Page 329 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Anna’s stomach lurched. “Devin?”

Alex nodded. He pressed the button on the side of the phone and it turned off.

Devin is going to be so angry at me for ignoring his calls.

Alex looked around and put his hand on Anna’s back. “Hurry, Anna,” he said in a low voice, pushing her gently up the stairs.

As they approached the door, Anna heard a loud shout behind her. Startled, she turned and saw three tall men at the bottom of the stairs. Among them was Kaveh. Fear ran down her spine, freezing her in place. “Alex!”

Alex grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away. He shouted in German and someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her inside the Manor. The heavy wooden door thudded shut, leaving Alex on one side and Anna on the other.

“Alex!” she screamed, fighting against whoever was holding her. “Let me go!”

“Anna, you are safe in here.” It was Wilhelm. “If you go outside, you will be in danger.”

She shook her head, her heart pounding for her new husband. “What about Alex?”

“They won’t hurt him.”

She stared at Wilhelm for a long moment, debating whether or not to believe him. But he’d never lied to her before. She blew out a shaky breath and nodded. He gave a gentle smile and led her to a nearby couch and sat her down. “It will be alright, Liebling.”

Anna stared at the intricately carved wooden door, wondering what was going on outside.

Alex lifted his chin and turned to face the Immortals after Anna was safely inside. He shifted his weight forward onto his toes in case he needed to move quickly. “You have no authority here, Immortals,” he said in English.

The tallest one glared at him. “She is ours. You cannot have her.”

“She’s already mine. We were married in town less than an hour ago.”

The Immortal scoffed. “That does not matter. She is mine.”

Sebastian stepped next to Alex. “Her father gave her to me and I gave her to the German Elders. Your claims are invalid, Kaveh.”

“Her father?” Kaveh narrowed his eyes. “How is that possible?”

“I took her to see him,” Sebastian said matter-of-factly. “My claim is more legitimate. You cannot deny that.”

Kaveh turned to Alex. “You dare try to marry an Elder-Mistress?”

“We are married. We will be confirmed shortly. There is nothing your Master can do to stop it now.”

“He is not my Master,” Kaveh spat. “I am no one’s servant.”

Alex smirked. “That’s not what I heard.”

Kaveh reached for Alex, but Sebastian snaked out his hand and grabbed Kaveh’s arm. “Don’t touch him. He is under my protection.”

Kaveh growled again. “You would dare cross the Chairman?

Alex raised his chin. “I would and I have. You tell him that by the end of the morning, he will have lost his hold on Anna. She is mine and there’s nothing he can do about it. He will treat her with the respect that she deserves.” He cocked his brow. “Or else,” he added with a growl.

Kaveh glared at Alex and Sebastian. “This is not over, human. The Chairman will not stand for it.”

“He doesn’t have a choice,” Sebastian retorted.

Kaveh clenched his jaw and turned to the Immortals behind him. A moment later, they disappeared.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief and raked his fingers through his hair. “I suppose this saves the phone call later,” he said, switching to German and shaking his head. “How did he find out?”

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