Rhys was unable to fall asleep. He laid on his cot and watched Anna. He could barely see her sleeping figure past Huxley who slept in between the two of them. Rhys could not make out any of her features in the dark and damp basement, but he had to see her. He sat on the edge of his cot. He looked around to see that he was the only one awake.

It was hard to believe that it was only a few nights ago that they were sharing a bed in Ottawa. She had woken in a panic, and he was unaware of what had scared her so much. He assumed it was the thought of coming face-to-face with a Nightingale.

Sun slowly started to peer in through the small thin windows. He watched as Anna stirred in her sleep, clearly dreaming again. He had to fight the urge to rush over to her cot and hold her.

Huxley was the first one to wake up. He rolled onto his back and dug the heel of his palm into his eye. He raised a brow as he looked at Rhys.

"I'm flattered," he said before he yawned. "But did you really watch me sleep all night?"

Rhys rolled his eyes. "I just got up."

"If you are in love with me you can admit it," Huxley said. "There's no shame in that."

"If you keep it up I'm going to stake you," Rhys said.

"If you two don't shut up, I'm going to kill both of you," Calvin said.

Rhys turned to see that Calvin was curled up in a ball on his cot. He pulled his blanket over his head.

Rhys stood and stretched his arms over his head. He grabbed jeans and a flannel shirt out of his bag and went into the washroom to get changed. When he came out, Huxley was waiting outside the door with his own clothes in his hands.

Rhys walked back into the basement. He silently made his way in between the cots to the back of the room. Anna was thrashing and let out a soft whimper. Her brows were knit in worry and she was muttering something. He kneeled next to her cot. He reached out and brushed her hair off of her face and cupped the side of her cheek. She stopped moving for a moment before opening her eyes.

Anna sighed and pushed Rhys's hand off of her face. She dramatically rolled over onto her side to face away from Rhys. She pulled the blankets up and clutched them to her chest.

Gritting his teeth, Rhys got up and tossed his clothes on his bed before heading up the stairs.

Etienne was standing at the altar with half a dozen vampires surrounding a table. Etienne looked at Rhys and smirked as Rhys went up the three short steps.

"How nice of you to join us, Rhys," he said. "Welcome to our buffet."

Rhys stepped toward the table to see that it was littered with weapons. Crossbows, guns, machetes, and other knives were on display. Rhys picked up one of the guns and opened up the barrel to see that it was fully loaded.

"This is our second battle together," Etienne said to Rhys. "But the weaponry is much better this time around."

"What do you think the Nightingales will have?" one of the vampires asked.

"They typically carry crossbows and knives," Etienne said.

"They may bring some type of explosives," Rhys said. "They blew up one of our cars in the Yukon."

Etienne chuckled and Rhys glared.

"Each generation they keep getting smarter," Etienne said. "Jonathan will definitely be a worthy opponent."

"I call being the one to tear his head off," Rhys said. "That blond bastard will not know what hit him."

"You don't want him to suffer? That seems unlike you."

The sound of a familiar giggle filled Rhys's ears and made his heart flutter. He looked behind him to see Anna walking past the altar with Huxley. He had his arm around Anna's shoulders and was rubbing the top of her head with his knuckles. She giggled as she tried to push him off.

"You two, come up here," Rhys said.

Huxley stopped and moved his hand so that it was on the small of Anna's back. Anna hesitated before he urged her forward. Anna's neck craned when she saw the table. Her interest overtook her when she saw the weapons on the table and climbed up the steps.

Huxley let out a low whistle.

"What do we have here?" he asked.

"This is how we're going to defeat the Nightingales," Rhys said.

Anna picked up one of the crossbows to inspect it, but Rhys ripped it out of her grip.

"Be careful," he said.

"You have to learn how to work a compound crossbow before you can touch it," Etienne said.

"Actually," Anna said with a smirk. "That's a curved crossbow because it is powered by a single string. It generally requires a longer power stroke and wider limb span."

The vampires, including Etienne and Rhys, were staring at her in shock. Huxley was struggling to not burst into laughter.

"Where did that come from?" Rhys asked, setting the crossbow back down on the table.

"My father was a hunter," she said. "He taught me a lot."

"Have you ever shot a crossbow?"

"A few times." Anna paused for a moment. "I have pretty good aim."

--

Anna had another nightmare about Rhys. She dreamed that he was tearing her throat out as she tried to fight against him. Her limbs were heavy and she was unable to move them, making her fight against him futile. Waking up to a concerned look on Rhys's face did not make her feel any better.

She zipped up her jacket higher as she followed Rhys out of the church. He had the crossbow across his back because he refused to allow her to touch the weapon again. He also carried a can of red spray paint in his hand.

They walked behind the church. A series of trees sat behind the church. Rhys shook the can before spraying a red X on one of the trees. He pulled the crossbow off of his back and stepped back to where Anna was. She had her arms crossed over her chest. She was not ready for Rhys to talk down to her and explain something she had spent most of her life learning.

"These ones are made with a safety feature so they should not go off accidentally," Rhys said. "Be careful though."

Anna rolled her eyes as she listened to Rhys give her a speech about the mechanics of the weapon. She tapped her foot and struggled not to sigh as he spent five minutes talking about the string.

"Let's just start shooting," Anna said as she cut him off as he was about to start explaining the trigger.

"You think you are capable of shooting this?" he asked.

"Yes, I think I can manage," she said.

Rhys held the crossbow up in his hands. He closed one eye as he lined up his shot. He fired the arrow and it buried itself into the bark of the tree. It was about half an inch to the left off of the center of the X.

"You missed," Anna said.

"You think you can do better?" he asked.

"I know I can."

Rhys passed the bow over to Anna. In one swift motion, she held the bow up, lined up her shot, and fired the bow. She did it in half the time it took Rhys to shoot. Her Grandmother made her practice again and again until she could shoot without hesitation.

Be faster than the opponent.

That's what she had always said.

The arrow was sticking out from the tree and was in the direct middle of the X. Anna beamed with a smile as she looked over at Rhys. His jaw was hanging open.

Anna knew that she should have faked not knowing how to shoot. She did not want to seem suspicious, but Rhys was getting under her skin. She wanted to prove him wrong, but she knew that it was a mistake.

"I come from a family of hunters," she said.

"I am not going to lie," he said. "I am impressed. What did you hunt?"

This is it, she thought. This is the perfect opportunity to tell him.

Anna opened her mouth but heard a whistle. She turned to see Alice walking toward them. Her hands were stuffed in her jacket pockets and her lips were spread in a wide smile.

"Damn, Stretch," she said. "Who knew you would be a good shot?"

"It's not that hard," Anna said.

"You kicked my ass and training and now this?" she asked. "What kind of government facility did you come from?"

Anna chewed on her lip. She wanted to tell the truth, but not in front of Alice. The two of them would for sure kill her together. Anna could not take on the two of them at once. She decided that she would tell them that she was a Nightingale when the battle was over.

"We hunted deer and elk," Anna lied. "A vampire hunter can't be much different."

"You are staying by me during the battle," Rhys said. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I think she has proved that she can hold her own, Rhys," Alice said.

"Exactly," Anna said.

She passed the crossbow over to Rhys. Alice cracked her knuckles as she took a step closer to Anna.

"I say we train again," Alice said. "Maybe I can get Nelly out here. She would love to try and kick your ass."

Anna was going to decline, but she looked at Rhys to see him scowling. She knew he hated the idea.

"Let's do it," Anna said.