Page 45 of Realms of Shadow and Sun

As the sun began to set, Sion knew they would need to continue their journey soon. But for now, he remained outside, torn between his duty to protect Selenia and the unexpected feelings she had stirred within him. Whatever happened next, he knew their relationship had irrevocably changed, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to face the consequences.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Selenia lay back on the sleeping roll, rubbing her fingers over her lips, still burning from Sion's kiss. Now that the initial shock wore off, she tried to grasp what she was feeling. Guilt, of course. Jurel hadn't even been gone a month, and she had already kissed another man. He kissed her first, to be fair...but she didn't try to stop it. Her lips moved with his, and something about it felt starkly different than it did with Jurel. She had only kissed him a handful of times, and then they were mostly just chaste pecks on her lips. But this...this was sensual and seductive.

Her face burned hotly, and she felt like she was betraying Jurel. How could she kiss another man? Her head swirled in confusion and pounded, both from the heat exhaustion and the contradicting feelings in her body. Plus, Sion was a childhood friend. He was older than her, closer to Grayden's age, whereas Jurel was closer to her in age. But her heart ached for Sion, hurt for the intense torture he endured. She shuddered, thinking of him bound and shackled to Cressida. The horror was almost too much to even comprehend.

The pain radiated from her shoulder all the way up into her neck. She refused to cry, refused to show any weakness. She was tired of crying, tired of her aching heart.

Selenia turned her head and tried to see Sion's silhouette in the encroaching darkness. She could just make out his strong shoulders. He faced away from her, guarding the mouth of the cave. He was resting, but she could tell he wasn't asleep. Any sudden sound forced him to lift up his head, scanning the desert in front of them.

She sighed, realizing that they both had hardly gotten any rest. He was busy taking care of her after she foolishly allowed herself to get overheated, and her shoulder was throbbing.

“Sion,” she called out softly. He raised his head immediately, pushed himself upright, and walked towards her.

“What is it, princess?”

Princess? He had never addressed her that way before. She mustered up the angriest glare she could and looked up at him. “Do not call me that again.”

Sion was flustered, unsure of where to look. Selenia watched his gaze land on the cave wall again. “I crossed a line. I won't cross it again.” He folded his arms in front of his chest.

“Sion,” she said again, trying to sit up. He saw her struggling, sighed, and knelt down to help her. His touch was gentle, but she could tell that he was trying to keep his hands away from her as much as possible.

“You can touch me,” she said, surprising herself with her boldness.

He looked at her, but shook his head no, and then moved towards the sleeping roll. “Are you ready to go?” he asked, rolling up her sleeping roll and throwing it over his shoulder.

“Yes, I want to get home as soon as possible,” she said, cradling her arm.

Sion dropped the roll and walked back over to the saddlebags on Damion. He fiddled around in them and pulled out one of the golden robes he wore at Cressida's court.

“I was going to burn this when we got back home, but tearing it is good too.”

He grabbed the sleeve of the garment and ripped it off, then threw the rest of it on the desert floor. She watched him spit on it and saw the fire of hate in his eyes. But when he came back over to her, he wore a mask of calm on his face, though Selenia knew it was just for show.

“Give me your arm,” he said, and wrapped the sleeve around her arm before securing it around her neck. “That's the best I can do out here.”

Selenia dropped the hand supporting her arm and felt relief. It still hurt, but at least she had better use of her other arm.

Sion finished packing up, refusing to allow Selenia to help at all. She came over and looked at Honor, wondering how she should attempt to hoist herself up on the mare's back. Before she could come up with a plan, Sion was beside her. With one swift motion, he grabbed her by the waist and settled her on Honor's back. “Thank you,” she said. “That would have been difficult on my own.”

She grabbed the reins with one hand, but before she could command Honor to go, she felt Sion's chest press into her back as he leapt on behind her.

“What are you doing?” she asked blankly, trying to ignore the warmth of his body against hers.

“Do you really think you're in any condition to ride? Let alone in unfamiliar territory in challenging weather?” Sion grabbed Honor's reins from her hands and started the horse off at a steady pace. He whistled, and the other two horses followed behind obediently.

Neither Sion nor Selenia said anything for a long time. Selenia was wrapped up in her own thoughts, ashamed of her betrayal to Jurel's memory. Sion was equally engrossed in his own thoughts, and Selenia guessed he was feeling guilty as well.

Finally, she broke the tension. “So, are you gonna be cold and standoffish towards me forever?” She gave him a sweet grin, and he returned a small one.

“Probably,” he said with a smirk, but she felt his body relax slightly against her.

“Well, we weren't that close anyway,” she teased back. The tension dissolved between them, replaced by a comfortable familiarity tinged with something new and uncertain.

“What do you miss most about the Snow Lands?” Selenia asked, genuinely curious about his perspective.

Sion looked thoughtful, taking time to consider his answer. “The way the foothills of the mountains look after the snow has settled. The smells of the town. The market always smells so wonderful.”

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