Keeper Under Fire (Graveyard Guardians Book 3)
Jennifer Malone Wright
Table of Contents
Title Page
Acknowledgments
Also by Jennifer Malone Wright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Preview
About the Author
Keeper Under Fire
Graveyard Guardians #3
Jennifer Malone Wright
Contents
Title Page
Acknowledgments
Also by Jennifer Malone Wright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Preview
About the Author
Copyright 2017 Jennifer Malone Wright
License Notes
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
ISBN-13: 978-1974640218
ISBN-10: 1974640213
Visit the website of Jennifer Malone Wright at
www.jennifermalonewright.com
This book is dedicated to my husband Chad, who deals with me even when I'm super cranky. I also want to dedicate this book to my amazingly supportive friends Martina and Molly, who also deal with me when I'm cranky. Thanks to all of you for always being there for me through good times and bad.
Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians #1)
Keeper of the Peace (Graveyard Guardians #2)
Keeper Under Fire (Graveyard Guardians #3)
BearyTales
Savior (A Higher Collective Novel)
Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse – Jade
Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse: Episode 2
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 1
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 2
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 3
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 4
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 5
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 6
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The Complete Collection
Love & War (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 1)
Taking Talon (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 2)
Vampire Apocalypse (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 3)
Blood Warrior (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 4)
Winds of Fire (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 5)
Innocence and Evil (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 6)
Origins and Impulse (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 7)
Mortals and Magic (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 8)
Sound of Sirens (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 9)
Heart of the Hurricane (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 10)
Broken Souls (Runes Universe)
Aiden released a long breath, pushing the weight of the bar upward. After several seconds, he lowered it back down and cradled it in its rack. He sat up, grabbed his towel from beside him and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Just as he swung his leg over the bench, his phone rang.
“Shit.” It was the ring tone he had set for the Empress.
He hadn’t heard from her for several days and he had been hoping that was how it was going to stay. Of course, he should have known better. He was here on her orders, supposedly spying on the Estmond Keepers. He wasn’t following orders, though. He had changed sides. So, now he was a double agent. While he was supposed to be watching the Keepers and giving information back to the Empress, he was actually on their side now and giving them all the information about what was happening with the Reapers.
His goal was to get out of the Reaper life, which wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
It hadn’t been that long ago that he was high in the rankings among the Reaper army. He had been respected and revered by his fellow Reapers, as well as the Empress. By saving Jack, and the Keepers, he had lost all of that.
“Hello,” he greeted the Empress.
“Aiden.” The cold voice came across the line. “I trust you are faring well.”
He rolled his eyes and reached for his water bottle with his free hand. “Yes, Empress. Quite well.”
“I have decided that I would like to take initiative and strike against the Keepers in Summer Hollow.”
“It’s far past time, I agree,” Aiden told her, as if he were itching to finally attack. “What would you like me to do?”
“I am calling in several Reapers from the area. I ordered them to meet you at the compound at 11:00 PM.”
“Tonight?” He set down his water bottle and stood up.
“Yes, tonight. No need to wait.”
“What is the objective?”
“Find them in their home and get rid of them ... all of them. A house fire would cover the evidence. I’m sure you can take care of that as well.”
Oh fuck. Shit just got real.
“Of course, Empress. I will take care of it.”
“Make sure it is done properly. We must make sure the authorities are under the impression that the Keepers all perished in the fire. We cannot have them finding anything that would cause them to suspect foul play.”
He knew better than to question her, especially now that she didn’t trust him.
“Yes, Empress. I will begin the plans immediately. How many should I expect tonight?”
She cleared her throat. “Twenty, at a minimum.”
Twenty. She was sending in twenty Reapers to help with the murder of eight Keepers. Well, then there was Jack, and probably David, who was always around now. Two to one, at the very least.
Fuck.
“Thank you, Empress. I’m so happy we can finally get this over with and I can return home afterward.”
He could just see her nodding. “I too am happy that this annoyance will come to an end. I look forward to your call when it is done. Good day, Aiden.” And then, she hung up.
Double fuck. He made sure the call had clicked off and dialed Jack’s number. While it rang, he threw his towel over his shoulder, grabbed his water bottle and hurried out the door.
The gym was located within the compound, so it was only matter of walking a few hallways to get to his room. Jack answered on the third ring. “Hey man.”
“Hey. Bad news,” Aiden told him. “Bad fucking news.”
“Tell me,” Jack ordered.
“Reapers, dude. Your mom is sending in a bunch of Reapers to take care of you guys once and for all.”
“Aw shit.”
Aiden’s eyebrows
shot up. “Aw shit. Seriously, that is all you have to say. Your own mother is sending hit men in to kill you and then burn the place to the ground. I think it’s a little more serious than, ‘aw shit.’”
“I know that, asshole. Don’t be such a grouch. We have to get ready. You better come over here.”
“Yeah, I’m working on that already. I have to shower and then I’ll be on my way.”
“You’re bitching at me about the importance of this but you’re going to take the time to shower.” Jack’s voice was sarcastic.
“I just got done working out, of course I have to shower. I can’t show up there in my gym shorts, covered with sweat and stinking to high heaven.”
“I think you should. Show off your amazing abs for the ladies.”
“Jesus, Jack! Seriously, how can you be so nonchalant right now?”
His friend was laughing out loud, not even trying to hide it. “It’s a gift.”
Aiden threw open the door to his room. “Well it’s a fucked up gift.”
“Love you too, bro. See you soon.” And then Jack hung up on him.
Aiden pulled the phone away and stared at it. What was with the Walker family and hanging up on people before they could say goodbye. What an asshole. Dammit, he couldn’t worry about petty shit like that right now. He threw the phone down on the bed and bolted for the shower, peeling the damp gym clothes from his body along the way.
Naked, he reached into the shower stall and turned the knob. “Fuck!” He cried out, after stepping under the stream of water before it had enough time to warm up. It was only a matter of seconds before it warmed up though.
He took the fastest shower he had ever taken in his life as he tried to devise a plan that was going to get them out of this mess. If Camille Walker wanted to burn the Keeper’s house to the ground, that was what was going to happen.
Fuck.
The fact that he could tip them off was good. That would probably be their saving grace. But, there was going to be a wicked fight tonight. Thank God there were enough of them that it would almost equal out to one on one. That is, if she only sent the twenty Reapers she said she was going to send.
Probably, more than one would die too, which was another pain in the ass. He killed when he had to, but it was a task that he was beginning to dislike. Not that he ever liked it, he just didn’t dislike it. As part of the Reaper Army, he had trained himself not to feel anything when it came to crimes that others would not commit. Such as kidnapping or killing. It was just part of the job.
With a fresh pair of blue jeans, a black button-up shirt and his boots back on, he grabbed his duffle bag and headed out the front door. His SUV was parked in the circular drive, waiting for him. He opened the driver door and threw his bag over the seats into the back, then slid behind the wheel.
The drive over the mountain felt like it took hours. It was a pretty drive, but he had no time to enjoy the beauty of the area. He was totally preoccupied on coming up with a strategy to win a fight against twenty Reapers without killing anyone.
He rolled into Summer Hollow and slowed to the speed limit so he didn’t get pulled over or hit some kid crossing the street. He couldn’t recall ever spending much time in a town so small. One stoplight, one gas station, one grocery store — it was a city boy’s nightmare.
Truth was, the town wasn’t really that bad, but he was used to being able to blend in. To disappear in the crowds and become part of everything around him. In a town this small, he stuck out and it was obvious that he didn’t belong here.
It seemed to take forever to crawl through town at a grueling thirty five miles per hour. When he finally turned onto Cemetery Road and the Estmond house came into view, he breathed a sigh of relief and headed up the gravel drive to the yellow farmhouse.
He parked alongside the other vehicles, cut the engine and then sat there for a moment to gather his bearings before going inside. It was always hard when he was around the Keepers. They were natural enemies and emotions always ran high when he was in a room full of them. Plus, all the souls in the graveyard right outside their house were a constant temptation. These souls were off limits, though. It was part of the deal with Jack and Lucy and the rest of them.
He ran his fingers through his hair and then shoved the driver-side door open. It was time to go inside and get this shit over with.
Liv opened the oven. A scalding wave of heat pushed out from within, causing her to drop the oven door and step back a few paces.
“Dammit!” What was she thinking? She should know better than that. Her thoughts were all over the place right now and she wasn’t in her right mind. Once it was safe, she returned to the oven and slid the tray of cookies onto one of the racks.
Turning, she punched the buttons on the timer for twelve minutes and then wiped her brow. This was bullshit. She should be able to concentrate on her work, but there was too much going on with the family and those fucking Reapers right now.
She was a Keeper, yes, which meant guarding the souls and fighting an occasional Reaper. But lately, that was all they were doing. They had recently discovered that her sister Lucy was the Chosen One in a prophecy that would bring an end to the warring between the Keepers and the Reapers. So the Empress … the queen of the Reapers … decided that she was going to do all she could to take out the Estmond family.
And then, there was the incident with Hannah, and then David … and now, they had not only Jack, but another Reaper in their little group. Her life was becoming chaos. Her simple life of baking and guarding the graveyard with the family was what she wanted back. Was that really too much to ask.
Bing. Her phone announced an incoming text message. With a sigh, she strode into the front of the shop and withdrew her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. It was from Lucy, and once she looked at it, she got the answer to the last question she’d asked herself. Yes, it was, indeed, too much to ask.
Aiden called. Reapers are coming to town. Lots of Reapers. Meet at house, ASAP.
“Crap,” she whispered, shaking her head. “That figures.”
Looking up, she realized that she still had a few customers sitting at the tables inside the shop. They had already ordered and were lounging with their cellphones and laptops while they ate.
Closing her eyes, she cursed those soul sucking Reapers and wished them all an untimely death. Then, after taking in a long breath, she let it out slowly and cleared her throat. “Sorry, everyone. I have a family emergency and I need to close up.”
The few patrons in the shop glanced up at her with confusion clear in their expressions. Luckily they were all tourists and not locals. If any of the customers had been a resident of Summer Hollow, she would have had questions to answer about what the emergency was, well wishes that her family was all right, and then the very likely chance of people showing up at the farmhouse to find out what was going on. That was how small towns worked. Your business was the business of the entire town.
These customers, however, quickly gathered their things, tossed their garbage and then hurried out the door with a quick nod in her direction.
The timer for the cookies went off just as she was locking the door behind the last person. She flipped the sign from open to closed and jogged back into the kitchen where she yanked on an oven mitt and pulled open the oven. Once again, that blast of hot air hit her in the face and she cussed loudly, pissed that she had forgotten again.
She tossed the whole tray onto the stovetop to her left, turned the oven off and began her check of the kitchen. She had to make sure everything was off before she left. Letting her shop burn down because she was careless was the last thing she needed.
Finally, she was certain that it was safe to leave and grabbed her purse as she hurried out the front door and locked it behind her. It was only when she was slipping behind the wheel of her van, did she let herself worry about what was coming.
Reapers … a lot of them, from the sound of it. What the hell were they planning? They couldn’t e
xactly come into this tiny town and massacre her entire family. Maybe they wanted to strong arm the Keepers into giving them Lucy. Well, whatever the case, nothing that was going to happen once they were here would be good.
She sped up Main Street and turned onto Cemetery Road. The yellow farmhouse already had a few cars out front, including Greg’s Escort and David’s Chevelle. Even Aiden’s SUV took up a space beside her sister Lucy’s Honda. Dang, this place had become a home for wayward adults.
Officially the house was Lucy’s, but the family still came and went the same way they had their entire lives. Family was important to her, so as much as she might complain about everything, it was good that they were close.
They were one of those loud, obnoxious families that argued and fought, but at the same time they were tight knit and fiercely loyal to each other. All their lives they had been the Estmond Clan. You messed with one … you got the whole lot of them. That also included Ethan, and now Jack and David.
Their family was growing, she suddenly realized.
The parking area was so crowded that she ended up having to park the van right in the center of it all. Effectively blocking in several of the vehicles. She pushed open the door and hopped down from the driver seat, wishing she had grabbed a coffee before she left the shop.
Oh well, there were more important matters to attend to right now. Like figuring out how to stop this Reaper attack.
She could hear the raised voices before she even hit the first step of the porch. That wasn’t uncommon though. This house was always full of loud, unruly Estmonds. She pushed open the door and stepped inside to find six red-headed Estmonds, one dark-haired Reaper and three sexy blond men. Well, one of them may as well have been her brother, plus he was younger, so it was a little awkward thinking of him as sexy, but she called things how they were.
