A/N: I apologize for the extremely long delay. Life caught up to me and I needed to focus my attention elsewhere. Hope you are doing well and thank you for reading. Also I just realized I've been saying chem fluid in every chapter and not first aid, which is what I've been meaning to say.? ﾟﾏﾻ ️ I've gone back in the previous chapters and fixed it. Sorry about that. Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 29:

You moaned into Alcina's mouth as she licked your lips and met your tongue with hers. She scooted you closer to her torso as you sat on her lap and opened your legs more so that you could be a bit more comfortable. Alcina slid her hands down your back and grabbed your ass while you slid your hands inside the folds of her dress, gently caressing breasts. She smiled into the kiss and squeezed your butt just as you began to squeeze her magnificent breasts and worship them. Just like the rest of her beautiful body was, her breasts were bigger and more firm than any other woman you'd ever seen. Your hands weren't even big enough to fit around them, they were so big! "Mmm, such a naughty little girl," Alcina teased as she pulled away from your lips. You leaned your head into her neck and kissed it as you started pinching her nipples. Alcina's voice vibrated against your lips as she moaned when you pinched her and she chuckled deviously.

She grabbed your hips and moved you to sit on her thigh, then smacked your ass and squeezed it. You bit her neck hard, sinking your teeth into her skin as she started bouncing you. "Ah, darling," Alcina moaned. She swatted at you hard and you let go of her skin looking up at her in pain and annoyance. "Don't give me that bratty look," she smiled, growling at you.

"Oh, was that too painful for the mighty Alcina?" you teased, leaning into her ear and whispering. "Have I finally tamed the great and mighty Lord Dimitrescu?" Alcina narrowed her eyes and growled at you again. You smirked at her like a little brat and squeezed her breasts again. Alcina grabbed you suddenly and lifted you off of her lap. She turned you around to face the mirror and pushed you down on the vanity. Her hands caressed you and ran down your back, your abs, your breasts, everywhere. She towered over you making you seem smaller than you actually were and looked at your reflection, a deer caught by its prey. She knelt down, you could feel her breath against your neck and shivered. Alcina knew your neck was a sensitive area and knew that whenever she whispered into your ear it would make you squirm and shake. She used that against you every time. "If you're going to behave like a brat I will have to punish you and teach you how to behave." You looked back at Alcina and smirked at her.

"You can't tame me. I'm a wild wolf. I'll never learn how to behave." Alcina chuckled at you and ran her slender hand down your cheek.

"I have tamed much more ferocious beasts than you, Draga." Alcina said, leaning down and capturing your mouth in another kiss. She lifted your shirt up and pulled it over your head. You leaned against the vanity against feeling her hand undoing your bra and tossing it to the side. Alcina started kissing your neck and you sighed, relaxing against the vanity and letting her relieve some of the tension from your muscles as she started to massage your shoulders. You could feel her soft lips kissing your neck and closed your eyes.

Alcina dug her nails into your skin and ran her hands down your back making you whimper out. She bit down on your neck sucking on your skin and you shivered a bit under her. Alcina smiled down at you and stood back up relishing in the fact that she could get such a reaction out of you. You both took a moment to catch your breath. You expected Alcina to say something or tease you but she was silent. She was breathing heavily too. You frowned and looked behind you, seeing Alcina's eyes gloomy and tears at the sides of her eyes. What happened? "Alci, are you okay?" you asked, turning around fully and holding onto her arms comfortingly.

Alcina sat back down in her chair and put her head in her hands, closing her eyes. You took a couple steps towards her and rubbed her arms again. "Hey, Alci? What's wrong?"

"I just…. Your back. It's red again."

"What?" you looked behind yourself in the mirror and saw some scratch marks Alcina had left from her nails. You understood immediately, they looked somewhat similar to the lash marks Miranda had caused. Of course they weren't even close to looking as bad as those marks had, Alcina's nails hadn't even caused you to bleed, but they had clearly triggered her. You quickly bent down and put your shirt back on. "Hey, Alci, it's okay. You didn't hurt me, you were just… caught up in the moment."

"I… I should've been more gentle to you. I'm sorry." Alcina said, looking at you through her hands. You slowly reached up and took her hands in your own kissing them both. "Alcina, I'm okay. I promise. You didn't hurt me at all, I'm fine. We can stop if you'd like to. I don't want to push you too far."

"Yes, I… I think I would just like to hold you for a while." You smiled up at her and jumped up into her lap. Alcina rested her chin on your head and rubbed your back as you leaned against her and closed her eyes. There were a few marks left on your back from Miranda's whip that had scarred. The first aid had healed almost every lash on your back, but there were a few that remained and would scar. You supposed it was going to take a while for Alcina to get used to looking at them. Of course you couldn't see them since they were on your back, just like you couldn't see the scar on your eye. But other people could.

You reached into your shirt and took out your necklace holding onto it for comfort. "Alcina?"

"Yes, Draga?"

"I'm… sorry you have to see my scars. I know they're not pretty to look at."

"Oh, Draga," Alcina said, looking at you and kissing your cheek. "No, no. Please do not ever apologize for that. I should be the one apologizing to you, I did nothing to protect you," she raised a hand to stop you from interrupting her, "and while I realize that it was you or my daughters, I still cannot help but take some of the blame. Perhaps I should have started the betrayal right then and there. The minute she pulled out that whip I should have stopped her."

"It's okay Alci, it'll be over soon. Once I meet up with Ethan in the Village, we can start to head to Heisenberg's and draw Miranda out. We'll start the battle there and finish her off. You can get your revenge on her then."

"I'm still not thrilled about you leaving the safety of the castle. Are you sure you want to leave?"

"Positive. It'll fit the narrative that you broke up with me and make Miranda trust you more. Her attention will be focused on Ethan and I, and it'll leave enough time for you and the other Lords to get together and team up. We'll draw her attention away from you and give you enough time to sneak up on her and do… whatever it is you and the other Lords have planned." Alcina hugged your closer and sighed. You weren't sure exactly how she and the other Lords were planning on defeating Miranda once you and Ethan would meet up, but had a funny feeling that Alcina and the others would be using their other forms. Whatever it was they had planned, you trusted Alcina. If anyone could defeat Miranda, she could.

"Promise me you'll be safe. I will not allow you to leave this castle unless you promise me." Alcina said. You looked up into your lover's face and grabbed it, kissing her. "I promise you, I will come back. I'm not gonna leave you and the girls, Alci. I swear it." She kissed you again and smiled at you.

"Good. You do not have my permission to do so." Unfortunately, your time with Alcina was cut short due to a phone call from a rather irritated Heisenberg. "We don't have all goddamn day! Miranda could decide to kill us all at any fuckin moment. Is she in or out?!" he yelled over the phone.

"In, definitely in!" you said, standing next to Alcina who had moved to answer the phone. She sighed in her chair at the vanity and took out a cigarette from her drawer and took a long puff from her cigarette.

"Good! And you're sure your back isn't too fucked up?" Heisenberg asked.

"I mean Alcina did just have me bent over just a few minutes ago, but no-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP," Heisenberg yelled, making Alcina chuckle. "Just… be ready to leave! I'll send Ethan down to meet you in the Village." And with that, the other line clicked and he hung up the phone. An uncomfortable silence set in and… it was weird. It almost felt like everything just got real and there was no more time to procrastinate or relax. You turned around and looked at the closet. "I guess I should get my old gear on," you said. Alcina nodded her head sadly and walked over to the closet with you. She helped you get your trousers on and pulled your long sleeve shirt over. You picked up the bulletproof vest and looked at the ghost that was spray painted on it. The vest was scratched and old, but it still fit you perfectly and you felt safe in it. It was a little harder to get your elbow and knee pads on with the vest in the way and Alcina helped you tighten them and put them on. You made a mental note to put the vest on last. "Don't forget your helmet and sword, soldatul meu." Alcina said.

"Oh, right." You turned around and reached back into the closet, grabbing your sword and your helmet. The helmet fit snug on your head and the sword rested comfortably on your waist. "May I?" Alcina asked, just as you were about to strap in the chin straps.

"Of course." Alcina knelt down and clicked the straps in. She kissed your helmet, her lips lingering for a bit, then stood back up and sniffed. "Come. I am sure the girls are waiting for us at the entrance," Alcina said, holding her hand out for you to take. Hand in hand, you both walked out of the room and down the steps making your way towards the Castle Entrance. Sure enough, all three sisters were standing around awkwardly waiting for you.

"So you're actually going through with it?" Cassandra asked you, holding an old rifle.

"Well… yeah." You couldn't think of anything sarcastic to say to her and it seemed the brunette didn't want to be sarcastic either. The two of you had played this little game in the past and now it seems you just wanted to be sincere towards each other. "Here, I know your other weapons are with Uncle Heisenberg, but you should take this for the time being," she said.

"I'm honored you're allowing me to use one of the guns from the armory. Miss Cassandra," you said bowing to her like you used to do as a maid. She shoved you playfully and the game was back on, making you feel more at ease. You didn't want to say goodbye to any of them and didn't want them to treat you any differently or say goodbye, there was no point. You would be back at the castle as soon as Miranda was dead and be playing cards and reading books with the girls again.

You looked over the rifle quickly, ensuring the safety was on and putting its strap over your shoulder.

"Yeah yeah, just don't damage this."

"Wouldn't dream of it," you replied.

Daniela came up to you and hugged you. "Be safe, okay? You're not allowed to die," she said, making you chuckle.

"Don't worry, your Mother already made me swear not to die. I won't, I'll be back." You pulled away from the redhead and saw Bela standing next to you.

"Well, just make sure you're careful. Miranda's really powerful." Bela said.

"So is my sword," you added.

"She would toss that sword aside like a toothpick," Bela said.

"Ha! I'll scare her away as soon as I unsheath it."

"Oh, please! You couldn't scare off a pack of lycans," Cassandra said.

"I'll take you up on that bet."

"Please, let's just focus on one thing at a time," Alcina said. The girls shuffled away from you and Alcina as you followed her over to the castle doors. You remembered the girls couldn't be around the cold and looked back to see them watching you from a safe distance. "I'll be right back," you called to them.

"You better!" Cassandra yelled.

"You're not allowed to die, remember!" Daniela yelled at you.

"I won't!"

"In all seriousness if you see a lycan, just shoot it. Don't approach them or fight them with your sword, mele is ineffective against them!" Bela yelled.

"Any other last minute tips?" you asked.

"Yeah, stay alive!" Cass yelled. You looked back over to Alcina who was smiling between you and her daughters, clearly finding the moment touching. "What?" you asked her.

"You and my daughters getting along warms my cold heart."

"Your heart's cold? We'll come down here, I'll warm it up," you said, opening your arms for her. Alcina knelt down and hugged you tightly. You caressed her black curls with your fingers and breathed in her perfume, savoring the scent. "I love you," you said.

"I love you too, Draga Mea. My darling soldier." You both pulled back a bit and kissed each other softly. You tried to remember how her lips felt against yours and hugged her closer. You didn't want to leave her or the girls, it sounded like a cheesy and overused line in one of Daniela's romance books, but it was true. You just wanted to be with Alcina and love her, spend the rest of your life with her. Fall asleep in her arms and wake up in them every morning, play games and read books with the girls.

This would be the determination that would steer you in your path to defeat Miranda, a moment that both you and Alcina would remember fondly and reference as proof of your love for each other. You kept trying to remember what her lips felt like as you walked down the snowy path towards the dreaded Village. You pulled out your gloves from your pants pocket and put them on, almost forgetting about them completely. It was still cold out, but it wasn't as bad as it had been recently. There was a light snowfall from the pale and cloudy sky and you rested your hand on the handle of the cutlass. Everything would work out, it would have too. You just kept telling yourself that over and over, you had luck and fate on your side. You would totally be able to defeat a powerful goddess that had incredible powers.

You could do this.

As you rounded the Village entrance, you started looking for signs of Ethan. You saw the gate that led to Heisenberg's had been opened and a pair of foot tracks in the snow. There were no lycans hiding in the trees or on top of houses, in fact there was no one in the Village. It was just deathly silent out and it made you feel uncomfortable. You pulled the rifle over from your back and held on to it, turning the safety off. It was too damn quiet, Miranda had to be somewhere.

You continued following the foot tracks into the Village and saw Ethan once you rounded a corner. He was waiting just outside the Village Church. "Ethan," you said. He turned around and looked at you.

"Y/N? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Alcina. She… she threw me out," you said looking down at the ground sadly. You had to keep up the charade that Alcina had really dumped you knowing that Miranda could be listening in from anywhere. "I… don't have anywhere else to go."

"I'm… sorry, Y/N."

"Yeah, me too. She said that her devotion to Miranda was more important than me, that I was just in her way and worthless. She said it was my fault that she lost the flask and told me to never come back. I can't believe she said all that to me."

"Well, at least she doesn't have the flask anymore."

"Yeah, I guess."

"What will you do now?"

"I don't know exactly where to go. I don't even remember where I came from. But, what I do know is that she's an evil, heartless witch. I want to help you. Anything to get revenge on her," you said, narrowing your eyes at him and clutching the gun to your chest.

"Are you sure?"

"Damn sure! I'm not going to let her get away with what she did to me!"

"Then let's-" Ethan was interrupted by a cackling voice, a familiar one too. You both looked up at the Church and saw the old hag laughing at the both of you.

"You!" you and Ethan both yelled, dumbfounded.

"Me," she replied simply, clutching onto her staff and smiling.

"But, how did- how the hell did you survive?"

"I could ask you the same, girl. And you as well!" she laughed, pointing at Ethan.

"What do you want?" Ethan asked, annoyed.

"Want? It is not a question of what I want," she said, walking closer to you two. "It is a question of what I need."

"And what is it that you need?" you asked her, clutching the rifle. She smiled evilly at you and chuckled a little. There was something awfully familiar about her.

"Your child… she's so important to you, isn't she?" the Old Hag asked, looking at Ethan.

"Rose?" you asked. Ethan and the Old Hag ignored you.

"She's everything to me," Ethan replied.

"And mine to me. If the Lords are killed by your hands, what are you going to do?"

"Ethan," you said, but he ignored you. Something was not right.

"I'll save Rose! I'll collect the rest of the flasks and I will save her!" Ethan yelled. The Old Hag laughed at him and black, crow looking wings surrounded her, closing in around her and she disappeared under the wings from the two of you. "Ethan?!" you yelled, pointing your rifle at the wings.

"You never know, do you?" said a woman appearing from the wings. She had long brown hair and wore jeans with a shirt and sweater. What the hell was going on?

"Mia?" Ethan asked, dumbfounded. His face fell and if his jaw could drop to the floor it would have.

"Who's Mia? What the hell's going on?!" you asked. Mia laughed at you and pushed you to the ground with surprising strength.

"Even when I took Mia's place in your home," she said. Ethan's breathing quickened as he narrowed his eyes and pointed his gun at Mia. You quickly grabbed your rifle that had fallen out of your hands and sprung up to your feet. "Poor Ethan," the woman said. Mia must be Ethan's wife, but… what she just said didn't make any sense.

Ethan ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders desperately. "Who are you? Where's Rose?!" he yelled. Oh, God. The woman laughed again as the wings appeared once more. Tree roots and vines erupted from the earth, their branches wiggling in the air, and you stepped away from them. Ethan fired off a few rounds at the wings and you knew who would be appearing from them. Shit….

"Miranda," you and Ethan said together as Miranda appeared from the wings in all her glory. She was wearing her ceremonial robes and her halo was behind her head making her look like the 'goddess' she believed herself to be. Your heart started to pump faster and hammer against your chest as you pointed your gun at her. Seeing Miranda stand in front of you donning the same clothes she had worn before…. You felt like you were going to be sick. How the hell could you possibly defeat Miranda now? The Lords were nowhere near you and while Ethan could put up a fight, you felt… weak. Weak and scared.

You knew what Miranda was capable of and you knew the power she possessed. Ethan didn't. He had no idea what this woman was capable of doing or the power she possessed. You probably didn't even know all of her powers either. You shivered as she chuckled at Ethan, trying not to think about the last encounter you had with Miranda. You supposed this is how Alcina had felt when she saw your back, except she was in the safety of her own castle. And you were dumb enough to think that you'd actually stand a chance against her, that she wasn't aware of you and the Lord's plan to kill her. Miranda had known all along. You had fallen right into her trap.

One of the branches from the trees stretched towards you and you fired off a few shots, but it did nothing against it. Miranda laughed at you and watched as the large branch stretched and stretched, slithering closer to you along the grass. You pulled out your swords as fast as you could and slashed at it, but of course nothing happened. Ethan tried to fire at it as well, but his bullets did nothing and Miranda waved her hand, making another branch push Ethan away from you. All you could do was step back from it trying desperately to cut it away from you.

The branch wrapped itself around your legs and torso and binded against you tightly. You tried to pull it off you, but soon enough they spread to your arms and kept you from moving them at all. The branch moved you back against the tree and held you to it's trunk in a death grip. Miranda chuckled as she watched you desperately try to free yourself. She waved her hands and the branches tightened even more against your body making you groan out and the tree's branch held your arms and legs apart making it impossible for you to reach for your sword or your gun.

"Enough," Miranda said, satisfied that you could no longer move and walked back over to Ethan, circling him.. "Remember Eveline and her power over the mold?" she asked. Ethan stayed silent, still pointing his gun at Miranda and anticipating her next move. "Rose is her successor. No… rose is Eveline's true, complete form." Miranda went on, walking behind the tree that had you pressed against it. "She will grow to fully control the masses. And I must have her."

"Fuck you, you crazy bitch!" Ethan yelled. Miranda's smile deepened and she sent a few crows at Ethan. He moved his hands in front of his face blocking them just as Miranda disappeared and moved away from him.

"Calm yourself. Rose will be saved," she said, walking behind a tree. She had dubbed Mia's form again after stepping from the other side of the tree and walking up to Ethan. "The megamycete catalogs all of us. However, she will be reborn as my daughter."

"She's my child! Not yours!" Ethan growled, pushing her away and she disappeared once more. "Where are you? Show yourself!" he yelled. You pulled against the branches, but they pushed you further against the tree. You felt like you were going to be pushed inside of it as they tightened even more around you. "Ah! Ethan! Run!" you yelled, but he ignored you.

"Why did Rose come to be?" Miranda's voice came, and the Old Hag appeared in front of him again. "Was it because of her parents? And you are truly a special case. But I've learned all I can from you." You watched her as she hid behind another tree. "Your worth as a lab rat has run out."

Ethan looked around trying to locate her. "Miranda, you coward! Come out and face me!" Ethan yelled, just as another tree root sprung from dirt ground and pierced itself in his chest. "Ethan!" you yelled, fighting against the branches.

Miranda rose up from the ground in a moldy, liquid-like substance, the branch inside of Ethan's chest turning into Miranda's blood-soaked arm. "Don't worry, Ethan. Your death will come quick. You will join the Megamycete's records." Miranda said, before ripping out Ethan's heart from his chest. You watched in horror and looked away as she examined his heart curiously. "I will make sure to sample your blood for later. Once dawn breaks the ceremony will be complete, and I will become her true mother. Bound for eternity in blood." Miranda raised Ethan's heart and squeezed it, allowing the blood to sprinkle down her face, laughing maniacally.

Ethan's eyes were opened as wide as they could be and he was breathing heavily. "Ethan," you grumbled out. He fell to the ground whimpering and soon his eyes closed and Ethan became still. "No!"

"I've waited so long. But dreams really can come true. Vessel or not, I can't wait to see my true child again." Miranda said, staring down at Ethan's limp body. You felt the branch loosen its grip on you until it let you go and you dropped to the ground, clutching your chest. You took some deep breaths and shakily got back up. "As for you, I have allowed you to live long enough. You are a failure just like the other Lords. I will enjoy watching you being ripped apart by the lycans," she said laughing. You looked around her and saw that a group of lycans had appeared. Had they been there the whole time?

Miranda raised her arms and you looked at her, pleading for her to spare your life. "Lycans, feast."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I will post the next chapter as soon as possible. I'm not sure when that will be but your patience is greatly appreciated. Please bare with me.