The Keepers: Archer (5 page)

“You’re not leaving the house. At least not until you’re stronger. Rose will come here.”

So he wasn’t going to make this easy for her. She dragged her fingers through her red mass of untamed hair and sighed. “Fine. I’ll wear your shirts. For now.”

“Good. Ethan will be home later, and we’ll all have dinner.”

She tossed another pillow at him as he walked out the door. “With a bare ass wearing nothing but a damn shirt. How Sharon Stone of me.”

The silence of the forest was comforting, a brief respite from the crazy turn her life had taken since her attack in the park a few days ago. Sienna knew the path between her grandmother’s cottage and the Bennett estate by heart, a path she’d walked for years. Her feet crunched along the forest debris along the ground, the sound noisy in the silence around her. The smell of pine needles filled the air, triggering old memories of when she’d played in the forest with her Keepers at a time when they’d been nothing more than friends.

And now she was at odds with them all.

Sienna felt the weariness wash over her at the thought and settled her gaze on the stone walled cottage ahead. The sound of water gently trickling nearby hinted that she was close. When she’d been a child, the rocky stream that surrounded Rose’s cottage had often given Sienna the impression that they were on their own island. An island in the middle of a magical forest.

Her heart thudded noisily in her chest when the cottage came into view. A double story cottage with a thatch roof. Rose’s white rose bushes, her pride and joy, edged along the neat wooden picket fence that ran along the front of the house. The chimney that peeped out through the thatch hinted of years of use, black with age. The front door was open, a sign that her grandmother was home. Conflicted with excitement and sadness, Sienna stopped in front of the cottage and simply stared. Sweet Rose with the strawberry blonde hair, kind eyes, and fierce spirit. Sienna knew she shouldn’t blame her for losing control of her powers the night they’d spelled Mason into a tomb. The fault was all hers for channelling them in the first place, but seeing Sarah die in front of her had evoked such devastation that something inside her had snapped. She opened the small wooden gate, the soft creaking of the aching hinges a dead giveaway of her arrival. Rose appeared in the doorway dressed in a long flowing blue skirt and a white blouse. Rose’s hair, several shades lighter than her own, hung loose around her tiny shoulders in a flutter of soft waves.

“Gran?”

Rose’s face brightened at the sight of Sienna, and the older woman rushed down the porch steps to embrace her granddaughter. “I’m so glad you came!”

Sienna didn’t reply but held onto her grandmother for the several moments it took to regain her composure. Holding her again was like gold.

Rose pulled away and gave Sienna’s outfit a quick once over. “Sienna, dear, you starting a new fashion or something?”

“Archer’s afraid I’ll run so he won’t give me any new clothes.”

“So you traipsed through the forests in his shirt and gumboots?”

“It’s not far and no one saw me.” With a wide smile, she pulled her grandmother into her arms again. “I missed you so much.”

Rose wrapped her frail arms around her granddaughter and smiled. “I knew you’d find your way back home.”

“More like home found me.”

“And in the nick of time too.” Rose pulled away to reveal bold green eyes filled with love and wisdom. She grimaced at the fading bruise on Sienna’s cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Archer gave me some painkillers that have taken the edge off the aches and pains.”

“Do you know who did this?”

Sienna followed her grandmother into the kitchen and inhaled the familiar smell of home. Earthy and fresh, with the faint aroma of herbs. Typical of a witch’s kitchen. Some of Sienna’s happiest childhood memories were of her time spent here. “He said his name is Harper.”

“And you couldn’t fry his ass?”

Sienna shook her head and filled the kettle. “Rose Thorn.”

“I’ve had a dose or two of Rose Thorn in my life time,” Rose replied with an all-knowing nod. “Wicked herb. Is he one of Warrick’s minions?”

“Yes. Has Archer filled you in?”

Rose sank into the chair at the kitchen window and sighed. “Of course. I’m glad you’re home, Sienna.”

Sienna offered Rose a warm smile. “It’s good to be back.” Her time away had been fraught with constant worry for her grandmother. Rose had aged, and even though her powers as an ordinary witch were still strong, her body wasn’t.

“You still have some clothes in your old room,” Rose said, giving Sienna’s shirt and gumboots another glance.

“Ah, I could do with some knickers.”

Rose chuckled merrily as Sienna disappeared through the house.

Sienna’s smile quickly faded the moment she opened the door to her bedroom. It smelt musty, starved of air, as though it had remained sealed since she’d left. It was exactly as she’d left it. Only dustier. The bed was still made, the curtains still drawn, and memories of her life still splashed across the room. Sienna swallowed, trying to push away the emotions that suddenly choked her. She wondered how she’d ever had the courage to leave.

With a brief shake of the head to clear her thoughts, Sienna quickly gathered a few items. She opted for only the essentials, as she’d have to haul everything across the forest. Also, a huge load of clothes would look awfully suspicious – a dead giveaway that she’d gone to see her grandmother.

Naughty, naughty.

When she returned to the kitchen, Rose’s expression brightened. “Tell me about your trip,” she said, placing two steaming mugs of coffee on the kitchen table.

Sienna reached for the coffee with an appreciative smile, not commenting on her grandmother’s choice of words. She’d hardly call a two-year absence a “trip.”

Several hours later, when Sienna suggested that she stay over, Rose wouldn’t hear of it.

“You’re better off with your Keepers, Sienna.” She glanced out the window. “And the sun is setting so you’d best be making your way home. It’s almost time for dinner.”

Sienna would have argued, but as fatigue still reigned, dinner and sleep sounded like an attractive idea. “I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

“Of course.” Rose placed a hand on Sienna’s arm, her touch light and gentle. “I’m surprised the boys let you come here alone.” When Sienna remained silent and simply reached for her gumboots, Rose’s jaw dropped. “Sienna, they don’t know you’re here?”

“If they knew they’d be here.”

Rose gave a low chuckle. “Archer’s going to pop a vein, girl.”

“As if I care.”

The expression on her grandmother’s face cooled. “You don’t fool me, Sienna.”

“I’m fine,” Sienna replied, never having doubted it. She’d always been transparent with Rose.

“And Archer?”

The smile disappeared. “Archer’s also fine.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know.”

“You two were always together.” Rose’s eyes were ripe with concern. “It must have been hard to be apart for so long.”

“He was my best friend.” Always had been. After all, his parents had been her mother’s Keepers. At first, they’d spent every day together as neighbourhood friends. Later, after their parents’ deaths when he’d inherited the role as her Keeper from his parents, they were inseparable. But their attraction had grown to the point that it bordered on the forbidden. “I miss him. I miss the way we used to be.”

Rose stood and embraced the younger woman. “Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you two?”

“Nothing happened.”

The older woman pulled back to look at Sienna. “Did it have something to do with Sarah’s death?”

“Mostly.”

“I know Sarah’s death was hard on you both but I suspect it had something to do with The Circle’s curse.”

Yes. “No.”

“It may be hard for you to understand why The Circle forbids a witch to get involved with her Keeper, Sienna. They don’t want that kind of emotional connection interfering with your choices in maintaining the balance of nature.”

“Those old hags shouldn’t have a say in my love life!” Sienna snapped and then quickly drew herself back. Challenging a bunch of ancestral witches that governed the rules around witchcraft was not something she usually did. “And besides, my leaving after Sarah’s death involved a lot more than just my relationship with Archer.”

“Sarah’s death wasn’t your fault, Sienna. That was all Warrick Brogan.”

“She was there because of me.” Her tone had taken on an edge of venom to it, despite her resolve not to. “And when Warrick killed her, I lost it to the point that I hurt my Keepers. That’s not something that’ll ever leave me.”

Rose placed a wrinkled hand on Sienna’s arm. “It was a mistake, Sienna.”

“I almost killed them!”

“But you didn’t.”

“I could have. I was so angry, so devastated when Sarah died. I destroyed the tomb with powers I had no idea how to control and once I became weak, I drew my strength from Declan and Ethan to the point that I almost killed them. What kind of witch does that make me?” Sienna turned away, struck with the images of the chaos she’d created that night.

“The reason witches have that connection to their Keepers is for that very reason, Sienna. We’re supposed to be able to draw energy from each other.”

“Not to the point that I kill them. I couldn’t stop,” she said, her voice filled with the anguish that had taunted her for years. An image of Archer trapped in the fire in the tomb whilst trying to stop her came to mind, ripping open old wounds. “And Archer was burned in the fire I created. His hand still carries the scars.” Unlike the rest of his scars, this one would never disappear as it was caused by a witch, by her.

Rose’s hands came up to cup Sienna’s face so that they were facing each other. “Sienna, you made a mistake. One that you can’t change but eventually, you’ll learn to live with it.”

“I wasn’t ready.”

Everything fell quiet, the elephant in the room having reared its head. For a moment, neither of them spoke, but when her grandmother wrapped her arms around her, Sienna couldn’t help but let her.

“You have to trust me, Sienna,” Rose said quietly against her granddaughter’s hair. “Receiving such power is enough to frighten anyone. I know because I was also once in your position.”

“How did you learn to control them?”

“With practice, a lot of whiskey to numb my nerves, and plenty of time spent alone in nature.”

Sienna gave her grandmother a brief smile. Rose might be heading toward seventy, but the old woman still loved her whiskey.

“You simply need some time, Sienna. Play with your magic, practice your skills, and embrace them. They’re a gift.”

“They’re nothing but a curse.”

“Sienna, don’t say that.”

“Magic destroys, Gran. My parents, Sarah, the way I harmed my Keepers.” Sienna pulled back, the familiar urge to run making her feel agitated. “I should leave before Archer comes looking for me.”

Rose placed a gentle kiss on Sienna’s cheek and pulled back to look at her. “You don’t understand why I transferred my powers to you, Sienna, but one day you will. You have your own destiny to fulfil, just as I did. But it’s your journey to discover.” She pulled away, offering a weak smile that was oddly comforting. “Your Keepers are waiting.”

Sienna glanced outside at the fading afternoon sunlight and nodded. “Yes, I should go.” She hugged Rose one more time before making her way to the door. She hesitated in the doorway and turned to look at her grandmother. “What would it take to break The Circle’s curse on a Keeper and his witch?”

Rose met her gaze, her own eyes flashing with a brief glimpse of sorrow. “It’s complicated.”

“But it can be done?”

“Yes.”

Hope fired, despite the warning voice that niggled. “How?”

“With a counteracting spell and a blood sacrifice. A death.”

And just like that, all Sienna’s hopes went up in flames. There was no way she’d ever offer a blood sacrifice if it meant death. Sienna bit back a response and simply nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

By the time Sienna made her way through the forest toward the Manor House, the sun had begun setting at a rapid pace. The fading light didn’t worry her; the darkness was well suited to her mood.

Archer. Sarah. Her parents. Rose.

Not a day went by that she didn’t think of her parents or Sarah Bennett, her fourth Keeper. And every day, the pain that came with the memory surrounding their deaths still twisted her soul. She’d simply discovered how to muffle the pain and move on.

Her parents, solid and kind, full of wisdom and love. They’d made her feel safe, treasured, and she’d blossomed under their care. Her father had been the town sheriff of Rapid Falls, her mother a Beckham witch. An odd couple but together, they’d fought for order and harmony in their town.

Sadly, it was their quest for peace that had eventually destroyed them.

Sarah too, with her kind eyes, contagious laugh, and endless chatter. She’d been like a sister to Sienna and living in such close proximity with three strong males had called for some female companionship to balance the odds. They’d shared so much love and laughter and losing Sarah was like losing a treasured part of herself.

Sienna swiped at her tears, cursing them. She’d be damned if she’d put Rose or another one of her Keepers in danger protecting her. They were all she had left.

But Archer was right.

She did need the Bennett brothers and the protection they offered. She’d missed them and a small part of her was thrilled they’d found her. The thought unsettled her and she frowned, rubbing her arms with her hands to ward off the chill.

The snapping of a nearby twig had her whirling around.

“Hello?”

Silence greeted her and she swallowed, trying to ignore the sudden uneasiness that had taken hold of her. Her instincts prickled, and she cast a quick glance toward the Manor House. She was close but even at a fast run she would never reach it in time.

In time for what?

Before being mauled by the likes of Harper? A wolf? Before she could contemplate which option would be the lesser evil, two dark shadows stepped out from the shadows of the night.

Senses in prime form, Sienna heard the soft whoosh of the dart gun before the dart reached her. She dropped to the ground, out of its lethal aim, and grunted with satisfaction when the dart disappeared in the darkness. With the skills of a trained warrior, she sprang to her feet, her eyes pinned on the men.