The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced Read online

  The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced

  By Marissa Honeycutt

  Copyright 2014 Marissa Honeycutt

  Smashwords Edition

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright 2014 Marissa Honeycutt

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All portrayals of sexual acts are between adults (aka, over the age of 18).

  ***Warning***

  This book is for grownups. This book is not for people who are easily offended, get nightmares easily, or have difficulty reading books about tough subjects. I do not glorify bad things, but bad things do happen to my poor characters. This is not your typical love story. My heroine does not fall in love and live happily ever after... at least not like the typical heroine. There is a happily ever after, but it is a long, painful journey to that end.

  This is not a stand-alone novel. The series must be read in order.

  Anna’s story is told in five, novel-length books. There is a subculture within our own world that you’ve only heard whispers of. The conspiracy theorists wish they knew Anna’s story. What the conspiracy theorists think they know is only disinformation, put out there to keep them from the real story.

  This book will likely offend you. This book might make you cry; it might make you throw up. It is a dark book. As my friend, Heidi, said, “It’s dark. It gets darker. It gets even darker, and then it gets even darker. And then, just when you think it can’t get any darker, it does.”

  But, don’t worry. I take you to the deep end gradually. ;)

  There are many sexual situations in this series of books. People die. People get hurt. Things aren’t always truly the way they appear. The antagonist isn’t just a bad guy; he’s EVIL. My heroine’s worldview is skewed; things that may appall you are perfectly normal to her.

  Any violence in this book is non-gratuitous and crucial to the plot and character development.

  Do not read this if you are under the age of consent in your country. Do not get angry if the subject or actual book upsets you. If you're reading this, you've been warned.

  Chapter One

  “It’s kinda early,” Ben commented as he and Anna rode the Sapphire’s elevator up to their floor together. “Do you want to come to my place for a bit? We could watch a movie or something.”

  “Sure,” Anna said, glancing over at him. She’d had a wonderful dinner date with her neighbor last night, ending with a simple, tender kiss goodnight at her door. Today the young lawyer had followed up with lunch and a sweet Sunday afternoon walk on the beach. Ben was fun and incredibly smart, and he had a way about him that put her at ease, even after a long, rough evening at the Manor with Devin. He had also managed to help her forget, for a while, the reason she had gone to the Manor early last week.

  Ben grinned and they walked down the hallway to his apartment. He unlocked the door and they walked into an apartment with a similar feel to Anna’s, but with a different setup. Their living room was in the center of the apartment with the bedrooms on either side. The TV was on and Ben’s roommate, Matt, sat on the couch drinking a beer. Anna didn’t notice Greg at first, but when she did, she stiffened. The man hired by Alex to babysit her was slouched in a chair, looking cool as a cucumber.

  “Hey, I thought you’d have Jenna over,” Ben said, pulling Anna further into the room.

  “She had something to do with her dad,” Matt answered with a shrug. Anna’s best friend Jenna had hooked up with Matt after their double date last Thursday.

  Anna smiled at Matt but gave Greg a dirty look. Dirty, stinking liar. He had pretended to be her friend, when all the while he was being paid to watch over Alex’s property.

  Greg looked up at her, nodded slightly, and then stood. “I should get going. I’ve got some stuff to do before I hit the sack.”

  Anna frowned in confusion. Why was he leaving? She thought he was supposed to keep an eye on her. Was this a trick? Or was it Alex’s way of saying he no longer cared enough to even protect his property?

  “Are you sure?” Matt asked, looking surprised. “The movie’s not over.”

  Greg gave Anna an understanding smile. “Nah. I gotta go. I’ll see ya later. Thanks for the beer.”

  Anna watched as Greg left, then sighed in relief.

  “Hey, how was your, what, second date?” Matt asked.

  Ben smiled at Anna. “Second or third? Does dinner on Thursday count as a date?”

  Anna giggled. “I don't know. Does it?”

  Ben looked thoughtful. “I think it does. Because then I could do this.” He cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to hers, caressing them and giving Anna goose bumps up and down her arms. She kissed him back and lost herself in his touch.

  When he pulled away, Anna looked at him shyly. “Are you not allowed to kiss me like that until our third date?”

  Ben chuckled. “Nope. It’s too forward.”

  Anna giggled. “Then I think I’ll consider it our third date as well.”

  “Always the gentleman.” Matt chuckled and stood up. “I’ll finish in my room. Nice seeing you, Anna.”

  “Nice seeing you, Matt.”

  Ben and Anna sat on the couch and talked for a bit. She loved hearing him talk about his family; so different from her own. She avoided telling him much about her life after her parents died. She didn’t want to tell him what she was, but worried about being dishonest. Maybe she should ask Jenna for advice.

  “Why don't you like talking about your guardian?” Ben asked after Anna had deflected a third question about Jack.

  Anna flushed. “He…wasn’t, er isn’t, very nice.”

  Ben chuckled. “Well, maybe he’s one of those kind of lawyers. A lot of lawyers aren’t nice. Especially when they get to the top of the mountain.”

  “Does that mean you won’t be nice when you get successful?” Anna didn’t think that was possible.

  “I hope not. I try really hard to be a nice guy.”

  She smiled. “I think you succeed.”

  He grinned. “Thanks.”

  They looked at each other for a moment, then Anna blushed and looked away.

  “Did he hurt you? Your guardian, I mean?”

  Anna looked back at him, alarmed. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “Gut feeling. When you said he wasn’t nice and didn’t like talking about him, it kinda made sense.”

  Anna studied Ben’s eyes for a long moment. How much could she tell him? Would he still like her if he found out what she really was? Tears came unbidden to her eyes. She felt like she was deceiving him by not telling him, but fear kept her mouth shut. She really liked him and it would devastate her if he didn’t want to see her anymore.

  “Hey,” he said in a soft voice, and pulled her close. “Hey, it’s okay. I would never judge you for something someone did to you, Anna.” He stroked her hair and kissed her head. “He did hurt you, didn’t he?”
<
br />   Anna nodded.

  “I’m so sorry, Anna,” he whispered and hugged her close. “Men like that…oh, they make me so angry.” He kissed the top of her head. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I mean...I want you to know that if you ever want to talk about it, I’ll listen. And I wouldn’t ever think badly of you.”

  Anna looked up into his eyes and smiled. “You’re a really nice guy, you know that?”

  He smiled tenderly. “I try.”

  She stroked his cheek with her thumb, then leaned up and kissed him. He slid his hand around the back of her head and deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping in between her lips, making her moan softly. They kissed for a long time, then Ben pulled away suddenly, panting.

  “Anna….” He searched her eyes. “Do…do you want to stay the night?”

  Anna nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “Very much so.”

  He nodded and stood, pulling her to her feet. He kissed her again, then took her into his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

  Chapter Two

  Anna slept soundly in Ben’s arms. She awoke to him stroking her hair back from her face. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was his smile.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he said with a tender smile.

  “Good morning,” she replied, smiling back. It had been a wonderful night. Anna was pretty sure he didn’t know anything about the Brotherhood because he didn’t make any comments about her rings or jewelry. At his age, if his father was a Brother, he would be aware of the organization. She knew he wasn’t because he had no piercings of his own.

  Anna glanced out the window. The sun was just rising. “What time is it?”

  “Six. I have to get to the office early today, unfortunately. If I had known what a wonderful night I was going to have, I wouldn’t have scheduled such an early morning meeting.” He leaned down to kiss her. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” She smiled. “I understand.”

  “What time do you finish dancing?”

  Anna thought for a minute. “I don’t know exactly. This is my first day with the Company. Probably around five, though.”

  “You dance all day? Wow.”

  “I don’t have to be there until ten. And it’s not like I’m dancing nonstop. I have breaks.” She giggled.

  Ben rolled his eyes. “I figured that.” He grinned down at her. “I’ll be home around six. Do you want to have dinner here with me?”

  Anna nodded eagerly.

  He leaned down and kissed her neck. “Then maybe dessert here in my room?”

  Anna nodded and giggled. “Sounds wonderful. What will we have?”

  “Mmm. How about you?”

  Anna giggled again. “Only if I get you, too.”

  “Hon, you can have me any time you want.” He rolled on top of her. “You have an amazing mouth.” He kissed her. “And body.” He kissed her again. “And everything else.”

  Anna felt him hard against her thigh and pressed up against him, which made him groan. He captured her lips with his. “I suppose I could be a little late,” he murmured against her lips.

  *****

  Anna arrived at the studio early, hoping to find Jenna. She saw Aaron parking as she walked out of the garage.

  “Hey, Anna!” he said, jogging up to her and giving her a big hug. “How was your trip?”

  “DC was interesting. I got to see a lot of interesting things, so I guess it was good.” She grinned at him and hugged him again. “I’ve missed you.”

  He buried his face in her neck. “I’ve missed you too.”

  Anna closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. He always smelled so good.

  “Hey, you’re with the Company now. You wanna go out to dinner after rehearsal?”

  Anna knew what he was asking and she bit her lip. She was pretty sure that she and Ben were more than just dating at this point. “I…I can’t. I have plans.”

  Aaron looked surprised. “With who?”

  “Um, a guy in my building. His name is Ben.”

  Aaron stiffened and pulled away. “Oh.” He looked up at the roof with a pained look in his eyes.

  “Aaron…please don’t….”

  “No, it’s okay, Anna. I just thought…well, I thought I’d have at least a chance to ask you out before some other guy did.” He glanced back down at her. “Is it…um…have you gone out with him before?”

  Anna blushed and nodded. “We went out a few times over the weekend.” She winced. “I’m sorry, Aaron.”

  “It’s okay.” Aaron shook his head and sighed. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

  Anna felt awful. Maybe she shouldn’t have gone out with Ben. But it’s not like she had been looking for someone. It just…happened. She glanced at Aaron as they walked together to the studio. His face was inscrutable, but she could sense his hurt.

  Aaron opened the door for Anna then disappeared into the crowd of students and professional dancers. She blinked tears away as she looked around for Jenna.

  “Jenna!” Anna called when she saw her across the room.

  They made their way towards one another. “Hey, how was your date?” Jenna asked.

  Anna blushed. “Good.”

  “Really good, by the looks of that blush.”

  She told Jenna what had happened over the weekend and Jenna squealed. “I’m so happy for you. He seems like a really nice guy.”

  “Yeah. I hurt Aaron, though. He’s upset because he didn’t get a chance to ask me out.”

  “I know he’d been looking forward to it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I forgot.”

  Anna frowned, something telling her there might be more than just a lapse of memory going on there.

  “Wanna do lunch?” Jenna asked.

  Anna nodded.

  “Okay, meet you at break.”

  Anna headed to the main studio where the soloists and principals had class together. Travis saw her walk in and walked over quickly to hug her.

  “Hey, partner,” he said. “Ready to be a professional dancer?”

  Anna grinned. “Yeah. I think I am.”

  *****

  Time flew by. Anna spent the days in rehearsals and the evenings with Ben. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized she was in danger of falling in love again. She debated the wisdom of it, but Devin didn’t seem to mind and she took that as his approval.

  Summer ended and fall began, and life continued to progress in a positive direction. A few months into their relationship, Ben took Anna to a very nice restaurant and told her that he loved her over dinner. She could honestly answer him with her own profession of love.

  She felt guilty about hiding her “other life” and, as laid back as Ben was, it was getting more and more difficult. Especially when he wanted to take her out of town one weekend and she couldn’t go because she had to spend time with her “family friend.”

  He wasn’t happy about the family friend, and Anna suspected that he didn’t totally buy into it, but he didn’t press her. Too much.

  Devin continued to take Anna “visiting” to various political leaders, going to Sacramento a few times as well. She was apparently becoming a favorite of the Governor’s, and Devin took every opportunity to let her spend time with him. Devin frequently asked her to plant suggestions in the Governor’s mind. She once heard him refer to her ability to reel in a shark on a trout hook, but she didn’t really know what that meant.

  Greg maintained his distance from her, much to her relief, but every time she saw him, she was reminded that Alex hadn’t called. Her anger at Alex continued as a low-level burn inside her.

  There were more than a few nights when Ben almost caught the men going to her apartment, but she avoided most of the problem by staying at his place. Ben didn’t seem to mind. There seemed to be fewer men than there used to be, which Anna certainly didn’t mind, and to her pr
ofound relief she didn’t see Zach at all.

  Then, out of the blue, Alex called in the middle of November, telling her he wanted her to come visit after Nutcracker was over and spend the New Year in Germany with him. He didn’t ask her; he told her she was coming. She hated him for that. He had implied that he was so different from Devin, yet he gave her no choice in the matter. She wanted to spend New Year’s Eve with Ben, not the Master she was beginning to despise, but she didn’t have any choice. As if her consent was optional, she told Alex she would be there.

  By the time Thanksgiving came around, she was completely head-over-heels in love with Ben and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. When she asked Devin for permission to go to Seattle to meet Ben’s family, she knew she had aroused Devin’s anger, but was happily shocked when he said yes.

  Ben’s family was every bit as wonderful as he had made them out to be, and they seemed to really like her. His parents and sisters were very welcoming and instantly put her at ease. It was her first family Thanksgiving since her parents died. Jack never made a big deal out of holidays, and there had been absolutely no trace of celebration after she turned sixteen.

  As opening night approached, Anna felt sick with worry about the weekend. Kurt and Wilhelm were coming into town and she needed to spend time with them. But Ben still knew nothing of her other life. How would she explain that she couldn’t see him after opening night because she had to be with her Master’s family?

  Chapter Three

  On the Wednesday before opening night, Anna got a call from Ben. “Hey, love,” Ben said in an excited voice. “Are you in the middle of something?”

  “Just hanging out waiting for the first act to finish. Why? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, everything is more than okay. We won!”

  “Oh, Ben!” Anna exclaimed, beaming. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! You’ve been working so hard on that case!”

  “Thanks, love.”

  “We should celebrate,” Anna said, dropping her voice seductively, though she couldn’t hold back a happy grin for the man she loved.