The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced (44 page)

The idea of staying in Alex’s bed alone was
heart wrenching. Being with Wilhelm was some comfort. She gave him
a tiny smile and nodded.

He sighed. “I’m glad, Anna. I...I like having
you with me.” He looked down at his desk for a moment. “Do you want
to stay here while I send out the email or do you want to go to
bed?”

Anna thought for a minute. Sleep was a
relief. She wished she could sleep all the time. “I think I’d like
to go to bed,” she whispered.

Wilhelm looked at her in surprise and then
nodded. “
Kommen Sie
,” he said, walking around to where she
sat. “I’ll get you settled in and then come back.”

*****

Later, Anna lay in the dark, alone in
Wilhelm’s bed. She was thankful for the warm blankets because the
room was cold. It was strange, lying in Ilsa’s spot. But Ilsa had
come and told her personally that she was all right with her being
here. Anna didn’t want Ilsa angry at her.

Anna had fallen asleep briefly, but the
strange room made strange sounds.

The door opened and she sat up. Wilhelm
walked inside and closed the door.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said
softly.

“I was awake,” she said.

He walked into the bathroom and returned a
few minutes later in his pajamas. He got into the bed and Anna
curled up next to him, resting her hand on his chest and her knee
on his thigh.

A wave of desire swept through her body. Sex.
Sex would help her feel better. But would Wilhelm think poorly of
her if she touched him?

She moved her fingers lightly on his chest
over his shirt. When she ran her fingers over his nipple he inhaled
sharply and grabbed her hand.

“Wilhelm...,” she whispered, almost pleading.
She opened her mouth several times before coming up with something
to say. “Please....”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed
her palm, then turned onto his side. His lips captured hers and he
pulled her close.

In desperation and despair, they shared their
grief and found comfort in one another’s arms.

*****

The room.

Moonlight poured through the window,
spilling its silver light over the empty chair. The rest of the
room was shrouded in darkness.

Whose room was it? Why was she
here?

“Holy shit,” Aaron mumbled under his breath
as the Mercedes van drove up to Alex’s family home. He’d known Alex
came from a wealthy family, but it never quite hit home. Until now.
The other dancers around him were having similar reactions.

Alex never came across as arrogantly wealthy.
He could be arrogant about his looks or his abilities with women,
but he never made a big deal about his family. The castle-like
structure at the end of the drive bewildered Aaron. Somehow the jet
they rode in to get here didn’t quite have the same effect,
although maybe it should have.

“Did you know about this?” Aaron asked Isaak,
who sat next to him.

Isaak shook his head. “I had an inkling, but
the reality is far more impressive.”

The van pulled up to the front of the house
and a gray-haired man opened the door. Wilhelm stepped out a moment
later, dignified as ever, but with grief evident in his face. When
the door to the van opened, everyone stood and made their way into
the house. Wilhelm greeted each dancer by name and thanked them for
coming.

“Aaron,” Wilhelm said simply and they
exchanged sad looks and handshakes.

“Thank you for bringing us over, Wilhelm,”
Aaron said sincerely. “It means a lot to us.”

“Of course, Aaron. I wouldn’t have it any
other way.”

While Aaron waited for Wilhelm to greet the
other dancers he looked around. Man, was this place impressive!
Kurt, Ilsa and Alex’s sisters came around a corner looking somber,
but there was no sign of Anna.

Aaron walked up to Kurt and they shook hands
in greeting. Kurt looked more sober than Aaron had ever seen him.
He stood taller and had an aura of seriousness that hadn’t been
there before.

“Hello, Aaron, I’m glad you could come,” Kurt
said. “Have you met my sisters, Liesl and Greta?”

“I think I did once a while ago.” Aaron
exchanged greetings with the two girls. They were both very pretty
and looked like Alex and Kurt.

Jenna walked up to the group and greeted Kurt
and introduced Matt.

“Where’s Anna?” Aaron asked Kurt quietly.

Kurt’s expression fell even more. “In the
library. She spends all her time in there. But I’m sure she’ll be
glad to see you. Let’s get you to your rooms and then I’ll take you
to see her.”

*****

Anna stared out the window as usual. Wilhelm
had said that once the dancers arrived, she needed to stay in
Alex’s room. If she stayed with Wilhelm, her reputation would
suffer and that he couldn’t do that to her. The other dancers
wouldn’t understand the relationship that Anna and Wilhelm had. It
was fine with her. Sex wasn’t helping her feel better. Nothing
stopped the ache in her heart.

Suicide was once again tempting, but she had
a feeling it wouldn’t work since she was half-Immortal. There was
no relief. Nothing to take the pain away. Just an empty future of
heartache.

Something brushed her shoulder and she jumped
and looked up to see Aaron standing above her.

“Hey Anna,” he said softly.

She turned back to the window and hugged her
knees to her chest. Aaron sat on the other end of the bench.

“Kurt says you’re in here most of the
time.”

Anywhere else hurts too much
.

“Do you want to go for a walk outside?”

Anna looked back at him. A walk didn’t sound
too bad. She shrugged her shoulders.

“That’s as positive a response as you’ll
get,” said a German-accented voice from behind her.
Kurt.

Kurt had been very attentive to her since she
arrived. Gretchen had disappeared after that first night. She heard
Derek and Sofie sometimes, but she didn’t hear any baby’s cries.
Where was Otto?

“
Kommen Sie,
Anna,” Kurt said,
taking her hand to pull her to her feet. He put a heavy sweater
over her shoulders, and then he and Aaron walked her out the door
to the terrace.

The fresh air felt good on her face. It was
cold and crisp. Kurt and Aaron walked on either side of her and
talked. Anna zoned out, but kept walking with them.

It felt good to walk, but she had no desire
to talk.

*****

They walked around the gardens for about an
hour. Aaron listened as Kurt told him about the discussion he’d had
with Wilhelm about taking Alex’s place.

“I will be brought into the Brotherhood at
the Gathering tonight,” Kurt said. “Then I must start learning
everything that Alex has spent the last fifteen years
learning.”

“You don’t sound especially excited about
it,” Aaron commented. Not that he could really blame him.

“It is my duty now to step into Alex’s place.
Someone must take over after Vati.” He glanced down at Anna. “And
be able to watch over Anna as well. Vati will not leave her
vulnerable to Devin.”

Anna didn’t respond to her name, which
worried Aaron. “Has she started talking again?”

Kurt grimaced. “A little. Vati said she
talked to him a few times, but I haven’t heard her. She does not
hear you unless you get her attention first, either.” He stopped
and put his hand on her shoulder. “Anna?”

Anna blinked and looked up at Kurt.

“Are you warm enough?”

She didn’t respond for a moment and then gave
a slight nod and went back to staring out into nothing.

Kurt glanced at Aaron and shrugged. “That is
all I can get out of her. Vati said they made love and she
responded to him. But the next morning was like this again.”

Aaron frowned at the idea of Wilhelm being
with Anna. “Why did he do that to her?”

“Do what?”

“Have sex?”

Kurt sighed. “He is her Master now. She
initiated it, not Vati.”

“That’s wrong on so many levels,” Aaron
snapped. “Your dad shouldn’t be fucking his son’s wife.”

Kurt looked at him sadly. “Perhaps for most
people.” He motioned to Anna. “What else would you propose? You
know what Devin did to her. You know how she responded to Ben’s
death.”

Aaron sighed. “I don’t know. She’s just—”

“She is just really fucked up, Aaron. We’re
doing the best we can with her. I don’t know what to do. Vati
doesn’t know what to do. She has shut down.” Kurt took a deep
breath. “Vati is afraid she might not recover. That this was a
breaking point that she can’t come back from.”

“That’s nice of you to give up on her.”

“Again...what do you propose, Aaron? She is
here. With us. We love on her as best we can, but she just spaces
out. She has no idea what is going on around her and does not care.
The only way she comes back to life is through sex. But even that
is just temporary. She is always worse in the mornings.”

“Maybe because your dad fucked her,” Aaron
snapped loudly.

They both looked down at Anna. She didn’t
move. She hadn’t moved since they’d stopped walking.

“Vati says that she is talking to someone in
her sleep. And when she wakes up, her eyes are wild and then she
just breaks down and cries. The rest of the day she is like
this.”

“Is it like her dreams before?”

“She does not remember them once she is
awake. We have no idea what they are about.”

They started walking again. They went forward
a few steps and Kurt went back to guide Anna forward.

Aaron had to admit Kurt had changed. He was
very attentive to Anna. When her sweater slipped even the slightest
bit, he immediately fixed it. A leaf blew into her hair and Kurt
plucked it out. Aaron felt jealousy twist his heart as he watched
Kurt with her.

“Where’s Gretchen?” Aaron asked.

“Gone. Back to Berlin to her mother. I will
be filing for divorce.”

Aaron couldn’t hide his shock. Was it because
of Anna? “Why?”

“She is not a fit wife for an Elder. Did Alex
tell you about Otto?”

“Your son that was born in November?”

Kurt nodded. “Except that he is not my son.
He is Alex’s.”

Aaron stopped dead in his tracks. Alex hadn’t
told him any of that.

“She got pregnant and lied about who the
father was. She also admitted...well, several disgusting matters,
and also decided that the appropriate day to announce her
transgressions was Anna and Alex’s wedding day. We have had
problems for years, but this crossed the line. Vati gave me
permission to seek a divorce. Otto will be well taken care of, but
in Berlin. Not here.”

“Wow,” was all Aaron could say. “Do you... I
mean, with Anna, does your dad want you and her to...be
together?”

“He mentioned it, but we would never force
her into a marriage. It would be a logical match, but she needs to
recover first.” Kurt tucked a piece of hair that had blown across
her face behind her ear.

Yes, she needed to recover. She had become a
shell of her former person. Her face was pale and her eyes were
lifeless. It pained Aaron’s heart to see her like this. Especially
after being with her the last few months when she was so full of
life and joy.

Kurt’s phone buzzed. “Excuse me.” He turned
away and spoke in German.

Aaron pulled Anna into his arms and hugged
her close. “I’m so sorry, Anna,” he said quietly. She leaned her
head against his chest and closed her eyes.

Kurt cursed and turned back. “Devin is
here.”

“Devin? Why?” Why on earth would he be here?
To take Anna home? Aaron knew that as much as he wanted Anna back
in San Francisco, she was much safer here. Far away from Devin.

“He is an Elder. He has a right to be at the
service. Most of the world Elders will be there. And tonight as
well.” Kurt shuddered. “He gives me the creeps.”

Aaron chuckled darkly. “He makes me want to
become a murderer.”

Kurt’s smile was grim. “I know the
feeling.”

They led Anna back to the house and into the
salon where Devin waited.

Devin looked up as Anna was brought into the
room, flanked by Kurt and Aaron. They both gave him suspicious
looks and appeared very defensive of the young woman who stood
between them. He sighed inwardly. He was going to have to be
careful while he was here. Anna was commanding a great deal of
attention, and Devin would have to be on his best behavior to get
her back home.

“Hello, Anna,” he said, standing and walking
to her.

She didn’t respond and he frowned.

“You have to touch her to get her attention,”
Kurt explained and knelt beside her. He put his hand on her
shoulder. “Anna. Devin is here.”

She turned her head and it took a moment for
her eyes to focus on Kurt. She blinked several times and then
looked at Devin. Her face remained impassive.

Devin looked at Kurt. “May I have some time
with her?”

Kurt narrowed his eyes. “What are you going
to do?”

Impudent son of a bitch!
“I just
want to talk to her.”

“Good luck with that,” Kurt said, but gently
pushed Anna forward. “She only speaks to my father.”

Devin took her hand and led her to the couch.
“Maybe I can help,” he said, looking at Anna. He glanced back at
the two men who still stood in the doorway and gave them an
impatient look.

They both frowned, but turned and walked out
of the room.

“Anna,” Devin said.

She looked at him with blank eyes.

Devin sighed. This wasn’t good. She wasn’t
even responding to him. She had completely shut down. Well, now he
knew her limits.

He trailed his fingers across her forehead
and down her temple to her cheekbone. Her eyes closed momentarily
and then opened again, this time they were full of grief. Tears
welled up and spilled over onto her cheeks.