Page 22 of Realms of Shadow and Sun (A World of Sun and Shadow #3)

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."

"Except for the time you, Phillippe, Grayden, and Jurel let all those cows into the village."

She felt a small pang, remembering how much they had all laughed as the cows wandered the cobblestone streets, harassing patrons and irritating vendors as they left their droppings everywhere.

"I thought your father was going to murder us. I'm pretty sure that was when he decided it was time for us boys to train with the armies."

"What was it like? Having so many friends?"

Sion looked at Selenia, not understanding her meaning. "You mean Jurel and your brothers?"

She nodded. "I really don't have any friends back home."

Selenia could feel Sion's chest expand and then tighten. She felt his hand rest on top of hers and looked down where their hands met. Her fair skin, his dark olive complexion on top.

"I'm your friend, Selenia,"

he said softly, his voice carrying a weight she hadn't heard before.

The simple statement sent a flutter through her chest. She turned her head slightly, catching his gaze. For a moment, they just looked at each other, something unspoken passing between them.

"I know,"

she finally replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just...I've always felt a bit left out. You all had your adventures, and I was just the little sister tagging along."

Sion's arm tightened around her waist, a gesture that felt both protective and comforting. "You're not just a tag-along, Selenia. You never have been. You're strong, brave, and..."

he paused, seeming to search for the right words, "and important. To all of us."

Selenia felt warmth spread through her at his words, a feeling that had nothing to do with the desert heat. She leaned back slightly, allowing herself to relax against him.

"Tell me more about what happened in the Shadow Realm,"

she said after a moment. "Not the...not the bad parts. But what you saw, what you learned. I want to understand."

Sion was quiet for a long moment, and Selenia worried she had overstepped. But then he began to speak, his voice low and measured.

"It's a place of contradictions,"

he said. "Beautiful and terrible all at once. The architecture is stunning, all sleek lines and imposing structures. But there's a darkness that seeps into everything. The people there...some of them are just trying to survive. Others have embraced the darkness."

As he spoke, Selenia found herself captivated by his voice, by the way he painted pictures with his words. She asked questions, and he answered, their conversation flowing easily as the desert landscape passed by.

Hours later, as the first hints of dawn began to color the sky, Selenia realized that her exhaustion had faded. Despite the discomfort of her injury, she felt more at ease than she had in weeks. Sion's presence behind her was solid and reassuring, and she found herself wondering how she had never noticed before how well they fit together.