Page 308 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“Then he told me I had more important things to do than be in the army. He took me to the Manor for the first time later that day and told me about being an Elder and the importance of it. At thirteen, I didn’t fully understand it, but I do now.”

Alex stared off into some distant memory. “But I didn’t give up on my dream. I kept learning, practicing shooting, and doing anything else I could do to prove to Vati that I would be a good soldier. My friend Jean-Luc is the son of the French Ambassador, and one of his bodyguards had retired from the French army. I spent every moment I could with him—his name was Gaidon—learning everything I could.

“Just before I graduated from secondary school, I took Gaidon with me and spoke to Vati again, telling him again that I wanted to be a soldier. Gaidon backed me, telling Vati that I was very talented and that I should be given a chance.” Alex smiled. “To make a long story short, I was given the opportunity to prove to my father that I had talent and I did so. An Elder-Son normally may not participate in the mundane aspects of managing the world, but Vati convinced The Brotherhood that not allowing me to use my talent would be a waste. They agreed, and I trained with the American military.”

He turned and looked at Anna with a nervous look on his face. “I am a Brotherhood Assassin, Anna. Seth, Tony, Greg... They’re all part of my team. There are others, which you’ll meet soon, though you’ve already met Sebastian. When The Brotherhood needs someone... dealt with, they call me. Or one of the other teams.” He paused. “We do other things, too. Sabotage, reconnaissance, surveillance... We’ve even rescued hostages a few times.”

Anna’s mind whirred, trying to reconcile the Alex she knew with the idea that he killed people. “So, when you went out of town, you were... killing someone?”

Alex nodded solemnly. “Ja.”

She didn’t know what to say. A faint memory played back in her head: the night of the bonding ritual. Devin and Alex arguing. Alex admitting to having killed an Elder and threatening Devin. Something about the conversation had made Anna feel safe with Alex. He’d stood up to Devin and Anna didn’t even know what Devin was capable of back then. But Alex did. And he saved her.

“That’s what the black means on my ring.”

Alex’s words yanked her back into the present. “What?”

“The black stones on my ring. You asked about them when I gave you your bracelet. The black means that I’m a Brotherhood Assassin.”

Anna bit her lip and studied the petals on a bright red flower across from her, still trying to wrap her mind around what Alex had told her. “Do you do it often?”

“It depends. Sometimes we’ll have several jobs, one right after another. Then other times we won’t be called out for months.” He frowned. “I never told Mina that part about me.”

“Who’s Mina?”

Alex cocked his head and then gave her a soft smile. “My first wife. She died in a car accident a few years before I moved to San Francisco.” He chewed his lip. “We were married less than two years.”

“Oh.” She vaguely remembered Kurt telling her that Alex had been married and had a child.

“I kept a lot of things from her. I was not a good husband.” He looked at her. “I’ve matured. At least I hope I have. I think I would do a much better job now.”

“A better job of being a husband?”

Alex nodded.

Anna looked down at her hands as dread filled her heart. “Are you... thinking about getting married again?” Is that why he came back here? To find a proper wife? But then why had he brought Anna to Germany? Maybe he needed her—as his slave and Elder-Mistress—as part of the ceremony? The thought made her nauseous again, and she swallowed back the saliva that filled her mouth.

“Ja. I am.”

“Oh.” She bent her head lower so he wouldn’t see her tears. She didn’t want to cry, but couldn’t stop herself. Why did her heart feel like it had a knife digging into it? There was no good reason for her to be upset about Alex marrying. He was an Elder-Son. Elder-Sons had to be married. Just like Tommy would get married soon. And she, as an Elder-Mistress, would attend to their sexual needs as she always had.

She should be content with her life.

Tears dripped down her nose and fell onto her skirt. She tried to hide the spots on the fabric with her hands, but Alex took her hand. “Why are you crying, Schatzi?”

“I don’t know.” She sniffed. “I’ve been an emotional mess lately. I’m sorry.”

“Your emotions are understandable. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Do you—I mean—‍” Anna swallowed and wiped at her tears. “Have you found the girl you want to marry?”

“Ja. I have.”

The thought of Alex marrying someone twisted the knife deeper into her heart and she couldn’t help but flinch. Why did it hurt so badly? They’d had two beautiful nights together, but that didn’t mean he wanted to marry her. Anna had shared beautiful nights with other men, too. Besides, Devin would never allow her to marry.

Alex was a wonderful man. He deserved to be happy. She hoped the woman was worthy of him. “Is she nice?”

“Ja. The sweetest girl I have ever met. And the prettiest. I just don’t know if she would want to marry me.”

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