Page 224 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“Yes, Devin.”

Two hours later, Anna felt much better. The bath salts Maggie had put in the water had done wonders for her aching body. She dressed, ate breakfast, and rode with Devin to the offices of the State Representatives.

She spent the afternoon much as she had the previous day, although there were more women this time. Devin seemed to share a particular camaraderie with the Speaker of the House, who was from San Francisco. Anna didn’t particularly like the woman, but she complied with Devin’s instructions in order to keep him happy.

That evening Tom, Tommy, and Tyler came to Devin’s hotel suite and Anna spent the evening tending to their sexual needs. She slept hard that night and was disappointed that she didn’t dream about Alex.

Chapter 106

Thursday, Devin took Anna sightseeing, and Tom, Tommy, and Tyler joined them. Anna desperately wanted to go to the Library of Congress, but Devin said it would be boring. Anna didn’t ask for anything else for the rest of the day. Everywhere they went, Devin or Tom seemed to know somebody, and Anna was introduced and leered at. A few times, the man would lead her to a private area and fuck her or demand a blowjob.

That evening, Devin hosted a dinner party in his hotel suite. A private meeting of the Elders. Anna spent the afternoon with Maggie getting ready, as she did for Friday night Gatherings, although this time she wore a dinner dress instead of a sheer gown.

The floor-length, white silk dress had a deep “V” neckline that dipped well below her breasts and a slit that went nearly up to her hip. It was sleeveless, with beaded straps and a matching belt around her waist. She wore no shoes and no panties. At least it wasn’t see-through.

Anna waited in the bedroom until Devin was ready for her. When the time came, he led her out into the living room where six men stood engaged in conversation. The palpable aura of power surrounding them made Anna stumble. These were the men who governed the country. Devin glared at her and she straightened and dropped her gaze to the floor.

They all turned when she walked in. She trembled and stared at the white carpet. Devin had told her tonight was very important to him. What would happen?

Devin introduced her to the other men, then told her their names: Marcus Reece from Chicago, Connor Diaz from Philadelphia, Javier Hollingsworth from Houston, Oscar Silverman from Boston, and Brandon Seay from L.A. Tom, she already knew, was the New York Elder. Each man nodded his head as Devin said their names. Brandon gave her a big smile and she was confused until she remembered he was Travis’ father.

“Anna.” Brandon approached with a broad smile and kissed her cheek. “It is truly a delight to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from Travis.”

Anna smiled. “It’s wonderful to meet you too, my lord. Travis has spoken very highly of you.”

Brandon chuckled. “He’s a good young man. He said that he’s dancing with you in Nutcracker. Did you know?”

Anna nodded. “Isaak told me before I left. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Travis is as well.” Brandon glanced behind her to where Devin stood across the room talking with Marcus and Tom. “Anna, if you ever need anything...” He pursed his lips. “Tell Travis and he’ll get in touch with me.”

“Thank you. That’s very kind.”

“I know Alex. And Wilhelm. Good men.”

“Yes. I adore Wilhelm.”

“And Alex?” Brandon smiled.

Her heart dropped at the remembrance of the man whom she thought loved her, but really didn’t. “He is my Master,” she said in a soft voice.

Brandon tilted his head and studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “I’m looking forward to seeing you dance.”

Anna gave him her practiced smile, pushing aside her grief over Alex, and they chatted for a few minutes about dancing. He was quite knowledgeable about the subject and obviously very proud of Travis for what he had accomplished.

Dinner was served a few minutes later. Devin took his place at the head of the table, with Anna seated to his right. The other Elders clearly held Devin in high regard, frequently seeking his opinions on various matters. In return, Devin asked each Elder about specific topics. The primary focus of their dinner conversation appeared to be the willingness of people—and especially the politicians—to listen to the Elders.

As they were eating dessert, Devin leaned back in his seat and tapped his fork on the top of his cake, seemingly absentmindedly. “You know, it would be much easier to deal with these types of issues if we went back to the old ways.” He looked nonchalant, but Anna could see a glint of something—a faint hunger—in his eyes.

Oscar chuckled. “It would, but there’s no way the other countries would let us.”

“Why do we care what the other countries think?” Devin shook his head. “We’re Americans. We do as we please.”

Brandon shook his head. “We’re supposed to work together. The old ways were banned centuries ago.”

“Banned.” Devin snorted. “America wasn’t even a country then. How do we know they won’t work here?”

“It’s not that they didn’t work...” Javier frowned. “Isn’t it better to work with the Immortals rather than against them?”

---