Rae Rivers - The Keepers - Archer

And it wasn’t his.

As if to confirm his uneasiness, Levi stood on quiet alert at the top of the stairs, staring into the darkness.

“Levi?”

The retriever tilted her head and whined.

Archer discarded the drink and frowned when he saw the soft glow of flames licking at the haze of darkness in the distance.

Before he could process the sight, Ethan walked up behind him.

“What the hell is that?” Ethan asked, motioning to the fire with the glass in his hand. “Rose have some voodoo witchy crap going on?”

Archer narrowed his eyes, doubtful. “Why would Rose have a roaring fire in the middle of the forest?” The nagging sensation in his gut heightened, demanding he sit up and take action. And then it dawned on him. “It’s Sienna. Something’s wrong.”

“Isn’t she up in her room?” Ethan asked, quickly setting his glass on the table beside him. “Have you checked on her again?”

“I’m going to kill her,” Archer said, and bolted down the stairs, Levi directly beside him.

With their supernatural speed, it took mere moments for both brothers to reach the fire.

Archer slapped a hand across Ethan’s chest, putting an abrupt stop to his haste. With his other hand, he reigned in the unsettled dog.

With a brief nod, Ethan motioned to the circle of flames ahead of them. “Voodoo witchy crap. What the hell are they doing?”

“I have no bloody idea.” But the smell of raw aggression punched him in the gut. And fear. Sienna’s fear. Archer looked around, his fists clenched at his sides. The fire blazed sharply, eliminating the dullness of the darkening forest. Nearby leaves of several tree branches sizzled into a crackling oblivion. His stomach rolled when he saw the silhouettes of the two men trapped in the middle of the fire.

Barking furiously, Levi broke away from Archer and bolted.

And then he saw her.

Sienna.

The sight of Sienna on her knees, drawing on the remains of her strength to keep the two men trapped in their fire prison, sent immediate chills down his spine.

“Sienna!”

Levi was already all over her. Sienna’s head whipped around, and he saw the relief cross her face.

“What took you so long?” she asked casually, but he heard the strain in her voice.

“What happened?” Archer asked, kneeling beside her.

“Harper.”

His head flung up, and he glared at the two men. “They came here?”

“Bold, aren’t they?”

“Are you okay?”

She gave a brief nod at the same time the intensity of the flames lessened.

“Sienna, stop,” he said, placing a hand on her arm. The trembling he felt beneath his fingers brought on a fresh wave of anger. “We’re here. You can stop.”

The fire didn’t let up and he moved closer to her. A quick glance at Ethan told him what he needed to know. His brother nodded in response, ready for the attack that would follow the moment the wall of fire came down.

“Sienna,” Archer said, sliding his arms around her shoulders, “stop.”

Just like that, the fire disappeared, leaving the two men exposed to the wrath of her Keepers.

“Go inside,” he told her, tugging her to her feet. When she hesitated, he pinned her with a glare of half warning, half-pleading. “We’ve got this, Sienna.”

She nodded and backed away at the same time the two entrapped men sprang into action.

It was only when she disappeared into the darkness, Levi hot on her heels, that Archer whirled toward them.

With a burning sensation chewing at his gut, Archer marched through the house in search of Sienna.

He found her in the kitchen, draining a bottle of water, a bloodied tissue clasped in one hand. Nose bleed, no doubt. Whenever her powers had taken too strong a toll on her body, she’d develop either a migraine or a nosebleed.

Despite his rage, he couldn’t help but notice her, and hesitated in the doorway. Her red hair, a striking contrast to the white shirt she wore, hung loose around her shoulders. Her shirt had hitched up her waist to reveal long, toned legs and a white scrap of lace that barely covered her ass.

All skin and woman.

The sight struck him right where it mattered most, and he felt an instant tightening between his thighs. Only Sienna could fend off attackers in gumboots and still look sexy. Something inside stirred beside the rage, mingled for a brief moment, and was pushed aside.

Reminding himself that he was, in fact, still very mad at her, Archer shoved open the door and tossed the small bag of clothes she’d collected from Rose onto a nearby couch.

She lowered the water bottle and spun around. “Archer.”

“What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded, coming to a stop in front of her.

“I’m in no mood for a lecture, so back the hell down.”

He caught her chin and tilted her face to either side. A mild nosebleed as he’d suspected. Her attempt to pull away only tightened his grip on her. She was upset and a fire raged in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in a very long time. Good. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“What part of ‘stay in the house’ got lost in translation?”

Sienna slapped at his hands and drew back. “I went to see Rose.”

“Rose would’ve come here.”

“I can’t stay here and hide forever.”

“No, but you’ll have to be careful until Warrick and his warriors can be dealt with.”

She gave a defiant lift of her chin. “I’m not the weak little witch girl you make me out to be, Archer. In case you hadn’t noticed, I handled them.”

“Any longer and you would’ve crumbled.” He saw the denial on her face and had the urge to shake some sense into her. Instead, he planted his hands firmly on her shoulders, forcing her to face him. “No one doubts your powers but you refuse to embrace them and that makes you weak. Don’t for one moment think those assholes don’t know that.”

“I’m fine!” She shoved his chest, packing a powerful punch for someone so small.

Damn, she’s infuriating.

Frustration prickled and pushing past her, he slammed on the tap with a little more force than intended.

Sienna’s eyes widened when she saw him vigorously scrubbing his hands, blood rinsing down the drain. “You’re hurt.”

“I’ll live.”

She came up behind him, took hold of his hand in hers, and winced. “It’s a bad one.”

He tugged his hand away, not caring to examine the thin cut on his inner arm. He’d had worse. “I’m fine, Sienna.” The wound had already begun to heal and once again, Archer was grateful for the accelerated healing that came with his powers. It had saved his hide several times.

“Archer.”

“I heal quickly,” he said, grabbing a nearby towel and wiping the wound dry. “You, on the other hand, don’t.”

“And you’re hurt because of me.”

“So stay in the damn house.”

“I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.” Her attempt to side step him failed, and she blew out her breath. “Let me go, Archer.”

Reaching between them, he took her hand and held it against his shoulder where his Keeper tattoo was branded on his flesh. The action brought an instant flash of recognition in her eyes, and she lifted her gaze to meet his. “You know how this all works, Sienna. Without you, our elemental powers are useless. But without us, your elemental powers will weaken. You will weaken.” His voice clouded with a thick emotion he couldn’t prevent, and he swallowed. The very thought of something happening to her sent his entire body into a rip-roaring rollercoaster of anger, misery, and denial.

“Archer, stop.”

“No. You need to get how serious this is.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”