The Life of Anna, Part 1: Enslaved (2 page)

“No, they were shouting. I couldn’t understand the words they were saying. They were...the words sounded very hard.”

“Maybe they were speaking a different language?” Devin murmured to himself. He paused at the possibility.
A different language? Interesting. He hadn’t considered that his opposition might come from outside his own country, though it shouldn’t have surprised him; everything was international these days. But there were thousands of languages around the world. How was he supposed to figure out whom to watch for? “Do you remember any particular words?” he asked. If she remembered a few words, he would at least know where to start.

“They kept repeating a number,” Anna said softly.
“The number nine.” Fear and pain filled her eyes and he could tell she was trying to be as helpful as possible.

His gaze softened as he looked down at her, trying to regain his patience. He
’d waited almost twenty years; he could wait a few moments more. Especially if it meant obtaining information about any obstacles to his plans.

Anna was key to his plans. He needed her and her abilities so he could gain the control he needed. She was to be his prime asset, but he had to get control of her now before she realized the power contained inside her.

Devin savored his own power and had a plan to increase it. He could charm anyone; he had been accused of possessing supernatural powers of persuasion and manipulation. After all, true power was the ability to manipulate others into wanting to do what you wanted them to do. He was a well-respected member of the community and maintained close relationships with the powerful people in the spotlight; those he manipulated.

Men controlled the world...or so they thought. Devin knew that men, especially the type of men that crave power, have an incredibly high sex drive. All of Devin
’s powerful peers knew this and took advantage of it in one way or another, though most weren’t as forceful as he was. Every country in the world has its own idiosyncrasies, but in America, the power-hungry go into politics. Devin knew he only had to keep those men sexually satisfied and they’d walk the path he lay before them. Put a beautiful, sexy woman in a man’s arms and watch his ego soar...and his willpower fail.

Devin knew exactly what he wanted, and he would do anything and everything to accomplish his goals.
Anything at any cost. Any cost. Patience was essential, though like any man, he had his limits. He’d been slowly putting the pieces in place for years, picking up where his father had failed. Devin knew when to push things and when to let them be. Forcing things at the wrong time would bring everything crumbling down around his ears, and that was unacceptable. Devin Andersen did not allow the unacceptable.

Devin contemplated Anna
’s words: They kept repeating the number nine. What was he supposed to make of that? How could someone get upset about a number? “How did they say it?” he asked. Maybe more information could unravel the mystery.

Anna swallowed and looked up at him with wide eyes.
“They were very angry. The older man would say something and then the younger man would say ‘nine!’ And then the younger man would say something, and the older man would say ‘nine!’ If I hadn’t been so scared, I might have thought it was funny.” She gave him a shy smile and searched his eyes for something; approval, Devin surmised.

He sighed and leaned down to kiss her cheek.
“I’m sorry I snapped, Baby,” he said in a soft voice. “This is just very important to me.”

“I’m sorry, Devin. I’m trying.”

“I know you are.” He kissed her temple again and caressed her cheek with his fingers. He leaned forward to inhale the sweet fragrance of her hair that fell down her back to her waist when she stood. So pretty. So young and naïve. Just as he liked her.

Devin had known Anna since the day she was born. He
’d known her parents before they died four years ago, and her guardian, Jack Koslov, was one of his closest friends. Jack was Anna’s guardian because of Devin. Her parents had died without assigning a guardian for her, or at least that’s what the court had on record. Devin had used his political influence to ensure that the Perkins’ family friend, Jack, gained custody of eleven-year-old Anna after the tragic accident that ended their lives that fateful winter night.

Devin looked up as Jack walked into the room and sat down across from him. Anna's
eyes fluttered and closed, exhausted not only from the vision but also from Devin having taken what was left of her physical innocence.

Jack pulled the blanket up over Anna
’s shoulders as she fell asleep. “So now what?” Jack asked.

Devin was quiet and didn
’t respond to Jack’s question. “German!” he exclaimed suddenly, looking pleased.

“German?
What are you talking about?”

“German.
Anna said that she couldn’t understand the men in her vision, but they kept repeating the number nine. I’m guessing the reason Anna couldn’t understand what they were saying was because they were speaking German. Nein is German for ‘no.’ It would make sense. If the two men were arguing, saying no repeatedly would be likely.”

“Why Germany?”

“I have no idea. But I trust her vision, especially since she didn’t know what she was talking about.” Devin paused thoughtfully. “I’ve had a few interactions with the Germans, but not many. They’re rather stubborn,” he laughed. “Although I suppose I should give them some credit: they are the only thing holding the EU together. I suppose that says something for their leadership.” He paused again, eyes narrowed in thought, trying to decide the best course of action. It was, of course, necessary to figure out who these two men were. Was Anna’s vision in the present? Or the past? Either was possible. Knowing what they looked like would be helpful. Perhaps his Russian acquaintance, Vitaly, could shed some light. He dealt with the Germans far more frequently than Devin did. Devin would make the call in the morning. In the meantime, there was work to be done.

“Would you please get Ian for me?”

Jack nodded and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a very tall, muscular man whose light brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His shoulders filled the doorframe. “Yes, Devin?”

“Let Doctor
Ansen know that I’m ready for him to work on Anna.”

“All right.
Do you want me to bring the shot in here?” Ian glanced down at the sleeping form next to Devin. “Knocked her out pretty good, huh?”

“As I wanted.
Did you hear her?” Devin grinned at his friend.

“How could I not? She seemed to enjoy it...eventually.” Ian grinned back.

Ian, too, was a loyal follower of Devin’s. They’d known each other their entire lives and Devin held Ian in high regard and counted him as a friend. To most, Ian appeared as Devin’s personal assistant and occasional bodyguard. But they were as close as brothers, which they very well might have been. But that was a mystery long dead and, to Devin, unimportant.

“Yes, bring the shot here. I don’t want to risk waking her. She’ll awaken to reality soon enough, but for now let her sleep.”

When the doctor was finished with her, she’d be unable to get pregnant and be immune to any sexually transmitted disease she came in contact with. Devin was fairly certain that she had all these attributes already from her father, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Better safe than sorry.

*****

Anna had strange dreams. Strange and uncomfortable dreams. Strange dreams weren’t unusual, but painful ones were. Her body was poked and prodded and an occasional sharp sting slipped through her sleep. She’d felt the warmth of a bright light above her for a period of time. At one point, her chest felt like it was on fire and she struggled to breathe. A sharp poke in her arm and the pain in her chest subsided, allowing her to ease back to sleep.

When she awoke, her body ached as it had after her first day of intensive summer ballet classes years ago. She groaned as she stretched her arms above her head, opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar room. It was pretty and ornate with gilded wooden carvings in the high ceiling. Not as high as the handsome man
’s room, she thought to herself and smiled.

She felt...different. Memories of what had happened with Devin returned and she wondered where he was. She felt...grown up. She trailed her right hand down her left arm and down to her body, remembering how he
’d touched her. A stirring below her belly made her wonder if that happened every time you had sex. If so, no wonder people liked it so much, although she’d learned over the last few years that there were different ways to have sex; some of which looked very painful.

Tabitha and Zoe, who lived downstairs in Jack
’s house, had sex a lot and it looked painful, though they didn’t seem to mind. Jack said they were from the Manor; that he was training them. They were a year older than Anna and men came to see them all the time.

Anna was glad Devin hadn
’t been like that. He loved her and wanted her to feel good. She wanted to make him feel good too, although she was certain there were other women in his life that could do a much better job than she could.

Devin
’s wife, for example. Anna was positive that Devin would never marry someone who didn’t make him feel good. His wife was certainly a wonderful woman and so lucky to have married someone like him.

She sat up in bed, once again wondering where Jack and Devin were. Should she go look for them? She was naked and didn
’t like the thought of wandering around a strange house without clothes on, though she wasn’t shy about being naked. She was naked most of the time in her own house.

Anna spotted a pair of double doors across the room from the foot of the bed. She stood, her legs a little wobbly, and walked carefully to the doors and opened them; it was a closet, but empty. She wandered around the room and finally discovered a bathroom with a robe inside. After taking a moment to pee, she put the robe on and approached the big doors that she guessed led outside the room. Where exactly they led, she had no idea, but her desire for Jack and Devin outweighed her fear of the unknown.

She reached out for the door handle to turn it, but it wouldn’t turn. She tried again, this time harder, but it still wouldn’t turn. She stared at the door for a moment, unsure of what to do next and was surprised when the door opened on its own. She took a step backwards, but not quickly enough. The door pushed against her and she lost her balance, falling to the floor on her rear.

A giant of a man looked down at her with a frown on his face. She smiled tentatively and stood, adjusting her robe.
“Is Jack out there?” she asked hesitantly, hoping he’d stop glaring at her.

“I’ll let him know you’re awake,” he growled.

Anna’s eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever spoken to her like that, and she was hurt that a stranger would dislike her so much. He turned and pulled the door closed sharply behind him. She was alone again, but at least she knew that Jack would be with her soon.

She turned and walked to the window. Pushing the sheer curtain aside, she looked out onto a grassy lawn with a thick border of bushes a few hundred feet away. Her thoughts strayed to the dream she
’d had about the handsome man in the dark bedroom. This dream had been different from other dreams she’d had of him. This time he saw her...talked to her, even though she had no idea what he’d said.
I wonder who he is
. Devin’s reaction made her wonder if he might be a real person, not just part of a dream.

The door opened behind her and she turned to see Jack and Devin walk in the room. Her heart soared when she saw them and she ran across the room to hug Jack with all her might. It took her a moment to realize he wasn
’t hugging her back and she was confused. She took a step back and smiled into his face.

“Hi, Jack,” she said brightly and turned to Devin.
“Hi, Devin.” She leaned forward to hug Devin and he took a step back, avoiding her embrace.

Tears sprang to her eyes as the unthinkable happened. They
’d never rejected her embraces before.
Something must have happened and they’re not sure how to tell me
, she thought to herself. What could have happened, she had no idea. Her parents were gone and they were the closest thing to family she had, so she couldn’t imagine what could make them so distant.

She looked back at Jack.
“Jack? What’s wrong?” He simply looked at her. Was that disgust on his face? Why was he looking at her like he looked at Tabitha and Zoe?

She looked quickly at Devin.
“Devin?” she said in a timid voice. “Did something happen?” His expression was similar to Jack’s.

Anna
’s stomach knotted as she took a step back and stared at the two men she loved more than anything in the world. They’d never acted so coldly towards her.

Suddenly, Devin reached out and hit her across the left cheek. He hit her so hard that she stumbled to her knees, one hand on the floor preventing her from falling further and the other cradling her face. A cold wave of disbelief washed over her as she looked up to the faces of the men she loved.

She struggled to speak. “D-Devin, why-”

But she didn
’t finish her sentence before he leaned forward and hit her on the other side of her face, this time sending her sprawling to the wooden floor.