The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced (32 page)

“I sold my house. I wanted to start fresh
with you. So I bought us a house in a nicer neighborhood.”

Pacific Heights was a very nice neighborhood.
“You bought a new house?”

Alex nodded. “Is that all right? A house that
is only ours. No past memories. A place to make memories together.”
He stroked her stomach. “And raise our baby.”

Anna smiled and leaned against his chest. “I
think it’s wonderful.”

They had spoken to Heinrich, Alex’s uncle who
was a doctor, about the baby. He had examined her and said
everything looked great. She would be able to dance for several
more months, though whether or not she would be able to perform was
up to Isaak. Alex felt confident she’d be able to dance
La
Bayadere
in February, though much beyond that might be
difficult.

The idea of not dancing for a while didn’t
bother Anna as much as she thought it might. She felt like a new
person, being Alex’s wife. She had nothing to fear from Devin
anymore. Alex would never hurt her. She didn’t need to dance to
keep herself sane. She could dance just because she enjoyed it.

Anna sighed, content and happy.

They were near Presidio when the limo pulled
into a neighborhood with a circular road. It parked in front of a
white house with arched windows lining the bottom floor and square
windows on the upper floor. The cobblestone walkway that lead to
the door was lined with flowers. Steps led to the front door, which
had an arch made of some sort of vine.

“Oh, Alex!” Anna said, stepping out of the
limo, hand in his. He swept her up off her feet and carried her
towards the door.

Frau Gersten opened the door with a smile and
greeted them warmly. “
Guten Morgen, Herzog. Guten Morgen,
Herzogin.
”

Anna gasped as he carried her into the
entryway. White marble floors stretched out before them, welcoming
them deeper into the house, past the marble columns on either side
of the door. Two additional columns stood on either side of the
wide staircase leading to the upper floor. Off to the right she
could see a large dining room, and to the left what looked like a
formal living room.

“When did you buy it?” Anna asked, turning
her head, trying to see everything at once.

“I was looking around when I was here in
August and found this place,” he answered. “I had Kurt sign the
papers when he was here in November. I couldn’t risk anyone knowing
I was buying, so Kurt ‘bought’ it and then had it transferred into
our names after we were married.”

“It’s wonderful,” she sighed.

Alex took her hand and gave her the tour. The
main floor consisted of a large living room, a library, a great
room, a dining room and a kitchen with a breakfast area. The top
floor had a huge master suite and three additional bedrooms,
including a small one next to the master that Alex said would be a
perfect nursery.

The basement level had a movie theater, a
gym, a suite for Frau Gersten, two bedrooms for Seth and Tony, and
a three-car garage.

Both Anna’s and Alex’s cars were parked in
the garage, along with the SUV. Anna’s things had been moved from
her apartment to the house. Jenna, Anna was happy to learn, had
moved in with Matt while they were gone.

*****

Later that evening, Alex and Anna were
cuddled up on the couch in the library when the doorbell rang. They
looked at each other, surprised. They had decided not to let anyone
know they were back in town until the next day so they could have
time together alone.

Frau Gersten’s footsteps echoed in the
entryway and they could hear her open the door. A few minutes later
she appeared in the doorway. “Devin Andersen to see you,
Herzog
.”

Anna’s stomach lurched and she raised her
hand to her mouth. She stared at Alex with wide eyes.

“Do you remember where the bathroom is?”

Anna nodded and ran out of the room. She ran
behind the stairs and to the powder room, closing the door behind
her.

After she’d thrown up, she rested her head on
the wall for a few minutes before standing. She cleaned her mouth
out with water from the sink.

Why was Devin here? What did he want? Did he
want her already? She wanted to spend her first evening home with
Alex, not Devin.

She took a deep breath and reminded herself
that she didn’t need to worry. Alex would never let Devin take her
away from him.

“I don’t need to be afraid of him,” she
whispered to herself as she stood. “I’m not afraid of him.”

She opened the door and walked calmly back
into the living room where she heard Alex and Devin talking.

Devin sat casually in the entryway while he
waited for the newlyweds to receive him. Under his calm demeanor,
however, his blood boiled. He hadn’t lost his temper this
frequently since he was a teenager. The last week and a half had
been very trying and he had lost it several times. Several girls at
the Manor were dead because of it, but that was no matter. He had
plenty of others and could get new ones if he needed to.

Every free moment available had been spent
researching a way to get rid of Alex. Damn fucking Alex. He ruined
everything Devin had been so carefully putting into place. But
Devin was confident he would find a way to eliminate him and get
Anna back under his control. He needed her to solidify his power
and position and would do whatever it took to make sure that
happened.

He heard light, but fast, footsteps and saw
Anna dart across the room and into another room. Her hand was over
her mouth and Devin wondered if she was ill. Poor Anna. Pregnancy
sickness was no fun. He wondered if she knew by now that she was
pregnant. He hoped so. Otherwise she would be thinking she had
caught a very nasty flu bug.

Alex walked towards him through a wide
entryway. He glanced in the direction where Anna had disappeared
with a worried look on his face, then looked back at Devin and
hardened his eyes. His chin was raised and he walked tall.
Confident, cocky bastard.
Devin would get Anna back and
Alex would not be able to do anything about it.

Devin stood and extended his hand. “Good
evening, Alex,” he said with a smile.

They shook hands. “Good evening, Devin,” Alex
said cordially. “What brings you to our home?”

Devin gritted his teeth at his use of “our
home.” “I wanted to be sure that Anna got home safely.”

“She is home safely. She’ll join us in a few
minutes.” Alex motioned through the entryway he’d just come
through. “Won’t you come in?”

Devin stood and followed Alex into a richly
appointed living room with a marble fireplace at one end. Alex
motioned to a chair across from a long couch and then sat down on
the couch. He leaned back and crossed his ankles with his arm along
the back of the couch.

He’s trying to tell me he’s not
intimidated by me.

Devin sat across from him with his ankle
crossed over his knee and arms resting lightly on the arms of the
chair.

The woman who had answered the door walked
into the room. “
Herzog,
would you like something to
drink?”

Alex looked at Devin. “Would you like
something?”

“Scotch on the rocks?”

Alex nodded and looked at the woman. “Bring
Anna some clear soda and I’ll have a brandy.”

The woman curtsied slightly and left the
room.

“I take it you heard the news?” Alex asked,
amusement evident in his eyes.

Devin swallowed his irritation and forced a
smile. “Yes, I did. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I am very happy. I believe Anna
is as well.”

“She is quite the catch. I didn’t know you
felt so strongly about her. Marriage is...quite the
commitment.”

“It is. I’ve been in love with her since the
first time I saw her here. Of course, I’ve thought about her often
throughout the years.”

Devin kept his face impassive. “Over the
years?”

The woman returned with a tray of drinks. She
handed Devin a short round glass with ice and an amber liquid
inside it. He took a sip and sighed. Alex certainly knew his
liquors, Devin had to give him credit for that.

Alex took a sip of his brandy and held the
glass loosely in his right hand. “Oh, yes. I first saw her when she
was...oh, I believe sixteen? I’m sure you know about that.”

Devin’s jaw clenched. “I didn’t realize you
had seen her.”

“It was quite startling, seeing a teenage
girl appear in my bedroom. She has a way of sticking in a man’s
mind.”

“Yes, she does.”

The amused look on Alex’s face was beginning
to piss Devin off. “So tell me, is that why you wanted Anna to
visit you? So you could manipulate her into marrying you?”

“I wouldn’t call it manipulation. We
connected before I left, although I hurt her terribly by remaining
distant afterwards. But yes, it was my intention the whole time to
bring her to Germany and marry her.”

Devin didn’t respond. He did everything in
his power to keep his anger under control. Alex was different now.
He was confident against Devin’s position. This was bad. This was
very bad. Alex had Anna’s heart and he knew it.

Devin felt Anna before he saw her. He turned
and saw the beautiful girl that he knew, but she was changed as
well. She looked peaceful and content. She looked at him without
fear and gave him a shy smile.

“Hello, Devin,” she said softly walking
towards him.

Devin’s heart pounded in his chest as he
stared at her. What the fuck was going on? He was responding to her
like other men responded to her. He could feel himself losing
himself in her eyes. He tore his eyes away and shook his head. No!
He had to stay in control. He would not allow himself to be
manipulated by her.

But he couldn’t deny that he now understood
the power of a truly content Elder-Mistress.
Fuck!

He watched as she walked to Alex, gazing at
him with total love and devotion in her eyes. Alex looked at her
the same way. They had connected. They had bonded. More than just
the ceremony at the Manor. Their souls had merged.
Fuck!

She settled onto the couch under Alex’s arm
with her legs curled up beneath her. She reached for her soda and
then leaned her head against his chest. Alex kissed the top of her
head and whispered in her ear. She looked up at him and nodded. Her
eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

Devin grimaced and took a big gulp of his
scotch.
Fuck
.

*****

Alex found Devin’s discomfort amusing. Devin
wasn’t used to being challenged or not getting everything he
wanted. He saw the way Devin looked at Anna when she walked into
the room. Anna was no longer the fearful slave that had left San
Francisco less than two weeks ago. The time away from Devin and
with himself had transformed her into a confident young woman that
was more beautiful than ever. He knew Devin saw it too.

Devin watched her walk over to the couch like
a teenage boy would have done. Alex sighed silently. Anna was safe
now. And would remain so.

“So, Devin, what can I do for you?” Alex
asked casually.

Devin dragged his eyes away from Anna and
gave Alex a cold look. “As I said before, I wanted to make sure
Anna got home safe and sound.”

Alex smiled. “You can see that she did. Very
safe,” he couldn’t resist adding.

Devin’s eyes narrowed. “We need to discuss
her...duties and obligations in light of her new...position.”

The subject didn’t surprise Alex. It was a
necessary conversation, similar to the one they had after the
bonding ritual. However, this time Alex held the upper hand. “Yes,
I suppose that is true.”

“I want her at the Friday night Gatherings,”
Devin said.

Alex appreciated him getting straight to the
point. The sooner they were done, the sooner he could take Anna
upstairs and make love to her. “If you have her there, you will
treat her with dignity and respect. You will not hurt her or allow
anyone else to hurt her.”

Devin glared at him, but Alex knew he had no
choice in the matter. “Fine.”

“If she sits at your feet, you will give her
something comfortable to sit on, not on the hard floor.”

Devin’s brow raised in amusement.

“Elder-Mistresses are not slaves,” Alex
continued. “They are not inferior. You will treat her in such a way
that the men know to respect her as well.” And as her pregnancy
progressed, she would be very uncomfortable on the ground. Alex
wondered if Devin knew she was pregnant.

“I won’t give her a chair.”

“A large cushion would suffice.”

“Fine. I still have social obligations that I
need her for.”

Alex knew this would be a difficult issue.
“I’m sure there are...discreet places you could take her for a
dinner meeting where her reputation would not come into
question.”

Devin didn’t respond at first. “There are.
But what about social gatherings? I do much work there as
well.”

Alex smiled. “Then I suppose you should make
sure that I am on the invitation list. You will not take her out as
your date. As her husband, I will not allow it.”

Devin glared at him and set his jaw. “You’re
trying to take away her usefulness to me.”

“I’m trying to make sure she’s treated
respectfully. I don’t want her coming home battered and
bruised.”

Devin huffed. “Fine. I will make sure you are
on the list. It shouldn’t be difficult. You’re a respected member
of society.”

Alex grinned. “Thank you.”

“She still has to obey me,” Devin added.

“Yes, but I can prevent her obedience to
certain things that I won’t allow. I won't allow you to command her
to do something that will hurt her.” Alex leaned forward. “And you
best keep Zach and his kind away from her.”

“Zach hasn’t seen her in months.”