Annalise

Within moments Eugene reacted. Snapping Annalise out of her shock for a second, as he placed himself firmly in front of her like a barrier. Immediately going on the defence, snapping at Astaroth as though she was hell incarnate. Perhaps she was, Annalise didn't know for sure yet. But she seemed nice enough.

"No she's not! Why would she go with you!" Eugene deterred, clenching and un-clenching his fist. Stepping slightly to the side of him, Anna placed a hand on his shoulder. Watching as his fists began to unconsciously uncurl. She frowned, holding her breath as she faced her 'auntie'.

"Stop Eugene." She spoke softly, almost afraid to step into the violent energy between them. Astaroth herself seemed to be fuming at Eugene's refusal, eyes squinted and jaw clenched. She looked like she was holding herself back from leaping at Gene's throat. Raul had placed himself closer between, shoulders back and chest leaning forward, getting ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"Let her speak, Gene." Annalise demanded, crossing her arm in front of her chest. His head snapped back to her, eyes wide in incredulity. She felt the need to wince under his scrutiny but held strong. Astaroth positively beamed, all tension sapped from her body.

"Thank you!" Astaroth praised, looking at Annalise like she'd just hung the moon and stars. All kinds of goofiness faded from her as she became more serious. "To be honest, I'd love to take you to hell for my own selfish reasons. You're family. I'd love to have you there. But that's not the case. I felt your power explode recently. That kind of power can't go unchecked. It needs training. Harnessing. You could cause accidents. You could hurt someone,"

Annalise bit her lip, twisting her hands nervously on her biceps. What she was saying made sense. Ever since she had returned to her body, she had felt something, lingering and lurking under the surface. A type of power. A sense of foreboding that was hibernating waiting for the next opportunity to burst open. It was a ticking time bomb. She was a ticking time bomb. It was only a matter of when, not if.

"I tried to visit you multiple times when you were younger. But when your mum and dad broke up, she refused to let me see you. I only stopped trying six years ago, things in hell got a bit busier and I wasn't allowed to come here. My brother had betrayed us for some vampire, and left a mess in his wake. I was left to clean it up but I felt your power burst, and I knew I couldn't just sit there and be complacent anymore. I came as soon as i could,". Annalise wasn't sure how to handle the bombardment of information.

She loved her mother, but to learn that she had been hiding Annalise from her family members for so long. It was disconcerting. She must have had a reason to. The first culprit that came to her mind was her father. Annalise was sure of it.

"It's safer for you to be in hell right now, Annalise. I've heard about what Amaros wants. You probably know by now too. He wants you dead. I think, but I don't know, that he's scared you'll be like him. He's afraid of your power and he doesn't want the competition. He wouldn't dare show his head again in hell after the wreckage he made," Astaroth continued, face scrunching up in disgust as she mentioned Annalise's father. She matched the sentiment.

"Besides! You can meet more of our family, more of your kind. You can learn our ways, our traditions and celebrations,". Annalise chewed on her lip thoughtfully. She couldn't lie to herself. It was a tempting offer. Logically, she knew she was in danger. Vitus proved that point quite literally. She knew her father was after her, and she could feel the dormant power tightening in her chest like a vice.

Then she looked at Eugene and her thoughts faltered.

God, how could she leave him. Any of them really. "You can't really be thinking of going with her, can you?" Gene spat, seeing through her. Just like he always did. She couldn't look at him, and that as of itself was enough of an answer for him. He grunted, shifting back to Astaroth.

"Leave." Eugene commanded, voice low and rough. Astaroth sneered at him, lip curling with distaste but with one look at her niece she stopped with a sigh. Gingerly she made her way to Annalise, rolling her eyes when Gene held out a hand to stop her.

"I'm not going to hurt her, you fool." She demeaned, with a snort and a flip of her platinum hair. He dropped his hand reluctantly. Slowly she reached out to grip Annalise, drawing her into a tight hug. Slyly, Astaroth slipped a card into the pocket of her jeans. With a smirk, she left, waving to Annalise as she walked away.

----

It was a phone number. Astaroth had left her, her phone number hurriedly scribbled down on a piece of paper. It was surprisingly illegible, Annalise had expected fancy italic numbers. Not chicken scrawl. Luckily she could just about manage to read it out. She had retreated to one of the guest bedrooms, Victoria's at a guess, immediately after Astaroth had left. Huddling over the spare phone that Cassius had gifted her, she contemplated what to do.

She typed the phone number into her phone, then immediately deleted it. And then immediately typed it back. She continued on in this odd limbo for five minutes before placing the phone back in the pocket. She'd have to decide another day.

---

A few days had passed, and the tension between her and the other vampires was thicker than wood. They had been dancing around each other, a hello here, casual conversation there. But she could tell that they were just as conflicted as she was. The tension in Cassius' jaw, the tightening of Dawn's fists, and the blatant denial from Eugene.

On one hand, she wants to go with her Auntie. To learn more about herself, more than anything. For years and years she had no idea who her father was, where that side of her came from. And now? Now she finally had a chance to know. It seemed like an opportunity of a lifetime. To learn about the part of her that half demon, to control that power.

On the other hand, she knew Eugene would hate it. The other vampires were also clearly reluctant. But it was Raul, who finally broached the subject each of them had hidden away. He'd cornered her in the living room. Jerking his head, and with a gesture of his hand, she followed him to the garden. He plopped himself happily on the mud. Annalise hovered anxiously, not wanting to get herself covered in muck.

"What's wrong?" Annalise asked, gingerly crouching down on her knees besides him. No matter who calm, or zen he appeared to be. Raul always made an intimidating figure, huge and bulky, stern faced. No matter how hard he tried, he'd always put people off. So it was a little awkward and concerning, seeing him splayed out in the overgrown grass and mud, with seemingly not a care in the world.

"You are troubled." He stated bluntly. Annalise spluttered, that was not what she was expecting. She stumbled to come up with an excuse, for something to say but he beat her to it. "The decision is completely up to you. No one might want you to leave. But you might need to. They will be upset. But no one will blame you. We will still be here when you come back. Whatever decision you make, we will stand behind it. You're a part of our clan,"

Annalise froze, winded as if she had just been punched. It was the most she had heard him speak, for the entire time she had known him. And on top of that he had hit the nail on the head. The crux of her insecurities. That they would hate her if she decided to go with her aunt. But with his words she felt them slowly fade. Replaced with a strong confidence.

She smiled at Raul gently, the corners of her eyes creasing. She leaned in slightly. "Thank you Raul," She said softly.

Raul nodded firmly in response, digging into his pockets and drawing out a small notebook and pen. He began to scrawl away on the paper, content to just draw whatever was on his mind. Annalise pulled a face, standing up, leaning back and forth on her feet. Could she leave now? Was he finished speaking with her? The pen paused on the paper, and he looked back at her, face blunt and clearly unimpressed.

She nodded, with an uneasy smile and quickly vacated the garden. Heading back up to Victoria's room, she was probably in Dawn's anyways, Annalise pulled out her phone.

She dialled Astaroth's number.