Page 15 of Realms of Shadow and Sun (A World of Sun and Shadow #3)

Renya sat on the floor with her back against the bed frame, sobs echoing off the walls of her chamber. She couldn't believe that her own father was alive. And not only that, he had taken away the one thing she had left: her bond with Grayden.

The moment her father performed his magic, it was like a part of her died. The knowledge that her fated mate was no longer connected to her broke her all over again.

She cried ugly, loud tears until her nose ran all down her face. She used her sleeve to dry her face, not caring about ruining the simple dress she wore. As she rolled up her sleeve, she caught a glimpse of her mating mark. The sparkling snowflake was there, as brilliant as ever. Confusion whirled around in her brain. Shouldn't her mark be gone if her bond was broken? Cressida didn't bear a mark after splitting from her father, so if her connection to Grayden was really severed, shouldn't her mark be gone too?

She traced the snowflake with her finger, and she swore she could feel Grayden, just beyond her reach. She wasn't sure if her mind was playing tricks on her, or if she could really feel him.

A quick rap against her window drew her attention away from her wrist. She picked herself up off the cold floor and couldn't believe it when she saw Sion's face peering back at her. Renya quickly undid the lock and swung the window open.

Sion hoisted himself up into her room, looking so much worse than she had ever seen him. He had large, open gashes bleeding on his chest, and his feet were completely bare and filthy.

"Sion, how are you here?"

Renya asked, flabbergasted at his sudden appearance.

"Hold on, Renya,"

Sion said, as he turned back to the window. Another face appeared, and Renya watched in disbelief as her father was assisted into the room by Sion.

Cyrus dropped to the floor and stood in front of Renya. He was incredibly pale, and he looked almost like a ghost. Renya stared at him, unsure of how she should act or even how she felt.

"Sunshine. I'm so sorry,"

the old man said. "I never meant for it to be this way."

The anger Renya had been carrying finally unleashed itself. "You mean you didn't mean to break my bond? The one thing I had left? The thing that I cared about more than anything in this world? You robbed me of my mate, my future husband! He means more to me than you ever will."

Cyrus stared back at Renya, confusion wrinkling his brow. "My darling daughter, I would never break your fated bond. Do you know just how sacred those are? When I broke mine to your mother, there were deep consequences and dark magic to pay. But I did it for you, my dear girl. To keep you safe. I would never rob you of the man you love."

Renya's voice caught in her throat. "But...I felt something break,"

she said in a small voice.

"I did sever a connection, but it wasn't your fated bond."

Sion cleared his throat. "Enough of these riddles. What did you do?"

He looked at Cyrus expectantly.

"I broke her blood promises. She's no longer bound to her mother. She's free. The dark magic binding the promises was rooted in deception and coercion, even if Cressida didn't believe it. A blood promise made under those circumstances can be broken with magic."

Renya's eyes widened. She couldn't believe it. She was free? Just five minutes ago, she thought everything was taken from her and no hope remained. Now, she was free to return to Grayden. "You mean I can leave?"

Cyrus frowned. "You can, my daughter. But I would beg you to stay."

"To stay? Why on earth would I stay here, with that monster?"

Cyrus looked at Renya, and she felt as if he was sizing her up for the first time. "Your mother is strong. She has amassed more power than I ever believed she could. Not only that, but she has managed to bring dragons into this world. You find yourself at a crossroads, my darling girl. You can leave, and return to your prince. Or, you could stay and earn your mother's trust. Be useful to her. She believes that you are no longer fated, and that you are bloodsworn to be loyal and obedient. There might be a way to use that to your advantage and potentially save us all."

"So, she's really my mother?"

Renya asked in a small voice.

"She is, I'm afraid. She wasn't always this way, my dear child. She could love, once. She loved me. And she loved you, in her own way. But she was so fearful of being weak, of losing her magic, that she became blinded by power. She allowed it to blacken her soul, to transform her into what she is today. I saw the signs, as soon as you were born. We uncovered a prophecy, buried deep within our forgotten libraries underneath our palace. It foretold of a light bringer, who would bring back magic. When Cressida found it, she brought seer after seer to our home. She became obsessed with finding the meaning behind it. She neglected you and me. Finally, one seer told her that you would take her power and her throne. Your aunt overheard the conversation, and she and I devised a plan to take you to the human world and hide you there."

"Aunt Agatha is really my aunt then? Your sister?"

"She's your aunt, but not my sister. She was born of shadow."

Renya gulped. All this time, Aunt Agatha had kept the truth from her. Cressida and she were sisters. She felt a headache coming on, and her brain felt like it was going to burst with all the revelations.

"So you are really my father then,"

Renya said, looking at Cyrus as if for the first time.

"I am. I loved your mother, but what I felt for you...I can't even describe it. When I had to choose between you two, I chose you. I broke my bond with Cressida to keep you safe and hidden. I couldn't take a chance of her finding me or sensing where I was. And I paid dearly for it. I lost my magic for several years, and was stuck in the human world for longer than I intended. But I never stopped watching you, never stopped protecting you. When you moved to Seattle, right across the street from the portal, I knew that it was time for you to return. Just as I suspected, you were drawn to the portal. At the time, I thought it must have been the prophecy drawing you home. But now, I think it was your bond, bringing you to the man who will replace me as your protector."

Renya stood there, unsure of how she felt. She believed this man, believed that he was her father. But she was confused, and angry at being lied to for her entire life. Even when Aunt Agatha came to save her, she still withheld the whole truth from her.

"What about my aunt? Where is she?"

Renya asked, panicky. If Cyrus was at the bookstore, shouldn't he know where she was? Despite the fact that her aunt had lied to her numerous times, she still needed her safe.

"I'm sorry Renya, I think the Shadow Queen bound her to another world. But don't fret, Sion and I are going to head back through the portal and try to recover her. Her power is unmatched, and she's vital to helping us defeat Cressida."

"Back through the portal?"

Sion asked, glancing at Cyrus.

"Yes, I'd like to head home to the Sun Realm, and then search for Agatha in the portal corridor. I know it's a lot to ask, especially for how much you've been through here."

Sion gulped, obviously uncomfortable with Cyrus knowing how much he'd been doing here. Renya's eyes became wide again, putting together the fact that her friend had been sleeping with her mother, and her father knew about it.

"I'll go,"

Sion said quickly, looking between Renya and Cyrus. "Anything is better than being her plaything."

He looked at Cyrus and blushed. "Sorry," he added.

Cyrus brushed off the apology. "I'm thankful for you, Sion. You know the Snow Lands well, and you've been through the portal once before."

"So, you're leaving? Now?"

Renya asked.

Cyrus nodded. "We need to leave before she realizes we've escaped. Hopefully we'll get a good head start."

He wiped his hands on his suit pants. He was dirty and covered in grime, no doubt from spending his days and nights in the dungeon.

"So...will you stay?"

Renya's heart sank. She wanted Grayden, needed him. Her body ached to be next to him. She envisioned their reunion, the happiness that would radiate from his face when they were finally brought back together. She imagined sleeping on his warm and muscular chest, his calloused fingers softly tracing small circles on her arms after making love. The scene she painted in her mind was so vivid, so wonderfully warm, that she almost refused right away. But the longer she thought, she knew the future she pictured for them would never exist as long as Cressida did. With despair in her heart and heaviness in her chest, she agreed. "I'll stay as long as it takes for her to trust me."

"You are truly my daughter. So brave and beautiful. I only hope this mate of yours is good enough for you."

It felt odd, so strange to be in Cressida's palace, talking with her father about her future husband.

"He's the best man I've ever known,"

Renya said, red creeping up her cheeks.

"He really is,"

Sion added.

Cyrus looked satisfied with their answer, and moved back towards the window. "Sion, we better get going. The magic I used to free us will linger and leave a trace. I'm afraid she'll find us sooner rather than later, and I'm weak from breaking the blood promises."

Sion moved towards the window, then paused before heading back over to the center of the room. He gave Renya a firm embrace, and knelt before her. "You might not be crowned yet, but you're my queen all the same."

Cyrus looked on proudly, as if watching his daughter earn the respect of her subjects delighted him.

"Goodbye, Renya,"

Cyrus said, preparing to climb out the window.

"Wait,"

Renya said, as she came closer. Cyrus stood upright in front of her, and surprise crossed his face as she moved into his arms.

This man was a stranger, someone she had known less than a day, but she couldn't send him away without acknowledging the sacrifices he made for her. It was clear they were done out of love. But as he put his arms around her, Renya was shocked to feel a sense of completeness as her father embraced her back.

She pulled away, noting the tears that threatened to fall from her father's eyes.

"Take care, my Renya. My Light Bringer. I named you that because the second you came into this world and I held you in my arms, you became the light that ruled my life."