Chapter 9: Chapter NINE

Ethan remained silent for the rest of the meal, leaving Adam and Irina to discuss among themselves the latest news from the town. The couple eventually understood that he did not want to talk more than that, since they quickly abandoned their attempt to include him in the conversation. He was tired, after all. He'd had trouble sleeping for weeks, and he'd had a sleepless night and a transformation during which he'd raged, only to sleep for a few hours tied to a chair when the rebels brought them back to Callis. The anguish of not having Mia by his side and the hate that had consumed him before his brother came to untie him had continued to eat away at his patience. His nerves were completely reduced to a state of mere mush.

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"Nice timing, just in time for dessert," laughed Irina. "Adam, get the door, I'll get the cake."

The noise rang a second time before his brother opened the door to let two people in. Immediately, Ethan sensed and recognized Mia's presence. A wave of relief washed over him knowing that she was finally going to be by his side. Wasting no time, he got up and headed down the hall to greet her. Waiting even a minute longer seemed inconceivable to him.

"Do I smell cake?" the teenager questioned, inhaling the smell exaggeratedly.

"Ethan!" Mia exclaimed at the same time when she saw him arrive.

The young human quickly passed her guide and Adam who were exchanging a few enthusiastic greetings, ignoring the politeness of waiting at least for the introductions to sink into the unknown house. She threw herself into her soul mate's arms, burying her nose in the Vila's neck, and sighed in happiness when Ethan returned her hug, wrapping his arms around her. He inhaled her scent as if to reassure himself that she was real, and placed a discreet kiss on the top of her head.

"How are you ?" he couldn't help but ask, although she seemed perfectly fine.

"I'm fine," she replied, pulling away from him to look him in the eye, all smiles. "I don't think I've eaten this much since... since I arrived at the Arena."

"What did I say, he took her to rue Gourmande," Adam intervened in false desperation in front of Shaun's proud expression.

"What are you doing here?" muttered Mia who had obviously not been made aware of the identity of their hosts.

"Come here," invited Irina, who was waiting for them in the dining room.

Ethan and Mia led the way to sit down, the young Vila showing her the chair next to his so she could stay close. She discreetly brought it closer to close the distance between their two bodies by simply placing her hand on her soul mate's thigh to create contact. The blonde seemed to need it as much as he did right now, so he grabbed her hand and squeezed it in his.

"A piece of cake please!"

"I want some too!" Liam demanded, following the teen's lead.

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"Shaun!" grumbled Irina as she handed out ceramic plates and spoons, completely ignoring her own son's request. "We haven't even introduced ourselves yet, just be patient!"

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized, raising his hands in the air, although his mischievous look betrayed his lack of scruples.

There was a few seconds of silence, during which Adam's stare was fixed on Ethan. The latter, whose mind was monopolized by Mia, ended up understanding that their hosts expected him to make the introductions since he was the common denominator between the three, excluding Shaun.

"My brother Adam and his soul mate Irina, their son Liam," he introduced quickly and concisely, pointing to each individual. "Mia, my soul mate."

"Your brother?" Mia exclaimed, looking curiously at Adam. "The one who died in the war?"

"The same one," replied the older Vila, smiling, in place of his younger brother.

"I'll explain later," Ethan concluded with a sigh, tired of the day's revelations.

"And what about me? No introduction?" interrupted the young hybrid, outraged.

"Shaun showed me around a part of the city," Mia explained, laughing lightly in front of the fake vexed pout of the teenager who liked to exaggerate his reactions. "And the best shawawas in the world!"

He replied with a wink and a bright smile, which slightly annoyed Ethan. He had nothing to fear from the hybrid and his young age, but seeing that they had managed to create a beginning of complicity when they had just met irritated him, not to say that he was slightly jealous. He had been waiting to find his soul mate all day and didn't feel like the blonde had shared his tortured state of mind seeing how relaxed the two looked and seemed to have had a good time. He tried as best he could not to let his disillusioned look show through by taking it upon himself, but his negative emotions didn't seem to have escaped Mia, who firmly strengthened her grip on the Vila's thigh, smiling mischievously. The events of the last two days had obviously not dried up her desire to tease him at the slightest opportunity.

Everyone devoured their slice of cake except for Ethan who still hadn't fully regained his appetite, although his soul mate was finally by his side. He toyed with the food a bit but ended up cleaning his plate like the others. Mia smirked after wolfing down her dessert, and her eyes were gradually beginning to reflect the characteristic fatigue of a full stomach invading her. The atmosphere was light, everyone discussing banal subjects to get to know each other better. Ethan barely participated in the conversation, only nodding when Mia's gaze rested on his person to confirm what she was explaining.

Please let's end all this socializing, he implored inwardly.

The sun was already beginning to disappear behind the cliffs of the canyon. The day was later than he had first thought, which relieved him since it meant that the older couple would soon be leaving them alone. He would then finally have Mia all to himself. There were still two or three little things they hadn't had time to finish due to recent events...

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