Vampires, Eh?

Chapter 32

The wind blew the cold mist of the waterfall against Anna's skin. She was leaning against the metal railing and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of the water against her face. The roar of Niagara Falls rang in her ears. She could almost forget the stress of running away from Jonathan as her senses took over.

She was brought back to reality when a hand touch the small of her back. She opened one eye and looked behind her expecting to see Rhys, but instead, it was Drew. The wind was blowing the loose strands of his hair. Anna's chest tightened as his hand lingered on her back, and her mind thought back to their kiss last night. She looked over at Rhys to see him talking to Calvin, Huxley, and Alice.

"Have you thought about what I suggested last night?" he asked.

Anna let go of the railing and turned to lean against it. Drew pulled his hand away from her. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Did you see how the two of you walked over here?" Drew asked.

Anna shrugged. They walked to see the Falls as a group. She did not think much about how they were walking.

"Rhys had his arm around your waist and you did not even try to fight it," he said. "That's not the Anna we met at that club in B.C. You are slipping away from who you truly are and you don't even realize it."

"And I will be the real me if I leave Rhys with you?" Anna asked. "How do I know that is even true?"

"Talk to Huxley about it," he said. "He lost his mind to Lucia. He gained his independence back when we got him away from her. If you saw him around Lucia you probably wouldn't even recognize him."

Anna glanced back over at Rhys. He tended to not let Drew be around her, especially alone. Did Rhys realize they were talking? His back was to them. It was the first time, except for last night, that Rhys let Anna out of his sight.

"Remember who you are, Anna," Drew said. "You don't want to lose that."

Drew took a step toward Anna. She tried to back up, but the railing prevented her from moving.

"Also, remember what Rhys did to you," he said, dropping his voice low so that the others could not hear. "Not only did he turn you, but he is trying to enslave you. He fed you blood while you were unconscious and lied to you to make you drink more. You cannot redeem yourself from that."

Anna chewed on her lip as her mind was racing. She knew what Drew was saying was true, but she felt a pull to disregard what he was saying and run over to Rhys.

The deep sound of a horn pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked at the base of the waterfall to see a boat. People in red plastic ponchos were on the deck.

Anna put her hand on Drew's chest and pushed past him. She walked toward the men. Rhys heard Anna's footsteps and looked over his shoulder. He held his hand out. Anna moved to grab it, but she remembered what Drew told her. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. Rhys scowled as he retreated his hand.

"I want to go on the boat," Anna said.

"It is October and it is freezing cold out," Rhys said. "We are not going."

"Of course, you don't want to. You hate fun," Anna said. "How about you, Huxley?"

A smile beamed across his face. His mop of blond hair was tucked underneath a toque and she could barely recognize him.

"Sure thing, Chicken Wing," Huxley said.

Rhys reached out toward Anna again, and she took a step to the side.

"Anna-" Rhys started.

"Go have a beer or something," she cut him off. "We won't be long."

She walked away before Rhys could answer. She had to force her feet to move because she knew that Rhys did not want her to go.