The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined (49 page)

“Whatever would please you, Alex,” she mumbled.

She looked exhausted. He needed to let her sleep. “Anna, lie down and go to sleep. I’ll stay with you tonight.”

“Yes, Alex,” she mumbled and lay down. She fell asleep instantly.

The moment Anna woke, memories flooded back into her mind of how Alex had been the previous night. She couldn’t think of a reason why an Immortal would lie to her about Alex’s temper. Besides, the pain she’d felt in his heart when he’d come into the room had been so overwhelming, she could hardly stand it.

But if he was so sorry, why was he leaving? Why was he abandoning her, too? She was supposed to belong to his family, but no one ever stayed with her. How could a slave not be with her owner?

“Anna?” Alex whispered from behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist and she pressed back against him.

“Yes, Alex?” Her body stiffened.

He was quiet for a moment. She didn’t want to turn and look at him. She loved him and he was leaving her. At least Devin was here. Yes, he hurt her sometimes, but he was here.

“How are you feeling?” he asked in a soft voice.

“Fine.”

He released her. “Anna, please look at me.”

She turned over and looked at his t-shirt-covered chest.

He let out a shaky breath. “Anna, please believe me, leaving you is the last thing on earth that I want to do.”

Then why are you doing it?
“You must do what you need to do, Alex,” she said softly.

“If there were any other way, Anna, I promise you I would do it.”

“Alex, you don’t need to justify yourself. I’m just a slave.”

She saw his jaw clench. “You’re not....” He swallowed. “I don’t think of you that way. I was so excited to get home to see you, to pick up where we left off. I was going to push off the move for a month....” He sighed. “But I can’t.”

Anna didn’t say anything. What could she say?

“Do you want to stay the weekend with me? At my house?”

“If you want me to.”

He lifted her chin with his finger. “Tell me honestly.”

She searched his eyes. “No,” she whispered, and almost changed her mind when she saw the intense pain in his eyes.

But no, he was leaving. She needed to get over him as quickly as possible so she could be attentive to what Devin wanted from her. Staying the weekend with him would only prolong the hurt.

His jaw clenched as he lay silently next to her.

“I will come if you want me to, Alex.”

He shook his head. “
Nein
, Anna. I only want you there if you want to be there. I will not force you to do things you don’t want to do.”

How could he do this to her? How could he abandon her? After the night they’d shared? She knew that night had been more than just sex. They had connected. She had felt it. She felt more connected to him than she did to Devin.

Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe the connection was only on her side. It would make sense. Slaves are dependent on their Masters, not the other way around.

He sat up and swung his feet over the side of the bed, turning away from her. “I will call Devin this morning and tell him you are unable to attend tonight’s Gathering,” Alex said softly. He bent down for his shoes and began putting them on. “Maybe you could go out with Jenna or something.”

Anna shook her head. “Jenna’s still not talking to me.” She didn’t know what she wanted to do. She just wanted to stop hurting. “I’m fine, Alex. You don’t need to call Devin.” At least there would be sex there to distract her.

*****

Anna’s head hung low as she walked into the studio an hour later.

It had been awkward saying goodbye to Alex. She hated and loved him at the same time. She wanted to beg him not to leave her and she wanted to yell and scream at him to leave and never come back. In the end, she remained quiet, as a good slave would, accepted his kiss on the cheek and closed the door quietly after he left.

Nate arrived after class had begun, earning a disapproving look from Delia.

Dancing helped lift her mood a bit and by lunchtime, she felt better. She was quiet as she ate with the other dancers in her class, including Nate.

As she finished her salad, her phone rang. It was Alex.

“Hello, Alex,” she said quietly. The deli was busy and there wasn’t really anywhere to go for privacy.

“Hello,
Schatzi
. How are classes going?”

Anna flinched at his use of the nickname. “Fine. How is your day going?” She glanced up to see Nate watching her, but he looked away when he saw her look at him.

“Busy.”

She could imagine packing up his large house could be a bit time consuming.

“Anna, I spoke with Devin and he agreed to give you the weekend off.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Alex. I’m fine.”

“
Nein
. No, you’re not. Stay home and rest. Devin promised not to bother you over the weekend so you could rest.”

She wanted to be bothered. She wanted to be distracted. But Alex had made the decision. “Thank you.”

“I know you’re at lunch, so I’ll let you go. I just wanted to let you know about tonight.”

*****

On the way back to the studio, Nate walked next to her. “Are you doing anything tonight?”

Anna glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “No.”

He cleared his throat. “Do you want to...um...go see a movie or something?”

Anna looked back down at the ground. She knew Nate liked her, but she really wasn’t in the mood to go out. Too bad she wasn’t old enough to buy alcohol. But could she say no?

“I don’t think I would be very good company, Nate. I’m not feeling very well.”

She could see the disappointment in his eyes.

“Oh. Okay.”

Anna swallowed, feeling horrible. Is this what it felt like? To be free? Feeling guilty because of saying no? Oh, this freedom thing sucked.

*****

She drove home, wishing she could erase the uncomfortable feeling inside from saying no to Nate. As she waited for the elevator in the parking garage of her apartment complex, two guys in their mid-twenties walked up and stood behind her. Anna barely kept herself from shaking as she stared at them in the reflection of the elevator doors.

When the doors opened, she got in, praying they wouldn’t hurt her. She pushed her floor button and moved into the corner, watching them warily.

The guy with light brown hair went to reach for the buttons, but chuckled and turned around to smile at her. His gray eyes were kind, but it didn’t keep Anna’s fear at bay.

“Seems we live on the same floor.”

Anna’s eyes darted to the guy standing next to him. He had curly blond hair and blue eyes. He chuckled too. “Lived here long?” he asked, his eyes flirtatious.

“No,” she whispered, clinging to the handrails. She was relieved that they stayed on the other side of the elevator.

The brown-haired guy gave her a kind smile and studied her for a moment and then turned back to face the elevator doors. They weren’t going to hurt her?

When the doors opened, they stepped aside, letting her out first. She gave them a timid smile and then hurried to her apartment. She glanced back and saw them go to the opposite end of the hallway. The brown-haired guy looked back and smiled before walking into his apartment.

Anna unlocked her door with trembling hands and closed it quickly behind her, locking the door and trying to calm down.

Alex called Anna on Saturday morning to see if she’d like to go to dinner with him Sunday night. He was leaving on Monday and wanted to see her before he left.

She wasn’t enthusiastic about it, but she did say yes. Of course she would. She was obedient that way. It pained his heart, knowing how much he’d hurt her, and was hurting her by leaving, but he had no choice. Staying here would leave him vulnerable to hurt her again. He prayed that she would understand someday.

*****

Alex arrived at Anna’s apartment right on time, as usual. He gave her a bright smile when he saw her. “Hello,
Schatzi
,” he said, leaning down to kiss her.

She kissed him back, though not as enthusiastically as he’d hoped. She was being an obedient slave, that was all. And it broke his heart.

He took her to a restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf and tried hard to make conversation with her, but she remained polite and distant.

He couldn’t blame her. Not after what he’d done to her. He let himself show her how much he loved her and then told her he was moving away. It was no comfort that he’d only be gone a few months.

Why couldn’t he do anything right with her? Maybe he shouldn’t have stayed that night. He should have maintained the distance. Then she wouldn’t have been hurting now.

But he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it. Not one little bit. Somewhere, deep inside, she had to know that he loved her. He’d done everything except say the words. Words were cheap. Actions spoke louder and he knew he’d shown her.

He looked across the table where she sat, quietly eating her chocolate mousse dessert. Her eyes remained downcast, back straight, small smiles when appropriate. All to keep her safe from his anger. But he had no anger towards her. Only towards himself.

Even now, leaving tomorrow, he wanted to take her home and tell her he was staying. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t stay and learn to protect her at the same time. Vati always said that you sometimes had to hurt the ones you love in order to help them. He just didn’t mention how much it stung to do so.

Alex didn’t want to leave like this. He couldn’t leave Anna like this. When he walked her to her apartment later that evening, he was determined to do whatever he could to break down her barriers.

“Anna,” he said, closing the door behind him. “I’m leaving in the morning. I don’t want things to....” He sighed. “I don’t want to leave you like this.”

“Then don’t leave,” she said, so softly he wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.

He saw the tear slip down her cheek and his heart broke and felt relieved at the same time. She didn’t hate him. She was hurt. Incredibly hurt. She was protecting herself.

He stroked her cheek, wiping away the tear. “Anna, if there was any way to not have to leave...I would do it in a heartbeat.”

“You have to do what you have to do, Alex.”

He saw her desperately trying to control her emotions and lifted her chin with his index finger, his own eyes burning with emotion. “I will miss you,
Schatzi
.” His voice broke.

She blinked and tried to look away, but he cupped her chin and captured her lips with his. She didn’t resist him, instead she clung desperately to his arms. He picked her up and carried her to her bed.

*****

Anna went to class the next morning with a heavy heart. She had cried as Alex had kissed and hugged her goodbye that morning. He was really leaving. She would miss him terribly.

“Hey, Anna,” Olivia said as she walked into the studio. “Did you see the casting list for the end of summer performances?”

Anna shook her head. “No. I didn’t know that they were being posted.” She’d been too caught up in her misery to notice the crowd of people around the bulletin board.

Olivia grinned and pulled her out into the hallway. They stopped in front of the bulletin board. Anna looked up.

First act of Giselle:

Giselle: Anna Perkins

Duke Albrecht: Nate Devereaux

Giselle? The notice lifted her spirits. That would certainly keep her distracted from Alex’s departure

She smiled at her friend. “I can hardly believe it.”

*****

The next few days were a blur. Between regular classes and intense rehearsals, Anna went to bed exhausted every night.

She started to have trouble sleeping, though.

Thursday night came and she realized that she hadn’t had sex since Sunday; an eternity in her life. She tossed and turned Thursday night, trying to ignore her swollen clit.

God, she needed someone to touch her. She wished she was allowed to touch herself, but she knew better. She would get into so much trouble if she did. Devin would know. He knew everything.

When morning finally came, she had barely slept more than an hour or two. She had circles under her red eyes and could barely keep them open. After packing her bag for the night, she headed to the studio where Nate greeted her with much concern. They had become good friends from spending so much time together.

“I didn’t sleep well,” she explained.

“Did something happen?” He studied her face intently.

She shook her head. “Just...stuff.”