The Keepers: Archer (2 page)

“He knew how to pack a punch but I’ll live.” Her shoulders fell, and she met his gaze. “They weren’t human, were they?”

“Not entirely, no.”

“Did anyone see us?”

“No. Our secret is safe.”

As it should be. And when it wasn’t, a little magic would usually rectify even the soundest memory, but only as a last resort. Surrounded by a world of ordinary humans where only a few selected people knew of their supernatural existence, they’d been bound to keep their presence a secret without harming anyone in exchange for being left alone.

It wasn’t always that simple but that was the agreement, the rule, and breaking it would initiate consequences Archer would rather avoid.

“It’s been quiet for so long. Why now?” Sienna asked.

“You’re a Beckham witch,” he replied, annoyed with the question. ‘It’s no surprise they’ve come for you.”

“That’s not who I am anymore.”

“You’ll always be a witch, Sienna, and they’ll be back for you.” The image of Sienna surrounded by the three men flashed through his mind, and he frowned. “They surprised you,” he noted quietly. “And you held back from using your powers.”

“You won’t understand.”

“Damn right I won’t. You come from a family of powerful witches. Those men were no match for your powers. Why would you hesitate to use them?”

Her age-old defences fell into place as the wall returned. He’d seen how her emotions had changed from relief to surprise, then horror as she’d realized that he’d finally found her, despite all her efforts at keeping him away.

Her eyes flashed with disbelief, and she stepped back.

“Sienna, don’t.”

“I have to go,” she said, pushing past him, heading for the opening in the trees.

He caught her wrist in one quick movement. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, he raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? You really think I’m going to let you leave?”

Sienna looked at the man she’d once considered a friend, trying to make sense of what had just happened. One moment she’d been running in the park, the next moment her life had been thrown back into the turmoil she’d tried so hard to get away from.

And Archer Bennett stood for everything she’d run from.

A world she was bound by duty and honour to defend, where grief and guilt were constant companions, and an intense, forbidden attraction that had almost destroyed them.

It was hard to determine which surprised her more – the sudden attack by complete strangers or Archer’s reappearance in her life.

Her heart slammed against her chest and she knew it had nothing to do with the attack and everything to do with the man. Physically, outwardly, he hadn’t changed at all. Tall, broad shoulders, short brown hair, and a face so handsome that it hinted at perfection. And he still wreaked havoc with her senses. But the way he clenched his jaw and the tortured look in his brooding green eyes gave her a glimpse of the anguish that lay beneath the layers, catching her off guard. He’d always had an intensity about him, but the darkness had intensified since she’d last seen him. It shouldn’t surprise her. He’d lost, suffered, mourned.

Like they all had.

In their world danger often lurked in a way that ordinary humans wouldn’t understand and often resulted in pain and suffering that came with the loss of losing one of their own.

Sarah. Their parents.

She sighed, refusing to think about the loss. The anguish that came with their memories always left her raw. “Why are you here, Archer?”

He shot her a look that questioned if she really needed an answer to that.

After all, he was a Bennett brother and destined to protect a Beckham witch at all costs. He still wore his ring – the ring of a Keeper. The heavy, antique silver ring symbolized everything he stood for, everything he was. Her Keeper, her Guardian. She’d never seen him without it and seeing it again now tugged at a part of her that she’d buried a long time ago – a part of her that was in complete contrast to the life she’d run to.

Sienna wasn’t just any witch. She was a Beckham witch with a powerful lineage. Her grandmother, Rose, had been one of the most greatest witches on earth. Scattered across the world in a combined effort to maintain the balance of nature were three orders: ordinary witches, who dabbled in spells and potions; elemental witches, who drew their energy from the elements of nature – and witches like Rose. Whereas most elemental witches were able draw their power from one element of nature, Rose was able to channel all four. Herself being the fifth - the spirit that bound fire, water, earth, air. In the witch world, the ability to draw energy from all the elements of nature was a rarity and any witch able to master such power was honoured, respected, and fiercely protected.

For the longest time, Sienna had embraced her heritage, her destiny, and her simple powers as an elemental witch. Until the day Rose had passed on her full powers to her and she’d run from it.

But now it had all come crashing around her like an unwanted curse.

“So you finally found me,” she said, closing her fingers around the chunky pendant hanging around her neck.

“It took a while.”

She glanced toward the lake, dark pink from the reflection of the sunset. “So why now?”

“You needed me.”

“Ah, ever the White Knight.”

He ignored the jab, never one for jesting about his duties. “They would’ve taken you, Sienna. Don’t you see that?”

“They surprised me, but I can take care of myself.”

“And yet you hesitated.”

“I was fine, Archer.”

“Then explain this,” he said and touched her swollen cheek. “Any other woman would be no match for their brutal strength and aggression, Sienna. You, on the other hand, have the advantage other women don’t. Why would you even let them near you? Why did you wait before using your powers to defend yourself?”

“Let it go, Archer,” she said and pulled away.

It didn’t take long for him to figure it out. His hand shot out to grab her arm, and he tugged her round so she was facing him again. “You haven’t used your powers since you left Rapid Falls, have you?”

No. For two years she hadn’t cast a single spell, she’d started fires with a match and not her mind, and she’d opened doors with her hands and not her thoughts. Protection consisted of a security company and a mace spray, not three burly Keepers and magic.

Her silence seemed to confirm his suspicion, and his eyes narrowed.

“Why?” His voice softened, and she heard the confusion that lingered. “Inheriting Rose’s powers made you one of the most powerful witches in the world. Why aren’t you taking advantage of that?”

“Because Rose’s powers scare the hell out of me!” Sienna yanked her wrist free and took a step back, needing the distance between them – and the masculine sexiness that still wreaked havoc with her body. Her pulse was on a runaway mission and parts of her tingled that had hadn’t tingled in a very long time.

Damn him.

“Sienna, they’re not Rose’s powers anymore,” he said softly. “They’re yours.”

She glanced away, knowing that he was right, and hating it. How could he know the fear that came with her powers, the anger toward her grandmother for passing them onto her without an explanation, or the guilt that gnawed at her for what she’d done the first time she’d tapped into her newfound powers?

Her gaze fell to his scarred hand, and she dragged in a deep breath.

“I have to go, Archer,” she said, knowing he’d never allow it.

“Like hell.”

No surprise. “You’re not a part of my life anymore, and I can’t go back. For the first time in years, I’ve known peace.” Liar, liar.

He studied her, adding a touch of frost to his gaze. “I’m one of your Keepers, Sienna, and that makes me a part of you until the day you die.”

“How did you find me?”

“Rose sensed you were in danger. Clearly, she was right.”

“My grandmother sent you?” Sienna had always known the older witch would one day give her away. Her hand returned to her necklace, and she frowned. “How …?”

He shrugged, and she tried not to concentrate on all that muscle beneath the ripped black shirt. “Emotions fuel her remaining powers and when she sensed you were in danger, there was enough anger and worry to frighten even me. A simple locator spell led us here.”

“That easy, huh?”

Something dark and angry clouded his features. “No, Sienna. Finding you has been anything but easy.” In two strides, he closed the gap between them. “Do you have any idea what it’s been like for us to lose you?”

“So you and your brothers lost your witch. Big deal. Find a new one.”

“It’s not that simple and you know it,” he said, tightening his grip.

She knew. They were all bound together by destiny and a magical connection that could only be broken by death. It wasn’t something she could easily forget, no matter how hard she’d tried. It was a life neither of them had asked for but had accepted as part of their duty and family legacy, as had their parents and generations of grandparents before them. And when it had become too much for her, she’d run.

Coward.

“Two years, Sienna. Two bloody years I’ve been searching for you. How the hell did you keep me away?” His eyes fell on her necklace and his jaw clenched. Before she could stop him, he reached out and closed his fingers around the bulky pendant. “It’s the necklace, isn’t it? That’s why I’ve been unable to sense you.” He looked up, dark eyes burning into hers. “That’s why it’s taken me so long to track you down.”

“I cast a spell on the necklace. It was the only way you’d stay away.”

Anger oozed off him in waves and his fingers tightened around the pendant. For a brief moment, she feared he would rip it from her neck.

She placed her hands around his, willing him not to. “Don’t.”

He fingered the pendant, glaring at it with a harsh frown. A pentagram with five points that symbolized the five elements of nature, that symbolized them. It was the perfect illustration of what they stood for. Four Keepers who each had the power to manipulate an element of nature. Earth, fire, air, and water. And she was the fifth element that bound them all together. Without her, their elemental powers were useless. Interlinked in a way few people could ever understand, they shared the same destiny and a mutual purpose of maintaining the balance of nature.

His gaze lifted to meet hers and the raw emotion she saw in his dark green eyes rattled her. “This necklace depicts everything we stand for. Everything we are. How could you use it to keep us apart?”

“I left that life behind. I can’t go back, Archer.”

“Sienna” he said softly, forcefully. “You’re a Beckham witch. That’s not something you can hide from.”

“I’m not that person anymore, Archer. I have a life here, one that doesn’t involve magic, evil warlocks, or powers so potent that I can’t control them. Or death,” she added, her voice quietening as memories of their last encounter resurfaced. Memories she’d run from. “I can’t be a part of all that anymore.”

She saw the moment it all fell into place for him. His expression softened, and they stared at each other in silence.

“My sister’s death wasn’t your fault,” he said softly, releasing the pendant.

Sienna took a step back, not wanting the discussion that would follow such a statement.

“You can’t hide from who you are.”

“It worked for the last two years.”

“Only because the balance in the paranormal world has been in our favour. That’s changed and you’re in danger.”

Ah, so he’d found her because his duty as her Keeper had him wanting to protect her. And what about the man finding a woman he’d almost made his?

“You have to come home, Sienna. We’ll help you, protect you.”

Something cold and determined washed over her, and she lifted her chin defiantly. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let another one of my Keepers die protecting me.”

“Sarah’s death was not your fault.”

Unable to stop herself, her gaze fell to his scarred hand. “But I hurt you. I hurt you all, and there’s no guarantee that I won’t do it again. I refuse to put you or your brothers at risk again.”

“And you’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you go off alone on this stupid Kamikaze mission. The fact that they’ve targeted you and tracked you down means they need a Beckham witch. They also know that you haven’t mastered your powers yet so they will come for you, repeatedly, until they have you.”

He was right. Few people ever messed with Rose because of the power she could wield. It was one of the reasons that she needed less protection than Sienna. But since passing on her powers, Rose was an ordinary witch like all others. Still in high regard because of her Beckham status, but her powers had lessened. Archer was right. To them Sienna, her full powers still untouched, was the inexperienced witch needed to unleash their own evil. They would be wary of her, perhaps a bit fearful because of her Beckham name, but it wouldn’t stop them.

Of course, that would all change once she learned how to channel all her powers simultaneously.

Never.

She stepped back, the familiar fear slamming home at the thought of ever using her full powers again.

Archer narrowed his eyes, and he reached for her. “You know I’m right. You have no choice, Sienna, I’m taking you home.”

She raised an eyebrow, refusing to be forced back to a life that frightened her. “You said it yourself, Archer. I’m a powerful witch. You might want to keep that in mind when you threaten to caveman me home.”

“Now who’s threatening?”

Her smile was slow, cheeky, and challenged him in a way that only he would understand. He straightened, readying himself for whatever she was about to throw at him.

“Sienna, don’t you dare,” he warned softly.

Apparently, he knew her well.

Although she loathed using her powers, she also knew that they were the only way she’d get away from Archer. Shoving aside the fear, Sienna drew on them and took a step back. Archer cursed when a wall of fire sprang to life in front of him, cutting him off. His reaction was lightning fast but she was faster and a moment later, a circle of fire surrounded him, a striking glow in the darkness.

Fire. Her central power.

“Sienna, stop this Hocus Pocus crap.” There was no mistaking the fury in his voice.

She raised the flames, quietly chanting a spell to seal the circle. She knew that if he chose to use his powers, she’d have a fair fight on her hands. Her magic topped his, but he was stronger, angrier, and hard-wired to protect her. That alone was a power on its own. The rage that burned in his eyes spelt trouble and when his gaze shifted to the lake behind her, she knew she had to leave. Quickly.

He lurched forward but stumbled back when the heat of the flames hit him. “Sienna!”

“Stop resisting and the flames will die.”

As there was no chance in hell he’d accept his prison of fire, she knew the flames would hold and keep him from following her.

“Don’t ever look for me again, Archer.”

His jaw flexed, and he clenched each fist. Slowly, he pinned her with a heated glare. “I will find you, Sienna. Don’t fool yourself.”

With a shaky smile, she backtracked away from him. “You’re the fool for thinking you could broomstick me back home.”

She turned away, needing to flee before he saw the crack in her powers as her body wasn’t yet strong enough to maintain them.

And the fear of losing control always lingered.

“Sienna.” The change in his tone had her glancing back at him over her shoulder. His eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a small smile. “Game on.”

****

It was only later, when Sienna felt the syringe slam into her neck in the darkness of her apartment, that she wished she’d allowed Archer to take off her necklace.

This time, she really was on her own.