Page 204 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Vati was right. Alex was slowly but steadily gaining command of the ancient language and decoding the ancient tome dragged as he struggled with the forgotten language. Even with Sebastian’s help.

In the meantime, to keep Anna safe, he had to maintain his distance from her. Again. A few days earlier, when he had informed Devin of his arrival, he’d deliberately allowed Devin to believe he no longer cared for her. Which was as far from the truth as could possibly be. But if Devin suspected any affection on Alex’s part, it would give the Elder a reason to use him to hurt Anna. Alex wouldn’t underestimate the bastard again. Devin would do anything to keep Anna to himself. And, as long as Devin believed that Alex had lost interest, Anna would be much safer until Alex could figure out how to bring her fully under his protection.

Kurt crossed his arms and frowned at Alex. “You hurt her.”

“I know,” Alex snapped. He didn’t need his little brother—the one who could spend as much time as he wanted with her during their visit—stating the obvious. He clenched his jaw. It had been so much easier to make the decision when she wasn’t around. Once he saw her, though, his resolve wavered.

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Anna, but he had promised her he would come to the performance. And he wanted to see her dance. But when she’d wrapped her arms around him and he’d inhaled her sweet scent, it had almost undone him. Not embracing her as he desperately wanted had been harder than taking out a target at a thousand yards in a stiff crosswind.

When Anna visited Frankfurt in December, though, Alex promised himself he would make up his distance the moment she arrived. He would make sure she knew exactly how he felt about her. How desperately he loved her. These few days here with her, not being able to hold her or kiss her, would be pure torture. But he had to keep her safe.

Anna returned a few minutes later, dressed and staring at the floor. She glanced up at something his brother said and her eyes were red from crying. Alex felt like he’d been hit in the chest.

He glanced at his father, pleading with him silently. Surely he could at least explain to Anna why he was keeping his distance. It might take some of the edge off the hurt if she knew why it had to be this way.

Vati gave him a sympathetic look and sadly shook his head.

No, he couldn’t do that. She couldn’t hide anything from Devin, though no fault of her own. Devin knew her too well. Alex needed to stay strong. Doing the right thing now was the only way to keep her safe from Devin in the future.

“Would you like to stay with me at our hotel, Anna?” Kurt asked as she returned from the dressing room.

Anna glanced up, hoping her eyes weren’t too red from crying. She’d been expecting to stay with Alex, but Alex clearly didn’t want her anymore. She glanced at her Master, who gave a small nod and looked away again. If that’s what her Master wanted her to do, then she would obey him. “Yes, Kurt. I’d like that.”

She genuinely liked Kurt, so it wouldn’t be a terrible hardship to spend time with him. But Alex’s rejection stung. Once more, she was reminded that happiness wasn’t meant for her. My purpose in life is to provide sexual pleasure to men.

“Kurt, go with Anna to her apartment so she can pack a few things for the rest of the week,” Wilhelm said before kissing Anna’s cheek and walking toward the lobby of the opera house with Alex.

Anna and Kurt walked through the back of the building to the garage where she had parked. “I am so glad to see you, Anna. I have missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, Kurt.” It was somewhat true. She didn’t think of him often, but when she did, it was with affection. She unlocked her car and tossed her bag in the backseat before giving Kurt an affectionate smile, pushing aside her emotions and reminding herself she needed to take care of Kurt properly, lest she upset both of her Masters.

On the short drive to Anna’s apartment, Kurt chatted about his children and the journey from Germany. He praised her dancing and told her he couldn’t wait to see the full performance on Friday. They had come to the rehearsal because he was so eager to see her. “Is that alright?”

Anna smiled as she parked. “Of course.” They made their way up to her apartment and Anna quickly packed a bag for the next few days, then headed to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel where Kurt was staying.

When they arrived at the hotel room, Alex was nowhere to be seen, but Wilhelm was waiting for them. “Alex is spending time with friends this evening.”

Anna forced a smile and lifted her chin. She would take care of Kurt—and Wilhelm if he wanted her—to the best of her ability. Alex was clearly no longer interested in her, and she had her duties.

Chapter 94

Late Friday afternoon, Anna and Nate had warmed up and were relaxing in her dressing room before the performance. Someone knocked on the door and Anna opened it to find a messenger standing there, holding a dozen pink roses in a clear vase. There was no indication of who the roses were from, but Anna guessed they were from Alex. She accepted them and thanked the messenger, then stared at them for a moment as he walked away, her emotions churning. She turned and put them on the vanity, resisting the urge to bury her nose in them. If they were from Alex, it was a cruel joke for him to play on her. Why would he want to remind her of that happy evening?

“Who are they from?” Nate asked.

She hesitated, then shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t know.”

Nate smiled. “You have a secret admirer?”

Anna sat back on the couch. “I don’t know.” She focused her smile on Nate. “So you were telling me about your first ballet class?”

Nate grinned and finished the story about his mom literally dragging him, kicking and screaming, to his first class. But he ended up loving it and never looked back.

A while later, there was another knock at the door. Nate laughed. “You’re very popular tonight.”

Anna opened the door and gasped when she saw Devin standing there, tall and handsome in his black suit and silver tie. “Devin!”

Devin looked past her and back at her, raising his eyebrows. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

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