Page 140 of The Moon's Fury

Jamil remained patient, his quiet persistence unwavering until she finally took a deep swig. Satisfied, he tore off pieces of meat, holding them to her lips until she relented and took a bite.

It tasted like nothing.

“Soraya,” he murmured.

The fire held her attention.

“Soraya,” he repeated, tilting her face toward him. “I’m not good with words. I wish I knew how to ease your pain. But believe me when I say this isnotyour fault. If you had stayed with your mother, you’d be dead, too. And your sister would have lost you both.”

His green eyes brimmed with concern, with love so raw it split through the cracks in her soul. Her vision blurred as fresh tears welled, spilling over before she could stop them. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, and she broke apart against his chest, sobbing anew.

“Are you worried for Layna?” he asked when her tears finally subsided. Her head rested in his lap, and he smoothed his large hand over her hair. Kharteen still hadn’t returned to the campsite, and Soraya was grateful for his kindness.

“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes heavy with sleep. “I know she’ll wake. She did before. And Zarian will help her heal. But Layna and her soft heart … I feel likemysoul has been torn to shreds. Layna actuallysawMama die. She’s going to need him. She needsme.”

“We’ll find them,” Jamil vowed, tracing his thumb over her cheek.

She closed her eyes and dreamt of her mother.

Jamil sat motionless, eyes fixed on the flickering flames long after Soraya had drifted into sleep. Deliberate footsteps thudded behind him, and he knew the sound was for his benefit.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice low, as Kharteen sat across from him, flames casting shadows across his face. His friend only grunted, biting into the meat Jamil had portioned for him.

“What happened after?” Jamil asked quietly, eyes flicking to Soraya’s slumbering form.

“Zarian buried her mother. I brought King Dharaid to a trusted adviser—they’ll flee Shahbaad together. Then, I came to find you. Zarian had suspected you’d be in Zephyria. He’s pissed. You were supposed to meet him in Sendouk?”

His lips quirked. He’d never admit it, but he missed his temperamental brother. “My hands were tied.”

Kharteen shrugged. “Just a warning he’s likely going to kill you when he sees you.”

“He can try,” Jamil chuckled. “How did you find us?”

“You’re shit at covering your tracks.”

He scowled. He’d meticulously erased all evidence of every campsite, even as Soraya rolled her eyes from atop Ahmar, waiting.

Kharteen just happened to be the best tracker he knew.

“Where was Zarian headed?”

“Thessan,” Kharteen responded, mouth full of charred rabbit. “He’ll be long gone by the time you get there, though.”

A deep sigh escaped him. Kharteen was right. Zarian wouldn’t stay anywhere too long, not while the Medjai hunted Layna.

“Thessan it is,” he said. He wasn’t as skilled as Kharteen, but he’d be able to track him and catch up.

If Zarian stayed in any place long enough.

The paranoid asshole.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. Had he said he missed him?

“He protects his love,” Kharteen reasoned, easily reading his face.

Jamil grunted. “What’s next for you?”

“I’m heading north. I can travel with you through the Mountains before I go my own way,” he offered.