The Keeper

Prologue

As far back as the written word, there have been Watchers.  They are an elite group of warriors who work diligently to maintain the balance between good and evil.  The Watchers
are made up of both humans and supernatural beings alike.  Vampires, werecreatures
or shifters
, fae, witches, warlocks,
kindreds,
immortal or mortal-it matters not.  In each region there is a leader of sorts-a Seer-who possesses the ability to view things in the future and in the past.  The Seer is well respected and well protected for, without his or her guidance the Rebellion would surely take over; tipping the scales in evil’s favor.

             
 
There is one, however, that arrives when the need arises.  She i
s the Keeper-the one who comes
when evil grows strong.  She has always been born a mortal, but is to become immortal through a bond with two from the supernatural world.  The Protectors are unknown until in the presence of the Keeper.  Once the bond between the three is established the Keeper gains her
immortality and her
power-usually an extension and combination of the powers of the Protectors.  Until this bond is established, however, the Keeper is vulnerable.  Only a few have survived to bond with her Protectors.

Chapter One

What in the hell was she thinking.  Her dad said that Jed was in trouble and she just up and went after him. 
Of course, she would have probably gone even if her father said
Jed
needed to be rescued from the bowels of Hell where he was being held by Lucifer himself.
  However, one would think that since her father was indeed the
Seer
, he would have given her a little forewarning. 
 

The fact that the address he had given her was that of a church sh
ould have been her first clue
something was amiss. 
Jed standing at the front of the church
before
a preacher should have been her second
, but the tux-wearing groom was way too attractive for his own good.  She paused to stare
. 
The woman in the wedding dress shooting blue balls
of fire at her was what finally got her attention.  Good thing she was quick on her feet
.
             

             
“What in t
he hell is so funny?” Jed asked-
looking at her like she had lost her mind. 

             
“Blue balls of fire.”  She laughed harder as he pushed her farther down the pew they were crouching behind.  She heard him
growl behind her and fought to contain her laugher.  Admittedly, she didn’t fight that hard. 

             
She was still chuckling a little when
they made it to the end of the pew. 
Jed gave her a shove and said,
“There’s a door through there.  Tell me you have transportation.” 
His voice was rough and laced with anger, but it wasn’t anger at the woman who had just saved his ass and probably hers as well.  No, it was directed at the she-devil on the steps of the altar.  And, if he were being honest-there was a healthy dose of it directed at himself as well. 
The fact that Lex was vibrating with amusement was not sitting well with him. 

             
She nodded and ran for the door.  A fire ball hit the door jamb between her and Jed and she heard him cuss
as he
pushed her faster through the exit doors. 

             
After a short argument over who was driving, she threw her leg over the bike behind him and he took off at a speed she liked.  Mach six.

             
             
It had started out as an ordinary day.  Her father
-the
Seer
-
head of the Watchers
in this area had been talking to her about her weekend when he got a phone call from Donovan.  He hung up the phone and told her there was no time for details, but Donovan had gotten a tip that Jed needed help of the anti-magic kind
and fast
. 

             
How in the world any of the people in the wedding party made it into the church w
ithout immediately bursting into flames
was beyond her.  Jed had been spelled by a witch.  Once bound to her
by marriage
, his particular gift
s
would be hers to control. 
Luckily the amulet that Alexis wore had been enchanted by the Warlock
.  She didn’t know his name and as far as she knew, nobody else did either.
  It could break spells and protect her from any attacks
of the magical kind
on her person. 

A shiver ran through her at the thought
of that witch being able to control Jed’s power
.  Jed was a Shifter-an alpha in his own right
-
though he held no allegiance to any
pack
.  He was stronger than any other Shifter she had ever had the pleasure
-
or displeasure
-
of meeting. 
Donovan, though it was really comparing apples to oranges, was about Jed’s equal in strength and intelligence.  The only being she knew that was stronger than either man-well if you wanted to call a wolf and a vamp, men-was her father.  If the witch with the blue balls gained Jed’s power, there was no way to know what kind of Hell would rain down on the unsuspecting people of the Las Vegas area. 

Her father had been around for over a thousand years and was constantly challenged for the right to rule his domain.  And he always won.   
If he was to be challenged by a witch with increased powers
-Jed’s abilities
…who knew?

Jed flew down the empty highway to Silas’
headquarters;
disbelief still had a grip on his head.  He had met the woman, Cheri or Cheryl, on Friday night.  She had invited him back to her place and he had declined
.  Politely
.  There was only one woman for him.  He had known it five years ago as sure as he knew it now.  He couldn’t remember anything else until Lex wal
ked into the church.  Then all h
ell broke loose.  He saw a woman in a white gown, heard the preacher asking for objections and heard Lex object
very
loudly.  The woman in the white gown changed from a lovely woman to a scary-looking one in front of his eyes and started throwing fire balls at Lex.  He hadn’t even tried to put everything together until Lex was safe.  Now that she was snuggled up behind him with her long, tone arms wrapped around his waist
and her breasts pressed firm against his back
he had time to think, but all he could think about was pulling over in broad daylight and spanking her ass for putting herself in danger.  At the thought of spanking her he groaned and grew instantly hard.  He had waited five years at her father’s insistence.  He had left town
to keep from doing the one thing that he dreamed of night and day.  Making Alexis Martin his. 

Alexis hugged his waist
loving the way his rock-hard abs
flexed under her grip
.  She hadn’t seen him in four years eleven months and thirteen days.  She should be mad at him.  Should hate him for leaving her, but she couldn’t.  Something about this man…wolf, drew her like no other
-
except for maybe Donovan
. 
 
Jed
was hers.  She just had to make him see that. 

Jed pulled into the parking garage for Martin Industries.  The guard at the gate waved him through.  Jed drove straight to the lower level and parked her bike.  He immediately missed the warmth of her body pressed to his back.  She was off the bike and headed for the elevator without even looking back to see if he followed. 
Her long legs ate up the ground with a stride that caused her hips to sway. 
He hung his head, shook off his regrets and watched the most tantalizing ass he had ever seen walk away from him.  He jogged to catch up.

Alexis punched the button for the elevator.  For the life of her she couldn’t be pissed at him, but that didn’t mean she had to be all nice and stuff.  He blew her off and left town.  She had every right to be mad, but damn, the man was hot
.  Six foot three inches of dark-haired, muscular, good-smelling male
.  The elevator door opened and she stepped inside, hitting the button for the top floor
with more force than was probably necessary
.  Jed made it just before the doors closed and stuck his hand inside. 

The doors opened and he stepped in as she hit the button for the doors to close again.  “I suppose I owe you one.”  He was looking down when he said it, afraid to see pain
-
pain that he had caused
-
in her eyes.
  He wasn’t a sheepish man.  He always looked a person in the eye, except for Lex.  He was too afraid she would see more than anyone else.  She would see into his soul and there were parts of it that were better left unseen.  He hadn’t always been
the way he now was. 

“Nope.  You owe Donovan one.”  Her voice sounded steady and strong to her own ears. 

Her voice didn’t sound hurt at all. 
“What day is it?”  He looked up at her and all the breath left his lungs in a whoosh.  She had changed. 
It looked like she still favored jeans and t shirts, but the shirt was fitted now.  He could see the faint shadow of lace beneath it
and the chain that held the amulet disappeared into the most enticing cleavage
.  Here jeans were also tighter
-snug over her rounded hips
. 
She no longer looked like the little girl that he had left.  She looked like one hundred percent woman.  Her eyes, a rich cobalt blue, no longer looked like the picture of innocence.  They were lined with black and looked smoky.  Like bedroom eyes. 
Her
flame-
red hair was shorter, falling just beyond her shoulders and wind-blown from the bike ride.  But her lips were the same, full and pouty, that he remembered.  The memory of those lips on his had kept him away for almost five years because he
knew if he kissed her again, he would do the one thing her father had asked him not to do until she was older. 

“Tuesday.”  She watched as his gaze fixed on her lips.  She ran her tongue across her bottom one just to mess with him and smiled.  When he looked back into her eyes, the heat in his hit her hard. 
It was a look she had seen in other men’s eyes, but not in Jed’s. 
Well, except for the last elevator ride they shared. 

“You look…different.”  He had said the words in a whisper
-h
is body screaming at him to take her now.  Make her his.  He moved closer to her.  Their mouths just inches apart.  He could hear her breathing
hitch
, could hear her heart beating faster.   And the elevator chimed. 

The door opened and Donovan stepped in, smiling as always.  For a vampire, he was a happy son of a bitch.  He was also Jed’s best friend. 
Jed quickly stepped away from Lex as Donovan, not seeming to realize what he had interrupted, pulled Jed into a hug. 

“What the hell was that all about?  I got a call from Grady.  Said he saw you headed into a church.” 
Jed stepped back and
Donovan looked between the pair in the elevator with him wondering what in the world was going on when the smell of arousal hit him.  He felt t
he blush creep up onto his face as he watched the color drain from Lex’s.

Alexis looked away.  She couldn’t make eye contact with either man.  They were both too damn hot for their own good and definitely too hot for hers.
  She had wanted Jed for years, but when Donovan came into the picture, it was hard to decide between them. 
 
He and Jed were at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Where Jed was tan with dark features and a serious attitude, Donovan was almost pale with blond hair and clear blue eyes
.  H
e was playful with a great sense of humor. 
She was such a slut.   Could
a virgin even be a slut?  She glance
d
a look at the men again who seemed to have forgotten that she was there.  He
r
blood heated just looking at them.  Yep, she was definitely a slut.  She wanted them
.  Both.  And
baaaaad.