Page 361 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

Tears burned Anna’s eyes at the Elder’s words.

“You may have her for three weeks, and then she will be turned over to Wilhelm. You have abused her for long enough. He will keep her for as long as he can without harm coming to her, and then he will return her to you for another three weeks.”

Devin clenched his hands. “You can’t take her away from me, she is mine. Even the Immortals acknowledge that. The simple fact that she must be returned to me proves that point.”

“You abuse her, Devin,” Wilhelm snapped. “She is a person, not a punching bag. No wonder she ran away from you.”

“Wilhelm, that’s enough,” Shaw said. “She did wrong. She will pay the penalty, and then you will have her back.” He turned to Devin. “If you show respect befitting an Elder-Mistress, we will reconsider our decision. The Immortals are already unhappy with us. We will not risk losing our Mistresses because you cannot control yourself, Devin.”

And so she was in Devin’s jet, clinging to the armrests as the jet dropped to the runway. The Manor wasn’t far from the airport, which meant there was little time before the pain began.

Tyler leaned forward and grabbed her around her neck. “Did you know that the nerve-juice can be injected directly into the clit?” He grinned. “I understand it’s incredibly painful. More so than injecting it into your neck.”

Anna felt the blood drain from her face and she looked at Devin, who nodded.

“We’ve been experimenting with the expectation of your eventual return. Wilhelm will get you back in three weeks, but you probably won’t know it until a few days later. I intend for you to be in excruciating pain for the entire three weeks.”

Chapter 179

“I can’t find him!” Alex was dangerously close to whining to his father as anguish squeezed his heart. “He’s never out where I can get a shot at him.”

He had been in San Francisco for a week and could not get a clear shot of Tyler. He couldn’t even find him for the first few days. Seth had finally figured out that he’d been in the Manor the entire time. When he finally emerged, he stayed in his car until the garage of his apartment building sheltered him. The curtains in his apartment remained drawn over the windows. At work, he’d moved into an office without a window. “I’m half-tempted to get a handgun and approach him on foot.”

“Alex, you can’t do that.”

Alex sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “I know.”

“Devin must be trying to keep Tyler out of the assassin’s scope.”

“The man’s not stupid. I’m sure he’s figured out the pattern.”

“Don’t snap at me, Alex. I know you’re upset. If nothing else, when I go get Anna, we can relax a bit.”

“I can’t let her endure three weeks of torture, Vati! Every day is killing me. Seth says she isn’t even in her room at the Manor. He’s keeping her in the dungeon.” What made the whole thing worse was that Anna had no reason to hope for things to get better until his father picked her up. Vati had wiped her memories of Alex. She still believed him dead.

“Tyler’s an arrogant man. He will expose himself soon. Don’t get upset, or you’ll miss your chance.”

“Mr. Andersen?”

Devin pressed the intercom button on his office phone. “Yes, Maddy?”

“The Chief of Police is here to see you.”

Devin’s heart skipped a beat at his secretary’s words. It’s nothing. Just a friendly visit. He hoped.

It was his first day back in the office in two weeks. Val had finally told him if he killed Anna again, he wouldn’t be able to revive her. She no longer responded to anything he did. He supposed a day of rest wouldn’t hurt. Besides, he had work to catch up on. He would let her sleep today and return tonight when she had healed enough to know what was going on around her again.

Every joint in her body had been dislocated. He’d beaten her limbs with a metal pole and shattered at least one leg. Her pussy was so swollen from electricity and beatings, he couldn’t get his cock inside her anymore. Same with her ass. Her breasts were black with bruises, as well as most of the rest of her body. Devin took as much of her essence as he could, which severely limited her healing abilities. Wilhelm would have a helluva time getting her back in shape.

When he’d left her last night, she was manacled in the dungeon, lying in a pool of her own blood. The manacles were in case she started to rage, but Devin doubted she had the energy to do so.

He took a deep breath. “Send him in.”

Devin stared at the door, praying that his old friend was just here for advice or a casual conversation. He’d been keeping Tyler sheltered in case he was the next target. He would not let anything happen to his son.

The look on the police chief’s face sent chills through Devin’s body as he realized his greatest fear had just come to pass. He gripped the edge of his desk and his voice cracked when he tried to speak. “Tyler?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Andersen...” The police chief continued speaking, but Devin’s ears rang so loudly he couldn’t hear anything the man said.

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