The Keepers: Archer. Rae Rivers

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СКАЧАТЬ her. She dropped to the ground, out of its lethal aim, and grunted with satisfaction when the dart disappeared in the darkness. With the skills of a trained warrior, she sprang to her feet, her eyes pinned on the men.

      “Rose Thorn?” she asked, glancing at the offensive gun. A rumble of powers stirred inside as her body went into defensive mode. In response, the trees began to rustle around them.

      “Worked last time.”

      Sienna’s stomach rolled as she recognized the voice. “Harper. Back so soon?”

      Harper stepped forward, wearing a leather jacket and a wicked smile, and reloaded. “I would’ve thought you’d be expecting me.”

      “On the Bennett property? You must have a death wish.”

      His brief laugh sounded more like mockery than amusement. “What better plan than to steal their witch from right under their nose?”

      “Ah. There’s only one problem though.”

      “And that would be?”

      “You’re fresh out of Rose Thorn,” she replied, raising unsteady arms in his direction. A strong gust of wind rose up around them but vanished before she could channel it.

      Harper gave her a satisfied smile. “Is that all you have, witchy? Even without the Rose Thorn, your powers are still sketchy.”

      With shaking hands, Sienna tried again. The air shifted again, creating a slight whirlwind of forest debris. She raised her arms and sent the whirlwind their way but it whooshed past them, missing them completely.

      Harper laughed and edged closer, raising the gun in her direction.

      Sienna dragged in air, as the stupid tears welled in her eyes. This is what her fears had reduced her to?

      His accomplice broke away to circle her, the motion sparking her defences all over again.

      She moved backward as they closed in on her and panic welled up inside her. Giving in to the survival mode that overrode everything else, Sienna flung out her arms with a soft cry. A strong gust of wind slammed against Harper, catching him off guard, and sent the gun smashing against a nearby tree, destroying the batch of dreaded herb. Harper’s accomplice produced a second gun with lightning speed, but he quickly retreated a few steps when the gun exploded and landed at his feet.

      Feeling empowered from the magic she still shunned, Sienna started chanting in a fierce tone that had both men stop and take notice. The chanting became louder, quicker, and more forceful, a fierce combination of fury and self-preservation brewing a deadly cocktail within, overriding her fear of the magic.

      “Cut the crap, witch,” Harper ordered and slowly backed away.

      The fear in his voice enthralled her, rather than stopped her, and Sienna flung out her arms with more purpose. A spark ignited into a ring of fire and chased off with neat precision, immediately forming a perfect circle around the two men.

      They’d kept her prisoner. She was about to return the favour.

      Instinctively, both men charged forward in hope of scaling the small wall of fire, but Sienna had already anticipated their move. With a quick raise of the arms, the wall of flames heightened.

      “Don’t even try,” she warned. “I’ve spelled the circle.” When they backed down with loud curses, she gave them a wicked grin. “Not so brave now, are you?”

      Even as she said it, she felt the briefest crack in her armour. Her powers were as strong as ever, but her body still lagged from the tail end effects of the Rose Thorn and despite the sudden unwelcome satisfaction at using magic again, the fear of losing control still lingered.

      The bright flames flickered and Sienna had to concentrate on maintaining the intensity of heat. The circle of fire raged on, a deep glow of red in a circle of darkness.

      She wouldn’t be able to hold them for much longer. With a grimace, she sank to her knees but held her head high.

      There was no way she’d allow Harper see just how badly the Rose Thorn, or her demons, had tormented her.

      Hell no.

      ****

      Archer walked to the edge of the patio and scanned the grounds, a familiar discomfort of warning tugging at his gut. He sensed fear and aggression.

      And it wasn’t his.

      As if to confirm his uneasiness, Levi stood on quiet alert at the top of the stairs, staring into the darkness.

      “Levi?”

      The retriever tilted her head and whined.

      Archer discarded the drink and frowned when he saw the soft glow of flames licking at the haze of darkness in the distance.

      Before he could process the sight, Ethan walked up behind him.

      “What the hell is that?” Ethan asked, motioning to the fire with the glass in his hand. “Rose have some voodoo witchy crap going on?”

      Archer narrowed his eyes, doubtful. “Why would Rose have a roaring fire in the middle of the forest?” The nagging sensation in his gut heightened, demanding he sit up and take action. And then it dawned on him. “It’s Sienna. Something’s wrong.”

      “Isn’t she up in her room?” Ethan asked, quickly setting his glass on the table beside him. “Have you checked on her again?”

      “I’m going to kill her,” Archer said, and bolted down the stairs, Levi directly beside him.

      With their supernatural speed, it took mere moments for both brothers to reach the fire.

      Archer slapped a hand across Ethan’s chest, putting an abrupt stop to his haste. With his other hand, he reigned in the unsettled dog.

      With a brief nod, Ethan motioned to the circle of flames ahead of them. “Voodoo witchy crap. What the hell are they doing?”

      “I have no bloody idea.” But the smell of raw aggression punched him in the gut. And fear. Sienna’s fear. Archer looked around, his fists clenched at his sides. The fire blazed sharply, eliminating the dullness of the darkening forest. Nearby leaves of several tree branches sizzled into a crackling oblivion. His stomach rolled when he saw the silhouettes of the two men trapped in the middle of the fire.

      Barking furiously, Levi broke away from Archer and bolted.

      And then he saw her.

      Sienna.

      The sight of Sienna on her knees, drawing on the remains of her strength to keep the two men trapped in their fire prison, sent immediate chills down his spine.

      “Sienna!”

      Levi was already all over her. Sienna’s head whipped around, and he saw the relief cross her face.

      “What took you so long?” she asked casually, but he heard the strain in her voice.

      “What happened?” СКАЧАТЬ