The Keepers: Archer (18 page)

“So the plan is to lure him to the tomb, thinking you’re about to unspell his brother, but instead you spell him,” Archer said, looking at Sienna.

“It’s a simple plan but I think it’ll work.”

“Providing he falls for it. And what about his warriors?”

“I’ll make the condition that we meet alone, no warriors.”

“You’re not meeting him alone, Sienna.”

“Fine, then you three can lurk in the background where he can’t see you. You’ll know if I need you.”

“You could get hurt. The attack on Lexi, the wolves, it just shows that Warrick’s unstable and brewing with all sorts of evil antics of his own. I don’t trust him.”

“Of course not, but what other choice do we have? He’s the one who made this offer in the first place. If I’d listened to him, neither Lexi nor her Keeper would have been hurt. The car accident, the wolves. It’s only going to get worse from here.”

“But Warrick has Sarah’s elemental power,” Declan said. “Won’t that keep him from entering the tomb?”

Sienna shook her head. “The spell that keeps us out of the tomb only holds if Mason’s still in the tomb. Once he’s out of the tomb, the spell will be broken.”

“We need to bring out the Grimoire,” Ethan said, watching Levi as she sauntered up the stairs toward them. He held out a hand and stroked the dog that promptly collapsed into a sighing heap on the floor beside his feet.

“Archer and I will fetch the book today,” Sienna replied, immediately uneasy at the thought of uncovering her precious Grimoire.

“Sienna can make contact with Warrick as soon as we’ve moved Mason,” Archer said with a grim expression.

Although not happy, there were nods of agreement all round.

Declan rose first and looked at Sienna. “Fine. Fetch your witchy book. Ethan and I will fetch Rose and her stones, and we’ll all meet back here. Once it’s dark, we’ll go for Mason.”

The air prickled with a sense of excited energy and revenge. Everything that had transpired since the night of Sarah’s death, the hurt, the pain, the sadness, and everything that had happened since Sienna’s return to Rapid Falls a few days ago, all culminated into one thing. Warrick.

And tonight, if everything went as planned, karma would whip around and bite Warrick in the ass.

Damn right.

Sienna hugged the Grimoire to her chest, a flash of pride mingling with the unease that came with having the book exposed. But it was inevitable if they were going to move Mason. The moment he was in his new lodgings, she’d have the book back in its hiding place.

She held the book to her nose and drew on the musty scent of a collaboration of years of knowledge, legends, spells, and potions. Every Beckham witch in her family had added to the book over the years, and the book was bursting at the seams within its leather binder. Running a finger along the pentagram symbol that bound the book closed, she smiled. Life as a Beckham witch may have its challenges, but she couldn’t deny the fierce sense of honour that came with the title.

A Beckham witch. And according to Rose, she was the Beckham witch, whatever that meant. She still refused to explain her reasons for transferring all her powers onto Sienna – according to Rose, she would find out when the time was appropriate.

Sienna fingered the four stones in her pocket that were the key to opening the book and made her way to the kitchen, hoping to have a moment alone. As a child, the book had been one of her favourites and she’d often spent many hours paging through it with her mother. She hadn’t touched it in two years and seeing it again now stirred up so many memories.

Her breath caught when she spotted her Keepers through the kitchen window. They were outside on the lawn, each of them standing in their own quiet stance around the pool. Knees apart and slightly bent, arms up, facing each other. They were all dressed in white cotton pants, all shirtless, rippled muscles glistening in the sunlight.

Wow.

She made her way onto the patio, pausing at the top of stairs to watch her Keepers. Without their shirts, their legacy and identity was clearly visible, the mark of a Keeper boldly sketched across their tanned flesh. Archer’s tattoo had been crafted across his left shoulder, Declan had opted for the tattoo to be drawn on his back between his shoulder blades, and Ethan wore his tattoo on his right arm.

Their feet rooted to the ground, their arms and upper bodies followed a series of flowing movements, slow, controlled and in perfect harmony with each other. They looked so strong, so powerful, and she gaped at them in fascination.

Individually, they were striking. Together, they were breathtaking. A total force to be reckoned with.

The subtle brush of air across Sienna’s skin hinted at a sudden change in weather. Sienna folded her arms to ward off the chill, and watched the three brothers in awe. Moments later, the bright sunshine disappeared as grey clouds began rolling across the sky with gloomy intentions, casting a dark shadow across the estate. The wind picked up momentum, and the weather turned dark and eerie. The low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, rolling closer, and seconds later, a flash of lightning lit up the sky.

Ethan.

Sienna watched in fascination as Declan reared up, taking advantage of the flash of lightning to create a spark that he quickly assembled into a ball of fire by using a series of controlled hand movements. He sent the fireball soaring through the sky where it exploded into a flash of sparks, reminding Sienna of fireworks. Another ball of fire followed in quick succession and within seconds, there were sparks flying everywhere.

Fascinating, but a scary sight for someone not used to their powers.

Sienna smiled, in awe of the magic at work, but her smile quickly vanished when several bushes surrounding the pool area caught alight. Fuelled by the windstorm Ethan had created, the bushes went up in flames almost immediately.

“Archer!” Declan snapped, breaking his trance-like position and whirled to face his brother.

Sienna frowned, immediately zeroing in on Archer who seemed oblivious to the burning bushes. He still maintained his own position, arms outstretched, staring at the water in the pool. His eyebrows were drawn together in a deep, intense frown, his expression coloured with a darkness that had Sienna sucking in air.

The water in the pool bubbled, as though someone had flicked a Jacuzzi switch.

“Archer, put the damn fire out!” Ethan yelled, snapping out of his own trance and straightening. With the change of his movement, the wind lessened and the lightning stopped. The clouds began thinning, giving way to the sunlight.

Another bush caught alight and Sienna felt everything inside her clench. Nervous, uncertain, Sienna stepped forward, calling Archer’s name.

But he remained focused on the water, muttering softly to himself.

Sienna placed the Grimoire on a nearby table and bolted down the stairs, a rumble of energy herself. She drew on her powers, focusing on the bubbling pool, the pull of the water stronger than ever. With several flowing arm movements, she sent three water lashes directly to the burning bushes, dousing the flames instantly.

The smell of smoke immediately permeated the air, along with the eerie realization that something was way off. A practice session had gone completely warped.

“What the hell, Archer?” Declan called from across the pool, staring at his brother as though he’d lost his mind.

Archer stepped back, breaking form, and cursed loudly before turning around and storming toward the house. A thunderous expression clouded his features and fury raged through dark green eyes.

“Archer, what happened?” she asked as he brushed past her and pounded up the stairs.

“Nothing,” he snapped without looking back. “I lost focus, that’s all.”

****

Something was wrong.

Archer stormed into the bathroom, trying to shake off the worry that tore at him. He felt strange, different, and he shook his head, hoping to deny the truth that gnawed at his gut, mocking him, taunting him to face his worse nightmare.

He peeled back the sleeve of his shirt and unravelled the white bandage wrapped around the wound on his arm. A wound that hadn’t yet healed.

What the hell?

Archer frowned, grimacing at the bite wound. He’d often been hurt, always felt the pain, but the war wounds had always healed quickly and without scars. A perk that came with his title, his destiny, of being a Keeper.

A perk that seemed to be fading.

Archer flexed his hand, refusing to admit the truth. His powers were all he had to protect Sienna. His witch. His woman. Without them, he was still strong and agile, but when facing anything Warrick and keeping Sienna safe, he needed all the advantage he had.

How could his powers be fading? He’d never heard of a Keeper losing his powers, not unless someone had bound him, stripped him. And with the battle looming ahead of them, he needed his strength and powers more than ever.

And the wound hurt like hell.

“Your expression resembles something out of a sinus headache commercial, brother.”

Archer glanced in the mirror and scowled when he saw Declan standing in the doorway behind him. Damn, he hadn’t even heard his brother’s approach.

Declan’s gaze shifted to Archer’s exposed wound that drew an instant tightening of brows. “You’re hurting?”

“No.”

“Bullshit. Why hasn’t it healed?”

Archer clenched his jaw, refusing to voice the truth. He looked away, not needing to see the worry reflected in his brother’s eyes, and quickly shoved his sleeve back in place.

“Archer, what’s wrong?”

Archer stepped back when Declan moved forward, yanking his arm out of reach. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“So you keep saying but we both know you have a wolf bite on your arm that’s not healing.” Declan reached for him again. “Don’t be a jack-ass, Archer.”

Archer shoved his brother away and stalked out the bathroom, Declan hot on his heels. He should’ve known his brother wouldn’t let it go.

“I’m all for bravery and crap, Archer, but defeating Warrick and his men will take a lot more than Sienna’s magic.”

“Don’t underestimate Sienna’s magic, Declan. We saw the night Sarah died how vicious she can be if crossed. She’ll handle Warrick.”

“True, but once Sienna has entombed Warrick, we’re the ones left facing his army of unhappy warriors.”

“Since when does combat of any sort scare you?”

“Since I’m not sure my brother’s being entirely honest with me.”

Their eyes met in a fierce stare, tension prickling between them as they both faced a truth that would unsettle everything they knew.

“I told you, I’m fine,” Archer said, anger dripping from his words.

“Archer, if you’re not at the top of your game, it would be nice to have a little heads up.”

“You’re being an ass, Declan.”

“Am I Archer? I’m just forcing you to face the truth so man the fuck up and do that.”

Archer spun around, colliding with Declan, and slammed a hand against his brother’s chest. “Back off, brother.”

Declan scowled, his eyes honing sharply on his brother. Without saying a word, his hand shot out to grab Archer’s wrist. Unflinching and with steely determination to prove his point, Declan tightened his grip.

Archer tried to break free, usually an easy reflex, but he struggled to break his brother’s hold. “Declan, cut it out.”

He didn’t. Instead, Declan stepped closer, his fingers digging into Archer’s flesh.

“Come on, Archer, admit that something’s wrong.”

“Screw you, Declan!” Archer snapped, bringing up his free arm and taking a swing at his brother. His fist connected with a force that had Declan reeling back, breaking the firm hold.

Declan stumbled backward, steadied himself with a rapid speed, and stared at his brother. He stroked his jaw, his mouth opening and closing as he flexed the pummelled muscles. “You just hit me.”

“I said back off.”

Doing the exact opposite, Declan charged, grabbing Archer around the waist and pushing forward. Archer soared backward from the impact, crashing into the wall. With a grunt, Archer swung his fist, connecting with his brother’s cheek. Declan returned the favour and in a flash of irate curses, swinging fists, and unresolved brotherly frustration, the two brothers communicated with an effectiveness that didn’t involve words.

But the fight was uneven. A novelty for them and an eerie revelation at that.

Ethan arrived in a speedy blur and a string of curses. He wedged himself between the two brothers, quickly separating them into neutral corners. “What are you two fighting about?”

Both panting and cursing, Declan was the first to step back. He dragged a hand across his bleeding mouth and pinned Archer with a furious glare.

He pointed to Archer’s arm. “Still want to spew me some crap-assed bullshit about that bite wound being nothing? Because that’s what it is, Archer. Bullshit. Our wounds heal faster than Warrick can say the word ‘warlock’. That bloody wolf bit you last night and you’re still hurting.”

Ethan looked at Archer, his gaze flickering to the loose sleeve that covered the wound. “What’s Declan talking about, Archer?”

“Tell him,” Declan prompted. “Tell him that your powers have weakened since the bite.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “He didn’t look weak to me when he was pummelling your head in, Declan.”

Archer levelled Declan with a hostile look, seething with a rage that threatened to consume him. The wolf bite and the weakening of his powers had nothing to do with Declan, but damn him for being right. He dragged in an aggravated breath and looked at Ethan. “The bite hasn’t healed yet.”

“And your strength? The rest of your abilities?”

“Still there but weakening.” It slammed everything inside him to hear the words aloud, and he fought not to flinch at the reality of what he’d just said.

A heavy silence hung between them as they all absorbed the impact of his words.

“Don’t say anything to Sienna,” Archer murmured, dragging a hand across his face. He sighed, cursed, and turned to the window.

“Archer, it may be the bite from the wolf,” Ethan said, “but taking your recent shift of gears in your relationship with Sienna into account, have you considered that this might also be a bad assed punishment from The Circle?”

Ethan’s words sent a bolt of hot fury through Archer, and he slowly turned to face his brothers. Of course. The bloody Circle. But really? Would they really put one of their own in danger by stripping her protector, her Keeper, of powers needed to keep her safe? If that was the case then they had their wires crossed on different realms of selfish reality.

Declan marched into the bathroom and returned with a wet towel pressed to his bleeding lip. “So what does this mean?”

Scowling, Archer stormed toward the door. “I’m going to see Rose. We’re still going through with our plans tonight and if either of you spill a word of this to Sienna, I’ll have your ass in a sling before either of you can blink.”

“Yes, brother,” Declan replied with a fake smile. “May I remind you that you’re the one with a glitch in his power supply?”

“You’re an ass, Declan.”

“I’m trying to help you!” Declan called after him, but Archer ignored the final comment and raced down the stairs.

If anyone had answers for him, it would be Rose.

And dammit, he needed answers.