Chapter 31

Peter snuck Anna upstairs to his room later while the rest of the family was occupied with evening activities and locked the door. “I hate sleeping alone.” He walked quickly across the room to Anna and kissed her soundly. “We have to be quick, but I promise when we get home I’ll make it up to you.”

They returned downstairs about a half-hour later and watched a movie with his family. She sat with Peter on the couch and he held her close. Anna was drifting off to sleep when Peter’s phone rang.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight. “Who is it?”

Peter looked troubled when he looked at his phone. Anna couldn’t read the name in the Cyrillic alphabet. “I have to take this. I’ll be back.” He stood and answered the phone in Russian as he walked away.

Only Vlad and Mikhail remained in the room. The rest of the family had gone to bed earlier. Anna glanced awkwardly at them and then stared hard at the TV.

“Dariya,” Vlad said a moment later. He looked at Anna. “You know he has a girlfriend, right? A proper girlfriend?”

Anna flushed and looked at her hands. “Yes.” She hated the reminder and hated the ache in her heart, knowing that eventually Peter would return to St. Petersburg and marry Dariya. Why couldn’t she stay aloof from men and not get attached?

“That bothers you?” Vlad sounded surprised.

Anna looked at him and nodded. “It shouldn’t, but yes, it does.” She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top.

“Did it upset you, what I did yesterday?”

Anna bit her lip. “In the garden?”

Vlad nodded.

Anna didn’t know how to answer that without offending him. She bit her lip, and finally decided to be honest, as Devin preferred. “I didn’t like it.”

Vlad leaned back in his chair and studied her. “How does Devin treat you?”

Anna’s eyes widened. “Is that a trick question?”

“No.”

She didn’t know how Devin would want her to respond. Would he be upset if she told Vlad about his abuse? Sometimes Devin freely told people how he kept her in line. Other times, he made sure to treat her nicely around people. “He is my Master. He can treat me as he wants to.” It wasn’t an answer, but she didn’t know what else to say.

Vlad frowned at her. “Does he treat you well? Is he affectionate?”

Anna hugged her knees even tighter. “Sometimes.”

“Does he hurt you?”

“Sometimes.”

Vlad frowned. “Do you ever give straight answers?”

Anna swallowed. “I try. I don’t know how he would want me to answer you.”

Vlad narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “You cannot answer as you want to?”

“I don’t want to get punished.”

Vlad and Mikhail glanced at each other. “He punishes you?”

Anna nodded. “When I misbehave.”

“Do you misbehave often?”

“I try not to. I try to be good, but...” Anna sighed. “I seem to always anger him.”

“You enjoy angering him?”

Anna shook her head emphatically. “No, not at all.”

“What was Alex like?”

Anna’s chest tightened at the change of subject and she flinched. “Why do you ask me that?”

Vlad shrugged his shoulders. “Curiosity, I suppose. Why would an Elder-Mistress choose to marry? It would seem... counter-productive to your natural desires.”

“Natural desires?”

“To be with men. Why tie yourself down with marriage?”

“Tie down?” Anna blinked. “Alex... He freed me. He kept Devin from hurting me. Or at least he did until he died.” She took a breath, willing the tears away. “They were the happiest days of my entire life.”

“You seemed rather upset when he died.”

She stared at Vlad. Upset was a complete understatement. “My whole world came crashing down around me the day I found out he was gone. Alex... loved me. Unlike anyone had ever loved me before. He protected me. I thought he was invincible.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I thought he couldn’t die.” Her voice cracked.

“Everyone dies, Anna.”

“But with the bonding and everything, I thought—?” She sniffed. “I guess I was wrong.” She wanted to run up to the bedroom and go to sleep. The questions made old wounds feel new and raw again.

“Bonds do not prevent death.”

She nodded and stared at her hands, willing the tears to go away.

“That was almost three years ago and you are still upset about it? You were only married three months.”

Anna shrugged. Was she being overdramatic? Should she have moved on by now? But there was nothing to move on to. “Alex was my only hope. He was the only one that Devin couldn’t hurt. And now...” She gave a sad shrug. “There’s nothing left, except Devin.” A hell-filled life with my Master . She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Nothing.”

Vlad didn’t respond, and Peter returned a few minutes later. It looked like the phone call had not gone well.

Anna stood and looked at him. “If it’s alright with you, I think I’ll go to bed.”

Peter nodded. “I’ll walk you up.”

“No, that’s okay,” Anna said quickly. “I... I’m okay.” She spun away and fled up the stairs to the bedroom that she shared with Natalya, who was fast asleep. Anna buried her face in her pillow and cried herself to sleep.

He was looking out the window again, his hair glinting in the sunlight. The window was closed and he had his arms crossed as if he were cold.

She wondered what was so fascinating out that window. Why was he always there? Was there anything beyond this room?

“Alex?”

He turned and smiled at her. “ Schatzi . Oh, my Schatzi .” He took two long steps across the small room toward her, but stopped before he could touch her. He sighed. “I want so badly to hold you.” His voice was filled with such longing, a lump formed in her throat.

“Me too.” She looked around, wondering if she could sit. She didn’t want to leave him. Not this time. “I went to the house and piled your clothes in the middle of the closet and fell asleep.” She smiled. “It smelled like you.”

“Are you living there again?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to live there without you,” she whispered. “I miss you so much. I... Devin’s got me pregnant again. I wish you were here.” She swallowed hard, her entire body burning with grief.

He frowned and clenched his jaw. “Again?”

“He does it every year.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “Anna... I will rescue you. I will get out of here somehow and I will find you.” His face was fierce with determination.

“I wish that were true.” Her heart was heavy with the desire for his words to become a reality. “But I’m not afraid to dream about you anymore. At least in my dreams, Devin can’t control me.”

Several emotions flitted over his face, and then he smiled gently. “Dream of me. Yes, I like it when you dream of me.”

Anna smiled.

“Have you seen my father?”

She shook her head. “Devin told him he couldn’t come back after he tried to take me to Germany. He got... scary and forbade your entire family from even contacting me.”

“Scary? What do you mean?”

“He got . . . big . . . tall . . . and he could make your father do anything he wanted him to do.”

Alex looked thoughtful. “How is that possible?”

“Ian said it was because he took my power for himself.” She stumbled as the room spun around her.

“Anna? Anna, are you alright?” His voice sounded as if she were listening from underwater.

She grabbed her head and winced. “I don’t feel good.”

“ Schatzi , I think you need to wake up. You’ve been here too long.”

Anna looked up and shook her head. “I don’t want to leave.” But the room was starting to fade.

“Dream of me again, Schatzi . I love you. So much.”

“I love you, too...” Her eyes closed and she couldn’t force them open again.

Anna opened her eyes to see Peter and Vlad standing over her, watching her with concerned expressions. It was still night, but the lamp on the nightstand next to the bed illuminated their faces.

“What were you dreaming of?” Vlad demanded.

Anna couldn’t move. She just stared up at him.

“What were you?—?”

Peter put his hand on his uncle’s arm. “Don’t scare her. It won’t do any good.” Peter sat next to her. “Gentle touch is more effective.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “Were you dreaming of Alex?”

Anna nodded.

“Have you dreamed of him before?”

“Lots of times. But before I met him, they were real. Now they’re just dreams.”

Peter frowned and mouthed her words silently to himself.

Vlad tilted his head. “You... dreamed of him before you met him?”

Anna nodded.

“Why do you say they were real?”

“Because Alex told me he saw me. That I was really there.” She sighed. “But now they’re not real.”

“Tell me what you saw.”

Anna told him about the room that Alex was always in and how he looked different from when he’d been was alive.

She looked up at Vlad and gasped. “I dreamed of you!” She stared at him, her whole body shaking. “No! It couldn’t be... No, why would I...” She rubbed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t understand.” Her heart raced, and she looked wildly around the room, trying to understand what was going on. Why had she dreamed of Vlad?

Vlad mumbled something in Russian, then pulled out his phone and spoke in Russian to someone. Maybe it was just the language, but he sounded irritated. He put the phone down a minute later.

“Anna. Anna, shh.” Vlad put his hand on her forehead and spoke calm, soothing words she didn’t understand, but did indeed calm her. “Shh. Go back to sleep.”

Anna tried to protest, but her eyes grew heavy and she drifted off again.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful and enjoyable. Vlad left Anna alone, though she felt him watching her a lot. Peter took her to a boutique in downtown Laguna Beach where she bought a few things to let Wilhelm know where she was. She remembered her dream about Alex, but didn’t remember waking to find Peter and Vlad looking at her.