Anna burst into tears. For the first time, she felt thankful for what Alex had done that night; for saving her. But she would never be able to thank him. Did she dream of him still?
Justin put his hand on her leg for comfort while she cried. He turned onto a highway and quickly accelerated to eighty miles an hour. When they drove through a town he had to slow down, but as soon as they were out he sped up again.
“The train leaves at a quarter to eleven. We’re gonna cut it close, but we’ll make it.”
“You’re gonna leave your car at a train station?”
“It’s a rental. Travis will pick it up.”
“Oh.” She leaned her head back and looked out the window. “Devin will kill Tom,” she said softly.
“Maybe. Tom’s been keeping up appearances for several years, though. He has help from several other Elders, though. Including Peter’s uncle.”
“Vlad?”
Justin nodded. “When Peter came into the picture and realized that Devin had fed him a bunch of lies about you, he started working with Aaron and the others,” Justin continued. “His uncle was concerned about a bunch of stuff, too, and was helping. Peter’s grandfather died and the plan to get you out got scrapped, but Peter said it was the best thing that could happen. His uncle could help Tom protect you. We just had to figure out how to get you out. You living at Devin’s made things hard, so Tom suggested this weekend. Devin and everyone else are very distracted and you’re yourself.” He shrugged. “So, we catch a train to Portland and head out to New York. We’ll be there Tuesday evening.”
“What about...What ballet were we practicing?”
“Rite of Spring.”
“You’re going to miss a bunch of rehearsals.”
“I’m not going back. You and I are the newest members of the New York City Ballet Company.”
Anna stared. “How did that happen?”
“I forgot to mention, Isaak’s been involved too. He talked with Vincent and he’s very excited to have you coming out. Me...well, hopefully he’s forgiven me for being young and stupid.”
“What did you do?”
Justin shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it. But, I guess bringing you out has redeemed me a bit.”
“You danced in New York?”
“I went to the School of American Ballet and was in the Corps for a couple years before...well, before I came out to San Francisco.”
“Do you know Nate?”
“Nate Devereaux? Yeah, great dancer. Why?”
“He was my partner during the summer intensives.” Oh, sweet Nate.
“He left you to go to New York?”
“I told him to. Devin would have...it was safer if he left. Devin threatened him.”
“Ah.”
“The Ballet Master wanted both of us, but Devin wouldn’t let me go. Devin probably would have killed Nate if he had stayed.” Like he had killed Ben.
They were quiet for a while. Anna stared out at the sky. Freedom. Away from Devin. Was it really possible? Could she really be her own person like Alex always wanted her to be? It seemed too good to be real.
After a while, Justin turned onto a larger highway and picked up even more speed.
“I went to your house and packed up some of your clothes. I also packed up your...what did Wilhelm call it? Your memories box?”
Anna gasped in joy. “Oh, Justin! You’re wonderful!”
He smiled sheepishly. “Wasn’t my idea, but I’m glad you’re happy. I put everything in a backpack so it’d be easier to take.” He glanced at her.
She leaned her head back and looked out the window again, still holding Justin’s hand. Though he hardly knew her, he was still willing to do all this for her. They’d danced together for months, but...she didn’t even know his last name.
“Thank you, Justin,” she said sincerely.
He glanced at her and then looked back at the road. “You’re welcome, Anna. I’m glad I could help.”
*****
They arrived in Martinez about fifteen minutes before the train was due to leave. Justin pulled two suitcases and two backpacks out of the trunk. He handed one of the backpacks to Anna. “You have a new ID. I couldn’t get to your current stuff because it was in Devin’s house, so I bought you a new wallet. It has a New York driver’s license and new Kunze family credit cards, though with your new name on them.”
“I thought Devin couldn’t find me.”
“He can still track your name and figure out where you are. Devin’s abilities are far more pronounced than Tom’s and he might be able to break the protections Tom’s put in place. But first he has to find you.” Justin closed the trunk and locked the keys in the car. “Hence, the new name.”
“What is it?”
“Katrina Engel. Wilhelm picked it out.”
Anna smiled. Kurt must have had something to do with it as well. “I like it.”
“C’mon. The train’ll be here soon and we need to check in.”
Anna nervously followed Justin into the building, thankful to be indoors, away from where she could almost feel Devin’s eyes.
Justin walked up to a kiosk and swiped a credit card and pushed some buttons on the screen. A few moments later several tickets printed out and Justin handed them to Anna.
Anna and Justin sat down on a hard wooden bench. She tried to grasp all the changes that were about to take place. Her mind was whirring a million miles an hour and she wasn’t even sure what questions to ask.
A few minutes later, a loud horn blew and then there was a very loud rumbling sound.
“Train,” Justin said standing. “Stay close.”
They headed for the front of the train as it drew up alongside the platform. Anna looked from one end to the other. The silver sides gleamed in the orange light of the station. A few people got off, but there were more lining up to get on.
A man in a uniform walked up to them. “Tickets?”
Anna handed them the stack. He looked at her curiously, flipped through them and took out the ones he needed before handing them back to her. She stared at him, afraid he would somehow know she was running away, and felt herself influencing him without meaning to.
He stared at her for a moment before swallowing. “Uh, s-second car all the way to the f-front,” he stuttered.
She gave him a bright smile and he practically melted in front of her. He handed her tickets back to her and they walked down the platform.
“Holy fuck, An-Katrina,” Justin mumbled under his breath. “Is that what you do? Make men melt?”
Anna’s head cleared and she glanced at him. “Sometimes.” She stared at the ground as they walked.
“Remind me never to try and make you do something you don’t want to do.” He grinned. “Or maybe I should try.”
Anna smiled and then giggled at the face he made at her.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Devin woke mid-morning in his pavilion with a cool morning breeze on his face and smiled. Last night had gone exceedingly well. Fucking the president’s face in front of everyone made it very clear who was in charge now. At last he was where he wanted to be. For now. ‘Ruling’ the country would work for now. When he had sufficient power, he would expand.
Anna’s ‘gift’ to him had been extremely gratifying. It was much more powerful than simply taking it. He could feel the Immortal powers from it coursing through his blood. He needed to make sure Anna was back under his control before they left tomorrow, but it could wait. She had been very useful to him these last months and he hadn’t had to deal with the shit that he’d had to deal with for years with her. The emotions, the crying, the need for love. No, she was content to do whatever he told her to do, be it seducing the Mayor or bending over so he could fist her ass and make her scream in pain. He loved hearing her scream.
His cock stirred at the thought of it. Maybe he should go find her. But no, he needed her in shape to be fuckable and suck cock today. He could make men do what he wanted them to do,
but Anna’s influence helped ease them into it and the memories lasted longer. Who could forget the feel of her lips around his cock?
Devin opened his eyes and saw one of his girls asleep next to him. A brunette named Cecilia. She was barely eighteen and extremely talented. He pulled down the blanket to look at her full breasts, and she stirred and opened her brown eyes.
“Good morning, Master,” she said with a seductive smile. “How may I please you?”
Devin grinned. Anna didn’t wake up asking that, but she didn’t need to. She knew what he wanted.
“Turn over,” he said, and she immediately obeyed.
He nudged her legs apart and spread open her ass cheeks, exposing her tight hole. It would stretch open easily for him but remain snug. Going in dry would make it hurt. Did he feel benevolent? No, not really. He leaned forward and pressed his throbbing cock against her hole and she whimpered.
“I want to hear how much it hurts,” he said in a raspy voice as he pressed forward.
She whimpered again and then screeched as he thrust forward, ripping her open with a single movement. He leaned back, his cock slipping out so he could look at the damage. Yes, this would do nicely. He thrust back in, making the girl scream again.
*****
Devin cleaned up and then went to have lunch. He joined Tom and their sons at a table under a tree.
Tom grinned at him. “I have heard good comments about last night. They’re all very impressed with what you did with the Prez.”
Devin grinned. “Good.” He inhaled deeply. “Things are very good. All my planning has paid off.”
*****
After lunch, he wandered around talking to people, making sure they understood what he expected from them. Mid-afternoon he was to meet with the Elders and so made his way back to his Pavilion.
“Ian,” he said sitting down on the couch. “Is Anna up?”
“I don’t know, sir, I haven’t seen her yet.” Ian looked up from his tablet. “Do you want me to go find her?”
“Yes, please. The Elders will be here soon and I want her here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Devin sat back and people-watched as Ian wandered off in search of Anna. It wasn’t unusual to see a girl walking across the grass and a man grab her and fuck her on the grass right there. He loved how...uncouth the men were becoming.
Half an hour later, the Elders had gathered, but Anna wasn’t there. Devin was getting irritated. She should know better than to keep him waiting, no matter how well she did last night. He looked around and caught Ian’s eye as the big man strode back to the Pavilion.
“Where is she?” he growled.
“I don’t know, sir. I’ve been looking. Perhaps the president took her?”
Devin shrugged. It was possible. Jerry was still a bit too arrogant. He would have to continue to work on that. “Go find him and bring her here. You might warn her I am not happy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Forty-five minutes later, Ian returned, but no Anna.
“Where the fuck is she?” he yelled.
Ian looked at him evenly and remained silent. Devin stopped short of yelling again and stared at his lifelong friend. He narrowed his eyes. Ian had never looked at him so...defiantly. His hazel eyes were firm and cold. Ian looked at other people like that, not him.
“What’s going on, Ian?” he asked in a low voice, rising to his feet to face Ian. His anger was simmering just below the surface. Ian knew something.
“She’s not here,” he answered simply.
“What do you mean she’s not here?”
“Just what I said. She’s. Not. Here.”
Rage lit in his body, but he kept it contained so he could find out precisely what was going on. “Where is she?”
“I don't know.”
Ian’s calm was pissing him off. “Stop playing fucking games with me!” he growled. He had told himself he would not lose control, but it was dangling by a very thin thread.
Ian gave him a defiant smile. “She’s gone. Away from you. Safely far from you.”
The thread dissolved as his blood boiled. “You betrayed me?” he asked slowly through clenched teeth.
The Elders stared, afraid to move and catch Devin’s attention. But there was no need to be afraid. Devin knew exactly who had betrayed him.
Devin shook with rage and his hands balled into fists. “Tom, go get me the knife,” he growled from behind clenched teeth.
Ian’s eyes never left Devin’s as Tom got up and walked away. He was so calm and sure of himself. Devin would make sure he suffered for betraying him. Very, very slowly.
“After all I’ve done for you, you dare cross me? Send Anna away from me? Where did you take her?”
“I only helped her out of the camp. She was on her own after that.”
Devin let out a scream of rage and the entire gathering turned to look. Ian backed out of the Pavilion and into the sunlight. Devin followed.
“She needed to be free. You had no right to have her and treat her as you did.” Ian’s eyes narrowed. “You made me do horrible things to her because of your arrogance. She is gone and there is nothing you can do. You will grow weak and be defeated.” He put his hand to his mouth, then dropped it to his side. “I’ll see you in Hell, Devin.” His mouth began to foam and he dropped to the grass on his side, dead.
Devin screamed out again, rage consuming him. Tom knew better than to go near him, and dropped the requested knife nearby.
He picked it up and turned to his Elders. “Find her,” he growled.
###
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Marissa Honeycutt
About Marissa Honeycutt
Marissa's story of Anna began with a dream about being kidnapped with Adam Savage from the Mythbusters (Yes, really). Over the next year and a half, it morphed into the story you just read. She has several other stories in progress, one of which is based on her kidnapped dream.
When she's not writing or editing, Marissa is taking care of two young boys, training to be an astronaut, running her household, wrestling with gorillas, playing around on Facebook, promoting whirled peas, and busting her tush for her accounting degree. She enjoys chocolate, air conditioning in the desert's summer heat, really good strawberry margaritas, sleeping, and shopping.
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The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared Page 37