Page 24 of The Moon's Fury

“What happened? Is she all right?” Zarian asked, concern blooming in his chest.

“Yes, just a minor headache. We cut the council meeting short. Nothing to worry about.”

“Did Layna make an … announcement to the council today?” he asked.

Ebrahim had yet to speak.

“She did,” Hadiyah said simply. A long, deep sigh escaped her. “Zarian, I’ll be frank with you. I know you hold my daughter in high regard. I know you’d do anything to protect her. Show me you will protectAlzahraas well.”

Zarian’s eyes darted again to Ebrahim’s, but the older man would not meet his gaze. “Let me talk to Layna first,” he finally said.

Hadiyah pressed her lips into a grim line, as if swallowing a scathing remark. With a curt nod, she dismissed him.

Zarian knelt, chest bared and vulnerable. He gasped for air, a desperate, futile struggle for life. He swayed, struggling to stand, only to collapse with a loud thud she felt in her bones. Blood seeped from his mouth, down over his neck, staining his lips a gruesome red. She screamed and screamed and screamed.

Layna awoke with a gasp, heart thundering in her chest. How long had she slept? The remnants of the horrifying dream were shadowy wisps in her mind, the edges already blurring. At least her headache was gone.

She headed to the washroom to splash water over her face. Upon emerging, her eyes widened as they landed on Zarian waiting for her on the divan.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, sitting beside him. “Not that I mind.”

“Your mother mentioned you were unwell. What happened?” He gripped her chin and tilted her face toward the light, eyes shadowed with concern.

“I’m fine. I had a headache and some dizziness, but I feel better after sleeping.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, scooting closer.

Before she could deepen the kiss, Zarian pulled back and asked, “Did you have a chance to tell the council about us?”

She worried her lip between her teeth. “Not exactly. I—I told them I won’t marry Nizam. But my mother and the councilmembers advised we hold off on a formal alliance until Alzahra has had more time to rebuild. Until the rumors die down.”

Zarian was silent for three painfully long heartbeats. He rose slowly, raking a violent hand through his unruly hair.

With his back to her, he said, “They want to bide time for other proposals.”

“Yes, but I won’t entertain—”

“Last night you said you’d marryme.” His words were sharp, shoulders stiff.

“I know,” she said softly, placatingly. “But their request was reasonable. I thought they would pressure me to marry Nizam, but they accepted that I won’t. They just asked me to wait.”

“Reasonable?” he scoffed. Zarian spun around, anger burning in his eyes. “Do you think it’sreasonablefor me to wait and watch while they present you as an offering to other kingdoms?”

Layna bristled, but she tried to tamp down on her irritation. “It won’t be forever. Just until—”

“Until Alzahra isstronger,” he interrupted. “So they’ve said.” He began pacing, an angry, caged lion. “What they actually mean is wait until they can convince you to marry into a wealthy kingdom. And in the meantime, I’ll have to watch you be courted. And your mother, she—”

“You’re being unreasonable.” The embers of her own temper flickered to life. Her blood crackled angrily in her veins, and she could feel a tingling in her fingertips. “It’s the best I could do. You said you wouldn’t make my choice difficult.”

“I thought you’d actuallymakea choice!” he snapped, his voice rising steadily. “Not keep me dangling in perpetual uncertainty!” She rose to face him, arms crossed. “Layna, I have given up everything for you. I left it behind and haven’t looked back once. You told me that—on the day of the eclipse—you chose me. You were ready to leave Alzahra withme!” His eyes blazed, fists clenched at his sides.

“That was before I knew my father was dead! Things are different now. What do you think will happen to my mother if I abandon my crown? To Soraya?”

“I’m not asking you to leave—”

“Andyoumay have left your kingdom, but you weren’t even happy there! You had nothing worth staying for. You hate your father and your brother is dead!”

Zarian recoiled, staring at her in shock. His shoulders dropped as his anger deflated, and raw hurt swirled in his eyes.

“Zarian, I—”