“Had you seen Sebastian?”
Aaron nodded. “Kelsey called me and told me to take Anna to the condo. Sebastian showed up a few minutes later. Then some big guy appeared and Anna seemed to know who he was. She screamed when he showed up. He and Sebastian started fighting with these fire swords that appeared in their hands.” He glanced behind Alex. “They blasted out your wall, Seth.”
The destroyed wall made more sense now. But who was the other Immortal? If Anna knew him.... Kaveh maybe? It was the only thing that made sense.
“There was a bunch of crashing and stuff in the hallway and then nothing. They’d disappeared.”
So why hadn’t Sebastian returned? He really could use Seb’s help right now. Alex took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. What a mess. He couldn’t have not gone to Boston though. There wasn’t another choice. But was there something that he could have done to prevent all this? Oh, his poor Anna. He wished he could call Vati and make sure she was all right. But had he even seen her?
Aaron told him about Devin’s appearance and how Devin laid into him. “She told me to tell you she loved you before he came.”
Alex blinked back the tears that burned his eyes. He felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do right now. He couldn’t go back up to Boston until he knew what was going on, and he needed to talk to his father to find that out. Or Tom, or Vlad. Someone! Why hadn’t someone called him?
Alex squeezed Aaron’s hand gently. “Thank you for doing what you could.”
“I hardly did anything. Oh, her wedding rings are under the couch in the living room. I thought if Devin saw them, he might suspect you’re around.”
“Good thinking, Aaron.” Grief filled him as he looked into his best friend’s bruised face. He was hurt because of him. “I will make him pay for this, Aaron. I promise.”
Aaron was starting to fade. “I know. Hope I get to watch.”
“If it is humanly possible, I will make sure you’re there.” He watched as Aaron closed his eyes to sleep, and sighed in sorrow.
*****
Wilhelm was sitting in his hotel room with Kurt, eating dinner when they heard a knock on the door. He was surprised to see Edwin standing there. “You have a moment?” he asked.
Wilhelm nodded and stepped back, allowing the Bavarian Elder to enter. Once the door was closed, Edwin made a motion with his hands, making Wilhelm assume he was putting a shield over the room. That brought his blood pressure a bit higher than it had been.
“I received a call from Simon a few minutes ago. Have you heard from Alex?”
Wilhelm shook his head.
“Anna’s been taken. By Devin.”
Kurt gasped from across the room and Wilhelm grabbed hold of the wall. “Oh, God. Is she all right?”
“There’s no way to know until tomorrow. We can’t go barging into Devin’s room. How would we explain that we knew?”
Wilhelm stumbled over to the couch and sat down heavily. Kurt’s face was pale and Wilhelm was certain his was the same.
Edwin sat down across from him. “Is there anyone you can call to find out?”
Wilhelm shook his head. “If I call Tom, Devin would know.”
Edwin looked thoughtful. “What about the Elder with the son that helped? Brandon?”
“I can’t call him.”
“No, but you could call his son.”
Wilhelm gave Edwin a grateful smile. He was thankful to have a level-headed friend at this moment. He certainly wasn’t thinking straight. “I should find out if Anna’s all right before I call Alex. Does he know?”
Edwin nodded. “He called Simon this morning. I had my phone off all day without realizing it and missed his calls. My wife was not happy with me either.”
Wilhelm gave him a small smile as he searched his phone for Travis’ number.
“Hello? Wilhelm?” Travis’ voice was filled with concern.
“Travis, Devin found Anna. Can you call your father and find out if he knows anything about it?”
“Oh, no. How did...never mind. I’ll call you back as soon as I talk to him.”
Wilhelm leaned back and closed his eyes. This meant that Anna was very close to him; in the very same hotel. But he couldn’t go to see her. He doubted that Devin would let her out of his sight over the weekend. If he could get her away from him...but, no. It would do more harm than good. They had to protect the knowledge that Alex had escaped at all costs.
Devin wouldn’t kill Anna...though that was a small comfort, knowing how Devin was. The thought that Devin would likely torture her brought tears to his eyes. Could he have prevented this? He should have gone into New York while Alex was gone. He could have put some protections over her. Or taken her out of the city, or....
“What will you do?” Edwin asked. He knew of their plans, but didn’t participate in the actual planning.
Wilhelm shook his head. “I don’t know. We can’t do anything until the funeral is over. Devin would notice if we were talking. He likely blames me for her disappearance. I hope we can accelerate the plans, though. Instead of waiting the month. Alex will be unable to wait that long, but he will wait for instructions.”
Edwin nodded. “You have a good son.” He glanced at Kurt, who had walked outside to the balcony. “You have two good sons.”
“Thank you. I am very proud of them both.” How long would it take for Travis to get in touch with his father? The wait would surely kill him.
*****
“Don’t leave marks on her,” Devin called as the new, younger Elders took Anna to the side of the room. “She needs to look healthy Sunday.”
Anna screeched as Noah plowed into her ass and took hold of her hair. Serves her right. She would likely look back on tonight with fondness once he got her home to San Francisco. It was good to see the new Elders took after their fathers.
Another scream from Anna brought a smile to Devin’s face as he chatted with his friends. Though the thought came unbidden as to whose funeral would be next. He shook his head to push the thought away. He didn’t need to be thinking about that. He needed to keep his head clear and get Anna back under control. Then he could work on getting everything else under control.
The most concerning thing was that Kaveh was nowhere to be found. The other American Immortal that he had semi-regular contact with, Val, was not as loyal to Devin as he would like. He wasn’t as interested in Anna as Kaveh was, which made it difficult to manipulate him, as much as a human could manipulate an Immortal. Kaveh had been with Devin from the beginning, and had influenced Val and the other Immortals into helping him. With Kaveh gone...would Val step in and rape Anna so that Devin could have their essence?
Brandon’s phone rang, bringing Devin out of his thoughts. The LA Elder smiled. “Travis.” He stood and walked out to the balcony.
Devin rolled his eyes. He didn’t understand why an Elder would be so interested in a bastard son. But Brandon was soft. He hoped Ethan wasn’t, though it didn’t look hopeful. Tommy and Ethan were sitting on the other side of the room from where Anna was being hurt. Tommy winced every time Anna screamed. He'd always had a soft spot for Anna. Probably always would. Weakling.
*****
Alex paced the length of his terrace. It was the longest straight path in his condo, and there was no damage to make him wince every time he looked at it. Poor Anna, poor Aaron. Poor Anna, poor Aaron. His heart ached like it was torn in half for his beloved wife and best friend. He felt impotent in the face of this waiting, but any other course would mean disaster.
If he went after Devin now, he risked the ultimate punishment for going after an Elder without permission. His claims, his confrontation with Devin would be invalidated because of his rogue status. The world Elders would question everything he’d done if he went out on his own. To save Anna in the long run, he had to stay away from her now.
It was killing him.
His phone rang and Alex ran across the terrace to answer his father’s ringtone.
“V
ati! Anna’s been taken!”
“I know, Alex. I know.”
Alex fell to his knees and began to weep. “I’ve failed her, Vati. I let her get taken.” The grief was so excruciating, he wanted to stab his own heart to dull the pain.
“Alex, it’s not your fault. You were doing what you needed to get done. Devin shouldn’t have been able to sense her as strongly as he did.” He paused. “I spoke with Travis a few minutes ago.”
“Travis?” Why would...? “His father?”
“Yes. Brandon was in Devin’s suite with her. She’s...doing all right.”
“What does that mean?”
“She’s strong, Alex. You know this.”
“That’s not comforting.”
“Devin’s not going to damage her too severely for the time being, but we both know it's only a matter of time.”
Alex's fingers tore at his chest, wishing he could rip his heart out. “Can’t you do something, Vati? Can’t you take her away from him?”
“I can try, Alex, but I am unlikely to succeed. She ran away from Devin. Devin has the right to punish her.”
Alex threw his head back and screamed in helpless rage, the sound echoing off the neighboring buildings. Dogs barked in response. The echoes had scarcely died away before he spoke again.
“You can’t...you can’t let him do that, Vati.”
“I will try and prevent him from taking her, but I will be contested. Like it or not, she is a slave. Devin’s slave. As much as the others find it distasteful, they won’t contest his right to punish her.”
“Then let me confront him now. Let me come up and—”
“You must get rid of Tyler first. Otherwise Anna’s ownership passes to him and you will be no better off than you are now.”
“Then give me the order,” he growled.
“You know I can’t, Alex. I can't change the plans without the consensus of Vlad and Tom. We will talk as soon as we are able, but I cannot give you the order without their consent.”
“He attacked Aaron, Vati,” Alex said in a low voice. “Aaron’s in the hospital with massive injuries because Devin attacked him.”
Wilhelm was quiet. “I can do something about that. It’s not much, but it is something. He attacked someone who belongs to me.”
“Anna belongs to you.”
“It’s different, and you know it.” He paused. “Kaveh has disappeared, at least that’s what Devin believes.”
“Kaveh disappeared?” Maybe that’s where Sebastian went. Without Kaveh, Devin likely couldn’t get his powers back. “Would Sebastian be able to take Kaveh out of the picture and keep him in the...Immortal place?”
“It’s possible. Why?”
“Sebastian was here, battling with someone whom I suspect was Kaveh. According to Aaron, they just disappeared.”
“If that’s what happened, I will be eternally thankful to Sebastian.”
“It’s the only explanation as to where he is.” Alex told Wilhelm everything he had learned from Aaron.
“If that’s true, Sebastian will return with Kaveh when you confront Devin.” Wilhelm sighed. “Son, rest. Make tentative plans for an earlier attack on Tyler. Keep calm. Anna will survive. She’s a strong woman. You will have your revenge.”
*****
Anna could hardly move when she awoke. After the young Elders and Tyler had their way with her, Devin made her please the other Elders, and then he had taken her to bed and consumed her until she couldn’t move. It terrified Anna to think of Devin becoming powerful again.
Should she have run, tried to escape? Maybe if she hadn’t gone to the condo, maybe she wouldn’t be here. It was Kelsey who had told them to go. Was Tom really as loyal as he claimed? Maybe it was a trick to get her back to Devin.
She heard voices outside the door and then the door opened.
“See, there she is.” It was Devin, but she couldn’t see who he was talking to.
“I’m impressed, Devin,” said a male voice with a thick accent. Russian, maybe? Vlad? “I’m glad you were able to find her.”
“When she’s able to move, you’re more than welcome to her.”
“Bah, she’s not my type. I prefer my Irina. Peter may be interested. He did have a soft spot for her.”
“Do you trust him?”
“He is my heir. Of course I do.”
“He fell in love with her.”
“What did you expect? You made them live together. He realizes how foolish he was...that he was under her spell. But he did say she was a good fuck. I will let him know.”
Tears burned Anna’s eyes. Peter thought that of her?
Devin came into her view. “How are you feeling, Baby?” he asked with a sickening smirk on his face. He caressed her face. “I can’t wait to get you home in a few days. We are going to have lots of fun.” He grinned back toward the door, and he and Vlad both laughed.
With effort, Anna turned onto her side, away from Devin. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back onto her back. “Don’t you dare turn away from me, bitch.” He slapped her face, but all she could do was look up at him. “We need to find you some clothes this afternoon. Rest well. The next few days will be busy.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
By dinnertime, Anna was able to get up and move normally, except for being tired and sore. Devin had the concierge bring clothes up to her since she hadn't been able to get up and go shopping.
Vlad and Peter came to eat dinner with Devin and Tyler. She carefully kept her head down, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Peter greeted her warmly, to which Vlad snapped at him in Russian and he stepped away with an apologetic look on his face. Why was Vlad being so mean? Had he changed his mind about helping her? If he had, she would be stuck with Devin forever.
Devin made Anna give Peter a blowjob after dinner, since Vlad didn’t particularly care for her. She knelt between Peter’s feet and, with shaking hands, released his cock from his pants.
“Suck it, Anna,” Peter growled, bringing tears to her eyes. She sat up on her knees and took him into her mouth, sucking on the cock she’d been so fond of not so long ago. He put his hand on her head as if to control her movements, but he really just followed her movements. She was confused.
When Vlad and Devin were deep in conversation about the American Elders, and Tyler had left the room, Peter leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Anna, everything will be all right. Forgive us for our actions. We must keep Devin from suspecting us.”
Anna nodded as best she could with his cock in her mouth, but her enthusiasm for the blowjob increased after that.
*****
Wilhelm and Kurt arrived at the cathedral Sunday morning and immediately began to search surreptitiously for Devin, and more importantly, for Anna. What he had learned from Brandon had relieved some of his fears. At least temporarily. But he would feel better when he saw her. He made brief eye contact with Vlad and gave a subtle nod of greeting, wishing he could go speak to him openly and discuss their next move.
He saw the other Elder-Mistresses, cool and aloof, talking and smiling with each other and the men around them. Suddenly, they all turned, almost as one, and looked towards the street. A limo stopped, the back door opened and Devin stepped out, an arrogant look on his face. Behind him was a very pale Anna, dressed in a simple black skirt suit. She had a bruise on her cheek, but looked otherwise unharmed.
Wilhelm noticed the various expressions on the other Elder-Mistresses’ faces. Most looked at her with disdain. A few had subtle, though genuine smiles on their faces, almost as if they admired her. Irina looked at her curiously, but otherwise remained impassive.
Devin’s eyes met Wilhelm’s and he barely contained himself as the other man smirked at him. He put his arm around Anna and walked her toward the entrance of the cathedral.
“A word, Devin?” Wilhelm said in a calm voice as Devin walked by.
“You won't be getting Anna anytime soon, Wilhelm, so don’t even ask.” Devin gave him a cool lo
ok.
Wilhelm saw Anna studying the ground intently. He winced at the bruise on her cheek. It was much worse up close. “You can’t treat her like that, Devin.”
“Why not? She’s a runaway slave. She’s lucky she can walk.”
“She’s an Elder-Mistress,” Wilhelm growled.
“Who ran away from her Master.” Devin smiled. “You have no right to contest her punishment and you know it.”
Anna shuddered next to Devin, which broke Wilhelm’s heart. “Perhaps not, but I can contest how you treated one of my own.”
Devin raised his brow. “Oh?”
“You attacked Aaron and put him in the hospital.”
“He’s lucky to be alive,” Devin snapped.
“It’s not your right to attack my Brother. He belongs to me. My country.”
Edwin walked up at that moment, as well as Oswin and Jürgen, two other German Elders.
Devin’s eyes widened. “All right. All right. I apologize. But he was harboring my slave.”
“As I understand it, she was in her own home when you found her. How could he be harboring her in her own home?”
“Fine. What do you want?”
“Stay away from him from now on.” Wilhelm smiled. “And I would like a few minutes alone with Anna.” He had figured out a way he could give Anna an element of protection. It wouldn’t keep her from getting hurt, but it would keep Devin from torturing information out of her. At least to an extent.
“Absolutely not,” Devin snapped. “I will not allow you to take her out of my sight. For all I know, you helped her run away.”
He forced a lightness he was far from feeling into his tone. “How could I do that from Germany, Devin? Really!”
The other Elders chuckled, and Devin frowned. “Fine. As long as she stays where I can see her.”
“Fair enough.” He extended his hand. “Liebling?”
Anna looked up with hope in her eyes, and he gave her a kind smile. She glanced at Devin, who nodded begrudgingly, and walked away with him as Wilhelm hugged her to him. She began to sob and Wilhelm felt his heart squeeze in his chest.
The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged Page 44
