The Keepers: Declan (22 page)

The mood was festive, despite the long day of gruelling work in icy temperatures. At least the sun was out and the skies had cleared. The entire town had come to help with the harvest, an endless stream of people coming and going throughout the day. Everyone was kitted out in snow suits, supplied with endless coffee, and heaps of enthusiasm. It was fun, busy, but filled with a mutual purpose.

Kate added another bunch of frozen grapes to the basket beside her. The sun was setting, the estate basked in a glorious golden shimmer. She straightened, rolling her neck and shoulders.

“You okay?” Declan asked, coming up behind her. He handed her a bottle of water, scanning the vineyard. Strands of black hair peeked out from beneath the beanie he wore and a thin growth of black covered his jaw. God, the man oozed sexy in a way that rivalled all other men.

“I’m fine. Any sign of Harper yet?”

“Not yet, but he’ll show.”

She sipped the water and handed it back to him before removing her gloves. Flexing her fingers, she rubbed them together, surprised at how cold they were despite the warm material.

Declan took her hands in his, brows creasing. “You’re cold. You should come inside.”

“I’m fine, Declan. I’d rather be out here, busy.”

Knowing she was warlock bait didn’t do much to settle her nerves. At least here, outside, the work kept her mind off the fact that everything she’d been running from was about to culminate around her.

And something told her it wouldn’t be pretty.

He covered her hands with his and she grinned when she felt the heat wash over her. It trickled through her fingers, up her arms, warming parts of her that had only ever been touched by him.

“Better?” he asked, his lips curling into a smile.

God, she so wanted to kiss those lips. Instead, she nodded.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small, solid torch, holding it out to her. “Here, you may need this later when it’s dark.”

She smiled and slipped the torch into her pocket. “Thank you.”

He put the gloves back on, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze before swapping the full basket for an empty one.

They worked side by side for two more hours, engulfed in the merry chatter of their neighbours. It was hard not to forget about the impending gloom, the occasion as festive as it was hard work.

But they worked together, into the darkness, amidst the freezing cold, picking grapes to add to the growing baskets.

Dinner came and went in shifts, a steady stream of people moving across the vineyards.

When Declan eventually took her hand and headed to the coffee table, she had a hard time hiding her relief.

“How long does the harvest take?” Kate asked as they joined the queue.

“We’ll work throughout the night, maybe even tomorrow too. It depends on how fast everyone works. The cold doesn’t help.”

“What happens once the grapes are all picked?”

“They’re taken into the winery in town to be squeezed and pressed. Then it goes into the tanks where it ferments for a while.”

Watching him, Kate took the coffee someone pushed into her hand and with a grateful nod, she followed him outside.

Archer and Sienna were already there, sipping coffee and taking a breather of their own.

Sienna smiled and held up a chocolate. “If you’re going to be dragged through the wringer for us, you might as well enjoy it with a sugar rush.”

“That’s her standard excuse for bringing out the sweet stuff,” Declan said, grinning, and reached for the chocolate. He broke off a piece, handing the rest to Kate.

Smiling, she brought the paper cup to her lips. She froze, her mouth filled with a burning liquid that was definitely not coffee. Her lips and mouth began to sting as though she’d consumed a tiny hive of bees. Nausea pushed forward as her entire body objected to the foreign liquid. She whirled around and spat out the vile contents, erupting into a violent coughing fit.

Declan was there in a flash, taking her arm. “Kate? What’s wrong?”

“God, Kate, are you okay?” Sienna asked, putting a hand on her back.

Coughing, she swiped at her mouth. “Rose Thorn,” she choked, her stomach rolling in protest. “This isn’t coffee. It’s Rose Thorn.”

Declan growled, snatching the cup from her. He snapped off the lid and shook the remaining contents. “Did you see who gave you this?”

“No, we were talking.” Kate coughed and gulped the water Archer handed her, desperate to ease the sting.

Every Keeper instinct snapped forward as Declan and Archer surrounded the women, searching the vineyards. Senses alert, they emanated a warrior confidence and anger that had turned their bodies rigid.

“They’re here, aren’t they?” Kate said, her soft voice slicing the sudden tension.

Declan glanced at the near-full moon. “They’re restless, excited, and know their window of opportunity is shrinking.” He looked at Sienna. “Are you sure this will work, Sienna?”

“Of course,” Sienna replied.

Declan tossed the cup into a nearby bin. He wiped his hands and reached for Kate. “Because this is going to get ugly in a way that’ll make our battle with Warrick look like a kiddies’ field trip.”

The flames that burned in bins throughout the vineyards flared with gusto, an indication of the Keeper’s wrath.

And this time, his brothers didn’t stop him.

*****

Declan glanced at the thick clouds rolling across the sky, immediately recognising Ethan’s handiwork. Thunder rumbled and lightning flickered in the distance, strips of white flashes fighting for a place amongst the clouds.

It looked like a grey doom of fury creeping in.

He averted his gaze to Sienna, her expression masked in quiet anger. “You realise that if your witchy wheels come off tonight, we’re screwed?”

“My days of losing my witchy wheels are over,” she said with quiet confidence and took Kate’s arm. “Ready?”

Declan stepped forward, blocking their path. He hesitated, conflicted with the urge to protect Sienna and let her go. It was a constant inner battle that reared its head every time they were under attack. His entire being was programmed to keep her safe from danger, and it took a mammoth reminder that his powerful witch was quite capable of protecting herself.

But now there was Kate too and the inner conflict was at an all-time peak.

“We’ll be fine, Declan,” Kate said, touching his chest.

Her gentle touch fuelled his urge to toss her over his shoulder, Sienna too, and take them inside, out of harm’s way.

He took Kate’s hand, kissed her fingers, and released her with a brief nod, hoping like hell she’d be able to control her magic.

Or they were all toast.

Thunder rumbled, a loud crack of fury that drummed inside him and it wasn’t long after that the sky lit up in a flash of bright light.

Ethan.

He glanced at his brother, sensing his rage. Although Ethan appeared calm, his expression even, he gave off a silent fury that could be lethal if not controlled. They’d learnt long ago not to underestimate their youngest brother. Beneath his easy nature was a brutal warrior fiercely protective of everything his.

Especially his family.

“They’re here.” Ethan’s voice had them all turning around. He stood fixed to the spot, his gaze unwavering on a figure in the vineyard.

Harper Avery.

Bastard.

Harper’s warriors began drifting through the vineyards, dressed in their signature black cloaks and heavily circled eyes. Jonathan hadn’t been far off with his comment about them looking like the Grim Reapers.

“Everyone ready to take down these minions of darkness?” Declan grunted. There were nods all round. “Then let’s get this over with.”

“Declan, wait,” Kate said, grabbing his arm.

He frowned at the urgency in her tone. She stood rigid, her widened eyes flashing with horror, and gaped into the distance. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his instincts flickering like a Christmas tree, and scanned the grounds. There was a flurry of movement as the warriors headed for Harper, combing through the vineyards like spiders out for a meal. In the tall trees in the distance, the silhouettes of jumpers leapt from tree to tree, rustling in the darkness.

“It’s Hazel,” Kate gasped. Her grip tightened and she pointed to the warriors circling Harper. “Oh, my God, Declan, they have Hazel!”

“Who’s Hazel?” Ethan grumbled, staring at the tall woman coming toward them. She had long black hair, mostly covered by the hood of her jacket. Judging by her spew of curses as the warriors dragged her forward, she wasn’t impressed by their harsh treatment.

The woman from New Orleans.

“What the hell’s she doing here?”

Kate tugged on his arm. “Please, Declan. We have to get her away from them before  … ” She swallowed, inhaling quietly. “She’s been like a mother to me this past year. I have to talk to Harper, reason with him.”

“You’ll have better success with a mule.”

“Let me try. Please. They’ll hurt her. I want to talk to Harper first.”

He eyed the warriors, his brothers, and then fixed her with a frustrated glare. “Two minutes,” he grumbled. “Two minutes and then we’re ripping their heads off.”

Seeing Hazel sandwiched between two warlocks as they joined Harper, remembering what they’d done to the witch in New Orleans, Kate felt a rollercoaster surge of emotions.

Hazel was conscious, bristling with nerves, her eyes riddled with worry.

Kate charged down the stairs, ignoring the quick snap of her name as Declan tried to stop her, and headed straight for Harper.

Harper had destroyed her mother, and now threatened her friend and the only link she had left to her old life.

Over her dead body.

“Kate!” Hazel gasped when she saw Kate. “I’m so sorry, they were following me.”

“What are you doing here?” Kate exclaimed, hating the fury that lined her words but dammit, Harper was pulling out all the trump cards he could muster and this one was a biggie.

“You had me worried. I was on my way to Rapid Falls to check on you,” Hazel said, her expression grim and twisted with concern. “I was planning to surprise you.”

A sick sensation rolled through Kate as guilt joined the other emotions already there. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“You’re my friend and you’re in trouble. Of course I’d come.” She levelled Harper with a harsh glare. “I didn’t know they even knew about us.”

Harper took two strides, stopping in front of Hazel, his cheeky grin dismissing her comment as absurd. “Of course we know. We know everything.”

Hazel’s violent attempt to tug free only earned a harsh yank to the hair. She cried out but didn’t pull away, bracing herself for another yank.

“Stop it!” Kate snapped. She drew on her anger to steady her composure. “Release her, Harper.”

“Feeling brave, are we?” Harper shot back with a sly grin.

“She has nothing to do with this.”

“She has everything to do with this.”

“It’s me you want.”

He grinned, running a hand along Hazel’s arm. She recoiled, but could barely move in their tight grip. “Ah, but she’s going to get you to co-operate.”

“I will never give you what you want.”

Harper’s smile hardened as he focused his deathly stare on Hazel. Kate’s instincts prickled. She’d seen that focused stare before. Right before he’d aimed the spear at Declan. Oh, God.

“Harper –”

Hazel gasped, gagged, and her eyes widened as air evaded her, her throat constricted by his invisible grip. Her hands clawed at her throat and she looked around frantically.

“Stop it!” Kate ordered through clenched jaws, hesitating, torn between the urge to protect her friend and avoid falling into their trap. Protective energy whirled inside and she took a calming breath to quell the panic that came with it.

“So stop me,” he quipped, his voice a cheerful challenge. He tightened his hold on Hazel, gaining a choking response from the witch. “You want to save your friend, come and stop me.” He glanced at Sienna and her Keepers rooted behind Kate and grinned. “Oh, right  … 
you can’t
. We all know you’d never risk exposure.”

His statement held so much truth, his words triggering sneers from his men.

“Yet, someone has to protect the people from power-tripping assholes like you,” she said. Inhaling quietly, reaching for calm as Lora’s coaching came to mind, she drew on her magic that would disarm him – and only him.

She focused on Harper, directing the swirl of energy toward her target. The swirl grew stronger and she felt the inward cringe the moment she connected with his darker force.

And hoped she’d be able to maintain the single connection.

His expression faltered at the invasion of her powers. “Feisty! No wonder the fire warrior has taken a shining to you.” He released his magical hold on Hazel, the sudden liberation provoking a series of short coughs as she tried to steady her breathing.

Kate bit back a shudder as the dark magic she’d absorbed began to lessen. She couldn’t suppress the feeling that she’d been violated with a powerful darkness.

With a menacing scowl, he zeroed his focus on Kate and closed the gap between them.

Kate stood her ground, her heartbeat screaming in her chest, but held his gaze with a challenge of her own. It took steely nerves not to flinch as he shoved his face into hers, his breath fanning her cheeks.

“Best you remember one thing, Kate,” he said, all traces of amusement gone from his voice, and grabbed her arm. “I don’t care about the innocent and I will destroy anyone who gets in my way of achieving what I want.”

“Best you remember one thing, Harper,” Kate returned, yanking her arm out of his grip whilst keeping her gaze level to his. “
We do
. And as long as we’re here, you will
never
achieve your goal.”

His glare softened as he grinned. “A stalemate. How predictable.” He glanced at John squatting on the tree branch above them and the warrior let out an eerie laugh of excitement. Although still neat, his hair was spiky and uneven – as though someone had hacked at it with a knife – his narrow eyes flashing with anticipation of the fight to come.

Of all the warriors, Kate was most wary of him. She’d seen his fighting skills, martial arts at their finest, and having him so close sent a trickle of apprehension down her spine.

The younger warrior launched himself forward, landing on the ground in a series of smooth leg and arm movements. In a gliding motion of trained footwork, he headed straight for Jonathan Malloy working quietly nearby.

Something snapped inside Kate and she bolted for John, knocking him over. He might be highly trained in some kick ass manoeuvres, but she had the speed of a Keeper he could only ever dream of.

The warrior crashed to the ground with a muttered curse but was quick to haul himself out of the snow. In a swift movement, Kate spun around, aiming a punch at him which he blocked with rapid arm movements. As his arm drew back, fist rounded in preparation to hit her, she delivered a brutal kick to the centre of his chest. God, she loved the speed that came with her Keeper strength. The impact sent him whirling back against a tree.

The sudden attack sparked a rush of movement amongst Harper’s men. John staggered to his feet, spitting out blood, and arrowed a furious gaze straight at Kate. “You bitch. You knocked out a tooth!” His words were a gurgle of blood.

“You’re holding my one friend captive and you were about to hurt another,” she replied, employing an innocent, cool tone.

Spewing a string of curses that would make his mother blush, he charged.

A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the battle, and connected with the ground between them. Surprised, John frowned and looked around.

The ground began to rumble, the snow shifting with a quiet force that spread through the crowd.

And just like that, Kate felt the Keepers’ presence wrap around her in a protective hold. She knew they were closing in and braced herself for the onslaught of their wrath.

An arrow of fire tore through the circle, slicing across John’s shoulder. His outraged cry ripped through the night and he spun around to locate his attacker.

“It’s the Keepers!” he bellowed. Holding his shoulder, he turned to Harper. “There are people here. What are they doing?”

A nearby crackling snapped away Harper’s reply and they all gaped in horror as leafy vines unravelled to the ground. With snake-like movements, a rush of air moving them forward, they slid toward the stunned warriors. A gush of wind arrowed the vines to the ankles of four warriors.

With a speed that had everyone reeling, the vines tightened around their victims, knocking all four men off their feet. The air whipped around with a screech of wind and in one rapid movement, the vines retracted, dragging them along for a vicious ride.

More vines followed, the rumbling around them grew stronger and lightning flashed.

The Keepers closed in, Sienna between them, and encircled Harper and his warriors. They stared at the intruders with blank expressions, their bodies grounded in warrior poses, their eyes blazing with fury.

Individually, they looked menacing. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Kate dashed through an opening between Harper’s men, joining them. Relief mingled with the adrenaline.

Tension sizzled between the two groups but no one tried to stop her.

“Let the woman go, Harper,” Ethan ordered, his tone lined with a lethal challenge.

Harper laughed, but the sound contained more surprise than amusement. “Right. You’re risking exposure, Bennett.” He made a tsk-tsk sound and shook his head. “Risky, risky.”

“Let her go.”

“The vines might have attracted little attention from your guests but it’ll take a lot more to get us to co-operate.”

“You so sure about that?”

Harper’s lips cracked a smirk. “Empty threats only piss me off.”

“As do intruders in our town,” Ethan said through clenched teeth and raised his arms.

In perfect response, a gush of air whipped through the vineyards and raced around Harper, creating a small but powerful whirlwind.

Using the warriors’ surprise to her advantage, Hazel tugged free and sank to the ground. Crawling, she fought her way through the strong winds, keeping her head low to avoid the cruel wind.

Declan was beside her, hauling her away with a movement so fast that Kate blinked, wondering if he’d even budged. But he had Hazel with him, out of Harper’s reach, and he tucked her behind them before nodding to his brothers.

In one swift movement, as though they were bound as one, they drew on their powers and created chaos around them.

Lashes of fire arrowed through the crowd of warriors, provoking roars of surprise. More wind followed, creating whirlwinds of sand that muffled their vision and threatened to suffocate them. Snow shifted, compacting into lethal weapons of ice, freezing around the feet of the men as they tried to escape.

Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and everywhere the warriors bolted, the snow hardened into thick spears of ice, trapping their exits.

Elemental warriors at work.

The surprise attack was vicious, catching the warriors off guard. With rapid speed, the Keepers diminished the size of Harper’s army. Some were injured, others bolted and the remaining ones staggered around their master.

Sensing he was about to lose the battle, Harper put his head back, released a roar of protest and charged Kate.

Kate braced herself for the attack and reared backward, colliding with another body. Hazel’s arms came up around her, shielding her from Harper.

Declan was there in a flash of movement, a fire ball ready to go.

The impact of fire against flesh was brutal and Harper’s anguished cry tore through the night. With a yell of fury, he retaliated by slamming his hands together, igniting an explosion of rocks that engulfed Declan. Sensing an upper hand, Harper charged.

But Ethan sped between them on a rush of air, wrapped his arms around the warlock’s neck and reared back. His face was masked in something dark and sinister and with a loud growl that echoed his anger, he tightened his grip and snapped the warrior’s neck.

A woman screamed, the sound cutting through everything else, alerting the warriors to the death of their leader. Megan was running through the carnage, but Rick was there to pull her back.

Declan staggered to his feet, stopping beside Ethan. Using both hands, he grabbed hold of the limp warrior still in his brother’s clutches. “You will
never
win this war!” he roared and tossed the lifeless body at the gaping men.

Megan screamed again, tried to tug free, but Rick was already retreating, dragging her with him.

“Are you okay?” Kate asked Hazel between breathless gasps of air as she turned around in her friend’s arms.

Hazel’s expression was clouded with horror and Kate’s instincts fired. She stepped back, only to reel sideways as Max came up behind her. He pounced, she struggled, and together, they collided with the bushes beside them. She slammed her head back, connecting with his, ignoring the blast of pain that came with the blow, and managed to shrug him off her. With a loud grunt, he charged.

And clasped within his hands was a syringe that sent a bolt of panic through her.

Oh, hell no.

She dodged his swing, knocking the syringe out of his hands, and cried out when he grabbed her hair. She dropped, twisted, and elbowed him, grunting with satisfaction as she felt the air explode from his body.

And out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Hazel approaching, the syringe in her hand.

“Hazel, destroy it! It’s Rose Thorn!” she cried, sidestepping Max as he lunged for her.

Rick’s barked orders had Max halting. They stared at each other in prickly silence, breathless, their shoulders heaving. More orders sliced through the tension, withdrawing the men.

As swiftly as they’d moved in, the warriors disappeared.

In response, the elements of nature began to recede. The sky began to settle, the fires sizzled into burning embers, and the ice began to thaw.

Surrounding them was the entire town, friends who’d come to help with the harvest. They were scattered throughout the vineyards, picking the frozen grapes despite the cold and the late hour.

And no one had seen a thing.