The Keepers: Ethan. Rae Rivers

both knew how much Declan loved his bike.

      “Think he’ll be mad?” Jenna asked, even though she knew she’d just plummeted to the bottom of his Christmas list.

      Her question went unanswered as they stared at the fading flames in silence.

      And then Kate giggled.

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

      The air in the tunnel was hot and musty. Dozens of cobwebs hung from the low ceiling, difficult to spot in the narrow flashlight of Jenna’s phone. It was a long, uncomfortable walk but the tunnel served its purpose.

      Ethan and Declan were waiting for them, Sienna and Archer behind them. They all sported scratches and bruises, worried frowns and pissed-off expressions. But the tension in the air eased the moment they were reunited.

      After exchanging relieved hugs and quick updates, Archer and Sienna led Kate out of the tunnel and into the basement. But Jenna didn’t follow. Instead, she turned to Declan, hovering beside her like a riled-up bear. She swiped at the moisture on her forehead and sighed. “You really want to do this now, Declan?”

      “Damn right.” His words were quiet and fury clouded his expression. He pointed after Sienna and Kate. “Archer wrapped his car around a damn tree thanks to air bags exploding for no reason and Kate –”

      “Is unhurt and home safely,” she interrupted, reaching for patience. “I said I’d take care of her and I did, Declan. That tunnel was torture and I’m not in the mood –”

      “Were you hurt?” When her brows lifted, he moved around her. His hair was messier than usual, his shirt torn, a hint he’d had a struggle of his own. “Dammit, Jenna, were you hurt?”

      “Like you care?”

      “Kate cares so I care and if you’re watching over her, then I need to know you’re in top form.”

      A small smile broke free. “Careful, or I might think you’re worried about me.”

      “Keep dreaming, Blondie.” Frowning, he took her arm. “I told you to stay at the restaurant.”

      “Things settled quickly after you left. It was safer to leave.” She yanked her arm free. “I brought her home, Declan. That was the best of a lot of crappy options.”

      “What happened?” Ethan asked, dropping a hand on his brother’s shoulder, easing Declan away from her. His knuckles were red, swollen and scratched.

      “We were ambushed in the driveway,” Jenna replied, her lowered tone losing the defensive edge, “by hellhounds.”

      “Hellhounds?” Ethan gaped at her. “They’re legends. We’ve never –”

      “They came through the open portal to Ameera,” Jenna interrupted. She explained what had happened and the more she spoke, the more their agitation grew. “We had no choice but to head for the forest.”

      Ethan ran a hand across his face. “Shifters, hellhounds, what the hell’s next?”

      “I saw Megan tonight. She had a message. Hazel wants to exchange closing the portal for her Grimoire.”

      Declan snorted. “Right. Like we’d agree to that.”

      “Of course not but …” Jenna inhaled quietly, her gaze moving between theirs. “If the portal stays open, what we saw tonight won’t scratch the surface of what’s to come.”

      They nodded, a heavy silence wedging between them.

      Ethan moved to the side of the tunnel and held out a hand, motioning her forward.

      She glanced back at Declan. “Oh, and I should mention you’ll need a new bike.” Her heart thudded at the intensity of his glare. Slowly, silently, he raised a brow. “It was either saving Kate or your bike. I went with Kate.”

      “That was the explosion we heard?” His nostrils flared. “How’s it possible that in one night, one fucking night, creatures from hell set fire to our town and targeted Kate?”

      “Oh, and that’s the other thing,” Jenna said quietly. “I don’t think they were after Kate. They were after me.”

      ****

       They were after me.

      Jenna’s words echoed in Ethan’s mind as he climbed the stairs to his room.

      Hot damn, but hearing her say that had given him a good dose of the shivers. She’d said it so casually, as though being marked by vicious wolves on a magical high was the most normal thing in the world.

      But he saw right through her. Beneath the bad-ass front she maintained around his brothers existed layers of worry that seldom showed.

      Everyone had gone to bed, even though the morning sunlight would soon filter through the windows. They’d kept most of the blinds shut to keep the rest of the world out for a few hours.

      He revelled in the silence of his room. Quiet and in the furthest part of the mansion. His space. Designed as a spacious apartment attached to the house, complete with an open-plan living area, kitchenette, and bedroom. Decorated the way he liked it. Simple and sparse.

      The exact opposite of his lifestyle.

      He never brought women up here. Excluding Jenna, but that was different on so many levels. Other than Sienna, she had the only woman pass he’d ever issued.

      He’d soon figured out she shared his need for space – time out from the touchy-feely shit and all-knowing looks happening downstairs. Their single status amongst a house full of lovebirds had bound their friendship immediately.

      His dates used to be fun. But now, with all the crap he and his brothers faced on a daily basis? Not so much. Although great women, making smalltalk over dinner with them had grown increasingly harder, soon frustrating the hell out of him – to the point that he’d begun to swap nights out for nights in.

      With Jenna.

      And they weren’t even having sex.

      He blinked.

      Where the hell had that come from?

      He tossed his jacket over the leather couch, ignoring the way his body had reacted to that thought.

      Right. Water.

      Clearing his throat again, he walked to the kitchen. It was small but stocked with the basics.

      In the months following Sarah’s death, other than venturing out to work, he’d holed up here. The main house had been too empty, sad. His sister’s death had sent Sienna and Declan hightailing it out of Rapid Falls. He’d missed Sienna, worried about her, but Declan’s departure had been a blessing. Had he stayed, his brothers would’ve killed each other, the rift more than a simple spat.

      Guilt. Anger. Resentment.

      And a shitload of grief that paled everything else.

      Managing the restaurant renovations and the winery had fallen on Ethan’s shoulders. He’d had no choice. With Archer’s focus on finding Sienna, and Declan drowning his sorrows in whiskey and women, someone had to man the hell up.

      Declan and Sienna had finally returned two years later to fend off Mason Brogan’s younger brother, Warrick. They’d killed Warrick and ensured Mason remained entombed in an underground storage room on their estate. A victory, but one that had come with a price. They’d almost lost Sienna. Instead, they’d lost Rose, her grandmother.

      Kate and Jenna’s arrival a while later had tallied their head count to six people living under one roof. Despite the size of their house, Ethan had soon felt crowded. After having only Archer as company for so long and with two budding relationships between his brothers and