The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (28 page)

He had come here after the funeral to see the
graves, frozen in the ground. There had been eight graves, not
nine. Sebastian wouldn’t have died, but would have had to act as
though he had. And he was forbidden from coming back for a long
time. Long after he and Kurt, and even Kurt’s children, were gone
he could return. But it wouldn’t matter then. Wilhelm had hoped
that he would send a message, like Anna’s father had, but none
came. The other Immortals didn’t speak of it; it was also
forbidden. Times like these made him hate the rules of life. But
they were there for a reason. Did he really want to know the
details of his son’s death?

The service concluded a while later and
Wilhelm inhaled sharply when he saw that Anna’s face had turned
almost gray, with dark circles under her eyes. Something was
desperately wrong. He looked around as people began to make their
way towards the back of the building.

Devin
. He caught the man’s eye and
motioned for him to come. He hated the man with a passion, but he
might know what was going on. Anna was more precious to him than
his hatred for Devin.

Kurt held her tightly against his chest as
she trembled with half-open, glassy eyes that stared into
nothingness.

Devin had that disgusting amused look on his
face as he sauntered over, but it disappeared when he saw Anna.
“What happened?”

“She complained of being cold and tired when
we were outside, and she has grown progressively worse,” Wilhelm
said. He stood suddenly, glaring down at the man he detested with
all his being. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

Devin’s eyes widened and he backed away
slightly. He looked down at Anna with genuine concern on his face,
though the true object of his concern was debatable. “I...I haven’t
done anything. She’s...she shouldn’t be sick.”

“I know,” Wilhelm growled. “What did you
do?”

Devin shook his head. “I didn’t do any—” He
looked up suddenly and turned around, searching for someone in the
crowd. “I’ll be back.”

Devin strode quickly to Vlad and Wilhelm
watched as they had a heated conversation. Vlad repeatedly shook
his head and held up his hands. He glanced over at Wilhelm and his
face paled when he saw Anna. He turned away and took out his phone
to make a phone call.

Devin walked back to where Wilhelm stood
glaring at him. “We’ll take her to Vlad’s townhouse. It’s nearby.”
He reached for Anna and Kurt pushed his hand away.

“I will carry her,” he growled. Kurt picked
her up and she moaned softly, then closed her eyes and
trembled.

Wilhelm looked at Devin. “What is wrong with
her?”

Devin didn’t answer, but turned and walked
toward a side door. Kurt looked at his father, who nodded, and they
both followed Devin outside.

Cold. So cold. She couldn’t get warm, no
matter how close she pushed herself to the body next to her. She
trembled and moaned. She hurt, but not like she usually hurt. The
pain came from inside her own body. Her own body was fighting
itself. Why? Why did she hurt?

“Go. Go, Anna. Heal.”

Anna tried to open her eyes, but couldn’t. A
warm hand touched her forehead and she became dizzy.

“Go.”

She stood in a dimly lit room. It wasn’t
the normal room she went to in her dreams. This was more like a
cement box. It was cold and damp. This is where the cold inside her
originated. This was the source of her hurt. She looked around. Men
huddled in blankets while lying on small cots. She couldn't see any
faces, but could see them shivering.

A low moan escaped from one man in the
corner. She hurried to him. The pain increased as she walked to
him, but she knew she had to get to him.

She knelt by the bed and pulled the
blanket away from his face. It was gray and damp with sweat. His
wet hair was plastered to the side of his head. He trembled and his
teeth chattered.

What could she do? If she touched him,
she would disappear. But if she didn’t touch him, he would die. The
fever was so high. She could feel the heat radiating from his body.
And yet he shook with cold.

His eyes opened slightly and vaguely
focused on her face. His eyes were dull and glassy. “Y-y-you
c-c-came,” he said with chattering teeth. “They s-s-said you
w-w-w-wouldn’t, but y-y-you d-d-did.” He attempted a smile and then
groaned in pain.

She reached out hesitantly. What little
healing she possessed, she had to use. He couldn’t die. She
couldn’t let him.

Tentatively, she touched his face and
winced, but he didn’t disappear. She cried out in relief and
stretched out on the bed next to him to give him her warmth. She
wondered how much her tiny body could do to his large one, but she
closed her eyes and concentrated. She embraced him and felt her
healing flow into him as she pulled the sickness from his
body.

At first, nothing happened. Then slowly
he began to relax. His body cooled and he stopped trembling. She
smiled faintly. She was so tired and beginning to feel cold again.
But he was safe. That was what mattered.

Suddenly her body exploded in pain and
she cried out. She trembled and shivered. She felt a large hand on
her cheek and opened her eyes to see the concerned look on his
face.

“You can’t get sick. You can’t.”

She felt herself fading and she heard him
cry out her name as darkness consumed her.

Wilhelm heard Anna cry out in pain and shook
the doorknob. “Devin! Let me in!” he shouted.

Devin had locked himself in the bedroom with
her, insisting that he needed to be alone with her. He and Kurt had
reluctantly gone into the hallway to let him do what he needed to
do. They paced and Wilhelm heard Devin speaking softly to her,
though he couldn’t understand the words.

Wilhelm banged on the door. “Devin, open the
door!”

He continued banging on the door until Devin
opened the door.

“You needn’t be so obnoxious,” Devin said
coolly.

“Maybe if we could trust you,” Kurt
muttered.

Wilhelm looked past Devin into the room. “She
looks worse,” he said pushing Devin out of the way. Her face was so
pale and damp. “What did you do?” he demanded, turning to face
Devin.

Kurt pushed past him and knelt by her bed,
stroking her damp hair back from her face.

“She can be healed now,” Devin said. “Do you
know the Immortals here?”

Wilhelm glared at Devin. “You are killing
her. She should not even be able to get sick.”

Devin’s face remained impassive. “Sacrifices
are necessary sometimes.”

Before he realized what he was doing, Wilhelm
had swung back and smashed his fist into Devin’s nose.

Devin spun sideways and fell to his knees,
grabbing his face. “Ow, you fucker!” he shouted in a slightly nasal
tone.

“Vati!” Kurt exclaimed.

Blood trickled down Devin’s face as he held
his nose. Wilhelm’s chest heaved as he stood over Devin, glaring
down at him.

Ian appeared in the doorway seconds later and
looked around in shock. He saw Devin kneeling on the floor and
looked at Wilhelm, confused.

“He might need a doctor,” Wilhelm said
calmly, though feeling oddly triumphant.

Devin looked up at Ian. “Get in touch with
Vlad. Tell him we need one of his Immortals.” Devin pushed himself
to his feet and stalked out of the room.

Wilhelm walked over and stood behind Kurt,
staring down at Anna’s pale face.

“I can’t believe you hit him, Vati. It’s
something Alex would have done.”

“Except if Alex had done it, Anna would have
suffered. I am thankful I don’t have that restriction.” Wilhelm
chuckled. “Where do you think Alex got his temper?”

The men were quiet for a few minutes, staring
at Anna and remembering Alex. Kurt continued to stroke Anna’s
forehead.

“Will she be okay? She’s so feverish.”

“I hope so. The Immortals will heal her...I
hope.” Wilhelm gritted his teeth as a great shudder shook Anna’s
frail body.

“Alex,” she muttered. “...better....”

Kurt looked up at his father. “Why does she
dream of him still?”

Wilhelm saw the hurt in his son’s eyes. In
Kurt’s head, he understood the connection between Anna and Alex,
but in his heart it hurt. Kurt longed for that same connection
between himself and Anna. He was so in love with her.

Wilhelm put his hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “I
don't know.” He had asked the same question hundreds of times since
he’d found out. Did the dreams mean anything? Or was it just Anna’s
way of coping with her hurt?

Kurt leaned forward and kissed Anna’s pale
cheek. “She’s so hot.”

Ian returned a few minutes later. “Vlad will
be here in a few minutes.” He walked over and looked down at Anna.
He glanced behind him and then looked at Wilhelm. “She will be all
right, won’t she?” he asked in a hushed voice.

“I hope so.” Wilhelm hated this feeling of
helplessness.

Vlad arrived about twenty minutes later with
a large, obvious-Immortal next to him.

“I am Patya,” said the man with golden hair
and sapphire eyes.

Elders rarely had contact with the Immortals
of other countries. Every country had them, but they did not
venture outside the national boundaries unless there was dire need.
The Elder’s power was also limited when outside their own country,
which was probably why Wilhelm had not been pulverized. Devin’s
powers, despite their magnitude, were limited outside his own
country.

Wilhelm bowed his head respectfully. “I am
Wilhelm of Hesse. This is my son, Kurt.”

Patya turned his eyes to look at Kurt. “A
younger son?”

“My eldest son was killed three and a half
years ago,” Wilhelm explained, with a twinge in his heart. He hated
saying the words.

Patya looked at Wilhelm for a long time. “I
see,” he said finally.

Devin walked in a moment later. Wilhelm
stared at him. The only hint that he had been hit was the bit of
blood on his collar. There was no bruise, no disfigurement. Wilhelm
was certain he had broken the man’s nose. He’d felt the bones give
way as his fist made contact with his face. Wilhelm’s blood boiled
at the realization that Anna suffered because of Devin. Devin was
the reason she couldn’t heal herself. Wilhelm clenched his fist and
trembled, fighting every instinct within him to keep from hitting
Devin again.

Patya turned his gaze on Devin. There was a
slight hint of disapproval on his face as he studied him, but he
didn’t say anything. “Where is the girl?”

Wilhelm motioned to the bed. Patya strode
across the room and looked down at Anna. “Who is her Master?”

“I am.” Both Wilhelm and Devin answered.

The Immortal turned in surprise. “She has two
Masters?”

“Yes.” Both men answered in a growl.

Patya studied both men and frowned. He
pointed at Devin. “You stay. Everyone else leave.”

Wilhelm started to protest, but the Immortal
frowned. The men filed out of the room and the door was closed.

“Would you like something to drink?” Vlad
asked nervously.

Wilhelm sighed. “Thank you, Vlad. But I don’t
want to leave.”

“I understand,” Vlad said. He ran his hand
though his thick black hair. “I’m sorry, Wilhelm.”

Wilhelm arched his brow. “Why are you
apologizing, Vlad? You didn’t cause Anna’s sickness.”

Vlad smiled weakly and shrugged his
shoulders. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

Wilhelm watched Vlad walk away with a frown
on his face. Vlad was acting strange. Why would he feel the need to
apologize for something he had nothing to do with?

Kurt paced back and forth in the wide
hallway. Wilhelm sat in a gilt-edged chair and tried to make sense
of everything that had happened today.

When the door opened a half hour later,
Wilhelm stood and Kurt froze mid-step. Devin stood in the doorway.
“She’s fine. Sleeping.”

Wilhelm pushed past him and sighed in relief
when he saw the color in Anna’s face. Kurt went to sit on the bed
and held her hand.

Wilhelm turned and stood tall, glaring at
Devin. “You should leave. You do not need to be here anymore.”

Devin smirked. “Even Patya recognized my
claim to her was more legitimate than yours.”

“You relented when the other Elders pressured
you. My claim is as legitimate as yours.”

“For now,” Devin said. He glanced at Anna.
“I’ll leave. But you better bring her back to me.”

“I already said I would, as much as it
disgusts me to do so.”

Devin shrugged. “The problem with being
honorable. Doing things you don't want to do.” He laughed and
walked out of the room.

“I hate that man,” Kurt grumbled.

“You aren’t the only one, son.”

Anna moaned and slowly opened her eyes. She
was in Kurt’s hotel room.

“Anna,” Kurt said.

She turned onto her back and saw him sitting
next to her in the bed. “Hi,” she said softly.

“How are you feeling?”

Anna thought for a moment. “Good. What
happened?” The last thing she remembered was being so cold while
she sat in the cathedral.

“You got very sick. You were healed by an
Immortal.”

“Oh.” She didn’t remember anything about
being sick, though his words triggered a memory of a dark room. She
concentrated on the memory but couldn’t decipher anything more than
cold and darkness. “How long have I been asleep?”

“All afternoon. It is past dinnertime. Are
you hungry?”

She nodded and he stood.

“I will call for some room service.” He left
and returned a few minutes later and sat on the bed next to her. “I
was so worried about you,” he said tenderly, stroking her hair back
from her face.