Chapter 82

Wilhelm sat with Kurt in the dark theater in San Francisco, growing increasingly restless as The Nutcracker performance unfolded. The second act finally began, and he eagerly awaited Anna’s Grande Pas de Deux with her new partner. It had been over a month since the assassination attempt, and he hadn’t spoken to Anna since. Wilhelm was certain Devin’s selfishness was the only reason she hadn’t returned his calls. When he and Kurt had arrived in town on Wednesday, they’d reached out, hoping to spend some time with her before the performance, as they usually did, but she hadn’t responded to any of his calls or texts. Wilhelm was deeply concerned.

He’d reached out to Travis to find out if Anna was okay, though Wilhelm was somewhat certain Devin would have alerted him if something serious had happened. Then again, their ideas of what constituted a problem with Anna differed significantly.

According to Travis, Anna appeared normal but distant, though occasionally confused. She kept to herself and seemed at peace. Travis hadn’t noticed any signs of abuse in weeks. She was just... quiet. Travis had tried to take Anna out one afternoon and she had freaked out about leaving Devin. It had nearly caused Travis to crash his car.

Mood swings with Anna weren’t unusual, though Wilhelm couldn’t imagine Anna getting violent. He would have to wait and see her for himself.

Wilhelm leaned forward as the long-awaited music began and Anna stepped out of the oversized music box and took Justin’s hand. The delicate dance began and she was beautiful. Wilhelm smiled and leaned back in his seat to enjoy being closer to her than he had been in months. She and Justin danced well together, and he couldn’t help but beam as he watched. When the dance was over, he applauded loudly, as did the rest of the audience.

Devin sat a few boxes away, nodding in approval. Jack sat next to him with his normal, twisted grin on his face. Wilhelm had nodded to Devin politely at intermission. He’d intentionally kept his distance, not trusting himself to keep his temper at bay. He hated the man with a passion, but he knew he would have to speak with him about spending time with Anna while he was in town.

When the performance concluded, he and Kurt slowly made their way down to the marble lobby.

“She was wonderful, wasn’t she, Vati?”

Wilhelm glanced over at his son and smiled. Did he still have feelings for her? “She’s always wonderful.”

“I still don’t understand why she didn’t call you back. It’s so unlike her.”

“Yes, it is.” Wilhelm frowned. Something wasn’t right, and he would make sure he discovered what it was before he left town.

Kurt and Wilhelm milled around the lobby, chatting with people they knew while they waited for Anna to appear. She and Justin had received a very long standing ovation and were the subject of many discussions in the lobby. Eventually, the dancers slowly started trickling in and Wilhelm kept a close eye on the door as they walked through.

Jenna waved when she saw him and hurried over with her husband, Matt. “Have you spoken to Anna?”

Wilhelm shook his head. “No, not yet. I called but have not heard from her. Why?”

Jenna looked around the room. “She’s... different, and I was hoping her seeing you would... help.”

He frowned at her words. “Different how?”

Jenna squinted as she thought for a moment. “Nothing obvious, really. I mean, depending on what’s going on in her life, she reacts differently, but, well, she’s... not herself. We’d been eating together every day for two weeks and really—I don’t know—becoming friends again. She didn’t share a lot of what went on with Devin, but she was willing to be friendly. But then she went out of town with Devin and came home and said she didn’t want to go anymore. She wasn’t angry or upset, just... uninterested. And she’s just... God, I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.” She looked up into his eyes intently. “I think Devin did something to her, but I don’t know what. You’ll have to see her. Or maybe I’m just paranoid.”

Matt shook his head. “No, something’s different. She’s... off.”

The energy in the room changed and Wilhelm looked up to see Anna walk into the lobby with Justin wearing a beautiful green strapless gown that made her eyes glow. She paused for a moment, looking around the room. She looked in his direction but didn’t seem to notice him.

A big smile spread across her face and she walked quickly toward... Devin? He opened his arms and embraced her. He said something to her and then kissed her on the lips and stroked her cheek. She smiled at Jack and kissed him on the cheek, then leaned her head against Devin’s chest.

“What the—?” Kurt muttered in German.

Jenna gasped. “Holy shit.”

Wilhelm’s stomach tied up in knots. What had Devin done to her? Jenna was right. That was not normal.

“Excuse me,” Wilhelm said and walked as calmly as he could to the trio.

Devin looked up and saw Wilhelm approaching. The amused smile on his face did nothing to reassure Wilhelm that Anna was okay.

“Hello, Wilhelm.”

“Devin.” Wilhelm extended his arm, and the two men politely shook hands. Wilhelm was proud of himself for not crushing the Elder’s fingers. He turned to Anna. His beloved Anna.

She looked up at him and smiled, but there was no warmth in her eyes. “Hello, Wilhelm.” Her voice had a seductive yet sweet tone that was very alluring and made his blood tingle. She didn’t reach out or give any indication that he meant anything to her.

He cleared his throat. “Hello, Anna.” His eyes flickered to Devin, who was watching the exchange carefully. “Might I have a word with her alone?”

Devin smiled. “Of course.” He lifted Anna’s chin and looked into her eyes. “Go spend time with Wilhelm.”

“Yes, Devin.”

Wilhelm led her across the lobby to a bench and sat down next to her. “Anna, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Wilhelm. How are you?”

There was a vacancy in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. “I am worried about you.”

She laughed. “Why would you be worried about me? Everything is fine.” She smiled. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

He could tell by her tone she was asking about sex. God, what had happened to her?

Devin watched Wilhelm’s face as he spoke with Anna. He was worried about her. How touching. And unsurprising.

“Can he undo it?” Jack asked.

Devin took a sip of his wine. “It’s unlikely that he knows how. And he might hurt her if he forces it.”

After the mind-blowing sex in the jet on the way to D.C., Anna had changed, finally turning into the perfect little slave he’d been hoping for at the bonding ceremony. She followed his orders perfectly now. No more crying or emotional bullshit that he’d dealt with for four years. She was content.

They’d gone to the White House that night and gotten the president back under control, then spent the rest of the weekend rounding up several other rogue politicians.

She continued living with him because he liked having her there. He’d brought a few women home, just to test her reaction, and she went happily into her own bedroom without any emotional reaction. But to be honest, he didn’t crave any woman but her. She pleased him more than any other woman had in his entire life. She anticipated what he wanted and sought to please him in every way.

When it came time to impregnate her, he didn’t even have to use the serum to force her body to conceive. Kaveh spoke to her as he fucked her, and she did it all by herself. Now there was a healthy little sacrifice growing inside that sexy body of hers. The only issue with her being pregnant was his limitation on how much essence he could take from her. Kaveh said it would turn sour when he needed to stop, and it did. But, he told himself, that just meant the baby would have everything that he needed when he took it.

They had bonded in the way he’d desired for years. It wasn’t permanent; it had to be maintained, but he wasn’t complaining. He fucked her every night anyway. Kaveh had said this bond would last for several months before they needed to repeat what had happened in the jet.

It would become permanent when he performed the final bonding ritual. But this was a nice taste of the future.