The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (29 page)

She looked up into his eyes. She hated that
she’d caused him pain. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He gave a little half smile. “Do not do it
again,” he teased.

Anna giggled softly.

“Vati got so angry at Devin, he punched him
in the face.” Kurt looked amused.

Anna gasped and clasped her hand over her
face. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “And the weird thing was that he
left the room and returned with his nose completely healed. I saw
it before he left. It was definitely broken.”

Anna nodded sadly. “He’s got that from
me.”

“How, Anna? How is he taking your power?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t.
She was forbidden from telling them about what went on in the
Gatherings. “I can’t tell you. He forbade me.”

Kurt frowned. “It is not right. You are far
too precious to steal life from.”

Anna took his hand and kissed his palm, then
looked up at him. Emotion swelled through her heart. He still loved
her. She could see it in his eyes. She wanted to love him. Wanted
to be with him. Time hadn’t changed that. She wished....

“Have you...met anyone?”

“I have met lots of people, Anna,” he said
with a slight smile. “It is part of being a
Sohn
.”

Anna blushed. “I mean...women? A woman. That
you like?”

“You are asking if I have fallen in love with
another woman?” he asked, smiling.

She nodded.

“
Nein
, Anna. I kept hoping...that I
would be able to see you again someday. Yes, I have met lots of
women, but none have interested me.” He sighed. “I still love you.
I believe I always will.”

Anna smiled. “I’m glad I get to spend time
with you again.”

“Me, too.” He leaned down to kiss her and a
knock sounded at the door. “Dinner.” He straightened and went to
answer the door.

Anna looked down to see she was wearing a big
t-shirt. It must have been Kurt’s. She wiggled out of bed and
wandered into the living room.

Kurt looked up. “I would have brought it in
there.”

Anna shrugged. “I can get up. It’s easier to
eat at a table.”

The next day, Anna went sightseeing with
Wilhelm and Kurt until they had to go to the Manor, or
pomest'ye
. Anna was taken up to a large room where the
other Elder-Mistresses were getting ready. She stood shyly near the
door, watching them. They were so elegant; so beautiful; so
aloof.

“You are Anna?” a Japanese woman asked her.
“I am Sakue. It is wonderful to meet you, Sister.”

Anna smiled shyly. “Hi.”

The other women noticed her and introduced
themselves. Raissa from Brazil, Creda from Britain, Madison from
Australia, Halima from Egypt, Bisala from India, Yalda from Iran,
and Irina from Moscow.

Anna felt so out of place among these
confident half-Immortals. Other women scurried around the room,
helping them get ready. Anna stayed quiet and listened to them
gossip as she got ready. They seemed to find Anna amusing and
didn’t quite know what to do with her shyness. They asked about
being married and were amazed that she still missed Alex.

“Aren’t there other interesting men around
you?” Creda asked. “Why would you want to settle for just one man,
when you can have any man you want?”

“I loved Alex,” Anna said softly. “My heart
aches every time I think about him.”

Yalda looked at her. “You are so different
from us. Perhaps it is we who are missing out. That kind of love
sounds wonderful.”

“And painful,” Halima said coolly. “Do you
regret it?”

“Regret what?” Anna asked, stepping into a
white gown that a girl held out for her.

“Regret marrying. The hurt? “

Anna shook her head. “Alex was the most
wonderful man I’d ever met.” She sighed. “I am fortunate to have
been with him the short time I had. Sometimes, yes, I regret it,
but only because of the pain of losing him.”

“He was very handsome. I remember him.” Irina
smiled. “He came with his father to visit sometimes. A very good
lover.”

Anna flushed and looked away. She didn’t want
to think about other women being with Alex. Yes, she knew it
happened. Obviously. But she wanted to remember Alex as hers and
hers only. She didn’t want to share her memories.

The girl helping her adjusted her dress and
finished her hair.

“You arrived in St. Petersburg with an
American Elder, but are now with the German Elder?” Irina asked. “I
didn’t think Americans shared.”

“They are both my Masters,” Anna answered
quietly.

“Both? How can you have two masters?” Irina
asked.

“I—” Anna began.

“Did I hear that you are actually a slave?”
Halima asked, her gold-threaded braids catching the overhead light
as she gazed disapprovingly at Anna.

“You’re not slaves?” Anna asked in awe

“Immortals are not slaves,” Halima snapped.
She looked at Madison, who also watched Anna with a similar
expression of disdain on her face. “That is an insult.”

“I highly doubt she did it on purpose,
Halima,” Yalda scolded.

“But you have Masters,” Anna said
confused.

“Of course,” Madison said in a haughty voice.
“But we serve them willingly. By our own choice. We are not like
the other girls who are mindless bodies for sex.”

“She is hardly mindless, Maddy,” Sakue
defended. “She has a depth of emotion we could never hope to have.
I envy her.” Sakue smiled kindly at Anna, who flushed
uncontrollably at the harshness of some of the women.

Anna rallied and smiled timidly back.

Madison rolled her eyes. “Why would you want
to be subject to such human emotion?”

“Why would you not?” Sakue asked with an
arched brow. “It might be nice to feel love for once instead of
just watching it.”

“You don’t feel love?” Anna asked in awe.

“There’s no need,” Irina answered. “Why waste
the energy? You certainly don’t seem to have benefited from it. An
excellent example of why we stay how we are.” She studied Anna
carefully. “You are not like us, and yet you claim to be one of us.
Why?”

Anna’s eyes widened. “I never asked to be. I
didn’t even know until...until I met Alex. He told me.”

“How could you not know?” Creda asked. “How
can you be so human?”

“Alex said I shouldn’t be one,” Anna said
softly. “I wasn’t raised to be one.” Tears filled her eyes but she
wiped them away. “I don’t know anything about it.”

She stood there, staring at the floor,
wishing she could disappear into it. She didn’t belong among her
‘own kind.’ She almost wished she was back in Devin’s manor, but
she would miss Kurt and Wilhelm desperately.

Disgust mixed with sympathy filled the room
and Anna was at a complete loss. She had no idea what to do. She
saw a couch in the corner and went to sit on it, hands clasped in
her lap, head down. The other women began chatting again and Anna
was forgotten.

A few minutes later, someone sat next to her.
She glanced sideways to see Sakue smiling at her, a sympathetic
look on her face.

“They just do not understand, Anna. Do not be
ashamed of who you are.” She put her hand on Anna’s and squeezed.
“I was honest when I said I envy you. I would like to know what it
is to love a man and to be loved back.” She sighed. “Well, I
suppose we all know what it is like to be loved, but we simply
don't know how to return the emotion.”

The Elder Mistresses were led out of the
dressing room and into the main hall. The hall was very much like
Devin’s, with the Eagle in the corner and the platform in front.
But the room had an older feel. The walls were made of gray stone,
as was the floor, though it was covered in thick red carpets. Three
huge iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling held hundreds of
candles that lit the room. Windows at the very top let in the
golden light from the setting sun. Iron sconces around the walls
were being lit as the sunlight faded.

Men in white robes filled the room, making it
appear lighter than it really was. The Mistresses all walked with
grace and confidence. Some of the men even bowed slightly as they
walked by. This was such an unfamiliar setting, to be held in high
respect. She had felt it briefly, when she was at Wilhelm’s
Schloss
, but that all disappeared when Alex died.

Anna was the last in line and felt very out
of place. Walking gracefully, she could do. But being confident in
a Manor was so far removed from her thought pattern, she didn’t
even know where to begin. So she walked as she always did, with her
head down and eyes averted. She could feel Devin watching her and
gave a sideways glance in his direction. He jerked his chin
upwards, which Anna took to mean to look up, not at the floor. She
lifted her head, keeping her eyes on him and he nodded even while
he frowned.

Oh, she just wanted to run away and hide. She
didn’t belong here. She should just be with the common girls. She
was no Elder-Mistress. At least not as the others were. She just
happened to be a half-Immortal prostitute. That was all. If only
Devin had told her she would be participating in...whatever was
going on.

The other Mistresses had talked about it.
They speculated on who would be chosen. Chosen for what, she didn’t
know, but Irina was certain she would be the one. After all, this
was her country.

Anna watched as the women took their place at
the edge of the platform and knelt with their hands in prayer
position. When Anna assumed the same position they all bowed as
one, with Anna a split second behind them. She could feel Devin’s
anger as she stared at the floor and trembled. She was embarrassing
him. But no one had told her what to do or what would happen. She
had no idea what was going on.

Sakue, who was next to her, touched her arm
lightly and she looked to see the other women sitting up. Anna
followed suit and put her hands on her thighs as the others did. A
man began speaking in Russian, and Anna stared at the diamonds
sparkling on the backs of her hands.

She had been adorned in her normal diamonds,
save the necklace. Devin hadn’t returned hers yet. The other
Mistresses were dressed in white, though of different styles,
suited to their culture. Anna’s dress was the sheerest. They also
were draped in diamonds, Irina’s headdress being the most elaborate
and the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. It was in the style
of the Russian crowns and sparkled like the summer sun on San
Francisco Bay. In fact, Anna’s entire outfit was very simple
compared to the other girls. Anna sighed internally, realizing how
silly she had been, thinking that Devin had been overly generous
with her jewelry. If the jewelry was a sign of how much their
masters cared for them, Anna was severely neglected.

Not that she cared that she had less
“sparkle” than the other girls. It was just a strong realization of
the differences between their relationships with their Masters. But
then again, Anna was a slave. That was the fundamental
difference.

Patya, the Immortal, came and stood before
them. He pointed at Irina and Halima, and they stood and followed
him to where Vlad was kneeling, naked, in the center of the
platform. His chest heaved and he looked slightly dazed. Peter
stood to one side, watching him. He glanced up and saw Anna looking
at him and smiled tenderly at her. Anna smiled back, though
nervously.

The two Mistresses undressed and knelt next
to Vlad. They began kissing him and stroking his body and cock,
which quickly hardened and stood erect. Each of the women took
turns sucking on him until he groaned, in what almost sounded in
pain. His cock was purple and throbbing. His hands were clenched
into fists and his face was strained.

Patya knelt in front of him and wrapped his
hand around Vlad’s cock, making him groan loudly. He stroked him a
few times and then nodded to a man in a white robe that Anna
believed was another Elder. In his hand, he held a piercing gun.
The Mistresses stood aside as two other men came to stand next to
him, holding his arms to the side. Another man knelt behind him and
held his hair in his fist and put another hand under his jaw. He
whispered something in Vlad’s ear and Vlad nodded and closed his
eyes.

The man with the gun knelt and took Vlad’s
cock in his hand and pressed the gun to the side. She heard two
clicks and Vlad grunted, but otherwise made no sound. Another man
took the gun and pierced the other side, and then a third man
pierced the underside of Vlad’s cock. Vlad’s body was visibly
shaking, and his jaw was clenched so tightly Anna wouldn’t have
been surprised if he broke his teeth. The third man put his hand on
Vlad’s shoulder and Vlad opened his eyes, watery with pain.

The Mistresses returned and began kissing him
again. Vlad kissed them with a fervor and pushed Irina down on the
ground. He kissed her deeply as Halima moved to lie down with her
hip next to Irina’s head. Without ceremony, Vlad pushed himself
into Irina and a look of relief crossed his face. He tugged at
Halima and spread her legs, lifting Irina’s head to lay back on
Halima’s thigh. He kissed Irina once more and then buried his mouth
into Halima’s pussy, eating with a fervor Anna wouldn’t expect
after he had been in so much pain.

Anna wondered about what was going on when
she saw Patya kneel behind Vlad, his huge cock golden in the
candlelight. He positioned himself at Vlad’s asshole and pressed in
with one thrust. Vlad grunted in Halima’s pussy and Anna saw his
knuckles whiten, but Vlad made no other noise.

Patya began great long thrusts in and out of
Vlad’s body. His biceps bulged as he held himself above Vlad. He
moved to hold Vlad’s chest so he wouldn’t move. Every movement
pushed Vlad’s cock in and out of Irina and Anna could see Halima’s
dark, wet pussy when he was pulled backwards.