The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined (9 page)

“You used me!” Kurt stood and glared at Alex. “Did it ever occur to you that I might have actually fallen for her?”

Vati and Alex both stared at Kurt.

“To be honest, no, the thought had never crossed my mind,” Alex said softly, not quite understanding where all this emotion was coming from. His little brother was happily irresponsible, flitting from girl to girl. Yes, he was a good father, but a terrible husband. Then again, Gretchen was a terrible wife. “You really have feelings for Anna?” Jealousy bubbled up inside. Did Anna feel the same way about Kurt?

Kurt walked over to the window and looked out. “Yes,” he said softly.

Alex glanced at his father, wide-eyed. He’d rarely known Kurt to be so sentimental. Vati looked as baffled as Alex felt.

After a moment, Vati walked over to where Kurt was standing. “I’m sorry, Kurt. But you really did help Anna. Devin has lost much of his control over her. She is much safer than she was when you met her.”

“Why? What happened last night?”

“Devin tried to take over Anna’s mind and your brother stopped him.”

“How?”

Vati shook his head. “I can’t share that with you.”

Kurt clenched his jaw and turned away from him.

“Kurt, Anna belongs with Alex. In order to keep Devin from doing what he did, he had to...bond with her. She is his slave now.”

Kurt whipped around. “What do you mean, slave? Like the Dirne?”

Alex didn’t know whether to be concerned or thrilled that his brother was actually showing concern over someone over the age of five. “She was already Devin’s slave, Kurt. I had to. I had no other choice.”

“You said she wasn’t a slave.”

“We didn’t think she was. Devin was deceptive. But she is pierced now.”

Kurt would know what that meant. Pierced women meant ownership, although Anna wasn’t totally Alex’s. Elder-Sons couldn’t own slaves, so she technically was owned by Devin and Vati. But Alex was still her Master.

“Do you care about her?” Kurt asked after a pregnant pause.

“I do,” Alex said sincerely. “More than anything.”

Kurt turned and studied Alex for a long time. “I thought you swore you’d never fall in love again.”

“With anyone except Anna,” Alex said softly. He glanced at Vati who nodded. “I’ve been having visions of her for four years. I’ve seen her mature. Seeing her with you last week nearly killed me.”

“That’s why you were so pissy?”

Alex grimaced, but nodded in admission.

The room was silent for a long time.

“All right,” Kurt said, face inscrutable. “You’re the unmarried one. I’m stuck with Gretchen.” He turned and walked out of the room.

Alex looked at his father. “Did you have any idea about his feelings?”

Vati grimaced. “I saw the way he looked at her, but....” He shook his head. “I never imagined they went so deep. It’s unlike him.”

Alex nodded. Very unlike him.

Kurt walked back in a few minutes later, an even more sober expression on his face. “I just got a message from
Mutti
. They’ve taken Gretchen to the hospital. I need to go home.”

“Oh, Kurt!” Alex exclaimed. He glanced at Vati.

“I’ll call the pilot,” Vati said, reaching for his phone.

“You don’t need to shorten your trip on my behalf. I can fly commercial.”

Kurt’s calmness disturbed Alex. He stood and walked over to Kurt, embracing him in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, my brother.”

Kurt nodded, sadness in his eyes, though Alex didn’t know if the expression was about Anna or from the phone call. “Take care of her.” He turned to Vati. “You should stay. Anna will want to see you tonight.”

“Then you take the jet, Kurt,” Vati said. “You need to get home faster. I will fly out in the morning.”

Kurt grimaced and nodded. “I’m going to go pack.”

*****

Anna stared at the houses passing outside the window of Devin’s BMW sports car. A few of them looked gold in the glowing light from the setting sun.

She winced as she shifted in her seat. Devin had been rough with her this afternoon. Mixing pain and pleasure was messing with her head and she didn’t understand why she came so hard when he did it.

“There is a banquet on Wednesday night that I’d like you to attend with me. The bank is sponsoring an event on the fourth and I am the MC for the evening. I’d like you to be there.”

“Yes, Devin,” she said quietly. “What time?”

“I’ll text you the information. You need a cocktail dress. Do you need help getting one?”

Anna bit her lip. Her only shopping experience had been with Kurt and Wilhelm. Maybe she could call Jenna. “Could I ask Jenna to help me?”

“Luke’s daughter?” He didn’t answer right away. “Yes, that would be fine.”

“Thank you.”

Anna felt awkward around Devin now. She had been foolish, thinking that he loved her. He wanted to use her, for what she didn’t know, but she knew he didn’t have feelings for her.

Devin reached over and put his hand on her thigh, stroking it gently until he parked in front of Alex’s house. Eager to escape him, she reached quickly for the door handle.

“Anna, wait.” She turned to Devin and was surprised to see regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry for what happened this weekend. I am trying to grasp all the things that happened this weekend.” He paused. “I hurt you, didn’t I? This afternoon?”

Anna bit her lip and nodded.

“I’m sorry for that.” He smiled. “I promise I will get my head on straight and be better on Wednesday.”

Anna studied him. He looked sincere. She knew he liked to be in control and dealing with disappointments wasn’t easy. She gave him a timid smile. “Yes, Devin.”

He stroked her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her deeply. “I love you, Baby.”

“You do?”

His face was soft as he nodded. “I do, Baby. I always have. I just need to get my head around what happened. I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Anna felt her heart lighten. Maybe she hadn’t been as foolish as she thought. “I love you too, Devin.”

“Get settled into your apartment and get to know your old friends in the next few days.” He caressed her cheek again. “Be young. Just be careful, too. I’d be devastated if anything happened to you.”

Anna thought for a moment. “Aaron invited me to a party tomorrow night. May I go?”

“Who’s Aaron?”

“A dancer. I danced with him in my last performance.”

Devin smiled. “You don’t need to ask permission to go places, Anna. I will talk to Alex about getting a calendar set up for you so you know when we need you. Aside from that, do as you wish.”

“Really?”

“Of course, Baby.”

She gave him a bright smile. “Thank you.”

He kissed her again. “I’ll see you Wednesday night. I’ll pick you up at your apartment.”

“Okay.” She gave him a last smile and got out of the car, wincing slightly. As she walked up to the front door of Alex’s house, butterflies started fluttering in her stomach.

*****

Devin watched Anna walk towards the house and then drove away. It was easy to lie to her. She ate up anything that was remotely affectionate.

He’d enjoyed every minute of hurting her this afternoon. Pulling on her new piercings, fucking her hard and using his spikes had made her whimper and cry out. Even now, the thoughts of her whimpers made his cock twitch.

He was careful not to leave bruises, though. Alex would certainly fuck her tonight and Devin didn’t want questions raised. He had to play the nice guy until he got rid of him.

*****

Frau Gersten opened the door and told Anna that Alex and Wilhelm were waiting for her in the living room. Anna walked into the room and smiled when she saw Alex and Wilhelm, both sitting on the plush couches, reading. They looked up as she appeared in the doorway. Alex stood as she stepped down into the room, walking over to her.

“Anna, are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded, realizing she must have winced in discomfort. She tried to play it down. “Tired.”

“Are your piercings still bothering you?”

“A little, but I’ll be okay.” She gave him a bright smile.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

She gazed up into his blue eyes. “Me, too.”

He cradled her cheek and she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. Why did she feel safe around him? His warmth radiated out from him and she longed to rest her head against his chest.

He pulled away slowly and she opened her eyes, confused. Why was he backing away from her?

“Are you hungry?”

Anna nodded. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

“
Gut
. We have reservations in an hour.”

She looked down at her shorts and T-shirt. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

“I got you a dress to wear. It’s upstairs.”

She gave a nervous smile. “Thank you.”

Wilhelm walked over and kissed her cheek. “Hello, Anna.”

“Hi, Wilhelm.” His affectionate smile warmed her.

She looked around. “Where’s Kurt?”

Wilhelm’s face turned sad. “He had to return to Frankfurt this afternoon. Gretchen, his wife, is in the hospital.”

Anna blinked. “Oh.” She hadn’t totally forgotten about Kurt, but with all that had happened, thoughts of him had been pushed to the back of her mind. She had been looking forward to seeing him again.

“He said to tell you goodbye for him and that he hoped to see you soon,” Alex said stiffly.

Anna looked up at him, wondering about his changed demeanor. She gave him a hesitant smile. “Thank you.”

“I’ll take you upstairs so you can get ready.”

*****

Alex walked back into the living room after getting Anna situated in one of the guest rooms. The look of disappointment on her face when she realized Kurt was gone haunted him.

Vati looked up. “Are you all right?”

Alex frowned and sat down. “She was disappointed that Kurt was gone.”

Vati’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “She spent quite a bit of time with him last week. It’s natural for her to be disappointed.” Alex let out a soft growl and Vati chuckled. “You needn’t be jealous, Alex. I saw the way she looked at you when she walked in. She likes you.”

“More than Kurt?”

“She doesn’t know you very well, but I believe you will change that.”

“I’m going to encourage Aaron to ask her out,” Alex said quietly after a few minutes of thoughtful silence.

“Why?”

“Because she needs to experience life. She’s never even been on a date.”

“So take her on one.”

Alex shook his head. “I want to, Vati. But if I ask her out now, I’ll never know if she’s with me because she wants to be or because she feels like she has to be.” He paused. “I wouldn’t make love to her this morning either. I want her to know that—”

“You didn’t make love to her?”

“I bonded with her at the ritual. Isn’t that enough?”

“Why don’t you want to be with her?” Vati sounded irritated.

“I do, but I want her to know I’m different. That I’m making love to her, not just fucking her.”

“You need to be with her, Alex. It will solidify your bond with her. Until you do, she may not have confidence in her connection to you.”

Many of the Brotherhood’s rituals revolved around sex. All types of sex. Alex didn’t mind. He liked sex. “I want her to know the difference,” he said softly.

Vati frowned, but didn’t say anything. Alex could tell he was upset. But how could he have sex with Anna and still differentiate himself from the other men?

“I want it to be different, Vati,” Alex repeated, running his hands through his hair. He was quiet for a few minutes. “I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know how else to be sure of her feelings for me. To be sure that she knows I’m different.”

“You are different, Alex. She will learn that in time.”

“I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“Part of being alive is getting hurt, Alex.”

Alex glared at his father. “Don’t you think she’s been hurt enough?”

Vati didn’t answer right away. “Yes, Alex. She has. But avoiding her and encouraging her into a relationship that cannot last is not going to keep her from getting hurt.”

“Then what else should I do?”

“I don’t know, son. I wish I did.”

Anna sat down on the bed, holding the program from the ballet. She should call Jenna and see if they could go shopping sometime soon.

She put the number into her phone and then hit send. It rang once...twice...three times.... “Hello?”

“Jenna? It’s Anna.”

“Anna? Omigosh! You called! I’m so happy!” she exclaimed. “You have a phone now?”

Anna smiled. “I do.”