Anna was in the shower when Rhys's alarm went off. She could not sleep, so she decided to get ready for the day early. She had been standing under the hot water for quite some time thinking about what Drew told her last night. Rhys's alarm brought her back to reality.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She changed into her clothes and wrapped the towel around her hair. She went back into the room to see Rhys staring out the window as he pulled his sweater over his head.

"Did you manage to get back to sleep?" Rhys asked.

"No," Anna said. "I had a lot on my mind."

"You can sleep in the car," he said. "Niagara is about eight hours away."

Anna's lips spread into a smile. She clasped her hands in front of her chest.

"We are going to Niagara Falls?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I have talked to Alice. There's a church we can take shelter at."

"We're going to stay at a church?"

"It is where all of the vampires are staying."

Anna nodded. She pulled the towel off of her hair. She brushed the wet strands and tied her hair back. Rhys zipped up his bag and reached for Anna's duffel bag. Her heart pounded in her chest and she shot her hand out.

"I've got it," she said.

"I was just going to carry it to the car for you," he said.

"I can do it," she said.

She picked up the bag before grabbing her jacket and scarf. They walked out of the hotel room and went down the hall. Anna was surprised when they passed the elevator and went to the other side of the hallway.

Rhys banged his fist on one of the doors. There was no response. He sighed before pounding on the door again. Huxley answered the door. He was in his pajamas and his mop of blond hair was a mess. He yawned and dug the heel of his palm into his eyes.

"You are not ready yet?" Rhys asked.

"We're in a rush?" Huxley asked.

"Yes," Rhys said. "Now, lets go."

"Drew messaged me that they are downstairs getting breakfast. Let me at least get a croissant."

Rhys rolled his eyes.

"One croissant," Rhys said. "Then we have to go, so hurry."

"You can't rush perfection, Rhys."

Anna laughed and Huxley winked. He closed the door and then Rhys grabbed Anna's hand. She did not pull away as he laced their fingers together. He guided her down to the elevator.

Rhys stayed silent as they made their way to the small continental breakfast. Drew and Calvin were at a table. Calvin had a book open in front of him and Drew was staring out the window as he sipped at a coffee. There were only a few tables of people. Drew turned when he heard them come closer. His eyes went straight to their interlocked fingers. Anna could not move her hand away.

"So what's the plan?" Calvin asked, not bothering to look up from his book.

"We are going to the Falls," Rhys said. "We are waiting on Huxley."

"Sleeping Beauty is going to take an hour to get ready," Calvin said.

"Are you really in a rush to get back in that car?" Drew asked Calvin.

Calvin's eyes widened as he shook his head. Rhys let go of Anna's hand and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him.

"Go get something to eat," he said.

Anna nodded, set down her bag, and walked over to the breakfast table. Rhys pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. He had his phone in his hands as he texted Alice.

Anna came back to the table with a coffee and a piece of toast. She sat next to Rhys. She angled her body so that she was not looking at Drew. Was he thinking about their kiss too?

"Where's my coffee?" Rhys asked.

"You have your own pair of legs," Anna said. "Go get it yourself."

Rhys grumbled as he stood and walked over to the breakfast table. Anna kept her eyes down and avoided looking up at Drew.

--

Anna forced Huxley to sit in the middle of the backseat because she wanted to stare out the window. There was not much to see other than trees and the occasional sign for gas stations until they got near Toronto. Anna had never been to Toronto, so she stared in awe as she looked up at the buildings tearing into the sky. Huxley put his hand on Anna's shoulder and pushed her back. He squished her against the car door as he stared at the city.

"Can we stop, Rhys?" Huxley asked.

"No," Rhys said.

"Please," Huxley dragged out the word. "We have not been to Toronto in years."

"There is good reason for that," Rhys said. "Three good reasons actually. Rhymes with 'the Gentleman', sounds like 'will rip your fucking head off'. You know Harry has it out for us. We are not stopping."

Huxley crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the seat pouting. Drew fiddled with the radio as the station began to crackle. The music covered the sound of Rhys's mumbled curses as they were stuck in traffic.

Anna rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. Her bones ached from exhaustion, but she had trouble falling asleep because of Huxley's constant chattering. She had not realized that she had fallen asleep until Huxley was shaking her shoulder.

"Hey, sleepy head," Huxley said. "We've made it here."

Anna opened her eyes and pushed herself higher in the seat. They were the only car driving along the road. To the one side of the street were large Victorian-style homes that were serving as a bed and breakfast. They had perfectly manicured lawns with unique wood signs out front. On the opposite side was a short stone wall. Beyond the wall was the gorge with the rapids of water below. A bridge tore through the sky.

"It's beautiful," Anna said.

"It is just one huge tourist trap," Calvin said.

"It is nice to see you are still staying positive," Huxley said.

Anna giggled. Rhys pulled down one of the side streets. Anna could see the steeple of a church past all of the houses. On the corner was a stone church. Rhys parked the car in a lot full of cars.

Calvin rushed out of the car. He stretched his arms up over his head and let out a groan. Rhys popped open the trunk, and they each grabbed their bag. He put his hand on her lower back as they walked toward the church.

They opened the doors to see people lounging across the wooden pews. The screen at the altar was pulled down and a projector was set up to play a horror movie from the 80s. The light from the stained glass windows provided a colourful glow on the screen. A few people turned their heads when the door closed behind Anna and the men.

Alice popped up from one of the back pews. Her tight curls were tied into a bun on the top of her head. She had on a pair of ripped jeans and her hands were stuffed in the front pocket of her hoodie. She had a wide smile as she hurried down the aisle. Anna's eyes darted around at the group of vampires staring at her.

"You made it!" Alice said. "I'm glad to see that Stretch survived."

"We are not getting back in that car for at least forty-eight hours," Calvin said.

"We have been camping out here for a few weeks," Alice said. "Hopefully, we won't be hidden for much longer."

Anna looked behind Alice to see a man strolling down the aisle. He had his hands behind his back and his lips were pressed into a tight line. He stopped when he was beside Alice and cocked his head to the side.

"Is that you, Rhys?" the man asked. His voice had a thick French-Canadian accent.

"I did not know you would be here, Etienne," Rhys said.

Alice smirked before biting down on her lip.

"Oh," she said. "Did I forget to mention Etienne is the head of this whole thing?"

Rhys raked his fingers through his hair.

"Alice said she had friends coming, but she did not mention that it was you," Etienne said. "Good thing we need the numbers."

Huxley cleared his throat and took a step forward.

"Is there some drama I am unaware of?" Huxley asked.

"None at all," Etienne said. "Rhys and I just go back. It will be nice for us to be fighting on the same side of a war this time."

"I remember that you lost that battle," Rhys said.

"We were both turned that night," Etienne said. "I think we both lost."

Alice clasped her hands in front of her chest. She swung her elbow out to nudge Etienne in the side. Etienne and Rhys were glaring at each other. Neither of them said a word. Hundreds of years of unsolved conflict were bubbling to the surface.

"Let me show them to some cots," Alice said. "You two can resolve your issues later."

"Bring them downstairs," Etienne said. "Rhys, I would like to get to know your friends better. I did not know you were traveling with a woman these days."

"Stretch is great," Alice said. "Come with me."

Rhys pushed on Anna's back to guide her forward. They followed Alice down the aisle. The vampires were no longer paying attention to them and were staring at the screen. The sound of a chainsaw and a girl screaming filled Anna's ears. The movie was quieter as they walked to the back of the church. They went down the concrete steps to the basement.

The walls were lined with stone. Cots were lined up along the open basement. It was full of people. Some were in groups talking, while others were lying on their bed with a book in their hands. It was like one of the homeless shelters that Anna volunteered at in high school. No one looked up at them as they came downstairs.

Alice walked over to a section of empty cots in the back corner of the basement. They each set their bag down on a cot. A woman, whose head was half shaved and her face were full of piercings, came over with a stack of blankets. She set them down on one of the cots. Anna was shocked when she saw her open up her arms and wrap them around Calvin's neck. It was the first time she had seen Calvin smile as he returned the hug.

"Cal, it's great to see you!" the girl said. "I didn't know you were coming."

"You know me," Calvin said. "I never turn down a battle."

The girl giggled and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away. She looked over at Anna and stretched out her hand. Anna shook it and smiled.

"I haven't met you before," the girl said.

"I'm Anna," she said.

"The name is Nelly," the girl said. "I haven't seen the boys in ages. I'm so glad you are all here."

"Put your things down and meet us outside," Alice said. "I think we should celebrate."

"I just want to nap," Huxley said before flopping down on the one cot.

Rhys rolled his eyes. Calvin and Nelly walked away from the group while they were deep in discussion. Alice grabbed Drew's wrist and pulled him toward the stairs. Huxley was sprawled out across the bed and was already lightly snoring. Anna picked up one of the blankets from the stack and covered Huxley.

Rhys put his hand on Anna's shoulder and she turned to look at him. He tightened his fingers into her shoulder and she shrugged his hand off of her.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?" Anna asked. "Or is that part of your past you will continue to keep secret from me?"

Rhys chewed on his lip. His mind was racing with thoughts. His eyes darted around to the people in the basement. None of them were paying attention to Rhys and Anna. He put his hand on her waist and pulled her closer. She wanted to push him off of her, but she could not move.

"Etienne and I were turned by the same vampire," he said in a low voice. "We were both dying at the Plains of Abraham and we were dragged to a safe spot. We spent our first few months together. I haven't seen him in three hundred years."

"Do you not like each other?" Anna asked.

"I'm English and he's French," he said. "There is always going to be tension."

"Hey, lovebirds!"

They turned to see Alice had gone back down the basement stairs. She had caught the attention of everyone and silence took over the room. They all looked over at Rhys and Anna.

"Move it or lose it," Alice said as she cocked her head toward the stairs.

Rhys growled as he let go of Anna. Disappointment sat heavy in Anna's chest. She was getting information on Rhys's past and they were interrupted. She had so many more questions to ask.

Rhys grabbed Anna's hand and they followed Alice out of the church.