Rae Rivers - The Keepers - Archer

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, tugging his hands away from his head.

“Promise me you’ll never try that voodoo mind fry on me ever again.”

“It’s the quickest defence I have against you, Archer.”

“You don’t need any damn defences against me, Sienna.”

“I’m still not agreeing.”

Stubborn minx. Nothing had changed. He ran his thumb across her swollen cheek and tried to ignore the rush of emotions that flooded him. He’d found her. After two long torturous and empty years, he’d finally tracked her down. The relief was immense and he had to resist everything inside him that ached to wrench her against him and never let her go. “Does it hurt?”

“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.