The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced (18 page)

“Because I love you, Anna.” Alex scooted off
the bench and dropped to his knee. “I know I hurt you by leaving
you. And by keeping my distance. But it was the only way I knew to
keep you safe until I could learn how to protect you better. If I
hadn’t failed you when you were younger.... Things would have been
so different. But I will make it up to you, Anna. I promise.” He
reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. “Anna, I love you
with all of my heart. Will you please do me the honor of becoming
my wife?”

Anna couldn’t think straight. The whole
situation seemed unreal. Alex wanted to marry her? He loved her? It
was too good to be true. At least it seemed too good to be true.
She searched his eyes and then opened her heart to read him once
more. The love that radiated from him stole her breath away.

Alex was the one person in the world that
Devin couldn’t take away from her. Alex knew exactly who she was
and still loved her. There was no barrier between them like there
always would be with other men. He was her Master. Like Devin was.
But Alex loved her. Anna felt safe with him. He could stand up to
Devin. He could protect her.

Anna looked into Alex’s hopeful blue eyes.
“You really love me?” she whispered, afraid she’d misread him.

“
Ja
, Anna. I love you. With
everything that I am. I have for a very long time. I just couldn’t
tell you for fear of what Devin would do to you.”

“Will he let me marry you?” Fear rose in
Anna’s heart at the thought.

“He doesn’t have a choice.” The determination
in Alex’s eyes was almost frightening. But Anna understood that it
was determination to protect her, not to hurt her. “But it’s up to
you, Anna. I won’t force you. I want you to marry me because you
want to. Not because you feel obligated to.”

Alex could easily make her do what he wanted
her to do. But he’d never done that. He’d always given her choices.
Devin made her do things she didn’t want to do.

“Yes, Alex,” she said, her heart filling with
joy. “I will marry you.”

His eyes lit up, unlike anything she’d ever
seen. Her heart overflowed with happiness, knowing it was her
answer that had made him so happy.

He pulled her down off the bench and hugged
her tightly to his chest, then pulled back slightly and cradled her
cheeks with both hands. “You have made me the happiest man, Anna.”
He crushed his lips to hers, bruising them, but she didn’t care.
She clung to his neck and kissed him back with abandon.

He pulled back a while later and took her
left hand. “In Germany, we don’t normally give engagement rings,
but I couldn’t bring myself to ask an American girl to marry me
without a ring. When we went back to San Francisco, my friends
would kick my ass.”

Anna giggled softly as he put the ring on her
finger. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. The center
diamond was large and round and perfect. And huge. On either side
were three smaller round diamonds, descending in size slightly as
they moved away from the center stone.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, smiling shyly at
him. Anna wrapped her arms around his neck. “You have made me so
happy, Alex.”

“That is my goal. I always want to make you
happy,
Schatzi
.” Abruptly his expression changed and he
looked at her nervously again. “Anna, are you...okay with what I
told you about myself?”

Anna nodded slowly. “You have accepted me for
who I am. How can I not accept you for who you are?”

“I won’t do it forever, Anna. Once I am
Elder, I will be forced to retire. But I promise you, I will always
protect you. Being my wife will keep you safer than you ever have
been before. Men will think twice before hurting you.” He stroked
her cheek with his hand. “I never want you to be hurt again,
Schatzi
.”

“But Devin will try, won’t he?”

Alex nodded reluctantly. “I’m afraid so. But
he will be severely limited in what he can do with you after we are
married. I will have the advantage over him and he will have to
respect my decisions regarding you.” He smiled.

Anna gaped at him. “Really?”

“
Ja,
Anna. I came home to Germany to
learn what I could to protect you from Devin and to minimize or get
rid of the control he has on you.”

“Is it possible? I mean, for him not to
control me?”

“I believe it is, Anna.” He stroked her hair
gently. “I have more research to do, but I believe that you can be
free of him someday.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Would I be free from you?”

Alex blinked. “Do you want to be?”

The thought of being disconnected from Alex
pained her heart. “No,” she whispered.

He smiled tenderly. “
Gut
. I want you
to be free, Anna. But I don’t want to leave your side. Ever. Our
marriage will bond us for life. There is no separation, except in
death.” He stroked her hair. “I want to spend the rest of my life
with you,” he said softly.

“I’d like that,” she whispered.

“Me too.” He was quiet for a few minutes as
he continued to stroke her hair.

Anna would have been perfectly content to
stay there all night with him.

“Anna, Devin will not want us to marry. If he
finds out about our engagement, he will try to stop us.”

Anna looked up at him, concerned. “What can
we do?”

He turned her to face him. “Marry me
tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Isn’t there planning and...stuff
that needs to be done?” Anna didn’t know much about weddings, but
any event had to be planned.

Alex chuckled. “I have been working on it
since I found out the best way to protect you was to marry you. For
some stupid reason, it is very difficult to get married here. But
we must be married here in Germany. And it must be approved in the
Schloss
by the Elders and consummated there. Everything is
ready.” He looked at her tenderly. “I just needed you to accept
me.”

Anna grew concerned. “Are you marrying me
just so you can protect me?” Did he feel an obligation to marry
her?

“
Nein
, Anna.
Nein.
Not at
all. I wanted to marry you before I found out about the added
protections.” His cheeks turned pink. “I had planned on returning
from Germany and courting you. Now, if you are willing, we’ll
return as husband and wife.” He took her hands. “Anna, even if we
waited to be married six months from now, our actual wedding
ceremony would not be any different. In Germany, the only way to
marry is in a civil ceremony in a government official’s office.
Then later there are parties and sometimes a church wedding. It’s
very different from in America. But we can have a reception when we
get home to San Francisco. And...well, my family usually has a New
Year’s Eve party here, and my parents and I thought it could be our
reception here. Most of the people who would be at the reception
will be at the party on Wednesday anyways.”

Alex looked so earnest. Anna could tell he
was trying to make her happy. She would have been happy with just
marrying him, and he was talking about parties. She supposed that
most people had parties to celebrate weddings, though she had never
been to one.

She squeezed his hands. “Alex, it’s more than
I ever dreamed would happen. I never thought I would marry,
especially after what...Devin did. He warned me if I had any more
distractions, that he would eliminate them. I swore I’d never date
anyone again.” She smiled tenderly. “But he can’t eliminate you,
can he?”

“
Nein
, Anna. He cannot. He would
only be hurting himself and you if he did so.”

Tears filled Anna’s eyes again, but this time
they were tears of joy. “Then let’s get married tomorrow.”

Alex grinned. “I will hardly be able to sleep
tonight.” He hugged her again and then stood and helped her to her
feet. “
Kommen Sie.
Let me introduce you to my family.”

Alex held Anna’s hand as they walked up the
spiral staircase. She hid behind him slightly as he led her into a
long sitting room where his very large family was gathered. She
hadn’t realized there would be so many of them. Wilhelm and Ilsa
sat near the fireplace in large, comfortable looking leather
chairs, each with a book in hand. They smiled as Anna and Alex
walked in the room

Greta had been lounging on a couch and jumped
up when they walked in. “Did you ask her?”

“
Ja
, Greta. I asked.” Alex laughed.
“Can I introduce her to Liesl and Gretchen before I make the
announcement?”

Greta shook her head and said something in
German.

Alex rolled his eyes. “English, please.
Greta. Anna doesn’t understand German.” He gave his sister a
charming smile. “Would you please go get Sebastian and the
others?”

Greta stuck her tongue out at her eldest
brother and then bounded out of the room without saying another
word.

Alex walked over to a group of couches where
Kurt sat with two women in their early twenties. One had dark blond
hair and blue eyes, and looked very much like Ilsa though without
the friendly smile. The other woman had medium brown hair and brown
eyes and looked very tired and grumpy. Anna guessed this was
Gretchen.

“Anna, this is my sister, Liesl.” He
indicated the blonde. “And Kurt’s wife, Gretchen.” He indicated the
brunette.

“Hello, Anna,” Liesl said politely, standing
and shaking Anna’s hand. She wasn’t overly warm, but at least she
wasn’t radiating outright hostility at her like Gretchen.

Gretchen didn’t stand, but nodded sharply and
said hello.

“Anna!” Kurt said enthusiastically, standing
quickly and walking over to her. He kissed her cheek and looked her
over with a concerned look on his face.
“Engel,
you look
pale. Have you been ill?”

“That’s hardly a way to greet a woman, Kurt,”
Ilsa admonished.

“I am sorry, Anna,” Kurt apologized. “I did
not mean to imply anything. You look as beautiful as ever.”

“It’s okay, Kurt. I haven’t been feeling very
well lately. There’s been a lot going on.”

Kurt gave her a sympathetic look. “I
remember. I am so sorry I had to take Vati away from you.”

Gretchen murmured something to Liesl in
German.

“There’s nothing to apologize for Kurt. You
needed to get home. How is the baby?”

Kurt smiled broadly, his face lighting up.
“
Wunderbar
. He is sleeping, thankfully, right now.”

Gretchen said something to him in German,
making Anna wonder if she spoke English.

Kurt turned to her and responded sharply.
“Don’t be rude, Gretchen. You speak English as well as the rest of
us.”

Anna had never heard such a sharp tone come
from Kurt and was a little startled. She could almost see the
hostility between them that Alex had spoken of.

“How was your flight over, Anna?” Kurt asked.
“It is unfortunate that the new jet was not ready for you to
take.”

Anna smiled. “It was good, as far as I can
tell. I slept the whole time.”

Everyone except Gretchen laughed.

“That is the way to travel,” Wilhelm said,
walking across the room to join them.

Ilsa came and stood next to Wilhelm. “Will
there be a need for champagne, Alex?” she asked with a smile.

Alex pulled Anna in front of him and put his
arms around her waist. “
Ja
,” he grinned.

Ilsa motioned across the room. Anna looked
and saw a woman wearing a black dress and white apron. When Ilsa
motioned to her, she curtsied and disappeared through a door behind
her.

A moment later, Anna heard the commotion of
footsteps coming up the stairs. Anna looked to see Seth, Tony, Greg
and several other men behind him. Seth beamed at her.

“Anna, these are my friends. You know Seth,
Tony, Greg...and Sebastian, of course.”

Anna nodded and the Immortal bowed his head
slightly and smiled at her.

“The ones you haven’t met are Jesse, Michael
and Jason.”

Each man nodded as Alex introduced them. They
were all tall and muscular, as would be expected from the
military-type men Anna assumed they were. Jesse looked like he was
of some Hispanic or Caribbean heritage and his head was shaved
bald. Michael was slightly shorter with short brown hair and gray
eyes. Jason had red hair, light green eyes and freckles.

“Erich will be here tomorrow with my aunt and
uncle. He’s my cousin. Well, our cousin.”

All the men looked at her like they were
happy to meet her. She felt no hostility or ill will in them.

“Well, now that everyone is here, I can make
the announcement,” Alex said loudly, giving Anna an affectionate
look. “I asked Anna to marry me and she said yes.”

There was excited chatter and applause. Anna
was instantly surrounded by people giving her hugs and kisses.

Ilsa hugged her tightly. “I am so pleased to
welcome you into our family, Anna.”

A champagne glass appeared in her hand and
Anna looked at Alex. “I’m not old enough to drink,” she
protested.

Alex laughed. “Anna, the drinking age here is
sixteen. And you’re in a private home, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Oh.” Anna blushed.

“
Zum Wohl!
” Alex exclaimed, raising
his glass. He glanced down at Anna with a grin. “It means ‘cheers,’
like a toast.”

“
Zum Wohl!”
everyone else responded,
raising their glasses in the air and then drinking.

Anna took a sip of the bubbly drink. She
wasn’t sure what she expected, but it tasted sweeter than she’d
thought it would. The only time she’d had alcohol before was with
Devin. But she liked this better.

Alex hugged her to him and she leaned her
head on his chest. Laughter and talking filled the room.

“Alex, you should show Anna to her room, and
then we need to leave,” Wilhelm said quietly, stepping close.