The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined (5 page)

They both looked at her wide-eyed and Anna giggled. They smiled, seemingly relieved.

“Hasn't he ever come to the Gatherings before?”

They both shook their head.

“He comes other times with his friends,” Sarah said. “But not to the Gatherings. Those would be memorable nights if he did so.”

The three of them grinned sheepishly at each other for a moment.

“Is there anything else you need, Mistress?” Maggie asked.

When Anna shook her head, Sarah and Maggie left the room, playful demeanor deliberately erased before leaving.

Anna wandered over to the door that led out to the yard and leaned her head on the sheer curtain that covered the cool glass. She tried to make sense of what had happened last night, but it still confused her. She knew only one thing for certain: she now had two Masters: Devin and Alex.

Devin had been so angry last night. Was he still so this morning? Devin's anger frightened her more than anything else she could imagine. If for no other reason, she was obedient because she feared him. When she'd tried to kill herself, a year into her training, she had experienced the full wrath of his rage. Devin had done things to her and in front of her that still haunted her nightmares.

Anna let out a shaky breath that fogged the window, desperately hoping that Devin was no longer angry.

The bathroom door opened a few minutes later and Alex emerged wearing a long-sleeved blue dress shirt and black dress pants. The color of his shirt made his eyes appear even bluer than earlier. She lost herself in his eyes, momentarily forgetting he was her Master and just enjoying his powerful, yet gentle, presence.

“Shall we eat?” he asked with a gentle smile.

Anna nodded and followed him to the table.

They each took a plate and began eating in silence. Anna's head was bursting with confusing new thoughts and emotions. Alex was quiet and Anna didn’t dare break the mood. She looked up at him surreptitiously every few minutes and he appeared to be deep in thought.

“How would you feel about having your own place to live, Anna?” he asked suddenly.

She blinked. “What?”

He smiled at her. “I would prefer it if you didn’t live here at the Manor. You’ve been cooped up for too long, and I want you to experience some freedom.”

Freedom?
“I don’t know if I know how to do that. Besides, I don’t have any way to support myself.”

“Part of being a good Master is taking care of those who belong to him,” he said softly.

Anna stared at her plate. A good Master? She didn’t think such a thing was possible. “I’m fine here, Master. You needn’t waste your money on me.” She wasn’t worth worrying about.

“I wouldn’t consider it a waste of money. Besides, you’d be closer to both myself and Devin if you lived in the city.”

“Oh
.”
She understood now. Yes, it would be more convenient for them. The Manor was many miles from Alex’s house. “Whatever would please you, Master.”

*****

Alex sighed internally. He’d made a poor word choice, making it sound like he didn’t want to be inconvenienced by having to come out here to see her. Yes, he wanted her near him, but he wanted her to gain some independence. To learn how to be a normal twenty-year-old young woman. She’d been kept hidden away for too long and needed to experience…life.

How could she freely choose him if she hadn’t ever been free? If she didn’t know what was out in the world, then how could he be sure of her feelings for him? She needed to go out with her friends and go to parties and...other stuff.

Alex frowned at the thought of other stuff. He didn’t like the idea of anyone being with her except him. But was it fair to pursue her if she felt obligated to him? She would do anything he asked, even if she didn’t want to. If he wanted her to go out with him, she would. If he wanted her to make love to him, she would.

That was not how he wanted their relationship to start. But how could he handle it without hurting her feelings? He wanted her, God, how he wanted her! But even more, he wanted her heart freely given.

She needed to experience life. To do that, she had to be out of the Manor.

“Anna, I want you to have your own place so you can be out from under the thumb of your guardian and Devin.”

She looked up at him with those sad eyes that made his heart ache. “Why? I’m just a slave.”

Not to me, you’re not.
“You’re not supposed to be a slave and I refuse to treat you as such.”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t understand why.”

Alex stared at her for a long moment. Was it possible she didn’t know what she was? Why wouldn’t Devin...?

He felt his temper rising again. Devin had never told her. By keeping her unaware of her heritage and powers, Devin would be able to keep her feeling defeated and weak. If she knew the truth, she would be empowered.
Fuck
. She needed to know, but this was not the place to tell her. He needed to get her out of the Manor before he told her, otherwise, Devin would never let her out. Alex needed to be smart about this. He needed to speak to Vati before he said anything.

“Like I said before, you weren’t born here. You don’t belong here.”

She gave a slight nod and took a bite of her breakfast.

Alex sighed. This was going to be more difficult than he could ever have imagined.

*****

“Kurt said that you take ballet lessons.”

Anna nodded. “I do. Twice a week.” Though she’d missed her Thursday class this week. She’d not been in any condition to dance after trying to get her necklace. She bit her lip, remembering what Devin had told her. Had he really meant what he said about contacting Isaak, the Ballet Master of the San Francisco Ballet Company? If she was supposed to become a puppet after last night’s ritual...had he been lying when he told her that? The thought made her chest hurt.

“Anna, what’s wrong?”

“I....” She shook her head. “Nothing. It’s not important.”

“Please tell me.”

It wasn’t a command. She wondered at his interest in her thoughts. “Devin had said something about letting me dance more....” She trailed off, feeling foolish.

“What did he say?”

“He asked if there was something he could do to make up for...well, the last four years.” She shrugged.

Alex snorted.

“The first thing that came to mind was that I wanted to dance more. So, that’s what I asked. He said that he’d call Isaak....” She trailed off, her heart breaking at the realization that it probably wouldn’t happen. “Now, I don’t know if he really meant it,” she whispered, dejected.

Alex reached across the table and put his hand on hers. “I will make sure you get to take those classes, Anna.” His voice was firm.

She shook her head. “If Devin doesn’t want me to....”

Alex shook his head. “Anna, he doesn’t have sole authority over you, remember? He shares it with me now. And I will make sure you dance as much as you want.”

She stared at him. Why did he care so much if she danced? “Why?”

“Because I watched you during
Sleeping Beauty
. You were enthralled. If you danced with Aaron when you were twelve, and with your parents being as talented as they were...well, you must be good.” He gave her an affectionate smile.

Anna suddenly remembered their conversation at the ballet. He had said that his best friend was a principal dancer. “Is Aaron your best friend?”

He grinned. “I thought you'd have figured that out by now.”

“I hadn't connected the ideas. You were...not especially friendly when we went to the ballet.”

Alex shook his head. “I'm so sorry for the way I acted toward you, Anna. Believe it or not, I'm actually a pretty fun guy to be around.”

She smiled shyly. He did seem nice, now that she was getting to know him a little better. “Kurt said it was more fun to stay at your house than the hotel.”

He rolled his eyes. “
Mein Brüder....
”

Anna thought about Kurt. She’d had a good time with him. He’d been so nice. Would she be able to see him again? What would Alex expect from her?

“Is there anything I can do for you, Master?” she asked as he put his fork down on his empty plate. She wanted to make sure he was taken care of before she went to find Devin. That would be one less thing for Devin to be angry about.

“
Nein
,
Schatzi.
”

She wiped her hands on her napkin. “I should go find Devin.”

“I imagine he'll want to speak to me as well.”

*****

Alex held out his hand to Anna. “I believe I might know where Devin is.”

She reached for it timidly and he took her small hand in his big one. She gave him a smile that melted his heart. How could anyone want to hurt this precious girl?

The more he thought about the abuse that her guardian and Devin had heaped on her, the angrier he got. It was all he could do to stay in the room and not start planning an assassination of his own design. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so angry.

But he would kill Anna if he killed Devin. That was the only reason that man was still alive. Jack, on the other hand.... No. As much as he desired to remove the man's head from his body with his bare hands, he couldn’t without permission, and he was unlikely to get it. Jack was a Brother and had just been doing what his Elder told him to do.

Alex just had to be patient. He would get his revenge. Of that he had no doubt.

He saw Anna look at the door and hesitate. He didn't blame her for being nervous about going to find Devin. Alex wasn't especially looking forward to it either. It would take every ounce of his self-control to keep his hands off the cruel Elder.

Alex walked to the door to open it and found it locked. He glanced back at Anna, confused.

“It's always locked from the outside,” she explained. “Devin said it's to keep me safe.”

Alex turned away from her to hide his frown. How could being locked in her own room keep her safe? More likely it was to keep her contained so that Devin knew where she was.

He knocked on the door and it opened. Glancing back, he held out his hand again. He loved the feel of her skin. It was so soft. “
Komm mit mir
.”

She slipped her hand into his and he led her out into the hallway. They had taken only a few steps when Anna tried to pull away, but he refused to let go.

She stopped, tugging hard against him. He didn't want to let go; he liked the assurance that she was next to him.

“Master, please,” she implored in a whisper. “I shouldn’t walk with you like this.”

He pressed his lips together. She was right. She would get in trouble if Devin saw her trying to be “equal” to him by walking next to him. When she pulled again, he let her go. She let him walk ahead a few steps, then followed behind him, eyes downcast.

Alex led her to the bottom floor and to the set of double doors that led to Devin's study. He knocked once and the door opened. Ian stood in the doorway and they eyed each other for a moment before Ian stepped back and allowed them to enter.

Devin sat behind his massive wooden desk, waiting for Anna to arrive. His fingers were tented and his mouth rested on his index fingers as he stared out the window, lost in thought.

Despite the wall of tall windows across from the desk, the room had a dark feel to it, which suited his mood perfectly this morning. The wooden bookshelves that made up one wall and his desk were all made from the same dark wood. The chairs and sofa that sat next to the windows were covered in dark green brocade. The floor, covered with a large, dark green rug, matched the dark wood of the rest of the room.

Devin clenched his jaw, remembering the previous evening. To say he was angry would be an understatement; he was enraged. Twenty-three years of planning had gone down the drain because of that fucking German. Damn fucking Alex for interfering in the ritual. How could he have underestimated the man? How had Alex known what to do to interfere?

His anger extended to Anna as well, although his rational side told him she had nothing to do with Alex’s actions. She couldn't have possibly done anything to encourage or prevent the derailing of his long-term plan. She knew nothing. Nothing of his plans for her; nothing of her true nature. Exactly the way Devin wanted it.

Devin had thought he'd been clever in having Alex participate in the ritual. Alex would have spent the rest of his life regretting the fact that he'd been right next to Anna and watched her fade away, knowing he hadn't saved her.

When Anna had told him that Alex had been cold to her, Devin had been certain that Alex knew nothing of his plans and nothing of Anna's true nature.

Devin had been wrong. Dead wrong.

How did Alex know and how did he know there was a way to interfere with Devin’s plans?
Fuck!
Devin had studied for decades and he'd seen nothing in the old tome that indicated a slave bonding with two Masters was possible.
How did Alex know?
Someone must have told Wilhelm.