The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined Page 3

She could feel Alex watching her. She shouldn’t question him. He’d get angry. He might say that he wouldn’t hit her, but she knew enough about men to know that when they got mad, they hit.

  “Oh.” What else could she say in response to that? Instead, she thought about what he had said about Devin. Why did Devin want to control her so completely? “So, you...saved me?” she asked quietly.

  “Yes, Schatzi, I did.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and she shivered.

  His hand lingered in her hair and she found herself leaning into him. “Why?” She closed her eyes. It felt good when he touched her; he was gentle.

  “Because I had to.” He sighed and his hand dropped away. “We don’t know what Devin has planned, but we know it’s not a good thing for a man like him to have so much power. Devin would use you to control many people. We can’t allow that to happen. The entire world would be at risk. I had the opportunity and obligation to stop him.”

  “Oh.” She paled and pulled away from him, staring at his chest. She had been mistaken. He hadn’t saved her because he cared about her. He saved her because he had an obligation to do so. She rubbed the backs of her tingling fingers. “So, both you and Devin are my Masters?”

  Alex grimaced and looked at the window behind her. “Ja.”

  He was her Master. She needed to please him. “Master, please,” she said, reaching out to him once more. “I am well trained. I can please you....”

  “No, Anna,” he growled.

  She snatched her hand away and swallowed nervously as a cold chill ran through her body. Why wouldn’t he let her please him? Why did he become her Master if he didn’t want to use her?

  “Anna, tell me how you were trained,” he said softly after a long silence.

  She looked at him, surprised. Why would he ask such a question? His father was an Elder. Surely he knew how slaves were trained. “In the normal way, I suppose. Though Jack said he could be harder on me because I healed quickly.”

  “What does training have to do with a quick healing ability?”

  She stared at him, not understanding his question. “Aren’t your slaves trained?”

  He frowned. “Of course they are.”

  “Wouldn’t the trainers enjoy it if a slave had a quick-healing ability?”

  He looked confused. “I don’t understand your connection. What does training have to do with healing?” He inhaled sharply and then looked her directly in the eye. “Anna, tell me how you were trained,” he said in a firm voice.

  Her eyes widened slightly as she felt the command. So that’s what it would feel like when she was told to do something. She took a deep breath. “When I was sixteen, Jack brought me here and Devin and I had sex. Then Jack took me home and started training me. Well, he told me that my training had really begun when I was twelve, because I started learning about sex then, but—”

  Alex frowned. “What did he do to you when you were twelve?”

  Anna shrugged. “He started touching me and stuff.”

  *****

  Alex was bewildered. Jack had started molesting her when she was twelve? How could someone want to touch a twelve-year-old little girl like that? He shuddered at the thought.

  “Jack said it would help me feel better after my parents' death,” she continued with a shrug. “It did.”

  “When did you go to live with your guardian?” he asked.

  “After my parents died,” she said softly. “Right after, actually. I was with Jack when they died.”

  Alex frowned. There was more to this story than just molestation and painful training. “Why don't you start from when your parents died and tell me how your guardian raised you.”

  Anna nodded obediently. She stared hard at his chest and began speaking softly. “We were driving home from the opening night of the Nutcracker performance when my parent’s car flipped off the bridge. I was in the car with Jack. He took me home with him and I stayed with him from then on. After the funeral, Jack and Devin.... They…they touched me and it felt good. It made my heart not hurt so bad. It gave me relief from missing my parents.”

  “Touched you how?”

  “They kissed me and played with my pussy. Devin gave me my first orgasm with his mouth that afternoon. After that, they were constantly giving me orgasms. It felt good and I liked it. A lot. From things they said, I’m pretty sure he did it to me when I was a baby too, but I don’t remember it.”

  Bile rose in Alex's throat. The thought of a young Anna being molested by those men made him want to punch someone. He growled without thinking about it and regretted it when he saw the fear in her face. He forced himself to relax and she continued, staring at his chest and twisting the sheet around her fingers.

  “They did it a lot: several times a day. Two girls lived with us that Jack was training. I didn’t know what that meant until later.” She shuddered. “The day before my sixteenth birthday, Jack brought me here, to the Manor. They undressed me and tied me to a bed and left me alone.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know, but I’d been touched almost constantly for four years by then. Not just sexually. They’d hold me and hug me and stuff, too. But they tied me to that bed and I was alone for hours. My body started to ache for touch. It started to hurt. I remember screaming and crying for someone to come to me. It was tortuous. I couldn’t sleep and I got really...my brain got all mushy and I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I thought I was in hell.” She shuddered again.

  She’d twisted her fingers into the sheets and pulled at them, but couldn’t get free. Alex untied them with gentle movements and then kept hold of her hands. Both of hers fit into one of his. She looked up at him with wide eyes and he gave her a gentle smile.

  She swallowed and looked back at his chest. “Finally, I felt someone touching me. When I was able to think straight, I realized that it was Devin on top of me, kissing me and touching me all over my body. It felt so good. He was naked and...well, he had sex with me. It was my first time. It hurt.” She chewed her lip. “Then Jack and Devin changed.”

  “Changed how?” He fought against his desire to go and beat Devin’s face in.

  Her brows twitched slightly and she swallowed before answering. “They came to see me the next day and they were mean. Cruel. Devin hit me. Jack, too. They told me how my life was going to be different. That they were now my Masters and I had to obey them.” She sighed and played with the sheet. “Jack took me home and began training me. He trained me until last week when he brought me back here to Devin.” She looked up at him and offered a shy smile.

  He frowned. Why was she so reluctant to tell him anything?

  She blinked and looked back down at the sheets.

  “What was involved in this ‘training’?”

  “I learned how to submit and to please a man.” Anna shrugged. “Jack hit me a lot. He used whips and...did other things to teach me to submit. And he and his friends had sex with me a lot, too.”

  Alex listened in horror as Anna described some of the lessons Jack had taught her in her training. Alex didn’t know which upset him more, the descriptions of the training, or the offhand manner in which she spoke of her guardian’s abuse. How could she speak of it so casually?

  She shifted her body away from his, but he barely acknowledged it.

  “They tortured and raped you?” he asked.

  “I wouldn’t exactly call it torture....”

  Unconsciously, Alex's left hand curled up into a fist. Anna winced and pulled back even more. Seeing her wince made him realize what he was doing. He took a deep breath and willed his body to relax.

  “Anna, I will never hit you,” he promised and put his hand on top of hers.

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind so much.”

  “No, Anna. It’s not okay.” Frustration arose in his heart and he ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s not okay that they betrayed your trust like that. You weren’t raised in the Schloss. You should have been raised in a loving home by your parent
s.”

  She shrugged. “I survived. How else would I make it, now that I’m...Devin’s?”

  “You shouldn’t be Devin’s. You should be your own person with your own life.” His words were quiet, but they reverberated in the room.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, her voice so faint he could barely hear her.

  “You weren’t born in the Manor. You weren’t raised here. Dirne who are born in the Schloss work there, not little girls born into loving homes.”

  “Devin claimed me at birth. He said so.”

  “He had no right to do so. He shouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t be surprised if–” He wouldn't be surprised if Devin and Jack had some hand in her parent's death, but he stopped himself before he spoke the words aloud. She didn't need to be burdened with that knowledge unless it could be confirmed.

  “You wouldn’t be surprised if what?”

  “Nothing, it’s not important,” he snapped before he realized it and instantly regretted it.

  “I’m sorry,” she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut.

  He sighed, hating how scared she was, though he understood now. “I shouldn’t have snapped, Anna. I’m sorry.” He moved his hand back to her hair and played with it again. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman, Schatzi.”

  Her eyes opened again. “What does shatsey mean?”

  “Schatzi?” Alex silently cursed at himself. He’d been calling her that without thinking about it. It came to him more naturally than Anna did. Now she would know how he felt about her. He hoped it didn’t bother her. “It means ‘little treasure.’”

  She twisted her fingers in the sheet. “Why do you call me that?”

  He looked at her, puzzled. “Why shouldn't I call you that?”

  “You don't seem to like me very much.”

  His jaw dropped open in surprise. She thought he didn't like her? He could barely control himself around her. He was rapidly falling in love with her. He wanted to take her home with him and make up for all the love she'd missed out on. “Anna, I...that's not true. I like you a lot.”

  “You do?” She looked shocked.

  “Yes.” He smiled and stroked her hair.

  “Master, why won't you let me please you then?” she asked with desperation in her voice.

  He grimaced at her calling him Master and closed his eyes. He didn't want to be her Master. He wanted to be her friend and lover and someday, husband.

  He felt her shrink away from him and he opened his eyes. “I’m not angry at you, Anna. I'm sorry. I need to control my emotions better.” He stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “I’m angry at the situation, Schatzi. I don't like the idea of you being my slave. I don't like the idea of you being anyone's slave.” He smiled wryly. “But if being my slave keeps you safe, then we'll figure out a way to make it work until it can be undone.” It would have to be undone. She needed to be free.

  She reached for his chest again, but he shook his head. “I don't want you to please me out of obligation, Anna. I want you to do it because you want to.”

  She blinked. “I want to please you because you are my Master.” She smiled hesitantly. “Isn't that enough?”

  “No, Anna. It’s not enough.” He gazed into her eyes and felt his willpower diminishing.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Anna couldn’t understand why Alex wouldn’t want her, given his statements. He was so confusing. He didn’t act like men were supposed to act.

  A sharp knock on the door made Anna jump and pull her gaze away from Alex. “Come in,” she called.

  The door opened and Maggie walked in holding a large tray. “Good morning, my lord. Good morning, Mistress.”

  “Guten Morgen, Fräulein.” Alex greeted her with a smile. Maggie smiled shyly and turned to put the tray on the table.

  “I’ve brought your breakfast. Sarah will be up shortly with your clothing, my lord. Mistress, would you like me to help you dress? Master would like to see you after you’ve finished eating.”

  Anna glanced at Alex. It didn’t seem right for her to be dressed before her Master.

  Alex motioned towards Maggie. “Get dressed. My clothes will be here in a minute.”

  Anna turned back to Maggie and gave her an uncertain smile. “Okay, Maggie. Thank you.”

  Maggie went to the closet and retrieved a green dress for Anna. As Maggie was zipping the dress, the door opened and Sarah entered carrying several hangers with clothes. “Good morning, my lord. Good morning, Mistress.”

  Alex stood and reached for his clothes. He looked magnificent standing next to the bed in gray boxer-briefs and nothing else. “Guten Morgen, Fräulein.”

  Anna couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. He stood as tall as the high canopy of her bed, and his chest, shoulders and arms were so beautifully sculpted that she longed to become an artist just so she could capture the beauty of his body. His shoulders were wide and tapered down to a narrow waist.

  Her knees weakened at the sight. Oh my!

  Alex gave her a boyish grin as he raked his fingers through his sleep-mussed hair, then turned to walk towards the bathroom. She followed him with her eyes as he walked across the room, body erect and straight. How impressive his stature was! She’d never seen someone that large move so gracefully.

  After he disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door, Anna realized she’d been staring with her mouth gaping open. She turned around to face Sarah and Maggie and saw that they’d been having similar reactions as they stared at the closed bathroom door.

  Maggie shook her head and cleared her throat. She looked down at the ground. “Forgive me, Mistress. I shouldn’t have stared like that.”

  Anna's heart ached at the thought of Maggie feeling ashamed for staring, especially when Anna had done the same thing. Sarah stared at the ground as well. Anna thought desperately for a way to reassure them and take away the shame.

  She grinned suddenly. “It’s hard not to be overcome by a beautiful work of art, isn't it?”

  They both looked at her wide-eyed and Anna giggled. They smiled, seemingly relieved.

  “Hasn't he ever come to the Gatherings before?”

  They both shook their head.

  “He comes other times with his friends,” Sarah said. “But not to the Gatherings. Those would be memorable nights if he did so.”

  The three of them grinned sheepishly at each other for a moment.

  “Is there anything else you need, Mistress?” Maggie asked.

  When Anna shook her head, Sarah and Maggie left the room, playful demeanor deliberately erased before leaving.

  Anna wandered over to the door that led out to the yard and leaned her head on the sheer curtain that covered the cool glass. She tried to make sense of what had happened last night, but it still confused her. She knew only one thing for certain: she now had two Masters: Devin and Alex.

  Devin had been so angry last night. Was he still so this morning? Devin's anger frightened her more than anything else she could imagine. If for no other reason, she was obedient because she feared him. When she'd tried to kill herself, a year into her training, she had experienced the full wrath of his rage. Devin had done things to her and in front of her that still haunted her nightmares.

  Anna let out a shaky breath that fogged the window, desperately hoping that Devin was no longer angry.

  The bathroom door opened a few minutes later and Alex emerged wearing a long-sleeved blue dress shirt and black dress pants. The color of his shirt made his eyes appear even bluer than earlier. She lost herself in his eyes, momentarily forgetting he was her Master and just enjoying his powerful, yet gentle, presence.

  “Shall we eat?” he asked with a gentle smile.

  Anna nodded and followed him to the table.

  They each took a plate and began eating in silence. Anna's head was bursting with confusing new thoughts and emotions. Alex was quiet and Anna didn’t dare break the mood. She looked up at him surreptitiously every few minutes and he appeared to be deep
in thought.

  “How would you feel about having your own place to live, Anna?” he asked suddenly.

  She blinked. “What?”

  He smiled at her. “I would prefer it if you didn’t live here at the Manor. You’ve been cooped up for too long, and I want you to experience some freedom.”

  Freedom? “I don’t know if I know how to do that. Besides, I don’t have any way to support myself.”

  “Part of being a good Master is taking care of those who belong to him,” he said softly.

  Anna stared at her plate. A good Master? She didn’t think such a thing was possible. “I’m fine here, Master. You needn’t waste your money on me.” She wasn’t worth worrying about.

  “I wouldn’t consider it a waste of money. Besides, you’d be closer to both myself and Devin if you lived in the city.”

  “Oh.” She understood now. Yes, it would be more convenient for them. The Manor was many miles from Alex’s house. “Whatever would please you, Master.”

  *****

  Alex sighed internally. He’d made a poor word choice, making it sound like he didn’t want to be inconvenienced by having to come out here to see her. Yes, he wanted her near him, but he wanted her to gain some independence. To learn how to be a normal twenty-year-old young woman. She’d been kept hidden away for too long and needed to experience…life.

  How could she freely choose him if she hadn’t ever been free? If she didn’t know what was out in the world, then how could he be sure of her feelings for him? She needed to go out with her friends and go to parties and...other stuff.

  Alex frowned at the thought of other stuff. He didn’t like the idea of anyone being with her except him. But was it fair to pursue her if she felt obligated to him? She would do anything he asked, even if she didn’t want to. If he wanted her to go out with him, she would. If he wanted her to make love to him, she would.

  That was not how he wanted their relationship to start. But how could he handle it without hurting her feelings? He wanted her, God, how he wanted her! But even more, he wanted her heart freely given.

  She needed to experience life. To do that, she had to be out of the Manor.