The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (46 page)

Wilhelm thought it best to let Travis and
Justin take the lead on the other topic and didn’t have to wait
long before the subject of Anna was brought up.

“She wasn’t well this morning,” Justin
commented. “She didn’t complain of anything, but she seemed to
be....” He glanced at Travis. “Uncomfortable?”

Travis nodded. “Like she was in pain, but
didn’t know it, if that makes any sense.”

“Yeah. I lifted her onto my shoulder and she
whimpered, but when I asked her about it, she seemed completely
unaware that she had done it.”

Wilhelm took a sip of his coffee and
considered their words.

“Has she acted like this before?” Kurt
asked.

“Not in a really long time,” Travis said.
“The reason I assume pain is because of when she had obviously been
abused, she acted in a similar manner, though tried to hide it
better. This time....” He shook his head. “It’s like her mind’s
disconnected from her body.”

“I would not be surprised. Did either of you
know about her relationship with Devin?”

Justin frowned and Travis grimaced. “We knew
she was living with him,” Travis said. “But we didn’t know she’d
fallen in love with him.”

“I have a feeling it is more of an induced
feeling than actual love,” Wilhelm said. “Devin claims to have—” He
stopped and looked at Justin. “Are you a Brother?”

“Not technically, though I’ve learned quite a
bit about it. My father is a Deacon in New York. I just learned
about all this a few weeks ago.” He shook his head. “Things make so
much more sense now.” He gave a grim laugh.

Wilhelm frowned. “New York?” He knew that Tom
was Devin’s best friend. Tommy had shown concern about Anna, but
what about his father?

Travis nodded. “It’s okay, Wilhelm. Loyalties
have...shifted.”

Wilhelm tilted his head. Tom was no longer
loyal to Devin? By Travis’ reaction, it would appear so, but
perhaps unwise to vocalize it. Wilhelm looked at Justin. “You have
an older brother?”

Justin nodded. “Two.”

“Ah, and Devin does not make the
connection?”

“Not that we can tell,” Travis commented.
“Justin’s been out here for several years and rarely goes home.
Sawyer’s not that uncommon of a name.” Travis grinned. “He’s our
‘outside’ man.”

Their food arrived and they began eating.

Wilhelm leaned forward after a few minutes.
“Please tell me what is going on.”

Travis nodded. “I’m going to leave out names
because it’s better that way. And I want to tell you up front, the
reason we haven’t told you about anything was because we knew Devin
watched you because of your relationship with Anna. He pays us
little mind.”

Wilhelm nodded. It made sense.

Travis glanced at Justin, who nodded. “There
are...people...that have been concerned about Devin’s treatment of
Anna. At first it was just concern over the abuse, but when he
started....” He shuddered, “...the whole pregnancy thing and Devin
started getting more powerful, it became more evident that she
needed to get away from him.” Travis frowned. “There were plans to
get her out of the city in September, but when Peter’s grandfather
died and she moved in with Devin, things got complicated. Remember
how I told you I tried to get her to go out with me and she flipped
out?”

Wilhelm nodded.

“I was going to take her and leave, but her
bond to him is so...strong, I couldn’t. She was screaming and
crying. I couldn’t get her onto public transportation like that.
And then he called her, wanting to know where she was. For some
reason she didn’t tell him she was with me, but...shit,” Travis
frowned. “I had taken off that bracelet and her necklace. They both
have trackers in them. I think he can sense her or he’s put
something inside her.”

“He has trackers in her jewelry?”

Travis nodded. “That gold bracelet at least.
I took the necklace off just to be sure.”

“How do you know about the bracelet?” Kurt
asked.

“Someone who knows told me.” He sighed. “The
next weekend he got her pregnant and we can’t move her when she’s
pregnant. The...person who is helping us can only shield one person
from Devin’s eyes. Devin would be able to find her because of the
baby.”

It had to be an Elder who was helping them.
No one else would be able to provide a shield except an Elder.
“Where are you trying to get her?”

“New York. Vincent already said he’d happily
take her into his Company. She needs to keep dancing, especially if
she’s away from Devin. It will keep her from going insane.”

Wilhelm nodded. Tom
was
helping
them. Interesting. “But if she is gone from him for too long, she
will begin to get ill.”

Justin nodded. “We know, but we’ve been
assured that will be taken care of.”

“How?” Kurt interjected.

They both shrugged their shoulders. “No
idea,” Travis said. “But I trust the person who told me.”

Wilhelm thought for a moment. “Is that why
Aaron left?”

Travis nodded. “He wanted to be there when
she got there. It was only supposed to be a few months, but now...I
don’t know. The ‘powers that be’ are discussing it and trying to
come up with a new plan. We’re just waiting and will do what we’re
told.”

“Is it only you two?” Kurt asked. “Here, I
mean.”

Travis shook his head. “There are two others
here that are helping. One is...sometimes able to distract Devin
and can keep us posted on what’s going on, but the communication is
limited because of his position.”

“Ian.” Wilhelm spoke without thinking.

Travis nodded. “How did you know?”

“When we were in St. Petersburg, he said some
things that made me think he might not be totally loyal to Devin
anymore.” Wilhelm frowned. “Devin will kill him if he ever finds
out.”

“If she disappears, Devin will very likely
know Ian helped. He’s prepared to die if it means she can get free.
He says it’s the least thing he can do after what he’s done to
her.”

“He is a brave man.” Kurt remarked.

“Yeah,” Justin agreed.

“Is there anything I can do?” Wilhelm asked
earnestly. More than anything else, he wanted Anna to be free and
Devin taken out. The only way Devin would be able to be taken out
was if Anna were away from him. She was the source of his
power.

“Actually, you’ve helped already,” Travis
said. “Knowing she’s still ‘in there’ is really helpful. I made a
call last night and was told that they could work with that.”

“Other than that, just play ignorant,” Justin
said. “We knew you were concerned last night and wanted to let you
know that there are others who feel the same way. Of course, we’ll
let you know when she’s...away.”

“Thank you. Both of you. My heart is a little
bit more at ease knowing I am not the only one concerned. And
please let me know if there is anything I can do.”

Justin smiled. “She’ll need a new name for
her new life. Maybe you can come up with something.”

Wilhelm looked at Kurt. “I think we could
manage that.”

“She’s lucid when she’s out of range of
Devin’s influence.”

“How do you know that?”

“Wilhelm did...something to his hotel
room to keep Devin from spying when she came to visit him last
night. As soon as she walked into the suite, she apparently woke
up.”

There was a long pause. “That is good.
That is very good. He is not completely in control of her
yet.”

“She seems to react to Wilhelm unlike
anyone else.”

“That’s not unexpected. He is Alex’s
father. Same blood. And he is still her Master, even though she may
be unaware of it most of the time. I think he needs to be there
when she arrives.”

Moments of clarity were rare. Half the time
when Anna was aware of her surroundings, she was in excruciating
pain. The other half of the time she felt so happy she could hardly
stand it. The schizophrenia of her life confused her to no end. But
then the pain became less frequent and then disappeared altogether,
replaced with kind words and loving touch.

He told her he loved her. That he was so
proud of her, that he needed her so much. That she made him feel
good.

He loved her!
Finally, after all
these years, he loved her. Truly loved her.

Dreams and reality melded together even more
now, but neither were bad. A few times she saw the other man. The
man with the cobalt blue eyes. But those times were rare. She felt
comfort in the black eyes with the golden specks. They loved her.
They cherished her. They didn’t hurt her anymore.

Anna felt the warm breeze on her face lift a
few stray tendrils of hair and tickle her nose. She scrunched her
face and rubbed her nose. Was this a dream? Was this reality? She
wasn’t even sure she could tell the difference anymore. Did it
really matter anyways?

A warm hand brushed her hair away from her
face. She opened her eyes and saw Devin crouching next to her
wearing a white linen tunic.

“Hello, love,” he said in a soft voice.

A smile crept across her face as she gazed at
him. “Hi,” she whispered.

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges.
“How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

He chuckled gently. “That’s to be expected.
You usually are this time of year.”

This time of year?
She looked down
and saw him rubbing her protruding stomach. The baby. She had
forgotten.

“But it will be over soon, love.
Remember?”

Anna smiled and nodded. “A gift for you,” she
said softly, remembering.

“Yes, love. A beautiful gift for me.” He
leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I love you so
much.”

Warmth spread throughout her body. “I love
you, too.”

“Kaveh is here. He wants to be with you and
help make your gift to me extra special.”

“Yes, Devin,” she said softly. “I want your
gift to be very special.”

“Good girl,” he said kissing her cheek. “I
will see you soon.” He stood and disappeared from view.

A moment later the mattress she lay on shook.
She looked behind her to see the large, golden Immortal sitting on
the bed, his cock jutting out from his hips like a giant steel
rod.

“Hello, Daughter,” he said rubbing her hip
over the soft blankets that covered her naked body.

She turned onto her back. “Hello,” she said
softly.

He leaned forward to kiss her neck. She
sighed and lifted her chin, exposing more of her neck for him to
suck on. He pulled the blanket down and stretched out beside
her.

Kaveh sat up slightly to take a taut peak
into his mouth, swirling his tongue around her nipple. She moaned
softly and kicked off the rest of the blanket. His hand strayed
down her belly and between her legs. “You are ready for me?”

Her body tingled as she nodded. Being with
Kaveh was unlike any other sexual partner she’d had. He made her
feel things that no one else could.

He pulled her to her hands and knees and
slowly slipped inside her silken folds. She arched her back more as
his girth stretched her open.

“Open your womb to me, Daughter, so I can
give my offering to your daughter.”

Anna didn’t know how she knew to do as he
asked, but she closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt an ache
as his cock pressed in deep and groaned. “You won’t hurt her, will
you?”

Kaveh chuckled. “No. Not at all.” He began
moving slowly in and out and Anna pressed her head down into the
pillow as pleasure engulfed her.

“Yes,” she breathed, raising her hips up to
take more of him in.

Kaveh leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “Let
me do the moving, Daughter. I will bring you great pleasure.”

Anna relaxed and tried to keep still, but her
hips moved slightly in pleasure. She sighed and moaned, grasping
the pillow as he gently pumped himself over and over inside of
her.

The tingling increased. “Please, may I come?”
she said breathlessly.

“Yes, Daughter. She will like that.”

The waves increased and increased until she
exploded into a million pieces, arching her back and screaming out
Kaveh’s name. She felt him press in and release himself deep inside
her.

She cried out as the room began to spin and
she grabbed her head.

“Shhh,” Kaveh whispered soothingly. “Close
your eyes and let yourself relax. Everything is fine.”

Anna felt a void as Kaveh pulled out and
pulled the blankets back up. “Sleep, Daughter.”

Anna stood next to the platform wearing a
long white dress. Ian stood behind her, his hands heavy on her
shoulders. Devin spoke to the crowd of men in the grass and Anna
watched him with adoration. He looked so handsome in his white robe
with his black hair and tan skin such a contrast. He glanced over a
few times to her and winked, making her flush with emotion. He
normally didn’t pay her much special attention during the
Gatherings, but he had been very attentive all afternoon.

Ian pushed her forward gently as Devin looked
at her and smiled. He extended his hand to her and she reached for
it, feeling dizzy, but Devin supported her as she walked. He spoke
again to the men sitting on the grass, but his words sounded muddy
in her ears. The men cheered and Devin led her to a short stone
table, where the Immortals stood watching her with golden fire in
their eyes.

Kaveh smiled as he helped her onto the table
and then moved behind her, acting as a backrest. His hands spread
out over her stomach and she felt his chest rumble as he spoke in a
language she didn’t understand.

Suddenly a shooting pain shot through her
stomach and she whimpered.

Devin stood in front of her and took her
hand. “It’s all right, love. He’s helping you give me your
gift.”