Page 167 of The Moon's Fury

Layna held her breath.

A few minutes later, the door swung open, revealing a lean man with richly tanned skin and dark hair that curled around his ears. He was talking to someone in the house, not focused on them. He turned, and when his gaze landed on Zarian, his eyes widened.

Zarian grinned. “Saldeh, Marwon. I’m back.”

The man stared at him for a moment longer, his gaze flicking to her. Then he bounded forward and pulled Zarian in a tight embrace. When he pulled back, his eyes were glistening.

She wasn’t sure what he said, but it sounded hopeful. Zarian nodded. Marwon hugged him again, longer this time.

When he let go, Zarian introduced her.

“O Layna keiya. O iyan kou mea dil o ke ola.”

The man smiled in greeting, hand pressed over his heart. He clapped Zarian on the shoulder and said, in broken common tongue, “Your man. Very good.”

Zarian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“He is,” she said simply, eyes fixed on her man’s handsome face. The swell of warmth in her chest rivaled the midday sun on her back.

Marwon and Zarian spoke a bit more before Marwon disappeared inside the house, returning a short while later. He pressed a set of keys into Zarian’s hands, along with two wicker baskets filled with clothing, food items and bottles of water.

She strained to discern words as they talked, but Marwon spoke quickly, and the sounds flowed like ocean waves, one into the next. It seemed like he was asking a question, and Zarian nodded in response.

Marwon waved as they set back down the path.

“I think Marwon loves you more than I do,” she teased, looping her arm through his as they walked.

“He’s a good man,” Zarian chuckled. He nodded to her arm. “How is your wrist?”

It still ached from time to time, but she didn’t tell him that.

“It’s fine.Iwasn’t the one that rowed us here.”

He narrowed his eyes, knowing,alwaysknowing.

“What are those keys for?” she asked. She didn’t want to think about her wrist and why it ached.

“Home. Marwon’s been maintaining it for me while I was away.”

“Does he owe you a favor, too?” she asked, incredulous. Zarian only smiled. “Have you just gallivanted around the continent collecting favors all these years?”

That coaxed a laugh from him, bright and full andhappy. “Technically, we’re not on the continent. But yes, something like that.”

When they reached the fork in the path, Zarian continued straight onward down the left trail. Soon, another villa rose up before them, identical to Marwon’s. There was a large yard in the front, with a small grove of palm trees on one side, a firepit on the other, a single driftwood chair beside it. The path in the middle was lined with round stones, beckoning them home.

Home.

Zarian stopped in front of the villa, and for a moment, just stared, as if he couldn’t believe it was still standing.

Then, he opened the door.

Sunlight poured through large windows draped in sheer white curtains. The open floor plan felt light and breezy. To the left stood a modest kitchen; to the right, simple dining and sitting areas. A glass door, set into the back wall, offered a view of a small courtyard. The floor was cool beneath her feet, and a woven palm mat stretched neatly across the center of the room.

“Do—do you like it?” Zarian asked.

For the first time, in all the time she had known him, he looked nervous. He rubbed the back of his neck, quickly adding, “If you don’t, that’s fine. We can find another place to live. Farther north, if you like. Or somewhere back on the continent when things settle down.”

She brushed a kiss against his stubbled jaw before resting her head on his chest. “It’s perfect,” she murmured, and his body relaxed against her.