Mia hadn't made up her mind to move in with Ethan, but she certainly wasn't going to refuse a little hot bath. It wasn't like they had to bring their stuff to one of their homes anyway. After all, they were ultimately living under the same roof, that of the school.

Crossing the hall to reach the Vilas quarters, they had been able to see that a new message had been hung on the billboard. This announced the next tournament which would take place in two weeks. The ball had gone remarkably well – on the surface – so the principal had decided that the event could resume without compromising the safety of the school.

"I'm not sure I want to attend this one," Mia said as they entered the corridor of the Vilas district.

"I'd be fine if we didn't have to go," Ethan said, leading the walk, "I'd be surprised if it went smoothly between what happened yesterday and the previous tournament."

"It is precisely for this last reason that I hesitate... Arry and Andrei will probably participate..."

"It's not like your presence in the stands is going to change anything," he shrugged.

Mia rolled her eyes as the only answer since his comment was obvious. Of course, there was nothing she could do, but staying in the dark and not knowing what was going on when her friends' lives might be at stake seemed even less enviable to her than the feeling of helplessness she might feel if anything happened to them. Besides, as long as she stayed with Ethan, he could protect her.

"Your safety comes before that of your friends for me," he added, opening a door that she assumed was the bathroom.

"You're not going to stop me from going if I want to, are you?"

"I would have liked to, but I'd rather not let you run away from me again," he exclaimed with a sarcastic smile.

Mia grimaced, feeling half guilty for pushing herself into yesterday's situation on her own. But if they had explained to her how important and serious the threats were, perhaps she would not have taken the situation lightly.

Sounds a bit like an excuse... Everyone warned me to be careful...

These thoughts were quickly dispelled when she entered the bathroom which led to another hallway leading to three other open doors. On the right, she could see toilet cabinets. Opposite, a few showers covered the wall, separated by thin walls and fabric curtains. One of them was being used, so she thought it necessary not to take too long to observe the room. The last door down the hall revealed a large bath that looked more like a swimming pool than a tub. The room was relatively modest in size, but the lighting, the white stone covering the entire surface, and the warmth coming from the water made it particularly attractive and cozy.

Ethan locked the door behind them as the blonde sighed in relief at the thought of plunging her body into the pool. It was exactly what she needed to relieve the stress of the past few days. All she had to do was lean against the stone and enjoy the warmth of the water against her skin. Perfect for clearing her mind.

Mia bent down to the edge of the pool to stroke the surface of the water with her fingertips to feel the temperature. It probably had to be maintained by magic. When she got up, she noticed that at the end of the room there was a large mirror covering the stone wall and four stools accompanied by a bucket of hot water and a sponge. The installation reminded her of the Japanese baths she had seen in some of the shows she watched in her past life.

"Is this supposed to be a public bath?" she questioned as Ethan moved a stool up against the wall and sat down.

"Technically, yes. In reality, Vilas and their soulmates use it most often, and they don't like the company too much," he replied, smiling mischievously.

Mia laughed lightly, having no doubts about the nature of the activities that were going on here. That was probably why he had suggested the place. Yet he sat quietly and didn't seem to want to join her. Giving her space was greatly appreciated, but she had followed him knowingly, and she did not intend to stay hungry.

Following her idea, she approached the stool closest to the Vila and began to free her shoulders from the pastel blue dress she had worn before Vassili's visit to slide it down her body, revealing her white underwear. When she met Ethan's attentive eyes, a smile showed on her lips. Without looking away, she undid her bra and let it fall nonchalantly, freeing her small breasts. Finally, with her two thumbs, she slowly got rid of her panties which joined the rest of her clothes on the ground.

Ethan still hadn't moved an inch, so she continued her little game, taking a seat on the stool. She retrieved the sponge and plunged it into the bucket to wet her body before washing, slowly sliding the object down her arms, then around her waist. The effect she was having on Ethan right now was clearly in the air: his pheromone-filled scent was beginning to intoxicate her, making her gestures more sensual. Finally, she grabbed the block of soap and presented it to the Vila, inviting him to participate in the activity.

"Help me," she whispered when he didn't react.

He groaned, but ended up moving his stool to stand behind her back, Mia positioned between his legs. After rubbing the block to soap his hands, he gently pushed her hair in front of her shoulder to expose her back. When the Vila's palms rested on her shoulder blades, Mia's breath caught in her throat. She exhaled for a long time, closing her eyes as he massaged her shoulders, moving down her back, brushing the birth of her buttocks. His fingers gripped her waist for a moment, then moved up her stomach to rest on her breasts, forcing a moan out of her. In a few touches, a fire had ignited in her lower abdomen and her thighs opened up instinctively a few centimeters.

Ethan's hands were bare of soap now, but he continued to caress nonetheless, moving up to her neck, tilting her head back. His left hand trapped her boobs again, as his other hand reached further south, making her quiver with excitement. His fingers slid down her thigh and his lips settled on her neck, causing the blonde to shiver and moan with pleasure. When his hand finally reached her intimacy, Mia stepped back on the stool to stick her back to the Vila's chest and lay her head on his shoulder, completely exposing her neck which he hastened to cover with slow kisses. His hand played for a moment with her organ of pleasure before slipping two fingers inside her, mechanically making her spread her thighs even more to give him more room.

"I thought you wanted to take a bath," he said hoarsely, smiling against her neck.

"One does not prevent the other," she replied, removing his fingers from her body and getting up to join the pool, taking the Vila by surprise.

A smile of contentment stretched on her lips in contact with the heat of the water. It came up to her shoulders where she was, but the other side of the basin allowed its guests to sit down without drowning. She preferred to venture into the middle of the pool, backing up slowly, her eyes riveted on her partner. Ethan turned, uncertain. She invited him with a gesture of the chin to join her, her eyes shining. He hastened to do this by getting rid of his clothes in turn. His movements were hastier than hers, but Mia enjoyed the show nonetheless, scrutinizing every freshly exposed part of his body, her gaze lingering on his erection that she hoped to have inside her in a few moments. She wasn't hugely experienced with men's sizes, but it was obvious he had nothing to compensate.

Her observation earned her a smirk as Ethan slipped into the pool, and she couldn't help but flush her cheeks slightly. He took advantage of her temporary embarrassment to push her back towards the deep waters, imprisoning her between his chest and the edge of the basin. He placed his hands on either side of her jaw and captured her lips, inserting his tongue there without wasting time. Mia responded fervently, wrapping her thighs around his waist to rub her insides against his erection, snatching a muffled groan from the Vila in the process. Ethan's hands moved to support her thighs and lift her enough for his tongue to caress her nipples while keeping his head above water. Mia moaned, dipping her fingers in his neck at the birth of his hair to stabilize the position a little more.

Impatience was beginning to overtake her as she felt more than ready to welcome him inside her. She slipped her right hand between their two bodies and grabbed his erection. When her palm closed around his member, Ethan bit her nipple with a grunt, eliciting a slight squeal of pleasure from her. With a stroke of her pelvis, she pushed him back enough to be able to guide him to her entrance. She repeated her blow, this time in his direction, to impale herself on it. A moan of relief escaped her lips as the feeling of completeness intoxicated her brain. Immediately, Ethan began a steady pace which she followed back and forth, causing a budding tension in her lower abdomen that could only be released once she reached nirvana.

Suddenly, the Vila buried his head against the blonde's shoulder, inhaling her natural scent. To her surprise, she felt something hard and sharp against the skin of her neck. Something that could only be teeth. Teeth that seemed to want to sink into her throat.

"What are you doing ?" she asked slightly panicked, suddenly coming down from her cloud of pleasure.

Ethan immediately stopped his pelvic movements and stepped back a few inches as he withdrew from her privacy. A feeling of emptiness took hold of her, quickly followed by a wave of frustration.

"My inner Vila pushes me to bite you to bind us," he manages to explain, gritting his teeth. "If you don't want to, I don't think I can continue..."

"What... Seriously?!" she screamed, throwing her arms in the air to show her indignation.

The reaction might have been a little over the top, but the thought of not being able to assuage the frustration he had created in her unless she committed to it enraged her deeply. With a bound, she got out of the water and collected her clothes, putting on her underwear and her dress with a sharp gesture, and headed for the door to wait for him to get dressed in turn. She was frustrated, her clothes were now sticking to her skin, and she hadn't even had time to enjoy her bath. Suffice to say that her mood was now foul.