Читать книгу The Keepers: Archer - Rae Rivers - Страница 7

Damn. Her attackers had given her Rose Thorn.

A useless herb for most, but to witches, the tiny plant had the ability to weaken and strip her of her powers.

Sienna was furious. For two years, she’d packaged her powers in a neat little box and stored them away until the day she’d need them again.

Today, she needed them – really needed them – but the herb had ravished her, destroying any chances of accessing them. For now anyway.

The loss of control unnerved her. It was one thing choosing not to channel her powers. Being stripped of that choice was another thing entirely.

She glanced around the room, trying to make sense of where they’d taken her. An abandoned house – sparsely furnished, darkened windows. The stuff horror movies were made of. Of everything, the quiet surroundings frightened her. Without her powers, she had little chance of freeing herself from these men and a little neighbourly assistance would have been nice.

“She’s awake,” her first attacker said, the man from the park, motioning toward her.

“Who are you?” she asked, but had to clear her throat. God, she was so thirsty.

“Call me Harper.”

She eyed Harper, sizing him up. Where he lacked height, he made up with bulk and attitude. The man had a menacing aura around him that had Sienna immediately on edge. She glanced at the other two men skulking in the background. It didn’t take rocket science to figure out who was running this circus.

Trying not to wince, she struggled to her feet, but her legs buckled beneath her and she slumped against the tattered couch. Before she could try again, Harper had his booted foot on her back.

“Down, witch.”

“Brave to mess with a Beckham witch, aren’t you?”

“Stupid to walk without your Keepers, aren’t you?”

“What do you want with me?”

He smiled, but the smile held more evil than amusement. “Warrick Brogan has big plans for you.”

The warlock’s name sent an instant chill down her spine and Sienna had to concentrate on masking her surprise. It was hard to think that the man had once been a friend to her and the Bennett brothers. Now, the mention of his name made her stomach clench. “Warrick Brogan can kiss my ass.”

“Now who’s brave?”

“I’m not afraid of you.” She was pleased that her voice sounded steady, even though her insides were rolling.

Harper waved the syringe at her. “You should be. Without your powers, you’re no challenge to us.”

“And without me, my powers are of no use to you so why am I here?”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?” He sat on the table in front of her, the ancient wood creaking beneath his weight, and leaned closer. “You’re a witch from a lineage of even more powerful witches. What’s the one thing we could possibly want?”

The Beckham Grimoire.

Sienna’s heart sank. Of course. She should’ve known this was about the damn book. She was destined to keep her family’s Grimoire safe – a thick book of handwritten notes that listed all the rituals, spells, potions, formulas, and magical properties ever used by a Beckham witch. To someone like Warrick Brogan, the book was lethal.

And everything her parents and Archer’s parents had fought for, and eventually died for, would be for nothing.

Their vision of a life where supernatural people could live in harmony with ordinary people would truly be up in flames.

Over a century ago, six families: the Bennetts, the Beckhams, the Brogans, and three other, ordinary families had founded Rapid Falls, a small abandoned area once thought to have an abundance of mystical energy. Over time, they’d established a thriving community.

Their agreement had been simple. They lived and worked in harmony and kept any supernatural tendencies a secret. No harming humans, no public displays of supernatural abilities. For the longest time, their agreement had worked, until a few generations later; Warrick’s parents had developed a different vision. Instead of a peaceful existence, their vision consisted of freedom, control, and exposure. A feud had broken out, altering their friendship circle forever. In the end, her parents and Archer’s parents had lost the battle.

Sienna still remembered the fire as vividly as though it had just happened. The image of her house engulfed in thick orange flames and the horror of knowing their parents were inside had affected her forever.

When suspicion had fallen on Warrick’s parents, they’d left town. Then, in a brutal car accident, they died – leaving Brogan and Warrick as orphans, and taking the truth of the fire to the grave.

It hadn’t been long before the two brothers had made it clear that they shared the same views as their parents and would do anything, hurt anyone, in order to have the freedom and control their parents had fought for.

Like hell.

She would die before she handed over her Grimoire.

“I don’t have it,” she said firmly, shoving away the anger and resentment stewing inside.

“But you know where it is and according to the legend, we need a Beckham witch to open it. Warrick seems to think you’ll also know the location of all four stones.”

“Chasing the book is like chasing a rainbow. You’ll never get close, and you’ll certainly never hit gold.”

“It exists and we’ll not only find it, Sienna, we’ll open it.”

She touched a hand to her pounding head, willing the pain away. The blinding headache only clouded her already murky thoughts. It was hard enough to think clearly with Harper pointing a syringe of Rose Thorn at her. The damn headache had to go.

She knew precisely why Warrick wanted the Grimoire. She was simply surprised he’d taken so long to come for it.

Two years ago, in a desperate attempt to bring an end to the wicked hold the Brogan brothers had on everyone, Sienna and her grandmother had cast a spell. Mason Brogan, the older and bigger evil of the two brothers, was spelled into an abandoned underground church tomb deep inside the forests of their hometown, cursed to live as the dead until ever freed. As for the younger brother, Warrick Brogan, they’d cast a spell on him to diminish his powers, underestimating his evilness.

Warrick had retaliated, killing Sarah Bennett, her fourth Keeper and dearest friend. That night had altered the course of their lives and the reality of Sarah’s death had sent everything reeling out of place.

Without his brother or his powers, Warrick had simply vanished.

Until now.

If Warrick ever got his hands on the book and the four stones that were the key to opening it, he’d access the spell binding Mason, and could then unseal the curse.

“Have you found the other stones yet?” Sienna asked, her stomach rolling at the thought.

He grinned, meeting her eyes. “We’re working on it.”

“Even if you find the book, you’ll never be able to open it.”

“They all warned me that I’d never catch a Beckham witch, but here you are.” He kicked at the rope around her ankles. “Bound, weak, useless.” Pleased with himself, he started to chuckle.

“I’ll never help you.”

“You will or people will die. You’re a witch so you’ll never let that happen.” He trailed a calloused finger along her jaw and down to the silver necklace around her neck, his touch light, yet harsh at the same time. “Beautiful necklace.” His fingers clasped around the solid pendant and toyed for a moment before yanking it off her.

“No!” Eyes widened in disbelief as her hands flew to the spot on her neck where the necklace had hung for the last two years.

“A family heirloom?”

His mocking tone stirred the lull inside of her and fury sparked a sudden burst of renewed strength. Sienna pushed at his chest and he stumbled backward. Stronger than her, he recovered with the speed of a demon and pounced.

His slap was brutal. “You’re weak, Sienna. Nothing you do can harm me.”

“I won’t always be weak,” she said, hating that he was right. The effects from the Rose Thorn still ravaged her and until the dreaded herb left her system, she would never be able to fight him off.

“But just to be sure …” he said with a wicked smile and brought the syringe toward her.

She baulked in fear, panic taking its destructive grip. “You can’t!” She tried to back away from him, but stumbled against the couch behind her. “A second dose so soon could be deadly.”

He grinned and closed in on her. “A gamble.”

“No!” she screamed as all three men held her down and injected her with the dreaded herb. The affect was instant and her body went completely limp. She fought for consciousness, tried to claw her way out of the blackness.

And lost.

Much later, she resurfaced long enough to hear the shouting, breaking glass and violence - terrifying sounds that rattled her to the core. She tried to open her eyes, to make sense of the chaos around her, but sleep beckoned.

Then silence fell.

Confusion reigned and she couldn’t move, couldn’t fight back. Alone. She was so alone and at the mercy of these three men.

And out of the darkness, she saw him.

Archer.

“Sienna,” Archer murmured, kneeling beside her. “It’s over.”

“Archer?”

“It’s okay, we’re here. You’re safe now.”

Strong arms drew her in as the blackness engulfed her again.

Her Keepers had found her.