There wasn't much room to stretch in the bunk.

The bunks inside the RV had privacy panels that sealed, making a soundproof cave that was only supposed to fit one person, but Ether was comfortable sleeping mostly on top of me. It was cramped, but the proximity helped her, and I didn't have any reason to complain, but I'd gotten used to sleeping in a bed and would be happy once we got through with this road trip and I could start sleeping in my own bed.

My CB buzzed softly, letting me know I'd gotten a message. I pulled up my left arm to look at it.

We're all up. Let's GO!

I chuckled as I looked at the time. 6:24am. It was still early, but Aelin was always ready to go. It'd been almost nine by the time we got back, so we'd gone straight to bed. Oz and Jenne were still up, but after the excitement from the dinner, I'd just waved at them on my way to the RV.

I poked Ether in the arm, then ran my finger up her arm until I reached her cheek and brushed her white hair out of her face. The last time we'd been in Harror, some people had called her a demon. Considering I'd seen actual demons, I had to disagree.

"Hey." I whispered in her now exposed ear. "We need to get up."

"Un-mph." Ether groaned as she turned her head the other way to face the outer wall of the RV.

"Hey." I tickled the back of her neck with a light touch.

"No…" She swatted at my hand.

"You got over eight hours." I started poking her in the back, drawing a sleepy giggle out of her. "If you don't get up, Aelin is going to get a bucket of water, and I'd rather not get wet."

My CB buzzed again, but Ether rolled over, pinning it under her body.

"She can't." The ivory woman grumbled. "I locked it."

I strained to pull my hand out. Now that Ether had awakened; she was just as strong as I was. Stats made a huge difference, but you still had to maintain your body. Considering I'd been a Porter in my teens, which consisted of running behind Adventurers and carrying sacks of crystals, I had an athletic body. Ether had worked at a Crystal Sorting facility, so she didn't have that advantage despite her thin figure.

My hand finally slid out from under her.

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Hurry UPPP!!!

I chuckled as Ether turned to rest her chin on my shoulder.

"Five more minutes?" Red eyes begged me to say yes.

"Aelin's ready to go." I rubbed Ether's back. "I doubt we have one."

"Fine…" My wife hit the button to open the slider. The metal plates slipped up into the panel above our bed. She yawned as she rolled out into the hall. "Tell her we're coming."

"Okay." I watched her walk into the bathroom at the end of the hall, then turned my attention back to my CB.

Ether's up. Heading your way in a minute.

I switched my menu from communication to inventory, then reached into my CB and pulled out my armor. Since I was a spellshot, my gear consisted mainly of denim. It was easy to move around in, and the bonus was that I could walk around town in it and people wouldn't assume I was in armor, unlike Ether, who had to wear metal plates.

I slipped the pants on over my boxers and put on my shirt and jacket. I was tying my boots when Ether walked out.

"That was fast." She pulled a pair of jeans out of her BC and slipped them on under the long shirt she slept in, then tossed a pair of sandals on the floor.

"You know Aelin." I looked her over. "Are you okay?"

Ether shook her head. "No, but I think I'm doing as good as I could be." She walked over and hugged me. "Sorry for getting mad at you."

I tilted her head back and kissed her. When I pulled back, I smiled. "Hey, I get it, better than anyone probably." I tilted my head. "Maybe Rix, but that's a whole different thing."

She buried her head in my chest. "I'm serious…" She looked up at me. "I got mad at you when I was the exact same thing. I…" A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Hey." I caught the tear before it reached her chin and wiped her eye. "It's okay. You were scared and felt betrayed. But we're here now. I wasn't trying to hurt you; I just didn't know how to tell you."

"I know, but..." Ether swallowed. "You were gone so much the last week and with Kara around..."

I tilted her chin with my finger so she had to look up at me. "You don't have to worry about that. I think one Warray is all that I can handle." I touched her chest where the seal hid. "And we're bound together."

"But wouldn't she be an upgrade?" Ether wrapped her fingers around my hand. "She's already been a lot higher and she knows the Dungeon and Mantles and—"

I kissed her to silence the babbling.

I shook my head when I pulled back. "I chose you. I know I'm building a harem, but you're at the center of it, besides…" I smirked. "I love you, not Kara."

Ether hugged me. "Good."

We stayed like that until my CB buzzed again.

"Alright." I patted her on the back. "We've got to get going, but why don't we see if we can slip away for some quality time while we're here?"

Fear passed over her face for a moment. "Maybe at the Cathedral?"

"I'll see if I can talk Trent into giving us an extra day before we go pick up Rix." I took Ether's hand as I opened the door.

Aelin glared at me on the other side. "Just what have the two of you been doing?!"

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