The Keepers: Declan. Rae Rivers

had nothing to do with the cool morning air. The image of his furious expression came to mind, sparking an inward cringe. He’d recognised her - knew she’d crossed him; stolen from him. Twice.

      And something told her he wasn’t about to let this go.

      He’d set chase with a vengeance. She’d eventually shrugged him off but couldn’t resist the constant urge to check over her shoulder.

      Kate sipped her coffee and grimaced at the harsh taste, her stomach flipping. Ignoring the adrenaline-fuelled queasiness that was becoming her constant companion, she tossed the empty container in a nearby bin and glanced around to ensure no one was tailing her – an action that had become second nature. She crossed the street and headed to the store on the corner.

      Magic and Mirrors was small and enchanting. It belonged to Hazel, an old friend of her mother’s who’d befriended Kate shortly after her death. Their grief over the loss of a woman they’d both loved gave them companionship. Hazel had become a surrogate mother, taking care of the smallest details at a time when all Kate knew was heartache and fear. In the months following the accident, Hazel had encouraged frequent visits to New Orleans. Needing space from home and its painful memories, Kate had accepted – and without her mother’s influence, their friendship had blossomed.

      Her stomach rolled, as it always did with memories of her mother.

      A woman whose entire life had been dominated by the fear of magic, shunning the supernatural world. She had forbidden all use of magic, only encouraging Kate’s ability to negate magic.

      And only because it was a means of self-defence.

      Kate paused in the doorway of the store and slowly exhaled away the memories and guilt that nipped at her heels.

      The bell shrilled as the door swung open to reveal an older woman with striking black hair and long nails painted a morbid maroon. A wide smile softened her expression when she spotted Kate.

      “Good gracious. You’re back!” Her words came out in a gush of air and she pulled Kate into her arms before waving her inside. “Come out of the cold.”

      Hazel stepped outside, casting a suspicious glance along the street before following Kate inside.

      The faint aroma of herbs filled the store. Several shelves containing roots and herbs lined the back wall. A jewellery case stood in the centre of the room, displaying silver pieces. Strewn across the floor in neat piles were tattered books that hinted at age and wisdom.

      “Did you find the daggers?” Hazel asked, eyes wide with hope.

      “Not all of them.”

      Surprise tugged at her smile and her shoulders fell. “That’s not good. Come, I’ll make some tea and you can tell me what happened.”

      Kate followed her to the small kitchen at the back of the store and held back in the doorway as Hazel assembled a tray. It was a familiar dance for them, a platform for hours of chats. “Has the store been busy?”

      “Not recently, but maybe this weekend. I’m considering casting an enticement spell to draw people in. I need to clear out some stock.”

      It hadn’t taken Kate long to figure out that Hazel was a witch. They’d first met at her mother’s funeral, which had been a quiet affair. Although the details of that day were sketchy, Kate remembered her kindness and had been pleased to bump into her again in New Orleans. She’d been on a buying spree there for her mother’s clothing boutique back home in Southport, North Carolina. Since then, she’d ended up spending more and more time in New Orleans.

      Hazel carried the tray to the small wooden table at the window and sat in one of the mismatched chairs. “Tell me about Rapid Falls. Did you see the Keepers? I’ve heard they’re rather smitten with the Beckham witch.”

      “Apparently, only the older brother, Archer.”

      “Lucky girl to have a trio of male glory at her defence.”

      “She’s a powerful witch, Hazel. There’s nothing lucky about that.”

      Hazel’s grin faded. “Maybe. For some, a magical heritage is a blessing and for others like your mother, it’s a curse. Depends on whether you embrace it.”

      “I wonder if our lives would have been different if my mother had a Keeper to watch over her?”

      “Accepting a Keeper would have meant accepting the world she was born into. She was dead set against anything magical.”

      An understatement. They’d spent years, isolated, steering clear of anyone with supernatural abilities. It was only Hazel who had broken through Kate’s defensive wall and their friendship had been like a breath of much-needed air.

      “Witches have Keepers for a reason,” Kate muttered. “Maybe if she hadn’t been so stubborn, she’d still be alive.”

      “Not all witches need Keepers. Witches like me who dabble in simple magic don’t need protection as much as the elemental witches. Their powers bring added responsibilities and danger. And it’s only rare witches like Sienna who have more than one Keeper.”

      “She didn’t seem so scary in the flesh.”

      “As long as you stay on her good side. She and her Keepers maintain the balance of nature and keep the existence of our kind a secret. They’re highly respected for fending off the Brogan brothers.” She motioned to the tea pot. “You were brave to try and steal the daggers.”

      “I had no choice. I need their protection.”

      Kate poured the tea and explained what had happened at the Bennett Estate.

      “Where are the daggers?” Hazel asked.

      “I hid them on the Bennett estate.”

      Hazel’s eyes rounded as she choked back her tea. “You don’t have them?”

      “It was too risky. Declan Bennett chased after me.”

      “So you simply left them behind?”

      “They’re safe for now.”

      “And your mother’s Grimoire and scroll?”

      Kate couldn’t bring herself to admit she’d lost the scroll she’d found in her mother’s Grimoire. Although the ancient scribbles and symbols held no meaning to her, the fact that her mother had included it with her final letter to Kate had hinted at its importance. And now she’d lost it. “Both are with the daggers. I’ll go back for them after the party.”

      As she’d have to return to the Bennett estate to reclaim the third dagger, leaving everything behind in exchange for a lighter travel had seemed like a good idea.

      Leaving the Grimoire had been hard. Tattered and worn with age, the cover was marked with three interlinked circles, embossed with silver beads. Her mother’s book, one she’d rarely opened. A destiny she’d shunned. She was a witch who had given birth to a daughter with the ability to negate magic.

      A rare power that was hunted by both sides of the supernatural realm. Depending on who reached her first, the war between good and evil that had been in existence since time began might finally be unbalanced. Her power would be used to destroy the opposition.

      Or so her mother had believed.

      Because of this, she’d ingrained into Kate from an early age that they had to keep hidden, fly under the radar of anyone with supernatural abilities.

      As Southport was inhabited only by ordinary humans, steering clear of them had been easy. Their life had been a quiet but happy one, but although her mother’s fear of being discovered had lessened over the years, it had never disappeared entirely. She’d been convinced they’d come for them.

      And she hadn’t been wrong.

      Their attempt to escape a year ago had been anticipated by their hunters, and the chase brutal. The car accident that followed had claimed her mother.