Читать книгу The Keepers: Ethan - Rae Rivers - Страница 14

The opening of the restaurant coincided with the school’s annual parade, one of the town’s many traditions. Each summer, the high school seniors hosted the parade, an event that had grown so popular over the years that it attracted tourists from all over.

The main road hummed with activity, the restaurants crammed with visitors. The aroma of fried donuts filtered through the air, sweet and enticing. Children ran between the crowds of people that walked the streets, lined with vendors selling homemade crafts or fresh produce. Others lay sprawled on picnic blankets in the central garden. Their laughter and voices mingled with the music played by the band.

The celebrations for Ethan’s restaurant opening were in full swing. A joyous occasion that did little to shred Jenna’s uneasiness.

Darkness was near. She could feel it.

They all could, but in a world where their kind lived in secret and social obligations like restaurant openings and festivals couldn’t be avoided, events that surrounded them with friends determined to celebrate, they had no choice but to mask the worry and pretend that Rapid Falls was the perky, safe little town everyone thought it was.

What a load of crock.

Jenna scanned the street again before going into the restaurant. She slid into an empty seat at the end of the bar and eyed the bottles of alcohol against the wall, longing for the oblivion the clear liquid promised. But no. She hadn’t eaten much and needed a clear head.

They’d packed the restaurant to capacity, a steady flow of people coming and going. The aromas of garlic and herbs spiced the air, a contrast to the sweet scent on the street.

The restaurant had been refurbished with a contemporary feel, but the wooden floors, brick walls, and lighting gave it a warm edge.

Sarah’s.

An apt name for the restaurant and a brilliant way to honour an amazing woman.

A loud rumble of thunder reverberated above them, followed by Ethan’s laugh, which drifted across the room. Two women were draped around him at the far end of the bar. One distributed shots of Tequila.

Mr. Popular himself. Always the first of the brothers the women flocked to – even more so now that Archer and Declan were no longer single. Beneath his easy-going personality were layers of a mysterious, quiet confidence the women adored.

Jenna wondered how many of them actually made it back to his bed. She knew he avoided a relationship the same way he avoided asparagus. Didn’t like it, wouldn’t try it. His encounters were brief and fun.

Hell, the thought of Ethan doing a naked monkey dance with any of these women added a spark of annoyance straight to her gut.

And she refused to decode why. Nope.

He’d shaved, the subtle scent of his aftershave knocking at her senses every time he came close. He wore a white shirt and blue jeans, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Black leather bracelets covered each wrist, along with his Keeper ring on his finger. Despite everything, he looked relaxed. Happy.

She envied the way he was able to flip the switch that instantly turned off the worry in front of others. A perfect mask. If she hadn’t known better, known him …

Almost as though he sensed her quiet scrutiny, he turned, his gaze connecting with hers across the room.

Jenna’s stomach flipped in response and she began toying with the box of matches on the counter. It had the name Sarah’s scrawled on one side.

Ethan downed another shot, disentangled himself from the women – despite their protests – and joined her at the opposite end of the bar.

Pocketing the matches, she lifted a brow. “Needing a break from their flattery?”

“Trust me, flattery was too mild a word for what that was.” He slid into the vacant seat beside her, giving an exaggerated shudder that made her laugh.

“Too much for you to handle?”

“No. I can handle them. But I don’t want to. Besides, they’re both married.”

“They are?”

“I have no idea where their husbands are tonight, but I got a taste of what it feels like to be a burger and beer at a health clinic.”

She laughed and nodded in the direction of the kitchen. “How’s it going in there?”

“There were a few hiccups and I’m in need of a new pastry chef, but overall the opening’s been a hit.” He scanned the full restaurant. “Sarah would be proud.”

“We should drink to her.”

He leaned forward, a teasing grin easing his expression. “And I believe I owe you a beer.”

She smiled. “Shirtless?”

“I’ve never backed down from a bet,” he said, fiddling with the top button of his shirt.

Something niggled inside, a mild objection at the thought of his beautiful body on display to everyone here. “Really?”

“It’s my restaurant. My party.”

“And it’s my win, right?”

“Which is why I’m about to lose my shirt in a full restaurant.”

Niggle, niggle.

“No,” she said softly, covering his hand with hers, surprising herself.

Electric-blue eyes found hers. A small grin hitched the corner of his lips, triggering a familiar stirring in her belly. “You’re backing out?”

“It’s my win, so I say keep the shirt. The women here don’t need the distraction.”

Leaning closer, he brushed his lips against her ear. “They don’t or you don’t?” When she inhaled sharply and pushed him away, he chuckled and walked around the bar. “I still owe you that beer.”

“If I’m letting you off the hook, stud muffin, you owe me several.”

“You’re relinquishing your win?”

“Only the shirt. The rest of our deal still stands.” But something about his expression told her he already knew that.

He leaned forward, his elbows on the counter. “You insist that searching for Hazel alone is dangerous. How’s that different from your midnight cruises?”

“Because I wasn’t searching for Hazel.”

“So why the sneaking out at night?”

“Why are you keeping tabs on me?”

“Answer my question.”

Sighing, Jenna looked away. “I’ve been struggling to sleep.”

“Bad dreams?”

An understatement. Bad dreams had plagued her for years – fragments of the night she’d lost her family and the time she’d spent with Hazel. Lately, her dreams had escalated to horrific nightmares, so vivid and real that she dreaded going to sleep. Broken images of screaming women tied to each other, locked in a burning building as a group of people stood by and watched.

Jenna knew the nightmares were about the witch massacre that had occurred many years ago, when a group of witches had exposed their magic to a few ordinary folk in hope of living in harmony. The backlash had been tragic. Whilst their Keepers had stood by and watched, dozens of witches were rounded up and burned, proving how essential it was to keep the existence of their kind a secret.

Something they still fought for, everything their enemies despised. As for the Keepers who’d betrayed their witches …

“What are the dreams about?” he asked, the soft words spearing her thoughts.

She looked back at him, caught by the urge to tell him. She’d never shared them with anyone, never dared. Because admitting to the massacre nightmares would spark several unwanted questions, all of which led straight to her family.

He deserved to know the truth – and she’d tell him. Soon.

The thought made her heart skip a beat. Not surprising. The Bennett brothers lived and breathed to protect witches. She’d been born into a lineage of Keepers exiled to live in Ameera as punishment for harming them. It wasn’t a conversation she looked forward to.

Especially if it altered the way they saw her.

Shaking her head, she tucked her hair behind her ears, needing to give her hands something to do. “It’s not important.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Jenna.” Despite his even expression, his tone held a serious edge. “Considering what we’re facing, who we protect, everything that goes on in my home is important.”

“Your home, Ethan. Yours. Your brothers, your witch, your town. Arriving here hasn’t been a picnic for me. Sometimes I need air and you don’t get to monitor me, so back off. Please,” she added quickly, not sure why she’d felt the need to.

He studied her for a long while before nodding. “Fair enough. But next time you go for a midnight cruise on your own, you should let someone know.”

“Same goes for you and your business trips.”

The lights flickered several times, extracting a ripple of surprised murmurs across the room. The crack of thunder echoed in the distance and Ethan glanced outside, a deep frown hardening his expression. “The storm’s getting closer.”

“The crows, the storm … Hazel’s near and I hate that we can’t stop her.”

“We’d need to find her first.”

She caught the frustration in his tone. “Even if Archer agreed, it’s no use. You’ve been tracking her for weeks and still have no idea where –”

A trickle of awareness raced down her spine, and a moment later Archer slid into the seat beside her. He had the ability to manipulate water and was the quietest of the three brothers, always brooding. But now, his green eyes blazed with fury and a muscle worked in his jaw.

He shot Ethan a raised brow. “You went searching for Hazel?”

“Eavesdropping again, brother?”

“Your recent trip to New York. Is that what you were doing?” Archer’s tone held a dangerous edge, but failed to evoke a response from Ethan. Archer turned to Jenna. “Did you know?”

“Leave her out of it, Archer,” Ethan said quietly, his voice unwavering. “We agreed we’d try locating Hazel.”

“We agreed we’d put out feelers, ask around. Not go hunting for her.” He slapped Ethan’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “Alone, Ethan? What the hell were you thinking?”

“I’m sick of waiting for her to show.”

“She will, and when she does we’ll be ready for her.”

“But how many lives will be lost until she does?”

“Did you find her?”

“A few of her hideouts, a few followers.”

“But no Hazel?” When Ethan didn’t reply, Archer scowled. “Did they see you?”

“I’m frustrated, not stupid.”

Archer gave Ethan another smack on the shoulder. “Hunting down an evil witch caster alone is stupid.”

“It would’ve been nice to have company, brother, but you refuse –”

“We’re Keepers, Ethan. We vowed to protect, defend. We fight for peace. Going on a killing rampage is not what we vowed to do.”

“And sitting back letting innocent people die is?”

They glared at each other, tension simmering between them. Jenna caught a few curious glances sent their way and she quietly leaned forward, placing a hand on each of them.

“Guys, there are people watching,” Sienna muttered, coming up behind them. Her tone reminded Jenna of one a mother would use to reel in her squabbling children. “We can discuss this at home. Tonight’s supposed to be fun. For our friends, at least.”

Scowling, Ethan leaned forward, his face close to Archer’s. “Our duty is to our witches, to the people –” he nodded in the direction of the crowd behind him, “– and the balance. We’ll always honour that, but things have changed, brother. Our enemies are stronger, people are dying. The same rules don’t apply anymore.”

Archer’s eyes flared. “You think I don’t know that, brother? But if we start hunting our enemies, what separates us from them?”

Ethan didn’t reply. He stared back, his eyes a grey storm of emotion, the truth of Archer’s words striking a chord for them both. What Ethan was suggesting went against everything they believed in, everything they were. But sitting back and waiting for an attack seemed just as wrong.

The muscles in Ethan’s jaw slackened and he swallowed. Glaring at his brother, he turned around and headed for the door.