The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (25 page)

Devin radiated with Immortal power. It was in
his expression and his demeanor. It wasn’t tangible, and the
average person wouldn’t have any idea. But Elders would know.
Elders from several countries were seated around the lobby and they
all stopped and stared at him.

Devin had become a Chairman; of this there
was no doubt. A powerful Elder with amazing powers of persuasion.
Chairmen had controlled society using Immortal powers in the
distant past; before the Elders and Immortals decided to work
together instead of against each other. And if they bothered to
look, the others would be able to see where he was getting his
power.

Wilhelm caught the expression of longing on
Kurt’s face and hurt for him.

Anna followed Devin through the lobby to the
reception desk. She kept her face and demeanor calm. She would not
upset Devin; or at least she’d try not to. She would be a good
slave, get through the few days here, and then go home and face the
rest of her life. This time without Peter, though. Of course, she
had several weeks off until Nutcracker rehearsals began, so she
really had nothing to get back to in San Francisco. Just sleep.
Maybe Devin would let her have a few of those pills....

Devin went to check in at the reception desk
and Anna took the opportunity to look around the enormous lobby.
She felt someone watching her and turned and looked around.

“Wilhelm,” she whispered. “Kurt.”

On the far side of the lobby stood the two
men she most wanted to see. They both stood, staring at her, and
she at them. The only thing that kept her from running into their
arms was the fear of punishment from Devin. Her heart pounded as
she fought her desire to run to them.

Tyler suddenly stepped in front of her and
grabbed her chin. “I don’t think you’re allowed to see them,” he
said in a nasty voice. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I
can’t wait to have you in a room.” He ran his hand down her hip and
pressed her body to his.

“Tyler, can’t you wait....” Devin trailed off
as he saw Wilhelm and Kurt across the room. “Ah.” Devin looked down
at Anna. “You want to go to them, don’t you?”

Anna nodded, not daring to hope he would let
her.

“I don’t think I could allow that, Baby. They
might try and take you away from me again.” He turned to look at
the bellhop. “Bring her, Tyler,” he said and followed the bellhop
to the elevators.

Tyler snaked his arm around her waist and led
her to the elevator. She caught a glimpse of Wilhelm over her
shoulder as she was steered around the corner, and then he
disappeared from her view.

Wilhelm’s heart stopped when his eyes locked
on Anna’s. Her face filled with a desperate longing, but she didn’t
come to him. She just stood there, looking frightened and sad as
she looked between himself and Kurt.

“Anna,” Kurt whispered and took a step
forward. Wilhelm grabbed hold of Kurt’s shoulder.

“We can’t, Kurt,” he said softly. He watched
Anna until a young man stepped between them and grabbed her chin.
Wilhelm could tell by the nasty smirk on the man-child’s face that
this was Devin’s son.

Seeing Devin’s son handle her so roughly made
Wilhelm’s hands curl into fists. He’d seen the look on the young
man’s face and it was enough to make Wilhelm concerned about Anna’s
safety.

Wilhelm caught Devin’s eye from across the
room. The man’s black eyes narrowed momentarily. Then he smiled at
Wilhelm, spoke to his son, and walked away towards the elevators.
His son put his arm around Anna’s waist and led her away. The look
in her eyes when she looked back at Wilhelm broke his heart. She
was terrified.

Wilhelm sat heavily in the chair behind him
and put his head in his hands.

“Vati, we can’t just let him—”

“Kurt, there is little I can do.” Wilhelm
stared at the floor between his laced fingers.

“You think she is in danger?” Edwin asked
softly.

“What are your thoughts?” Wilhelm sat back as
Edwin took a chair next to him.

“She’s grown into a beautiful young woman,”
Edwin said slowly. “But so sad. There is little life in her.” He
motioned to another part of the room where two women sat
talking.

The women were as different as night and day,
though both were fiercely beautiful and shared an ethereal quality
about them. One was tall and slender, with chocolate brown skin and
multiple black braids that ended in rows of multi-colored beads in
the middle of her back. Her black eyes sparkled as she laughed at
something the other woman said. The other was more voluptuous and
slightly shorter, with long, golden-blond hair and sky-blue eyes.
They sat easily together, talking and laughing and flirting
occasionally with the Elders next to them. Other men who walked by
them stared, and a few tripped over their own feet. They both wore
the same necklace; three concentric diamond circles of the
Elder-Mistress. Raissa, Mistress of Brazil and Madison, Mistress of
Australia.

They were so different from Anna. The only
time Wilhelm had seen Anna so confident and Mistress-like was when
she was married to Alex. It was obvious that Devin trampled on
Anna’s spirit and had done severe damage.

“What do you think I should do?” Wilhelm
didn’t want to cross Devin. That could be dangerous, for him and
for Anna. At this point, he would be content simply to be able to
speak to her again. Maybe Devin wouldn’t be threatened if he
approached it like that.
Little steps
.

“I will talk with some people. You know your
countrymen are on your side. She was given to you by her father.
That is a more valid claim than Devin stealing her.” Edwin smiled.
“Be the upstanding man you always are and I will talk to you at
dinner tonight.”

Wilhelm looked at his friend with grateful
eyes. “Thank you, Edwin.”

“I know you and Kurt have been miserable
since all that happened. Perhaps this is your chance to undo some
of it.” Edwin stood. “I’m sure many of the others will be on your
side.” He bowed his head slightly and then walked away.

Wilhelm leaned back in his chair and looked
at Kurt. “Maybe this is our chance after all.”

Kurt nodded. “I hope so.”

Anna slowly dressed for dinner. Moving fast
hurt too much. Devin had brought a long white chiffon dress for her
to wear. It had a crisscross back and a very low v-neckline that
showed the inner swell of her breasts. When she walked, her right
thigh was exposed. She did her hair and put the dress on. Bruises
from the afternoon showed on her arms and lower back. She bit her
lip and nervously walked out to the living room where Devin sat
with his tablet on his lap.

He looked up at her when she walked in. “Why
are you frowning?”

“I...there are bruises that show with this
dress.” She pointed to her arms and turned so he could see her
back.

Devin cursed and stood. Anna backed away in
fear, nearly tripping on the length of the dress. It was meant to
be worn with very high heels.

He grabbed her arm and turned her around to
examine her back. His hands slid over the bruises and Anna winced.
His hand continued up her back and pushed her curls aside so he
could kiss her neck. “Maybe you need to wear your hair down.” He
yanked on her hair, making her gasp in pain. “A simple fix, don’t
you think?” His other hand trailed up her side and under the dress
to caress her breast. “If anyone asks, just tell them you like it
rough.” He bit the back of her neck. “Don’t you?”

“Y-yes, Devin,” she whispered in fear.

He pushed her forward by her head. “Go fix
your hair. We need to go in a few minutes.”

Anna hurried to the bathroom to pull her hair
down and brush it until it shined.

“Anna!” Devin yelled. She grabbed her shoes
and ran out to the living room.

Tyler stood next to his father and grinned
when he saw her. He walked to her and pulled her close, pushing on
the bruises he had given her earlier. “Fucking sexy,” he murmured
against her neck before biting it and making Anna cry out in
pain.

“Let’s go,” Devin growled. “You can fuck her
up again later. Just make sure she can walk tomorrow.”

Devin took Anna’s hand and they walked down
the hallway to the elevators.

They made their way down to the ballroom. As
she walked in, she saw many men that looked familiar, though the
only ones she knew by name were the Americans. Every culture in the
world was represented in this room. There were tensions between
some groups and friendliness between others. A handful of women in
white were spread among the more than one hundred and fifty men,
mostly wearing dark suits, though some wore clothing more suited to
their culture. The other women would come later. Only the
Elder-Mistresses were allowed to be in the room during dinner.

As Devin led her to their table, she saw
Wilhelm and Kurt across the room. Kurt smiled at her and nodded, as
if he were trying to assure her of something, though of what, Anna
couldn’t even begin to imagine.

The other American Elders and their sons
joined them at the table. Tommy smiled at her warmly and tried to
sit next to her, but Tyler quickly took the seat next to her, with
Devin on her other side. Tyler looked smug and Tommy grimaced and
took a seat next to his father who had sat next to Devin.

Dinner was uneventful for Anna, aside from
being leered at by the other men at the table. But no one tried
anything and she was able to sit quietly and look around a little
bit. Peter was sitting next to his uncle at a nearby table. Their
eyes met and he gave her a warm smile.

After dinner, Vlad stood and spoke to the men
in English, thanking them for coming and announcing the itinerary
for the next few days.

“Is there any business that needs to be
attended to?” he asked when he had finished.

Anna was surprised when Wilhelm stood and
waited for Vlad to acknowledge him. She saw a small smile on Vlad’s
face before nodding to Wilhelm and sitting down.

“My brothers,” Wilhelm began in English. “You
all know that my son, Alex, was killed while performing his duties
to the Brotherhood. He left behind a sweet, beautiful wife.”
Wilhelm met Anna’s eyes and smiled.

Anna felt Devin stiffen next to her.

“You also know that she is an Elder-Mistress.
What you might not know is that she is also a slave. A slave with
two Masters.” He paused and there were murmurs around the room.

Devin growled next to her. “What the fuck is
he doing?”

“Devin Andersen is one Master. Alex was her
second Master and when he died, I took his place. I have not been
allowed to see or speak to my daughter-in-law in almost a year and
a half because Devin decided I should not have that right. I ask
you, my Brothers, to pressure Devin into removing the ban
prohibiting my family to contact Anna, and restore my rights as her
Master.”

Devin stood and threw his napkin on the
ground. “You were trying to steal her away from me,” he shouted in
anger.

Wilhelm remained calm. “How can I steal what
is rightfully mine? I had my reasons for wanting to take her to
Germany.” He didn’t go into details, which seemed to surprise
Devin.

A tall man with very dark skin stood. “Why is
an Elder-Mistress a slave?” His voice was very deep and resonant. A
beautiful dark-skinned woman sat next to him with gold threads
running through her braided hair. The man put his hand on the
woman’s shoulder. “That is not right.”

Wilhelm didn’t comment and Devin fumed but
kept quiet.

A heated discussion ensued about
Elder-Mistresses being slaves. The general consensus went against
what Devin had done and he became furious.

After a while, Wilhelm raised his hand and
the room quieted. “Brothers, I did not bring up the subject to
debate the issue of Anna’s slavery. It is done and there is little
that can change it. My sole concern is that I am unable to have any
contact with her. As you can imagine, I am quite fond of my
daughter-in-law and I simply wish to be able to contact her and
visit her.”

Devin narrowed his eyes at Wilhelm. “Why
isn’t he taking advantage of the discussion to contest what I
did?”

“He seems to just want to be able to see
Anna,” Tom commented, trying to calm his friend. “Is that so
unreasonable? How would you like to not be able to be with
her?”

Devin turned his narrowed gaze to Tom and
studied him for a long time. Finally, Devin relented and sighed.
“You’re right. He only wants contact. That isn’t unreasonable.”
Though he didn’t seem happy, Devin stood and held up his hands. The
room quieted again.

“Perhaps I was a bit...hasty in forbidding
contact with Anna,” Devin admitted slowly through gritted teeth.
The room had turned against him and he knew it. “I lift my ban on
your contact with Anna.”

Anna looked up at Devin with frightened, but
hopeful, eyes.

“And visitations?” Wilhelm asked with an
arched brow.

Devin’s jaw clenched but he nodded.

Wilhelm smiled broadly and looked at Anna. “I
thank you for your willingness to change your mind, Devin.”

Devin sat down and looked directly into
Anna’s eyes. “You may go to him. If you embarrass me or misbehave
in any way, I will punish you when we return home.”

Anna couldn’t hide the happiness in her
heart, even in the face of Devin’s anger. “Yes, Devin,” she said
quietly.

“I forbid you from marrying Kurt or from
making me look bad in front of any of the Elders. You may not tell
anyone what goes on at the Gatherings or in my private meetings. Do
you understand?”

“Yes, Devin.” Anna tried to sit still, but
wanted to run across the room so badly, her legs ached to
stand.

“Go.”

Anna hesitated for a moment, looking at
Devin, but he nodded stiffly and Anna ran as quickly as she could
across the room and into Wilhelm’s open arms. She could feel
Devin’s disapproving stare, but she couldn’t help herself. Wilhelm
held her tightly and kissed her head, stroking her hair and
whispering in German to her.