The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined (2 page)

Vati’s jaw clenched, but otherwise his face was inscrutable. It was the ‘angry, but under control’ face he used when dealing with arrogant government officials.

“Alex,” Devin said, stepping smoothly in front of him with a slight smirk on his face. “Would you mind assisting me with something?”

Alex glanced at Vati who nodded slightly. “Of course, Devin.”

Alex stood and followed the Elder to the back of the platform where a goat stood tethered to a post. A ceremonial knife and bowl lay on a nearby table. Ian was fastening the manacles around Anna’s wrists, chaining her spread-eagle to the table.

Alex felt anger bubbling to the surface. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. It would not help anything if he lost his temper. He had to stay calm. He
had
to.

Sebastian, what is going on?

Tell me what you see.

Alex looked around again.
A goat, a knife a bowl.... Oh, God, Sebastian, what the hell is he going to do to her?

What color is the goat?

Black.

There was a pause.
Where is Anna?

On a stone table. I’ve never seen anything like it.

If the goat hadn’t been there, Alex would have feared for Anna’s life.

Devin walked to the front of the platform. “My Brothers, tonight you are fortunate to witness something not seen in a very long time. Something that will help us rein in those who think they don’t need us anymore.”

The men applauded and looked with interest at Anna, compliant and chained to the table.

What’s going on, Alex?

He said he’s going to do something that hasn’t been seen in a long time.

Another pause.
I could get into an enormous amount of trouble for helping you.

Please, Sebastian. I failed her once already.

Sebastian didn’t answer and Alex grew nervous as Devin walked over to Anna. He trailed his fingers over her body and she grimaced. His mouth latched onto her nipple and Alex suppressed a growl.

Devin stepped between her legs and stroked her pussy and she gasped in pain. She struggled against the bindings for a moment, but relaxed as Devin walked away.

Alex gazed down at Anna with concern for a moment before the lights went out. He looked up to see Devin pick up the knife and begin murmuring. Alex resisted the urge to look back at Vati. He also resisted the urge to punch Devin in the face.

Devin swiped the knife across the goat's neck and it collapsed onto the stone platform, its lifeblood flowing down into the bowl at the lowered edge. Alex swallowed as his mouth filled with hot saliva. He normally wasn’t squeamish, but the whole situation set his stomach on edge.

Devin glanced at him with an arched brow and amused eyes as he walked to him. “You’ll need to help her drink this,” he lifted the bowl slightly, “and then hold her down if she starts moving. I wouldn’t want her to hurt herself.”

Alex forced a smile. “Of course, Devin.”
Sebastian!

Tell me what he does as he does it. I will guide you through what you must do. But you must trust me.

Alex hesitated. What would Sebastian have him do?
I trust you. I always have.
He’d known Sebastian for eight years and his friend had never led him astray.

Alex moved to Anna’s left side, his back towards the Brothers sitting on the benches below. Her guardian stood across from him with a smirk on his face, and Devin’s deacon stood at her head.

Devin stared intently at Anna and she returned the look. He began to murmur again in a language Alex didn’t recognize. Devin lifted the bowl over his head, said something loudly in the unknown language, and then brought the bowl to his lips.

Devin passed the bowl to Jack, who drank, and then passed it to the Deacon. The Deacon did likewise and passed the bowl to Alex.

You’re acknowledging that you’re a witness to the ritual. Drink, Alex. It’s the only way you can help her. You must be intimately part of this to save her.

Alex stared at the bowl and then tipped it towards his mouth.
Disgusting.
He swallowed and looked at Devin, who nodded towards Anna.

Why do I have to feed her?

Devin doesn’t realize it, but he’s giving you the opening you need. By feeding her, you will be able to interfere with the bonding.

Bonding?

Feed her, Alex.

The Deacon lifted her head and Alex lowered the bowl to her. “Drink,” he said gently. As her lips touched the bowl, he felt a surge of warmth run through his body. “Open.”

Obediently, she parted her lips and Alex poured some of the blood into her mouth. She coughed and shuddered, blood droplets landing on her perfect breasts.

Alex handed the bowl back to Devin. Devin took another drink and then handed the bowl to Ian, who had been waiting a respectful distance behind him. Anna trembled and Alex brushed his fingers over her temple in an attempt to comfort her.

He is going to take her mind, Alex. You must watch carefully what he does and be prepared to do the same thing. It will weaken his bond with her and hopefully bond you to her at the same time.

Hopefully?

It’s never been done before. But I believe it to be true.

Alex would have to trust his friend.

Devin moved around Anna, stroking her skin, as Alex and the other men stepped back. Devin stopped at her head and placed his hands on her temple. She looked up at him and terror filled her eyes. Her mouth moved and she shook violently. Alex could see the wild pulse against her strained neck muscles as she stiffened.

Alex’s heart raced as Devin walked back to the bottom of the table. Anna was shaking so badly that Alex was afraid she’d fall off the table, despite the chains. The Deacon and Jack loosened the manacles and Devin pulled her hips down towards him.

Anna’s eyes met his, her terror ripping at his heart.
What must I do, Sebastian?

Devin opened his robe and stroked his hard cock a few times before thrusting violently into Anna’s body. She arched off the table and opened her mouth in a silent scream. Why wasn’t she making any sounds?

The other men pushed her back down and Alex did likewise, if for no other reason than to keep her from falling.

It took all his strength to hold her down as Devin fucked her. Sweat glistened on Devin’s forehead and his eyes were closed. His mouth dropped open as if in ecstasy. After what seemed like forever, Devin grunted and pulled out. Tears rolled down Anna’s cheeks as she stared at Devin, eyes wide as if she felt betrayed.

Devin smirked and then walked away. Anna looked up at Alex with such a hopeless look in her eyes, it stabbed at his heart.

Sebastian!

Go to her head, I will give you the words to say.

Anna’s eyes drooped and she shuddered as Alex put his hands on her temples. He repeated the words Sebastian gave him and her eyelids fluttered.

“Stay with me, Anna,” he whispered, fearing he was losing her.

You must bond with her, Alex. You must consummate the bonding.

Alex moved down to between her legs and flinched as he saw her pussy. She was bleeding, and from more than just her new piercing.
What the fuck...?

Devin turned and their eyes met. Devin stepped forward and Alex steeled his mind.

“Forgive me,
Schatzi
,” he whispered. He opened his robe, surprised he was hard. How could he be hard at a moment like this?

Do it, Alex. If he touches her, it’s over.

“Forgive me,” he said, positioning himself at her brutalized entrance. He pushed forward and Anna’s mouth opened in another silent scream.

And no wonder. Getting into her body was like trying to shove his cock into the barrel of his rifle. He knew he was above average in size, but this was ridiculous. It was painful for him; no wonder she was screaming...silently.

“No!” Devin screamed and reached for her.

Without thinking about it, he thrust his hips forward, tears filling his eyes, for Anna’s pain and his own. He was certain he’d torn her. Would she ever forgive him?

Tears streamed down her face and he leaned forward to hold her body in place as he thrust in and out. It was not even remotely enjoyable and he prayed he’d be able to finish.

Miraculously, his balls tingled and he felt himself release into her body. It wasn’t even an orgasm. Just release. Painful release. As soon as he was done, he pulled out and rested his head on her knee, gasping for breath.

What did I just do? I tore her, Sebastian.

If everything went right, you’ve bonded with her. You are both her Master now.

Master?

You just performed the Bonding Ritual, banned centuries ago for its cruelty. It bonds a Master to his slave.

I don’t want to be her Master, Sebastian. I want to be her lover...and husband someday.

You will have to tread carefully, Alex. Her Masters have been cruel to her in the past. You will have to show yourself to be different.

Then why become her Master at all?

Because if you didn’t, she would be Devin’s puppet now. She would no longer be an independent being, but an obedient, dangerous tool in Devin’s hands. You have saved her, Alex. You have done what you set out to do. Now you must win over her heart.

Can the bonding and slavery be undone?

I believe so, when she is older, but that is a matter to deal with later. Nothing can be done about it for now.

Alex felt his temper rising and he clenched his fists.
I’ll just kill him now. Then it will be over.

If you kill Devin, you will kill Anna.

Fuck. Now what?

Anna’s eyes snapped open and she squinted against the muted sunlight that made its way through the sheer curtains. She tried to move, but a strong, muscular arm wrapped around her waist held her in place.

Being held in place wasn't necessarily an unusual occurrence; when she slept with Jack, he often held her tight against him to make sure that his cock stayed in her ass. But Jack’s arm wasn’t nearly this muscular. Or long.

This arm obviously didn’t belong to Jack, so who lay behind her? She knew she was in her room at the Manor, in her bed, under the comforter. The body behind her was very large, very warm, and very masculine, especially with the bulge pressing against her rear. Her head rested on the man's hard bicep with his forearm snug against her upper chest. Their bodies fit together like adjoining puzzle pieces. She also felt safe; something she hadn’t experienced in many years.

Don't be ridiculous, Anna. There is no such place as “safe.”

Tears stung her eyes as she thought about the previous night. Devin had been so kind to her when she moved into the Manor. She thought he’d changed back into the man she knew as a child. Her kind, sweet, loving Devin.

But his eyes had turned so dark and cold as she lay on that stone table. What had angered him as he gazed down at her?

Devin had warned her that the night wouldn’t be pleasant. Her piercings had certainly been painful. Maybe he had to act that way for the ritual? The thought made his coldness more bearable. But if it were true, why did his eyes remain cold after the ritual was complete? Why had he sneered at her?

Who was the real Devin? The nice one or the cruel one?

Devin had marked her as his slave; a slave complete with piercings. Just like the other girls. He had told her that the diamonds she wore made her special, but how could she know if he’d been telling the truth? Everything she'd come to accept about Devin in the last weeks seemed in doubt now.

What would happen now? Didn’t slaves live downstairs? Would she lose the beautiful room she’d come to love? Would she be given to any man at the Gatherings now? Was she just another one of his girls now?

She sighed, confused and hurt. What did it mean to be Devin's slave?

*****

Alex woke in a strange, feminine bedroom. This wasn't so unusual. He'd woken up in many women’s beds over the course of the years, especially after his wife died. His mother had coined them his “years of insanity.” It had happened before that time, too, but his mother didn't know about it, or didn't want to know. He was thankful that his era of stupidity was behind him...mostly.

He looked down without moving his head and saw the silky brown hair of the woman he held in his arms. She smelled like heaven; like making love outdoors in the spring back at his family’s estate in
Deutschland.
His cock stirred at the thought of making love to her.

He knew the woman he held. Well, she was barely a woman.
Anna.
His
Schatzi;
his little treasure. He'd seen her for the first time four years ago, thinking it was a dream. The beautiful teenage girl had just appeared in his room that night….

Being a light sleeper, he’d awakened and sensed her before he could see her. His ability to wake automatically with the slightest sense of something amiss had saved his life several times.