Page 44 of Realms of Shadow and Sun

As he pulled out the nightgown, he noticed a large, carefully wrapped package that fell to the bottom of the trunk.

“Selenia, what's this?”

She looked almost embarrassed. “It's...a wedding dress. When I bought my hat from the market in the Sun Realm, I saw it in the shop, and I knew it was meant for Renya.”

Sion was speechless. He was away from the Snow Lands for so long, he forgot how selfless Selenia could be. He tucked the dress back carefully, and closed the lid to the trunk.

“Selenia, that was incredibly sweet of you.”

She brushed off his praise. “As much as I like to give him a bad time, I love my brother. I know he'll love Renya in that dress, and I want her to feel like the princess she is when she marries him.”

Sion helped Selenia into the nightgown, trying to avert his eyes as much as possible. However, he couldn't help but notice the way the silk clung to her curves, the thin fabric leaving little to the imagination. He swallowed hard, pushing away the unwelcome thoughts.

Sion watched Selenia sleep, still concerned after her fainting spell. He stared as her chest rose and fell, her breathing slow and easy. Leaning against the wall of the cave, he closed his eyes for a little bit, trying to protect them from the dry heat of the desert.

“No! Please, no!”

Sobs came from the corner where Selenia slept. Sion opened his eyes and saw her thrashing and moaning.

“Gods, please don't!” Her entire body trembled. Without thinking, Sion pulled her onto his lap and held her close to his chest. His arms wrapped around her tightly so she wouldn't injure her shoulder any more than it already was.

“Shhh...it's okay, darling. It's just a bad dream.” He stroked her hair carefully. Her body was covered in a sheen of sweat, but he didn't care. He just continued to rock her, murmuring comforting words into the shell of her ear. Finally, she pulled herself out of the nightmare and looked around at the cave and where she sat on Sion's lap. She tried to push herself away, but Sion held on to her tightly.

“Stay here a moment longer, I don't want you to faint again, especially after you've worked yourself up into a sweat.” At least, that was what he told Selenia. He surprised himself, enjoying the comfort her lithe body provided, resting easily on his lap. It had been so long since he'd had contact like this. Gentle and tender, easy and sweet. Cressida tortured every inch of him, and he forgot how good a woman's touch could be. He breathed in deeply, smelling the floral scent seeming to surround her, even in the dry and desolate desert.

Selenia held incredibly still, not responding to him, yet not fighting him either. Her injured shoulder was hanging limply. Sion could feel the warmth of her body through the thin nightgown, and he found himself acutely aware of every point of contact between them.

“Sion?” she asked tentatively.

“I get nightmares too,” he confessed, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against hers. “The last six months have been...excruciating for me.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard not to relive them in his thoughts.

“Sion...what exactly occurred at the Shadow Realm?” Selenia pulled herself back, tears in her eyes from her nightmare, but concern for him in her gaze. He closed his eyes again, ashamed and unsure if this was something he wanted to share. Grayden and Renya knew, as well as Phillippe, but it appeared as if Selenia was sheltered from the truth.

He kept silent, his eyes open but downcast and focusing on her bare shoulder as he held her. Her nightgown's strap slipped down her upper arm, revealing smooth, pale skin. Without thinking, without realizing what he was doing, he placed a soft kiss there.

She looked at him, puzzled, but didn't push him off. Instead, he felt her shiver slightly, her breath catching. “Sion, tell me what happened to you.” Her tone was soft, but commanding.

He sighed and held her closer, looking past her shoulders and at the wall of the cave. He couldn't make this kind of confession with her looking at him.

“While I was at the Shadow Realm, I became...a plaything of Cressida's. She used my body, tried to break my spirit and infiltrate my mind. Selenia, some of the things she did to me...” he trailed off, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. He never thought he would have to deal with the ramifications of what transpired in her castle. He thought he would die and never have to deal with the trauma of it. But seeing Selenia, shaking from her own nightmare, made him realize that they would never be free from the reach of Cressida. Even if she was defeated and put down, the invisible scars of her cruel reign would mar them forever.

“Oh, Sion...” Selenia pulled him closer to her, clinging to him like a life preserver with her injured arm. “I'm so sorry that happened to you.”

He picked his head up and looked into her eyes. Sion never realized the depth they held, the raw emotion tucked just behind her playful banter. He saw pain there, not just for herself, but for him too. As if his body had a mind of its own, he pressed his lips gently to hers.

She inhaled deeply, shocked by his actions, but then tentatively moved her mouth with his. Her kiss was shy and inexperienced, but that made it all the sweeter for Sion. After the bleakness and evil he was surrounded with, her goodness and innocence seemed like a fresh wind, blown in from the pure, crisp air of the Snow Lands.

He parted her lips slowly with his, needing more, and then deepened their kiss. Selenia wrapped her good arm around his neck, and he couldn't believe how right it felt, to have her like this, kissing him back. His hand slid down her back, feeling the silk of her nightgown and the warmth of her skin beneath. Selenia made a small noise in the back of her throat, a mix of surprise and pleasure, and Sion felt his body respond.

Suddenly, guilt and self-hatred filled his belly and he pulled back, horrified by what he had done. The loss of contact was almost painful, and he had to resist the urge to pull her close again.

“Selenia, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. You were scared and upset and I...I just needed to feel something good for a change. I don't know what possessed me to take advantage of you like that.” He carefully lifted her off his lap and back down onto her sleeping roll, fighting against every instinct that told him to keep her close. “Please don't hate me.”

Confusion, and perhaps something else that he couldn't detect—desire, maybe?—burned brightly on her face. “It's okay,” she said in a small voice. “We are both broken, both shells of who we used to be. Fate knows that we could both use a little pleasure.”

Her words sent a jolt through him, and he had to clench his fists to keep from reaching for her again. “It can't happen again. Your brothers trust me with your life. I won't bring shame to your family and dishonor you. Please, forgive me. You should get some rest. I'm going to sleep outside.”

Before she could respond, he swept out of the cave, positioning himself at the entrance. His dark skin protected him from the damage of the sun, and he lay there on the hot sand for over an hour, sleep eluding him, trying to get the memory of Selenia's lips against his out of his mind. The feel of her body against his, the softness of her skin, the little noises she made—it all played on repeat in his head.

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