“Then maybe we need to remove those other Elders.”
Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “That would not be a decision I am allowed to be involved with. That is a human decision.” He smiled. “I’m sure a certain assassin wouldn’t mind getting some revenge on men who have hurt his wife, though.” He stood and nodded respectfully before disappearing.
Wilhelm contemplated Sebastian’s words. Elders coming together can be very powerful, as evidenced by the multiple Elders ability to get Anna away from Devin. If the Elders that were loyal to Devin gathered around him, he would be difficult to defeat. If Devin was the only one left—
He needed to discuss this with Alex. After Alex somehow convinced Anna to break up with her boyfriend.
*****
Alex waited in his bedroom for Sebastian to return. Alex was going to become like an Elder. The thought thrilled and frightened him at the same time. Would it hurt? It never looked comfortable when he saw it at the Gatherings. How would it feel? He’d never asked a new Elder. It had never occurred to him.
Sebastian appeared a few minutes later with...Irina? The Russian Elder-Mistress?
“What is she doing here?” Alex asked, irritated. There would be only one reason an Elder-Mistress would be here. He had no desire to fuck her. Irina was beautiful and sensual, but cold. Like all the Elder-Mistresses. He wanted his sweet, warm Anna.
“Alex, I can’t give you my essence straight. You wouldn’t be able to handle it. Irina will be able to...make it palatable.” Sebastian gave him a sympathetic smile. “I know she's not Anna, but she is a Mistress we can trust.”
*****
An hour later, Alex felt...different. And guilty. Sebastian had fucked Irina and then Alex had ‘partaken’ of both of their essences from Irina’s body. Then he’d fucked her senseless. He wasn’t thinking straight. He just had to do it for some reason. Lust had consumed him.
Sebastian had taken Irina back to Russia and Alex sat on his bed, staring at his wedding ring. Is this what it would be like when he became Elder? Becoming so consumed with lust that he would fuck anyone? Is that what the Immortal essence did? He couldn’t do that to Anna. It would kill her. Why, oh why did he have to be his father’s son?
But he was. And she was an Elder-Mistress. They would always have to share one another with others. Maybe he could fake his own death after he took care of Devin. Then he and Anna could—
“Ready?”
Alex jumped at the sound of Sebastian’s voice. He turned and looked mournfully at his friend. “I can’t believe I did that.”
“Did what?”
“Fucked Irina.”
Sebastian studied Alex for a few minutes. “Alex, the first time is...difficult.” He chuckled. “We’re sexual beings. It can be a bit intense the first time. Your body doesn’t quite know what to do with it. But it will get more comfortable.” He took a step towards Alex. “Once you and Anna are reunited, you’ll need to do that with her.”
Alex gave him a horrified look. “I can’t use her like that.”
“With the right relationship, it’s not using. She will want to give of herself.”
Sebastian’s words triggered a memory from long ago. Before they had married, they had made love and Anna had tried. She’d tried to give him of herself. He didn’t know how he knew, or even if she knew at that point, but he had told her not to. That he didn’t need it. How had he known?
“She loves you, Alex. She will want to give it to you.”
“Will you fuck her first?”
“It would be a good idea if I did every once in a while. Maintaining it is much easier than re-doing it. And it will give you the strength and power to fight Devin.”
That perked Alex’s ears. “Really?”
Sebastian nodded. “That is what he was taking from Anna that made him so powerful. You will still be limited until you become Elder, but you will be...more than yourself.”
Alex thought for a moment and then nodded. “Okay. But I won’t force her.”
“It’s much more potent if she does it voluntarily. The two of you together....” Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “She is a very powerful half-Immortal, though she doesn’t know it. You will be able to do great things.”
“I don’t want to do great things. I just want to be with her.”
Sebastian smiled. “That’s okay. For now. You’ll change your mind eventually.”
Alex sighed. “So, how does this work?” he asked, changing the subject. He was close to seeing Anna again and he was becoming anxious.
Sebastian chuckled and came to stand behind him. “She won’t see me. You can move as you normally would.” He put his hands on Alex’s shoulders. “Close your eyes.”
Alex did so, and felt dizzy and squeezed at the same time. He sensed the difference of his environment and slowly opened his eyes. He was in a sunlit bedroom. The scene outside the windows was one of a city. New York. He could see the Hudson River from where he stood.
He turned and saw Anna lying on her bed, sweetly sleeping. The indentation on her right ring finger made his heart ache and he swallowed over the lump forming in his throat. She looked different. She looked peaceful. He hadn’t seen her sleep in years. When they were together, he had loved waking up before her and watching her sleep. She’d been pregnant then. Oh, how his heart ached for the memories.
He could stay here forever and watch her sleep. He longed just to watch her, to see how she’d changed. She was changed so much from the twenty-year-old girl he’d married. His hands clenched into fists. Devin would pay for what he’d done. As soon as he was able to, he would destroy that man, that animal. It was an insult to humanity to call him a man.
But for now, he needed to concentrate on the task at hand. “Anna,” he said softly. He reminded himself that he needed to speak English and hoped she could understand him.
Her eyes snapped opened and she stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning her head in his direction. Oh, his sweet Schatzi! She sat up and stared at him.
“Alex!” she exclaimed and then shook her head. “No. You left...you were gone.”
He nodded. “I had to. But I’m here again.”
She shook her head. “I’ve given you up. I’ve moved on.”
His eyes unconsciously turned to her empty ring finger and sorrow filled his heart. “Don’t give up on me, Anna. Please. We’ll be together soon.”
“How can we be together? You’re dead.” She shook her head again. “No, Alex. It’s time to stop dreaming of you. I have a wonderful man in my life. He’s alive and he cares for me.”
Her words were like a dull knife in his heart. “Do you love him?” he asked softly, his voice cracking slightly. “Does he love you like I love you?”
“I...I don’t know if I love him. I might. It’s all so...different now. I’m different.” She looked up at him. “I killed my guardian,” she whispered.
Alex walked over before he realized what he was doing. How he wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be all right. Instead, he knelt next to her bed. “Does he love you as I love you?”
Tears filled her eyes. “He’s alive,” she whispered.
“What if I were still alive, Anna? What if I walked back into your life tomorrow? Would you take me back?” His questions were desperate.
“But you’re not,” she whimpered.
“But if I was?”
She didn’t answer right away. She stared out the window, her lower lip trembling. He could almost sense the turmoil in her heart and it pained him to no end.
“Anna?”
She closed her eyes for a long moment and then opened again. His heart leapt at the love in her eyes. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly.
Alex searched her eyes. She hadn’t rejected him outright. Her hesitation troubled him, but what else could he do? Forced love was no love at all. Winning her back would be more difficult than he’d imagined. “I will always love you, Schatzi.” He reached out to touch her cheek and she disappeared from hi
s sight.
*****
Alex realized he was back in his room and he fell to his knees in grief. Would he be able to gain her love back? Gain her trust back? Was she really reluctant to love him, or was she afraid to? After all, he’d been gone for so long.
“Alex?” Sebastian brought him back to reality.
“She doesn’t know if she’d take me back,” he said in a cracked voice.
“She’s afraid.”
Alex nodded. “What do I need to do to get ready?”
*****
“Alex?”
Alex blinked, realized he’d become lost in his thoughts. He looked at Anna and saw her, frowning at him with her arms across her chest. “Anna, if I hadn’t come, and you and Hugo had become even more involved...what would have happened when I returned? What if I had given up on you? Devin would have found you when he visited and you would be back with him now, instead of here.” He inhaled slowly. “Yes, perhaps my motives weren’t totally pure. Yes, I was jealous. But—”
“You manipulated me,” she said in a low voice.
“I kept you from getting hurt.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What would have really happened if I decided I didn’t want to be with you?”
Alex hesitated. She would be angry at the truth. “Anna, please—” He stepped forward and she stepped back.
“What would have happened?”
“You wouldn’t have chosen him,” he said softly after a long pause. He wouldn’t lie to her.
“What do you mean?” Her eyes narrowed further.
“You may have tried for a while to be with him, but ultimately, you would have been with me. We’re bonded, Anna. Sebastian said that’s why you could never get over me, even though you desperately wanted to. If I had truly been dead, the ties would have been severed and you would have been free. But because I was alive, the bonds remained active and eventually you would have returned to me.”
She stared at him, anger and hurt in her eyes. “You mean I never really had a choice?”
Alex grimaced. “I did whatever I could to let you have that choice, Schatzi. But...no, you didn’t.”
She stared at him a moment longer and then left the room without another word. He heard the apartment door open and close and his shoulders slumped.
“Seth!”
Seth’s curious face appeared in the doorway.
“Follow her. Make sure she’s okay, but don’t be seen. I want her safe, but she needs some space.”
Seth nodded and disappeared.
Alex sat heavily on the bed, head in his hands. Would it have been better had he lied to her? No. She needed the truth. It was the only way she would be able to trust him. He would tell her the truth, no matter how much it hurt.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Anna slowly walked to the park and sat down under a tree. It was getting late and the sun was going down, so she only went a little way in. She knew better than to wander around the park at night. It wasn’t as peaceful as she’d like, but it was about as peaceful as it got in the middle of the city. She sat quietly, watching the people hurry by as she tried to sort her mind out.
She leaned her head back against the uneven bark and sighed. She never really had a choice to make? She would have ended up back with Alex regardless? She didn’t know how she felt about that.
Part of her—no, all of her knew that she belonged with Alex. But once again she was reminded that she wasn’t really free. She had Masters. She was a slave. She had a cruel Master and a kind Master. At least she was with the kind Master now.
Was it really so bad to be stuck with Alex? He loved her, he was good to her, and he was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. As a slave, she couldn’t ask for more.
That was it, wasn’t it? She didn’t like being a slave. That was the bottom line. That was the crux of it. She wanted to be free, even if she was married to Alex. Being married didn’t take away freedom; being tied to he and Devin as their slave was what took away her freedom.
Alex was working to free that part of her. That’s why he did what he did. If it weren’t for him, she would have had no happiness in her life. She would have belonged to Devin and he would have consumed her.
She shouldn’t be resentful towards Alex. It wasn’t Alex’s fault things were the way they were. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault, save Devin. And Alex promised he would take care of Devin. He was the only one that could.
Anna looked up past the trees in the park. She could see Alex’s building from here and saw the lights on inside his condo. Had he gone home?
She needed to apologize.
*****
Anna stared at the building from across the street. The building was intimidating, even though it wasn’t very tall. The elaborately carved entrance was guarded by four two-story banded columns. And a doorman.
Could she get in? Was this her home now? Would Alex let her in? There was only one way to find out.
The light changed and she crossed the street, and then paused at the bottom of the marble steps that led to the large wrought iron and glass door. A man in a black suit and hat stood there and watching her curiously.
“Can I help you?” he asked politely.
“I—” Anna paused.
“Sam, this is Anna, Mr. Kunze’s wife.” A familiar voice said from behind and she turned to see Seth walking up behind her.
“Seth? What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you’re safe.”
“Were you with me the whole time?”
Seth nodded. “Only to keep you safe, Anna,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Alex knew you needed space, and respected that. But after what happened when you ran away from the hotel....”
Anna nodded and gave him a grateful smile. “He will do whatever he can to keep me safe, won’t he?”
Seth’s eyes softened. “Yes. As will the rest of us.”
Anna wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. “Is Alex mad?”
Seth chuckled and hugged her back. “Not at all.”
She closed her eyes and savored Seth’s embrace. She’d grown close to him, Tony and Greg when they’d lived together in San Francisco. She hadn’t known the rest of Alex’s men as well, but was grieved to hear that they hadn’t made it back. “I’m glad you made it back, Seth,” she said softly.
Seth squeezed her gently. “Me too.” He pulled away. “C’mon. It’s getting a little chilly, and Alex is worried about you.”
The doorman nodded politely as they went through the doors and into the marbled lobby with the stained-glass arched ceiling.
“It’s so pretty!” Anna exclaimed as they walked, her voice echoing slightly on the hard walls.
“You didn’t see it last night?” Seth asked with a laugh.
She felt her cheeks warm. “I wasn’t paying any attention.”
*****
Anna walked nervously into the living room where Alex was visiting with his father and brother. It was really a beautiful apartment, with carved columns and paneled walls. Huge windows overlooked Central Park that would be nice to look out in the morning.
Alex stood when he saw her and gave her an apologetic smile as he walked over to her. “Anna, I’m so—”
Anna shook her head. “I’m sorry I left. I was angry, but I know—I understand why things are the way they are. Considering the circumstances, I couldn’t ask for, or expect, things to be more than they are. I belong with you. I know this, and I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Alex’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I know the truth was difficult, but I didn’t want to lie.”
“I know.” Anna smiled and then reached up on tiptoe to kiss him. He still had to bend over for her lips to reach his, but she didn’t think he minded.
A throat cleared behind Alex and he pulled away slowly. “I think someone wants to say hello,” he said softly.
“Your dad?”
Alex nodded and straightened. He took her hand and led he
r the rest of the way into the room. Wilhelm and Kurt sat on either end of a long couch and they stood when they saw her.
Anna twisted her rings as she looked between the two men who had both hurt her and loved her for so long. They were caring for her long before she’d married Alex. Oh, how long ago all that was. How different she was. How different they were.
Kurt’s hair had grown out longer, like he’d worn it when she’d met him. His goatee was scruffier than it had been, though fashionably so. He still had some of the seriousness he’d gained over the last few years, but seemed to be relaxing a bit. His eyes were apologetic.
Wilhelm was as debonair and noble as ever, though he had aged as well. The aura of sadness that she’d grown accustomed to seeing him with was gone. She supposed with Alex alive “again,” that burden had disappeared.
“Hello,” she said softly, clinging to Alex’s hand and hiding behind him slightly.
Wilhelm’s face broke into an affectionate smile. “Hello, Liebling,” he said in a gentle voice.
He opened his arms and Anna looked up at Alex. Alex nodded and Anna nervously walked over to him. Once she was in his arms, though, she relaxed, inhaling his scent and warmth. He stroked her hair gently and kissed the top of her head.
He released her after a few minutes, turning her towards Kurt.
Kurt, who had loved her and hurt her so much. She gazed up into his sad eyes. “Why?” she whispered. It was all she could bring herself to say without erupting in tears.
He closed his eyes, as if in pain, and took a deep breath. When he opened them, they were even more pain filled. “I can never apologize enough for hurting you the way I did, Anna. I—” He swallowed and glanced at Alex. “I was angry that I was losing you and I took it out on you. I am so sorry.” His brow twitched and his jaw clenched. He was trying to stay in control of his emotions. “I am so sorry,” he repeated in a whisper.
Tears filled Anna’s eyes and she went to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He held her so tightly she couldn’t move, even if she wanted to.
The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged Page 31
