“Anna...,” he whispered, and picked her up and carried her to her bed.
*****
“So, what is your relation to Katrina?” Anna asked as she and Wilhelm lay naked together in her new bed. She ran her fingers through his white chest hair and across his chest.
“I have been trying to figure that out. I will not be able to come out very often and see you, but I do not want to hide it when I do.” He twirled her hair around his finger. “I think a guardian of some sort. Or, perhaps we should just make it simple, and I can be who I am, the father of your deceased husband.”
“I don’t think people would approve of us sleeping together.” She had learned enough when she’d been allowed “out into the world” that most people would find the sexual activities of those in the Brotherhood odd at best, and revolting at worst.
Wilhelm tweaked her nipple. “Definitely not. But I was not planning on revealing our sexual relationship to anyone.” He grinned. “I do know how to play the part of a gentleman in public.”
Anna smiled. “I know. You are the perfect gentleman.”
“As I was brought up to be and brought my sons up the same way.” He paused for a moment and continued to play with her hair. “Anna, if you.... I am sorry for what I did to you...with getting you pregnant. I should have asked, but I thought—”
She gave him a warm smile. “Wilhelm, I would have loved to have carried your child. I still would.”
He splayed his hands over her stomach. “We will wait until you are ready to stop dancing for a while. I want you to get used to being free before I put any burdens on you. And, if that does happen, I would really prefer you to be in Germany with me. But that cannot happen until your bond with Devin is broken.”
“When I’m twenty-six?”
Wilhelm nodded. “Besides, you may decide you want Kurt for a husband after all.”
Anna softened at the mention of Kurt’s name. “It would be right for us to marry, wouldn’t it?”
He sighed. “Ja, Anna. It would. Kurt still loves you, even though you tried to help him get over you. You are an Elder-Mistress. It is good to marry an Elder-Son. But I do not want you to think about that right now. I want you to enjoy your freedom. Kurt can court you as any other man.” He chuckled. “And probably will. You will have to learn how to say no, Anna. Many men will want to date you. A benefit of being a half-Immortal. You will attract attention from men. It cannot be helped. But Aaron will help you if you ask.”
They dressed a while later and Wilhelm took her shopping for electronics, toiletries, clothing, and of course, dancewear. The highlight of the shopping trip was finding a dress for the City Ballet’s Spring Gala. She picked out a strapless lavender, silk taffeta gown with a sweetheart neckline and full skirt. The fitted bodice was decorated with crystals.
Shortly before two o’clock, Anna waited for Justin outside the studio. Wilhelm had dropped her off so she could establish herself on her own, and they planned to meet for dinner later. Justin came sauntering around the corner a few minutes later.
“Aren’t you nervous?” Anna asked.
Justin shrugged. “A little. Just trying to act brave.” He laughed.
Anna giggled as he opened the door.
Justin led her through a small lobby where dancers were standing around chatting. The dancers glanced at them as they walked by, but didn’t say anything.
Down a white hallway and around a corner, Anna could hear piano music and a man speaking loudly. “...Two...three...four...and up....yes, good...turn, turn, turn....”
Anna’s stomach was in knots when they finally walked through the door and stopped just inside the room. The music finished and a dozen heads turned and looked at them. Anna flushed and looked at the ground.
“Justin, Katrina, I’m so glad you came.” The man Anna vaguely remembered as Vincent Marsellis approached them with a big smile on his face.
Movement caught Anna’s eye in the corner and she saw Aaron with his hand on another man’s arm, holding him in place and whispering to him. The man looked directly at her and she found herself lost in a pair of whiskey-brown eyes. Nate? He was older now, but still had the same warm eyes. Anna didn’t have a chance to reflect on much more because Vincent blocked her view of him.
Vincent shook hands with Justin and gave him a knowing smile. He kissed Anna’s cheek and gave her a fatherly smile. “I’m so glad you are both here.” He turned around and spoke loudly to the dancers in the room. “I’m sure some of you remember Justin Sawyer, who has returned to dance with us.” Vincent put his arm around Anna. “And this is Katrina Engel,” he introduced with a smile. “I’ve been trying to get her out here for years,” he added in a slightly softer voice.
Anna looked at him wide-eyed and then blushed, which made his smile grow even wider.
“I wanted them to come and see a rehearsal before they begin dancing tomorrow. Yes,” he said over mumbles around the room. “They will be dancing with us in the spring program and I expect you all to help them as much as you can.”
“Are they principals?” a Spanish-looking woman asked.
“Yes,” Vincent affirmed. “From San Francisco.”
Anna glanced at Aaron, who nodded in assurance. She didn’t know if she was supposed to be from San Francisco or not. Tom had only said California.
She could feel Nate’s gaze on her, and tried to avoid looking in his direction, but she succumbed to temptation and found her eyes locked onto his. She hadn’t seen him since the evening of their student performance, so many years ago.
Justin pulled at her arm and led her to the side of the room where they sat along the wall and watched rehearsal progress. The dancers were mesmerizing. Some had better technique than others, though the ones with lesser technique danced with a heart that she could almost feel.
Nate had gotten even better since she’d last seen him. His jumps were magnificent and she loved watching him soar across the room. He and Aaron danced a bit together and they were both amazing.
When Nate wasn’t dancing, he was watching Anna. She tried not to look at him, but would inevitably look up and find herself lost in his brown eyes.
Watching him dance with one of the women brought so many memories floating to the forefront of her mind. Oh, he was still so handsome! She wondered what he had been doing all these years, aside from dancing. Had he thought of her at all? Was he dating anyone? She didn’t see a wedding ring on his hand, so she assumed he wasn’t married.
When rehearsal was over, she stood nervously next to Justin as Vincent gave the dancers last minute instructions. Vincent dismissed the dancers and several of them hurried over to her and Justin. They seemed happy to see Justin; two girls in particular were not subtle when flirting with him. He grinned sheepishly at Anna, who smiled back.
“Justin, I arranged for you to stay with Dave and Kris for now,” Aaron said. “They have a three-bedroom and just lost a roommate.”
Dave and Kris seemed to know Justin and there was much hugging and backslapping.
Anna stepped away slightly and backed into something solid. A man. She swallowed nervously, turned around and found herself looking up into Nate’s eyes again.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said softly. His hand twitched at his side, as if he wanted to reach out to her. “How did you get here?”
“I ran away with some help,” she said with a shy smile.
“Aaron?”
She nodded. “And Justin and a bunch of others.”
He stared at her for a long minute. “It’s been so long,” he whispered, his eyes filling with longing. He had lifted his hand slightly when someone called out to him.
“Nate, man. C’mon, I’m starving.”
Anna turned to see one of the dancers with his arms crossed and making a face at him.
“That’s Lance, my roommate,” Nate explained. “Okay, man. Just hang on a sec.”
Lance walked over to them. “Katrina, right?” he asked with a seductive grin
.
Anna briefly wondered who Katrina was, before she remembered she was Katrina. She nodded and gave a hesitant smile.
Lance glanced at Nate with a grin. “You know her or just making fast moves?”
“Yeah, I’m so like that,” Nate said, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I know her. I’m from San Francisco too, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” Lance grinned and looked at Anna. “Wanna join us for dinner?”
“Thanks,” Anna said softly, “But I have plans already.”
“You do?” Nate asked, surprised.
Anna looked over at him. “Yeah. With Wilhelm.”
“That’s...Alex’s dad, right?” he asked, squinting thoughtfully.
Anna bit her lip and nodded, wondering what he knew about her relationship with Wilhelm.
“Nate, can I talk to you for a sec?” Aaron said, walking over to them.
Nate nodded and followed Aaron to the other side of the room.
“So, how do you know Nate?” Lance asked, his dark brown eyes slightly mischievous.
“Oh,” Anna glanced at Nate, who was listening intently to Aaron. “Um...we danced together before he came here.”
“Is that all?”
Anna looked back at Lance and flushed.
“I thought not. I could see how he watched you during class.” Lance tilted his head. “Did you come hoping to get back together with him?”
“I.... No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, I’d forgotten he was here.” But how could she have forgotten Nate? It all happened so fast she wasn’t sure what she was hoping for.
“He’s got a girlfriend. Not sure how serious they are, but thought you might want to know.”
Part of Anna was relieved, part was sad. At least she didn’t have to worry about hurting Nate since he was already involved with another woman. “That’s good,” she said after a moment with a smile. “He’s a great guy.”
Lance grinned. “If you’re too broken-hearted over him, I’d be happy to cheer you up.”
Anna looked at him for a moment and then laughed. The mock seductive look on his face was priceless. She liked Lance.
Aaron and Nate walked back over to where she was standing.
“We doing dinner?” Aaron asked Anna who nodded.
“You know her, too?” Lance asked, bewildered.
“He’s from the same place, dumb ass.” Nate laughed.
“I’ve known An...Katrina for a really long time,” Aaron smiled affectionately at her. “Too long, I think.”
They chatted for a few more minutes and then Lance dragged Nate away. Nate smiled at her before he walked out the door of the studio and Anna sighed.
“He’s got a girlfriend,” Aaron said. “Just so you know.”
Anna nodded. “I know. Lance told me.”
“He would.” Aaron chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Hey, Justin,” Aaron said, turning to the small group of dancers nearby. “You comin’ to dinner?”
“Do I need to?” Justin asked.
Aaron shrugged. “I didn’t know what you had planned.”
“I think I’ll go see my new place.” He grinned at his new roommates and the girls standing next to him. “And catch up with some old friends.”
“You coming, Aaron?” a woman asked. Kim, Anna thought her name was.
Aaron shook his head. “Gotta get Katrina settled in.”
Kim and the other women raised their eyebrows. “She’s living with you?”
“She’s a really old friend. Have to watch out for her and keep her safe.”
Aaron took her arm and led her out of the room. “Did you get a phone?” he asked as they walked outside into the cool evening air.
“Top of the line, as I understand it.” She shook her head. “Wilhelm always insists on the best for me.”
“Why shouldn’t he? You deserve it.” Aaron’s eyes were filled with longing as he looked down at her.
Anna blushed and didn’t respond. She was too overwhelmed with everything going on at the moment to know whether she wanted to start things again with Aaron. They walked across the street and down a block to their building.
The doorman greeted Aaron by name and Aaron introduced Anna. “James, this is Katrina, my new roommate. Katrina, this is James.”
“Hi.” Anna smiled and gave a little wave.
“Hi, Katrina.” James smiled back.
“So, what’s up for dinner?” Aaron asked as they got on the elevator.
“I don't know. I told Wilhelm I’d call when we were home.” She smiled. Home. She liked the sound of that.
*****
“I’m gonna shower,” Aaron said as they walked into their apartment. “Why don’t you call Wilhelm and find out what’s up.”
“Okay.”
Anna went into her room and called Wilhelm.
“Hello, Anna, er, Katrina.” Wilhelm laughed. “Perhaps I should just call you Liebling.”
Anna giggled. “I like it when you do.”
“As do I. How was your afternoon?”
“Good.” Anna sighed. “Their dancing is so different than Isaak’s. I mean, not foreign, but...I don’t know. Different.”
“Do you like it?”
Anna shook her head. “I don’t know. I’d heard that Balanchine was different but...it will take some getting used to.”
“I am sure you will do wonderfully, Anna. You are one of the finest dancers I have ever seen.”
“Thanks, Wilhelm,” she said softly, appreciating his encouragement.
“So are you hungry?”
“Yes. Justin went to spend time with old friends, but Aaron is showering right now.”
“Alright. Well, how about I pick the two of you up in about twenty minutes?”
*****
After a very nice dinner, Wilhelm walked Anna and Aaron back up to their apartment.
“Anna, I must return to Frankfurt.” Wilhelm stood in the middle of the living room and Anna turned to him in surprise. “If Devin knew I was here he would become suspicious, and Tom is shielding me. I would rather him put his energy into protecting you than me.”
“Oh,” she said, sitting down on the couch. “When?”
“Tonight. Gavin is waiting for me in my hotel room.”
“Oh,” she repeated, looking down at the ground.
Wilhelm sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. “I am sorry, Liebling. But we will speak often.”
“You can’t come back?” she asked, hoping it wasn’t true.
Wilhelm frowned. “Eventually, ja. But I do not know when for now.” He stroked her cheek. “You do not need me hanging around here, Anna. You need to find your new life.”
Anna tried to blink away tears as her heart burned in pain. “I like you being here,” she said softly. “I hate the idea of you absent from my life.”
He smiled gently. “Anna, I will always be a part of your life. But you need to stay safe and my being here may draw Devin’s attention. Once he is weaker it will be easier. But he is too strong now. The longer you are away from him, the better.”
Anna nodded in understanding, though she didn’t like it. “I’ll miss you.”
“And I, you, Liebling. Tom is available if you need anything. And Aaron.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Wilhelm didn’t linger, but gave her another kiss and left the apartment. His quick exit made it easier to maintain her external calm, but it still hurt.
She went into her room and lay down on her bed and cried. Aaron came in a few minutes later, lay down behind her and held her until she fell asleep in his arms.
Chapter Three
Anna nervously followed Aaron into the large dance studio where classes would be held every day except Sundays. Justin was surrounded by several people and laughing. Anna envied the ease with which he had already gotten settled in. She, on the other hand, hovered behind Aaron, trying to hide.
Aaron put his arm around Anna and chuckled
. “C’mon, Kat. You can stand by me.”
“Cat?” Anna asked.
“Nickname?” Aaron said with a grin.
“Oh.” She smiled. She hadn’t had a nickname like that before. Shortening Anna wasn’t really necessary.
Aaron took his place in the back center of the room and Anna stood next to him, uncertain of what to do. It was such a large room and full of so many dancers. The New York City Ballet was much larger than the one back home.
Several dancers said hi to Aaron and looked curiously at Anna, but didn’t speak to her.
“Don’t worry, Kat. They looked at me the same way when I came. They’ll respect you once you start dancing.”
“It’s so different,” she whispered. Anna fiddled with her wedding ring. The women looked so sophisticated, even though they wore simple workout wear or dance attire. There was just something about them that screamed elegance. They were all tall and thin, making Anna feel very fat.
She sat down on the ground and slowly began softening her pointe shoes. They were new and she had forgotten to do it last night. Everyone else’s were well worn. She sighed silently and hoped Aaron was right.
Vincent came in a while later and caught Anna’s eye. He smiled warmly at her and then spoke quietly to the pianist. While Aaron talked to the other dancers around them, Anna stayed on the floor and stretched quietly. She felt someone watching her and looked up to see Nate had arrived and was looking at her, eyes full of emotion.
He has a girlfriend, she reminded herself as she smiled timidly at him. He smiled back and made his way over to her.
“Hi,” he said quietly, sitting down next to her. “I never thought I’d get to do this again.”
“Do what?”
“Sit next to you in a studio.” He glanced at her and she bit her lip nervously. “Hell, just to be near you.”
“Nate...,” she said softly but his roommate Lance walked over and plopped down next to them.
“Hey, Katrina,” he said with that mischievous smile of his. His mannerisms made her think of Kurt.
The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged Page 2