Page 89 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

After a moment, Vati stood and approached Kurt. “I’m sorry you’ve been hurt in all this, Kurt.” He put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “But without you, we could not have helped Anna. Devin has lost much of his control over her. As I said earlier, she is much safer than she was when you first met her.”

Kurt spun around. “Why? What happened last night?”

“Devin tried to take complete control over Anna, and your brother stopped him.”

“How?”

Vati shook his head. “I can’t share that with you.”

Kurt clenched his jaw and looked away.

“Kurt, Anna belongs with Alex. In order to keep Devin from doing what he did, he had to... bond with her. She is his slave now.”

Kurt whipped around again. “What do you mean, slave? Like the Dirne?”

Alex didn’t know whether to be concerned or thrilled that his brother was showing concern for someone over the age of five. “She was already Devin’s slave, Kurt. I had to. I had no other choice.”

“You said she wasn’t a slave.”

“We didn’t think she was. She’s not supposed to be. But Devin deceived us. She is pierced now.” Kurt would know what that meant. Pierced women meant ownership inside The Brotherhood, although Anna wasn’t completely Alex’s. Elder-Sons couldn’t own slaves, so technically Devin and Vati owned her. But Alex was bonded to her.

After a long silence, Kurt turned to Alex, his eyes sad. “Do you care about her?”

Alex stood. “I do. More than anything.”

Kurt studied Alex for a long time. “You swore you’d never fall in love again.”

“With anyone except Anna,” Alex said in a low voice. He glanced at Vati, who nodded. “I’ve been having visions of her for four years. I’ve seen her mature. Seeing her with you last week nearly killed me.”

“So that’s why you were so pissy?” A hint of a smile played at Kurt’s lips.

Alex grimaced, but nodded.

The room was silent for a long time.

“Alright.” Kurt sighed and lifted his hands in the air. “You’re the unmarried one. I’m stuck with Gretchen.” He turned and walked out of the room.

Alex looked at his father. “Did you have any idea about his feelings?”

Vati grimaced. “I saw the way he looked at her, but...” He shook his head. “I never imagined they went so deep. It’s unlike him.”

Alex nodded. Very unlike him.

“Or it could simply be the power of an Elder-Mistress and it will wear off in a few days. Time will tell.”

Kurt returned a few minutes later holding his phone, a frown on his face. “I just got a message from Mutti. They’ve taken Gretchen to the hospital. I need to go home.”

Alex’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, Kurt! Is the baby okay?” Gretchen wasn’t due for many months.

“They don’t know yet.”

“I’ll call the pilot.” Vati pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Kurt shook his head. “You don’t need to shorten your trip on my behalf. I can fly commercial.”

Kurt’s calmness disturbed Alex more than his hurt over Anna. He stood and walked over to Kurt, embracing him in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, my brother.”

Kurt nodded, sadness in his eyes. “Take care of her.” He turned to Vati. “You should stay. Anna will want to see you tonight.”

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