Their Queen Returns novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The First Night Home

Sienna had already dried her own hair and was leaning back against the headboard, her expression unreadable as she stared out the window.

When Vivian emerged from the bathroom, Sienna's gaze softened. She patted the spot beside her. "Come here. Let me dry your hair."

Vivian's first instinct was to refuse. Sienna had just returned; she shouldn't be a burden.

But Sienna's voice was gentle and mesmerizing, and it pulled her forward against her will.

In the end, she found herself sitting on the floor, then lying back, her head in her sister's lap, as the warm air from the hairdryer washed over her.

It felt... so safe. Thought Vivian. Her eyes fluttered closed in contentment, then shot open again.

She was terrified this was all a dream, a beautiful, fragile fantasy she would wake from at any moment. She drank in the sight of her sister's perfect face, her heart aching with a desperate question.

"Are you... " she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Are you going to leave again?"

The motion of Sienna's hands paused for a fraction of a second. "No," she said, her voice soft but absolute. "I'm not leaving."

'From now on, wherever I go, my sisters go with me,' she told herself.

Joy, pure and overwhelming, bloomed in Vivian's chest. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek, dropping on Sienna's dress.

Sienna didn't say a word, simply reaching down to wipe the tear away.

She knew Vivian must have suffered unimaginable pain in the years she was gone. She wouldn't press her for details. Not yet.

The rest of her life would be free of suffering, Sienna vowed silently. Because she was here now.

"Alright, go get the hand cream from my suitcase," she gently patted on Vivian's shoulder.

"Okay!" Vivian bounced up, retrieving a pink and white tube.

Vivian nodded obediently, slipping under the covers and immediately plastering herself to Sienna's side, clinging to her arm.

Just like when they were children, Sienna held her, patting her back gently until her breathing evened out.

It was the most peaceful night's sleep Vivian had had in ten years, wrapped in her sister's arms, just like old times.

Her sister was home.

In her sleep, Vivian murmured, "Sienna... "

Sienna, her own eyes wide open in the darkness, gazed down at her. The carefully constructed dam around her own emotions finally broke, and a single, hot tear traced a path down her cheek.

Later that night, once she was sure Vivian was sound asleep, Sienna carefully slipped out of bed. She stepped over to the window and dialed a number.

"It's me," she said, her voice low and sharp. "Lana. I need you to look into something for me. And pack a bag. You're coming to Solara. I might be here for a while. Hand the company's affairs over to the board."