Page 306 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Anna nodded.

Wilhelm gave a sharp nod to Tony. “We need to go.”

Her heart sank at Wilhelm’s tight expression. “Did I say something wrong?”

Wilhelm smiled kindly. “Nein, Anna. Not at all. But it is not wise to speak of such things in public. We will talk about it later.” He turned to Ilsa and put his arm around her.

“I won’t leave you again, Anna,” Alex said in a low voice.

She turned back at him and he looked at her with such intensity she wanted to look away, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. She swallowed and then concentrated so she could read him.

He meant every word he’d said. And he meant it differently than just as a Master. He meant it... as a lover? But... he’d been so cold to her when he’d visited. And he’d not contacted her when all the bad things had happened. How could the emotions she sensed from him be so strong? “Why were you so cold to me?”

His eyes darkened. “I had to, Anna. I had to let Devin think I didn’t care about you. As I had when we first met. My leaving made Devin think I was done with you and he left me alone.” His brows twitched. “I don’t have to do that anymore, Schatzi. I won’t ever do it again.”

The sincerity and determination she felt in him were overwhelming. He would protect her at any cost. He loved her.

The spark that had been kindled the first night they’d spent together burst into flame in her heart. Sitting next to him for the first time in months was like coming home. She was connected to him unlike anyone else. Even Devin. Especially Devin. And Devin couldn’t take him away. Alex wasn’t vulnerable like other men were. He was the one person Devin couldn’t hurt.

Anna nodded slowly. “Yes, Alex.”

She reached up and cradled his cheek with her hand. His eyes widened and filled with such happiness, it filled her heart with joy.

He slid his hand behind her head. “Meine Anna,” he murmured before crushing his lips against hers. He held her tightly and she flung her arms around his neck.

She had come home. Kissing Alex was more than just their lips meeting. Her very soul reached out to his when they touched. The hurts and fears of the past few months melted away as he held her close, sheltering her from the world. He could protect her and he would protect her. Of this, she was certain.

Chapter 143

A little while later, Anna was snuggled against Alex in the limo as it weaved its way north through the streets of Frankfurt. Seth, Tony, and Greg relaxed near the front of the limo, speaking softly, and Anna and Alex sat near in back with his parents. Alex pointed out various buildings, but it was hard to really see them in the dark. A light sprinkling of snow blanketed the city.

“Are you warm enough, Schatzi?”

“Next to you, yes.” She snuggled closer.

He grinned. “Mutti, can we keep the house cool while she’s here?”

Ilsa shook her head with an amused smile on her face. “It will probably be cool enough from her point of view.”

Anna glanced out the window again as they drove out of the city. “How far away is your house?”

Alex chuckled. “About twenty more minutes from here.”

The city lights faded behind them and only the moonlight shone on the snow, making it sparkle like diamonds. Shadows of mountains up ahead loomed nearer, and eventually the limo drove up a winding road through a dense black forest. They drove by a lake and up above it, in the distance, cheery yellow lights shone from many windows.

“That is the Gutshaus,” Alex said.

At a distance it looked large, but Anna didn’t fully appreciate how enormous it was until they turned onto the long driveway that led up to it. “Oh!”

She felt foolish for calling it a house. It was a castle. Four stories high and unbelievably wide, with stone walls, peaked roofs, and countless chimneys that stood like sentinels on the snowy roof. Lights shone from dozens of windows along the front. A porte-cochère protected the huge arched entryway that was easily three times as tall as a normal home’s entryway. When the limo stopped, the massive carved wooden doors opened and a thin, gray-haired man stood at attention as they exited the vehicle.

Anna shivered in the cold as Alex led her to the doorway.

“Lukas, this is Anna Perkins, our guest from America,” Wilhelm said. “Anna, this is Lukas. He makes sure the Haus is running as it should.”

Lukas’ bright blue eyes sparkled warmly as he smiled at her. “Guten Abend, Fraulein.”

“Hello, Lukas.”

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