Anna watched as a glazed-over look appeared on Huxley's face. His eyes were wide and he no longer had his usual goofy smile. Lucia's lips curled into a wicked grin.
Huxley had been apart from Lucia for over a hundred years. Anna could not believe that Lucia's hold was still controlling him. Did she have the same blank stare when she looked at Rhys? If she did not now, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before she does.
"What do you want?" Rhys snapped.
"I just want what you boys want," she said. "I want to kill all of the Nightingales."
Lucia moved her gaze over to Anna. She analyzed Anna from head to toe. Her eyes narrowed, which showed faint lines around her eyes and lips. They were the only clues of her age. Under her gaze, Anna worried that she knew her secret.
"Who do we have here?" she asked.
Rhys took a protective step in front of Anna.
"Huxley." Lucia switched her focus. "Why don't we catch up."
Huxley nodded his head.
"Yes, Ma'am," he said.
Huxley was gone and Anna's chest tightened as her head spun. He knew that she was a Nightingale. Under his trance, he could divulge her secret. Lucia would either tell Rhys or she would kill Anna herself. Huxley also knew that Drew wanted to run away with her. She had confided so much in Huxley, and now it was all at risk.
"No!" Anna shouted.
Her heart pounded as they all turned their attention to her.
"Anna." Rhys reached behind him to push her further behind his body. "Be quiet."
Calvin grabbed Huxley's arm and pulled him back. Huxley's eyes were locked on Lucia's. His feet dragged across the floor as he tried to fight against Calvin. Lucia held out her hand and Huxley did the same. Drew grabbed his other arm to help pull him away.
Huxley let out an odd screech as he thrashed in Calvin and Drew's hold. Lucia smiled.
Anna shook as Huxley's cries rang through her ears. This is what Rhys was going to reduce her to. She would have a future of being Rhys's slave. She had to get away from him.
Anna stepped back before running for the stairs. She did not look back as Rhys called out her name. Lucia let out a high-pitched cackle. Anna had to get away from them.
She sprinted outside. Her wet clothes caused her to shiver. She ran behind the stone church. She was bent over as she tried to get over the tightness in her chest. She spun around when she heard footsteps. Rhys was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
"How could you do that to me?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"Don't act stupid! How could you convince me to drink your blood and not tell me that would happen to me. Huxley was not himself back there!"
Rhys bit down on his lip as he looked away from Anna for a moment.
"I wanted to help you," he said. "You needed to feed."
"You should have told me the truth," she said. "I would have never done it if I knew that it would make me compelled to you. What kind of sick being are you? Why would you want this?"
Rhys's jaw hardened as Anna's words cut deep.
"I did it to help you," he said.
"I would have rather killed someone." Anna could not believe that she said that. "I would have been at least able to keep my mind."
"You could not be trusted with your own mind. You should be thanking me."
"Thanking you?!"
Anna balled her hands into fists at her sides. She struggled from punching him in the face.
"This is because of Hannah, isn't it?" she asked.
"We are not talking about her," Rhys snapped.
"Why?" she pressed. "Because she killed herself? She did not want this. She did not want to be a vampire, but you forced it on her like you forced it on me. You gave me no choice in anything."
Rhys opened his mouth, but Anna held out her hand to silence him.
"I don't want to be with you, but I also do not want to die," she said. "You told me our souls go to hell if we die. That is enough to convince me to survive."
"You will be killed without us," he said.
"I never said I would be alone."
She did not want to say she would be running away with Drew. She did not want to add that to their argument. At least not until the battle with the Nightingales was over.
"I don't know what you feel for me, but I am not Hannah," Anna said. "I will never love you."
Anna spun around on her heels and stormed off.
"Come back," Rhys said. "You are soaking wet."
Anna stopped. She bit down on her cheeks and forced herself to keep moving.
"I don't care," she said. "Stay away from me."