The Vampire's Goddess- Book 1

Chapter 26

Andretta and I had bonded over the course our criminal justice class and I now found myself sitting on the green leather couch in the living room of her house. Talk about huge. This house was a freaking mansion!

"Annalise have you talked to him?" she asked.

She had asked me the same question several times whenever we had gotten together and my answer was always the same.

"No." I said bluntly tearing up at the thought of him. My life had been miserable. I had caught William having sex with another woman when I went to pick him up for dinner and though it hurt my heart was simply shattered after my spat with Ettore. I missed him so bad it hurt yet I couldn't bring myself to call him.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I just don't want to. He's different Andretta and I don't think that it would work." I said tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Is it because of what he is?" she asked me with a curious look on her face "Because I'm pretty sure you felt something was different about him before you even found out what he was."

"What?" I said my mouth hanging open. "How did you know?"

"Girl, sometimes things are not always what they appear to be. You have always been able to read people fairly well in terms of character right?"

"Yes." I answered unsure of where this was going.

"You were attracted to him but you knew there was something dangerous about him. You didn't trust me at first but look how close we have become. Just because a person is different doesn't make them evil Annalise. Deep down you have always known that supernaturals exist but you kept trying to convince yourself that they didn't. You used to play with them all of the time as a child, don't you remember."

"They were imaginary friends Andretta" I said trying to laugh it off. "And how did you know about that?"

"Let's just say that I have been your friend for a long time. Remember Katie who you were friends with up until middle school until she moved and Mary who you were friends with through middle school and high school?"

"Oh you've got to be shitting me!?" I said as my eyes widened in realization. "You're them?"

"Yep. You can say I was kind of like your guide to make sure that you didn't head down the wrong path."

"She did a good job didn't she? Auntie always does a hell of a job" came Allison's voice.

I turned to find her and Jose standing in the doorway leading to the dining room. "Oh come on! You guys too! Auntie!? What?!"

"Hells yeah baby!" Jose said clearly amused.

"Oh, I'm so gonna get y'all." I said not liking the fact that I has been blissfully unaware of all of this until now.

"Shush!" Andretta said giving them both the eye. "We can discuss being family later but right now Annalise you need to talk to Alesandro."

"Who is that?" I asked confused.

"It's Scott Annalise. His real name is Alesandro Ettore." Allison said.

"Great! More secrets!" I said throwing my hands up in the air.

"Glad to see she's taking it so well. She hasn't gone all G.I. Jane yet" Jose said laughing.

"Not now Josefina." Allison snapped as he gave her a death stare

"Annalise, he loves you. Yes, he is a vampire but even vampires are capable of loving. It is one of their few pleasures and when they love they love with everything they have to give. Remember what I said, just because he's different, it doesn't make him a bad person." Andretta said softly.

"But he drinks blood! That's gross!" I shrieked.

"You eat meat and to a vegetarian that's gross. People all over the world eat different things that we may consider gross and they may think that what we eat is gross but it's what we have to do to survive. He has to drink in order to survive but does that really make him a monster? Annalise vampires were once cruel beings with little care for anyone or anything but I can assure you they are not the monsters that Hollywood paints them to be." Andretta said using her motherly tone. "Do you have any idea of how much he loves you?"

"He doesn't love me." I said with a sigh "He has her."

"Annalise come on!" Jose said laughing "Alesandro and Callindora have been enemies since even I can remember. Callindora is delusional and only wants Alesandro for the power she could gain from bonding with him." He finished irritation creeping into his voice.

"How do I know that?" I asked.

"Annalise, Alesandro is hosting the damn fall formal at his house in hopes that he will get the chance to apologize. He lost the only woman he had ever loved centuries ago and now that he has found love again, namely you, can you at least cut the guy a break if he happens to be a little damn rusty on his dating skills? I mean damn Annalise! He's tried to talk to you but you ignore him, he's scared to call you for fear that you'll reject him, he's paying for the entire fucking formal just so it would be held at his house because he's hoping that you will come! The man has been in pure fucking agony since he found out how bad he hurt you!" Jose exclaimed now clearly irritated.

"Jose! Enough mi Moreno!" Andretta said sharply "This is a lot if information for her to take in at one time."

"Yeah Josefina! Why don't you just jump down her throat and stomp her liver while you're at it?" Allison said rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry mi Morena." Jose said coming to stoop in front of me as the tears silently streamed down my face. "Don't cry mi morena, I'm so sorry" he said wrapping me in a hug.

"We know you love him Annalise. Everyone can see the attraction between you two so why are you fighting it?" Andretta asked softly.

"Because I don't want to be turned, because I can't take having my heart broke by him again and because I don't know what is going on any more." I sobbed into Jose's shoulder.

"Honey, he's not going to turn you unless he has your consent, if you truly give him a chance I can promise that he will never break your heart and I know we have kept secrets from you Annalise but we had to wait until you were ready. We are your friends and we would never lead you wrong. Have we ever done it in the past?" Andretta asked

"No." I said quietly sniffing into my sleeve. "So what are the two of you?" I asked looking at Jose and Allison.

"I'm a warlock and she's a bitch witch!" he said smirking

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Even though I'm still pissed at you guys I love y'all" I said wiping the tears from my eyes as I laughed.

"Okay enough with the water works. So are you going to the formal or not?" Jose asked

"You damn right she's going!" Andretta said in a serious tone but giving me a playful pout that Katie used to give me when we were kids to get her way. I still couldn't believe that Andretta was Katie and Mary.