Page 225 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“What if the Immortals were willing to help us go back to the old ways?”

A silence fell over the room.

“What do you mean?” Connor asked.

Devin tapped his fingers on the table. “I mean, what if the Immortals preferred the old ways?”

The men laughed. “They don’t,” Brandon said. “We’ve been assured of that many times.”

“Maybe they don’t elsewhere, but here, they might.” Devin smiled. “I’ve spoken with them about it.”

Eyebrows shot up, and a few men inhaled sharply.

Brandon frowned. “You can’t be serious. Why would they want to take a second seat to us?”

Devin raised his eyebrows. “Maybe they’re tired of the responsibility. Or maybe they realize that we should be in charge of our own country.”

Brandon pursed his lips. “I’ve always understood it to be a partnership.”

“There will always be an alliance between humans and the Immortals. But we should be the stronger partner.” Devin waved his hand. “All this equality of power is really ridiculous if you think about it. There’s always a stronger side in a partnership, and I think it should be us rather than the Immortals. After all, they don’t deal with the day-to-day aspects of running the country.”

There were murmurs of assent around the table.

Devin smiled and suggested they adjourn to the more comfortable seating area across the room. The men settled in and Anna went to sit by Devin’s feet, but he stopped her. He pulled her down into his lap to nuzzle her ear. “You’re doing very well tonight.” His low, seductive voice resonated through Anna’s body. He sat her with her back leaning against his front, her dress shoved up to her hips, legs on either side of his. He rubbed her inner thighs with his fingertips, and she closed her eyes and sighed.

“Where did you get her?” Oscar asked.

“I claimed her at birth. Using the old ways.” Devin’s fingers strayed across her swelling outer lips.

“Old ways?” Connor asked. “You mean she really is a Half-Immortal?”

“You don’t think I’d dare to claim to have an Elder-Mistress if I didn’t, do you?”

“There were rumors you had one... I must say, I didn’t believe it.” Oscar looked at Anna closely. “How do we know she really is one?”

“Why would I lie?”

Oscar laughed. “Come on, Devin. I’m not an idiot. If you’re really suggesting that we go back to the old ways, by claiming she’s a Mistress, you’re claiming the Chairman position.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Devin caressed Anna’s breasts.

Both Brandon’s and Oscar’s expressions changed from curiosity to alarm. “We are all equally fit for the position, Devin,” Oscar said.

“True. But I have her and you don’t.”

“She should belong to all of us,” Oscar said in a low voice.

“She will,” Devin said. “In a way.” He narrowed his eyes. “Would you be willing to do what it takes to claim the position?”

Oscar’s brows twitched. “You’re serious about this?”

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”

“Devin,” Brandon said. “Don’t you think we should talk about this more? Using the old ways is... Well, I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“The old ways will secure our influence and prevent any challenges,” Devin said. “The politicians in this nation are becoming increasingly arrogant and dismissive of our authority. This is a dangerous trend. In my recent conversations with several of them, I’ve encountered deeply concerning attitudes. Unless we take decisive action, we risk losing our grip on them. And that would be detrimental to us and the nation as a whole. A Council offers a much more efficient approach to governance compared to The Brotherhood.”

Several of the men nodded their heads, but Brandon still looked skeptical. “I think there are other ways to solve our problems.”

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