“Don’t apologize. I was jealous. I’m sorry.” He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes, asleep in minutes in his warm embrace.
*****
Peter left the next morning to go to St. Petersburg. Anna drove him to the airport, after they’d made up that morning.
“I will see you Saturday,” he said, kissing her goodbye. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said softly and waved as he walked into the airport. She waited until he was out of sight and then drove back to the city and to Devin’s house.
When she arrived, she parked Alex’s car out front and went to ring the doorbell. Devin wouldn’t be home until evening, but he wanted her there during the day. She was surprised when Tyler answered the door.
“Tyler?” she asked, surprised. He had a condo downtown where he and his wife lived. “What are you doing here?”
He grinned. “April’s job hunting today. Dad suggested I come over and make sure you settled in all right.” He stepped aside to let her in, then slid his hands around her waist, biting her neck. He pressed his hips against her ass. “God, I need a woman who knows what she’s doing.” He reached under her shirt and tweaked her nipples hard.
Anna gasped, followed by a sigh that had nothing to do with pleasure. It would be a long day.
By the time Devin arrived home, Anna was hurting from Tyler’s abuse. She was bruised from his slaps and punches, and her ass was stretched to the limit from his fist. Before he left, he tied her to Devin’s bed. Devin wasn’t especially sympathetic to her situation. They ate dinner and then he used her until she passed out.
She slept the entire next day until Devin came home in the evening and did much the same as the day before. The entire week passed in a similar fashion and when Anna went to get Peter on Saturday afternoon after leaving the Manor, she was exhausted.
“Anna!” Peter exclaimed with concern in his eyes. He held her for a long time when they got home.
She wanted to stay awake and enjoy Peter’s return, but she fell asleep far too soon, and slept all day Sunday, too.
Chapter Thirty
Before Anna knew it, August had arrived and she was flying to Washington DC with Devin and Tyler. She had asked, humbly, if Devin would allow her to skip it this year because of the opening of Giselle, and was rewarded with a Saturday full of pain from the nerve juice.
“Whatever happens, I will have Kaveh heal you so you are able to dance properly next week,” Devin said as he stood over where she lay, nearly unconscious on the floor of her room at the Manor. “I won’t let you embarrass me.”
“Yes, Master.” she had mumbled through bleeding lips, before crawling into the bathroom to get ready to go home.
When they arrived at the hotel, Tom and Tommy were waiting in the lobby. Tommy walked up quickly to embrace her. She gazed up at him in awe. He had matured into one of the most handsome men she’d ever met. He had the kindest eyes. He reminded her of Alex. Pain clenched her heart as she acknowledged that she would never be with Alex again, and Tommy was now married. Very happily as far as she could tell. Kim was a lucky woman.
Anna entertained a fleeting wish that Devin would give her to Tommy when he died, instead of Tyler.
Tommy greeted Tyler stiffly with his arm around Anna’s waist. Ever since their fight the previous year, their relationship had been strained.
The Elders met that Thursday evening to discuss the events of the weekend and issues in the country. They spoke a lot about the upcoming election, but Devin assured them that the president would be reelected.
Devin brought girls for the Elders to partake of that evening, so he said that Anna could go spend the evening with Tommy. She hurried down the hallway to Tommy’s room fearful Devin would change his mind before she got there. He was not sharing a room with Tyler this time, instead he was with his father.
“Anna!” he exclaimed when he opened the door and looked around. “What are you doing here?”
“Devin said I could stay with you. They have...other girls for the evening.”
Tommy pulled her inside and kissed her soundly. She ran her hands down his sculpted arms as she kissed him back, then up to his shoulders and down his muscular chest. A thrill shot through her body as he held her close.
“These last weeks have gone by so slowly,” he murmured. “I couldn’t wait to see you.”
Anna smiled shyly. “How’s married life?” she asked as he led her to the bedroom.
He grinned. “I like it.”
“Kim seems very nice,” Anna said softly, a twinge of jealousy running through her body.
“She is.” He turned to look at her. “She’s not you, but she’s a good wife,” he said softly. He caressed her cheek. “I wish....” He sighed. “I wish I could have married you and taken you away from Devin.”
Anna’s eyes filled with tears and she nodded, but didn’t dare speak the words.
He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something else, but closed it and shook his head. He leaned forward to kiss her again and led her to the bed.
“At least we have tonight,” she said softly.
Tommy nodded and laid her down on the bed.
*****
Anna needed healing before she left on Sunday evening to fly home. She wasn’t in any shape to travel. Devin had allowed the men to do anything they wanted to her, and her body simply couldn’t heal quickly enough.
Peter picked her up at the airport and took her home. He was surprised that she was in such good shape. She told him it was because of Kaveh’s healing. The weekend had been tough. Very tough. She was very glad to be back home in Peter’s loving embrace.
Chapter Thirty-One
The next day began dress rehearsals for Giselle and before she knew it, she was warming up for opening night.
She paced en pointe backstage as she waited for her cue, and worried that she wouldn’t do a good job. That she would lose focus and all sorts of horrible things. But when she stepped into the stage lights, she forgot everything except the dance. She didn’t even think about the steps. She was just...Giselle. Happily dancing around the stage in love and then tragically dying because of Duke Albrecht’s betrayal.
In the second act, she felt ethereal as she moved across stage in the fog and danced with Duke Albrecht until dawn. When she backed back into the wings and the curtain closed, the round of applause that exploded from the audience was deafening. Isaak beamed at her and Peter picked her up and swung her around in circles. When she and Peter went out for their bows, the audience leapt to their feet and Anna’s heart nearly exploded for joy.
If only Alex were here...came the sobering thought. Or Wilhelm or Kurt or even Aaron. But there was no one here only for her. There was only Devin.
She hoped her tears would be mistaken for tears of joy as loneliness attacked her at the height of the applause. There were multiple curtain calls and Anna smiled bravely and curtsied humbly, but inside her heart was broken. Alex wasn’t here to see her dance. He was the reason she had made it here, and he would never know.
When she was finally able to escape, she managed to avoid the well-wishers and ran to her dressing room. She fell to the floor and wept.
The tears fell in steady streams to form dark spots on the rug beneath her face. “Oh, Alex,” she sobbed. “Why did you leave me here alone?”
The sadness and despair wrung her heart and tears dry until she could cry no more. Then she stood, dried her face with a tissue and began to get ready for the party. She was glad she’d chosen a simple, blue satin dress for the occasion. A more embellished dress would have made her feel over-the-top celebratory, and as much as she knew she should be ecstatic, her demeanor remained sober. She felt so unbelievably lonely she could hardly stand it.
When Peter knocked on her door, she had managed to get rid of her red eyes and appear calm. That didn’t stop Peter from worrying about her.
He stroked her cheek and gave her a loving look. “Why did you run away?” he
asked softly.
She didn’t answer right away. “Lonely,” she finally choked out.
Peter murmured something in Russian and pulled her close, holding her tight.
She felt warm and comfortable in his arms. They had been together about a year now, and she couldn’t imagine being without him, even though she knew she would be sooner or later.
Just enjoy the time together now, she told herself.
Together, they walked out to the party and into a swarm of well-wishers, including Peter’s family. For a while, she was distracted enough to forget about her loneliness. At least a little. Even Devin seemed pleased, which was more relieving than a cause joy.
Later, as she lay in Peter’s arms after lovemaking, she stared into the darkness and the loneliness consumed her again.
*****
Anna felt relieved that Alex was in the room when it came into view. He came and sat down on the bed next to where she was standing.
“Hello, Schatzi,” he said in a gentle voice that brought tears to her eyes.
Now, more than ever, she wished this was more than a dream. She gazed into Alex’s loving blue eyes, longing for him to be alive again. She desperately wanted his arms around her. To hold her and tell her that everything would be all right. But it was just a dream. She was alone, no matter how real the dreams felt.
“Schatzi, what’s wrong?”
She smiled weakly as tears began to fall. “I danced Giselle tonight,” she squeaked. She took a deep breath. “And I was so lonely. There was no one there for me. Even Aaron left.”
Tears filled Alex’s eyes as he looked at her, his face filled with such sorrow that Anna could almost imagine him really there with her.
“Mein armer Schatzi,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry. But it won’t be like this forever, Anna. I promise.”
Anna looked at him and swallowed. “Promises of dead men...,” she said softly and shook her head. “Promises that can’t be kept.”
The hurt and sorrow in Alex’s face pained her heart. She could almost imagine that she had hurt him, but it was only her imagination.
“You’ve been dead for three and a half years, Alex. We were only married for three months. Why can’t I let you go?”
“Don’t give up, Anna. I will come for you.”
“Why do you say that?” she exclaimed. “You are dead. You can’t come for me!” She shouted in frustration. “No!” she screamed.
*****
“No!”
Anna sat up in bed. Peter awoke and his arms swiftly wrapped around her and pulled her close. “You were dreaming of Alex, weren’t you?”
She nodded. “How did you know?”
“You were talking in your sleep.”
“He always tells me he will come for me. To not give up hope.” She buried her face in the soft hair on his chest. “Promises of dead men,” she said softly.
Peter didn’t say anything, but lay back down, bringing Anna with him. He stroked her hair and kissed her head.
“Why can’t I let him go?” she whispered.
“‘The heart has reasons that reason knows not,’” Peter quoted softly. “Maybe you’re not supposed to.”
Anna sniffed. “He’s dead.”
Peter hugged her to himself. “Go to sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The next week was busy with performances. The newspapers wrote rave reviews of the performances and the shows sold out quickly. Isaak was thrilled and so proud of Anna.
“Your parents would be so proud Anna,” Isaak said after class Sunday morning. The show closed that night after nine days of performances.
“Thank you, Isaak,” Anna said softly. She glanced at Peter, who stood at the side of the stage frowning at his phone.
Devin appeared suddenly on the other side of the stage and walked towards Peter. His face was inscrutable, though when he glanced at Peter, he frowned slightly. Peter looked up with sad eyes and saw Devin. There was a moment of unspoken communication between them then Peter nodded and followed Devin towards Anna.
Anna looked between the two men. Why was Devin here? He never came to rehearsals.
“What’s wrong?” she asked Peter softly. Her heart pounded as she waited for one of them to speak.
Peter glanced at Devin who nodded. “Anna, my grandfather is dead. He died this morning.” He looked at her sadly. “I have to return to St. Petersburg,” he added softly.
“Now?” she asked, trying not to let her voice tremble.
He shook his head. “I’ll fly out in the morning. I won’t leave until we’re done here.” Peter looked at his phone. “I just need to book a flight.”
“We’re taking a flight that leaves at eight-thirty tomorrow and gets in a little before two. If you’d like, I can have Ian book you on the same flight.”
Peter looked at Devin in surprise. “Yes, that would be fine. Thank you.”
“You’re going too?” Anna asked Devin softly. She would be alone?
“As are you, Anna. This is....” Devin glanced at Isaak. “A funeral of an important man. And Vitaly was a friend. I don’t travel without you, you know that.”
Isaak looked at Peter. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Peter.”
“Thank you, Isaak. I trust you know what this means?”
Isaak nodded and smiled sadly. “I’m glad you got to dance Giselle with Anna. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect pairing. You will be missed.” They shook hands and then Isaak left.
Devin looked pointedly at Anna, and then Peter. “We will pick you up at six tomorrow morning.” He glanced at Anna. “We will discuss your living arrangements later.”
“Yes, Devin,” she said softly.
Devin nodded curtly at Peter and then turned and walked away.
Anna looked up at Peter. “I’m so sorry he’s gone, Peter.”
“Dedushka and I were not close, but I will miss him. I regret having to leave you, Anna. I will miss you terribly.” He pulled her close. “At least we can travel together. We don't have to say goodbye yet.”
Anna danced her very best for Peter. Her death scene and the second act were even more emotional than they had been before. She was saying goodbye with her dance. Her small comfort was that she at least got to say goodbye to Peter and that there would be closure.
*****
“My mom will come up and pack the rest of my stuff,” Peter said as they were packing for the trip to St. Petersburg. “You are welcome to stay here until the lease is up.” They’d just signed another year lease a few weeks ago.
Anna swallowed nervously. “I don’t know what Devin will want me to do. Thank you, though.” She didn’t know if she wanted to stay, but it wasn’t up to her. It was up to Devin.
Anna finished packing her things and sat on the bed, watching Peter.
He looked up at her and gave her a sad smile. “Wilhelm will be there,” he said softly. “And most likely Kurt as well.”
Anna’s eyes lit up. “They will? Why?”
“It’s an Elder funeral. Same reason we were at Alex’s, though this is a bigger deal.”
“Wilhelm,” she breathed. It had been so long. Over a year. “Will I be allowed to speak to him?”
“It would be unwise for Devin to prevent you from speaking to your second Master in front of everyone.”
Anna’s spirits lifted as she thought about being able to see Wilhelm again. And Kurt. Oh, her heart longed to see them both.
*****
Ian knocked on their door at exactly six a.m. the next morning. They were ready to go, as directed; Peter didn’t want Anna getting in trouble and Anna herself didn’t want to get in trouble. Ian was especially nice to her as he carried her suitcases downstairs to the waiting limo. Devin and Tyler were waiting for them. Peter knew how Tyler treated Anna and kept his arm around her in the car. Devin watched, but didn’t say anything.
The flight to St. Petersburg was long. There was a stop in Chicago, where Elder Marcus and his s
on Joel joined them. Joel eyed Anna while they were waiting for their flight, but Peter kept her close to him.
“I will keep you safe for as long as I can, Anna,” he whispered as they were getting on the plane.
It was an overnight flight to Frankfurt and then a three-hour flight on to St. Petersburg.
They arrived early afternoon and Vlad met them at the airport, more for Peter’s sake than the Elders’. Peter and Vlad greeted one another affectionately, and then Vlad greeted each of the other travelers. He searched Anna’s eyes when he greeted her and gave her a warm smile, which confused her. He’d never been warm to her before.
“I’ve arranged for a car to take you to your hotel,” Vlad said as their luggage was gathered. “Most of the Elders are staying at the Grand Hotel and there will be a dinner in the ballroom tonight so everyone can greet one another. Tomorrow morning is the church funeral and the next evening we will go to the pomest'ye.”
“Have many arrived?” Devin asked.
“Yes, most of the Europeans and Asians have already. I expect the rest this afternoon.” He smiled sadly. “It can be a long flight.”
“Yes.” Devin gave Vlad a look. “I trust that everything has been taken care of?”
“Of course, Devin,” he answered with a touch of defensiveness. “I’m not an idiot.”
“I would never accuse you of that,” Devin said formally. He turned to Anna. “Say good-bye, Anna. We need to go to the hotel and Peter needs to go spend time with his family.”
Peter’s wife. Yes, Peter was no longer Anna’s...not that he ever was. She turned to look up into his warm brown eyes. The eyes she had gazed into almost every day for the last year.
He cupped her cheek. “I love you,” he whispered. “I will do whatever I can to help you.” He leaned down and kissed her deeply. Anna clung to his arms and kissed him with all the love she had for him.
The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared Page 18
