Finding Fire

Chapter 4

Anna canceled all of her classes for the next day. She hadn't slept at all. Visions of blood and monsters haunted her sleep.

She went running to clear her head but made sure to go in the opposite direction of the building that housed the mysterious Nicolas. Even though the sun was out, she couldn't bring herself to take any chances he would find her.

When she finished her jog, her worries still waited for her at the apartment. She desperately wished she had Laura's phone number and could confide in her, but that wasn't an option. Even if she had the phone number, there was no way Anna could trust her.

She needed this vampire alive no matter how much he terrified her. She needed to know whether he could help her find Evie. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how she could ask these questions.

She knew nothing about him. There was no casual way she could knock on his door and tell him she knew what he was. The only way she had of contacting him would be to "accidentally" run into him as he left one night. Running into a vampire in the middle of the night didn't seem like the safest option.

She would have to find some other way to approach him. Anna could always find out what his hobbies were. He left his apartment around the same time every night. It shouldn't be too difficult to find out where he went to.

If there was one thing Anna was good at, it was blending into the background.

Satisfied with her plan, she hopped into the shower to wash the sweat of her workout off of her skin.

The rest of the day seemed endless. She had to respond to student e-mails and remind all the students that even though class was canceled, they still had to do the assigned reading.

As the sun finally started to set, Anna contemplated which outfit could help her tail Nicolas while not being noticed. She decided on her jeans and a black tank. She threw her sweatshirt on over the tank and put her glasses on.

Once her long hair was pulled back, there was absolutely nothing about her that would stand out. The brown hair was nondescript enough that it wouldn't draw attention and she put on some foundation and mascara to mask her sleepless night and the bags under her eyes. Happy with her "disguise"—which was strangely close to how she normally dressed—she grabbed her bag.

She packed light: a bit of money, cell phone, identification, and her gun. The most important item was stored in her closet.

She opened up the storage closet and pulled out the slim folder. Inside was the most important sketch she'd ever drawn. It contained the face of the monster she was looking for.

Not long after that terrible night fifteen years ago, she'd been afraid that time would erase her memories of the monster's face. To make sure she always would recognize the creature, she'd drawn countless sketches of it. Some of the faces were covered with blood, while she tried to make some appear like a normal human face.

She grabbed one of the normal-looking drawings from the folder. She folded it into a square and put it into the back pocket of her jeans. She also grabbed one of the few pictures she had left of Evie and the obituary photo of Charles. She kept no other pictures of him. The only reason she kept the obituary was to prove to herself he was actually dead.

Her nerves kicked up as she prepared to leave. She took a deep breath and ran out the door before she could change her mind.

She got to the bus stop at the same time she had the night before, but she didn't have to wait as long. At quarter to eleven, the lights went out on the fourth-story apartment. Anna stayed back in the shadows and stared intently at the door.

It wasn't long before his massive frame filled the doorway. As he walked onto the street, he turned north, and she discreetly followed, staying a safe distance back.

He crossed the street after a couple of blocks, so they were now both on the same side. Tonight he wore a rather ratty long coat that hung to his knees. She made sure she kept her eyes on that coat.

A wind kicked up behind her and blew her hair into her face. Some tendrils whipped out of the ponytail. She impatiently pushed them out of her eyes as she tried to keep her gaze locked on her target.

Nicolas almost stopped as the now familiar scent wafted from behind him. The woman was following him. She was watching him even now. He wanted to turn around and face his enemy, but he knew better.

He'd lain awake all day, surrounded by her scent. Memorizing it for the time he would smell it again. He didn't realize that again would come so soon. He smiled at the thought of confronting her.

But he knew she probably wasn't alone. If he led her into a deserted street, her partners would rush in. He would have to cut her off from all help and get her alone.

There was a place nearby Nicolas had fed at a few times. Young people went there and pretended to be vampires. There was nothing better than a willing food source, even if they wouldn't remember it the next day.

The club was always crowded and busy. Her friends couldn't attack him in plain sight. He, however, had no such qualms.