Devin’s face remained impassive. “Sacrifices are necessary sometimes.”
Before he realized what he was doing, Wilhelm had swung back and smashed his fist into Devin’s nose.
Devin spun sideways and fell to his knees, grabbing his face. “Ow, you fucker!” he shouted in a slightly nasal tone.
“Vati!” Kurt exclaimed.
Blood trickled down Devin’s face as he held his nose. Wilhelm’s chest heaved as he stood over Devin, glaring down at him.
Ian appeared in the doorway seconds later and looked around in shock. He saw Devin kneeling on the floor and looked at Wilhelm, confused.
“He might need a doctor,” Wilhelm said calmly, though feeling oddly triumphant.
Devin looked up at Ian. “Get in touch with Vlad. Tell him we need one of his Immortals.” Devin pushed himself to his feet and stalked out of the room.
Wilhelm walked over and stood behind Kurt, staring down at Anna’s pale face.
“I can’t believe you hit him, Vati. It’s something Alex would have done.”
“Except if Alex had done it, Anna would have suffered. I am thankful I don’t have that restriction.” Wilhelm chuckled. “Where do you think Alex got his temper?”
The men were quiet for a few minutes, staring at Anna and remembering Alex. Kurt continued to stroke Anna’s forehead.
“Will she be okay? She’s so feverish.”
“I hope so. The Immortals will heal her...I hope.” Wilhelm gritted his teeth as a great shudder shook Anna’s frail body.
“Alex,” she muttered. “...better....”
Kurt looked up at his father. “Why does she dream of him still?”
Wilhelm saw the hurt in his son’s eyes. In Kurt’s head, he understood the connection between Anna and Alex, but in his heart it hurt. Kurt longed for that same connection between himself and Anna. He was so in love with her.
Wilhelm put his hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “I don't know.” He had asked the same question hundreds of times since he’d found out. Did the dreams mean anything? Or was it just Anna’s way of coping with her hurt?
Kurt leaned forward and kissed Anna’s pale cheek. “She’s so hot.”
Ian returned a few minutes later. “Vlad will be here in a few minutes.” He walked over and looked down at Anna. He glanced behind him and then looked at Wilhelm. “She will be all right, won’t she?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“I hope so.” Wilhelm hated this feeling of helplessness.
*****
Vlad arrived about twenty minutes later with a large, obvious-Immortal next to him.
“I am Patya,” said the man with golden hair and sapphire eyes.
Elders rarely had contact with the Immortals of other countries. Every country had them, but they did not venture outside the national boundaries unless there was dire need. The Elder’s power was also limited when outside their own country, which was probably why Wilhelm had not been pulverized. Devin’s powers, despite their magnitude, were limited outside his own country.
Wilhelm bowed his head respectfully. “I am Wilhelm of Hesse. This is my son, Kurt.”
Patya turned his eyes to look at Kurt. “A younger son?”
“My eldest son was killed three and a half years ago,” Wilhelm explained, with a twinge in his heart. He hated saying the words.
Patya looked at Wilhelm for a long time. “I see,” he said finally.
Devin walked in a moment later. Wilhelm stared at him. The only hint that he had been hit was the bit of blood on his collar. There was no bruise, no disfigurement. Wilhelm was certain he had broken the man’s nose. He’d felt the bones give way as his fist made contact with his face. Wilhelm’s blood boiled at the realization that Anna suffered because of Devin. Devin was the reason she couldn’t heal herself. Wilhelm clenched his fist and trembled, fighting every instinct within him to keep from hitting Devin again.
Patya turned his gaze on Devin. There was a slight hint of disapproval on his face as he studied him, but he didn’t say anything. “Where is the girl?”
Wilhelm motioned to the bed. Patya strode across the room and looked down at Anna. “Who is her Master?”
“I am.” Both Wilhelm and Devin answered.
The Immortal turned in surprise. “She has two Masters?”
“Yes.” Both men answered in a growl.
Patya studied both men and frowned. He pointed at Devin. “You stay. Everyone else leave.”
Wilhelm started to protest, but the Immortal frowned. The men filed out of the room and the door was closed.
“Would you like something to drink?” Vlad asked nervously.
Wilhelm sighed. “Thank you, Vlad. But I don’t want to leave.”
“I understand,” Vlad said. He ran his hand though his thick black hair. “I’m sorry, Wilhelm.”
Wilhelm arched his brow. “Why are you apologizing, Vlad? You didn’t cause Anna’s sickness.”
Vlad smiled weakly and shrugged his shoulders. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”
Wilhelm watched Vlad walk away with a frown on his face. Vlad was acting strange. Why would he feel the need to apologize for something he had nothing to do with?
Kurt paced back and forth in the wide hallway. Wilhelm sat in a gilt-edged chair and tried to make sense of everything that had happened today.
When the door opened a half hour later, Wilhelm stood and Kurt froze mid-step. Devin stood in the doorway. “She’s fine. Sleeping.”
Wilhelm pushed past him and sighed in relief when he saw the color in Anna’s face. Kurt went to sit on the bed and held her hand.
Wilhelm turned and stood tall, glaring at Devin. “You should leave. You do not need to be here anymore.”
Devin smirked. “Even Patya recognized my claim to her was more legitimate than yours.”
“You relented when the other Elders pressured you. My claim is as legitimate as yours.”
“For now,” Devin said. He glanced at Anna. “I’ll leave. But you better bring her back to me.”
“I already said I would, as much as it disgusts me to do so.”
Devin shrugged. “The problem with being honorable. Doing things you don't want to do.” He laughed and walked out of the room.
“I hate that man,” Kurt grumbled.
“You aren’t the only one, son.”
*****
Anna moaned and slowly opened her eyes. She was in Kurt’s hotel room.
“Anna,” Kurt said.
She turned onto her back and saw him sitting next to her in the bed. “Hi,” she said softly.
“How are you feeling?”
Anna thought for a moment. “Good. What happened?” The last thing she remembered was being so cold while she sat in the cathedral.
“You got very sick. You were healed by an Immortal.”
“Oh.” She didn’t remember anything about being sick, though his words triggered a memory of a dark room. She concentrated on the memory but couldn’t decipher anything more than cold and darkness. “How long have I been asleep?”
“All afternoon. It is past dinnertime. Are you hungry?”
She nodded and he stood.
“I will call for some room service.” He left and returned a few minutes later and sat on the bed next to her. “I was so worried about you,” he said tenderly, stroking her hair back from her face.
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 tak
ing 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.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
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 sidewa
ys 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.
The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared Page 22
