Noah

Noah Jones wasn't the type of person to step on other people's toes. He preferred to stay neutral and out of people's way. He despised conflict, he'd seen what it had done, to his family, the war against Vampires had left them reeling. With more casualties than they could have ever imagined.

So, imaginably, it took a lot for him to finally get involved in it. When he had seen that Vampire, standing in the doorway of the house where Annalise was murdered, his senses were on haywire.

He had heard, through the supernatural grape vine that a woman had been murdered by a Vampire in the 22nd house on Wonder Street. Exactly where his friend had been slaughtered. It couldn't be just a coincidence that a Vampire, so happens to move in 5 years after she had passed. He wanted- no he needed to find out more.

Annalise had meant a lot to him, to both of them. Noah and Mia. She had been a breath of fresh air, in the busy life of a werewolf and fae. So, comparatively normal. Annalise had been a sanctuary for both of them. When she died, it was like the whole world had collapsed on them.

There was a light creek at the front door of his apartment. "Noah?" a soft feminine voice called out imploringly. Noah smiled to himself, it was Mia. She had been his saving grace, the months after Annalise had died. Even though she was struggling as well, she always checked up on him, made sure he was eating and drinking enough. Mia had stayed over enough that he was pretty sure she had a whole wardrobe of clothes in his bedroom.

"I'm in here, Mia," he called out from where he was sitting in the living room. There were a few soft pads of shoes hitting the carpet before she appeared in the doorway. She was wearing a light pink skirt, with a white plain top tucked in.

"There you are," she smiled, before she frowned in confusion looking at the papers that had been scattered around the floor. Each one was scribbled with information of the Vampires in the area they lived. Where they had been on the day Annalise was murdered, where they are now, what they were doing.

"Noah...." Mia muttered softly, kneeling down to where he was sitting on the floor, and grasping his hands. "I thought you were over this?" Noah shook his head

"You know I can't, we can't just forget this Mia. I'm so close, I know soon we'll find out who did this to her and get justice," Mia scrunched up her face,

"I miss her," she said, looking down at their joint hands sadly.

"I know, I do too. But we'll find out what happened to her soon," he replied, squeezing her hands reassuringly.

"I promise,"

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Annalise

The minutes after Victoria left were silent and awkward. Annalise wasn't sure what to do with herself fiddling with her hands, as Eugene stared morosely at the letters. After a while, he looked at her, eyebrows drawn together. He made to speak, but sputtered and stopped mid way.

He heaved a sigh and dropped the two letters on the sofa beside him. "Annalise... I'm sorry. For hiding that from you. I really am sorry," he admitted heavily, looking down to the floor in shame. "I wanted to make sure I had all the information. I know I said that, but now I think I was more scared than anything. Of what I'd find, and for that I am truly sorry,"

Annalise bit her lip, contemplatively. The honesty of his statement, the shame in his appearance tugged at her heart. She had missed him, in those days stuck up in the attic, more than she had been angry at him. But she couldn't just outright forgive him for what he'd done.

"What were you scared of?" Annalise asked, raising an eyebrow in question. He looked down at his hands sullenly

"While I was in the Modesto Clan, our Sire made us do many horrendous things. I didn't want it- I didn't want to tell you that it was someone I knew personally-that killed you. I still don't know who it was in particular. But I just-"

Annalise interrupted him, she could understand it. Even if she didn't want to. Has she been in the same situation, and it had been one of her friends who had killed someone. She wasn't sure what she would do, if she were completely honest.

"I understand why you did it, just don't do it again. I trust you, more than anyone," she said, rubbing the back of her neck where the birthmark was.

"Please, if anything happens like that again. Tell me. It wasn't your information to hide," Eugene nodded, hesitating as he moved towards her, his hand outstretched to smooth back her hair. For once it didn't phase through, gently he held a strand of her hair in his hand, placing it behind her ear.

Annalise gazed into his dark green eyes, and not for the first time since having met him, she wished she wasn't dead. A thought suddenly popped into her head, with a violence that jolted her. "The letters!" She cried, pointing to them. Eugene was still playing with her hair, lost in a daze.

"Hmm, the letters?" he mumbled quietly, then he seemed to snap out of it, dropping her hair instantly and turning to grab both of the letters.

"Of course, the letters!" He affirmed, passing the one with Annalise's name on it to her. "I don't intend to hide anything from you anymore, Anna. This is yours, I don't know what's written on it, but you don't have to share it with me. I'd like to know, but-"

Annalise stopped him, raising her hand to silence him. Thankfully she took the letter out of his hand, it seemed with each passing day she was able to interact with the world more. "It's okay, you can read it after i have," she smirked, but it quickly disappeared as she took in the contents of the letter.

Once again it was written, in red liquid that was pungent of iron. Blood. It read-

'Dear Sweet Demon,

Oh yes, I know who you are. Shocking isn't it? I know your father too, the great demon Armaros. The cursed one. Interesting isn't it.

He's a dear friend of mine, he knows who killed you. He didn't care. Armaros was always so brutal like that. You must forgive him.

It seems you've tamed my Little Lion too. But now I must ask for him back. You see, he's very important to me. I must have him back home as soon as possible. I will do anything to get him back.

Anything.

Be wary, demon. For I will stop at nothing.

With love,

Vitus Modesto

Her hands shook violently, the paper rattling shakily as she passed her letter to Eugene. Her father. She had never known him, she didn't even know his name. And now this man, this man that Eugene had been running from knew who her father was. Not even her mother cared to tell her about her father. The mere mention of him always brought her to near hysterics, so Annalise had learned quickly not to mention him.

Yes Eugene had mentioned she was a half-demon, but this made the reality of it almost too real. She probably shouldn't trust this stranger, for information about the father she never knew. But it was the only thing she had heard about him, in all her years of existence, alive and dead.

Eugene's eyes glanced over the paper, his pale face flushed in anger as he clenched his jaw so hard the tendons in his neck stood out. He dropped the letter, placing it back on the sofa where he had left his own.

"Annalise, I won't let anything happen to you. He won't touch you"

"I promise,"

Word Count 1381