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“You did no such thing. If you must know, my nightmare last night was about the horrors you endured at the hands of the Shadow Queen.”

Sion paled, his hands pausing on the laces of his pants.

“Why would you dream about that?”

Selenia bit her lip. She wanted to tell him, make him understand that what was happening between them was inevitable. But she knew it would be hard for him to believe.

“It just...bothered me,” she finished lamely.

They both looked anywhere but each other.

Sion broke the tension first.

“We should get going.” He turned his back to her, indicating that she should dress.

She rolled her eyes, even though she knew he couldn't see it. He had held her all throughout the night, her body pressed against his, but in the light of the day, he was concerned for her modesty. She struggled getting her arm into her sleeve, the pain worse than ever. The weather was so poor that they didn't even eat dinner, and Selenia was desperately overdue for the pain relief that the poppy concoction provided.

Sion heard her grunts of pain and turned. She was mostly dressed, but her arm hung in the sleeve, her blouse still open. Selenia could see his concern, his pity for her condition.

“I'm fine,” she grumbled, leaving her injured arm outside of the blouse and shrugging on her cloak.

“Selenia.”

All it took was her name on his tongue, his voice thick, causing a shiver down her spine. He moved towards her and her breathing hitched, watching his hands reach out to hers.

The second his hand made contact with her skin, she felt a jolt of electricity trail through her body. From the widening of his eyes, Selenia knew he felt it too, although he didn't comment on it, but instead focused on helping her into the rest of her clothing.

Once her borrowed cape from the Sun Realm was clasped around her neck, Sion opened up the tent flap and crawled out.

When she looked outside, her mouth dropped. At least three feet of snow settled around the camp, completely covering the terrain.

“Whoa.”

“We haven't seen snow like this in ages,” Sion agreed, heading towards the horses, his feet sinking deep in the wet snow.

Selenia followed him, teeth chattering. The horses were tethered under a tree, their thick coats protecting them from the cold.

“Can I help pack up the tent?” she asked?

Sion shook his head. “It's too wet to take back. We'll leave it and just take what we need.”

Selenia had never been so excited to see Wesalie again. The town was quiet, everyone hunkered down for the evening, but the low glow from the streetlights was like a beacon, leading them up the gravel path to Snowden Lodge.

She could feel Sion's excitement as well, his body practically humming once they reached the outskirts of the town.

“How long have you been gone?”

“Almost a full year. Before I went to the Shadow Realm, I was up in the mountain training camp.”

“Will you stay at the lodge or go back home?” Selenia tried not to sound too hopeful at the prospect of being under the same roof.

“I'll stay here until Grayden is back. Then I'll head out towards the foothills.”

Selenia nodded. “Has your house been abandoned all this time?”

“No, my grandmother is living there. As soon as my father died, I moved her there. It's bigger than her old house and closer to the town.”

“That was good of you.” She leaned back into his arms, the scent of him too strong to ignore. She felt him tense against her, but then he relaxed as Honor continued up the path to the lodge.