Page 155 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

Travis shook his head. “There are two others here that are helping. One is... sometimes able to distract Devin, and can keep us posted about what’s going on, but the communication is limited because of his position.”

“Ian,” Wilhelm said without thinking.

Travis nodded. “How did you know?”

“When we were in St. Petersburg, he said some things that made me think he might not be completely loyal to Devin anymore.” Wilhelm frowned. “Devin will kill him if he ever finds out.”

“If she disappears, Devin will know Ian helped. He’s prepared to die if it means she can get free. He says it’s the least he can do after all he’s done to her.”

“He is a brave man,” Kurt said.

“Yeah,” Justin said.

Wilhelm put his fork down. “Is there anything I can do?” More than anything, he wanted Anna to be free and Devin removed from power. The only way Devin could lose his powers was if Anna were away from him. She was the source of his power.

“Actually, you’ve helped already,” Travis said. “Knowing she’s still ‘in there’ is really helpful. I made a call last night and was told that they could work with that.”

“Other than that, just play ignorant,” Justin said. “We knew you were concerned last night and wanted to let you know that there are others who feel the same way. Of course, we’ll let you know when she’s... away.”

“Thank you. Both of you. My heart is more at ease knowing I am not the only one concerned. And please, let me know if there is anything I can do.”

Justin smiled. “She’ll need a new name for her new life. Maybe you can come up with something.”

Wilhelm looked at Kurt and smiled. “I think we could manage that.”

Chapter 86

Moments of clarity for Anna were rare. When she was lucid, hanging from the ceiling in Devin’s bedroom, hours of pain inevitably followed. If she was lucky enough to wake while dancing, she just felt confused and fearful of the coming pain. She preferred her numb euphoria, stupidly happy and content with the world.

Slowly, though, the painful times became less frequent, as did the moments when she knew fully what was going on around her. She walked around in a dream-like state, blissfully unaware of anything outside of the love she felt when he was around.

He told her he loved her. That he was so proud of her. That he needed her so much. That she made him feel good.

Anna flew on clouds of happiness. He loved her! Finally, after all these years, he loved her. Truly loved her.

As the lines between dream and reality disappeared, Anna found herself at peace. There were times when she saw the man with piercing cobalt-blue eyes, but they were infrequent and left her feeling empty, like whispers in the wind. The comforting love of the other figure, the man with the gold-flecked obsidian eyes, wrapped her in his warm embrace. Pain and anguish were a thing of the past. There was nothing to fear anymore.

A warm breeze blew gently across Anna’s face and lifted a few stray tendrils of hair, tickling her nose. She scrunched her face and rubbed her nose. Was it a dream? Was it reality? She couldn’t tell the difference anymore.

A warm hand brushed her hair away from her face. She opened her eyes to see Devin crouching next to her, wearing a white linen tunic. “Hello, love,” he said in a soft voice.

A smile crept across her face. “Hi,” she whispered.

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

He chuckled gently. “That’s to be expected. You usually are this time of year.”

This time of year? She looked down and saw him rubbing her protruding stomach. The baby. She had forgotten.

“But it will be over soon, love. Remember?”

Anna smiled and nodded. “A gift for you...”

“Yes, love. A beautiful gift for me.” He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I love you so much.”

Warmth spread throughout her body. “I love you, too.”

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