The sun's rays caressed Mia's skin, bathing her sleeping face in gentle warmth. The window had fabric curtains, but the couple hadn't bothered to draw them before falling asleep to block out the morning light. It wasn't necessary anyway, since they were so exhausted that even the lack of darkness didn't prevent them from sleeping soundly for the first part of the morning.

When her consciousness slowly emerged after about ten hours of well-deserved sleep, her eyes began to flutter before slowly opening. A smile immediately formed on her lips when her gaze fell on Ethan's still-sleepy face, who was in front of her. She had never seen him so peaceful, especially not in the past few weeks with all the terrifying events they had shared. They weren't out of the woods yet, but the Vila must have felt especially relieved to finally have his soul mate by his side after the blonde agreed to bond with him. One of his biggest worries was gone when he finally sank his fangs into her willing neck.

Mia watched him for a moment, scrutinizing his slender nose, his long eyelashes, the few discreet little freckles that covered his cheeks, and the few wild blond locks that fell on his forehead and temples. Her hand approached his rebellious hair to chase them from his face, hiding his closed eyes in the process. When her fingers finished slipping into his blonde hair and she pulled her hand back to her, she noticed that the Vila was now awake and watching her back.

Still smiling, she placed her hand in the crook of his neck, her thumb caressing his jaw's birth, and her rosy lips on his. Ethan immediately responded to her kiss, encouraging his soulmate to roll her body to the side to position her astride his belly. They were still naked from the day before, so they could use it well.

At least, that was what Mia had in mind until a timid knock knock sounded in the room, ending their activity. She shifted and Ethan proceeded to get up and search the bathroom for his canvas pants so he could open the door and greet the person who had disturbed them.

"I forgot to prepare clean clothes for you yesterday," Irina's voice called out to them from behind the door. "I put them in front of the door. We are waiting for you for breakfast."

"Thank you," Mia cried, leaving the comfortable warmth of the bed in her turn.

Why do they always have a knack for interrupting us when we wake up?!

Ethan opened the door a crack to retrieve the pile of clothes as he looked through what his sister-in-law had prepared for them. He doubted they were exactly the right size as he scrutinized them, but he wasn't going to complain about being able to change. He picked up the boxers, black pants, and white shirt that made up his designated outfit and then put the clothes for Mia on the bed.

"I don't know if it's Irina's, but she's clearly not shy seeing what she gave me,” Mia giggled, looking through the lingerie and showing it to Ethan. "I don't feel like it's my size, though."

The captivated look of the Vila told him that he was less interested in the size problem of the garment than in its opaque fabric and its refined embroidery. His curiosity was certainly piqued. Indeed, Irina had chosen an outfit that was relatively...sexy, or at least one that was clearly not as neutral as what she had been given at the Arena all this time. It wasn't lace, the fabric looked more like silk. The model itself was pretty simple and familiar, except for one small detail that Mia quickly noticed. Strings were sticking out everywhere, which she had to tie behind her neck and at the birth of her breasts for the bra, and around her belly for the panties.

"Feels like a BDSM outfit," she exclaimed, laughing after putting on the set, "but I see why she gave me that. The strings are adjustable, it suits me pretty much."

"What is BDSM?" Ethan questioned, carefully observing his soul mate's new outfit, stopping particularly at her chest which was slightly overflowing from the bra.

"I'll show you when we have time," Mia replied simply, smiling mischievously and sending him a wink.

The Vila frowned, curious, but didn't insist when he saw her continue to dress. They both knew that if they started teasing each other, their hosts would be waiting a long time for them to have breakfast.

The rest of the clothes consisted of a high-waisted brown skirt with several pleats that came just below her knee and a light white shirt with a few little frills at the sleeves and collar. The clothes were slightly tight, despite their baggy appearance, but Mia could still move and breathe perfectly inside them. Once the shirt was tucked into the skirt, the whole thing gave the blonde a polished look that looked like she was donning a steampunk disguise. All she needed were high leather boots and a hat surrounded by aviator glasses to complete the outfit. Wearing normal sandals seemed almost abnormal and questionable to her as a stylistic choice with this fashion vision in mind.

When the young woman turned around to discover Ethan's outfit, a small smile appeared on her lips. He'd gone into the bathroom to quickly tame his hair by spraying it with water and slicking it back. With his white shirt whose first two buttons were open and his black canvas pants a little too big, he was incredibly sexy. Mia couldn't get enough of his bad boy look, although she also loved when his blond locks fell casually around his face.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she laughed with tenderness, "it suits you."

After a quick wash, the couple was ready to leave the bedroom and join their hosts in the dining room. Delighted, Mia noticed that the meal was already laid out on the table and that the trio was just waiting for them.

"Hello!" greeted the little family before Irina spoke. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

The couple sat down in their place from the day before and Mia set out to find out what they had planned for the meal. There were various things, including cut fruit and tea, and some pastries with what she guessed were jars of jam. Their long night had totally whetted her appetite, so she immediately attacked the food when she saw that their hosts were helping themselves as well.

"No, we just woke up a few minutes before," Mia explained. "Thanks for the clothes, it's almost the right size."

"You're welcome," replied Irina, relieved." You're a little taller than me, I was afraid it wouldn't suit you."

"It's a little tight, but it's loose enough not to get in the way, so that's fine."

"I hope you managed to rest properly after everything that happened," Adam continued, addressing Ethan.

"Yeah, but something tells me we're not going to be allowed to sleep so peacefully in the coming days, right?"

It's crazy, he never loses focus. He really struggles with the concept of relaxation, she noted silently, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing given their current situation.

"It's... Maybe this isn't the best time to talk about it."

"I will eat better knowing exactly what awaits us."