Page 5 of Mountains of Mist and Magic (A World of Sun and Shadow #4)

I t took every ounce of willpower Sion possessed not to claim Selenia right then. With her eyes closed gently, her lips full and pouty, he yearned to lose himself in her entirely. But she was still young and inexperienced, and he felt duty-bound to protect her in all things.

Moreover, the emotional scars of the past year still weighed heavily on his heart. Yet slowly but surely, Selenia was becoming his beacon of light, his calm after the storm, the shore after sailing upon a treacherous sea.

She lay peacefully in his arms, her ringlets spread across his chest like a fiery halo. He knew he should leave her room, but she slept so serenely that he couldn't bring himself to disturb her. Besides, the sun had already begun to rise, its morning rays deepening the beautiful scarlet of her hair, reminding him that they needed to be up soon anyway.

Anxiety consumed him at the thought of their impending journey back to the Sun Realm. He feared for Selenia's safety every time they left the protective barrier of Snowden Lodge. Though the threat of Cressida was over and the Shadow Realm soldiers had dispersed, their lands were rapidly becoming unstable with the increasing loss of magic. It seemed shifts in weather and conditions occurred daily now, and he knew Phillippe was inundated with reports of breaking dams, melting glaciers, and seas of ice flooding the lowlands. Something needed to be done, and quickly.

The stability of their world was crumbling beneath their feet.

Selenia stirred in her sleep, her cheek rubbing softly against his chest. He sighed deeply, stroking her back lightly with his fingertips. She moaned softly, and he tensed, thinking back to their evening together. He hadn't intended to go that far, to expose himself to her hungry eyes, but his resistance was wearing thin. It had been over a month since she revealed their bond, and he was feeling the effects of her nearness even if his part of their mating bond wasn't present.

It was nearly impossible to resist Selenia Snowden, especially when her mind was made up. And she was determined to have him.

A knock on the door jolted him from his thoughts.

“Selenia?” Doria's voice sounded through the door, and Sion quickly nudged Selenia.

“Wake up, darling girl,” he murmured, stroking her cheek and coaxing her off his chest.

She sat up quickly, and he untangled their limbs and snuck off to the bathroom. He closed the door just as he heard Doria enter Selenia's bedroom.

“You asked me to wake you up at sunrise,” he heard Doria remind Selenia.

“Oh, yes, thank you,” Selenia fumbled, and Sion knew she was nervous about Doria suspecting she hadn't slept alone.

He could hear Selenia move about the room, could hear Doria arrange a tray on Selenia's table.

“Do you want me to draw you a bath?”

“No!” Selenia screeched, and Sion inwardly groaned. It was obvious to him, at least, that she was hiding something. Doria, having practically raised Selenia, would surely figure it out.

“I'll just tidy up around here then,” Doria replied. Sion waited in the bathroom, dreading the possibility of Doria discovering him at any moment.

After a few more minutes, the bathroom door opened, and Selenia smiled shyly at him. She was dressed in a crimson riding outfit, her hair neatly pinned back.

“That was close. I was worried she'd know you were here.”

Sion walked out of the bathroom, taking in the tidied room. Selenia was notorious for the messes she left behind.

“Selenia?” he asked, turning a full circle in the room. “Where are my clothes?”

Selenia gulped, and Sion chuckled.

“Well, it seems like Doria now knows that you weren't alone last night.”

It was nearing noon before they took off; Selenia spent the morning rustling around and packing more and more things before Sion finally stopped her.

They rode quietly, Selenia on Frost and Sion riding Damion. Selenia was unusually quiet, which worried him.

“What's wrong, Little Fox?”

She turned up her head and looked at him.

“I have an idea...but you're not going to like it.”

Sion fought the urge to groan. Loving Selenia Snowden meant dealing with her whims. “What is it?”

She bit her lip, and then adjusted her gloves, and Sion knew she was avoiding looking at him.

“Selenia?”

“I think we should stop and see the Murcurial. To see if she can fix your side of the bond.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Sion!”

“Selenia, I'm sworn to protect you. Even if I didn't swear fealty to your brothers, I would still consider it my highest duty and honor. I will not let you near that dreadful creature.”

“But if it means that we can truly be together—”

“We are together.”

“Sion, I want us to—”

“There's more to a relationship than physicality, Selenia.”

He knew he'd pushed her too far and said the wrong thing the second the words flew out of his mouth. Her face turned ashen, and her shoulders squared in anger.

“What did you just say to me? Do you seriously think I want to be fully mated to you just so we can sleep together? Are you insane? I want a full and lasting relationship. I want marriage and children! I want a husband who isn't afraid to let me touch him!”

Sion dropped his eyes at her accusation. He knew that he put up walls, but in reality, it had nothing to do with their bond.

“I think we need to talk, Selenia. Let's give the horses a break and discuss this.” He nodded towards a large outcropping on the far side of the snowy path.

The Selenia he remembered from his youth would have scowled and galloped ahead, but this older version of her nodded in agreement and adjusted Frost's path towards the outcropping and a fallen log.

They tied up the horses and Sion laid out his cape for Selenia to sit on. She looked like she wanted to argue, but one look from Sion made her sit quietly on the cape.

“I just don't want you to be cold. You're still healing,” she whispered softly, the snow circling them both.

He sighed, pulling her into his body. “I'm never cold when you're beside me, darling.”

She snuggled into his chest. Ever since she learned they were fated, Sion noticed that she couldn't stay mad at him. He pushed her buttons frequently, but ultimately, she'd soften and let him pull her into an embrace.

“I know you want us to be fully fated. But Selenia, even when that time comes—it might be hard for me to be—fully intimate with you. You know the scars I bear.”

She looked up at him, glistening snowflakes coating her long lashes.

“I know. I'm sorry—I didn't mean it that way. I just—I'm hoping that having your side of the bond freed might make things easier for you. Maybe I can help shoulder some of your burdens, too.”

“You already do so much for me, my princess. The fact that I can touch you—kiss you—even enjoy pleasure at my own hands—that's all because of you.” He kissed her on top of the head, and then brought his gloved hand to her cheek. “You've begun to heal my heart. Every moment I spend with you mends my soul back together—piece by piece. It's taken time, and I know one day I'll be ready—but I'm not in a rush to claim you. I'd rather do it when we are both ready. When our hearts and minds are one, and there won't be a thought in my head other than how beautiful you look beneath me.”

She nodded, but her eyes met his briefly. “But Sion, I ask this not just for you and me. I know others are aching and hurting without their fated mates. When I think of Esmeralda making up excuses to stay at the lodge just to be near Phillippe longer, or when Julietta writes to me asking all kinds of questions about our match, it breaks my heart. Even if we don't go for us, can we at least see if the Murcurial knows anything? She does wield some power, and her predictions about Renya—I mean, our bond, were true.”

Sion moved his hands to her shoulders, and then pulled her even tighter against him. “I understand. I do. I ache for the others as well. I only feel a fraction of what you do—and already I know I'm the luckiest fae in our world.”

“So...is that a yes?”

“It is. You know I'd follow you to the ends of the world, Selenia Snowden.”