Page 59 of Realms of Shadow and Sun

Selenia said nothing, but moved to gather up her belongings, not even looking at Sion.

Sion had never seen Selenia so forlorn. He assumed it was Jurel's death, hitting her all over again. Perhaps the kiss they shared sparked old memories for her. He wished he could do something to assuage his guilt, but she didn't even want to talk to him. When they stopped midday to water the horses, she scarcely glanced at him, and hardly said two words. It was worse than he feared. Would she say something to Grayden about his indiscretion? He tried to think back, to find out what had possessed him to make a move on his best friend's sister, but he couldn't fathom why he acted the way he did. Maybe he was just so lonely, starving for any type of touch that wasn't cruel or hurtful. She was so sweet and innocent, the opposite of Cressida.

And her lips. So soft and fresh...

Fates, what was wrong with him? He needed to get away from her, and fast. He started counting down the hours, eager to be off this horse with her in front of him, so the temptation would leave him.

When they finally crossed over into the Snow Lands, there was no gradual shift in the terrain and weather like usual. The second they passed the boundary line, snow, thick and viscous, whipped around them.

“Sion, what's going on?” Selenia asked, trying to pull her small blanket around her shoulders, her nose already pink in the few minutes they'd appeared in their lands.

“I'm not sure, but I think it's some kind of blizzard,” he said, amazed. Their lands had been losing their magic and becoming warmer and warmer, so they hadn't seen weather like this in quite some time.

“What should we do?” she asked, her teeth chattering.

Sion looked at the sky, trying to gauge how fast moving the storm was.

“Selenia, I was hoping to get back to the lodge by this evening, but I'm afraid this storm isn't safe for us to travel through. The visibility is horrendous, and I'm concerned that we'll go in circles and run out of provisions. I think we ought to stay the night.”

“You're probably right,” she said, pulling her blanket up around her shoulders even tighter.

“What happened to your hat?” Sion asked, looking at her pink ears and her hair whipping around in the wind.

“It must have blown away,” she said.

An odd sensation down his spine hinted that she was lying, but it seemed such an odd, insignificant thing to lie about that he ignored his suspicions.

He scanned the horizon, looking for something to help shelter them from the wind. An outcropping of rocks caught his eye, and he directed Honor towards them.

He dismounted and then helped Selenia down. When he put his hands on her waist, she flinched, and he felt guilty all over again. She tried to keep her body away from him the entire time they rode, and the slightest touch caused her to tense everywhere.

“I'm afraid we'll have to share a tent,” he said, his eyes searching hers. For a split second, he thought he detected a look of excitement, but it was so fleeting he was sure he imagined it.

“Alright,” was her only reply.

They worked together, albeit silently, to set up a makeshift campsite. Once the tent was pitched and a fire flickering in front of the rocks, he motioned for Selenia to get inside.

She paused at the tent flap, watching him arrange himself in front of the fire.

“Sion, you'll freeze to death. I know you're adapted to the cold, but there's no way you could survive the night out here in a blizzard. Come inside.”

He looked down at the snow covering his boots, and then back at the tent. He watched Selenia crawl in, and then headed in behind her.

She sat on the sleeping mat, shivering in her gown. Her clothes were soaked, and his were too. The snow was wet and damp, unlike the sweetly falling snow they were used to.

He sat down on the opposite side, trying to keep as much distance between them as he could. He watched as Selenia blew on her trembling fingers, trying to bring warmth into them. He struggled for a second, then moved over to her and took her hands in his. She looked like she might protest for a second, but then she held still and watched as he rubbed her pale hands in his.

“You have to keep your fingers moving, keep the blood circulating,” he said, rubbing her fingers and then moving to her palms. “I refuse to allow you to lose a limb.”

She trembled while he continued to caress her hands, and he worried that she was going to get hypothermia in her wet clothes.

“Selenia, I think you need to remove anything that's wet. The tent can keep us warm enough, but it won't do much good if you're in soaked clothing.”

Wordlessly, she began to unbutton her blouse with her good arm, her fingers shaking. Sion wasn't sure if it was from the cold or if she was scared to be undressing in front of him. He turned towards the side of the tent, giving her privacy.

“Once you're finished, get into your sleeping roll and then I'll do the same.”

Sion heard her struggle with her injured arm, but he didn't want to offer to help her undress. He'd already crossed far too many lines on this journey.

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