The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged

by Marissa Honeycutt

“Because the clothes that were in the room...it was the same outfit I wore that day.” Simon didn’t answer right away and Anna wondered if she’d asked something wrong. “Was that an impertinent question?”

  “You’re a smart girl, Katrina. Yes, he saw you. It’s how he knew you liked the library.” He turned and cocked his head. “I think that’s enough questions for the night, aside from: Will you meet with him tonight?”

  Anna smiled shyly and nodded. “Yes. I’d like that.”

  *****

  The next week went so fast, Anna could hardly believe it. There were only two weeks until opening night, and Anna was feeling a little worried since she’d missed a week of rehearsals. She fell into bed each night exhausted and didn’t even have enough time to read the books on New York that Mr. J. had picked out for her at the library.

  Simon called Monday to make arrangements for the following Saturday. She liked that he called early in the week. It made her feel like Mr. J. really wanted her.

  Mr. J. came to two rehearsals that week, sitting in the auditorium in pitch blackness. The girls all primped before going out on stage and Anna did a little, too. Stef grinned at her when she saw Anna primping.

  Anna spent an amazing Saturday night with Mr. J. in the Winston Churchill Suite at the Waldorf Astoria. He seemed tense for some unknown reason, but since all she could do was ask yes/no questions, it was hard to make sure he was all right.

  *****

  Monday as she was walking to lunch with Aaron and Stefanie, Wilhelm called and Anna reluctantly answered. “Hello, Wilhelm,” she said in an even tone. She was still angry at him but was trying very hard to be polite.

  “Hello, Liebling. How are you doing?”

  “Okay. Busy.” She hoped he would take the hint and keep the call short.

  “I can imagine. Did Kurt tell you he is coming out for the Gala?”

  Anna kept herself from sighing. “I haven’t spoken to him since you two were here.”

  “Ah. Well, he will be there.”

  “Okay.” She really didn’t care, except that she’d have to spend time with him and she wasn’t looking forward to that. “Is that all?”

  “Nein. There—” Wilhelm paused. “There was another shooting this morning.”

  Anna stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “Another one? Who?”

  “Joel.”

  “Marcus’ son? From Chicago?”

  “Ja.”

  Anna couldn’t say she was sad about the news. She had no fond feelings for either man. “Was it...the same as last time?”

  “We believe so.”

  “Oh, Wilhelm. Why...why is this happening?”

  “Perhaps someone is taking advantage of Devin’s weakening.”

  “Will he come here? Devin, I mean.”

  “I do not believe so. If he does, Tom will get in touch with you. Chicago is far enough away for you to be safe.”

  “Thank you for letting me know, Wilhelm.”

  Aaron looked at her curiously as she put her phone in her pocket. “What happened?”

  “Do you know who Marcus is?” she asked, glancing at Stef and hoping Aaron would understand her vagueness.

  “Chicago?”

  Anna nodded. “His son was killed this morning.”

  “Holy shit.” He grinned. “Maybe they’ll take out Devin and you’ll be free.”

  “That’d be nice.”

  *****

  Devin stared in disbelief at Tom. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Tom shook his head. “I was just a few feet behind him when it happened.”

  Another Elder killed. This time, Marcus. In the same manner as Chris and Connor.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Devin muttered to himself. “Who is calling hits out on American Elders?”

  Devin didn’t want to think about the possibility that he might be on the list too. But no one would dare try and kill him. Would they? It hadn’t worked the last time. Would he be so lucky if it happened again?

  He’d borrowed Irina, the Russian Elder Mistress, at Connor’s funeral and was able to gain some of his powers back, but didn’t know if he’d be able to do so again. It wasn’t the same as having it from Anna, but it was enough to help him. He’d had a firm discussion with the President earlier in the month.

  But even the “recharging” didn’t ease his mind. He was still mortal.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Anna sat, ill at ease, in the Russian Tea Room with Aaron, Cameron, and Stefanie on Saturday night. The elegant décor and atmosphere did nothing to ease the ache in her heart. She was feeling the loss of Alex keenly at the moment and wasn’t sure why.

  Perhaps it was because of the shooting of Marcus. What if there was some rogue Brotherhood Assassin out there, killing off Elders. Would Wilhelm be next? What about Kurt? What would she do if she lost them? Oh, she was furious at them, but that didn’t mean she wanted them dead.

  “You okay?” Aaron asked.

  Anna shrugged. “Missing Alex.”

  Aaron gave her a sympathetic look. “Yeah, the Russian Tea Room might not have been the best choice for him to pick, but it’s not like he would have any idea what it would mean to you.”

  “I guess I can just focus on Peter.”

  “True. At least you have a fond memory of him.”

  “But then it just makes me feel even lonelier.” She shook her head. “I don’t know if I’ll be very good company for him tonight.”

  “Anna, you go to him for sex. There’s no relationship, remember?”

  It was hard to remember when he seemed to put so much effort into her nights with him. “His wife must be truly awful for her not to realize what a great guy he is.”

  “Maybe. Maybe he doesn’t try with her.”

  “Or maybe he has tried, and she brushed him off.”

  “What woman would brush off romance from her husband?”

  “I might with Kurt,” she said sadly. “I don’t know if I could ever fully trust him after all this.”

  Aaron squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. It really sucks that he’s turned into such a jerk.”

  Anna shook her head. “The same thing happened to Tyler when he became a Son. He was a pretty nice guy and then all of a sudden he turned into a mini-Devin.”

  “I can’t imagine Wilhelm allowing Kurt to treat you that way.”

  “But you saw how distant he was when he visited.”

  He nodded his head. “You want me to kick Kurt’s ass on Thursday?”

  Anna laughed. “Maybe.”

  *****

  Anna had fun at the club, dancing with Aaron and some of the other dancers, but she felt a constant ache in her heart for Alex. Why of all nights couldn’t she get her mind off of him? She was in for a wonderful evening of sex with Mr. J. Why was she thinking of her dead husband?

  “You’re rather subdued tonight, Miss Katrina,” Simon said as they rode the elevator up to the eleventh floor of the Library Hotel.

  “I’m sorry, Simon. I just...have a lot on my mind.”

  “Anything I can help with?”

  “Not unless you know how to bring the dead back to life.” She gave him a sad smile and then shook her head. “I’ll be okay. Mr. J. is good at getting my mind off of things.”

  Simon studied her for a long moment and then nodded. “I hope so. I believe he has a lot on his mind as well. Perhaps you can distract each other.”

  “Simon, if he’s not up for tonight....”

  He shook his head. “He’s very much looking forward to it. He just had some business to attend to yesterday and is having a hard time letting it go.”

  She smiled. “Well then, maybe we really can help each other.” They walked down the hall to the room at the end. “The Love Room?” she asked doubtfully.

  Simon shrugged and held up the blindfold. “Ready?”

  Once again, her vision was removed and she was led into the hotel room. The room smelled delicious, as it usually did, but there was something off, though
she couldn’t quite pinpoint it. Maybe it was just the stress from both of them.

  She inhaled as she walked, smelling vanilla and roses, and smiled. “It smells good in here.”

  He gave a breathy chuckle and squeezed her hand. The bed squeaked slightly as he sat and he intertwined his fingers with hers. She could hear him breathing deeply and could feel him watching her.

  She could sense his tension as she stood in front of him, and was tempted to try and read him. Would that be a violation of their privacy agreement? But if she did, it wasn’t like she could do anything about what she got from him. He was quick to keep her from touching him.

  “Simon said you had some stressful business to deal with this week,” she said softly. His tension increased and she bit her lip.

  He didn’t move. Had she upset him with her comment?

  Finally, he released one hand and ran his fingers across her bare stomach beneath the black halter-top she wore. He put his hand on her hip, pulling her closer, and then began to kiss across her stomach with soft, caressing touches of his mouth.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed softly as he swirled his tongue in her belly button. His fingers flexed the flesh of her hips, making her wince slightly. He nipped at her hip and then kissed up between her breasts and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. A desperate kiss.

  Something was off, Anna was certain now. She knew it was him, but something was different. His tongue thrust forcefully into her mouth, stoking her own passion and she moaned softly. He pulled her closer, her body pressed against his chest. Her hands moved unconsciously to his shoulders and she was shocked when he didn’t pull them away. What was going on?

  She kissed him back with as much passion as he kissed her with. She grasped the soft material of his shirt over his shoulders and felt hard muscle beneath. Why was he letting her touch him? Why did she care?

  Her hands moved up his neck and into his hair, but it was caught in something. He had a ponytail? It wasn’t very long, but long enough. He growled and pulled her to him, twisting his body so that she was on her back on the bed and he was on top of her.

  The fire in her body grew hotter and she pulled at the elastic band, freeing his hair and tangling her hands in it. His own hand tangled into her hair as the other held her around her upper body.

  His kiss never faltered in intensity and he continued invading her mouth with his tongue. He pressed his hips against hers and moved his hand down to her neck, stroking her cheek just in front of her ear.

  He broke away from her mouth, leaving her lips throbbing as he kissed his way down to her neck. He nipped gently and she gasped. His hand moved down to her breast and pulled at her shirt until it tore open and he could cup it with his hot, bare hand.

  She moved one hand around to his face, feeling the scratchy hair of his beard. He was letting her touch him; she was going to take advantage of it. He sucked hard on her nipple and she arched her back and cried out, tangling her hands in his hair once more to pull him harder against her breast.

  Her hand moved down to his shoulder and, feeling a collar, surmised he was wearing a dress shirt and moved to unbutton it. He pulled her shirt off and she heard a soft noise as the shirt hit the ground.

  She unbuttoned as many buttons as she could reach as he kissed her breasts and then tried to sit up so she could undo the rest.

  He put his hand on her shoulder to hold her down. “Nein,” he murmured in a low voice and she froze as a chill ran through her body. He froze as well.

  He spoke. In German. In a voice that haunted her dreams.

  No! This was some sort of cruel trick her mind was playing on her. Lots of men have low voices. And speak German.

  Grief overwhelmed her and she tried to push him away. He didn’t move and she kicked at him. “Let me go!” She pushed harder and he moved. She rolled to the side of the bed and fell to the floor on her hands and knees, head hanging down and breathing heavily.

  After a moment, she shook her head. “I have to go,” she whispered and pulled the blindfold off, looking around on the floor for her shirt. It had dropped over here and she spotted it in front of her.

  She didn’t dare look at the bed. “I won’t look at you,” she said in a broken voice. “But I need to leave.”

  He didn’t speak as she pulled her shirt on as best she could and held it together as she stood, facing away from the bed. “Thank you. For everything. But I think we should end things now.” She would never be able to be with him again without thinking of Alex and she couldn’t deal with that.

  She put her hand to the side of her face so she wouldn’t see him as she made her way to the door. Her hand was on the knob when he spoke again, his voice full of pain.

  “Anna. Don’t leave.”

  It wasn’t surprising he knew her real name. He knew who and what she was. But, she wanted to open the door and run out of the room screaming. This was worse than her dreams of him. Of Alex. Now there was a man alive who sounded like him. And felt like him....

  But she couldn’t move. Why wouldn’t her body listen to her mind?

  “Schatzi,” he whispered. She heard the bed move and felt him coming closer.

  “No,” she whispered. “No, you’re dead.”

  He was standing right behind her, his body heat dissolving the chill in her body. He put his hands on her upper arms and turned her around. “Nein, Anna. I am alive.”

  *****

  Alex stared down into the face of his beloved wife. Her green eyes filled with tears and she began to shake. “Alex?” she whispered, disbelief written all over her face.

  His heart swelled at the sound of her voice saying his name. For the first time in so many years, she recognized that he was still alive. “Yes, Schatzi. It’s me.”

  She blinked several times and shook her head. “How...how are you here?”

  He cradled her soft cheek with his hand and smiled. “It’s a very long story, and I will tell you everything, but for now, know that we escaped several months after Vlad became Elder, and arrived in New York in July.”

  “July?” she asked in a broken voice. Her lower lip trembled. “You’ve been here since July?”

  “Yes, when you got sick, I had to—”

  A crack sounded in the room and it took Alex several seconds before he realized that she had slapped him in the face. It took him another few seconds to register the look of anger on her face. The sting of the hit was padded by his beard, but it still hurt. “You’ve been here for two months and didn’t tell me?” Her eyes widened and then narrowed with her jaw trembling at the same time. “Why am I just finding this out now?”

  “Anna, there were things I had to do before I could let you know I was here...and alive. I had to—”

  “Were you just using me?” she asked in a squeaky voice, motioning around the room. “Why did you lie to me? Why all the secrecy? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you come see me in person?” Her voice got louder with each question until she was yelling at him. “What the hell is going on, Alex?”

  He could hardly believe this was really Anna standing in front of him. The fire in her eyes bewildered him, and he didn’t know how to answer her questions. This was certainly not how he had envisioned their reunion. He’d imagined it thousands of times, but it never had involved her being angry with him. Or hitting him.

  She had hit him! And yelled at him! He felt his own anger rising beneath the surface. “You never believed me when I told you I was alive, Anna. If you’d believed me, we wouldn’t be going through all this shit.”

  “You were dead, Alex. Devin told me. Your father told me. Everyone told me you were dead! I spent two years doped up out of my head rather than grieve for you. How the hell was I supposed to believe my fucked up dreams?”

  “I tried to tell you,” Alex snapped. “I tried to tell you and you refused to accept my word. Didn’t you notice I aged? That I changed? Why wouldn’t you believe me?”

  “So I was supposed to believe a dream over what people
in the real world were telling me? Even your father accepted my dreams were just dreams.”

  Alex stared at her, his chest heaving. He shouldn’t be angry with her. It wouldn’t do any good, and harm their future relationship. But this was a different Anna than he knew before. Who was this angry woman standing in front of him? Angry tears streamed down her face as she glared at him while clutching her shirt between her breasts; a reminder of how the evening had started.

  He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Anna, Schatzi. Please. Let’s not start things like this.” He took a step towards her and she stepped back and shook her head.

  “You lied to me.” Her voice was softer, but filled with anguish. “You lied!” She turned on her heel and stalked to the bathroom, slamming the door closed behind her.

  He stared at the door, completely baffled at her behavior and at a loss for what to do. He’d never seen her angry before.

  She emerged a few minutes later, changed into the clothes he’d brought her for the morning. She walked over to where he’d put her purse on the dresser and headed to the door.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, his voice sharper than he intended.

  “Home.” She opened the door and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

  Alex stared at the door and rubbed his chest, his heart broken. This was not how it was supposed to go. He took a deep breath and then reached for his phone to call his father.

  “Vati, we have a problem.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Anna ran out of the hotel, tears streaming down her face. She was given strange looks by multiple people as she ran down the sidewalk, but she hardly noticed. Her mind was going a million miles a minute and she didn’t know what to do. She ran blindly, not paying attention to where she was going, only wanting to run away from the pain in her heart.

  She wanted to scream! She wanted to cry! She wanted to run back to the hotel and fling herself into Alex’s arms. She wanted to run away and never see him again, even though she hadn’t seen him in years.