This chapter came a day late and 1,000 words short of my goals. Work this past week had been grueling and I had no energy to write. Sorry about that.

"Mia, get down!"

Gunfire erupts. A bullet storm tears its way through the dining room. Mia jerks around violently as she is struck with multiple rounds from multiple angles. All Ethan could do is sit and watch as mists of blood sprayed out of her.

"Jesus fuck!" shooting out of bed, Ethan grasped at his heart in a vain attempt to ease its rapid beating. Another dream about Mia. He had been having them, none stop, for the past few days. It must be because he had been sitting alone in this room for hours on end.

The new room given to him by Lady Dimitrescu was fine, really. It was simple. Easily twice as big as the cell he was in, maybe more. The walls were finished wood, only having the basic trim of the house around the floor and ceiling. The floor was a basic hardwood with a red carpet covering most of it. A small bed was placed in the corner of the room; the perfect size for one person and had a small dresser on its foot. The fireplace was the main attraction of the room. It was small, the doors were wrought iron and the chimney was made from simple red brick. The last piece of furniture was a simple wooden desk and chair. Ethan didn't have much use for it. The adjoining bathroom was small. It had a simple bath with a spigot over it, a toilet, and a sink. Being able to brush his teeth after a few days felt like a godsend.

A maid had stopped by every evening to ask if he needed a small stack of wood to use throughout the night if he chose to. The first night he decided against it, only to freeze his manthing ass off. So now he had a small fire going throughout the day. In all honesty, Ethan had no idea what the hell was going on. None of the Dimitrescu women had stopped by since Bela had left him three days ago. Only Magda had come by every few hours with food. The door did not have a slot for food on it, so Magda had to unlock it herself and bring the food in. This was the first time she and Ethan had spoken without bars separating them.

It kind of shocked him that they would allow Magda to just unlock the door for a few minutes. They also released him from his cuffs, which was awesome. Maybe they just thought he would behave himself more now and not try to escape? He didn't know nor care. The first time he had seen Magda he had given her a top-secret mission of getting his watch and lockpicks back from his cell. At first, she was hesitant, and rightly so. She had just been threatened by Lady Dimitrescu herself about information she may or may not have given Ethan. She wasn't exactly ready to actually give the Lady an excuse to drain her blood.

After some begging though, she decided that it wouldn't be that difficult. It wasn't like she was sneaking anything big or noisy. She had told him she would get the stuff back to him next meal time, and she did. However, even though Ethan now had the tools to get loose, he had yet to. The first day he had just been sore. Adina had visited him once in the room, checking up on him and getting her owed Lei. She had told Ethan that his joints had properly healed and he shouldn't have to worry about his shoulders slipping out of place. She tried to ask about his healing abilities, but he shut her down. Mostly because not even he knew how the hell they worked.

The next two days Ethan spent just laying around, catching up on sleep, and poking at a fire. The food was still simple yet good. His new sets of clothes that he had bought from The Duke were neatly tucked away in the dresser. He still needed to visit the fat man personally at night. When he had seen him for another set of new clothes, Daniela had escorted him. Whatever the surprise The Duke had for Ethan, it couldn't be shared in front of the Dimitrescu family.

Daniela was the last Dimitrescu Ethan had seen as well. She lead him to his new room, told him that a maid would come by to ask about wood and that she would speak again with him soon. While she sweetly talked to him and even got into his personal space, she didn't seem as forward anymore. Daniela still hadn't come back.

Wiping his face, Ethan stood up and walked toward the bathroom. It was nice to finally have a proper facility to take a morning piss in instead of trying to find a new corner in a dank dungeon. As he passed by the fireplace, he stoked the embers and threw an extra log on to chase the cold out of the room. Opening the door, he quickly relieved himself and looked at his face in the mirror. He was starting to grow a faint beard. He didn't like growing a beard, they itched a lot when starting and could look terrible. He decided it was time for a shave; but first a bath. He was smelling a little ripe this morning.

While the bath faucet didn't have a hot or cold tap, the water that flowed out of it was always warm. It didn't get as hot as he would've liked, but beggars can't be choosers. Turning the water on and plugging the drain, the tub slowly filled. Looking at his watch, it was some time until Magda was due to arrive, and she was a very punctual woman as it turned out.

Slipping out of his clothes, he made a mental note to ask if she could take them to get washed for him. Gently stepping into the bath, he groaned as he relaxed into the water. When he first learned of the bath, he was excited to try it but his legs were too sore to carry him, so he had to wait till the next day. The water had turned a nasty, murky brown. He bathed three times before the water left over wasn't rust-brown. The warm water worked wonders on his aches and bruises. His lower back especially. He did have a bar of soap and a generic bottle of shampoo, courtesy of The Duke as well. Ethan slowly slid deeper into the water until the water line was just below his nose. He gently worked the bar over his body, not needing to scrub this time, really. Just enough to wash the smell away.

It was a relaxing experience. He used to love taking baths with Mia. He would have a bottle of beer, she would have a glass of wine, and they would sit and talk about the neighbors or what happened at work, or what show they watched recently. When she got pregnant, Ethan would love to wash her hair and back for her. It helped relax her, which is literally what the doctor ordered. When she had given birth, he loved to help her wash their daughter in the sink. Little Rose loved the water, and she wanted to share that love with her parents. It was rare that Mia and Ethan would come back without a soaked shirt. They didn't mind, not really. Rose's little coo's and giggles during bathtime made it worth it.

Little Rose didn't need a bath every night, but she more or less demanded one. If you had tried to tuck her into bed without a bath, oh boy would she be fussy. Mia would laugh, saying how her mother used to always comment on Mia as a baby and loving baths. It had been a long time since Ethan or Mia talked to their families, really. Ethan's family wasn't that big, really. Just a sister out in California somewhere. They hardly talked anymore, and that was before the protection Christ put on the family. Mia, on the other hand, had a large family at one point. Both her parents and her brother died in a car crash though. They had been on their way to visit her in college. It took of a long time before she stopped feeling guilty. Her other family members still think she's dead and that Ethan moved on. Which was sort of bitter-sweet for both of them. Ethan loved Mia's family, they were so close and so bonded. Ethan had hoped at one point that Rose would grow up to see Chris as an uncle and his goons as cousins.

Scoffing at the memory, Ethan massages shampoo into his hair and dunks himself. Rising back up, he begins to talk to himself. "Yeah, Christ as her uncle. 'Oh look, Rose, it's uncle Chirs! Remember how he shot your mom dead in our own house and took you from me?' Fucking ass-hat…"

Hearing a knock at the door, Ethan got a little worried. Magda wasn't due for a few more minutes, at least Ethan didn't think so. Maybe it was a Dimitrescu?

"Uh… one moment, I am in the bath!"

The sound of the door unlocking caused Ethan to hurry and rinse himself off. Whoever it was wasn't going to wait. Deciding to end his bath now, Ethan quickly got out of the tub and dried off. The door was shut but wasn't able to lock, so he quickly dressed as well. Walking out while struggling to put his shirt on "Sorry, I was in the bath. How may I help- oh Magda! You're early… I think?"

Looking at the familiar maid, her face was tinged red slightly.

"Magda? Are you ok? You aren't sick, are you? …did you run into Daniela?"

Coughing into her fist she averted her eyes from Ethan, finding something on a wall that she needed to look at. "Oh no, nothing like that Ethan. It's just been a while since I've seen a man shirtless. Was kind of unexpected."

Feeling slightly embarrassed that he made Magda feel awkward, he tried to laugh it off. "Ah, yeah sorry. I didn't know who was coming into the room and I wanted to greet them. Moving on. You are early this morning? Something going on?"

"Oh nothing important," she said. "I just have other duties after this that require a bit more time than normal. Decided to get your breakfast out of the way earlier and get to them sooner."

"Ah, that makes sense." Taking the tray from Magda, Ethan continued to converse with her. "So what is the deal with me, now? Has Cassandra said anything?"

Magda shook her head no. "I do not have much contact with the Ladies. I usually am only given duties in the less-used areas of the castle; such as other guest rooms and the like. I mainly clean but do also help transport items. Anytime one of the Ladies seeks me out is to pass along information to someone else they can't find or do not have the time to find. They gave me the duty of bringing you food because normally my other tasks are not time-dependent. As long as they get done during the day, it's all well."

"Well, Magda, I don't want to hold you up when you have other things that need doing. I will see you later."

"Yes, Ethan, goodbye." Walking out and locking the door, Magda left Ethan alone with his thoughts. As well as the food. Eggs and toast this time. Not his favorite, that would be pancakes, but it was a strong contender for 2nd place. Ethan was actually given a fork this time, too. He was pretty sure that was just Magda's doing, however.

While he ate, Ethan decided he would pay The Duke that visit tonight. He pushed it off long enough. While he didn't exactly trust the big fellow, he had been the only one to really help him so far. He was very curious as to what The Duke could offer him. Committing to his decision, Ethan set an alarm for 1:30 AM. All the inhabitants of the castle should be asleep by then, except The Duke.

Drinking the fast of the water that was given to him, Ethan decided to pull the wooden chair over to the fire and sit for a moment.

'It's funny… down in the basement, time would pass by decently quick. Maybe it was the atmosphere down there. In this room, however? I'm just comfortable enough to want to do something. I ain't got shit! Maybe I could ask Magda if I could get some books or something in here.'

After a few minutes, Ethan heard a knocking on the door again. He was confused, this time. Magda wouldn't be due for another few hours. She didn't say any of the Dimitrescu women would be seeing him today either. "Hello?"

The knocker took that as the cue to walk in. Slightly ducking down, obscuring their face, one of the Dimitrescu daughters walked in. Standing up to greet them nervously, he was slightly relieved to see it was Daniela. "Good morning, manthing."

"Oh, Dan- Lady Daniela. Good morning."

Daniela's face dropped into a look of mild annoyance at the formality. "Drop the 'lady' bit. It gets exhausting to hear that all day. 'Lady Daniela' this, 'Lady Daniela' that, 'Lady Daniela, please no', it gets a little annoying after a while."

"O-ok. Daniela."

"There we go! Now, the reason why I came to visit you, manthing, was because I need your help."

Doing his best fish impression, Ethan was at an absolute loss for words. Lady Daniela Dimitrescu, the third daughter of Lady Dimitrescu, a 6-foot tall vampiric group of flies, needed the manthings help. "Uh… what do you need help with?"

Sitting down on his bed Daniela explained. "See, Cassandra and Bela are stuck in a bit of a funk. I think Bela is just kicking herself for being so reckless with that wall. She prides herself on being the eldest daughter and the most responsible one. Cassandra, however, I am less sure of. I think she might still be thinking about how our sister almost died. She doesn't let on as much as Bela or I, but she cares about us as well. I tried to get Cassandra to come down to the dungeons with me and torture a maid, but she said she wasn't feeling it. In the past 20 years, she's never turned it down before. What do you think?"

Scratching his stubble, having forgotten to shave it after Magda's visit, Ethan tried to come up with something that made sense. "Well… I think Bela will be fine on her own. You said she is the oldest and most responsible. She will soon come back around after she has time to work through her mistake. This wasn't just an 'oopsies' for her; she could've died if I didn't help her. Cassandra on the other hand might take longer to come back around. If what you said is true, then seeing her own sister close to death would've rattled her a good deal. Something like this won't just leave you after a few days."

Daniela nodded her head in agreement as he talked, "Yes, that is what I figured as well. There had only been one other time one of us had come this close to death before. That is how we found out about it. Cassandra was chasing a maid through the walls. In the throws of desperation, the maid jumped through and out a second-story window. It was in the middle of the winter. Cassandra didn't even wait, she jumped right out after her. The only reason we knew that she was in trouble was because of the shriek she gave. Half her flies froze over instantly, the other half was on their way. The maid would've gotten away, too, but she ended up bleeding out just a few feet away. Silly thing slit her throat jumping through the glass." Taking a breath from her long-winded story, she continued again, "Bela and I tried to rush out and gather our sister, but we instantly felt the colds bite and knew what was happening to Cass would happen to us as well. The only one able to go out in the cold was mother. Mother got Cass just in time. It took her a while to fully recover."

"Wow. I bet that was pretty scary, not knowing if your sister would survive."

"It was. Moving on. I came to ask you if you could think of a way to at least bring Cassandra out of her bad mood. I will reward you."

Raising a brow, Ethan asked, "Reward me how?"

Smirking, Daniela walked behind Ethan. She leaned down and whispered into his ear.

"Whatever you want, Ethan~" Giving a sensual moan, she gently licked his ear. Jerking his head away, Ethan shot out of his seat and away from a now cackling Daniela. He started to wipe his ear off. "What the hell!?"

"Oh, you should've seen your face, manthing! You're as red as blood right now!" She continued to laugh for a moment before restraining herself. "But really, I do offer you a small reward in return for your help. I oversee the kitchens and other food-related jobs- before you ask, no I do not cook. It was just something mother assigned to me. As a reward, I could tell the kitchen staff to give you higher quality meals. Also, tell them to give you utensils, so Magda won't have to sneak you anymore."

Deciding that Ethan didn't have much to lose, he nodded. It wouldn't hurt anything to try. "Well, I don't know much about Cassandra. I only know she likes to torture maids, hunt, and fight. You said she already declined to torture a maid with you. You can't really hunt, right now, either. I'm not sure how fighting could help, either."

"Yes, those are the same conclusions I reached as well. We need something that she doesn't normally do. Something that will make her feel better…"

A light bulb went off in Ethan's head.

"Hey, why don't you all go something together! Like you three sisters. Maybe even your mother."

"Oh, hey that's not bad manthing." Grasping her own chin as she thought, she 'hmm'ed for a moment before questioning the idea. "What would we do though? We never really had a family outing before."

"What about a movie?"

"A what?"

Face-palming at Daniela's question, he realized that things here in the village and even the castle seemed behind the times. Trying his best to find the words to describe what a movie is, he continued. "Do you know how old cameras works? Yes? Good. Well, technology has advanced to the point where you can store a large number of pictures in a small container. When you project these images- you know how projecting an image works right? Ok, you project these images onto a large, flat white area. When you run between the images quick enough, it gives the illusion of motion."

"Oh! I know what you're talking about! Mother used to have an old film projector! We found it years ago when looking through castle storage. We got curious as to what it was, so we asked her. She played a 'silent movie' for us. While it was interesting how it worked, the picture itself was… lacking."

"I bet, but luckily for you film has come a long way. Now the images are in color, clear, and bright. There's even sound, too."

"Hm, that does sound fun. Have you ever watched one of these new films?"

"Yes, all the time. Because it's easier to make movies and it's such a big industry now, hundreds of them are made and released every year around the world."

"Woah…"

"Yeah, it's crazy when you think about it. Anyway, me and… me and my wife would watch movies together sometime. We would wear our sleepwear, cover ourselves in a blanket, have some food, and watch a movie. It was… nice."

Daniela spoke, ignoring the awkwardness in Ethan's voice. "I'm sure I could drag Bela and Cassandra into this. Mother might be a bit of a struggle to pull her away from her work, but I could try. Ok, manthing! We will do this 'movie'! I will take you to see The Duke later to put a special order in. I assume you know what we will need?" Nodding his head in confirmation, Daniela clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh before I forget, Daniela, you have to decide what kind of movie you all would want to watch. Movie genres work just like books, so I am sure you can figure out something."

"Ok, manthing, I will decide and tell you later. That was all I needed of you, for now, manthing. I will fetch you sometime after lunch for our trip to The Duke. Maybe he will also have some recommendations for this 'movie'. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, Daniela."

She was out the door and locked it in a flash, excited about the prospect of a movie night with her sisters. Chuckling, Ethan sat back down.

'Sometimes I forget they are psycho vampires… Daniela can at least hold a mostly normal conversation.'

Idly scratching the stubble again, Ethan watched the fire slowly engulf the small piece of cut firewood he threw in earlier.

'So… what the hell do I do for the next few hours?'

At first, he tried to take a nap, but he wasn't tired enough. He thought about taking another bath, but that didn't really sound interesting either. He should've asked Daniela for a damn book or something. The sheer nothingness of this room was slowly driving him insane.

'Jesus fuck I am bored. I need something to do. Hell, even Cassandra would be a decent change right about now…' Casting a nervous glance towards the door, Ethan hoped that Cassandra wouldn't actually show up. Her showing up was something he was afraid of. Who knew what the woman would do to him right now. He had a feeling she was still mad at him.

Remembering back to when Mia was pregnant, Ethan thought about the classes they took to help deal with the side effects of pregnancy and how to care for a newborn. Among some of the tidbits of information, some teachers talked about meditation to help release tension. While mostly directed to mothers, the idea could be applied to fathers as well. Back then, Ethan thought it was silly, but right now he thought he had nothing better to do than to try.

Climbing on his bed, Ethan sat cross-legged and placed his hands on his knees. The only thing he remembered from the meditation talk was that you needed something to focus on. Ticking of a clock, your heartbeat, breathing, anything with a steady rhythm really. Deciding to focus on his breathing, Ethan took deep breaths in, held it for a moment, then slowly released it. At first, he didn't really feel anything, but after a few breaths, he started to really notice how the air filled his lungs. He could feel how his lungs and chest would stretch to accommodate in the intake of air, then relax on the exhaust. The sound also became louder somehow, like that was the only thing that existed in the world and he heard it for the first time.

Every few breaths, Ethan would feel a little muscle here or there that he still held tension in. Focusing on them each, he relaxed them. He could now feel how his shoulders would also gently move with his breathing.

Opening his eyes, Ethan found himself slumped over and drool pooling onto his leg. "Shit… must've fallen asleep. At least I was able to pass the time." Looking at his watch, Ethan sees how a little over 2 hours had passed. It was more than he hoped for, it was two hours less that he had to deal with after all. Lunch should be served in about an hour. So that meant he had another hour to kill. After his nap and meditation, Ethan felt energized. He felt great and wanted to do something.

In a split-second decision, Ethan dropped to the ground and began to do push-ups. He had no real reason to. He just needed to do something. Push-ups were something. While his shoulders didn't appreciate the exsertion, they weren't in pain. He figured it would be good to work them out a bit, anyway. His first few push-ups went quick and easy, but after about 10 he began to feel the burn. In only a short time, he was struggling. Chirs would be ashamed. The giant of a man would've already been at 50 and wouldn't have slowed down at all. Struggling to hit 30, Ethan decided that was a good number to rest at. Hopping up, he decided to start squatting. He felt a bit silly, yes, but this was a good way to kill time and do something productive. Once his legs began to struggle, he switched to sit-ups.

Ethan keeps this rotation going for as long as possible. When one muscle group began to exhaust, he would switch. At first, he was able to get a decent number in each, but soon enough his momentum slowed. While he could get to 30 push-ups at the start, it was a struggle to get 20, then 15, and then he struggled to get 10. He had worked up a decent sweat too. Grunting, Ethan tried his best to push through the fatigue. Finishing the last set of sit-ups he could squeeze out, Ethan flopped onto his back. After a moment of huffing and puffing, he tried to climb to his feet. His legs felt like jelly and his abs could barely keep him upright.

Laying on his bed for a moment, Ethan tried to catch his breath. His heart was pounding and sweat was still rolling down his face. He laid there for a few minutes, letting his poor muscles rest. He had to get up though, or else his sweat would soak into his bed. Luckily for him, Magda had chosen this time to arrive with a somewhat early lunch as well.

Carrying the tray of food in, Magda didn't notice Ethan's condition right away. "Good day, Ethan, how was the rest of your- oh! Are you ok? You didn't get sick, did you?"

Laughing a bit at her worrying, he waved her off. "No no, I am fine but thanks. I decided to work a bit. Figured it was something I could do to waste time."

"Ah… well, anyway, I have brought you lunch. Since I brought you breakfast earlier today, I figured you would be hungry earlier than normal as well. It appears I came at the perfect time, too!"

"Thanks! I'm dying of thirst too!" Grabbing the cup of water, he began to gulp the liquid down. A few drops trickled out from the sides of his mouth, but he didn't care. The water they had here in the castle was refreshing. It must've been that fancy filtered mineral water or whatever. Dowing the last mouthful, Ethan put the cup down and wiped the excess water from his face. Magda was staring at him with slightly lidded eyes. Almost like she was zoned out.

"Uh… Magda?"

"Oh sorry! Was thinking about- about my other duties! Got to get to them! I will be taking your dishes from breakfast! Good day, Ethan, I will see you later for dinner! I mean I will bring you dinner… I will be going!" In a mad dash, Magda had collected the dirty dishes and quickly exited.

"What a strange woman…" Looking down at the food and now empty cup, Ethan tried to figure out what the heck made Magda act strange. Getting a strong whiff of himself, Ethan realized he was due for another bath. He decided to quickly eat first and then take a bath. Lunch was just some large smoked sausage and potatoes. Nothing fancy, but Ethan was a meat and potatoes kinda guy, so it was more than good enough for him. Grabbing his fork, he greedily ate. He cleaned his plate quickly and prepared a bath. Ethan hoped he would be able to wash up before Daniela arrived to take him to The Duke to put a special order in.

As the tub filled, Ethan grabbed a second change of clothes for the day and walked back to the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror again, he rubbed his dirty blonde stubble. He didn't have time to shave, sadly. He would have to get to it tonight. Hopping into the bath, he immediately got to work scrubbing himself. His nasty workout odor was quickly replaced with the gentle scent of his bar of soap. It didn't have a scent Ethan knew, not that he knew a lot about soap scents, but Mia did have a guilty pleasure of being a regular at Bath & Body Works. That woman had a candle addiction.

Ethan smiled fondly at the memories of when they were younger and would go to the mall. One year for Mia's birthday, Ethan had secretly stuffed $400 into his pocket and asked her to get in the car. He didn't tell her where they were going, just that it was a surprise. At first, Mia was a little disappointed they had only gone to the mall.

Until he pulled out the money and basically said 'go nuts'. He was instantly dragged to Bath & Body Works candle section. They left with a small tower. They then hit up Build-A-Bear, PINK, Victoria's Secret (well, she did, Ethan just sat with the other boyfriends/husbands), and any other store that caught her eye.

Deciding that his bath was done, Ethan pulled the stopper on the bathtub, allowing the water to drain. He quickly toweled himself off and got dressed. Daniela was to retrieve him soon and he didn't want to give her any more ammunition to tease him with. Hopefully, Daniela figured out what type of movie they should ask The Duke for. He figured they would most likely settle on some graphic gore-fest movie.

He just hoped that if this blew up in Daniela's face, she wouldn't take out her anger on him. He just suggested it and she was the one that decided to run with it. He wouldn't even be getting that much out of helping Daniela. She just offered to have his meals made better when they were already fine as is. It wasn't like he could say no though, she could've just strong-armed him. She had leverage and didn't even have to offer anything in return. She did though, and that told Ethan she was serious about bettering her sister's moods.

It was 10 minutes before a knock on the door came. "Daniela?" Ethan called, assuming it was her.

Walking through the doors, Ethan's assumption was correct. "It is I, manthing. Are you ready to see The Duke?"

Ethan stood up and grabbed his stack of Lei in case he spotted anything he wanted for himself. "Yeah, I suppose so. Let's get to it." The duo stepped into the wall and started walking towards The Duke. As they fell into step, Ethan spoke up. "We shouldn't need much, honestly. Just a projector, a good BluRay player, and a speaker. I'm sure you guys have a large enough white wall or sheet to project on. Normally I would say something about a couch but honestly, if you and your sisters will be close during the movie, I'd recommend you lay some thick blankets on the floor and lay together."

"Yes, we have a large white sheet we can project against. There is an empty, cozy room with a fireplace we can use. We do also have large, thick blankets we could lay down and lay on, so that is covered as well."

"The only other thing I can think we might need is a power outlet. I… actually have yet to see any in this house, yet I have seen some electric lights?"

Chuckling a bit, Daniela explained the power situation. "Yes, we do have modern electricity running through the castle, and we do have outlets. They, however, are hidden. Not so much in the halls but in most rooms, if you look along the bottom trim around the room, you will notice a bit that has a seam. Those are outlets. Simply pull them open. Mother hated the sight of them in the open, so she had them hidden. The carpenter who did it was quite clever. His blood tasted decent too."

Cringing at the implications of her last statement, Ethan tried to forget it. "Well, that's good then. All we need now is a movie."

"Yes… about that. Is there any way we could get multiple?"

"Of course. A typical movie runs a little less than two hours, so how many are you thinking?"

"At least two. Maybe three. I want to get something all of us would enjoy. Bela and I both like more serious stories and romance. Cassandra however, likes dark, grim stories."

"Honestly, for Cassandra, I would recommend a good horror movie, one where the evil entity wins. I know an older movie about a guy who dies but his spirit doesn't move on, and he eventually saves his wife from the person that planned his murder. You and Bela might like it. Cassandra, maybe. What do you think?"

Daniela thinks over Ethan's idea while tapping her chin. Giving a little nod, she replied, "Yes, I suppose that would work."

For a moment, the two walked in comfortable silence. Ethan had to keep his steps quick in order to keep up with Daniela. She wasn't slowing down for him and her long legs made her steps longer too. Out of the corner of Ethen's eye, he sees Daniela's brows furrow in thought. "Something wrong?"

"Not… necessarily, manthing." Daniela replied. "But, there is something I would like to know. It is a personal question, for you."

Ethan grew slightly nervous at the insinuation. It couldn't be too bad of a question if she didn't smirk or laugh at the thought of asking him. She seemed worried, almost. Nervous too, maybe.

'Well… I suppose letting her ask won't hurt.'

"Ask me the question."

"What's it like being in a relationship?" Sputtering at the question and eyes growing wide in shock over the strangeness of the question, Ethan whipped his head towards Daniela. "I mean- I have never been in a relationship, but in all the books I've read they all seem the same but also… different?" Daniela spoke quickly to try and explain herself. "You are the only one I know that has had a relationship, and you are… were… married. With a child… I just… would like to know what it's like. Who better to ask, right?"

Slightly sucking in air through his teeth and tilting his head in thought, he did his best to answer the question. "Ahem. Well. It's hard to explain. It really is different for everyone. There are some similarities between couples, but for the most part, it's different. Some couples fight every other day, some never at all. For me and Mia- my wife- it was… simple. Quiet. We would rarely yell. We would be passive-aggressive, direct confrontation was rare. We understand- stood, we understood each other."

"Interesting. When me and my sisters are upset with each other, we tend to get into fights. Mother is the master at the passive-aggressive stuff. Especially when she gives you that look… Anyway, please continue?"

Nodding, Ethan spoke. "With me, a relationship is a special bond. You share it with someone who you aren't afraid to let in, someone who you can tell things to and let them see you crack. You trust them. In those moments of weakness is when you really connect. When the stress of live has become insurmountable and it crushes you and cracks your walls, they are around to hold you and tell you everything will be ok. Their words are like a drug that you just can't get enough of. It might sound cheesy, but being in a relationship is having someone you can face life with. The ups and downs, happiness and sadness, hurt and comfort."

"Wow, that is honestly-" Cutting her off, Ethan continued.

"It's also the worst thing ever." After a moment of shocked silence, he explained further. "When you give someone your entire being like that, they control you. You have to hope they cherish that and not betray it. You basically give that person your heart and the world's sharpest knife and ask them not to cut you with it. Their words can sting more than anything you could possibly imagine. If or when it ends too, you feel like you can't live anymore. You feel lost in an empty ocean. The damage one person can do to you can stick with you for years, maybe even forever."

"...can one person really have that much control over a person's mind?"

"Oh yes. It also gets worse the more desperate the other person is for companionship. It's very easy for someone who is desperate to try and be with someone who only wants to hurt them. Who thinks of them as someone lesser, someone to be controlled. There are also those who say things to their partner during a fight or break-up that pushes the other to the edge and over without knowing they did. When I was in Highschool, there was this couple that was in the middle of a breakup. During a fight, the girl told her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend to just go home and kill himself. She didn't actually mean that, she just wanted to be hateful and say something cruel. Little did she know that he did it. He went home and hung himself with a belt. His parent's found him."

"What, why! There's always more women to-"

"She had hurt him in a way that only someone you love can. It doesn't matter that she wasn't worth it and that they were only kids then. She was his first love and he had invested every ounce of his soul into her. You never go into your first relationship thinking that it'll end. In a relationship, you have to be self-aware. You have to watch what you say and do."

"If…" Daniela struggled to find the words for a moment but continued, "If that is the case, then why be in a relationship?"

Taking a deep breath, Ethan could only give the answer that made sense to him.

"Because it's worth it. The pain and suffering is worth it when you find someone to love. If I had a do-over and knew exactly how my life would end up, I would still be with Mia."

Both deciding to end the discussion there, they walked on. The Duke's room was only around the corner of the hallway they had been walking through, so it was only a short few seconds before they were greeted by the rotund man.

"Oh-ho! Good day, Miss Daniela, Mister Winters! How are you feeling today, Ethan? I do have some medical salves for pain relief on hand." There in the little niche in the room was The Duke. His wares were spread out on the table in front of him.

"Hello Duke, I'm feeling fine today so no, I won't be needing any salves, but thank you."

"If you change your mind, let me know. Let's get to business, shall we?" Motioning to his table, he grabbed his logbook, expecting to make a quick sale with his merchandise on hand.

Daniela spoke up. "Actually, we have a special order to place." This caught his attention. With a bright smile, he snapped his book shut and reached for a blank piece of paper. "Ah yes, special orders; my favorite. Always so much fun to find and source the requested product. Now then, what do you require?"

Looking toward Ethan, Daniela motioned for him to speak. "Uh, well it's nothing too interesting. Just a good BluRay player, a digital projector, and a sound entertainment sound bar. Obviously, they all have to be compatible."

Jotting down the requested items, whispering them back to himself from memory, The Duke looks up and smirks. "I assume you would also like something to watch?"

Nodding, Ethan replied, "Yeah, the first movie is Ghost; 1990 with Patrick Swayze. The second is… actually, how about this. All the Nightmare on Elm Streets', even the 2010 remake." Looking to Daniela, Ethan explained with a smirk, "I have a feeling Cassandra might like them, so we should get her all of them." Going back to The Duke, Ethan continued. "Also, all the Saw movies. Oh, and Dead Silence!"

Noticing the quirked brow from both Daneial and The Duke, Ethan scratched the back of his head while looking at the floor. "The Saw movies are gorey with tortured deaths. Dead Silence is just a good scary movie. I like it." Daniela scoffed at this while The Duke wrote down the movies with a chuckle.

"Well, these items won't be much of an issue to acquire Ethan. Should only be a day or two." The Duke said while writing on the paper. "The bill shouldn't be too large, either. To whose account am I charging?"

Daniela spoke, "Under the Dimitrescu account, namely my own. I am planning a 'movie night' for the family with the manthings help!"

Putting down the pen and paper for a moment, The Duke gave a wholesome laugh. "Oh-ho-ho! Now that is marvelous! If so, allow me to throw some things in, on the house of course! I am sure you all would appreciate some movie snacks!"

Perplexed by this, Daniela's head tilted to the side with a look of confusion.

"Ah, The Duke means sweets or simple foods. Popcorn for one, maybe some sort of gummy or chocolates too." Looking towards The Duke, Ethan nods in agreement. "Yes, movie snacks are a must. I am a bit ashamed to admit I forgot about them. Popcorn for sure. You know the Dimitrescus' better than me, Duke, so add what else you think they would like."

"I've got you covered, Mister Winters. If you think of anything else you need for this little event, let me know and I will take care of it. In case I myself think of something you might need as well, I will personally supply the Lei to cover it. Now that is settled, any other purchases either of you would like to make?"

Daniela replied to his question first, "No, I believe we are all set. You didn't need anything else, did you, manthing?"

"Actually, could I make a personal purchase?" Speaking up on his own behalf around a Dimitrescu always made him nervous. He was afraid one day he would be beaten for it. Daniela shrugged and gestured for Ethan to approach The Duke. "You may."

"Thanks. You wouldn't happen to have a few books, would you Duke?"

"Why of course I do! While I don't have a large number of books, I do carry a wide variety. Most are fairly dated, but some are more modern. If you want something to last you a while, I just so happen to have the entire book series of Harry Potter."

Idly rubbing the scruff on his face, Ethan thought about it out loud. "Well, I didn't care too much for magical fantasy stuff like that. Mia just thought the movies were cool looking. I suppose it's better than nothing. I'll take it."

Clapping his hands together, The Duke is excited to make a sale. "Wonderful! That will be 200 Lei, my good man." After handing the merchant the cash, Ethan was handed a box set of books. Looking at the duo, The Duke put on a funny, rough-sounding imitation of some man "Come back anytime! Hehe, just something an old friend used to say. Have a good rest of your day! Oh! And Ethan? Please do return soon. Your business is just as important to me as the Dimitrescu are."

Luckily for Ethan, Daniela seemed oblivious to the hint The Duke just gave to Ethan. Luckily for the man, Ethan was already planning on coming tonight. Deciding the play The Dukes game a bit as well, he smiled and replied. "Oh for sure, Duke, I will come back as soon as I can!" Smiling and nodding his head, The Duke chuckles as he gets back to work sorting papers and taking inventory.

As Daniela and Ethan walked out of the room, she turned to him. "I didn't know you knew The Duke so well. He seemed quite excited to see you."

"I wouldn't say I knew him well. I just ran into him before I walked into this castle. He gave me some advice, too."

"Interesting. Anywho~ When those things for the movies come in, I will have some maids transfer them to a room I believe will be perfect and I will get you myself to set it up.

Nodding, Ethan understood the plan. "It shouldn't take too long to get ready. The trickiest thing will be getting the project set up correctly. Getting it to focus, getting the color balance right, etc."

Soon they were in his room. Daniela unlocked the door and let Ethan pass through first. Unexpecditaly, he heard the door behind him shut and lock. Nervous about what Daniela had planned, he slowly turned around, only to find the vampire looking at her feet a bit embarrassed. "Normally, I would just take what I want, manthing. However, because of what you did for Bela and your increased status here in the castle, I feel it would be unbecoming of me if I did just take what I wanted from you."

Panic slowly rising in his chest, Ethan tried to back up but hit his chair, toppling over. He didn't like where this was going.

"It's not that!" Daniela easily read Ethan's worried expression and could guess what he thought she wanted. "I just… I'm just asking permission to drink from your neck. I feel it would be rude to just force you, now. Especially since you are helping me with my sister that you did also save."

Ethan didn't know whether to be more upset that she wanted to drink his blood, or relieved that she didn't want to sleep with him. Standing up and dusting himself off, Ethan scoffed. "Yeah because I totally want you to drink my blood." Came his sarcastic reply. Ethan saw Daniela roll her eyes and scoff as well. Deciding that she did at least ask, and nicely at that, he could grant her request, but he wasn't happy about it.

"Fine fine, let me at least sit down for this. Is there any way you could make it hurt less? My neck is always so fucking sore after."

Sighing and shaking her head no, she explained "No, while I am not human, my teeth are very much human-like, so they don't easily cut into the skin. However, since you will be holding still and I won't have to force your head over, it shouldn't hurt as much. You can sit down for this, though."

Ethan took her advice and sat on his bed and leaned his head to the side, exposing his neck. Without waiting for an invitation, Daniela swiftly closed the distance. At first, he thought she was going to go full speed and rip into his neck. When she got close, however, she slowed down instantly. He felt her gently press her teeth to his neck. In a swift push, they sunk in. While the pain was sharp and made him gasp, it didn't last. True to her word, since she didn't have to force him the pain was much more bearable. It felt more like just getting a shot. He didn't dare move, just in case it would cause him discomfort.

Because there was no searing pain to cloud his mind, he could feel his blood pour out and into Daniela's mouth. He also felt a gently sucking motion as she drank, almost like a baby nursing on a nipple.

'This is just plain fucking weird.'

All of a sudden, Ethan felt himself grow dizzy. It appears that Daniela was drinking more than he expected. He felt himself start to slump a bit as his foggy mind struggled to command his motor functions. With each second, he felt worse and worse. Afraid he would fall over completely, he grabbed onto Daniela's shoulder with his arm.'

To Ethan's horror, this seemed to entice Daniela. The moan she gave rumbled through his neck, and what blood was left in him ran cold. She wrapped her arm around Ethan's back and pulled him in closer, her teeth sinking in slightly deeper.

Giving a small gasp of pain, Daniela took this as a sign to keep going. He felt her tongue lap over the section of her neck in her mouth. He tried to push away but the blood loss and consequent delirium made it difficult to even flop a hand against her. "Daniela…" His voice was low and forced. It sounded like he just woke up. "Stop…"

This only spurred her on. Pulling him against her chest, Daniela's hands gripped him firmly as she sucked his neck harder. It seemed that his blood was like an aphrodisiac to her if her increased moans were any indication.

'She's… going to bleed me dry. Got to get… away!'

Ethan was able to just barely raise his foot and gave Daneial a kick with everything he had. It wasn't much but it was enough. Feeling her teeth release from his neck the distance grow, he looked at her. His blood was pouring from her mouth, down her chin, and onto the floor. The bottom half of her face was absolutely soaked in blood. Daniela shot him a look of rage. Unable to defend himself, he just raised his hands as she rushed over and grabbed him by the throat.

"You insulant manthing! I was enjoying myself! What gives you the right to-" Stopping her rant, a fogginess that Ethan didn't notice at first cleared away from her eyes. A look of realization came across her features. Gently, she set him back down on the bed.

"I… apologize. When I saw you expose your neck to me like that it… riled me up, a bit. I misread the situation. Would you care if I… heald your wound?"

In his blood-loss haze, Ethan just nodded yes. Unable to really focus on her, he only knew that she had started when he felt his neck tickle. Feeling her tongue graze over the bite, he winced. It was still tender. Her saliva was working though. Feeling the warmth wash over the area, he sighed in relief.

"I will be going, manthing. I will come back tomorrow and update you on the status of the order. Goodbye, manthing."

Ethan could only give a mumble in reply. He was tired and exhausted now. Moving felt like an impossible feat of strength at the moment. He only just registered the door closing and the lock engaging. The 'thump'ing of his heart was loud in his head. He had a headache from hell, too. This was probably the most blood he ever lost in one go.

Deciding his best course of action was passing out, Ethan shut his eyes and let the fatigue claim him.

His dreams were an absolute muddled mess. He couldn't make sense of anything. It was all just a colorful, muffled smear. He was pretty sure he woke up a few times too, but that he couldn't be sure of. It was only when Magda came with dinner that Ethan truly came to.

Waking up, Ethan grasped at his head. The knocking on the door sounded more like a hammer betting against his head. "Stop with the fucking knocking, please! Just come in already…". Through the door came Magda. Tray in her hands, she moved to set it down on his desk until she noticed the state he was in.

"Oh my! It seems one of the Dimitrescu sisters visited." Putting the tray down, she hurried over to Ethan. "Your clothes are soaked in blood. Oh, and you got blood on your sheets! How do you feel?"

"I feel," Looking at Magda with annoyance, "like I just got smacked by a train. My head is pounding, I feel like puking when I turn my head, and I feel like I have a fever."

"That is most definitely the blood loss. I will fetch you some painkillers. I'm afraid there's not much I can do about your nausea. We don't have any medication for it and home remedies are not that effective. I suggest you eat slowly and stay in bed for the rest of the night. As for your sheets… how about you take a quick bath. The food will stay plenty warm for a while. I will take your sheets off and fetch you new ones as well."

"Thank you, Magda, I would appreciate that very much. Could you… possibly help me up?"

Flashing him a gentle smile, she said "Of course, Ethan." Holding out her hand, Ethan grabbed it and she pulled with all her might. Ethan was able to make it to the bathroom by himself. "I will be back momentarily, Ethan. I assume you have the rest covered?" He gave her a single nod. With that, Magda turned and left the room, leaving Ethan to his bath. Turning the water on and slowly taking his clothes off, he slipped in.

Luckily, I should have most of the coming week off from work, so I should be able to write every day, all day. I might try and exceed 10k words next chapter to make up for the lateness of this one. I believe I also have a family vacation coming up in a few weeks, so I won't be able to write then, and of course no new chapter that week either. However, I will write a little on my phone, which should give me a jump start for the week after.

Thank you!