Page 190 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“Where would you be comfortable standing?”

“In the back corner?” she asked, half joking.

Delia laughed. “If you’d like.”

Before class started, Delia introduced her to the rest of the students. Delia put Anna on the side wall between two girls named Madison and Olivia. They were friendly and Anna liked standing near them.

The entire class was conducted en pointe, though Delia told her she could switch to slippers if she needed to.

As anticipated, this class was significantly more challenging, but Anna relished every moment. The exhaustion by the end was nothing short of exhilarating.

Chapter 83

By Friday night, Anna was utterly exhausted, but happily so. Travis had been right. She was quickly regaining her strength and already felt at home with the advanced students.

At the Manor, she hummed as Maggie and Sarah got her ready for the Gathering.

Maggie smiled as she helped Anna into her dress. “What has you so happy, Mistress?”

Anna shrugged, but couldn’t suppress the grin on her face. “Everything just feels right in the world.”

Maggie looked confused, and Anna shrugged. “I get to dance every day.” She didn’t know if it would be wise to mention Alex in the Manor. Devin still hated him.

Later, as Anna kneeled beside Devin’s chair, she closed her eyes and let her fingers dance on her thighs.

Devin put his hand on her head, and she looked up. “You look beautiful tonight, Mistress.” She beamed at him, and he tilted his head and studied her eyes. “What are you so happy about?” He pulled her up into his lap and caressed her breast.

She kept her practiced smile on her face, but inside, his touch made her wince. She hadn’t been with anyone since Alex, and the idea of someone touching her aside from him was disconcerting. “I really like being able to dance every day, Master.”

“Is that everything?”

Anna bit her lip, reluctant to admit what had happened between her and Alex.

“Anna?” He arched a brow.

She lowered her gaze to his chest and gave a small shrug. “I’ve gotten to know Alex and...” She swallowed. “I like him.”

Devin stiffened but didn’t respond. She could feel his anger, though. But what else could she have said? She couldn’t lie.

Devin clenched his jaw and fists. He’d known something was off the moment Anna kneeled beside his chair. She had a different spirit about her, and he didn’t like it. And now he knew why. Fucking Alex.

“You . . . like him?”

She nodded, wincing. Well, at least she knew enough to fear him.

He sighed. Fuck. This was not what he needed right now. “I heard he went out of town.”

She nodded again, still staring at his chest.

Alex was her Master as much as Devin was, but until now, her bond with Alex had been so weak it had been easy to overcome it. But there was no doubt that something had happened to strengthen it. Fuck. Would manipulating her mind against Alex work again? He’d have to try after the Gathering. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything about it at the moment.

Movement at the back of the room caught his attention, and he looked up to see Senator Morrell walk into the Hall. He’d been asking Devin about Anna since he’d met her the previous week, and Devin had invited him back to ensure they continued to see eye to eye on the banking bill.

“Anna, Senator Morrell is back to see you.” He nodded toward the aisle and Anna followed his gaze. “Make sure he remembers how much you like him.”

Anna nodded and went to greet the senator. His eyes lit up as she led him to a chair near Devin’s throne and sat on his lap.

Devin watched carefully and saw no hint of disobedience. He nodded, pleased. She still obeyed, but he needed to get a handle on the potential Alex problem sooner than later.

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