Page 123 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

He sighed. A mission right now sounded easier than telling Anna her father wasn’t dead.

He’d met two of the other Elder-Mistresses over the last few years. They were beautiful, confident, sexy women that were a joy to be around. But they had to be. They were an important tool in how The Brotherhood controlled the world.

Devin and Jack hadn’t told Anna what she was because if she’d known, they wouldn’t have been able to control her as much as they did. She was not meant to be as they’d made her. Would the knowledge itself be enough to undo the damage they’d inflicted on her? In her full strength, she’d nearly be able to take Devin on all by herself, but Alex had a feeling she’d never dare.

Devin controlled her through fear. He’d kept her isolated so she didn’t know she wasn’t a “normal” girl. She attributed her attractiveness to her training. The fact was, even if she’d never been trained she still would attract men in droves. There was just something irresistible about a Half-Immortal. More than once, he’d wondered if they had special pheromones.

Tony pulled up in front of Aaron’s house and stopped. “I’ll park and meet you inside.”

“Thanks.” Alex jumped out, ran into the house and up to Aaron’s room. He knocked once and opened the door.

Alex froze in the doorway. Aaron sat in the recliner near the window with Anna curled in his lap. He stroked her hair and kissed her head. Like Alex had done the previous morning.

Alex swallowed over the lump in his throat as he watched his best friend love on the girl he himself was in love with.

He rubbed at his chest, then lifted his chin. Aaron was better for her right now. More stable. Aaron didn’t disappear for days or weeks on end without an explanation. Right now, Anna needed stable and safe.

He could tell just by looking at her she that had no fear of Aaron. Something had happened between the two of them and she was content. Peaceful even. Anna at peace was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. He hoped he’d be able to make her feel that way someday. She deserved nothing less.

Anna looked up to see Alex standing in the doorway. She untangled herself from the blanket and jumped to her feet, stepping away from Aaron and twisting her fingers together as she hung her head.

“It’s alright, Anna.” Alex lowered his hand and walked into the room. “Stay with Aaron. You looked comfortable.” He sat on the foot of the bed and looked around. “Where’s Travis?”

Aaron reached for Anna, and she returned to his lap. He wrapped the blanket around her again, but she didn’t seem as relaxed as before.

“Travis went down to get his shirt. It’s kinda cold up here.” Aaron motioned to the blanket he’d wrapped Anna in.

Alex nodded absentmindedly. “What did Travis tell you, Schatzi?”

Anna stared at her hands and repeated what Travis had told her. She looked over at him, an expression on her face he couldn’t quite read. “Am I really an Elder-Mistress?”

Alex sighed and nodded. “Yes. You are.”

Travis had returned as Anna was speaking and sat on the edge of the bed next to Alex. He gave Alex a wary look as she finished. “Was I wrong to tell her?”

Alex shook his head. “No. You didn’t know that she didn’t know. It’s wrong that she didn’t know. I just?—‍”

Anna stared at him, eyes full of hurt. “You knew?”

Helplessness washed over Alex as he nodded, betraying his knowledge of the truth. “I didn’t realize you didn’t know until yesterday morning, and then I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.” Alex stood and walked to the window. “What Travis told you is correct, though there’s more to it.”

“It’s all I knew . . .”

Alex turned to his friend and held up his hand. “It’s alright, Trav. I wouldn’t expect you to know much more than the basics. I figured, of anyone in the ballet company, you’d recognize what she was, but you weren’t here, so I didn’t think to warn you about her.”

Alex ran his hand through his hair and stared out the window. “Yes, Anna. Your father is an Immortal.” He paused, deciding how best to explain what had happened. “Sometimes an Immortal will fall in love with a woman and decide to put aside their Immortality for a time. They choose to live as normal men and get married and have a family. In that situation, they can only have one child, a daughter. When that happens, we’re supposed to leave the daughter alone. Let her live as a normal person. At some point, when she’s old enough to understand, her father will tell her the truth, and she can make the choice to become an Elder-Mistress or not.”

Alex turned back around to find Anna watching him, hope filling her face. “Half-Immortals live longer and age slower than other women. That can make a normal life difficult. The Brotherhood offers a safe place to live, where they’ll be protected and cherished.” He frowned. “Or at least, they’re supposed to be.”

The old, familiar heat of regret bubbled up inside him and he turned back to the window. He didn’t want Anna sensing his emotions... not that he could be sure she wasn’t doing it anyway. “Sometimes the Half-Immortal will marry and have a family of her own.” He shrugged. “Sometimes they decide to spend their life serving their Elder. It’s up to them.” He turned back to Anna, his eyes hard. “That should have been your life, Anna. But Devin didn’t give you that choice. He just took you.” He clenched his jaw. “And abused you.”

“How did he take her?” Aaron asked. “I mean, I knew her parents...”

Alex pursed his lips. “A long time ago, before the Elders and Immortals started working together, the Elders would seek out and take their daughters. They treated them... well, like Anna was treated. Tomes were written with instructions on how to ‘tame’ them. Once the two groups started working together, the old ways were outlawed, and the tomes were supposed to have been destroyed. The Immortals agreed to give the Elders their daughters when needed, in return for the promise that they would treat them with respect. Elders would sometimes take them as wives, with the permission of their father.” He avoided Anna’s gaze. “One of the older, more devious methods was to find a married Immortal and secretly claim the daughter shortly after her birth. There only had to be one witness, and it didn’t have to be another Elder.”

“Jack?” Anna asked softly.

Alex nodded. “I don’t know for sure, but it’s my best guess.”

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