she’d heard growing up gave her a chill.
    “It’s okay,” Kel said. “Just trust me.”
    She did but still felt tense at the thought of encountering a new situation. Kel seemed to sense her trepidation and put a hand over hers in her lap. His touch was warm and soothing and strong, reminding her of how careful he was around her, in spite of the unending strength he displayed.
    As her fear faded and they turned onto the highway, Sofia wondered what was going to happen.
    What were dragons like in person?

7
    H ours later , they pulled in front of a huge wrought iron gate that was connected to an impossibly high brick wall that seemed to stretch on forever in both directions.
    Aside from having to exit the highway and lie low at gas stations once or twice when Kel had spotted dark vehicles approaching far in the distance behind them, the trip had gone surprisingly smoothly.
    Now was probably going to be the toughest part yet.
    Coming back to home sweet home.
    Or at least what had been home for a good portion of Kel’s childhood. Though the dragons themselves had sometimes disappeared for days on end, leaving the three of them in the care of the oldest brother, Carter, or under the watchful eye of one of their servants, they were still the closest thing he’d had to parents since their mother had died.
    Kel pulled up to the unyielding gate and stepped out of the car.
    “Do you think they know we’re here?” Sofia asked as he walked up to a small electronic panel at the side of the gate.
    “If they didn’t before, they will now,” Kel said, pressing a small button near the display. A second later, a voice spoke through the panel.
    “State your name and business,” a robotic-sounding voice came through.
    Fancy. They didn’t have that back when Kel had lived here.
    He wondered if the two masters of the house had changed at all since he’d been gone.
    Probably not.
    “Kel Cunningham and guest. You know who I am, assholes,” he said clearly into the speaker. There was a long pause, and Kel hesitated for a moment. What if they weren’t in town?
    But a second later, a loud metal click sounded, and the gate swung open. Kel hopped into the car and drove forward. Past the gate was a long, primly paved path lined by towering trees on both sides. A mile or so down the road, the home came into view.
    Just as