The Keepers: Declan

by Rae Rivers

  “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.�
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  “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.

  CHAPTER FORTY ONE

  Keeping an eye on the retreating warriors, Declan bolted for Kate, snapping her name, grunting in relief when she stumbled out of the bushes. He was beside her before she straightened, helping her up. “Are you okay?” he asked, cupping her face, her shoulders, running his hands down her arms. “God, Kate, are you hurt?”

  She shook her head, breathless. “I’m fine. Max attacked me but he’s gone. Where’s Hazel?” she asked, whirling around.

  Good question.

  Kate gasped, grabbing his shirt. “Where is she? Oh, my God, did they take her?”

  Archer and Ethan scattered, filtering through the chaos in search of the witch.

  “They’ll kill her!” Kate said, her eyes wide as she bunched the material in her fists.

  “We’ll get her back, Kate.” He covered her hands with his. “We’ll find her.”

  “She’s my friend. She –”

  He grabbed her shoulders. “We’ll find her.”

  A quick glance at Ethan’s grimace and he had his answer. Hazel was gone. Shit.

  Kate looked around, waving a hand across the vineyards. “But the town folk? They acted as if nothing happened.”

  He frowned, surprised at her question. A trickle of apprehension ran down his spine at her confused expression. Exhaustion? Declan reached for her, pulling her into the protective shield of his arms. “The spell Sienna and Lora cast worked.”

  A spell that prevented any ordinary humans from seeing anything magical. He flashed his witch a proud grin, so damn relieved that it’d worked.

  They’d annihilated Harper and his minions metres from their friends and no one had seen a thing.

  “They didn’t see any of this?”

  He shook his head, unable to ignore the way his senses prickled. “Or any of us with superhuman abilities.”

  “Impressive. A powerful spell,” she replied with a nod of approval.

  “We have a powerful witch,” he said, glancing at Sienna.

  And Lora too. For the first time in years, Lora had practised her magic, helping Sienna to cast the spell. It was a tricky one, easily broken and very seldom used because of the energy needed to maintain it. Thanks to their combined powers and the energy from the moon, the witches had all the fuel they needed. Lora had stayed inside to keep the spell in place. At least she was safe there.

  And probably itching to see her granddaughter’s safe return.

  Archer hoisted the lifeless Harper over his shoulder. “Take Kate and Sienna inside while I dump the warlock in our basement.”

  “Seriously?” Sienna’s jaw dropped. “Our basement?”

  Archer grinned at her horrified expression and adjusted the weight on his shoulders. “When everyone leaves we’ll bury him. Guess we’ll have to let Pam know what’s happened.”

  Declan nodded, not looking forward to that conversation. The sheriff wouldn’t be pleased, despite the fact they’d just rid their town of evil. Explaining a dead body was never easy and she’d have a lot to say.

  Archer left, taking Harper with him. The reality of the warlock’s death gave Declan a blast of satisfaction. They’d destroyed Kate’s hunter. Avenged her mother’s death. Sarah. Rose.

  At last.

  Declan tightened his grip on Kate, breathing her in.

  And froze. Something was off. Way fucking off, and this time, his instincts began firing all over the show.

  He studied her face, her expression, suddenly finding it odd that she’d given up the fight for Hazel so fast. Her confusion, her questions …

  And then
everything reeled into place.

  With a curse and a flash of movement, he twisted his body so that he faced her. He shoved a hand against her throat and rammed her up against the tree behind her.

  “Declan!” Sienna cried, running forward. “Declan, stop it!”

  “What the hell are you up to?” Declan yelled, adding another shove against the tree. “You think you can fool me? You think I wouldn’t know?”

  Air slammed from Kate’s body and she struggled against his grasp. “Declan, you’re hurting me!”

  Ethan was behind him in an instant, pulling Declan off her but with a roar, he shrugged free and blundered forward like a tank truck about to explode.

  His grip was so brutal that she gasped air, clawing at his hands.

  “What the fuck is this?” he shouted, adding more pressure, not giving a damn when her eyes began to bulge.

  “Declan!” Ethan yelled, grabbing his shoulders. “What are you doing, man? Let her go!”

  Declan fisted her hair and yanked her head back. He shoved his face in hers, fury driving him to an edge he’d seldom experienced.

  “Where is she?” he demanded, bracing himself against Ethan. “Where have they taken her?”

  Sienna’s gasp of realisation shot through the silence. “Oh, my God,” she said, pulling Ethan off him. “Ethan, stop it!”

  “Declan!” Ethan bellowed, grabbing his brother’s shoulders. “You’re crazy! You’re hurting –”

  “It’s not her!” Sienna screamed, grabbing Ethan’s arm as he was about to punch his brother. He froze, gawking at her as his brain registered the words. “It’s not Kate!”

  ****

  Kate awoke with a gasp of air, panic slamming home as darkness greeted her.

  The kind of darkness that hinted at trouble and isolation.

  It was so quiet. Too quiet.

  She lay on her back, staring straight ahead, blinking rapidly. Even though she couldn’t see anything, the stale air suggested captivity. Her breathing quickened, the sound of her pounding heart her only companion.

  She was cold, despite the stuffiness, and instant shivers took root. Reaching up, she frowned when her hands connected with a solid roof. Sucking in air, she spread out her hands, her fingers touching cushioned padding.