The Keepers: Archer. Rae Rivers

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.

      Damn him.

      “Sienna, they’re not Rose’s powers anymore,” he said softly. “They’re yours.”

      She glanced away, knowing that he was right, and hating it. How could he know the fear that came with her powers, the anger toward her grandmother for passing them onto her without an explanation, or the guilt that gnawed at her for what she’d done the first time she’d tapped into her newfound powers?

      Her gaze fell to his scarred hand, and she dragged in a deep breath.

      “I have to go, Archer,” she said, knowing he’d never allow it.

      “Like hell.”

      No surprise. “You’re not a part of my life anymore, and I can’t go back. For the first time in years, I’ve known peace.” Liar, liar.

      He studied her, adding a touch of frost to his gaze. “I’m one of your Keepers, Sienna, and that makes me a part of you until the day you die.”

      “How did you find me?”

      “Rose sensed you were in danger. Clearly, she was right.”

      “My grandmother sent you?” Sienna had always known the older witch would one day give her away. Her hand returned to her necklace, and she frowned. “How …?”

      He shrugged, and she tried not to concentrate on all that muscle beneath the ripped black shirt. “Emotions fuel her remaining powers and when she sensed you were in danger, there was enough anger and worry to frighten even me. A simple locator spell led us here.”

      “That easy, huh?”

      Something dark and angry clouded his features. “No, Sienna. Finding you has been anything but easy.” In two strides, he closed the gap between them. “Do you have any idea what it’s been like for us to lose you?”

      “So you and your brothers lost your witch. Big deal. Find a new one.”

      “It’s not that simple and you know it,” he said, tightening his grip.

      She knew. They were all bound together by destiny and a magical connection that could only be broken by death. It wasn’t something she could easily forget, no matter how hard she’d tried. It was a life neither of them had asked for but had accepted as part of their duty and family legacy, as had their parents and generations of grandparents before them. And when it had become too much for her, she’d run.

      Coward.

      “Two years, Sienna. Two bloody years I’ve been searching for you. How the hell did you keep me away?” His eyes fell on her necklace and his jaw clenched. Before she could stop him, he reached out and closed his fingers around the bulky pendant. “It’s the necklace, isn’t it? That’s why I’ve been unable to sense you.” He looked up, dark eyes burning into hers. “That’s why it’s taken me so long to track you down.”

      “I cast a spell on the necklace. It was the only way you’d stay away.”

      Anger oozed off him in waves and his fingers tightened around the pendant. For a brief moment, she feared he would rip it from her neck.

      She placed her hands around his, willing him not to. “Don’t.”

      He fingered the pendant, glaring at it with a harsh frown. A pentagram with five points that symbolized the five elements of nature, that symbolized them. It was the perfect