Vampires, Eh?

Chapter 11

 Anna groaned as Rhys shook her shoulder. She was curled up in a ball on her side sleeping. She rolled onto her back and dug the heel of her hands into her eyes. Rhys was leaning over the bed and continued to shake her.

"I'm awake," Anna said.

She swung her hand out to hit Rhys. He took a step back.

"Pack your stuff. We're going," he said. "Now."

"What's going on?" Anna asked as she sat up on the bed.

"That girl Huxley brought home was a vampire hunter," he said. "We need to go before one of them finds out she's dead."

"How do you know that?"

"Her phone went off when we were taking her body out back. The name on the screen was Jonathan Nightingale. He's the biggest vampire hunter in Canada."

Anna bit down on the inside of her cheeks. She did not want to look surprised when she heard her brother's name. Did they go through her phone while she was being transformed? She had not seen her phone since the night she and Jess went to the club.

Anna crawled out of bed. Rhys left the room. Most of Anna's clothes were still packed in the duffel bag, so she only had to gather a few things. She changed into a dress and a knit cardigan.

There was a knock on the door before it opened. Anna spun around to see Alice walking in. She had a jacket thrown over her arm. Her dark curls were held back by a bright yellow headband.

"I have a present for you," Alice said.

Her lips grew into a big smile. She held the jacket out. Anna looked puzzled as she grabbed the leather jacket. She held it out and inspected it.

"I bought it for you when I got that dress," she said. "You're a vampire. You need to look like a bad-ass, not like a librarian."

Anna looked down at her outfit. It was something she typically wore to class. She could hear Jess' voice in her head calling her a grandmother.

"Thank you," Anna said. "You didn't have to."

"Of course not," Alice said. "But, I'm going to kind of miss you, Stretch."

"You're not coming with us?"

Alice shook her head.

"Rhys has plans for the Yukon," she said, "and I'm not a fan of the cold."

"Where are you going to go?" Anna asked.

"I'm meeting some other vampires in Niagara Falls."

Anna slightly chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"What's in Niagara Falls?" Anna asked. "Except corny tourist traps."

"A group of vampires is banding together," she said. "We want to fight back against these vampire hunters. I'm sick and tired of always being on the run. The Nightingale family has made my life hell."

Anna's mouth went dry. She leaned down and stuffed the leather jacket into the bag. She picked the bag up and threw the strap over her shoulder. Hearing her last name twice in five minutes made her heart pound in her chest.

"I wish you the best of luck," Anna said.

"Don't need it," Alice said. "If enough of us get together, we'll win."

"You sound pretty confident."

"Once you've been around for a few hundred years you'll gain some confidence too."

Anna nodded. They walked out of the room and down the stairs. Anna set her bag down next to the front door, and they followed the sound of voices. They made their way into the kitchen where the boys were.