Page 87 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

“I forbid you from marrying Kurt or from making me look bad in front of the Elders. You may not tell anyone what goes on at my Gatherings or in my private meetings. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Devin.” Her feet twitched and she clasped her hands in her lap, desperately wanting to run across the room.

“Go.”

Anna hesitated, not trusting she’d heard his words, but he nodded stiffly. Anna jumped up, her chair falling over backwards, and she ran as quickly as she could across the room and into Wilhelm’s open arms. She could feel Devin’s disapproving stare, but she couldn’t stop herself. Wilhelm held her tightly and kissed her head, stroking her hair and whispering in German to her. Tears fell down her cheeks and were absorbed into his suit jacket and she buried her face into the soft wool, inhaling his comforting, familiar scent and closing her eyes.

Vlad stood to speak again and Wilhelm sat down, pulling Anna into his lap. She leaned her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She looked up to see Kurt looking at her with longing and reached out her hand to him. He smiled, and Wilhelm gently pushed her into Kurt’s lap.

“Anna,” Kurt whispered, stroking her cheek. She rested her head on Kurt’s chest and reached behind her for Wilhelm’s hand. Anna closed her eyes and sighed. Their presence was everything she’d remembered, and so much more.

When the dinner was over, the wait staff cleared the dinnerware and pushed the tables to the sides of the room. The massive side doors opened and slave girls streamed in wearing short blue dresses.

Anna stood and bit her lip, dropping her gaze to the floor. “How may?—‍”

Wilhelm shook his head and lifted her chin. “Nein, Liebling. You are not to be used tonight. Kurt and I are going to take you to our room and have a nice, quiet evening. We have a lot of catching up to do.” He gave Anna a heart-melting smile and nodded to Kurt.

Kurt took her hand and they followed Wilhelm to where Devin sat with Tom and Oscar.

Wilhelm put his hand on Anna’s arm. “I want to thank you for changing your mind, Devin. I did not want to start any trouble. I just wanted to be with Anna. I hope you can understand that.”

Devin narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin. “She will return to me.”

Wilhelm nodded. “As much as I detest the thought, I agree. She cannot stay with me for long periods of time. This I know.” Wilhelm paused. “I was wondering if you would be willing to let her return to Germany with me. I believe she has some time off dancing? I will return her before the end of the month. You have my word.”

Devin’s chin jutted to the side. “I was looking forward to having her to myself for a few weeks.”

“You have had her for a year-and-a-half without any interference from me.”

“She was with Peter.”

“That is not my problem. I have been forbidden from any sort of contact with her. You owe me.” Wilhelm’s eyes flashed and Anna could sense his anger. Anna had only seen him angry once before—at Gretchen—and knew that he and Alex had similar tempers; she knew enough to be afraid.

Devin’s jaw clenched. “Give me a date that you’ll return her.”

“I will let you know before you leave.”

They glared at each other for a long minute before Devin nodded. “Fine. But if you try anything?—‍”

“I am not you, Devin. I keep my word.” Wilhelm turned and strode away before Devin could say anything else.

Anna stared wide-eyed as Devin’s face turned red with rage. He turned his furious gaze on to Anna before Kurt tugged at her hand and led her away.

Chapter 50

Kurt, Wilhelm, and Anna rode the elevator to an upper floor and walked down to the end of the hallway. Kurt opened the hotel room door and Anna walked into a suite of gold and blue. She immediately spotted a picture of Anna Pavlova on the far wall.

“Oh!” She hurried over to it and clapped her hands. It was the picture of the famous ballerina in her Giselle costume.

Kurt stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “This is the Mariinsky suite. We were hoping you would be able to see it.” He kissed the top of her head. “Vati is in the adjoining room.”

Anna turned in his embrace and gazed up at him. She stroked his cheek, rough with evening whiskers, and looked into his dear face. “I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered.

Kurt’s gaze intensified as he looked down into her eyes. “And I, you, mein Engel. So much.” He leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers. She lifted up onto her toes and kissed him hard, wrapping her arms around his neck, determined to show him how much she’d missed. He backed up until his legs hit the couch and sat down, pulling Anna down to straddle his hips. She pressed her hips forward, making him moan against her mouth. Oh, how she had missed him!

Wilhelm knocked softly and opened the door of his son’s adjoining suite. He had called Ilsa and given her the joyful news that Anna would be returning home with them for a few weeks. Ilsa was ecstatic and assured him that all would be ready for their return in a few days.

He looked around the living room and didn’t see any sign of his son or Anna, and crept closer to the bedroom doors when he heard soft moans and gasps.

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