The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (3 page)

She looked at her watch. It was time to eat
again. She wasn’t ever hungry, so she just decided on times to eat
and ate then. To keep Devin happy.

“Sure,” she said without enthusiasm. “Let me
get dressed.” She was still in her pajamas.

She put on jeans and a sweater and boots and
went back out to the living room. Wilhelm was dressed in his usual
dress slacks. Well, if he didn’t like what she was wearing, he
didn’t have to go anywhere with her.

He smiled at her. “Ready?”

She shrugged and went to the closet to get
their coats.

Wilhelm told her about the happenings of the
family on the way to the hotel. Liesl had gotten married as
planned, though the celebration had been much subdued. Greta was
engaged and the wedding was in two months.

“I would love it if you could come, Anna. We
all would. We missed you at Liesl’s.”

Anna didn’t respond. She vaguely remembered
him asking if she’d go to Liesl’s wedding and her laughing and
saying no. She wouldn’t go to Greta’s wedding either. She had no
desire to go to Germany ever again.

He reached over and took her hand.
“
Liebling
, you are still part of our family. We love you
and miss you.”

“Why won’t you just let me go, Wilhelm?” she
asked with a sigh.

“Because you are family. There is nothing to
let go of. The moment you married Alex, you became a Kunze. Nothing
will ever change that.”

“What if I married someone else?”

He paused. “Are you dating someone?” he asked
slowly.

Anna snorted. “No. I won't date ever again.”
She stopped and thought for a moment. “I don't think Devin would
like it if I did. I was just asking out of curiosity.”

“Even if you married someone else, Anna, you
would still be part of our family. You can try and disown us,” he
chuckled. “But we will never disown you.”

They arrived at the Ritz-Carlton a few
minutes later. It wasn’t far from her apartment.

She looked up at the huge white palace in
awe. She’d been in her bedroom in the Manor for the past two years
and, since she’d “woken,” hadn’t really gone anywhere except the
studio and her apartment. Walking in the marble lobby, she was
reminded of her house with Alex, albeit this was much larger.

That was a long time ago, she reminded
herself, before she’d succumbed to the drugs in her tiny little
world. Her safe little world.

Wilhelm took her hand and led her to the
elevators. “I spoke to Aaron yesterday and we thought we might take
you out for a birthday dinner on Sunday,” Wilhelm said, pushing the
call button. “How does that sound?”

Anna looked at her reflection in the brass
doors and shrugged. “It’s not necessary, Wilhelm. I don’t see much
point in celebrating anything. Especially my birthday.”

The doors opened and they stepped inside.

“I would certainly consider your birthday
worth celebrating,
Liebling
. I am very glad you are
here.”

Anna didn’t respond. The doors closed and
they were whisked up to the ninth floor.

“Your friends have missed you, Anna,” Wilhelm
said as they walked down the hallway a few moments later. “They
have been worried about you. We all have. Aaron has kept me posted
as best he could, but even he rarely saw you.”

“Aaron?” Anna thought for a moment. “I saw
him at the Gathering.” She paused. “Why was he there? He’s not a
Brother.” She hadn’t considered that fact when she saw him. She was
only annoyed that he kept trying to bother her.

“He is. I brought him in about six months
after you disappeared.”

“Why you? He lives here. Wouldn’t it make
more sense for him to be with Devin?”

“His father is German. I could do it, and I
did. Devin would not have brought him in.”

“He was hanging out with Tommy.”

“Ah, yes. Tommy Pendleton. A good young man.”
Wilhelm smiled.

“You know him?”

“I have gotten to know him a bit. He has been
concerned about you as well.”

She knew that. Anna suspected he still wanted
to be with her, but she had no intention of getting involved with
another man. Devin wouldn’t approve and all it would do is make her
miserable in the long run, and possibly risk the guy’s life. It
wasn’t worth it.

Wilhelm unlocked the door to the hotel room
and stepped aside to let her in. She walked into the enormous
living room area and stopped when she saw Kurt on the couch. He
stood when he saw her and walked across the room to her.

“Hello, Anna.”

She looked up at him. He was different.
Older. More mature. Gone was his mischievous smile and glinting
eyes. He gave her a genuinely affectionate smile that would have
made her melt, if she’d allowed it to. He stood tall and confident
with an air not unlike what his father had. And what Alex’d had. An
aura of respect and authority.

She couldn’t get her voice to work. Her mouth
opened, but no sound came out.

Kurt slowly wrapped her in his arms and held
her close. She hesitantly slipped her arms around his waist and
leaned her head against his chest. He wasn’t Alex; she knew that.
But not being Alex was a good thing, she thought bitterly as she
remembered what she’d seen on the video in Devin’s dungeon.

Kurt felt right, and for the first time in
two years, she allowed her guard down and let someone hold and
comfort her. Tears came unbidden a moment later and great sobs
wracked her body. He guided her to the couch and held her in his
lap, stroking her hair and speaking in soothing tones. She felt
like she cried for an hour, and maybe she did. But Kurt held her
patiently, letting her cry as long as she needed.

When she had cried herself out, she lay
against Kurt’s chest. Wilhelm handed her a tissue and she dried her
eyes. She sat up and saw that the front of Kurt’s shirt was very
wet.

“I’m sorry I got your shirt wet,” she said
softly, dabbing at it with her tissue.

Kurt chuckled. “It is fine, Anna. It is just
a shirt.” He stroked her cheek. “I think you needed to cry. That is
more important.”

She looked into his kind blue eyes and
smiled. “I do feel a little better.”

“
Gut
,” he said softly, his hand
still on her cheek. He looked intently into her eyes. “I am glad
you came,
Engel,”
he said softly. “I have thought about
you often.”

“You have?” That surprised her for some
reason. Perhaps because of the playboy that he’d always been. She
assumed he’d forgotten about her.

He nodded. “When
Vati
returned from
his visits and told me how you were, it broke my heart. When he
told me that you had moved out of the
Schloss
, I wanted to
come with him to see you. Derek and Sofie have had a difficult time
with the divorce and I have been hesitant to leave them before now.
But they are doing much better now.”

“Are you...I mean, is the divorce final?”

Kurt nodded. “It was finalized a few months
ago. Gretchen is receiving quite a bit of child support, so she and
Otto are well taken care of.”

Anna cringed at Otto’s name. It wasn’t the
child’s fault, but it still was unpleasant to think about.

“I am sorry, Anna. I did not mean to bring up
unhappy memories.”

Anna shrugged. “I don’t have many good
memories.”

Kurt frowned and looked hurt. “I hope that is
untrue, Anna.”

She pressed her lips together. Even the
“good” memories hurt. She preferred not to think about them. She
tried to stand. “I shouldn’t be here. I should go.”

Kurt held her in his lap. “Please stay,
Anna,” he pleaded softly. “Please. I have missed you.”

Anna stopped and looked back at him. The
emotion that filled his eyes pained her. He cared for her. A lot.
It was written all over his face. Is that why he came to San
Francisco? To be with her?

“No,” she whispered, trying to back away. She
was as fearful of the emotions that were bubbling up inside her as
she was of the emotion she saw in his eyes. “Please don’t, Kurt. I
can’t deal with that.”

“Deal with what?” he asked, his voice husky
with emotion. As much as she struggled, he held her tight and
wouldn’t let her go.

“You. Feeling. Anything.”

Unexpectedly, Kurt leaned forward and kissed
her. His lips were gentle, but insistent. His hand tangled in her
hair and his tongue probed at her lips. She opened her mouth to
receive him and let out a little moan as he invaded both her mouth
and her heart. After a moment, she stopped fighting him and
instead, leaned in and kissed him back. He nibbled at her lower lip
and she gasped softly when he sucked on it. She moved her hand to
the side of his face, her fingers tracing his cheekbone to his ear
and down to his neck.

He slowly pulled away from her, his lips
lingering against hers. He kissed her gently on the lips and gazed
into her hooded eyes. “Anna,” he whispered, his feelings for her
evident in his eyes. “I love you.”

“K-Kurt...,” she whispered. “I...I can’t. I
can’t. It hurts too much.”

He brushed her hair away from her face. “I am
not asking you to love me, Anna. I am only asking that you let me
love you. I can be patient.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “Well,
now I can be. I have learned quite a bit the last few years.”

Anna couldn’t stop the small giggle that
escaped. The delight she saw in Kurt’s eyes lightened her heart.
She traced his cheekbone again and then his lips. “You’ve
changed.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”

Anna blushed. “Good, I think.”

“You did not like me before?” He pouted, but
there was a glint of mischief in his eyes.

Her blush deepened. “I think you know the
answer to that.”

His eyes softened and he smiled. “I do.”

Wilhelm cleared his throat and they both
jumped. Anna had forgotten he was in the room. She looked
sheepishly over at him, but he was beaming at them.

“I think Anna needs to eat, Kurt,” Wilhelm
said.

Kurt looked her up and down. “You have lost a
lot of weight,
Engel
.”

Anna looked down at her body. “I’ve gained a
bunch in the last few weeks. Devin makes me eat.”

Kurt grimaced. “I would hate to see how you
looked a few weeks ago.”

“Devin said I was too skinny and not worth
fucking.”

Both men’s jaws dropped open and Anna covered
her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. Her cheeks burned as she
realized what she’d said. It was true, but crudely stated.

Wilhelm recovered quicker than Kurt did. “It
is fine, Anna. I am glad you are doing better.”

Anna smiled. “I think I am too,” she said
sincerely. For some reason, she was feeling more like herself than
she had in a very long time. Suddenly the idea of celebrating her
birthday didn’t seem as ridiculous as it had an hour ago.

They went to lunch at a little Italian
restaurant around the corner from the hotel. Anna felt more
lighthearted and content than she’d ever believed would be possible
again. Both men were very attentive to her, but Wilhelm seemed to
be content to let Kurt take the lead.

Anna decided she liked the attention from
Kurt. No one would ever replace Alex. He was her soul mate...or at
least she’d thought so at the time. But, unexpectedly, Anna found
herself thinking about a future with Kurt. After all, he was now an
Elder-Son, and an Elder-Son had rights to an Elder-Mistress.

“Anna, please let me buy you a decent car,”
Kurt pleaded for the third time that afternoon. “Or find you a
better place to live. Vati says your place is hideous.”

They were walking around a park near the
hotel. The rain had stopped and the sun had come out. It had turned
out to be a nice day.

“I like my Prius. It’s cute. And my apartment
isn’t hideous. Well, at least the complex isn’t. I just...didn’t
put much effort into furnishing it.”

Wilhelm shook his head. “Do you even have a
bed, Anna?”

“Of course I do.” It was a mattress on the
floor, but it was her bed.

Wilhelm gave her a look that said he didn’t
believe her.

“You don’t think Devin would let me not have
a bed, do you?”

Kurt sighed. “Anna, why are you letting Devin
run your life? Every time you talk about something, you always
include his name in it.”

“Why am I...? Why wouldn’t I? He owns me. I
am his.”

“Only half his, Anna,” Wilhelm corrected.
“You belong to us as well.”

That was true. But they didn’t have that
little syringe that made fingertips turn into razor blades. She
shuddered at the thought of Devin punishing her again. “Devin’s
made sure I’ve gotten healthy again.”

“After he let you destroy yourself,” Kurt
muttered.

“He gave me a way to cope,” Anna
protested.

“He bribed you with drugs into returning here
with him and then doped you up so bad you could not think
straight,” Kurt retorted.

Anna narrowed her eyes. “I couldn’t deal with
what was going on.”

Kurt sighed. “We would have been there for
you, Anna. If you would have let us. I would have been there for
you every step of the grieving process. Do not forget that we were
grieving too. You lost your husband. I lost my brother and a
cousin. Vati lost a son. We all lost several friends that day.”

Anna’s chest heaved, feeling indignant and
guilty at the same time. “I never asked you to come back here,” she
huffed. “I explicitly told your father not to visit me.” She glared
at Wilhelm. “And you still did. And now you’re angry at me? For
finding a way to deal with my grief?”

“But you did not deal with it,” Kurt
retorted. “You avoided it and nearly destroyed yourself.”

“It was my choice. You needn’t have cared
what I did.”

“Of course I cared about what you did. We all
did. We love you, Anna. We want what is best for you.”