Donna was cowering down on the couch, wheezing, arms holding her maimed face. Blood seeping past to fall off in a downpour. Collected on the floor in a vast puddle counting down the lord's dwindling life by each drop.

"one of you will find them. Or we'll be short another lord." Miranda yanked the shocked group out of their daze. "grab Heisenberg and go to the reservoir immediately." shoving her demand on Alcina.

Who locked herself to her seat. "Yes, mother." speaking through a grimace she passed off as a wide set smile. To be falsely excited over Donna's suffering until the butcher bird flew from the home. Soon as they were sure of her departure, Alcina had appeared over Donna to get her seated straight up. Tossing the two remaining pieces of her veil away to look at her face. "Donna! Donna, I need you to open your eye!"

Those golden talons Miranda had weren't just for show. They had carved deep to forever be a permanent reminder on Donna's face. Without the healing factor like Alcina or Karl there was a deep fear of what was damaged. Flooding blood had distorted far too much to make out what was or wasn't untouched. Donna was fighting Alcina's grip to cower away. Sobbing and wheezing into a panic attack they couldn't let her collapse into. Angie had become what Miranda had called her, an inanimate object doing nothing.

Ethan was up from his seat running through what he could do. Daniela had froze, Bela was trying to help, unsure of what to do and Cassandra flew off toward the elevator. Looking to Bela he handed over rosemary. "take her." grabbing the blanket they had to wrap it around Donna. Mainly her head to stop the bleeding. Hugging her as he held the blanket tightly to the wound. Doing what came naturally to an omega. Soothing her back from a breakdown he held her close quietly without trying to rush anything. She was shivering, but no longer sobbing so harshly between wheezes. He slipped the blanket back down to reveal her red coated face. The disastrous gouges looked to be caused by a bear. Bleeding profusely soon as the blanket was taken away. Donna flinched her face away for Ethan to not see her other half. He caught a glimpse of a mass, but that wasn't important to him.

Alcina covered that half of her face with a hand to keep her comfortable. Every lord had seen it before, although not recently. Taking the blanket she patted more blood away to see the damage. "Donna, can you open your eye?"

Her face twitched before struggling a small movement. Skin freeing itself from blood layers to part. There was a lot of red streaming down on tears just as stained.

Alcina let out a breath. "It's fine." reddened by blood, but the clawed gouges narrowly missed the good eye. Allowing her to close it as they soaked the blood off her face by the blanket. Cassandra had flown in to open the first aid kit she hunted down in the lower floor. Prepping an emergency stitch job between careful cleanings of an alcohol soaked rag. Reaching a point the blood was stopped she doubled up the stitches in a bit of facial reconstruction. "Daniela, take Angie and help your sister take Donna to be cleaned and changed. We don't want an infection developing on those. When you're done, get her to bed."

Delicate in taking the lifeless doll. "Yes, mother." standing by as Cassandra picked up the injured lord into her arms. Following them toward the back rooms of the house. Donna was worryingly lifeless since the stitches were done.

Alcina looked to her remaining daughter. "Bela, I want you all to stay here. You'll be the betas of the house now. Take care of them and watch out for Miranda. I don't think she'll return, but if she does you all need to evacuate."

"you're leaving?"

"I must, Miranda's temper is getting too dangerous to risk. Me and Heisenberg will do what she demanded, search the reservoir. I'm not sure, but maybe I'll be back by nightfall."

Ethan's eyes darted between where the girls took Donna and to Alcina readying to leave. "Wait, how long until Donna's healed?" Not liking the sullen looks he got.

Alcina gave the grim news. "could be weeks, maybe months, if nothing goes wrong" gaze down to the large amount of blood covering everything. "Her healing is nothing like ours. Those marks will be permanent scars, no doubt." asking her daughter next. "read any books on herbal remedies?"

"many."

"Think you can recreate the tea she's been giving Ethan? She'll need to take it now as well."

"Yes, I can pick up on what she's been using around the pestle and mortar."

"good. Keep the house warm. When Beneviento wakes, get her to eat something. She'll need help getting her blood up."

"yes, mother."

She spoke a few Romanian words to Bela, then kissed the top of her daughter's head. Ethan catching a few of them as "... -stay safe- … -hold post- ..."

His heart warmed at hearing her speak the language again. He'd been trying to learn it since moving here, but other than the basics he knew little. Ethan felt a bit useless as he just stood there. Donna was gravely injured because of him. Alcina left to leave a false trail for him. The girls were here taking care of him while he recovered. His dampening mood redirected by Bela. "Let's go to the kitchen. Find a distraction for the two of us."

"yeah." about to take back rose when he saw how much blood was on him. "I should clean up." walking ahead to reach the sink he scrubbed himself clean.

"Do you remember anything about the tea she gave you?"

"bitter, yellow green color, some little purple petals. A ton of honey to cover the flavor."

"Hmm, I think I got all that here." picking up a few glass bottles to read. "I'll make a tea for you and a slightly different one for Donna. A poultice to coat the wounds would really help too." chuckling at rose reaching out for the jars. "I was worried about her making noise earlier."

"so was I."

"She's really good at reading your cues."

"yeah, I didn't know she was until this place."

Opening a bunch of jars Bela took bits here or there to drop into the mortar. Cassandra had returned a little wetter than before. "got the fire stacked with more wood. Daniela's getting Donna to bed, still out of it." letting Ethan know next. "bathrooms ready for you."

"He can go after some herbal tea. We don't want his fever spiking between all of this."

Without the emergency of stopping major blood loss, Ethan's curiosity came to the front. "What happened to her other eye? Did Miranda do that too?"

"sort of. It's the implanted Cadou Miranda gave. Each lord had various luck with theirs. Hers allows a bit of splitting between the dolls. Most her skills go into the hallucinogenic golden flowers everywhere. As for her eye, that's the only bad part. It overgrew and split through from its placement. Mother says it worsened over time into the mass it is now." pushing a grounded paste into a tea cup. Grabbing more herbs to make a second batch. "first time we've ever seen it. I always thought it'd be a lot worse."

"think she'll wake up anytime soon?"

Cassandra answered as she filled a bucket with water. "maybe in a few hours, or not 'till night arrives." grabbing a mop to clean up the living room. "we should think of what we're going to do when mother returns."

"What do you mean?"

"the lords were never close. It'd be odd for mother and us to care about Donna this much. It could be suspicious."

"So what then?" Bela asked. "we abandon them as soon as mother returns?"

"We may have no choice."

"... could take them home, but-" looking toward Ethan.

"oversteps the courting, doesn't it?" glancing at Ethan as she headed into the living room. The sounds of mopping heard from the room.

Ethan and Bela passed looks to each other. Silently asking what he thought about it. With him unsure about returning to the castle tower after last time. Daniela returned with nothing much to report. "Donna's asleep, her hearts still beating fast. think she'll be fine, but weak when she wakes." following her sister's gesture to put the kettle on.

"better than slow beats after all that loss." setting up a large bowl of a herbal poultice. "I'll go apply this. Give them their tea, then get him clean." The sisters carried out their tasks of managing the house.

While their mother had pulled Karl out to scour the reservoir. Grumbling the whole way they avoided doing much talking until they could make noise. Karl lifting up a hunk of rusted boat stuck ashore. "wanna tell me about the blood?" he whispered to her before letting the boat slam down. "Nothing here." he announced.

She ripped off the rusted door of another shipwreck. Whispering back. "Donna was maimed." throwing it off.

"what'd you do?!"

"I didn't do anything!" keeping their voices low. "Miranda came in the middle of our meeting." slicing junk out of the way. "which is why we're out here."

"does she ...?"

"no, we excused the meeting about trying to find winters. With Salvatore gone and my girls unable to search here, it was the perfect place to mark his whereabouts."

"So now we gotta search all this muck?" flying junk out of his way. Announcing something else. "we should check Salvatore's cave. Could've taken it over."

"mhmm."

"how long?"

"How long do you think until Miranda satisfied?" stepping through the dripping entrance to Salvatore's home.

"ugh, that's a fucking never. If she attacked Donna and forced us out here, her tempers getting too far ahead of us. We may have to call a meeting ourselves to lure her."

"That would be too suspicious. We've never called a meeting together."

"we're running out of time. She's cutting down lords and Donna's clearly next in line. When she's gone, it'll be you next." crunching a metal gate out of their way.

"What makes you so sure?" a glare shot his way.

"If she threatens me, she only has me to threaten. If she threatens you, she has three other lives to torture first."

Her hands tightened to fists. Taking a deep breath to sooth the fire in her gut. "Tomorrow then?"

"Do we have that much time?"

"Do we have the energy today to face her? Donna's bedridden, hopefully only until the night comes. Wasted energy here already. Keep searching until the day's end. I'll report we found some things and we're on his trail. Enough to keep her passive, set up ourselves for tomorrow. When we're ready, send the call that we've caught Ethan and she'll rush right over."

"works for me. …" looking over papers scattered across a desk. Covered in gunk and soaking wet to the point the writing had blurred away. "I've been wondering why she wants them, doesn't make sense."

"why doesn't it?"

"If she wanted him for a pairing, you'd think she wouldn't tell us to kill him. That kid, she wants most for the ceremony. And it's been what, three- four days since he arrived and she sent you looking for him. That's a big risk if his cycle was approaching and she was aiming the ceremony around that."

"Hm, does it matter? In too deep now. An alpha who mismanaged a clan so badly it's running against her. What a disgrace after such a rising."

"a rising? If that's what you want to call it." he chuckled. "Just curious is all. Has she asked you about those soldiers hiding out?"

"soldiers, what soldiers?"

"a group of armed soldiers showed up two days ago. Small group, only six of them, lead by a guy named Chris Redfeild. She had me look into them hours after our meeting finished. Haven't gotten much on 'em and she doesn't seem too interested in them yet. Far more focused on Ethan and his kid."

"where are they? What are they doing?"

"investigating it looks, nothing much else. Last I saw they entered the village to scope it out."

"perfect, outsiders invading between all of this."

"eh, if Miranda ain't worried then they're probably nothing. When they see there's jack all here they'll leave."

"mm." she hummed in knocking furniture away.

Carrying on their false search for hours. By the time the sun set she had returned to Donna's house along with Karl. The girls warmly greeted their mother, announcing they made dinner. Hearing the good news that Donna was up and eating with Ethan sitting at her side. Angie was up and back to being a nuisance toward everyone. Smacking Daniela away with a wooden spoon to not ruin her glorious soup on the stove. Which Alcina was complained to about by her daughter wanting to help cook. "Girls, we need to have a meeting. Can you check on Lady Beneviento to see if she's well enough."

"She's fine now." Angie stepped from the kitchen. "She ate on her own while talking to Ethan for the past hour. But don't go throwing around a bunch of big words. Too tired for that." seeing even the lords exhaustion seep through Angie.

"alright. Let's gather around her then so she won't have to move." waving her girls forward.

Ethan was in the room holding rose while talking with Donna. Keeping the conversation light around her garden or cooking. She faced a bit away to keep half her face hidden. When her bandages were changed she was more worried about the uninjured half being uncovered. Her injured side being the most Ethan got. Everyone had come down the elevator to meet in the room.

"eesh, what happened to you?" Karl looked to Ethan, but talked to Donna as well.

Ethan glared at him. "Well, to start, you stabbed me with a fence post when I first got here."

Karl shut his mouth after that. Not liking that his attack on an omega was brought up. while right in front of the alpha wanting to claim.

"business meeting." Alcina started. "Most of us will be going home tonight. Bela will stay here. When I get back to the castle I'll make a call that were on Mr. Winters trail in the reservoir. Me and Heisenberg will meet tomorrow, then call an announcement that we've caught winters and will meet Miranda for the final time."

"tomorrow?!" the girls asked in unison.

Daniela spoke first. "That's so soon. I thought we'd have a few more days?"

"We don't, unfortunately. Miranda's targeted her anger toward Donna. If we drag out our search for too long ..." her daughters looked toward Donna's injured face. "She'll be the next to fall and I won't allow that after what she's done for us. Tomorrow morning you'll all meet up with the duke as we planned. … take care of each other" closing up the meeting. "get some sleep. Daniela, Cassandra, let's go home. Having most of you around will cover Bela being here."

"Can we all have dinner here?" Bela stopped her. "we won't have another meal together … until after the meeting."

"...yes, but we can't stay long."

receiving a hug from Bela before her two other daughters joined in. returning the hug she kissed each of their heads. Separating to grab themselves dinner. Donna had her bowl refilled to help her body recover. Rosemary got a few spoonfuls of Ethan's soup. Most of it landed on her fabric bib before given her normal bottle of milk. He glanced around the room to each one there. Alcina was eating with her daughters in one room corner. Karl was eating in the opposite one with Angie annoying him through conversation. Donna was slowly sipping off hers. Entertained by the debate, maybe more of an argument, between Karl and Angie. Drowning out the noise, he thought of his final answer.

It was still no, but when to give it? Before the fight would be most fair. No expectation, no false hope of a yes if she wins. She could back out, follow us to Spain without risking anything. I wouldn't be using her as a sacrificial shield. He took a deep breath in and out. Smiling at his baby girl playing with his shirt. Tomorrows gonna be a day.

First thing early morning, Ethan had been up for hours. Anxious what this day would bring. He got up to head for the elevator. Leaving Rose alone to sleep for as long as she could.

Upstairs he found Bela awake prepping breakfast for everybody. "awake already?"

"been awake, can't sleep."

"stressed? Want some regular tea with your herbal remedy?"

"Yes, that'd be great." sitting down in the living room. "couldn't sleep either or just an early bird?"

"Me and my sisters don't sleep like everyone else. In the night half of our swarm is awake at all times while the other half sleeps. Switching halfway to stay alert at all times." grabbing herbs to collect in the pestle and mortar. A few large jars nearby contain lots of premade healing poultice for Donna. "Guess you can call me an early bird still. I start the day when mother does while my sisters stay in their rooms."

"wish I could do that."

"anything specific you want for breakfast?"

"anything but soup again." tired of having it for every meal. "I want off this liquid diet."

"heh, I'll make an omelette then." Coming to him with two teas for him to take. With a grimace he shot the medical tea down to hand the cup back. Bela swiftly returned to the kitchen she grabbed various ingredients alongside a basket of eggs.

Ethan relaxed as much as he could while sipping on his tea. Chuckling a little at thinking how he ended up here. One of the girls made breakfast for him. "when I first met you and your sisters. I thought I just broke into a castle of four alphas."

"because of the scent on us?"

"That, and you're all really tall. Maybe some beta males might be that tall, but not usually."

it got a small laugh from her. "Cassandra wishes she was one."

"What about you?"

"I would've been fine with any while Daniela I don't think is interested at all aside from her normal curiosity to new things."

"you would have been fine as an omega?"

"yes." a soft look given to him. "why not?"

He snorted. "this." loosely gesturing toward the air. "dealing with alphas entrapping you. Able to take everything you have by smacking down money and a single paper. Owning every piece of you as a sex slave."

"It is a serious problem, and I'm sorry that, that's how it's turned on the outside. It shouldn't be like that. Omegas should be revered like how they used to be. You have far more potential than being simple breeding fodder. You can chill my mothers rage better than any of us. You soothed Lady Beneviento and managed to stay in her home. She hates visitors and rather we talk in the garden then step into her home. You naturally gather others around you. You could make a clan from scratch, even unintentionally, without ever sleeping with anyone. clans fought for their omegas without an alpha to lead them, because they were cherished. The heart and soul of a clan, it's a shame they're going away. The things they can do, I can only hope to mimic through practice."

he rolled his eyes. "I think you've read too many romance novels."

"mm, maybe, but isn't it all true just the same?" cracking eggs into a bowl.

He looked to the side. "once upon a time." mumbling down into his tea. Almost choking on it when he was startled by a shrill voice.

"MORNING!" Angie shouted upon entering the living room. Rushing into the kitchen soon as she saw Bela cooking. Hopping up on a stool to see. "good god, what's in that pan?!"

she chuckled, not taking the doll too seriously. "It's an omelette."

"this? It's practically raw!"

"I just put them in. they are raw."

"Where's the rest of it then? No peppers, bacon, cheese, SEASONINGS?!"

"they're over there, go grab them." shooing the doll off.

"Does anyone know how to cook around here?!" jumping off to fetch various things.

If Angie's here, then Donna must be up. Swallowing his last bit of tea to go check up stairs. Knocking softly on her door he listened close for her soft voice.

"come in."

He stepped in, closing the door to stand beside it. Donna was in bed in dark sleepwear that may as well have been regular day clothes. A long sleeved button up shirt and baggy pants mostly covered by her blanket. Holding up a part of her collar to lean her uninjured side into it for hiding. Despite the wrappings already covering the mutation.

"I want to give my final answer."

"too soon." softly noting.

"I know. It's not even been a week, but we don't have time."

"you do have." pointing it out without arguing. A normal courting was given a minimum two weeks to get a feel for each other. She had to check his doubts weren't for anything rash. "why? Just a no?"

"I don't want Alcina going off to fight Miranda with the idea I'll say yes. I want her to fully know what she's getting into. How there's not going to be a prize if she wins. Maybe she'll come to Spain instead of throwing her life down for nothing."

Donna dipped her head at his reasoning. "very well." pointing toward the door. "open it for them."

his brows furrowed, but did as he was told. "wha-" quieting at seeing Angie shove Bela along into the room.

She spoke quick to Bela. "you talk, I make the omelette!" then ran back downstairs.

Looking confused Bela and Ethan looked to Donna for the sudden summons. "It's a no." she told Bela. "you have to tell her."

Ethan tensed from the unexpected turn of telling Bela first. How would she react to her mother being rejected. How would she take giving the news. He expected Donna to, being the unbiased party. "can't you tell her?" anxiety seeping into his words.

"Must I?" Bela didn't sound angry, simply saddened by his answer.

Donna gestured to herself in far too terrible a condition. Everybody was nervous enough about her being able to travel for evacuation. An added trip to the castle could be far too much on her body.

He hummed in knowing. Glancing at Bela from the corner of his eye for her reaction.

Donna answered her. "you have to."

Her posture straight with arms behind her back she looked toward the ground, disappointed. Closing her eyes. "I'll tell her." opening them in bringing her head up. "I have to go pack at the castle. I'll tell her then." leaving after Donna dipped her head toward her.

Bela had thrown on a coat down stairs. "I'll be back soon with my sisters then we can all go." announcing to Angie still cooking.

"you better get back before these omelettes get cold!"

Rolling her eyes with a smile. "Yes, lady Angie." Rushing off on foot toward her family's castle. Unable to fly in the cold, she was revived by the inner warmth of the castle. Flying now she found her sisters instantly around their rooms shoving everything into their limited bags. Laughing over their stumbles to how their body slammed the bags shut with her help. Now it was her turn to pack, but she had something important to tell her mother.

"do you know where mother is?"

"I think she's in the library." Daniela answered as she heaved her bloated suitcase out of the room.

"meet you two down stairs." flying off to complete her important task. She found her mother where Daniela said. Sitting at a desk under the skylight drinking a glass of wine catching the blue light above. She was dressed no different from any other day. No armor or hidden weapons up her sleeve. "mother."

the tall lord looked toward her daughter. "Are you packed my dear?"

"not yet. … Ethan spoke with Donna on giving his answer."

"already? …" her expression was flat. "is it a no?" expecting nothing different. Her daughter's silence only confirmed it. "mm." standing from her seat. "that's that then."

"Will you come with us?"

"no, we can't leave without crippling Miranda in some sense. If we just run, she'll track us down. Even with all I may do, you have to be careful on the outside. She'll hold a grudge against all of you until the day she does die. Don't attract too much attention or you'll be found. … You and your sisters will have to go by different names. ... The business can't have our last label."

Bela looked away as tears built in her eyes. Hating the thought of losing her mother and even her very name all in one day. Her mothers grand legacy would end while still going on, a miserable punishment for defying Miranda. Shoving them down to give her mother a hug. Holding back a sob upon her mothers returning hold.

Rubbing her daughters back to comfort her. She was forced to pry away. "Love you dear, be strong. Go pack, and when you and your sisters have left I'll wait a bit longer before setting the meeting in motion."

"yes mother."

aye, donna's still in the game. just offline a bit. :v/

there are a lot of domino effects going on since Ethan's arrival. (Karl even unintentionally taps upon it.) and this is one of them. if the lords weren't so close now, Donna would have definitely been abandoned, and bled to death.

decided to upload early, because happy thanksgiving!

Iroh77: thank you. here we go. :D